[Sh Ranger]

This episode was written by Higuchi who wrote those wonderful Gaoranger and Kakuranger episodes of Gozyuger, but sadly, I think this one was a dud.

The best thing about it was Setsuna's development with him naming Gavando as his personal code of honor, following more encouragement from Reiji.

Everything else though is going through the motions. While it's nice and all that the rule of evil getting stronger in Makuu Space has finally been narrated and implied with Infinity having to fight a little harder against the Emon, the whole sequence is as superfluous as it was in Episode 2. Feels more like a cheap gimmick than an actual threat, when the villains can use it so casually.

We're already past the introduction arc, so it's about time we got some regular villain factions to make these dimensions more distinct, in addition to the unaffiliated criminals. Setsuna is my favorite character so far and this is the third episode set in Λ8018, but it shows how the main characters are worth more than the universes they live in, which makes the conflict seem too shallow for me to fully invest in. Compared to say, Kamen Rider Decade and King-Ohger, where each setting provides a different story.

So yeah, my patience with this show is gradually wearing and since I don't have a completionist itch for a franchise that was only born weeks ago, I'd be content to move on to something else if the pacing doesn't make haste soon. Give me more crazy stuff like Ameise, or give me a stronger narrative. Those are my conditions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Furthermore, the viewer truly gets to know Commissioner Amo, Setsuni's superior.

She shills that soda like it's for an Oronamin C commercial. Feels like some kind of obscure Premium Bandai marketing plan, like, "Full Metal Ammo swears by this soda, so YOU should buy it today and be cool like her!".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

The villain was also good. The sword-obsessed alien with living hair created a lot of interesting action. And he and his motivations don't steal the spotlight from the positive characters or feel relegated to the background, as they did in the third episode. So, Cattana is the perfect antagonist for this story.

I didn't expect myself to admit this, but I thought Episode 3 did a better job, precisely due to the villain having a clear motivation that complimented the plot. For this one, Rapunzel Benkei is a unique idea, but ultimately he's irrelevant to Amou's full introduction and just a generic alien criminal for Bushido to defeat. At least, he does have a clear motivation, which is a step up from Λ8018's generic whiny terrorist brother.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Layton13

The show feels boxed in, and until now, pretty much every episode is undercut by how little they can actually explore the concept, making it feel rushed and ultimately end up far less satisfying than it really should be.

It's so annoying that this show is ambitiously trying to be multiverse story while arbitrarily trapping itself in a series of lame rules that end up contradicting each other.

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Originally Posted by Sunred

It was very Kenshin Himura of him, that's for sure.

Same as him calling Reiji with the dono honorific. As a silver Gavan who wields his blade as an expression of his soul, I think he's the most faithful representation of the OG hero.