[Shin Henshin]

So a friend and I have been rewatching some toku in order from Decade/Shinkenger's SHT run to present. Right now we just finished Ninninger.

I remember watching Ninninger when it was airing and very much not liking it. So on this second watch I was unsurprised by the fact that I still didn't like it at all...

Dunno what happened with this series. Solid suits. Ninja theme is fairly fool-proof. The family clan angle was great considering the last familial Sentai we had before that was Magiranger. Creative mech designs. But it just...exists. It's not unwatchable, but it's not good either.

The main team outside of Kinji is extremely one-note, boring or irritating. The Kibaoni clan are extremely boring villains with Kyuuemon being the only exception, even if his backstory is extremely messy. The way the series tells its story relies so heavily on the same tropes and ideas along with multiple cameos from characters you'd rather follow over the actual Sentai itself. It's just a slog.

What I will give it is its action scenes, especially the really involved ones. One of the final battles in particular was just extremely well done and visually engaging. But outside of that? Such a downgrade that follows up an extremely solid entry with ToQger and precedes a really fun series with a fantastic red ranger in Jyuohger. Thankfully I don't think any series since has hit lows that low since.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

I believe it's the same thng, yeah. Wraparound LED screens projecting pre-made backgrounds.

Nice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shin Henshin

So a friend and I have been rewatching some toku in order from Decade/Shinkenger's SHT run to present. Right now we just finished Ninninger.

I remember watching Ninninger when it was airing and very much not liking it. So on this second watch I was unsurprised by the fact that I still didn't like it at all...

Dunno what happened with this series.

Yeah, I'm on the same boat as you are pretty much. It's a damn shame too because the designs really are solid and the basic concepts and premise were nice. Yet, it didn't click for some reason. They even went through the trouble of bringing Ninja Red, Hurricane Red, Shurikenger, Magi Yellow, and freakin Jiraiya of all people.

[wentwood]

I'm watching Zyu - Don Brothers and will see Don once I catch
up the other series post MMPR I.

If this is true about PR being an all US series from the ground up then
I think I can plan on watching episodes post Ryu Soul / Dino Fury from
here on out.

This would effectively start with Kira.

[wentwood]

Completed

Zyu - Mega (Shout Factory DVD)
Aba - Kyo Ryu
Ryu Soul

In Progress

To Quger - Zen Kai

Shout Factory

5 Man
Episode 07

Jet Man
Episode 03

Galaxy Man
Episode 22

Go Go 5
Episode 21

Time Ranger
Episode 39

Growl Ranger
Episode 06

Hurri
Episode 25

Deka
Episode 18
Rewatch on Shout Factory DVD

Stream will start with Don Bros as they had just concluded their run.

[wentwood]

Streaming will start with Don Bros.

With these episodes I hang a year back so that I can watch
the full series. I had just picked up Zen Kai recently.

I'm watching 5 Man - Deka on Shout Factory DVD and Kyo Ryu - Zen Kai
on my Malay sets.

If I can get to the library I plan to stream Don Bros forward. Don Bros.
had just concluded their run so will watch this first on stream. More of
King Oh will likely fill in after I see the last Don Bros.

Thanks to Shout Factory I was able to finish Aba this week.

[Kamen Rider Lucha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

I mean don't get me wrong, the CG is still terrible (maybe a little better than usual toku standards, but still pretty horrid), but it is still very impressive to see whole, unique, locations being built basically from the ground up here. We are so used to everything in toku taking place in like carparks, warehouses and quarries, so this taking place in this elaborate fantasy world is still really impressive even with the technical limitations. Makes you also think of the places they can go in future, as they get better with the implementation of the tech.

Whoa, it's Locke. Talk about a blast from the past...

[GoldenXtreme]

Alriiiiight, I rewatched Dekaranger! Much like Abaranger this was an interesting show to revisit after seeing more Sentai so I could appreciate the unique things it did more. I still don't exactly love it though.

The Good

• I think the biggest thing I found I liked more this time was just how good this show was about avoiding the typical Sentai formula of "normal-sized fight -> big fight". Episodes would shake up the order of skip one of them a lot.
• The episodic plots were often very solid and had a nice variety of wholesomeness and tragedy. Hoji almost always has a pretty bad time, which is kinda funny.
• The cast is fun! Everyone gets enough focus and even a hothead like Ban gets episodes that show his strong side.
• SWAT mode is still my favorite hero suit in a Sentai. Armor on the sleek undersuit is such a good look.
• The finale is so cool, love any tokusatsu with a desperate final struggle while unable to transform.

The Bad

• I don't mind Dekaranger being episodic, but I kind of wish it had more of an attempt at overarching character arcs at least. The cast doesn't really feel like they grow much as people, most of their internal conflicts being constrained to one or two episodes and then never relevant again.
• Similarly, I feel like the relationships between the Dekarangers feel weak. You don't get much of a feel for their dynamic as a team, and the pairs that do get some focus like Ban/Hoji and Jasmine/Umeko aren't exactly uniquely written. I can't get over the episode right near the end that's all like "Oh yeah, Hoji and Jasmine used to be a team", a fact that is completely irrelevant to every other episode of the show.
• The way the show treats aliens is just WEIRD. I get that the whole "law abiding aliens disguise themselves as humans" thing was just an excuse to not have random background characters in suits all the time, but the rule itself really begs some questions about what's happening with Earth and the show itself breaks the rule plenty of times. Espers are another aspect of the show that begged more explanation.

The Misc

• I used the Shout subs, which to my understanding are stolen fansubs. I assume some of the weird phrasing was due to thesaurus abuse. Tsk, tsk, bad choice Shout.
• Even if the show does enough to convince me Ban has his good points, I can't help but feel like him joining the Fire Squad in the end is kind of against the general emphasis on the Dekaranger only working as well as they do because they are a complimentary team? It struck me as a weird narrative choice.
• I think it is very funny that Doggie gets shirtless scenes that are framed in a distinctly fanservice-y way. This guy must have been the source of so many furry awakenings.

I like the show, but I feel like it just doesn't quite have the weight or uniqueness it needs to be truly good? Which is too bad, because I definitely feel like it had all the right components to pull that off. Solidly enjoyable experience though, glad I rewatched it.

[wentwood]

I watched Aba Via Shout Factory which would have now been the only PR adaption not seen.

I finished my run of Aba Via Shout Factory and it was a good series.

Also watching Deka on Shout myself.

Well given that Jetix had tried to save money , this is why I'm watching Time Ranger - Go On.

as for Deka I like it so far actually. Fan Sub aside got it because up to now I own a US set for all the PR adapted shows from Zyu - Deka and not some second source copy.

By way of Brazil I own Magi - Geki. All 3 sets are NTSC.

I also own Skinken on Brazil DVD so Go-On would be the sticking point here in this case.

The Brazil disks are what you see in Japan.

I'd love to pick up Go-On at some point and Gosei.

[Androzani84]

Alright, I’m reviving this thread after a month to continue…

Androzani’s Tsukai Detour

And the movie we?re covering today is? this one.

Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Vs Zenkaiger



”Once upon this year, in a land somewhere out there… lived 4 companions and one Avataro.”

A man called Jin Momoi finds a baby inside a peach-shaped capsule whom he names Taro and raises. 21 years later, mysterious monsters called the Hitotsuki begin appearing when humans overcome with their inner desires are taken over by spirits infused with powers related to the Super Sentai from the past. Taro, and four other individuals selected by Jin; Shinichi Saruhara, a smart but eccentric young man, Haruka Kito, a high schooler manga artist, Tsubasa Inuzuka, a wanted fugitive, and Tsuyoshi Kijino, an ordinary salaryman begin fighting the Hitotsuki and saving their hosts as the Donbrothers. They are later joined by Jiro Momotani, who was also found in a capsule as a baby and raised in a rural area, and aspires to become a hero.

Also standing in their way are the Noto, elusive and ruthless individuals from a higher plane who stop the Hitotsuki by sealing their hosts in another dimension to kill them, unlike the Donbrothers who use their powers to rescue them, and the Juto, strange and powerful creatures who are a threat to both humans and the Noto. The Donbrothers also count on the secret help of Kaito Goshikida, the owner of the coffee shop Donbura who transforms into Zenkaizer Black.

Taro Momoi/Don Momotaro: A survivor of the Don Clan. Taro was found by Jin Momoi inside a peach-shaped capsule that floated to shore after exiting a portal from Ideon when he was just a baby. In his childhood, he was excellent at everything and always eager to help people do things correctly, but this goodwill became so intrusive that the neighbors organized a rally against him, although he did not realize that he was hated until everyone in the neighborhood left. During his birthdays, he would often celebrate alone with his foster father as none of the neighbors wanted to come to his party when invited. A happier moment was when he would make onigiri for Jin to take with him for his lunch before he headed off to work. Another sad moment in his childhood was during one summer when his pet beetle Gii flew out a window and never returned, upsetting Taro since he had no real friends and treasured Gii as the closest thing to one. Taro lives alone and works as a delivery man at Shirokuma Express, the employees of which tend to exploit his bluntness when gambling for portions in the company lunch breaks. He also fights against the Noto and Hitotsuki as Don Momotaro. Taro is young man who is incapable of lying and capable of living on his own after his foster father vanished. He also can do any kind of work, like cleaning, cooking, making rice-balls etc. As his regular self, he is cheery and generally well-mannered, though his tendency to be brutally honest often leaves him in situations where the favor is usually against him or annoys people to the point that they hate being around him. Unhelpful to those who meet him, Taro's form of giving advice is simply stating out what someone does wrong before performing the corresponding act in what he deems to be the right way, typically worsening any relationships he has with other people. Additionally, his comments are usually made without consideration of someone's feelings, which normally results in him angering others unintentionally. His honesty extends to how he views the world, seeing lying as wrong and even if the intent is for good reasons, the liar is masking a false truth and true words come directly from the heart, though a brief conversation with Sonoi later made him slightly loosen up to deception. Unlike his superhero persona, Taro hates fighting to the point he will never directly hit a person even if provoked. Despite his friendly disposition, Taro?s childhood has affected him negatively as he doesn’t know what true happiness is. His compulsory need to help others and make them happy is, in his own words, a way to understand the emotion itself since he is lonely. He also seems to dislike his birthday, as it serves as a constant reminder of his loneliness. As Don Momotaro, however, he undergoes a drastic personality change. Compared to his civilian identity, Don Momotaro is far more boisterous and jolly, often seeing every battle as a type of festival under an air of confidence, and can also be a bit unpredictable and eccentric. Earlier, he wildly attacked his team as a test of their combat skills and training, especially if he felt that they were holding him back in battle. After fighting against Chikyuuki, however, he has since stopped his wild training spree after his teammates' combat experience developed and they began working together more cohesively. However, it's implied that his Don Momotaro persona is merely a front on his behalf, as while his heroic nature is retained, he will usually drop his jolly self back to his Taro personality when things have gotten serious, such as facing honorable or powerful opponents, or when he strongly opposes those who crossed the line of killing anyone, regardless of whether they are innocent or bad people. While not in serious situations, he briefly retains his Taro persona while in his ranger form upon being teleported into battle before returning back to his jolly self, as seen when Taro is momentarily distracted from making delivery services during his battle against Kijino’s boss. After defeating the Nouto and ensuring Jiro was ready to replace him, Taro’s memories of being Don Momotaro were wiped, and he assumed a normal life as a delivery man at Shirousagi Delivery.
Shinichi Saruhara/SaruBrother: A local eccentric with an allergy for money and an active imagination. Saruhara is an erudite person with a refined sense of taste. He is also a keen observer with a very analytical mind much like Sherlock Holmes that he uses to help his neighbours and friends, this talent has unofficially given him the title of “Professor” by those who know him. Shinichi is also of the philosophy that money is inherently evil due to the troubles it brings humanity and thus does not carry any on his person. In fact, coming into direct contact with money will also physically burn his skin. Instead, he tries to get away with the non-payment of things he obtains by giving recitations of haikus or the aforementioned problem solving routine in exchange for what he needs or wants such as free food. Saruhara also has a powerful mind control towards himself, this prevents him from hunger for certain periods and allows to hypnotise anyone, with the exception of Taro Momoi. The prevention of hunger is also powerful and becomes his solution should he be unable to eat in a place that is strict with payment for the food such as 'imagination ramen', requesting to be given only an empty bowl and imagining himself eating the perfect ramen. This has placed him in the unusual fortunate position of having never worked a real job in his entire life, as his cool charisma can get him out of trouble.
Haruka Kito/OniSister: Haruka is a high school student at Tsunokaku High School and aspiring manga artist who wrote First Love Hero. She lives in an apartment building called Grand Residence Fukuwauchi with her aunt, Yuriko Kito, who works as a detective. She originally was meant to receive a manga award for her work, but after she became OniSister, Haruka was accused of plagiarism and had her reputation ruined. As the youngest of the team, Haruka can be a bit childish at times, sometimes having fits if she is bored upset or frustrated. She also was, at first, hesitant to be a hero due to the fear and anxiety of witnessing monster attacks. She also has a bad temperament if something pushes her to her limits, her fury being able to terrify others into just avoiding upsetting her further through being submissive. She is also shown to be jealous of other young women if they possess qualities she doesn’t have. Despite this, Haruka can also be helpful and kind to her friends. At the later end of the show, Haruka gains her driver’s license, despite being a terrible driver who can only drive properly in reverse gear and recklessly speeds on the road when going forward. Aside from her skills as a manga artist, Haruka is athletic as she is seen jogging and using a bicycle. Her social life has been somewhat ruined by the misfortune effects of being a Donbrother as her classmates all now call her “plagiarist” instead of by name and her love life has come crashing down as her seemingly dubious reputation forced her boyfriend to dump her at the behest of his mother. While she was unable to prove her innocence of plagiarism, Haruka was later able to rebuild her mangaka career thanks to Sonoza’s guidance, by producing a manga retelling of the Donbrothers’ exploits.
Tsubasa Inuzuka/InuBrother: Formerly part of an acting troupe, Tsubasa was framed for kidnapping and murder after the Jyuto captured his girlfriend Natsumi to replicate her and sent the rest of the troupe into irreversible comas. Though his innocence has since been cleared, Tsubasa has remained a fugitive due to bad circumstances. Tsubasa is egotistical, snarky and distrustful of others, which results in those who might meet him disliking him. Ironically, he hates dogs despite his transformation turning him into one, much to his annoyance. Tsubasa often screams at the others for handling a Hitotsuki in the battlefield should he be annoyed because of being forced to fight when he is busy. Despite his negative traits, Tsubasa has shown that there is a softer side to him, as when Taro, Tsuyoshi, Shinichi and Haruka threw a improvised birthday party for him upon learning it was his birthday, giving out cake and singing to him, he was moved to tears by this act of kindness. He later tries to protect them from Keisatsuki when he attacked by drawing him away from the group. His kindness is shown even further when he bears no grudge against Kijino’s cruel betrayal. While he is often to act as a cool person, Tsubasa is shown to have some comedic traits such as never keeping a real photo of Natsumi, which left Kijino unable to help him to identify and search for her. Being an actor in the stage theater, he often behaves like a character that he is acting the part of. This leads him to behaving like a dog whenever he is treated like one as InuBrother and was further shown when he acted as a demon to help a man in love, which led Jiro to misunderstood the situation when he found Tsubasa by coincidence and beat him up without learning the true situation. Tsubasa often behaves in an awkward manner whenever he is talking about Natsumi. Compared to Kijino, Tsubasa maintains a significantly better composure after he had learnt the truth of Miho Kijino and his fianc?e. In spite of his broken heart, he is still accepting of the harsh truth regarding the nature of the Crane Juto that had taken on the form of Natsumi and keep moving forward in order to properly face the one who has been masquerading as his fiancee. Furthermore and ironically, Tsubasa doesn't bear any hatred towards Kijino after he had noticed that Natsumi has inherited the aforementioned Juto's memories regarding its' life with Kijino which had, in turn, influenced her to fall in love with him after she has been savedby Tsubasa. However, Tsubasa still cherished his memories with Natsumi, saying that Tsuyoshi has it rough with a smile because he remembers how tough she is. At the end of the battle with the Nouto, Tsubasa once more goes on the run, this time joined by the lovesick former Nouto Sononi.
