REVIEW: Zyuohger 32
So this was an episode. As we hurtle toward America’s election date, it’s always important to remember that rubber suit monsters could at any time take over the minds of all of the most powerful world leaders, so it’s of course critical to know how to defeat said monsters. Zyuohger 32 might give us that, but how much more do we get from this episode?
I’m going to start with the negative: I wasn’t really feeling this episode overall. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a sharp left turn back into the Blood Games (a fact noted in dialogue, amusingly enough), because I didn’t have anything against the premise of the Blood Game. It’s just that it feels like it’s...less, if that’s understandable. And in a twist ABSOLUTELY NO ONE SAW COMING, it’s an episode centered around Misao that deals with--you guessed it--his self-esteem issues. I feel like this gag was played out a few episodes ago, though the fact that they seem to be putting it to bed is incredibly appreciated.
For an episode featuring a MoTW that reveals hidden feelings, I’m a little disappointed that Flipsider doesn’t shake things up in the villain’s side more. I can’t quite get a handle on how much Genis knows about Kubar’s plans, though I suppose that’s the intent of the story and the character himself. It would have been nice if Kubar had accidentally let something slip, or if Bunglay (a.k.a. Sir Does Not Appear In This Episode) had suddenly revealed that he was around for more than just the Cube Whale (just as an example, not a thing that actually has been implied or will happen). Physically, Flipsider’s design is pretty great, I have to say. I like that his one side is a cartoonish representation of a distinguished, civilized gentleman and his opposite side is a brutish thug with voices to match. The brim of Civilsider’s hat being Brutesider’s collar is a nice touch.
It’s very interesting, however, when we as an audience get to see the exaggerated twists on how the Zyuohgers feel about each other. Yamato’s friendliness toward Misao has always seemed a little hesitant, and it’s telling that the others see him as potentially being disingenuous. Sela’s arrogance isn’t really in question, though it’s probably not as bad as it’s portrayed. And I for one have always seen Amu as being a bit shady and manipulative, given her antics in the first few episodes where she’d just saddle Yamato with payment and pack mule duties, despite the concept of money exchange clearly being evident in Zyuland. I think the most amusing thing is that Leo is largely immune to or unaffected by Flipsider’s power due to his tendency just to say whatever he thinks.
I also have to wonder if the Zyuohgers are all immune to some light extent, or maybe it's like Dino Charge where their bonds of friendship are too strong to be shattered so easily. Throughout the episode we see countless examples of people being affected by Flipsider turning violent within moments. This is of course the basis of his plan to kick-start WWIII by Reversi-ing the world leaders present in Japan for a summit, and I can't decide how much of that is social commentary, and how much is directed at us. (While it may seem vain to think this is about us, let me just say I don't think there are all that many gorillas getting shot in Japan and leave it at that.) But when the Zyuohgers are affected, they basically turn into mildly cruel delinquents who don't particularly seem likely to come to blows, even when they're getting in each other's faces. I think there might be a point being made there, but they never come out and say it, which is ironic in this episode if Alanis Morissette taught me anything.
There’s some astute character work among the Zyuohgers as well, I think. For kids, the idea that you can say or feel hurtful things and have them mean different, less hurtful things due to familiarity might be a bit much to wrap their heads around. Misao takes things so seriously to begin with, and on top of that he’s new to the group, so they end up having no choice but to treat him with kid gloves. His inner monologues seem like very accurate representations of a person with a severe anxiety disorder; in fact, they’re probably the most realistic thing about him, because most similar people IRL tend to wait until they’re safely away from any potentially negative reactions to their worries to crumple in the fetal position. Additionally, the idea that Tusk uses a brusque, blunt persona to mask a warmer but equally blunt inside is kind of brain-twisting through the way they explain it (the explanation doesn’t really make sense when they say it out loud, though it’s internally consistent) but it works for the character.
This should be considered in stark contrast with the zord fight, because I’ve watched this scene too many times not to really understand why the Zyuohgers aren’t still spinning to this day. During the zord battle, Flipsider uses his Super Reversi power to spin the zords around helplessly. Yamato then sprays his fountain in Dodekai-Oh, causing him to...come to a stop? And then he sprays the Wild Tousai King with it as well, causing them to stop spinning too? I feel like I’m missing something obvious, like maybe he used the jets of water to create thrust in the opposite direction, but he didn’t really angle the gun at all, so…? If I’m sitting here scratching my head trying to figure it out, how would kids react to that scene? And as I type this, I hear my girlfriend’s voice saying “That’s a question the author doesn’t want you to ask” so maybe it’s just a show and I should really just relax instead of trying to figure out these science facts. On the other hand, maybe she’s just a yaoi fangirl shipping Misao and Yamato--especially after the final scene--so she has her own motives for me skipping to the end.
I’m quite aware that this episode had a lot of things it wanted to say. I’m not sure it really hit the mark on all of them exactly where it wanted to. I wish I could be more positive than that, but it’s always better to try and end up with a B- than to aim low and stay there. There wasn’t much in the way of plot, and at least they were upfront about it, so there’s that. Comedic sumo adventures seem to abound in the next episode, as well as Amu being manipulative (wow, I’m going to see that so much in every episode now) so it should at least be a fun episode if not a useful one.
