DreamSword Watches Unfamiliar Toku: Part 2 - Y'all Rangers
 

Aight, bet.

This made me feel like a kid again.

I actually didn't pay attention to the runtime of the episode when I first hit play, and I am so glad I didn't because this was an awesome rollercoaster ride!

Each episode of Dogengers is 19 minutes, and the reason that that's important is because every single second of those 19 minutes isn't wasted, and the pacing is quick to match.

No joke, this seriously felt like a classic Power Rangers episode to me, and as "The Only Power Rangers Fan™" I mean that as a huge compliment. It's the sort of breakneck pacing that goes by so quick that you as a viewer don't have time to question anything and are sent flying face-first into this colorful world of wacky hijinks and explosions.

But within that sugar rush of high energy lies a hidden gem that could be easy to miss: Some rather humanizing moments which set up the arc of who I'm assuming is our main character, Jiro. Alot of stuff surrounding him(like everything else) is played for laughs, but it was all pulled off in a way that instantly endeared me to him, such as when he tries to confront Yaiba Kamen but can't find the inner strength to actually move and take action.

Stuff like that is just one reason why I love the Power Rangers franchise, and if Dogengers here can continue to match that energy? I am in for one heck of a great ride. It's not often that I'm totally enamored with a show from episode 1, but man, Dogengers really did knock it out of the ballpark here.

For real, even if all you wanna focus on is the comedy, which there's definitely alot of in this episode, the first three minutes of the show are actually comedic genius: Opening up with a dramatic cold open from the perspective of the villains to immediately smash cutting to insane, high energy hijinks that acknowledges the blatant exposition that the characters are doing, but not in such a way to as become pretentious or to try and excuse itself for anything. It's the sort of thing that tends to either make or break meta humor for me, and here it worked!

So... yeah, incredible first impression, and I highly recommend that everyone watch the first episode if nothing else. It's a quick sit that feels even quicker, but in the absolute best of ways.

And bet indeed you did!

Welcome to Dogengers or Ya'll Rangers, whichever you prefer.

This is a series that flew under my radar a while for a number of reasons. Mostly in availability of subs, but I was surprised upon seeing in my twitter feed a year later that there was a Season 2 and people were actually watching it? I think there were subs for S2 but I never did find ones for S1 until last year.

And yeah, I can definitely get what you mean about it being Power Rangers in a good way. It has a lot of good comedic beats and some slow moments with our protagonist and really establishes itself as a new kind of Toku experience. Especially given how low budget this was since I'm pretty sure they needed a Kickstarter or something to help get this off the ground originally.

But just like with Ultraman Ginga, I always feel as though lack of budget can be mitigated if the show has the heart to make up for it, and I consider this show just like Ginga.

Anyway yeah, again, welcome to Dogengers, you're in for a fun ride. Also Yabai Kamen is one of my favorite villains in Toku.

Never heard of this one. Anyone have some background on what it is and where it came from?

A show about local heroes who saved up the budget for their own series and it became a hit. Given that there are already three seasons, this could be the birth of the modern tokusatsu franchise.

Yeah, you can tell it's a pretty low budget affair, but it's in part of that that they're doing their best to make every part of the show as big as they can in terms of emotion, which is a great plus. It's the sort of thing that I've missed from Power Rangers for a long time, and was super refreshing having experienced the start of the Hasbro era.

And that description of Ultraman Ginga actually intrigues me, and makes me even more curious as to why it's not cited as a jumping on point for the franchise, given it revived the franchise it comes from and all.

I've only looked up the very bare minimum as to avoid spoilers, but essentially this is a show that focuses on Local Heroes of Japan's' Fukuoka prefecture. It's an indie affair that, while it did use some crowdfunding, had some help in funding by Ohga Pharmacy, whose mascot character, Ohgaman, was designed to make people and kids more aware of the leftover antibiotics problem that the region is known for.

Each season is short, being around 12 to 13 episodes, and is obviously lower budget than your standard toku affair, but if the first episode is anything to go by, it's a ton of fun all the same.

Also, the main director is a former assistant director on Super Sentai (who also holds the privilege of being the only female director for a major Tokusatsu production)

It did the job for me. Ginga was my introduction to the franchise.

As for Dogengers, I don?t have much to say on the first two seasons, since I?ve only seen High School (which was mostly for MagiPink, Mega Yellow and Alternative Zero being part of the supporting cast, but I ended up having a good time), so I may not have much to say for this thread.

