[Fish Sandwich]

Gekiranger Is Too Cool for School Part 4: Episodes 22-32

Apparently I just got done watching 11 whole episodes. The time flew by. Naturally that's a lot of Gekiranger to digest so I'm not really sure where to start talking about them. Uh... maybe that episode with that emo kid who was grumpy because he sucked at basketball or something? Or that part of that other episode where the team needed to get to a place really fast and I was shouting "Take the giant robot!" in my head only for Retsu to suggest they fly there in the giant robot, and then they actually did that, because this show is incredible.

Ooh wait! I know! I can talk about how Gekiranger has now gotten an A++ on my personal test of how much I'm enjoying a Sentai by making me feel actively apathetic about new Rangers joining the team, a feat previously only ever managed by Go-Busters.

I'm aware that probably doesn't sound like a good thing, but let me explain. Sixth Rangers are awesome. I love em'. They always have sweet costumes, their own personal giant robots, and pretty frequently a cool guy loner personality to top it off. Their arrival always spices the show up and generally leaves me wondering how the show ever entertained me without them. I simply can't imagine Gokaiger without the sheer heroic spunk Gokai Silver added to the team, for example.

But when I got to the point in Go-Busters where Beet and Stag Buster showed up, I was actively upset with them at first for messing up the existing team dynamic, which caused to me to realize just how fond I had grown of the protagonists in the 14 episodes it was just them. I didn't feel they needed anybody else to play off of, and all the cool toys in the world wouldn't change that. Of course, quality character writing would change that, as it turned out, but now I'm getting off track.

The point is, Geki Violet should be an easy sell for me. He has a sick wolf motif and is purple, so how do you go wrong? I'll tell you how. Triangles don't have four sides. Or five, for that matter. To be clear, I'm liking Gou and Ken a fair bit already, because they're likable characters in a great show, but after 25 or so episodes of rubbing in how the Gekirangers are a trio, there's still a part of me that wishes they weren't around.

The mecha action really symbolizes my mixed feelings. On one hand, I'm glad Geki Touja is still around, because I find Geki Fire pretty lame, but on the other hand, get your own dang robot you purple jerk!

Wow. That was a whole lot of ranting I just did, and I don't even feel like I've started yet. I think it's best to end this before I get totally incoherent.

Long story short: I'm having a really good time.