[Fish Sandwich]

Somewhere along the line, Gaon became my favorite non-Magine Zenkaiger, and it's kinda hard to say when and how exactly that happened. I mean, I guess episode 7, which also featured character development from him and a prominent appearance by Stacey, is a strong contender if I need to single out a particular moment. But like, even in my post about that episode, I explicitly said he was probably my least favorite of the group, something that's obviously changed since then! It's broader than that; even after I realized I liked him, I wouldn't have immediately put him above everyone else (who isn't Magine), you know?

It's been a gradual process, and that's because it seems like the longer the show goes on, the more I keep finding to like about Gaon. At first he was just funny, then I saw those hints of dramatically interesting layers, and now, with this episode, those have gotten a lot bigger than mere hints. I really loved his growth in this one, with an imagined problem he thinks he caused leading to genuine self-reflection and newfound maturity. It highlights a lot of what I've come to appreciate his character and adds on to it, and I especially liked how much of it is rooted in that undercurrent of self-loathing he occasionally displays. He's super ready to beat himself up here, and that less frivolous side of him can be pretty endearing. Not that his issues can excuse a lot of his behavior, but hey, that's the whole conclusion he comes to at the end, so everybody wins! He's not always the most heroic guy around, but whenever Gaon is letting himself get hurt so others don't have to, you can tell why he's part of the team.

Still though, it's tough to compete with Magine. There's only one character in this show who can even approach that level of affection from me, and, hey, speaking of, how about Stacey in this one? He seems to be on a fairly straightforward path by this point, but even if they don't throw us any curveballs to spice things up, watching that journey play out continues to be engaging. It's just hard to get tired of Stacey gradually getting pulled more and more into Kaito's whole world through Yatsude and inevitably trying to deny how all those new feelings are complicating his life. Does anyone honestly believe for a second this is actually the last time he'll be dropping by for a snack? It's always a treat when Stacaesar shows up, and all the more so when he brings the giant robot with him. Really glad that thing got fixed! ...Even if it is probably going to need fixing again very soon!

All around it's a nice episode, although I'm realizing as I write this how little I have to say about the monster plot. Don't get me wrong, it's totally serviceable, and I especially loved all the inexplicable grills during the giant fight (the use of the Gingaman Gear was also cute), but it's fairly tame by Zenkaiger's standards. This isn't even a complaint so much as it is simply an observation. Certain episodes of this show lean more towards being about the gimmick than others, and this was clearly one where the focus was elsewhere. As always, it's filled to the brim with fun character moments. Secchan staring down Stacey was hilarious (he's really trying to help!), and Zyuran's entire role obviously complements Gaon's quite well, moving their whole dynamic as a duo forward with that high five at the end. This one didn't exactly blow me away, but (and I think I've said something like this before) the fact that I can consider this an "okay" episode of Zenkaiger only demonstrates how high its average is.