People really underestimate how strong friendships can be.

Growing up, I've many times heard people talk about how nothing lasts forever, and that losing friends and replacing them with new ones is an inevitability.

Friendship is so often seen as something that's disposable; Something that doesn't even come close to qualifying as something akin to true love. It's all just kid games and drinking buddies, so why bother getting attached?

But friendships are incredibly important. They provide spaces where we can be ourselves, relationships that can have profound effects on us, and support that allows us to grow as people. Any relationship can be made to last and in the age we live in where the world is more connected than ever, it's not too difficult.

Jiro hasn't seen his dear friend Yuki in 17 years, yet he still did his best to keep in touch with her over the years, and is coming to Fukuoka just to see her. It's a quick thing, but it really hit home with me, as someone who makes an effort to travel a few times a year to visit friends who live far out from me, and of whom I still make an effort to talk despite us not living close by in about half a decade.

While he doesn't get to see her face to face in this episode, I am very interested in where this close friendship that was made long distance is going to go over the show's' run. It's clear that Jiro has had a hard time articulating his feelings to others ever since he was a kid, so it brings up the question on if Yuki was aware of just how important she is to him or not. Because lemme tell ya, it's not always so clear cut, as so many experiences have taught me.

Oh, right, there's also the main plot, wherein Jiro gets a fragment of Ohgaman's' power, and is entrusted to be the new guardian of Fukuoka. The rest of the episode, while definitely still having some of the zany energy of the first, does slow things down some to elaborate a bit more on plot and character. And it works pretty well overall. Outside of Jiro, the other big highlight being more insight into the dynamic of the Secret Society of Darkness and the dynamic between its members.

In my Power Ranger tabletop that I have going, one of the running gags we having going is that the villain organization is run like a business, so when I saw that Dogengers here did much the same, to the point that Yabai Kamen's' super mode is called Unpaid Overtime, it instantly had my approval. It also sort of gave me Zero-One vibes as well, given how Ohgaman is also apparently a CEO himself and easily sets Jiro up with a new apartment(and is apparently strong enough to level all of Fukuoka holy crap). Though obvious this is a much more lighthearted take than what Kamen Rider would do with it.

It's a great stepping stone episode, and I approve.

I... admittedly don't have much to say about Episode 2.

Though I will say I love the episode title as it decides to hang out with such other legendary episode titles like "Jonouchi Dies" and "Kouji Kabuto dies in Magma!"

Yeah, and while that's a pretty funny meta joke on its own, it's also technically not clickbait. Ohgaman not only gets defeated, but he does just kinda disappear afterwards, so like... technically, yeah, he does die in terms of the narrative.

I think I sense the start of a trend.

This episode continues Jiro's' arc of heroism, sure, but it also serves a fuller, more proper introduction to KitaQman and what he's about.

And his bit is a pretty solid one! He's essentially a dig/parody at social media influences who think they're making a difference when they aren't really contributing much, if anything.

That said, he's also probably the most optimistic approach to that sort of deal, inwhich it's acknowledged that while sure, KitaQman might be useless in a fight and rely too much on his brother to save him, he is providing valuable emotional support to the people of Fukuoka via his antics.

And ya know, I feel like that's sort of the mission statement of this show as a whole? Dogengers doesn't have the biggest budget, or the flashiest fight scenes, but it still does a great job highlighting these local heroes ontop of being alot of fun, and that's every bit as valuable, if not moreso. It's very clear that this is a very character focused story and I'm all for that.

That all being said... man, I'm totally gonna eat my words on the spiel I gave last episode, huh? It's implied that Jiro's' feelings for Yuki are romantic, but I really hope that's not the case. Like, it's not something that'd ruin the show for me or anything, but it would be a seriously missed opportunity to showcase platonic love between differing sexes. I know that's all very much a me thing though, and I can easily see everyone else being fine with the idea.

Also Yuki's' secret identity is incredibly obvious and part of me really hopes that all the blatant foreshadowing with her is just a bait-and-switch, but time will tell I guess. Still a fun episode regardless.

Ah yes, now I'm recalling how these episodes went! I was confused on episode 2 because I forgot that we didn't actually get to KitaQman until Episode 3.

