[Sh Ranger]

I also watched Sabela & Durandal.

The wedding was a bust, what a shocker. Nevertheless, I think this was an improvement over Twokaizer VS Gokaiger (even though I like the Goldtwoikars a lot more than the Shindais), as it presented a more complex moral about getting married for the right reasons. Like, don't get married to appease your family, you should only get married to someone you truly love and respect. That's what the romantic spirit of marriage is all about! Don't be a Canalo, be a Bamba instead!

I may have admitted before that I was apprehensive about this special due to, uh, you know, Reika. But Kaneko had never let me down before and that still hasn't changed. I was impressed with how she gave some much needed constructive development to this dysfunctional character and even made her sympathetic and likable. And yeah, I'm still Sh Ranger, I haven't been replaced by some kind of doppelganger. I give praise where due.

Ryouga's development is good as well. He pushed the idea of marriage to encourage Reika to find someone with whom she can stand equal, rather than continuing to worship him like a god. And while she does initially go along it to appease him, she learned to want it for herself after seeing how Rui could actually be a good fit for her. Of course, he totally wasn't, but even though we didn't get a wedding, I still feel like we got a touching story about the social benefit of marriage and the importance of maintaining a healthy and honest sibling relationship.