[Androzani84]

And we?re back with another instalment for this thread right now.

Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger de gozaru! Shushutto 20th Anniversary!

No need to introduce any members of the cast. And our writer this time is Keiko Tani, who hasn?t written any other Tokusatsu (as far as I can dig up, she?s mostly known for jidaigeki, or period dramas, which should indicate where we?re going), so let?s get on with the review.

We?re starting things off with a cut back in time.


(That?s 1803, for those unfamiliar with Japanese dating)

We then have a Hayate style Ninja, Nami, spying a mansion her allies are about to break into.



Her allies, Younosuke and Koutaro (evidently, their families aren?t very creative with naming) are inside, about to steal a Golden Stamp (some South American cult think it can reawaken their god)





But no sooner have they gotten out of the house do the pair discover that Nami has been taken hostage by their Ikazuchi style using rivals, Ikkaku and Ikki (goddamnit, I was joking about the Revice connection). (Also, is the gene pool in Kyoto that shallow?)



Despite Nami begging her friends to leave her and complete the mission, Koutaro hands over the Golden Stamp to the Ikazuchi Bros to save her life.



And to rub salt in the wound, the Ikazuchi Bros rub salt in the wound.





20 years after this?



Mugensai, the trio?s Sensei who resembles the Mugensai of today times, talks about how badly things went for his students after that incident to their feudal Lord (played by the guy who voiced Shurikenger)





It then turns out that he?s asking said Lord to give his students another chance, to which the man is worried.



Cue titles.



We see Koutaro in the midst of helping a child learn to pee (Well, I guess that?s what having a more adult audience allows you to do. Could be worse, I suppose), evidently because he can?t stand those dirty indoor things.



He soon gets joined by Nami, who is apparently a travelling minstrel (her song is a shamisen cover of Shinobi Koi. Try not to think too much about it).



She tries presenting the kid with a spinning paper fan (well it is the 1800s), which is promptly sucked away by the wind? and caught by Younosuke.



And despite working as a guard for the Emperor?s armoury, his friends take the time to lightly rib him (I guess some things just run in the family).





Now that they?ve caught up on civilian gossip, it?s to business.



Koutaro then ushers the kid out of the plot, before everyone departs.



Once they reach the armoury that was broken into, Koutaro?s acute nose picks up a clue as to the culprit.



Soon enough, a warp in space opens.



And out comes a geisha, accompanied by the spider guy from that Donbrothers special and some Magerappas in period clothes.





The woman then takes out a yellow version of the Time Stone from said Donbrothers special (identified as the ?Warp Stone?) and uses it to change into a more alien/revue hybrid look (fittingly, the actress Hana Hizuki, who played the role, is a former revue actress).



And then spider-guy confirms what we who have seen the Donbrothers special have guessed already: this lady is Oiranda.



The two surviving guard try to fight off the Jakanja remnants, but one of them is knocked out quickly, while the other gets captured.



Oiranda then asks the awake guard for the location of the Sky Stone. When he doesn?t say anything, she kills him and asks the same question of his recovering ally, with more context added.



With a little persuasion, the man tells her what he knows? and then dies from having his brain scraped.



Oiranda?s party then departs, but not before she drops a hint as to her plan.



The three then decide to report to Mugensai, with Younosuke failing to eat his own words.



And when they get there, it turns out that Mugensai knows exactly who Teruhime is.



Sure enough, the Lord explains that she?s in town on family business.



And unfortunately, because things can never be simple, she?s already left the castle.



And there?s more bad news, along with some good news. The bad news is, she has the Sky Stone in her hairpin. The good news is that her guards were Ninjas sent by the Shogun himself. And because the casting budget isn?t huge, Nami is genre savvy enough to expect some old friends.



As it turns out, they are (Who?da thunk it?), and Teruhime is less than pleased with their lack of appreciation for Kabuki theatre.



The two try to get her to ignore them, but Teruhime ain?t having it.





They then get pulled away by the arrival of the Hayate trio, who aren?t happy with the reunion.



Fortunately, Younosuke is professional enough to deliver the message as dictated. But unfortunately, Ikkaku isn?t professional enough to believe there?ll be any issues.



As if to prove him wrong, Oiranda arrives and murders the actor Teruhime was fawning over.



The two villains then perform an introduction.

Oiranda: More cruel and dark than the Seven Dark Spears. I am the Third Spear of the Hidden Seven Spears! Oiranda!

Aunja: I am the greatest bodyguard in the Galaxy. I am the Fourth Spear of the Hidden Seven Spears! Aunja!

Oiranda then spots her prize among the crowd.



The Ikazuchi Bros then try taking down Aunja, but their regular ninja weapons are useless against an alien.



And then Teruhime ends up a hostage of Oiranda.





But Teruhime is smart enough to swallow the jewel so that no-one can take it.



Before Aunja can vivisect her to recover the Sky Stone, the Gouraigers appear to transport Teruhime to the side. (It only took about 20 minutes for the people you?re here to see to show up)



Ikkou: I face the darkness, I slash the darkness.

Isshu: I face the light, I slash the light.

Both: Denkousekka Gouraiger, revealed!