Tsuyoshi Kijino/KijiBrother : A middle-aged consultant, whose life had nothing good beyond his wife Miho. Kijino is a man who lives like he has nothing to lose and while he has no dreams of his own, he does everything he can to support the dreams of his wife. Kijino does have some issues with his confidence, as he sees himself as nothing special and is a bit timid at times. While he is a good worker, he is often pushed around by his boss and due to the misfortunate effects of being a Donbrother, his ideas for his company are seen as mediocre at best and not recommended by his superiors. His lack of self-confidence at one point became full on insecurity, as he felt an ordinary person such as himself did not deserve Miho and she was somehow embarrassed of him. He used Kibi Points to be the more assertive, successful man that he assumed she would be proud of, only for his wife to reveal she hated his arrogant behavior and genuinely loves him as he is. Being around Taro Momoi and his positivity has stirred up motivation in Kijino, as he wants to change and self-improve, such as doing exercises and trying new things like learning how to polish a hard floor with a rag. Despite his clumsy and humble persona, Kijino can be cruel if anyone dares to hurt his wife. On an occasion, he tackled Don Momotaro when he was supposed to purify a Hitotsuki corrupted artist who had previously kidnapped her. It gave an opening for Sonoi to kill the artist instead, shocking the rest of the Don Brothers and Kijino was satisfied with the result, remarking to himself mentally that the world is a better place without people like him and that he would do anything to protect his wife no matter who he has to go up against or what he has to do them. This obsession with retribution for anyone who harms his wife would later consume him and slowly turn him into Gekisouki. After being defeated as Gekisouki, he reverts back to his normal personality. As the story goes on, Kijino’s feelings towards Miho deteriorate into a somewhat insane obsession as he refuses to learn and accept the truth that Miho is actually a Juuto in disguise. He even has no intention of talking about the aforementioned matter in a calm and sensible manner when Inuzuka mistook Miho as his girlfriend and chose to settle things violently with him. Not only is his obsession towards Miho causing him to turn into a Hitotsuki once again, he also refuses to accept the fact that there is no real person named Miho to begin with when Tsubasa had claimed Miho was Natsumi, his fiance. Kijino even willingly discards his friendship towards Tsubasa because of this, baiting him to be jailed and passionate enough to hide his sinister smile until his plan had succeeded, only to end up backfiring when Miho herself had pretended to no longer have any memories of her time as his wife as well as demanding the police arrest him under false charges of harassment and attempting to kidnap her when his persistence got on her nerves. As he failed to comprehend what exactly happened to his wife, Kijino began to show very troubling signs of insanity, such as talking to a random china doll that acts as a substitute Miho and imagining it responding to his conversations. Fortunately, this particularly brief dark period of insanity seems to have ended when Miho herself returned to Tsuyoshi's life, having "regained" her memories of her life as his wife which, in turn, causes him to abandon the china doll in favor of his real wife. While he has no qualms about inflicting lethal injuries upon those who harm his wife, Kijino does have standards on how far he is willing to go, as he looked at his hands in horror upon realizing that he almost fatally injured Sononi. Regardless, his love for Miho was strong enough that he had stated out loud that he would become a Hitotsuki as many times as he can until his beloved precious wife finally comes back to him in spite of everyone else telling him the truth that Miho is actually a Juto in disguise. It wasn't until that particular fact was told to him by Taro Momoi, an individual who is truly incapable of lying, that he couldn't deny the undeniable truth any longer. As a result, for a while, he became a crabby and irritable person who would be easily set off by anything involving romantic couples. Then, once he had calmed himself down as well as finally accepting the truth regarding the true nature of his beloved wife, Kijino decides that in order for him to move on from his feelings of heartbreak, he has to abandon everything that reminds him of his beloved wife. This includes resigning from his job at Pheasant Consultant and moving out of the home that he had once shared with her. Only for him to be reunited with Natsumi after she broke up with Tsubasa, who wants to carry on their relationship.
Jiro Momotani/Don Dragoku: Taro?s cousin, who ended up landing in the village of Kakamura, inhabited by a Penguin Jyuto posing as a Don Clan member posing as a police officer. Jiro was subsequently raised alongside illusionary friends generated by the Penguin Jyuto, causing his normal “Crazy? personality to be buried beneath a false personality that would be more susceptible to becoming the new Penguin Jyuto’s host. However, Jiro’s desire to fight strong opponents evolved into a desire to be a hero as a result, causing him to leave the village as an adult to pursue his dream, once Taro was temporarily taken out. Upon learning the dark truth of his existence, Jiro was left in a funk, until Crazy Jiro merged with him to grant the former his maturity, enabling him to fulfil his destiny as Taro’s true successor. He has a pure personality and often runs through the world like a child. However, even though he tries his best to get others to like him, his lack of empathy often rubs others the wrong way, as he sometimes does or say things that may come off as awkward and off-putting. Since he was young, Jiro has always wanted to be a hero, and does his best in whatever he can do to become one. Driven by an uplifting motivation, he eventually begins to idolize Taro and strives to become as good as him. However, this sheer idolization has also at times led him into extreme disappointment out of being deemed not worthy enough to be Taro's replacement, leading to the release of his long suppressed original personality. Despite the misgivings and misunderstandings arising from the actions of his "Crazy" persona, Jiro has not faltered in his quest to become a hero, and was also quick to accept his dangerous persona after being made aware of and meeting him face to face for the first time. In fact, this has only served to spur him on in his goal to surpass Taro in a positive manner.
Sonoi: A former leader of the Nouto, tasked with eliminating the Hitotsuki and the Donbrothers. Sonoi?s quest to understand humans through analysing the imperfections in their art led him to Taro, unaware of the latter’s identity, causing him to seek a perfect world full only of people like Taro. But upon discovering Taro’s true identity as Don Momotaro, Sonoi was simultaneously bound by duty to eliminate him, which he achieved by exploiting his inability to lie via asking what his weakness was, and bound by a desire to prove himself superior to rescue him from the Nouto’s prison. During their first battle to the finish, Sonoi is slain by Taro, but later revived by the Nouto Council using Taro’s power, resulting in a stronger warrior who proves able to slay Taro, until he gets revived using the power of all the Nouto and all the Donbrothers. Sonoi is a very calm and graceful man interested in human art. He often talks in a very poetic manner. He is surprisingly heroic and did not hesitate to go into a fire to rescue innocent people. However, this caring for human lives is conditional, as Sonoi loathes greedy humans, whose unholy desires give birth to the Hitotsuki, the monsters that disturb and corrupt the world. To this end, not only does he hunt down the naturally formed Hitotsuki, but he also forcefully creates more of them from the humans with strong obsession and does not hesitate to cut them down, even when fully aware that his method is fatal to the transformed humans. Throughout his time in the human world, Sonoi has gradually developed a complicated relationship with Taro Momoi. Though he admires Taro for his pure honesty and friendliness, Sonoi later expresses disappointment upon learning that Taro is the descendant of the Don clan and the enemy that he was hunting down in the first place. However, it is apparent that deep down, his attachment towards Taro has not changed, as he was troubled over defeating Taro by taking advantage of the latter's honesty, and even felt a tinge of joy upon Taro's brief return. He was even willing to offer assistance to bring Taro back permanently, in the hopes that he could have a fair duel with him in the future. After his revival using Taro's energy, Sonoi's behavior became drastically different from his original self, being far more akin to Taro as Don Momotaro. Notably, he returned using a grand entrance method similar to Don Momotaro's first battlefield foray, and constantly laughed similar to the Donbrothers' leader. He also referred to Sononi and Sonoza as his "companions", acted extremely arrogant and tyrannical, and would attack them both at random, all much like Don Momotaro to his teammates in the beginning. After shedding tears containing the red energy of Taro, his pupils turned from red back to blue, and Sonoi seemingly reversed to his old personality, much to his fellow Noto's rejoice. After Sonoi and his co have been deemed as unworthy and be replaced with Sonoshi and his cohorts, Sonoi is no longer holding back to show his sincerity for helping Taro and atones for his sins. Sonoi's growth with human's culture and Taro's friendship also makes him to be wiser.
Sononi: The one female among the Nouto, who wishes to learn about humans through observing romantic relationships. In the midst of this, Sononi takes a notice to Tsubasa and his quest to keep running until he gets reunited with Natsumi. Eventually, she develops genuine feelings for Tsubasa, to the point she briefly tries to trick him into killing Natsumi, by claiming that killing her Jyuto doppelganger Miho will not harm her. However, she soon realises the folly of this, and proves her love by sacrificing herself to save Tsubasa, who repays her by using his Kibi Points to revive her, at the cost of losing his freedom. When Natsumi leaves Tsubasa due to being unable to keep up with his new criminal lifestyle, Sononi becomes his new lover. Sononi is a woman who is interested in love affairs in the human world. She is interested in love because she does not understand the concept of it and finds humans fascinating despite her race’s mission to eradicate the ones with desire. After her first encounter with Don Momotaro and his anger at her killing Kaitouki, she wanted to see more of his “inner darkness” and had taken an interest in him. She also took interest in Tsubasa as well wanting to learn aboutlove from him, including his past. Over time, Sononi grew closer to Tsubasa the most and never told the other Donbrothers about him. After learning about sincere love from Tsubasa through multiple instances, she fell in love with him. After officially joining the Donbrothers, Sononi can't keep her composure whenever it is something to do with Tsubasa.
Sonoza: The third member of the Nouto trio, who wishes to learn about humans through emotions, such as laughter. He latches onto Haruka’s cancelled “Hatsukoi Hero” manga as the one thing capable of making him genuinely laugh, and, unaware of her status as OniSister, appoints himself her editor to restart her mangaka career.

