REVIEW: Kyuranger 17
This episode was all about balance. And Balance. And Garu. And bad jokes, apparently. This week’s episode has the gang back on Earth fighting the Malistrate Shaidows, who controls the hours of light and darkness in his realm. The humans are forced to work 22 hours per day and if you talk shit about Shaidows, he will appear out of nowhere to kick your butt into the nearest trash heap. The episode also focuses on the struggle between Garu’s aggressive get-it-done nature and Balance’s decidedly Taoist action-through-inaction, a struggle that is executed very well.
Shaidows was an interesting Monster of the Week, even if his secret was obvious from his name. He was still an amusing challenge - how do you fight an enemy that you can't see? Especially if you're as impulsive and honest as Lucky, who kept finding himself flying in the air Team Rocket-style (also very amusing). Shaidows' defeat was also satisfying, if not a little overkill.
What continues to impress me is the show’s ability to fit everyone and everything neatly into an episode without it feeling forced. We got to see a little of Champ, Stinger, and even Kotaro (who apparently has the seniority to take and send valuable kyu tama to the Orion). At the end of the episode, Scorpio and Madako also had a little scene to foreshadow the upcoming fight for the Carina globe. Even Longbao’s silly antics fit into the story well.
Good balance was also evident in the power increases that the sun gave to Balance and the moon gave to Garu. It was cool to see them dominate in their respective attacks, and while Lucky gave the final blow, it was apparent that victory didn’t completely rely on him. As always, Raptor received the short end of the stick, but at least she was a part of the mission.
I appreciate that while this is a filler episode, it is yet another example of filler with connections to the larger story. Through those short scene with Kotaro and Scorpio we’re still reminded that something much bigger than a punch-happy shadow monster is on the horizon, and that makes it worth watching.
