REVIEW: Kyuranger 10
It is official: the show currently has more Kyurangers than it has episodes, and apparently all you need to do to become a Kyuranger is to really, really want it. Or to be possessed by a Bear Ghost made of plot holes. This may sound overly critical and it is at least a bit critical because I think that some of the show’s inevitable flaws are starting to appear. That said, this was still a fun (and hilarious) episode.
It was inevitable that Kotaro would somehow become a Kyuranger. While Stinger said that he brought the boy aboard the ship solely to protect him, once Kotaro reached that point there was no turning back. I guess the biggest bummer out of all of this is that the emotional impact of Big Bear’s death flashback only lasted for a week. I mean, it makes sense that Kotaro would need some guidance to become a fighter, but I didn’t expect Big Bear’s possession to be so literal. But the fact that Bear can’t find eternal rest because Longbao is an incompetent leader makes (sadly funny) sense. However, if Big Bear can cause physical damage as a ghost, why does he need to possess anyone in the first place? It is both weird and too convenient.
Kotaro’s actor does a great job acting possessed, and I also enjoyed his powers. His Ant Man-style growth is a good addition to the powers of the rest of the team and a nice way to compensate for his smaller stature. Overall, I don’t think adding Kotaro/SkyBlue was a bad choice (yet), but I still question the when and how of it.
The music in this episode was great, with a mix of retro video game vibes and detective noir tracks that suited every mood in this wild episode. The pacing was also great; starting the episode with the mecha fight from the week before and then continuing with the aftermath was a wise and creative choice. I found the mystery of the Orion hurtling into the sun to be the highlight of the episode, even the fact that the recently redeemed Xiao Longbao became a total fool again. I had to pause because I couldn’t stop laughing at Longbao and Raptor’s interaction before they were about to burn to death:
Longbao: Prepare to fire the Orion Cannon! We’ll blow the sun away!
Raptor: There’s no such thing!
Longbao: Then make one!
The humor and cast chemistry are the features that make Kyuranger shine so bright, but these both may foreshadow some serious issues in the series as it moves along. Longbao is an amazing fighter, yes, but he is an incompetent leader. The same goes for Lucky. The cast conflicts are funny, but also shows a lack of cohesion that stronger (but admittedly more boring) teams had in past seasons. As much as I want the great humor in this season to continue, I won’t enjoy a season that ends with the team just scraping by through sheer luck.
