[Kamen Rider Die]

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 45 - “HAPPY NEW YEAR - TINY BUT DEADLY, AGAIN”



This was an incredibly fun episode, but one that’s sort of difficult to really dig into.

Mainly it’s an HBV? The vibes on this are real HBV-ish: The Metaroid is a reskinned riff on a previous suit, the combat is minimal, and the characters are all competing to see who can be the most cartoonish version of themself. And I mean that last part as a compliment! It’s a goofy episode of misunderstandings and pointless secrets, complete with ridiculous disguises and unconvincing lies. The whole thing is a clown show, despite Hiromu not literally dressing like a clown for this one.

But it isn’t really about much, beyond the gags. The idea of Ryuji looking to a future beyond fighting the Vagras is interesting, but he has zero chemistry with this girl and seems like he’s a scene away from gnawing his own leg off in order to escape the date. Similarly, Hiromu and Nick’s desire to make sure Rika enjoys her date feels untethered from the narrative at large, because haven’t there been about 44 other battles going on in the background for the past year while Rika was living her life? Why would Hiromu going off to fight the Mochiroid be something he needs to hide from Rika, other than For Laughs?

Like, this isn’t really an episode about being there for each other, or family, or whatever. The episode leans in that direction, but this one’s just a frothy comedy episode and that’s all. But it’s really good at being that, so why kick?



IT’S TIME FOR Costumes!

Look at these three. A+ episode for this shot alone, but if I’m being honest? I’d’ve maybe preferred the episode where J dates Ryuji.

[Androzani84]

Here we are at another type of episode Sentai does more often than Rider. The New Years episode, which tends to have lower stakes, a much weirder monster and an overall more comedic tone. So it’s fitting that this is Shimoyama’s last contribution to the main series (he still does the two movies you’ve got upcoming), which also means I’ll be in less of a 100% good mood for the last few episodes.

As for the episode, I love how what seems like a goofy set-up (the henchmen create a monster) turns into a partial deconstruction of why they’re the henchmen. If Enter found out about these events, I imagine he’d wonder what the hell happened.

And back to the talk of upcoming movies, the ending has been replaced with a remix of the usual song that’s equally about the Gokaigers, complete with parts of the backing instrumentals borrowed from that show’s ED, Super Sentai Hero Getter (a rather simplistic song that PokeRaps the Super Sentai), wih the visuals changed to a trailer for Go-Busters vs Gokaiger, showing off a black version of Gokai Galleon, the fact that the “vs” isn’t just to sound cool, they are actually fighting, Enter interacting with the movie villains (which is one notable difference from Rider crossovers, where the regular villains are cameos at best, non-entities at worst) and the debut of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger’s KyoryuRed.

Video for Super Sentai Hero Getter.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

And back to the talk of upcoming movies, the ending has been replaced with a remix of the usual song that?s equally about the Gokaigers, complete with parts of the backing instrumentals borrowed from that show?s ED, Super Sentai Hero Getter (a rather simplistic song that PokeRaps the Super Sentai), wih the visuals changed to a trailer for Go-Busters vs Gokaiger, showing off a black version of Gokai Galleon, the fact that the ?vs? isn?t just to sound cool, they are actually fighting, Enter interacting with the movie villains (which is one notable difference from Rider crossovers, where the regular villains are cameos at best, non-entities at worst) and the debut of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger?s KyoryuRed.

Interesting! Thanks!

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 45 - “HAPPY NEW YEAR - TINY BUT DEADLY, AGAIN”

...

But it isn’t really about much, beyond the gags.

Hard to say too much when I'm only skimming back through the odd episode here or there for this thread, but having poked around this one, I feel like it's more that it doesn't have a singular specific point to make, or message, or whatever you'd call it, which ~maybe~ isn't quite the same thing as the episode not being about anything beyond the raw comedic value?

There's a particular level of familial intimacy to this one, with the whole thing predicated on the characters being worried about potential additions to that family, and even Yoko and Hiromu explicitly introducing themselves as Ryuuji's younger siblings to his date, and all of that is about the laughs, first and foremost, for sure, but... like, I think the true value of the episode is that it gets everyone out of the house for a bit, so to speak?

The last time we had a gap in the stakes, everyone had to go shill Gavan for two weeks and then the plot started right back up before we could explore that idea too much, but here, Shimoyama gets to give us one nice episode where everyone can get out of their uniforms and mostly goof around as flawed people instead of fighting as trained professionals.

It's an episode that's worth it anyway, because, again, it IS pretty dang funny, but I feel like in a more amorphous sense than usual, it's probably adding a lot to the series as a whole. Either way though, definitely not a bad note for Shimoyama to leave on as the last episode of the show from the sub-writers. Between this and Pink Buster, I actually really like that both of them got to use their final Go-Busters scripts to focus on just playing around and stretching the style of the show in their own way.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Hard to say too much when I'm only skimming back through the odd episode here or there for this thread, but having poked around this one, I feel like it's more that it doesn't have a singular specific point to make, or message, or whatever you'd call it, which ~maybe~ isn't quite the same thing as the episode not being about anything beyond the raw comedic value?

Yeah, that's probably a better way to put it. It had Traditional Sitcom vibes, in that a random Cheers episode wasn't necessarily about stretching the characters into new shapes, or progressing the narrative, or exploring a metaphor through the lens of the cast -- it was pretty much just about running a concept through established character relationships and seeing which jokes would come out. That's basically what this one was, and I'm okay with it!

