[Matrixbeast]

So, the end of Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger has finally come. And quite a sad one at that...No, the ending wasn't depressing. Just that I really want more of the show.

I wanted to post all my thoughts on Zyuohger in the final episode's thread, but nah. It was odd typing up an overall overview in a thread solely dedicated to the finale, so I hiked over to this thread.

So, let's get cracking!
Zyuohger is a series that had a very, very rocky start. And that's not even from the first episode! From the moment we saw the suits, opinions on the series were wildly negative. Myself included! The animal faces on the spandex and the very simple suit designs with little outside of their primary color, it was a massive disapproval rating. Then the Mecha, Zyuoh King, was revealed/leaked, and things just fell even further. The minecraft megazord didn't get much love, with it's stacking cubes and minimal actual transformation leaving many people with a nasty taste in their mouths. Very few were actively looking forward to the series (For most, it was more a combination of cautious optimism and curiosity that had people starting it off).
When it came to early opinions, I think the only positives were the animal people being main characters (With hopes that their animal forms would be seen often), and the strange, strange suit upgrades in their unleashed forms.
And Kaixa.

From the series' start, people's expectations were a little subverted. Our heroes were nothing new to the franchise, but they brought their own little charms to the table. Yamato was lax, but he wasn't passive, and he surprisingly had a bit of a temper. Leo was boisterous, but he wasn't just the dim muscle and comic relief. Sela, one of the two straightmen, actually had her own quirks to keep her from being dull. Amu wasn't as airheaded as assumed. Tusk...Had some sweet duds. The characters were all lively and made for a perfect team. They had a comedic balance where they could all play off each other. The characters worked well regardless of which other character they shared the limelight with (Contrast to one of my favorite Sentai, Kakuranger, where they basically walled off Seikai and Saizou for comedy. Even their most dramatic moment involved them in silly kappa suits. Sasuke was part of the comedy for the first 15 episodes, but he soon straightened up).

Yamato, Zyuoh Eagle, was a nice change of pace. Sensible, responsible, and lively, he was the well rounded red ranger we don't get very often. He had his own troubles that he tried to run away from, leaving him more comfortable in the company of animals over humans. I guess the Zyumen are blessings for him. However, he's not antisocial, and he's easily a likable guy. While some would say that the focus on him was a little hard, it was made up for in the fact that he needs his friends as much as they needed him. He worked well with everyone, making any team up episode involving Yamato a good one~

Sela, Zyuoh Shark, was one of our straight men. Straight laced with a love of fighting, she was always rather direct and took most things seriously...Mostly. She was human (Er...Zyuman), so she did have her moments of goofing off and just enjoying life. She was also the one we got the most backstory on, which was great!

Leo, Zyuoh Lion, was kind of a comedic character. His big deal was that he was always a straight shooter. Painfully honest and always wanting to tell things like it is, which caused some tension with others due to how innocently blunt he could be. Despite this, he was also rather emotional, always wearing his feelings on his sleeves. Very passionate. If he was on a team that utilized burning justice, he would easily be the lead. Although he butted heads with others, either due to his attitude, his actions, or just bad timing, he was always energetic and ready to stand by his friends.

Tusk, Zyuoh Elephant, is probably who I would call the weakest Zyuohger in the series. The other straight man, he was your typical smart character who drew the ire of his teammates by wanting them to be less silly, and received just as much for being such a stick in the mud. He wasn't bad, by any means, but he was just a little dull. His episodes did have their moments, though.

Amu, Zyuoh Tiger, is our resident "Feminine" female character. Somewhat air headed, loves to goof off and just relax, she seems like the rather typical girl character sentai tosses in. She does have her moments, though. She is surprisingly keen and observant. She knows handing out fliers to find a 7x7x7 ml cube won't get anything done, and she's able to outwit a lot of enemies. She's also one to bring up why some ideas won't make sense, though she usually goes along anyway because she just likes a good time.

Anyway, a little bit of spoiler territory, let's talk about the biggest subverted trope in the series, the 6th ranger.
Misao, Zyuoh The World, the evil ranger created to make the villain's games more interesting (We'll get to them), soon brought back to the light. Where most people were expecting a gruff, tragic 6th who really doesn't play well with the others (Like DekaBreak or GoseiKnight), we instead got a massive nerd. Not in the Gokai Silver manner, but instead, as a depressive dork with absolutely no self confidence or self esteem. It was a nice change of pace, and one of the few things rather original for Zyuohger. Misao's fits of depression due to slights on his part (Mistiming an attack or something) or just something completely out of his hands, both in and out of suit, were a hilarity to watch. Seeing him awkwardly go from an elephant in the room (...Other than Tusk), desperately trying to connect with the others to them being true friends was definitely a highlight (All coming to a head when a villain forces the heroes to be painfully honest to Misao's face).