Allies:
Isao Goshikida/Hakaizer: Kaito’s father, who created the Sentai Gear system (and by extension, the Toziru and Avataro Gear systems), as part of his lifelong dream to travel to parallel worlds, inspired by picture books about fantastic new worlds he read in preschool. After being captured by Tozitend’s Professor Ijirude, Isao was drained of all his knowledge to create both the Toziru Gears and the Kudaitests. But when his brain was left unstimulated, he was transformed into the cyborg soldier Hakaizer, based on prototypes for the Zenkaigers, so that his body could fight the Zenkaigers, while his brain was stimulated to create new ideas and his mind was kept in stasis (though his personality shone through). Though he was later freed by his son Kaito, Isao was left permanently with a cybernetic body that requires regular recharging. Isao is a kind-hearted and cheerful person. As shown in flashbacks, he raised Kaito with love, wishing the best for him. He also has a great sense of justice, demonstrated with the creation of the Zenkaiger’s arsenal for the purpose of defending the world. Isao is highly adept at understanding technology, creating the vast majority of the Zenkaigers' equipment and making a parallel world transport gate from scratch, using only minimum knowledge from Flint.
Mitsuko Goshikida: Kaito’s mother, who met Isao in high school, marrying him two years after their graduation. She helped her husband create the Geartlingers and Secchan using her knowledge of cybernetics. Captured with her husband, Mitsuko was inadvertently allowed to escape often Ijirude took her out of stasis briefly to use her knowledge to revive Stacey as a cyborg. She fled to Sushitopia, sitting out the war with the Tozitend until after Bokkowaus’s defeat, after which God directed Isao to her location so he could rescue her and bring her home.
Kaito Goshikida/Zenkaizer Black: An alternate version of Kaito, who acts as the ?Master? of Cafe Donbura and the admin for the Donbrothers. He is known as the “True Hero” by Jin Momoi and has been fighting as a hero for most of his life, becoming acquainted with Santa Claus as a fellow True Hero. Whenever the Donbrothers defeat a Hitotsuki, Kaito collects the Avatar data to create a Sentai Gear, which the Donbrothers then turn into an Avataro Gear for use by the appropriate members. Kaito tends to stay on the sidelines, only becoming involved either when the other “companions” are unavailable, or when the current threat is too great for the Donbrothers. Unlike his original counterpart, this version of Kaito displays an aloof attitude and is generally adamant towards whatever he does when transformed, being a well established business owner. However, he does have a number of quirks, letting Shinichi leave without paying after accepting his haiku. He also still reads First Love Hero, despite the negative light that has been cast on it. He also does not recognize the catchphrase "Zenryoku Zenkai!" when Haruka shouts it in front of him. When Haruka asks him about why he can transform into Zenkaizer Black, he avoids her questions by immediately changing the subject.
Natsumi Kuramochi: Tsubasa’s former fianc?e who was abducted and replaced by a Crane Jyuto, who adopted the persona of her host’s ideal self, taking the name Miho and marrying Kijino. Tsubasa’s insistence on continuing to run is because he was promised he would be able to see her again if he kept running for a whole year. However, when he finally saves her, Natsumi is unable to accept her fianc?'s new lifestyle, and leaves him, choosing to pursue a relationship with Kijino.
Don Murasame: The personality within the Ninjark Sword, a weapon created to destroy the Juuto by neutralising their invulnerability. However, he developed an older female personality known as Mother, who caused Murasame to go rogue, only appearing whenever Mother wants him to fight a strong opponent. Murasame started life as a blank slate, often obeying Mother’s commands without question. As he spends more time as a sentient being, he begins having existential questions about himself including what he was made for. Despite this, he still obeys orders from Mother without question. Deep down, however, Murasame was secretly being torn apart by his own existential crisis, with Crazy Jiro noting that he was able to sense an overwhelming sadness coming from Murasame, along with a feeling that Murasame "wanted to die". Jiro and Murasame were able to bond over their shared troubles regarding their multiple personalities, and Murasame was able to gain some insight on figuring out his own way to live. Soon enough, Murasame ends up in the hands of Tsubasa, whose influence helps Murasame stand up for himself when the Nouto Executioners try to make him their weapon once more.
Kazuko Ohno: An old lady who inadvertently proved herself worthy of being acknowledged as Taro’s equal. She later turns out to be the mother of his rival Minoru Ohno, trying to encourage him to give up on his childish desires and get a real job.

