[Fish Sandwich]

Episodes of Zenkaiger this serious don't come along too often! Make no mistake, this one concludes with plenty of warm feelings and a combination of both Christmas cheer and birthday presents, but everyone has to *work* to get to that happy ending.

And I do mean everyone! This was pretty much everything you could hope for out of a big all-out finish for the Hakaiser plotline, and one of the biggest things that's so satisfying about it is the sense that so many characters have to contribute for the heroes to come out on top. From the preview, I kind of expected a huge focus simply on Zenkaiser fighting Hakaiser, but through Zyuran, Zenkaiger very commendably instead chose to remind us all that this is a show about a team, and that becomes the center of the plot. So you've Zyuran being the reliable source of moral support, pulling the group together like any good Red would. You've also got him, Gaon, Vroom, and Magine all out there on the frontlines giving everything they've got to help out the people that matter to them. And then beyond even that, you've got Zox working his own plan to save the day, Flint putting the big spaceship to good use, and even Stacey too, making Zox's plan possible in the first place by choosing to hand over valuable information.

By the time it's finally Kaito's turn to square off one-on-one with Hakaiser, it's gone well beyond just some cool rival fight; it feels like an epic culmination to a series of actions that have all been built up flawlessly to get you as excited as possible to see it all come together.

In other words, this is a really great episode of this show.

I've talked loads and loads over the months about how amazing Zenkaiger's writing is when it's being silly above all else, but it's sort of a brand new feeling being impressed by how good it is when it deliberately strips so much of that away. Because it's not something that happens that often, it's pretty impactful just to have Hakaiser show up no longer talking like he'd be happy to go out for lunch with the heroes when it's time to clock out. The episode spends a ton of time selling how downbeat this entire situation is, and does it with such a nice balance. The thing is, it somehow still feels uniquely Zenkaiger in flavor at all times. Like, going back to the latter half for a second, Zyuran and everyone else literally holding up pictures of Isao's life in the middle of the fight is such a those guys way to give a brainwashed villain the "I know you're still in there!" treatment. But even before that, just like, in that stretch examining the damage after Hakaiju-Oh's initial attack, there's a ton of emphasis placed on that sense of community that's been something of a running theme throughout the series. Everything's gone to heck, but people are still keeping their spirits up and helping one another out. I can only sort of get at why I feel this way, but that's the kind of stuff that makes Zenkaiger what it is to me, because whether or not the episode is focused on comedy or drama, that's the through-line, you know? This series is really something special.