Oiranda is annoyed?



And to add to this, the Hurricanegers show up.



Yousuke: Unknown to the people?

Nanami: Unknown to the world?

Kouta: We become shadows to strike at evil.

Yosuke: Ninpuu Sentai?

All:

Yousuke: Has arrived!

And then we get some comments on the whole ?Identical Grandson? trope being in play.







And then a fight breaks out with the jidaigeki Magerappas.



And we get some old moves brought out for the first time in a long while.



They then go straight for the Victory Gadget.



But they both survive, and Oiranda counters by bringing out the Blast Stone.





Overwhelmed, The ninjas go for the by now standard Kage no Mai (Come on, did you think they?d get a 40-something year old woman to do her own stunts?)?



Everyone of the heroes then beats a hasty withdrawal. But Aunja has a lock on them with his Uchuu Ninpo: Kumori Manaku.



At a convenient hut that doesn?t need to be on location, the modern day heroes show off the 2002 DX toyline to their ancestors.





But Younosuke is more interested in the Hurricane Gyro (a Memorial version of which is due out soon, as of this typing).




And Kouta gets the wrong idea about his ancestor.



It turns out that it is romance related, but not in the way your dirty minds are probably thinking.



As Nanami assures Nami that she probably will get married, even if her descendants don?t know who to (to be honest, do you know much about your ancestors from 200 years ago?), Teruhime decides to ask what we?re probably all thinking.



To answer her question, Yousuke takes out a black ball with a hologram emitter.



And the ancestors get the wrong idea, due to Hamster Headmaster photobombing the camera.



But then Oboro takes him away to carry out a formal conversation.



After introducing herself as the Hayate style?s No. 1 genius scientist, Oboro introduces her assistant, Kirara from the Donbrothers special.



She then gives a fairly bragging intro as well (She clearly studied with the master)



While Ikkaku is shocked by the sight of a woman in pants, Ikki likes what he see a lot (cue feminists incessantly booing).



Oboro then clarifies for the maybe 3 people still in doubt that, yes, this is a time travel flick.



We then get an excuse to cut back on the body doubles and split screen.



Namely, they only have an hour in the past. And even then, they?ve lost time due to bugs developed through actually travelling through time.





This then provides an excuse for the requisite updated transformation scene.

Hurricanegers: Ninpuu! Shinobi Change!

Gouraigers: Jinrai! Shinobi Change!





Younosuke tries to take a turn Shinobi Changing, but Yousuke has to remind him of the warning they were just given (I see that the family brain cell was grown over the years). Getting back to the main plot, the modern heroes request the the Princess hand over the Sky Stone, much to her shock.



Kirara and Oboro then explain the history of the 4 stones.



These are the Warp Stone, with the power of teleportation, the Time Stone, with the power to pass through time, the Blast Stone, with the power to shoot fire, and the Sky Stone, which functions as a keystone. And then if you weren?t sure whether the writer and director had seen Infinity War, well?





The stones are the target of two of the Hidden Seven Spears, which leads to this retcon (which seems to confirm that Vs Gaoranger is canon to this movie).



(This just leaves me with two questions. 1) Were the other Hurricaneger part of the Hidden Spears? Because with the Space Monkeys and Iga, it would make seven. And 2) If 10YA is canon to this, then where the hell is Tenkai?)

And the reason they had to steal the Time Stone and create this mess is because the Sky Stone no longer exists in 2023.



The rumination over what Oiranda wishes for end quickly when the whole ?Lover?s Suicide? comment from earlier gets brought up.



To stop the end of the world, they need to destroy the Sky Stone so the others won?t be able to pool their energies. When asked where it is, the ancestors are entirely honest.



So Yousuke comes up with what is the best solution to that. It is also the worst solution.



Kirara sums up how that is seriously the best solution.



Not wanting to do it, the Princess feigns illness and runs out of the cabin.





(Bitch, if you have a better solution, let?s hear it then)

But as you?d expect, Aunja captures her almost instantly.



And of course, it?s at this point that Nanami and Nami notice that Teruhime has gone. (Resulting in the strangest case of overdubbing I?ve ever seen)



Finding evidence that the princess was kidnapped, Ikkaku makes it clear that he blames Ikki for the whole thing (These guys are basically their modern day descendants if they never had any character development, let?s not kid ourselves).



Cue an argument with the Hayate Ninjas over how the Ikazuchi Bros don?t value the lives of their allies. (Which is basically half the message of this movie: emotionism versus stoicism)



The modern day Ninjas try to break them up, only for the time travel app to send a push notification.



They have so little time the (apparently corporate branded, since it looks like a Shinobi Medal) time portal opens.



Using their last minute in the past, the Hurricanegers and Gouraigers give their ancestors some much needed advice: Put aside your differences to save the world.











Having said their peace, the modern protagonists exit the action and return to 2023 (or Reiwa Year 5, to keep with this movie?s use of the Imperial dating system)



Taking the advice from the future to heart, the Ancestors come up with a plan to detect Oiranda to thwart her plan.



As they decide this, Oiranda reappears with Teruhime in the middle of Edo (what is now modern-day Tokyo. It wasn?t the capital of Japan back then), scaring everyone off.



