[Switchblade]

Just powered through the last four episodes of Zyuranger. Man, that was a good conclusion. There were some really good mech battles, some cool story developments, and several good emotional beats (the last scene with Bandora and her crew is both hilarious and kind of adorable). I think we could have done without the little boy in the hospital, but I suppose it's not Zyuranger if there isn't a child awkwardly shoved into the center of the plot somewhere. Still, it was a great finale (and it was a nice touch that the GUIS sub of the last episode ends with a trailer for Dairanger, including a snippet of its vastly superior ending theme).

Overall, I can't say that Zyuranger is going down as my favorite Sentai, but it is a really great show nonetheless. The fantasy theme is a lot of fun and leads to some cool story moments, the mech designs are fantastic (especially when compared to Jetman), and the villains are really enjoyable. The biggest downside is that the Zyurangers themselves are all really flat characters with few noticeable personality traits beyond just being generally heroic. I think a more dynamic cast like Jetman or Dairanger's - and maybe an occasional episode with no guest child actor - could elevate this to one of the best Sentais ever. As it stands, though, it's still a great show and I think it gets unfairly overlooked in favor of the two shows that surround it.