[cosmicrescend0]

.......I've finished Ressha Sentai ToQger, all 47 episodes.

God, I got completely steamrolled. I'm having trouble actually articulating how I felt about those last episodes or even a general review because I'm so overwhelmed by emotion right now. But I'm going to do my best to do so anyway! Full speed ahead!

-I'm a big fan of Yasuko Kobayashi's Rider works, they have much what goes on in ToQger(strong themes, super endearing characters, emotional beats that hit every damn time, etc) but the final arcs for them are underwhelming at best or even straight up baffling at times. I was fully prepared to ignore some awkward tie-ups to loose ends as long as the show hit the right emotional beats for me like I did for her Rider work, but I'm genuinely surprised how everything neatly comes together in ToQger's final arc? The secret behind the Zett/Right dynamic, Subarugahama's location, things like that- they're all solid payoffs to what the show has been building up!

-Look I know I talked about Akira in my last big post about ToQger and but like. Akira!!!! is so good!!!! in these last few 10 or so episodes!!!! People like to slap "father figure" on any older man in a cast of youths, and I definitely wouldn't call Akira that at all, but like. He definitely feels like an older sibling to the rest of the ToQgers by the final episodes, yknow? His "betrayal" arc, him tightly gripping the kid ToQgers as Right rides away because that's all he can do at that moment, making Right promise they'll fight together, proudly declaring that the Rainbow Line is his place to live-I love the kids to pieces, but Akira is probably my favorite ToQger by a big gap.

-Man, Zett and Right in these last few episodes, huh? It's really sad, how they both scuumb to darkness, thinking there's no other option than this fate laid out before them. There's this shot after he seemingly kills Gritta, and he sits upon his throne, and.....I know it's just a suit guys, but he looks so damn tired. There's this real sense of tragedy to Zett properly playing the part of the final boss, which is why I wasn't fazed at all at Gritta scooping him up and riding away. Maybe someday, he'll be able to obtain a sparkle of his own, in that far-off darkness...

Dark 1gou is really pretty, with the black suit with irscident flecks all over it.(Kinda wish Rainbow 1gou did something similar with a white suit, the effects they went for it are kinda painful to look at) Right's actor has always been pretty good at portraying the "kid in adult's body" stuff, but there's this one really good scene. Right's under a blanket, remembering the ToQgers he sent away, and he has this look. It's only for a second, but it looks so much more like the face of a deeply upset child's face than an sad adult's. It's so heartbreaking, in like the best way? That's all I can say abt everything concerning this particular plotpoint, him pushing away the rest of the group to fight Zett by himself: it's sad and heartbreaking and makes me tear up! And its resolution wants to makes me tear up even more!!!


Anyway. Final thoughts about this show. I adore this show, so much. I think this show is like, a testament to why I even like Tokukatsu: Yeah, it's exciting to watch people in flashy suits twirl around and punch monsters, but these stories are being told are so fun, so sincere, so kind, you can't help but get emotional! (As a side note: thinking of staring LuPat or Kyuranger, but I can't really decide. If anyone wants to throw in an opinion as to watch one over the other, be my guest.)