[Fish Sandwich]

So after much procrastination I finally finished up the rest of Carranger (44-48). It's kind of bittersweet. I mean, it was GREAT, but also, it's like, OH NO, I'm out of Carranger!

I guess I'll just start with the episodes themselves. They're awesome. That should go without saying, and I know I've repeated myself A LOT writing these posts, but it's only because Carranger kept repeating its awesomeness. 44 is one last focus episode and of course it's cool in its own right, but the last four episodes of this show wrap everything up beautifully. It all comes together. Every plotline and character combining into a satisfying conclusion that has it all. Drama, comedy, action, and even the resolution to one of the greatest love triangles in all of fiction.

Okay, so obviously I'm massively exaggerating that last point, but screw it, this show deserves it. Carranger rocks. It just had this very clear vision of what it wanted to be, and what it wanted to be was completely amazing. It has a great sense of humor about itself and about Sentai at large, embracing the silliness inherent to the franchise in a way that allows it simultaneously mock those tropes AND play them totally straight. The attention to detail is also insane. The "unremarkable civilians" gags with the Carrangers' secret identities throughout the show, the numerous references to things happening "last week", and so on. All great stuff.

It also does it all with an insanely likable cast of colorful characters. Very early on (the first 6-ish episodes) the characterization seemed like the big weak point of the show but it picked up quickly, and it didn't stop.

The Carrangers themselves have individual personalities that play off each other nicely, and the team has a really good dynamic going in general. They're also the very embodiment of the show's dichotomy. Goofy idiots who are completely unfit to be heroes, and at the same time one of the most dedicated and heroic Sentai teams out there. The show initially presents them as being somewhat unwilling to take on the job (they were LITERALLY roped into it), but as things go on it becomes clear that they're all quite serious about their mission as Earth's sworn protectors of traffic safety, showing sheer hot-blooded determination in excess and more intelligence than you might expect just looking at them.

Their allies aren't slouches either. Signalman is, of course, amazing. He provides a ton of extra heart to the show, and adds even more to the comedy. He's sort of like the team's duality cranked up to the extreme. VERY dedicated to his job, and occasionally VERY dumb to the point of frequently being manipulated into fighting the Carrangers, mostly early on. It's a testament to just how likable he is that this never once frustrated me as a viewer. Dapp, despite being sort of hideous (I'm still not sure if it's in a cute way or not), is surprisingly fit for the mentor role, providing tons of valuable assistance to the team throughout the show. The more minor characters like VRV Master and even Ichitaro(!) also tend to shine when they're onscreen. Especially VRV Master. That guy knows what's up.

The villains are also something else. You start rooting for them as much as you are the Carrangers after a while. They're so endearing in their gumption, despite their constant failures, that you just want to see them win for once. The show seems to WANT you to feel that way, too. It helps that instead of some kind of grand evil overlords or something they're just a bunch of random space thugs. And yet I don't find myself taking them much less seriously as a threat than most Sentai villains. I guess being unassuming is sort of a theme with the entire cast, now that I think about it.

So that's about it, then? I mean, I don't think I could ever say enough good things about Carranger, but I also think it speaks for itself and I can't really do it justice. It's pretty dang stellar. I already feel sort of lost without it. I did a one sentence summary thing for Ninninger, so I figure I'll do the same here:

I'd recommend Carranger to anyone with a pulse.

I think that about sums it up.