REVIEW: Kyuranger 9
For a colorful and fun series, Kyuranger doesn’t mind getting dark and gritty. This week's episode was a bit jarring on first watch because of the violence and the dark history of the Rebellion, but it certainly turned out to be one of the better, more memorable episodes. I was especially happy that the Rebellion's (and Xiao's) history was revealed this early, because it makes what the Kyurangers are fighting for that much more tangible.
Xiao has grown greatly on me in the past two episodes. In a previous review I negatively compared him to Vash the Stampede (i.e., a goofy hero with a tragic backstory), but this episode gave him enough screen time and background to fully realize this. His new suit was yet another sharp design, though I miss the marble-like chest piece. The scene in which he received his new powers felt like a Shen Long/Dragon Ball homage and I loved it.
The only thing I find questionable is how Xiao pilots his new Voyager. His Kyu Tama/cockpit is held in the hands of his Voyager as it fights, and it seems that he isn’t even facing forward half the time. Given the design of it, I could see the cockpit being a challenge, but this seems unwieldy and even dangerous. However, I absolutely love his Voyager – his fight scene felt like it was straight out of a Toho movie.
Where Xiao succeeded, Lucky failed horribly. It was very satisfying to see Xiao punch Lucky in the stomach after he revealed that he learned absolutely nothing from Xiao’s story…or anything else that happened in the past couple episodes. He doesn't realize yet that his good luck won't always be enough and he is due for a rude awakening. I'll admit that Lucky has expressed a bit more maturity as the series has gone on but he still has no idea how to be a leader. Spada also made the same mistakes over and over, but at least he grew by the end of this episode.
The fight scene was amazing and utilized almost everyone well - almost being the key word. Balance, Naga, and Champ were sorely missed, and Garu seemed like a casual mention in the mecha fight, but the show is taking advantage of its huge cast to choreograph huger fights.
Speaking of a huge cast, Kotaro is already destined to become the 11th Kyuranger. I know this will involve Big Bear feels and deus ex machina and I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. Hell, I still have no idea why Stinger brought him aboard the ship in the first place. For a show that was adamant that there are only 9 Kyurangers (Xiao even has a little speech about it at the beginning of this episode!), it is apparently pretty easy to become one. I am still concerned about the speed of the show, though the addition of some many Kyurangers in such a short period of time actually makes me more curious about potential power-ups, suit changes, and when we can expect them to happen.
