[Fish Sandwich]

I didn't want to believe it at first, but it would seem this week has brought about an attack on one of the most fundamental traditions of the Sentai faithful. Indeed, we have seemingly been denied our usual place of worship, the place we gather as a community to express our weekly praise for the Lord Tega Sword. Such a crisis demands action! For if one were to shirk such holy responsibility, it would surely lead down the path to ruination!



...All of which is to say it's apparently up to *somebody* to make this week's episode discussion thread for Gozyuger, and if nobody else wants to step up to the plate, I suppose the task might as well fall to me. Perhaps I'm unworthy after abandoning weekly Sentai discussion for like three years -- an outcast, of sorts, after so long, but then maybe that just fits even better.

Anyways, it shouldn't surprise anyone too much to find out I've been quite enjoying Gozyuger, and quite enjoyed this episode as well.

It's actually a particularly great episode to jump into discussing like this, even, because it touches on so many corners of the show all in just those 20-odd minutes.

Like, we start off resolving some epic cliffhanger where Fire Candle gains new power and reminds everyone he's supposed to be a bad guy, right? So already, it gets to fulfill the whole promise of another epic rival showdown with Gozyu Wolf, even bringing Shinken-Oh in there, because I hear giant robots with a traditional Japanese motif are in fashion now. Or maybe Fire Candle is just a trendsetter that way? At any rate, the episode is already clearly awesome just from that, right?

But then, the whole reason that situation even comes about is because it springs out of all the drama with Sumino's sister and the mysterious gray-eyed man, so the episode is *also* out here moving those big-picture plot threads along, teasing answers and backstory that raise yet more exciting questions, as is the way of these things. And hey, while Rikuo is getting some focus, why *not* give him another scene with Bouquet while you're at it, right?

Yes, there's just *so* much going on here, you might worry Sumino herself will be forgotten in the shuffle, but Kinjirou is here to make sure the actual episodic plot is all about cheering her up, even as that noble goal inevitably explodes into a chaotic mess of comedic antics. He's just a cool and caring old guy like that! The real heart of the team, in a way, so humble and generous that he recognizes -- before the announcer does(!) -- he's not even the real hero of this episode.

No, instead, it's Ryuugi who ends up saving the day, teaching Kinjirou and us all by example the distinction between a mere party and a true festival. His unwavering faith and extreme conviction lift the spirits of everyone around him, precisely because of how absurd they are, and exactly like Kinjirou lays out for the viewers at home, maybe there's an important lesson in there somewhere. After all, this episode turned out to be a good time, and *it's* completely insane! Strong character moments for nearly the entire cast, big plot turns that will have ramifications for episodes to come, and little plot turns that still make time for a considered moral lesson, such as it is, that even educates the viewer on the cultural history of celebration to boot? It's silly, honestly. Silly that just a random episode of Gozyuger has so much to discuss, silly to have all that to digest in one episode, and even more silly how it inexplicably all fits together so tightly. But some would say being silly is no bad thing, and this show tends to prove that week after week. The real secret is that Gozyuger is *always* a festival.