Dude's hilariously on point as an influencer and his flaws are clearly on display though of course with a neat little spin on things. That being said I love how he just rolled in front of the finisher to take a photo before quickly rolling away again.

Speaking of the finisher though, I do dig that our main hero gets to use a lance as a weapon. I feel like you don't usually get those kinds of weapons anymore what with how swords are the popular melee weapon nowadays.

Yeah, that is rather unique, although given how his powers were granted by Ohgaman I'm surprised his weapon isn't a giant syringe haha.

Probably the most simplistic and straightforward episode yet.

Not that that's a bad thing, mind you, though it is notable given how straight and to the point the rest of the show has been so far.

Similar to the last one, while Jiro does have his moments(His superhero name is Rookie! He parodies the Kamen Rider Henshin!), the episode is almost totally on Yamashiron and the three heroes who make him whole.

It's a lesson that used to be often taught in kid's' shows; That our differences are what allow us to grow as well as keep our relationships interesting. Your friends might not agree with you or get along all of the time, but it's nothing to be ashamed of or shy away from.

Redron, Blueron, and Orangeron(who's yellow, but whatever) all couldn't be more different in terms of personality and body type, but it's their different thoughts and abilities, as well as their faith in one another that makes their combined form, Yamashiron, such a force to be reckoned with. And their designs are cool too!

I will however say that, if I'm right in the way this plot is headed, I feel like maybe this episode would've been better served happening a little later on in the overall plot? Especially if Jiro and Yuki do end up butting heads, which seems like a possibility, what with how she discovered that Jiro is Rookie and all. But hey, maybe the show will pull an angle that'll make everything come together in a way that I'll be totally down with.

But yeah, despite the simplicity, the action was actually rather engaging, and the comedy was still very solid all around. No real complaints from me in terms of this being its own standalone episode.

Also, Zi-O Trinity is a ripoff of Yamashiron. Yeah I said it.

Yamashiron is a good boy.

Also when it comes to trinity style forms, I will say that Yamashiron pulls it off rather well! Can't argue there!

But yeah, it's a fun angle we've had so far in which we've been spending time with each of the main cast of characters while also getting a different villain in the mix aside from the usual Yabai Kamen shenanigans.

Also I'll be real for a moment here, never really had Japanese styled curry before, or curry in general. But shows like these whenever they bring em up really makes me want that style of curry.

En-chan, what's wrong? You haven't touch your limited edition Sonic curry.

Eh, probably the weakest episode so far for me?

It's not a bad episode by any means, it's just that like 90% of it is one joke(El Brave is short!) played up, and not in any sort of super funny way.

The mini arc and the message that accompanies it works well enough though: El Brave learning to accept his own shortcomings as a hero, just as Jiro has to given how he just started heroing.

And while the running gag of the episode came up a bit short for me, alot of the other humor in it really did work for me. The rabbit being a very obvious hand puppet who needs a stuntman to fight, everyone moving into Jiro's' house, and the very gifable moment I showcased in this very post!

Probably the biggest disappointment to me though was how Yuki shows up only very briefly at the start of the episode and then never again. Seemed as if her and Jiro were finally going to talk, but then all focus turns to El Brave and almost never stops. I mean, rightfully so given it's his episode, but that initial mini-hook really got my hopes up.

But there's always next episode I suppose. Again, not a bad episode, it's just that none of its elements really engaged me as much as the previous ones. Still like El Brave as a character though.

Given these current episodes are carried by whoever is the current guest star, barring gathered cast shenanigans aside, yeah I can see why this one didn't work out for you tbh.

That being said I do love how we have like actual size differences for our heroes, and El Brave might just be my favorite hero design wise when it comes to aesthetic.

But also, probably here we have one of the more memorable villains for me when it comes to Yabai Kamen's grouping. Purely on gimmick because like... again, rabbit puppet on stuntman in a black bodysuit, that stuff is genius and the way they use the two of them in this series is always fun I feel.

Oh yeah. El Brave's' suit is a great design and really stands out in contrast to everyone else's'. And despite being used for a standard joke, it is cool to see a toku show actually acknowledge height difference for once.

Oh yeah, they don't even really try to hide it, which just adds to the great way that the show utilizes meta humor. Top notch stuff.

That title is so not indicative of this episode at all.

Despite that, this episode was a solid step up from the previous one, with a decent twist on the formula that we've had up to now.

