[Fish Sandwich]

Jetman 25-26:

Kenichi Araki knocks another monster gimmick out of the park in 25, with a spotlight/armadillo (they're working animals into the monsters now) who steals people's shadows and brings them to life as evil doppelgangers, slowly eating away at the very lives of the genuine articles. Which naturally includes four of the Jetmen. I really can't stress enough what a good job this guy does when it comes to crafting a Sentai episode driven by the unique problems a particular villain of the week causes. I have no doubt episodes like this were favorites for the actual children watching Jetman, and that's because, speaking for myself, they really get that childlike part of me fired up, wondering how the heroes are going to come out on top as though that isn't a guaranteed part of the formula. I can't describe it that well if you don't know the feeling yourself, but the fun of an episode like this, it's all in keeping track of all the rules that get established about the monster's powers, and trying to figure out how they fit like pieces in a puzzle to allow the protagonists to triumph in the end. And on top of that, this episode makes a point to emphasize Grey's infatuation with Maria, in that classic (and classy) Sentai villain fashion, where he's portrayed almost like some chivalrous knight who falls in love with a princess or something. Neat episode all around.

Naruhisa Arakawa shows he has almost as little restraint as Inoue with 26, which is about Raita becoming worshipped by a primitive culture in prehistoric times, because why not. No, seriously, why not? I have no reason whatsoever to object to a premise this amusing. It's a completely off-the-wall story that doesn't feel anything like a typical Jetman episode or a usual Super Sentai plot, and that's exactly what makes it stick out as being so much darn fun. Even the threat of the team being trapped in the past quickly gives way to lighthearted scenes of Raita revolutionizing a small tribe with his knowledge of modern farming techniques. The dude is thrust into this incredible escapist fantasy scenario, complete with a girl who looks like Kaori falling in love with him, and just like Raita himself, it's so delightful that part of me didn't want it to end. How can any amount of soap opera *drama* or deadly monster battles ever compete with this, you know? I was a big fan of this one, and it's also probably the definitive Jetman episode for people who don't like Jetman. Odd way to praise it, I know, but again: it's an odd episode. Arakawa took a premise that sounds like a joke, and then made the real joke how legitimately entertaining the resulting episode he wrote was.