REVIEW: Zyuohger 27
It was inevitable: like last week’s wedding episode, of course Zyuohger has a clip show. But at least this was a fun one! Well, if you can call Bangray’s psychological torture tactics fun.
Speaking of Bangray, it is interesting that he has already devolved to a similar level of scheming that the Deathgalien Team Leaders employ. Focused on hurting the emotionally and physically strong Yamato, Bangray is now trying rather Kubar-style mind tricks to hurt him. And while his scheme in many ways seems silly, the end result is as painful as he was probably hoping for – but more so for Tusk and Sela than for Yamato.
I appreciate when shows take the effort to make the flashback episode decent enough to stand on its own. The flashback has been a staple for decades and even little kids today don’t like the old-fashioned content recycling episodes in which the cast sits around somewhere bringing up memories of past weeks. At least Zyuohger used it as another venue to display Bangray’s psychological tactics…and his increasing frustration over his failures. The game show theme was short, fun, and a good excuse to get Yamato into in a red sequin suit. And of course, the splitting between the Zyuman form and human form pairs during the game show were a wise budget and story choice. (Also, Sela crying while in Shark Zyuman form still looks super creepy.)
It was a flashback episode with new content and a plot, but there was no fight at the end of the episode. This was just fine, though; a rehashed Monster of the Week would be less of a blow and more of a nuisance in a situation in which two of the Zyuoghers just watched their doppelgangers basically commit suicide.
There is certainly a buildup occurring around Kubar, but in the past couple episodes it has primarily consisted of Azald yelling at Kubar for acting strange and Kubar being a jerk in response. I don’t know how long it will take for Kubar to act out, but the frequent shots of the coin slot in his arm makes me think something big is happening soon.
But before the Dethgaliens make their return, it seems that next week a certain squad of space pirates will be returning to action! As someone who enjoyed Gokaiger, I’m cautiously excited and definitely intrigued in how they’ll fit in. I can only hope it is better than the Kamen Rider cameo, which seemed like a last-minute write-in.
