[DreamSword]

Episode #5: Time For the Beach

I didn't think my spot for favorite episode would get replaced so fast, but here we are.

It's probably the most simple and straight-forward episode of Tokusatsu GaGaGa so far, but pure beauty is found all throughout it.

Sure, there's a few different aspects and layers to the episode as a whole, but overall, the aspect that got the most focus and shined the brightest all throughout was one wonderful thing: Friendship.

The growing friendship between the four girls, and alot of what that exactly entails dominates both the plot and character interactions here. From Miyabi learning lessons about adulthood from her peers, to Nakamura finding shoulders to lean on about her issues with her mom, to them all just hanging out.

It works as well as it does in part thanks to the chemistry between the cast being incredibly strong. Heck, while he only appears briefly, even Tamiya gets in on things with the funny scene of him developing a crush on Yoshida over their shared love of Toraiger. I wish that Mr. Yakuza had gotten to be in the episode a bit more, but alas.

What absolutely steals the show though is the episodes' climax, where Nakamura reaches out to a girl who's having the same troubles with her mother that Nakamura did growing up. The enforcing of gender roles and expectations is something that nearly everyone; man, woman, or otherwise has had to contend with, and such things are very oppressive. And while it's highly doubtful that a child could ever get a parent to change their minds, having someone in their corner might be just what they need to keep that hopeful spark in them alive.

That all being said, the very end of the episode is not at all subtle in telling its audience that this entire episode was the breather, feel-good episode before things take a more serious turn. Nakamura's' mother isn't gone, afterall, and it was only a matter of time before things came to a head between the two. I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous in seeing how it'll play out, but hopefully the strong writing that the show has had up to now will continue to shine through.