The heroes are all really great, and I do love them all! I certainly can't wait for Kyuranger vs Zyuohger simply for more Zyuohgers! However, there was one distinct issue with them: A lack of backstory. Yes, we got everyone's default backstory, but there were so few episodes dealing with them missing Zyuworld, and we only really got anything substantial with Yamato (And maybe Sela). It was a little disappointing, because episodes about what the Zyumen are going through so far from home was something ripe to explore. That said, though, while it is disappointing, it doesn't really affect my love for the bunch. Through their characterization and personality, they all managed to shine through and avoid becoming a footnote.

Well, I talked about a lot of the good and things I liked...Let's get to the other side of the coin...
First off, the suits. I'm listing this first because they honestly grew on me! While I was initially down on the overly singular colored outfits with their respective animal face on the chest, I soon came to liking them. While Gorilla is still a bit...Strange, I'll be damned if Zyuoh Whale and The World aren't some gorgeous designs. The rest took a little time, but I soon found myself digging their designs~
The animal/Zyuman suits were a little rough. They were a little too static for my tastes. I know they can't do much with just masks, but while our main cast were fine, the background Zyumen were pretty bad. Though, Wolf and Crocodile managed to look pretty good!

But boy oh boy, when it comes to suits, let's bring up the big ones. The mechs.
First off, the individual Cube Animals, the mecha of this series, were all rather lackluster. There was actually something really creative about having all the mechs contort into a cube that could've worked, but then it was ruined by having the central gimmick be an auto-morph that requires all 3 cubes to be skewered to form the torso. It meant there was no real transformation...Dammit.
The mech itself wasn't anything too good, either. Zyuoh King, who I also grew to, too, I don't find myself loving. While the proportions on show were a lot better, it was just too lacking and underwhelming...Guess I'm not surprised that it ended up getting replaced so soon in...Not that it was much consolation, but eh.

When it comes to the biggest problem for Zyuohger though, it's undoubtedly it's villains. Working to appease Genis's blood lust through "Blood Games," they put the Earth through numerous different sadistic attacks in order to gain the most favor. Individual monsters are called Players, and they're grown giant via coins called Continues. It seemed someone at Toei was big on gaming. To not delve too deep into spoilers, let's begin...
Genis, our big bad. Spends most of the show sitting on his ass, leaving all work to be done by his generals. While he is shown to be a powerhouse, it comes too little too late, unfortunately...
Jag'd/Jagged/Jagudo, one of the generals...Dies in episode one. Moving on.
Kubar (I've seen his name spelled so many different ways that I'm just listing it like this), a general who operates in more tricky games. He seems to operate in the background a lot, giving to the idea of something up his sleeve. While his plot is pretty good, it takes far too long to actually reach, and is resolved a little too quickly.
Azald, the other general. His games involve just destroying stuff. Straight forward, and makes for a spectacle. Notably, he's immortal, simply able to reshape himself if destroyed. This comes around later...Way later...
Naria. Nothing of value.
The big shaker, though, is Bunglay/Bangray/Buglay/whatever. Appearing in the early 20's, he was the shake up the villains (And heroes) needed. The strange 3rd party with his own agenda, it was quite enjoyable to watch. While I felt his arc stagnated a little, he was still a big changer in the show and it did make the villains rather interesting.

Unfortunately, Zyuohger's biggest failing is in the villains department. Genis is a bland big bad. The calm and cool puppeteer that's always 1 step ahead of everyone. Our generals has the angry one that likes to break things and the smart one who makes snide comments. Girl stood around looking pretty. Bunglay only lasted so long, and some even felt he over welcomed his stay.

Zyuohger is a series that unfortunately didn't bring much creative to the table. It did have a few things (Notably Misao), but mostly, it was what you'd expect to see from a Sentai series. However, much like how change isn't always inherently good, staying with the formula isn't always a down side. What it did bring was a group of lovable characters and a solid team that feels more together than even my beloved Gekirangers. While I wish the villains were a lot more creative and interesting, it doesn't diminish too much from my enjoyment of the series. It's a show that felt good to watch, which is all I really want from a show: Something enjoyable.
If I gave shows numerical ratings, I'd give it a 8/10. It didn't reinvent the wheel nor did it break new ground. However, it proved to me that, in a franchise that churns out series content at being painfully average, it takes those tired concepts and touches them up, rather than tossing them out, and proved that it still works. It may not be a top 5 (Or even top 10) breaker for everyone, but it is for me.
1. Gekiranger
2. Kakuranger
3. Dairanger
4. Jetman
5. Zyuohger
(Gokaiger has been edged out. Changed list from 10 to 5 because I need to re-evaluate a lot of shows I've seen while in a depressed state, mainly Megaranger and Dekaranger)