Let's Watch Wednesdays Week 9 Gekiranger 22-24!
 

When last we left them the Gekirangers had obtained the unobtainable power, Kageki.
Rio was soundly defeated and now his rage is at it's peak, and attracting the third and final Kenma to his side. Will Kenma of the Earth, Maku, grant Rio the power he seeks?
Will a mysterious lone wolf appear before the Gekirangers?
Who is Long?
And what is Dorinki?

Let's Watch Gekiranger 22-24!

Ah, the start of the Gou arc. These are some really awesome episodes. It still amuses me that Gou and Retsu reconnect in the same church where Kanzaki Shiro once called together the surviving members of the Rider War. I also love how even in episodes that are largely fluff - like the celebrity girl - still manages to have some contribution to the ongoing plot. It's rare to see that these days.

Also, Mele is still hot.

Yes!
Our introduction to Gou, Retsu's older brother who has been brought up every once and a while! Gou's introduction is really something else. It takes it's time to establish him, and while he seems abrasive at first, it gives you a sense of just how long he's been gone, and his dynamic of dealing with the adult Retsu over how he remembered his brother is really nice.

As for the Rin Jyu side of things, Master Maku is really something different. Unlike the other Kenma, he really has no interest in training Rio, and just wants Rin JyuDen back, and I like that. It's not some twisted test he's giving Rio, he's just taking his throne back by force. While he's kind of bland as hell, his character makes sense, since it's acknowledged that the Kenma are the strongest, even more so than Rio, it didn't make sense why Rageku and Kata just stood aside for Rio.

Oh, and Gou's been here for 3 episodes and no transformation.
Pacing. I love it so much.

22 thoughts:
Does Tabu speak in Haiku? I kept getting that vibe.
If the Kenma fear Maku so much, would they have helped the Kensei in destroying Maku's living organ?

23 thoughts:
Sheer willpower can overcome acupuncture-induced curses?
That song Ran was singing in that club, I like it.
Miki is Badass.
Rio's a tad ax crazy.

24 thoughts:
Wolf cross. Awesome.
Gou. Badass.
Lycanthropy induced via ritual? I have that in a "monster hunters in vauge Eastern European setting" story I'm working on. Though it's a bit different.
Anyone else think WereGou looks like WereGarurumon?
Next episode: Gou's personal theme song. JAZZ CLUB, BABY!

Gou is pretty awesome but his appearance seems forced. Yes they've discussed his character mysteriously before but he suddenly appears now and it's kind of jolting. His proper first appearance to the team is pretty great and his attitude towards NOT being a Gekiranger is great stuff too.

Maku is my least favorite of the Kenma as he seems to be the most stereotypical type of villain. At least for now. I like what comes later but at this point in time I'm not crazy about him. Kata was really the only one who ever really clicked with me.

The delinquent Ran episode, oh god :lol Did I mention that I love Ran anyway but this goofball episode endeared her to me even more? I love that almost the entire episode is just that pointless subplot while all the awesomeGou stuff happens in the background and at the end.

Maku is a boring villain, but his actions do make sense.

A nice trio of episodes that brings three more major players to the stage. My thoughts:

First we have The Kenma of the Earth, Maku. It really says something when Kata and Rageku fear him and don't want him revived. And it REALLY says something when an organ of his was removed to prevent ressurection. Of course, Rio is undetered due to his rage over losing to the Gekirangers and revives him anyway. And once he's revived, we quickly see why Maku is so feared as he has mastered Dorinki, which is fueled by rage his speciality. We also see that his bodyguard Hihi has mastered this ability as well, which turns a what seems to be a lackluster MOTW into a serious threat.

Next we meet Gou, Retsu's missing brother. We learn that he used the same technique the Kensei used and was transformed into a werewolf, but he is able return to his human state. Also we learned that he has his on fighting style, Shigeki. I do enjoy the story of a person who has been missing for a period of time and having to catch up on time that had moved on without them. And next week, we get to see the awesomeness of Gou in action as he becomes GekiViolet for the first time.

And the third character to take the stage is one that prefers to wait just off stage. The elusive Long. For someone who came out of nowhere, he sure knows a lot, and has quite a focus on Rio. Hmmmm.

Now for my thoughts on the character spotlights. Alice for the typical heiress that tends to show up in Toku stories wasn't too bad. She saw right through the shallowness of Retsu and Ran's appeals and actually had some fun thanks to Jan. As for Jan, he learned that sometimes you have to make hard choices when he chose to save Alice over recovering the living organ. It was also nice to see that Kageki isn't just a toy. Ran's spotlight provided the humorous image of Ran being a delinquent girl. Then we learn comically that Miki was one in the past to legendary degrees. "I'll never defy mom again!" indeed Natsume :lol. Also, having characters in a show discussing tropes is always fun to watch. Then we have Retsu's spotlight which has him proving to Gou that he isn't crybaby little kid he used to be and earning his approval, which was great. Finally, we see that GekiFire can use the Jyuken Armaments as well. It definitely rocks the GekiShark better, but GekiBat just being a backpack is a bit of a let down.

Can't wait for some Muay Thai boxing ring action next week!

The Biggest A-Hole in Sentai history, and the Burden that makes the Gekirangers the greatest of all teams!

Oh man, I forgot that was episode 23. I looked up 22 and 24 to remind myself about them, but completely skipped the one in between. That episode was... a thing that happened. Definitely a thing that happened. I still love that KaGeki apparently works as a make-up remover, though.

Oh, I forgot one thing. I really enjoy that the ending credits for these episodes didn't show just footage for the movie like recent Sentai shows have. I liked seeing the filming in action, the behind the scenes cast stuff, the presss conference, and the posing for pictures. That Sea Anemone lady must have been thinking how long must I hold my sexy leg up like this :lol.