Enemies:
Minoru Ohno: A middle-aged man with a greed so intense it allows him to become a Hitotsuki multiple times. He gets introduced as a middle-aged loser who orders ninja weapons on the internet so he can pretend he?s from a revered Ninja clan. Taro pointing out how dangerous that is causes him to become obssessed with defeating Taro, transforming into the Ninninger themed Hitotsuki, Shurikenki. In this form, Minoru proves much stronger than any prior Hitotsuki, managing to be defeated only as the episode is about to end, rather than leaving a few minutes left to resolve things. As a result, he implicitly retains his grudge. Sure enough, he returns 16 episodes later as one of several interruptions between Taro and his more major rival, Sonoi. And Taro acknowledges that if this guy tracked him down, then trouble must be brewing. Sure enough, he transforms into the Magiranger Hitotsuki, Mahouki. In this form, Minoru proves to be more powerful than before, to the point of being able to become a Hitotsuking. Though he still ultimately loses. 5 episodes later, we get to see Minoru when he?s acting normal: an assistant on his mother’s farm. But his crazy ninja-obssessed side kicks in once again, causing him to run off and search out Taro. This time, when he finds his “rival”, he transforms into the Boukenger Hitotsuki, GoGoki. Though unlike the previous two times, Minoru proves to be incredibly not-a-threat, with the newly powered up Sonoi dispatching him rather unceremoniously After a brief, but plot relevant appearance in episode 37, Minoru doesn’t fully return until Donbrothers’ penultimate episode, where he's shown to have mostly settled down. That is, until the Nouto Administration Trio stumble upon him and enhance his desire with the intent of turning him into a Hitotsuki powerful enough to defeat the Donbrothers. The result is a man too ambitious to be controlled, who can transform into Ohsamaki, a Hitotsuki with a power unlike anything on Earth. This time, Ohno is enough of a threat that Taro has to reveal an entirely new technique to attain victory.

What do I think of Donbrothers? In the end, I thought it was probably the most interesting experience I’ve had with a Sentai show in my 5 years in the fandom. Definitely my favourite of the new 20s so far, and easily in my top 10.

As for this movie, it’s the rare collaboration between the writers of both season, Junko Komura and Toshiki Inoue (Naruhisa Arakawa’s pupil and mentor respectively), and directed by Katsuya Watanabe. How will they handle two writers with different styles? Well let’s get on with the review, so I can help you find out.

We open with Secchan giving a recap of the Zenkaiger’s recent exploits, as per usual.













(See my review of Zenkaiger Vs Kiramager Vs Sempaiger for more details)



We then cut to the Zenkaigers returning to Kaito’s home, the Candy Shop Colorful, where they are greeted by Yatsude and Mitsuko (played by Marie Kai, who you may recognise as Chiyoko from Kamen Rider OOO) in the midst of baking.



Juran then notices that they’ve baked an absurd amount of kashiwa mochi, leading to this hilarious line.



Vroon then hypothesises that they?ve added it as a new item on Colorful’s menu, but everyone gets stopped by an uncharacteristically distraught Mitsuko.





As Secchan tries to ponder who this Kashiwa Mochi King is, he notices that Magine has already gobbled one down (don’t ask how she eats without a visible mouth).



Which proves unfortunate, when the Kashiwa Mochi cops show up to collect today’s offerings, and find that one of them has been eaten.



The Zenkaigers are forced to beat a hasty retreat, during which Kaito receives a vision of Colorful as a place called Cafe Donbura, with a black-clothed version of himself presiding over a welcome back party for someone named Taro. (We’ll get back to this later)… before returning to his reality and also running off.



The Zenkaigers head for the town square, where they see it?s basically turned into Tojo’s Japan, only themed around Kashiwa Mochi rather than imperialism.



And after the Kashiwa Mochi cops finish gathering up the offerings, the Kashiwa Mochi King and his royal subjects appear…

It’s these guys.



It turns out that the World Pirates took over the world and turned it into this Kashiwa Mochi-themed police state. But they run a fair regime, given how obsessed with Kashiwa Mochi everyone is.





But everyone’s obsession with Kashiwa Mochi over everything else allows Kaito to figure out who the villain is.



(See episode 9 of Zenkaiger for Kaito and co’s previous encounter with Kashiwa Mochi World)

But then a Kashiwa Mochi World appears, insisting that he is not affiliated with the Tozitend.





Magine basically sums up Toei’s liberal reuse of an old costume as a new monster - with the same name. And gimmick. And voice.