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

So, I believe I've neglected to bring this up in this thread yet, but I've always loved Christmas, and a lot of that comes from my love of storytelling, and how much I feel that specific holiday can offer to a story.

Christmas is my favorite holiday as well! I think it's easy to see why Japan fell in love with it despite it being adopted from the west. The themes of good will and festive fun are totally fitting for these Tokusatsu shows and it's cool how Gobusters is able to make even more out of it by framing it around the heroes' shared tragic backstory and their unyielding hope to continue believing in the spirit of Christmas for all the good that it brings, just as their families believed 14 years ago on that exact day. Vaglass can ruin one Christmas, but it will always come back as long as people have hope.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Androzani84 also watched Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters ep 44

Speaking of villain endings, I also like how despite Escape thinking that she was superior to Enter and more valuable to Messiah, not only did he delete her without batting an eyelid, but as I pointed out last time, Enter didn?t really die that anticlimactically. His reappearance isn?t even played for any kind of drama.

Pretty tragic that Escape ended up losing her life for somebody who never reciprocated her love. She deserved a much more honorable death than that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Santa jumpscare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 45 - ?HAPPY NEW YEAR - TINY BUT DEADLY, AGAIN?

The idea of Ryuji looking to a future beyond fighting the Vagras is interesting, but he has zero chemistry with this girl and seems like he?s a scene away from gnawing his own leg off in order to escape the date.

Gnawing off the leg is even worse than losing shoes!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

IT?S TIME FOR Costumes!

Look at these three. A+ episode for this shot alone, but if I?m being honest? I?d?ve maybe preferred the episode where J dates Ryuji.

Fun Fact: Stagbuster isn't the only Sixth dude to go undercover as a cute girl. Deka Break is also known for this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Video for Super Sentai Hero Getter.

Personally, I think Zenryoku Zenkai Zenkaiger did the whole Sentai celebration thing better, since it focuses on the thematic parts of each Sentai in a way that compliments Zenkaiger's theme, rather than Getter which forgets that it's supposed to be a Gokaiger song.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Fun Fact: Stagbuster isn't the only Sixth dude to go undercover as a cute girl. Deka Break is also known for this.

I also think that Ryuji could do a lot worse than J!

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It had Traditional Sitcom vibes

Definitely an apt comparison. Heck, you could edit a laugh track over all those scenes in the restaurant and it'd probably fit in perfectly.

[Kamen Rider Die]

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 46 - “OVERHEATING, AND A NEW UNISON!”



It’s interesting to do a late-series Ryuji/Yoko episode, maybe more so than any other Buster pairing on this show. No one’s really got the history of Yoko and Ryuji in this show (at least as far as just the human cast is concerned), and spending a little time with them to showcase how their relationship is changing and growing – because Yoko is changing and growing – feels like a smart move before the finale.

And yet, I didn’t love this one? I think telling it more from Ryuji’s perspective than Yoko’s perspective robs it of some really interesting angles, most of which don’t show up until the climactic cliffside sequence between the two of them. We get a little bit of Ryuji’s depression over his sister -slash- daughter finding him to be less of the beloved protector he used to be and more of an overbearing pest, and then a billion fight scenes with Enter, and then Yoko’s realization of what Ryuji’s going through as she’s about to leave the nest. Not getting Yoko’s perspective on things until the very end kept it -- for me -- from feeling like a story that respected her agency or intentions as much as Ryuji's depression; it’s just a story about Ryuji feeling bad for most of the episode.

But I do like how Yoko’s cliffside sequence feels like it’s in conversation with the first Ruji Overheats episode. That one is about Yoko needing to reconcile the loving older brother with the flawed soldier, while this one’s about reconciling her own autonomy with a need to respect Ryuji’s feelings. She had to learn how to see Ryuji before, and now she has to learn how to see what she means to Ryuji. All that, plus she has to physically confront the monster that used to terrify her, all to save him from himself. It’s as neat a bookend as you could get for that relationship, regardless of how the episode chose to get there.

I thought this one had its heart in the right place, even if the way it expressed itself was not as much to my liking. More fun for me to think about Yoko’s side of things than Ryuji’s, honestly, and I wish the producers felt the same way.



IT’S TIME FOR Enter and Escape!

I never really talked too much about Escape’s death, because it felt so hilariously inconsequential that I assumed she’d be back in some form before the final finale. (Although, I really did like her devotion to Messiah being of absolutely no interest to his howling hunger. Good note for that arc!) Enter’s destruction was of the same Question Rather Than Answer variety, so I barely mentioned it. And here they both are! Ironed-hair Enter and Flowered-hair Escape! I like the evolution of Enter’s powers to something that can alter plants and animals now, since it feels appropriately god-like. Should be fun to see what Papa Enter gets up to next!

[Androzani84]

Funnily enough, this aired alongside the episode of Wizard where the female villain makes the secondary hero fight his allies (granted, the plots that result are different, but still).

About the episode, wow was I not keen on Escape being back. In fact, this and Messiah’s return helped form one of my pet peeve tropes in Toku: giving a villain a fitting send-off and then bringing them back for a more generically “epic” death. It annoyed me here, it annoyed me with Manmarva in Hurricaneger and it looks like it’s about to annoy me with MadRex Fury in Boonboomger. There aren’t any Rider villains that come to mind (mostly because most of them either have rather lame first deaths, tend to stay alive after their resurrection or have the good decency to stay dead). But I’ll discuss more of this next time.

And to end on a more positive note, Kuwagataloid/Stagloid/Stagroid/Kuwagatroid (delete as appropriate) is probably my favourite Metaloid design, so I can say they saved the best for last at least.