She then threatens to brutally tear the Sky Stone out of Teruhime?s stomach? only to harmlessly remove it with the Warp Stone instead.





Teruhime faints at the sight? reawakening later to find Oiranda using the 4 stones for a ritual, while chanting a spell. (What have the heroes been up to in that time? God knows)

Oiranda: Akashi au gu ni kara ishi kara parasen kau. (?Buy para-rays from a doctor with appropriate equipment??)





As the 4 jewels fly up and create a vortex, the heroes arrive.



While Ikkaku and Ikki decide to escort the princess back to the castle, the Hayate trio note that it?s up to them to stop Oiranda from destroying the world wih her ?Lover?s Suicide?.



And Aunja steps up to stop them.



The trio throw away their clothes to reveal their ninja outfits, as battle commences.



Back in the present, the Hurricanegers and Gouraigers return to the new Ninja Base. (And it becomes clear that the actors weren?t available for these scenes during filming)



And unfortunately, the time travel app overloaded, so they can?t sent them back to join the battle. But Kirara has an idea.



We then get a meaningful view of a modified Hurricane Gyro with a unique Shinobi Medal (buy the toys).



Back in the past, Oiranda reveals that her lover was none other than Tau Zant. (How did that relationship work? Actually, I don?t want to know)





She fell in love with him for saving her from the life of being a prostitute (and she was only the 3rd Hidden Spear? I?m thinking that she wasn?t as important as she thinks she is), and she was distraught when he died.





Believing that no-one can understand her pain, Oiranda plans to destroy the whole planet in her Lover?s Suicide so she can reunite with Tau Zant in Hell. (But wouldn?t destroying the planet 180 years before he died just undo the death? I?m not sure she?s thought this through)

It?s at this point that the Ikazuchi Bros return, wielding a frickin cannon. (Ok, this is now the most awesome scene in this movie)



It turns out that the pair left her to cover the rest of the way on foot, so they could help the Hayate Trio.



Younosuke is surprised they listened to her.



After Ikkaku meekly implies that the three have rubbed off on him, the 5 stand together for the first time against Oiranda?s mad scheme.



And to raise the stakes, the Princess returns to the castle to request aid, only for the Lord to tell her they can?t send any.



The heroes quickly come up with and execute a plan: grab one of the 4 stones so the ritual can?t be completed. And luckily enough, they grabbed the Sky Stone.



A several minutes long game of keep away ensues.



But in the end, Oiranda recovers the gem thanks to Aunja?s Uchuu Ninpo: Kumo no Mai (which does not give its victim a spider tattoo that gradually kills them) and proceeds with the ritual.



But to even the playing field, Oboro and Kirara teleport the new model Hurricane Gyro (buy the toys) to Younosuke, for him to use. (That?s what him expressing interest in using the Hurrcane Gyro earlier set up.)



Putting it on transforms the Shinobi Medal to better match the toy, as Younosuke Shinobi Changes.



Younosuke: Yo, yo, yo! Let those of you far away hear this! Come close and take a look! I am? crossing time? crossing fate? The hearts of these warriors have become one! Shippu! Jinrai!



He then demonstrates his power by wiping out the Magerappas with Chou Ninpo: Oedo Shippu Zan.



Aunja then decides to run in, bragging of his invincibility (That my friend is a death flag)



But it does.



Younosuke then finishes him off with Chou Ninpo: Oedo Hurricane.



This has the secondary effect of destroying the Sky Stone, rendering Oiranda?s planet wide Lover?s Suicide impossible (and neatly wrapping up a time loop regarding its destruction). This just makes her mad enough to don a mask (allowing the suit actress for Hurricane Blue to get paid for another role).



Putting the mask on causes her to transform into a giant CGI spider (ok two things here. 1) it still looks better than Hibiki?s giant spider and 2) I think I answered my own question regarding her love life with Tau Zant).





After a brief scuffle, Younosuke defeats her with the combined powers of all the modern day Ninjas. Even Shurikenger.

Younosuke: Shippu! Jinrai! Tenkuu! Chou-Nin-Ken!





With Oiranda gone, the 3 remaining stones then scatter throughout space (so does that mean there are two versions of those three stones now?) and the Oedo Gyro returns to the future (or disintegrates. It?s not clear which)



And in one last cut to the present, Kirara explains that simply bringing the Time Stone to Earth fixed any and all paradoxes preemptively.



And at the castle, the ally characters see the sky return to normal and celebrate.



And in case you?re not convince the Lord is Shurikenger?s actor, he does the Fire Mode transformation? with his jacket.



And we end with the Hayate Trio and Ikazuchi Bros making peace and deciding to become allies. (But given that their schools were still bitter enemies by 2002/Heisei Year 14, this won?t last past their lifetimes)



Final thoughts: While there were some things I would?ve liked out of this (like a bit more involvement from the modern heroes), the film itself is overall solid and more internally consistent that 10YA (admittedly, most of my confusion over that came from a bad sub, but regardless). I?d definitely recommend this to fans of Hurricaneger, or Sentai in general.