[Androzani84]

Well after some real lack of time management on my part, it?s time to continue with?

Timeranger Case File 23: Beat Up 23/07/2000

And for the second episode in a row, we have a guest writer, in the form of Yamaguchi. Which considering what happens in this episode, is certainly surprising.

We open on Dolnero being revealed as a major daytime drama queen as he?s watching a soap opera while Lila styles her cotton candy pink wig.



But both activities are interrupted by something sapping the power, plunging them into darkness.



Lila and Gien investigate and discover the source of the problem to be his guy (the alien adapted as Electropede).



Gien explains that he?s an alien that electricity, which got him locked up for 3 years (which given that?s likely how his species lives, seems a bit discriminatory). Dolnero is annoyed that Gien released someone useless, but the latter counters that he has a plan.



Meanwhile, Tatsuya reveals an obscene amount of money he?s been paid in exchange for helping the Yamashita Corporation hold a summer festival. He?s so dedicated he?s cancelled all the other jobs Tomorrow Research had scheduled.



The group heads for the town square and begins building the stage and stalls (and the festival masks include Kamen Rider Black, Red Hawk from Jetman and Ninja Red from Kakuranger. I don?t have a picture, but there you go). It?s then that President Yamashita (played by the guy who played one of the villains in Janperson) appears to inspect their progress.



As the lights and music cut out, Tock calls in with a warning that someone might be stealing the electricity.



Tatsuya insists on dealing with this alone, and goes to find Ugo eating the electricity, before chasing him.



The chase leads back to the festival, where Tock calls the others with a warning, having looked up Prisoner #2407 when Tatsuya made contact.



(By the rules of Japanese alien names, that means he hails from a planet named Marshal. There?s probably a joke there I?m missing because I?m not a science nerd).

Ugo?s rampage to get to the power ends up wrecking the stage, causing Tatsuya to strike him with Vector End? causing an explosion that wrecks his Chrono Changer, and allows Ugo to turn invisible so he can get away.





Tatsuya is rushed to the emergency room, where Ayase and Yuri educate Domon on Marshalians, specifically how the explosion that happened at the fairgrounds happens when they absorb sufficient amounts of electricity. But the one they faced isn?t the real problem.



And the more energy he absorbs, the more powerful the destruction, until?



As Tatsuya is kept in the hospital over night, the boys decide to continue their paid work, while Sion goes to work on fixing the Chrono Changer, while Yuri meets with Yamashita, who has decided to cancel the festival because someone got hurt. (Apparently, the context of why that happened didn?t reach him) He is glad that Tatsuya?s alright, and says this as the patient regains consciousness.



He specifically clarifies that he?s President Asami?s former secretary, though Tatsuya would?ve been too young to remember it. This leads Tatsuya to a realisation that ignorance isn?t always bliss, when you don?t know who your real friends are or who?s been planted by your controlling father (bit of a strange takeaway, but ok).



Meanwhile, with Ugo eating all the power, the Zenitts embark on a crime wave while the silent alarms are down. Back at the loft, Sion begins work on a counter to Ugo?s powers.





Ayase then calls in to report on the crime wave, with Domon confirming it. Yuri decides to ignore it and focus on Ugo, since he?s the real threat. Meanwhile, Dolnero celebrates a successful plan.



But Gien counters that this isn?t his plan, just a useful side effect.



The next morning, Yuri returns to the hospital (with an establishing shot revealing it to be the Meisei Hospital), to find Tatsuya has left through the window (and no-one saw him go?)



As Tatsuya stands and stares at the ruined festival grounds, Ugo faces down the police? with predictable results. He then heads for the power station, with Tock warning his next explosion could be the city wrecking one.



As Tatsuya angsts over the destruction being his fault, Yamashita arrives to talk to him. Tatsuya assumes he only got the job because his dad is friends with the President, but Yamashita assures him otherwise.





Yamashita states that he considers building uo trust to be the most important thing, such as how Tatsuya?s friends chose to keep up the work while he was out. Meanwhile, Ugo reaches the power plant, as Gien?s true scheme - to ?turn the town into a sea of flames? - reaches its final stage.



Ayase, Domon and Yuri appear to stop him, but Ugo zaps them back. As Sion speeds up his work on the new upgrade, Tatsuya shows up to keep helping, using an electric scooter.



The plan almost works? until Gien interfere to stop the scooter and get his experiment back on track, deciding to murder Tatsuya to prevent his interference. But it?s at that point that Sion appears, carrying a briefcase and Tatsuya?s repaired Chrono Changer.



After transforming and doing the usual roll call, Sion proceeds to show off the newly invented Assault Vector (Time Force?s Electro Booster), which enhances the power of the Spark Vector by 30%.



Said upgrade turns the sword into a gun, as we get our next insert song, Millennium Soldiers.



https://youtu.be/LZo3orp34Ng?si=PmnXnvOMT8X_n2kd

(Warriors of the Millennium)
BYUN! BYUN! BYUN!

At speeds faster than the eye can see...

These miraculous suits radiate with power!
(Warriors of the Millennium)
SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT!

An energy that drives evil away...

Witness the power of future technology!
The machines shine as they dash through time and space...

...carrying dreams and hopes of the 30th century!

Technology from a thousand years in the future!

The Rangers' strategies know no bounds!

With the power volume at full charge...

...there's nothing to be afraid anymore!

Crossing over centuries with passion...

...they're the sparkling warriors of the millenium, TimeRanger!

Using his new weapon, Tatsuya is capable of disintegrating Zenits with a single shot (good thing those guys are robots, so they can use this feature without it being murder).



At Sion?s advice, Tatsuya triggers a Beat Up with the weapon, using the Assault Burning to drain Ugo of all his gathered energy.





But before they can recapture him, Gien pre-Emoto the heroes forming the Voltech Bazooka by shooting Ugo?s compression seal himself to trigger a Rebound, which revives some of Ugo?s energy.



The Rangers form TimeRobo Beta, with Tatsuya using some cables to ground Ugo so he doesn?t explode on them again.



They then combine into Shadow Beta and recapture Ugo. That night, the festival is back on, with Yamashita congratulating them for a good job.



Tatsuya then insists he?s nothing like his father? other than the fact boy have good taste in friends. So the episode ends with the gang celebrating.



Next time: Honami returns. Yay? Timeranger Case File 24: Yellow, and Sometimes Blue.

Final thoughts: It?s an okay enough episode, with a decent enough debut for the new weapon and a unique premise for a monster (I missed a chance to insert the appropriate Lord Zedd clip for Ugo?s exploding gimmick, I?ll admit). But I?m not entirely sure Yamashita?s subplot mingles well with the rest of the episode, or includes an appropriate moral. If there is one, I can?t tell you what it is.