The moral this time is all about body positivity and the classic lesson that one should be judged via their outer appearance, but rather the quality of their character and how genuine their intentions are.

Only the twist here is that it's something that Fukokalibur attributes to Jiro and his act of bravery in the first episode, rather than it being a piece of wisdom that the local hero passes onto Rookie. It blends well with Fukokalibur's' paladin-esque character too; Passing the lesson to a local baddie.

Ontop of that, the overarching plot gets a nice boost here, with Jiro finally getting to meet Yuki face-to-face, which makes sense given that we're now done with the focus episodes(or atleast so I assume). I do wonder what exactly it is Jiro so badly wants to tell her? And will the very obvious foreshadowing be a red herring or not?

The only real flaw I see in this one is that it's not entirely clear if Fukokalibur actually used to be ashamed of his old suit or not? The title and the words of the bad guy this episode suggest yes, but Fukokalibur himself remembering the suit fondly throughout the whole episode really suggests otherwise. It's not a huge deal or anything, especially since it kinda comes across as a love letter to Showa era hero suits, but I feel that aspect could've been delivered cleaner.

Well whatever. I imagine that next episode is gonna be the Jiro and Yuki show, and I'm very interested in seeing where that goes.

Ah yes, Fukokalibur! He is another hero who I would categorize into the Good Boys section alongside Yamashiron. Dude seems like a rather pleasant dude to be around tbh, probably my favorite of the heroes in terms of personalities.

He's just an all around pleasant dude. Yes, Fukokalibur, help that villain with his self-esteem issues! So good.

Well... this certainly escalated.

So at first glance, my prediction about Yuki being I-DOLL seems to be mistaken, but I am not giving up on the possibility of the two being connected.

I-DOLL being a far more fearsome opponent than any other makes for a great point of contrast not only to Yuki, but also helps in signalling when the episode hard shifts from wacky character humor to serious drama.

I do gotta give props to the directing in this one. The transition between the two moods was not only very smooth, but both tones were also handled very well. The comedic first half was not only legitimately funny, but helped to contrast the camaraderie of our heroes with the dysfunctional nature of the Secret Society.

Meanwhile, once I-DOLL storms in and things get serious... it would've been so easy, given the way the show has handled itself so far, to do the MCU route and just ruin the entire atmosphere by throwing in awfully timed, unfunny jokes to utterly undermine the very real threat of death that our heroes face. But no, they remained genuine and carried themselves well all throughout.

I especially liked the use of the leak inside of the warehouse in order to simulate sweat and spit, which in turn made that hook that Rookie landed on I-DOLL feel all the more impactful. I sure someone smarter than me could find even more symbolism in that scene, but that's just what I noticed right away. It spoke alot to what Jiro's' learned too, given that despite the battle, he still attempts to try and learn what his opponent's' deal is ala Fukuokalibur.

But yeah, overall this episode was handled very well in all of its aspects, and proves that yes, you can transition between different moods smoothly without just haphazardly throwing stuff at the script. Wish more modern American superhero media could learn that.

Rookie's growth is a fun thing to watch in this series, especially this episode in which we really see how far he's come since Episode 1, even if he's still got a ways to go obviously.

Speaking of the balance between comedy and drama though... I feel it comes down to a single thing that I feel Japan Media has more of a knack for than recent American Media... and that's just genuine sincerity in what it's trying to do and say to the audience.

It's like... with the way things are in some American Media, their attempts at comedy feel more like they're covering their bases for critics and trying to act cool when they're really showing how embarrassed they are. Meanwhile I've noticed a lot of Japanese media full on sincerely embraces whatever it wants to say and tries to do so in a serious manner. Especially Dogengers where you can see at a lot of points, it wears its heart on its sleeve.

Those are my thoughts why exactly stuff like this works in terms of tone and such.

Now to the interesting part... I was wondering what you were implying about Yuki cause the whole time I'm like "Wait what foreshadowing? What? Wait... are you assuming..." and then I realized you thought that Yuki was I-DOLL and I suddenly realize everything you were saying makes sense now.

It's interesting to see you make that connection because I admittedly didn't see it like that. That being said, kudos to I-DOLL though, she is scarily effective when it comes to fighting people.

Speaking of that scene in the warehouse with the cool impactful hook you mentioned, I also like that the snippet right before where you have the wide shot of them staring each other down. And you also the puddle right next to them reflecting themselves in the water. Really cool stuff.

