[Fish Sandwich]

One of those general things I keep forgetting to mention about Zenkaiger is how much I love the different facial expressions for the Kikainoid members of the team. It reminds of what Akumaizer 3 did way back in the day with its suit-only heroes, and with how much I love that show, it's a nice thing to be reminded of.

Maybe I've just failed to work this in so far because it didn't make for such an easy excuse to use a screencap of Magine before? I mean, guys, she even knows when It's Time For Buster! You wanna talk shows I'm glad to see Zenkaiger reminding me of, imagine my sheer joy at seeing Magine get to do a classic Hiromu style "Ready~ Go!" during the climax of an episode that was already doing everything in its power to remind me how much I love Magine, as if I could even forget. Like I said talking about episode 3 – straight out of my wildest dreams.

The idea that she's good at finding things in a messy room because she's a nerd who lives in constant squalor is absolutely brilliant, of course. One of the best ideas in an episode full of ideas that are anything but garbage! Zenkaiser dressed in a trash bag and proudly declaring himself a garbage hero is maybe the thesis statement for this entire series, even? It's like everyone on this team has a screw loose, and everything they do is wrong in some way, but they make it work all the same thanks to the raw power of a positive attitude. It's really something to behold.

And speaking of things to behold, I was really impressed with the sense of scale here. Zenkaiger has already proven itself when it comes to the kinds of wacky trouble the monsters of the week cause, but it must've taken a downright ironic amount of conscious effort to make a mess of so many of the sets to that level, and it makes the plot feel a lot more tangible than any of the other plots so far. The garbage motif completely permeates the whole episode, to the point a quick throwaway line about the trash also growing giant allows it to carry straight through to the robot fight, which even has notably grimy lighting. Major props to the, uh, props guys, I guess, for the commitment to the premise.

Really solid episode any way you look at it. Not especially deep in terms of things like themes or character development, but the moment-to-moment fun is so strong you'd never notice. Between everything I already mentioned, all the great moments Vroom gets, and brief teases for a new antagonist, there's more than enough to keep you entertained. Personally, I think my favorite little detail was Magine making the Magiranger "M" with her fingers when counting to three, but then, of course that would be my favorite, especially since that gesture is, in a roundabout manner, also a Beet Buster reference. Man, it didn't take long for this post to go in a complete circle, huh? I should probably leave things off here before I loop around another time. At least recycling is relevant to the episode's theme, I guess!