But Kashiwa Mochi World denies any allegations of plagiarism.





While Juran points out that the other guy had pretty much the exact same plan, Gaon points out the difference: This time, Zocks is infected, whereas last time, him not being infected was their key to victory. Indeed, Kashiwa Mochi World points out that Zocks did a far greater job of subjugating the populace than he ever could, to the point he let him take charge.



Juran then sums up why Zocks is being an asshole (I mean, more than his usual level of assholery).



The Zenkaigers then realise that they can save everyone from killing themselves by only eating one food by defeating the World here and now. Unfortunately, they overlook that not only is Zocks on his side, but that he’s right there. Cue the Twokaizer transformation, complete with Flint summing up how you’re probably feeling watching this.





The addition of Twokaizer to the battle turns things against the heroes to the point they’re forced to flee to come up with a new plan. But they don’t get far before being confronted by Hakaizer.



He reveals that he was offered a lifetime supply of Kashiwa Mochi if he captured them, an offer the Pirates then spread to the populace, with recurring character Mr. Su summing it up for the audience by reading it aloud.



Outgunned by some 7 billion plus, the Zenkaigers are forced to retreat to Kikaitopia, meeting with Stacey in Tozitend Palace.



After taking stock of the situation, Stacey comes up with a solution.



His plan to lower Zock’s approval? Send everyone to different parallel worlds and get their Kashiwa Mochi recipes.





And then Gaon will lead a crack team of chefs in producing the recipes.



And as for the next step: we cut to Magine, wearing a parka, going back to Colorful and offering what looks like either a giant glacier’s mint, or a block of ice to Yatsude and Mitsuko.



Juran then dresses up in a zoot suit and sunglasses, to offer some Kashiwa Mochi from Ongakutopia (Ongaku=music) to kids (in a scene that plays out a lot like a drug deal)



We then cut to Gaon and Kaito in their own drug - erm, Kashiwa Mochi deal.





The next day, Ricky and Cuttanner have carried on with business as usual.



But Zocks takes one bite and can tell instantly.



He thus discards the crown and robe and leaps down to investigate, sharing his suspicions.





Soon enough, Flint and the twins spot Juran trading Kashiwamochitopia Kashiwa Mochi to Mr. Su.



Zocks promptly shows up and merges with Ricky into Ohren Form to put a stop to it… at which point the other Kikainoid Zenkaigers join the fight.



All according to a plan that lets Kaito slip aboard CrocoDaiOh to search for Kashiwa Mochi World… only to find that Flint anticipated that and called in Isao to stop him.



Kaito then gets out his Geartlinger, inserts his Gear and begins to transform… only to cancel it by himself to try and talk Isao down.



Luckily, Stacey anticipated Flint’s dirty stunt and shows up to take care of Hakaizer.



Back on the ground, Flint has joined in the fight with her flintlock (that’s not a Bandai joke. That?s the actual name for the type of gun she uses), while Zocks has changed into Shinken Form. But since I can’t sum that up with a picture, let?s cut to Kaito disrupting Kashiwa Mochi World’s reading of Zock’s collection of pirated manga.



And then we cut to black on some very pertinent health advice.



(Seriously though, you shouldn’t go your whole life eating only one kind of food. Otherwise, it?s going to be a short life)

And with the Komura segment focused on Zenkaiger over, we now go to the Inoue segment, focused on Donbrothers.

Like the first segment, we pick up after the finale.



And quelle surprise, their enemy this time is Ohno. (Who evidently graduated from a vendetta against Taro to an enmity with everyone) They even sum up what you’re probably thinking.



He then transforms into the Hitotsuki themed around the monarchs of Chikyu, Ohsamaki (Majesty Demon) (for the second time).



Jiro isn’t phased, merely giving the group a command, before they all transform.



Formation A basically consists of everyone weakening the monster, before Jiro comes in to finish him.



But everyone leaves for other commitments, rather than celebrate, even Saruhara (which is definitely off, given that he never has commitments). Later that night, Taro travels to an address for a delivery.



When no-one answers the door, Taro goes inside to find a bowl of ramen reserved for him. (Well it’s a good thing Shirouesagi didn’t send Harada on this case, due to his impending lawsuit)





As Taro sits down to eat, a hologram of Kaito (ok, to distinguish them from here on out, the Zenkaiger one will be Zenkaito, while the Donbrothers version will be Black Kaito), telling him to help, because Taro is the latter’s only hope.



More precisely, the message asks Taro to come out of retirement and fix the Donbrothers’ current problems, before self-destructing (the bowl self-destructs, Black Kaito doesn’t tell Taro to self-destruct). Taro then remembers who he really is.



Then he remembers who he REALLY is.



His memories restored, Taro heads to Cafe Donbura to attend his welcome back party… only to find no-one there, except for Murasame. And he’s now Kaito’s maid.



Then Jiro shows up in a suit, telling Taro that the others were too busy to attend (Now how would he know that, I wonder?), and suggesting they get out of here.



Jiro this escorts Taro to his McMansion, which the latter recognises as the same set from episode 22 of their series.



Jiro then explains that Gouda gave him the house, and his fortune, so he could use both to save the world.



Jiro then passive-aggressively tells Taro to piss off.





And if that wasn’t enough to hint that merging his sociopathic but friendly personality with his crazy but intelligent personality has NOT magically made him a better person, he proceeds to mistreat his staff for a minor slight.





We then decide to check in on the lives of the other Donbrothers, starting with Haruka, who has become a best-selling Mangaka at 19, with a tale loosely inspired by Momotaro, with some influences from Journey to the West and Toei Tokusatsu.





And she?s let the fame go to her head, as she ignores Sonoza?s chiding to try singing karaoke.





But then Taro appears to interrupt her party, causing her to discuss that her newfound adoration is due to Jiro paying for promotion of her manga. When Taro asks if she’s really happy doing this, she says she wants to talk to him about that. We then cut to Saruhara, who surprisingly for someone who takes the words “get a job” like Jews in 1940s Europe took the words “it’s time to shower”, has opened a business teaching people his pseudo-Buddhist way of life.



He then dismisses the class when Taro shows up so they can have a talk.



As Taro expresses surprise that a man with an income and a bank balance of 0 was able to buy a whole building to teach in, Saruhara clarifies.



Saruhara then mentions that he’s been too busy to do his haiku running gag, to which Taro asks him if he’s really happy doing this, to which he says he wants to talk about that. Next we catch up with Kijino, who not only got his job at Pheasant Consultant back, but he’s now the boss of the whole business, while the former boss Yamada is his subordinate (there’s a Japanese word for that)





Kijino then receives a visit from Taro, who makes him confess that his new position isn’t down to hard work and dedication.



He then takes Taro out to a bakery, managed by Tsubasa and Sononi.



By now, Taro knows what the deal is (We can also presume Jiro called off the police manhunt for the two, because there’s no other way they could?ve opened this bakery, unless they?re using fake IDs).