Yeah, you basically nailed it. There's a reason older superhero films like the Raimi Spider-Man movies are still widely celebrated even to this day. And I really do believe that it's because, whether you love or hate them, it's because they believed in what they were doing and just went for it, perceived goofiness be damned.

You see guys! I don't just spout nonsense all the time! Only like 90%!

But yeah, I'll gladly eat my words if I'm wrong come the end of the show, but I'm still convinced that Yuki and I-DOLL are connected somehow, whether or not they're the same person via some insane magic stuff or whatever.

Yeah that was a good shot. You can really tell that the director is showing everything she learned from working on Sentai.

Your words make sense, but you should also not forget about another reason: some people, including directors and screenwriters, simply do not have a sense of humor. I understand that humor is subjective, but for me, comedy/horror is what makes me laugh/scare. If that doesn't happen, it might still be a good movie, but definitely not a comedy. The MCU has made humor a mandatory component not only for superheroics, but also for action films and fantasy in general, so even those who do not know how and do not like to joke have to.
Plus, in American films, they simply overdo it with the number of jokes, turning the speech of most of the characters into an incessant stand-up.

Ryujin Buyer is the local hero of Okinawa, and got his own show in the mid-2000s.

When it came to DVD and Blu-Ray, as every episode was around 10 minutes, all of them were compiled into a movie and it surprisingly flows rather well.

The story follows Kanai, your average, clueless everydude who pines for the affections of his friend Claire, and dreams of one day becoming a master of pottery. Bowls, vases, all that.

But one day, pollution around the islands of Okinawa causes ancient malevolent spirits, collectively known as EvilCorp, to reawaken. Their mission? To find and seal away the nine ancient artifacts known as the Mabui Stones, which hold the essence of all the core values of Okinawan culture.

Chosen by the spirit of the island itself, Kanai is transformed into Ryujin Mabuyer, whose mission is to restore the peace in Okinawa. Along the way, he's assisted by a dog spirit named Ken, who not only helps to train Kanai, but along with the local residents, educate Kanai in the everyday values of Okinawa culture, and why exactly those core values are so important.

So yeah, this is an edutainment tokusatsu aimed at a very young audience, but don't take that as any sort of indication of a decline in quality because honestly, I actually really liked this collection/movie quite a bit. It's very obviously low budget and aimed at a young audience, but it more than makes up for it in a very strong and genuine core that not only has some very solid character writing, but is incredibly fun all throughout.

What starts off as an incredibly goofy romp slowly becomes something more quiet and introspective as the piece goes on, with Kanai especially having to question just why exactly he continues to fight EvilCorp despite both his actions and motives seeming to clash with the very ideals that he's meant to be protecting. It's the sort of thing that honestly would not be out of place in Phase 1 Heisei Kamen Rider, which for anyone who doesn't know is my favorite era of that franchise.

Sure, it's overall nothing incredibly deep, and many characters outside of Kanai don't exactly have extensive arcs, but the cast in general is incredibly likable, aided by not only the actually genuinely funny comedy but the very well executed atmosphere throughout. And while low budget and simplistic, the action is still very fun to keep up with, and does its job well enough to the point of not really needing anything super fancy to carry it. As well, the show teaches its morals very directly and to the point without ever coming across as preachy or condescending, which is a major plus.

This might be an April Fool's post, but it's no joke. I like this show/movie a whole lot, and I highly recommend it if you want a fun way to kill two hours. My rating is a 4/6. It's not anything super incredible or mind blowing, but what it sets out to do, it does very well, and that's all I could ever really ask for.

Watched this show. Very funny and kind. The music of the villains is incredibly catchy. Of course, the episode about the dialect (language?) of Okinawa is understandable only at the level of the concept, but the problem itself is relevant in many parts of the world. So I agree with the recommendation.

I get what you mean, and yeah, it'd be one thing if the jokes were actually funny, but atleast for me, most of the time not only are the comedic aspects very ill-timed, but incredibly unfunny and/or annoying to boot.

Glad you enjoyed it just as much as I did! It's a very fun watch.

What got me into the whole Toku thing
was watching the shows adapted for
Power Rangers. Having watched Power
Rangers first it didn't phase me much
and I was able to transition right into
it.

All of the other Toku shows are unfamiliar
to me apart from Zyu forward honestly.

