[Sh Ranger]

Seijyu Sentai Gingaman Q1-2

3 years ago, I started a review for my last Heisei Rider, Blade, so I figured I would do one for my last Heisei Sentai as well. To give some backstory for this, I'd been waiting for Turboranger subs to finish, which happened a few years ago, the last ever Sentai to finally get subbed. After watching and enjoying that, I realized there were only 2 Heisei Sentai that I hadn't watched. Out of those 2, the only one I'm willing to watch is Gingaman! Showa Sentai, Riders and Metal Heroes caught my attention and brought delay, but now, finally, the stars of the sacred forest have called upon me to finish my galactic quest!

I'm currently 25 Chapters in, which happens to be a convenient checkpoint in the story. While I'm usually critical of Kobayashi, I do think she's written at least a few pretty awesome shows, like Gobusters and Ryuki. Occasionally convoluted shows with weird as hell pacing, but nevertheless, totally worth the watch. Gingaman is shaping up to be a clear Kobayashi show, mostly in a good way, but of course there are flaws. Why are there are so many random ways to revive Daitanix? Why does Zahab insist on appointing one active commander at a time, instead of rotating them? Why isn't Sambash as deep and intriguing as his PR counterpart Villamax? Yeah, the Balban hierarchy is a little weird and I don't even remember that spiky dude's name, since he hasn't even done anything yet.

Perhaps I'm underselling it though. Like, seriously, the characters are totally peak! Ryouma is already a strong hero from the start and my favorite member of the team. He's insecure about his position as the leader, trying to live up to the image of big bro Hyuuga and always worrying what his friends think about him. His arc seems to focus on gradually growing in to that role and learning to have confidence in his own actions and judgments. Like Alata, he also has a mentor role to the kid, Yuta, which probably helps him feel more validated to have someone who takes his wisdom to heart. Some of Ryouma's strongest moments so far are his interactions with the mysterious Black Knight antihero called Bull Black, where we can clearly see his unique sense of justice and determination.

Hayate is the second in command and also in the credits, but his color on the Ginga Brace is third for some reason, which makes a lot more sense in Lost Galaxy (even though that show credits Red third, which is the weirdest thing ever). Despite appearing the most serious on the surface, he has extreme reactions to certain foods, like a fear of honey rooted in childhood trauma and refusal to eat anything with tomatos, which probably gives the kids something to relate to and honestly, I have some similar habits as well, so I don't judge. He seems to have an ongoing rivalry with Shelinda, who's vexed that he outsmarted her once.

Gouki is taking a while to grow on me. He openly hates math and is prone to sulking when someone says something mean to him, even in jest. On the other hand, he cares for his friends and has a talent for cooking. I guess he's okay.

I was a little apprehensive about Hikaru after seeing how GuardianAngel87 ranked him as the worst Yellow of all time (especially considering my own poor experience with other male Hikarus in Magiranger and Revice) and while I can certainly see how Hikaru would earn that reputation, I personally find him endearing and entertaining, in a way that is also useful to teach morals about responsibility to the kids. He can also get serious when the stakes are high, calling out his friends for their mistakes and trying to keep them focused on a single clear objective. And he loves donuts! If there's an award for "Best Dude Named Hikaru in a Tokusatsu", I'm giving it to him.

Saya seems to be the cheerful heart of the team, who gives Ryouma the most emotional support and encouragement. Intriguing how the flashbacks reveal that she also has a strong connection to Hyuuga, apparently implying some romantic feelings between them. Looking back to Chapter 1, we can see their closeness from Saya's introduction by clinging to his back. In Chapter 22, she baked him a birthday cake, despite him not being around to eat it. In Chapter 25, she's the first to hug him after finally being reunited. I like how this shows Hyuuga's importance to the team, rather than only as Ryouma's big bro. With his return, I'm looking forward to seeing how the others interact with him.

The story got even more dramatic once Budo took over as commander and Bull Black made his debut, which plays similar to what happened in Lost Galaxy, except Bull Black was defeated by Sambash instead of Budo and the one he sought to avenge was his little bro Krantz, not his son. I do think it would've made more sense for Bull Black to lose against a fellow skilled swordsman like Budo rather than a rambunctious delinquent like Sambash, but oh well. Other than that, it's a strong arc for sure, ending in a satisfying redemption for Bull Black and a glorious death for both him and Budo. I'm enjoying Gingaman a lot so far and I hope the second half maintains this quality, or even continues to improve!