He then helps himself to some of the confections reserved for Kijino, and gives it an unusually negative review. (Unusually because it’s Tsubasa’s cooking, not because it’s negative)



And what’s worse? Even Sononi agrees that Tsubasa’s phoning it in.



And then Natsumi makes her appearance to drag Kijino away, despite his protests that this is the one bit of happiness in his life (which is just as much foreshadowing as the stock answer the last two gave)



But Natsumi is more concerned with the fact he spends a lot of time with Tsubasa.



And then… well, I’m sure you can guess what happens, but these pictures should sum it up.





We then cut to the hospital, where Ohno is visiting his frail mother.



And then her eyes close, sending Ohno into distress. Meanwhile, Taro checks in on Sonoi, who now operates the rail side oden stand visited several times in the series. And unlike the others, he wasn’t given it by Jiro.



And unlike the others, he doesn’t hold back in giving Jiro a negative review.





He subsequently lost the battle and is now making his living selling Oden, having been kicked out of the Donbrothers. Back at the Cafe Donbura, Saruhara, Haruka, Tsubasa and Kijino have come to a decision (this was the scene Zenkaito viewed earlier. Evidently, Black Kaito didn’t take his bunting down).



As Tsubasa states it’s because they want to focus on their regular lives, Sononi gets the wrong impression.



As Haruka points out, the have more than enough Kibi-points to spend on making the decision.



Tsubasa then makes another statement on the decision that further convinces Sononi that he’s doing it for here.



And while Taro has doubts on the decision, Jiro is sure he can replace them with some even more obedient stooges.



With that done, Black Kaito tries to declare a retirement party, but everyone just turns in their sunglasses (the source of their power) and storms out.





Once they’re far away from Jiro, they insist that quitting was for the best, given their busy and stressful jobs Jiro gave them that they definitely wanted and weren’t forced into as a form of bribery.



As Sonoza chews them out on how they let Jiro get to them, extinguishing their happiness, Tsubasa throws back another comment that makes Sononi think he’s doing it for her, even if she agrees with everything Sonoza says.



Then Ohno shows up again, this time wearing a gear as the headwear that indicates what Sentai his Hitotsuki form will be based off this time.



Sure enough, he transforms into the Zenkaiger Hitotsuki, Kikaiki (Machine World Demon).



Ohno: I’m the only one.

But without their powers, Taro steps in to defend the group.



He transforms into Don Momotaro for the first time in a year to fight off Kikaiki.



But the resulting battle, in an inverse of their old status quo, sees Ohno overpowering and defeating Taro by riddling him with bullets.



Sonoza then confirms their worst suspicions.



Everyone’s first reaction is to enter stage 1 of the five stages of grief: denial.



Soon, we cut to the funeral, with everyone wearing black suits or dresses (Sonoza wears a yutaka).



And even when honouring the man, Jiro can’t hide how little respect he still has for Taro.



Saruhara tries delivering a Haiku in Taro’s honour. Tries being the key word.



And sick of how mopey everyone’s being, Sonoza rouses the former Donbrothers back to action with a speech.





And fortunately, it works.



Black Kaito thus restores everyone’s sunglasses to them, and bids them leave to defeat Kikaiki.





As Jiro and the Donbrothers try using Formation B, Sonoi shows up at the church to ensure that Taro doesn’t die here.



(See Donbrothers episodes 27, 29 and 32 for more context, otherwise this next one could look gross)



Elsewhere, Ohno has managed to defeat Jiro and the Donbrothers’ formation with comical ease. (Which makes sense. It’s implied Jiro’s team fought Ohno countless times, so he likely knows all the formations)



And then the usual dancers appear to signal that Don Momotaro is making his triumphant return, in a coffin, atop a palanquin.





He then emerges from the coffin to resume command.



But Jiro refuses to take this lying down, demanding that everyone obey him, or he’ll ruin all of their ill-gotten gains.



This proves the kick in the pants that everyone needs to call Jiro in his bullshit and make it clear they don’t actually like or respect him, so they’re going back to Taro.









Taro praises them for learning their lesson, before the fight begins.



The segment thus ends with Ohno now utterly helpless against the true Donbrothers’ power.



And now we move onto the third and final segment, wherein it becomes difficult to tell where exactly Komura begins and Inoue ends. Though that won’t stop me from guessing.

The segment begins with Kikaiki retreating through one of the Nouto Layer’s portal doors, leading him and the Donbrothers to a quarry, where Twokaizer has managed to beat the Kikainoids back nearly single handedly.



The two Sentai then take note of each other.





The World Pirates even stop fighting to comment on the newcomers.



And then Hakaizer shows up, having been distracted by his fight with Stacey to the point he forgot why he was here.



As Stacey rejoins the heroes, Vroon briefs Taro on the situation so he can help.



And back aboard CrocoDaiOh, despite everything that’s happened in the last 20-something minutes of this movie, Zenkaito is still fighting Kashiwa Mochi World. Until Taro appears to force the latter out through another portal door.



And unlike most Sentai characters in crossovers, Zenkaito is aware of who Taro is. (See Zenkaiger episode 42 for why).



Before a fight can break out, Jiro once more tries to assert his dominance by thrusting the elongated prop version of his Ryuko Halberd into Kashiwa Mochi World, not caring if Zenkaito is standing next to him.



Taro on the other hand, actually comes up with a plan to destroy the Toziru Gear using the Dynaman Avataro Gear.



Yo! Don, Don, Don, Don, Donburako! Dynaman! (Fires Donblaster)



And after two seasons of mostly avoiding the stock attacks 80s era Sentai are stuck with in crossovers, we bring back the New Super Dynamite here (which makes it hard for me to say who wrote this part of the segment).



The explosion destroys Kashiwa Mochi World’s Toziru Gear (but unusually, leaves his status as Kashiwa Mochi World untouched), and reverts Zocks, Flint, Ricky, Cuttanner and Isao back to normal (and everyone else in Zenkaitopia, but that’s a given. We aren’t even shown it, but we know it happened).





It’s then that Kikaiki reminds us he’s here, when Ohno forges an impromptu alliance with Kashiwa Mochi World.



Ohno: We are… the only two!

They then swap arms. (The biggest ripoff of a power up since the bad guy in Kamen Rider Kiva’s movie tore the buckle off his belt. This definitely feels like Inoue here)



The two then combine their power to knock all 14 gathered Rangers out of their transformations.



But before the pair can finish them off, Black Kaito appears and uses his Geartlinger to shoot at the pair to disrupt them.



While the Donbrothers aren’t surprised, the Zenkaigers are shocked at the fact there are two Kaitos.



Ricky and Cuttaner come to the obvious conclusion (for them).



But Isao decides to set the record straight for Zenkaito.



Black Kaito then explains who he is to the Zenkaigers (the Donbrothers having received this explanation in episodes 20 and 47).



After he steps aside, we get the usual pre-team up fight interactions on speedrun (this is definitely Komura)







The annoyed Kikaiki and Kashiwa Mochi World then get up and summon an army of Kudakkus and Anoni to fight for them.



And thus the transformations begin. First up is the Donbrothers with the Donblasters and Ryuko Halberd.