What warmed me up was watching
Trans Formers East (Headmasters - Victory)
English subbed so I was getting used to
subbed episodes.

I had seen a bit of the Rider line.

The comedy in this episode was top notch.

Turns out that Rookie literally punched the memory out of I-DOLL, thus resulting in her new look.

Thus our heroes come up a brilliant plan: Everyone should go out with her on dates! It's just to help her get her memory back and totally not for any personal gain! It's just some fun!

And what fun it is, because the dates take up 96% of the episode and every single hero's' idea of what constitutes an ideal date is absolutely hilarious. KitaQman sitting back and doing social media, El Brave wanting rocks thrown at him, Yamashiron giving a company tour; All the character humor was on point!

While it's not explicitly stated outright as to the exact nature of it, it's also made clear that I-DOLL IS connected to both Yuki and Jiro somehow. And while I could see the slight delay on direct answers annoying some, I think it's overall fine here since the plot is still moving forward, and this episode's' fantastic comedic beats really help to make it a nice breather episode.

So yeah, I rather liked this one. Can't wait to see where this is all headed!

Yeah this is very much a breather episode after the intensity of last one's climax. And it's such a fun one! It very much gives you a full accurate read into the characters and I love how seamless it ended up flowing after Yamishiron took over with Fukokalibur taking the reins leading into Jiro.

That being said El-Braves is absolutely my favorite of all of them.

But yeah, I-DOLL is definitely connected to the two in some way (just not the way you were thinking originally before last episode lol), and while the wait for answers might not be preferable, we're 2/3rds of the way through the series now. We'll be getting them soon regardless.

Yeah, the flow of the episode in general was really smooth. It's something I've noticed about the episodes I've liked a whole lot with this show; They're such a quick sit without feeling like they're rushed. The pacing really is on point.

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The seed of the overall idea of the episode was planted with Jiro in the previous one, and it's explored a good deal more here.

And I won't lie, not only was what the show has to say about trust and friendship is not only rather unique for media in general, but it's something that actually hit me pretty close due to my own life experiences.

It's all about things left unsaid, as well as how, when you get down to it, everyone you make a connection or bond with in turn serves as a sort of mirror towards yourself, and likewise you to them. As well as how while time together is important, so too is time apart.

Jiro was left with a seed of regret in his heart due to being unable to speak his true feelings to Yuki when they were kids, and while he's certainly realized what he felt was the proper thing to say in regards to that specific scenario, he still has to learn about being fully open and honest not just with himself, but with his friends as well.

It didn't matter that the amnesiac girl was I-DOLL, what mattered was that Jiro, whether he realized it or not, did not trust in his circle of friends to see his point of view in regards to how to handle the situation. KitaQman had every right to be upset over the ordeal; If Jiro can't trust in the heroes to have an honest conversation, how exactly can KitaQman trust in Jiro or his heroics as Rookie? Jiro having low self-esteem or not, it still downplays the bond they've made.

It's not just Jiro and KitaQman who suffer from these sorts of things either. Redron suffers with his own self-worth when Blueron and Orangeron aren't around, and it's them coming back that helps him to realize that being the primary controller of Yamashiron isn't the only thing he has going for him. El Brave and Fukuokalibur meanwhile both learn and spread messages of empathy; Not only in understanding Jiro's' point of view, but validating KitaQman's' as well. Outbursts like his usually have some sort of basis to them.

Does the episode still have its usual brand of comedy? Absolutely, but it notably takes a bit more of a dramatic turn and it works very well overall, especially with the stakes having been officially raised due to Yuki being kidnapped and I-DOLL getting her memory back and, subsequently, returning to the Secret Society of Darkness. We're definitely entering into Final Battle territory with this one.

Oh, and that stinger at the end was so good! Definitely wasn't at all expecting it.

It's a nice episode, as we raise the stakes and also step back a bit before we get to the last few episodes at hand.

The "breakup" of the Dogengers was fun to witness. Depending on how a piece of media handles it, a "breaking of the band" if you will can come off as forced or not natural. But here it very much is just them deciding to take a step back, go off on their own, do their own things, and then come back refreshed for the coming fight. It's a nice way to handle it.

Yeah, it's nice that everyone recognizes that they need some time apart in order to clear their heads and come back in refreshed. It's an unusually mature bit of decision making when it comes to plots like this.

I-DOLL is Akane Shinjo done right.

