REVIEW: Zyuohger 5
Maybe I've just been studying too much for my Literary and Cultural Studies class lately, but it looks to me that this is the second episode of Zyuohger in a row to discuss social issues.
This episode opens in the heat of the moment! Team Azald’s player Gaburio is headed towards Earth with a fleet of Moeba, a sight to which Yamato can only point and make noises at. Unfortunately for big-mouthed Gaburio, the Zyuohgers find him much sooner than he had anticipated. They transform and almost defeat him, but he manages to escape by crash-landing upside down into the woods. The Zyuohgers chase after him but instead of finding their Dethgalien they find…
…another Zyuman, who is just minding his own business when Yamato and Co. chase and tackle him to the ground. He is a gorilla named Larry who speaks broken Spanish. He is also the first non-horse Zyuman scientist we’ve met. I find this a little sad, because it disproves my theory that all Zyuman scientists are horse people.
Meanwhile in space, Azald is pissed that Gaburio failed so quickly. His rivalry with Cubaru reaches its peak, and in his frustration Azald goes to Earth to handle this mess by himself. I smell a boss battle!
Larry welcomes the gang into his snazzy little home and serves them some tea. Leo gives Larry his Champion’s Symbol and tells him that it can turn him into a human, but it doesn't work for the gorilla. Only a select few can wield its power. As I mentioned before, Larry is a scientist, and he came to Earth to study humans. He loved it, but then he found himself stranded. He tried to make to best of it by becoming friends with humans, but it did not end well. In fact, it ended with him being shot by a cop, and if that isn’t some sort of social commentary on the mistreatment of foreigners and minorities, then I don’t know what it is.
When Larry finds out that Yamato is a human, he is repulsed and scared, and runs away. Yamato doesn’t get why Larry doesn’t like him – I mean, Yamato has tons of animal friends. He’s the “cool human.” Right?
The middle of the episode features Yamato being stealthily friendly and Larry yelling “¡Nooooooo!” a lot. Yamato can’t seem to understand why someone who has been hurt by people who look like him would distrust or dislike him. He dispays no sense of awareness whatsoever, just the flawed logic of “But I know that I won’t hurt him!” Then again, as the other Zyumans note, Larry’s logic in thinking that humans would just accept a jovial, Spanish-speaking gorilla at face value was incredibly flawed. You’d think that someone who spent a lot of time observing humans would learn that they don’t deal very well with the unfamiliar.
But Yamato’s sometimes obnoxious nature doesn’t mean that he is irredeemable: he genuinely loves animals and Zyumans, and shares an understanding and passion with Larry, who once felt the same about humans. While I complain about him being whiny at times, Yamato is a gentle-hearted leader. His ability to empathize with others to bring them together makes him a decent lead. He is able to convince Larry that he is not scared, and that Larry shouldn’t be, either. A friendship finally blossoms.
This heartwarming moment ends quickly, however, as the other Zyuohgers find themselves in the woods with Azald. Their interaction goes mostly like this:
Zyuohgers: This guy is really evil!
Azald: I don’t have time for this.
Zyuohgers: You aren’t going anywhere! We’ll defeat you!
Azald: lol no
Azald then easily defeats them. Yamato quickly catches up with the others, but the Zyuohgers still can’t beat him. Eventually Yamato is the last one standing, but he still relies on a little help from his friends – his new friend in particular.
Larry is dumbfounded by Yamato’s ability to adopt an Eagle Zyuman’s powers, and he attributes it to the power of the Champion’s Symbol. He finds himself concerned for the injured human, and turns to the Champion’s Symbol for help. Larry’s essence flows through Yamato, sealing a true a bond between amigos. This bond makes Yamato even more powerful than before, making him now on par with Azald.
Finally, we see his transformation into Zyuoh Gorilla! It is ridiculous. I love it. In particular, I quite like the helmet design in which Yamato raises the eagle mask to reveal the gorilla. The fists seem like a little too much, though. It looks like the actor could barely handle their bulk during the fight scene.
The destructive nature of Yamato’s newfound fighting moves (shaking and knocking down trees) seems counter to his love of and desire to protect nature. But the Zyuohgers are impressed with his strength (except maybe Sela, who silently watches with an expression that makes me think she wants to fight him, too.) Yamato eventually makes Azald explode, a touching scene in which Yamato yells and wildly pounds his gorilla chest.
Master Ginis stops Naria from giving Azald a continue, which means there was no feature by ZyuohKing at the end of this episode. What Ginis (and the audience) witnessed between Yamato and Azald was entertainment enough.
After the fight, the Zyuohgers are happy – until they find out that Larry has gone missing! The previews for the next episode are not promising for Larry, as his gift to Yamato was at the cost of decreasing his lifespan. I’m sure that whatever happens, it will lead to some character development for Yamato, and I think he really needs it.