Next up is the Zenkaigers with the Geartlinger.

Then it’s Zocks with the Geardalinger.

Followed by Stacey with the Geartozinger.

And finally, it’s Isao with his geared-up finger.



And thus, everyone transforms simultaneously.



And because we have a series that never does the same roll call twice, combined with a series that never plays a roll call straight, we end up with everyone doing the roll call at once.



The slowed down version goes like this.

Kijino: This bird is Realiable, KijiBrother!

Gaon: Hyakujuu Power! ZenkaiGaon!

Juran: Kyoryu Power! ZenkaiJuran!

Haruka: Master of Manga, OniSister!

Zenkaito: Himitsu no Power! Zenkaizer!

Taro: Born from a peach, Don Momotaro!

Magine: Mahou Power! ZenkaiMagine!

Jiro: Bulging Muscles, Don Dragoku!

Vroon: GoGo Power! ZenkaiVroon!

Zocks: Kaizoku no Power! Yohohoi! Twokaizer!

Tsubasa: Number Wan escapist, InuBrother!

Stacey: Ankoku no Power, Stacaesar!

Saruhara: Farewell, transient world, SaruBrother!

Isao: Hakai no Power, Hakaizer!

And the monsters are probably as annoyed as you are that the skipped the roll call.



So Taro decides to do the main team announcements straight.

Taro: Avataro Sentai…

Donbrothers!



Kaito: Kikai Sentai…



Donblaster: Yo, Kikai Sentai!

Cue titles. After 49 minutes of this hour long piece.





The main battle then commences, with Haruka saving Gaon.



Gaon is amazed by his new ally, and gets excited when told that she writes manga.



And then Saruhara proves that his groove has been restored, with an actual haiku.



And Vroon is intrigued enough that he partially breaks off the fight to ask about it. Literally.



And then Kijino and Magine politely argue over who should carry out the plan they came up with independently of each other.



Juran and Tsubasa, on the other hand, prove a very effective combo.



The next team up is between Stacey and Isao, who already have a camaraderie thanks to the 30s of Zenkaiger.



Zocks and Jiro on the other hand, are so pissed off they refuse to team up with each other and tell the other to get lost. (Okay, this definitely feels like an Inoue bit) And Jiro then proceeds to try and kill Taro.



But fortunately, Sonoi is there to keep him occupied from interfering in the fight.



From the sidelines, Black Kaito pulls out a new Avataro Gear, while finally explaining why these crossovers are called “VS Movies”.





Taro then uses the Gear, which outfits him and Zenkaito with a Zenkaiger themed version of the Zanglassword. (Kaito’s is said sword, photoshopped in post to look like a second copy of the new sword)

Donblaster: Don Zenkai Momotaro!



The two then spin the swords’ included wheel, transforming into a pair of hybrid forms.

Cue the Donbrothers theme, entitled “I’m the Only One!”, hence Ohno’s catchphrase as Kikaiki.

Don Don! Donbrothers!
Don Don! Don bro going!
Don Don! Donbrothers!
Don Don Don Don Don Don Don! Yeah!

A recklessly rampaging guy
Perfection. Always eager to go
Hit hard first and ask questions later
Get through this all my way

Raise your spirits
Faster and stronger than the wind
Outta my way, I’m coming through
I?m risking it all on this fight

Now, go! (Go!) Go! (Go!)
Gonna beat everything! Avatar Change!
Go! (Go!) No matter what Don?t Cry
All while your heart shines
I’m gonna bust your blues
You can bet I’m the Only One

Don Don! Donbrothers!
Don Don! Don bro going!
Don Don! Donbrothers!
Don Don Don Don Don Don Don! Yeah!

The two then unleash their strongest attack against Kikaiki and Kashiwa Mochi World.



Kyukyoku Ougi: DonZenkai Blade! Ittou Ryodan!



Ohno: I am the Last One, Kikai.

Kashiwa Mochi World: The best thing about me is that the leaf is edible. A gourmet said so.



And then we cut to later, with the Zenkaiger characters having a victory feast at Colorful. With no Kashiwa Mochi.





And to show that there’s still some hard feelings, Stacey and Kaito make Zocks apologise for breaking his promise not to steal from anyone.







As Kaito decides to take Zocks on a national apology tour, Vroon vows to try and learn more about the Donbrothers, much to Juran’s dismay.



Back in the Donbrothers world, Ohno goes back to the hospital, and clears up his own misunderstanding. (Surely the lack of a flatline sound earlier should’ve tipped him off)



He then vows to give up his silly revenge schemes and get a real job, essentially shedding his refusal to grow up.



And speaking of silly revenge and refusing to grow up, it turns out that Sonoi beat up Jiro so badly he ended up in the hospital.



Though things start to look up for him when a nurse who looks like his imaginary girlfriend Rumi turns out to have been assigned to him (though given how he’s behaved throughout the movie, Jiro’s definitely going to be an abusive husband if a romance blossoms between these two).







Meanwhile, Tsubasa and Sononi go back on the run by… hanging up their old wanted posters (Did they go around stealing them? Is that why the police stopped looking for them?).



Amazingly, it works.



That night, Sonoza visits an old friend by the rails…



Only to find that Sonoi is lying there, prone and unresponsive. (I presume this will be resolved in King-Ohger Vs Donbrothers)



And then, we play the ED song, over the final scene which due to getting tired of typing at this point, I’m just gonna post pictures for.

Donburako, Donburako, Don! Don! Swaying and swaying
What kind of happy ending are you aiming for?

I was looking for this heart. Screeching at me to go wild.
An adventure is always wonderful.
The relationship that connects every encounter is a little tricky
If you get to know each other, the ogre will laugh.

The scenery you can see is a little different.
I'd like to borrow your hand.
So let’s get the party started!

Don!Don! I?m looking for a good place!
Let’s be proud, Brother
Being different isn’t a problem.
Have some fun
Don’t boo, be happy. Party Time

Donburako! Donburako! Don! Don! Swaying and Swaying
I'm aiming for a happy ending with a happy dawn!

















Final thoughts: Overall, a very unusual set-up for a Sentai VS movie. But given how unorthodox the two shows making it up are, it’s very fitting. While both segments deal with the same “Sixth Hero gone bad” premise, I think the Donbrothers one did it better, since it actually explores Jiro’s character beyond the end of the show, and doesn’t just shoehorn him into being a pure paragon because he accepted he had a sociopathic side that he needed to be a good person. (Looking at you, Revice) It also gives a good lesson that while there are shortcuts to success, they won’t make you happy.

The Challenge: Who can figure out which of the two writers wrote what parts of the third segment?

[wentwood]

As I own 5 Man - Deka this will be 15 series of weekly episodes.

By the time I get to Deka on weekly watch Shout should have the
remaining shows adapted for Power Rangers on US DVD.

I had wanted to hang back far enough so they can phase in Magi
to Ryu Soul.

Deka had just come out in February so hopefully they keep going.

Unless they decide to drop Turbo Ranger (Series 13) on us first.