While their situations are rather similar, the main thing that makes I-DOLL work is that we got to see the actual positives of her character.

Turns out, she's actually the living embodiment of the feels shared between Jiro and Yuki, implanted into the toys they used to play together as kids. It might seem like an illogical miracle, but it's actually tied into Japanese mythology(I can thank Daimajin Kanon for teaching me that).

Half of I-DOLL represents the utter rage and despair about the two friends being torn apart, while her other persona is the embodiment of the love the two shared, whether it be platonic or romantic.

Combine that with how I-DOLL never got innocent people involved and didn't do anything especially petty or monstrous, and it's easy to grow more attached to her than to Akane from SSSS.Gridman. And I-DOLL has only a fraction of the screen time that Akane does. Not having the entire cast come up with dumb excuses for I-DOLL's' behavior also helps.

And while that's all certainly meant to be the big takeaway from the episode, there are two other aspects that really stood out to me, and thankfully the episodes starts off with them right at the forefront: KitaQman and Yabai Kamen.

Not just in terms of how they mirror eachother, but also in them showing sides of themselves previously not all that highlighted in other episodes. Turns out that KitaQman is a serious contender on par with Yabai Kamen, with the implication being that KitaQman actually would've won in a one-on-one fight. Meanwhile, Yabai Kamen gets to display something that I absolutely love in a certain style of villain that typically only Power Rangers has done right: Yabai Kamen might be an eccentric goofball, sure, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous.

So, yeah. Just really loved this one overall. Alot of laughs paired with alot of really strong character moments alongside them.

You know, I wasn't expecting an SSSS.Gridman comparison when it came to this episode but hey, that's what I love about discussions. You usually never know what you might get.

I remember really enjoying the full revelation when it came to this episode and man is that ending heartbreaking. This is probably my favorite episode in S1 as a result.

Also going back to the breakup last episode, I love how this episode begins with nearly the full gang getting back together because Yamashiron and El Brave couldn't stand being apart from everyone for much longer. Yamashiron is like, the best, purely because he was so dedicated to making up he basically set up a party for everyone.

That being said, you are right to spotlight both KitaQman and Yabai Kamen. KitaQMan legitimately being like "No I could actually beat you in a fight" made me double take but then I-DOLL got involved. But that's fine because we get a hilarious scene of everyone receiving a social media post from KitaQman apologizing and asking for help while the fight is still going on in it.

Also yeah, Yabai Kamen again, is the best. Dude's a professional, a goofball, but when he wants to he will get serious and he will let you know that. The dude is a a villain at the end of the day, so it would be wise to not underestimate him.

I audibly went "awww" when I saw that. Yamashiron is the goodest boy!

It's part one of the final battle!

And there's so much going on in this episode I don't even know where to start. As soon as I was like "Oh yeah, I'm gonna hard focus on this" the episode would throw another curveball at me.

So uh, if you want the short version without any spoilers, just know that while everyone involved gets serious, the comedy is also the craziest it's been in awhile.

It's really impressive to me just how this manages to balance both paying ode to so many common toku tropes, while also putting their own spin on them, whether they be comedic or dramatic. Like, this is beat for beat the final battle of a Sentai show, and yet Dogengers also parodies alot of aspects of them, like everyone just ending up in the quarry inexplicably.

I think the secret to what made this particular episode work is how well timed everything was. I've already bagged on the modern MCU for its poorly timed comedy, but this episode had none of the sort. All of the comedic bits were saved for when the heroes were on the upswing, and were done in ways that not only complimented the personalities of the characters involved but showed that they were standing triumphant over the Secret Society of Darkness.

Meanwhile, the menace of said villain group is never really understated despite their own quirks. One of the biggest moments in the entire episode is when Yabai Kamen gets his second wind. The voice filter and LED visor he normally has completely shuts off, and the actor does a great job delivering lines that would easily be mocked in a lesser executed scene. Which ya know, is then followed up by him outright impaling Rookie through the torso! This dude is the big bad for a good(bad?) reason!

But yeah, this episode is filled with hype moments: Ohgaman's' return(he can apparently time travel!?), Rookie's' Memory Mode, Fukuokalibur letting El Brave borrow a sword, El Brave elbow dropping a hand puppet, and the totally expected return of a former villain rescuing Yuki!

Next up is the final battle proper, and after that incredible roll call that capped off the episode, I am very much looking forward to it!