[Fish Sandwich]

I'm getting emotional about Zenkaiger ending way quicker than I expected. That makes it sort of difficult to actually process those feelings right now, but I think the crux of why this episode had the effect on me it did comes down to what a strong rhythm it has, with effective dramatic moments coming one after the other, all covering different aspects of this show as it marches towards its finale.

It's an episode that's almost 100% earnest and straightforward drama (although the gag with everyone getting ejected from the palace was amazing), and I'm willing to say that Zenkaiger has earned that by now. There's this slightest part of me that wants to question that a bit, maybe as some kind of reflex left over from how I felt about Kiramager's final arc, and ask if things could be more fresh and unexpected than they are, but I can't deny how much nearly every moment in this episode worked for me.

For example, Stacey finally moving forward in life after all this time? It's clean, almost too clean, how he just admits the truth to Yatsude and everything immediately starts working out for him. But that's also the point, which the episode goes out of its way to emphasize when Vroom brings up that he started out working for the Tojitendo too. Stacey was always *making* things harder for himself than they already were – always overcomplicating his whole thought process – when the answer the whole time was to stop being hung up on his past and start moving forward, the same way all of Kaito's other friends made the choice to before Stacey even debuted in the series. The people who truly care about him will always forgive him for his mistakes, and if Stacey wants a family like Kaito's so much, he can just *be* part of Kaito's family. It's a resolution that's as true to what Zenkaiger has been about as anything could be, and it is immensely cathartic as a fan of this character, even though it's nothing I didn't see coming. I mean, why would I want to see anything else for Stacey, right?

Elsewhere, you've got all the Kikainoids who have been kicked out of Kaito's world as part of God's whole plan to keep everyone where they "belong", which has equally obvious/promising thematic potential, but right now, I'd just like to focus on how they're all actively shown cheering on the Zenkaigers in their efforts, placing emphasis on the more broad sense of community that's always been a thing in this show as well. Way back in the premiere, Kaito was willing to hand a Geartlinger to a random Kikainoid he met on the street, and here at the end, random Kikainoids on the street are gladly handing Kaito and Vroom back their Geartlingers so they can fight the good fight.

It's yet another nice moment in an episode full of them, and the fight with Ijirude doesn't let up on those either. For one, it's just kind of neat to see ZyuraGaon and VrooMagine used in such a huge capacity. As in, even the way they're shot here, they just feel huge – these big titans of justice ready to take on one of the biggest thorns in everyone's side throughout the show. It's a cool fight, made even better by how the show once again refuses to forget to tie things up nicely, by having it be explicitly brought up just how much Ijirude in particular really has messed with everyone over the course of the series. And then they do the roll call with Secchan in the other cockpit, who Kaito implicitly calls a Zenkaiger in the roll call, and it's just like, gah, it's all too emotional! It's hard to even describe. I like Zenkaiger because it makes me laugh, so who does it think it is making me feel all these feelings?

Well, that's obvious, isn't it? Zenkaiger is a very good series.