REVIEW: Kyuranger 22
After another week-long hiatus, Kyuranger returned this weekend with the promise of revealing the “truth” behind Ohtori Tsurugi/Houou Soldier. I guess that’s true in the sense that this episode enhanced the credibility of the claim that is he is a true legend, but once again we were left with a lot more questions than answers.
Quick episode rundown: Ohtori wants to find out why no one remembers him and his totally awesome exploits, so he visits Jark Matter University, which is a ridiculous concept for Malistrate education that just so happens to be located on the most important planet in the Universe – Earth. Of course the reason why so many important things are located here may be because the Most Important Man in the Universe was from and was believed (correctly) to be in hiding there. But seeing Ohtori fighting a small-headed history professor in a brightly-lit lecture hall is the dumbest thing I have ever seen in this show – and that includes Lucky. I’m just thankful that they didn’t have to become undercover students or something.
I’m also thankful that the in-school fight doesn’t last very long. The episode mainly focuses on the tension between The Legendary Ohtori and the Kyurangers, who Ohtori believes no longer need to fight. This tension is heightening between him, Spada and Raptor, who have become Ohtori’s new assistants. This new position is the best thing that could have happened to Raptor, since the show seems to keep forgetting that she exists, let alone that she is also a legendary savior. We learn that Raptor’s design is based on an android that Ohtori created, which makes him kind of her grandfather and makes Spada’s awkward paternal love comments even more awkward. On that note, I want to see Raptor and Spada get married at the end of this because they seem like the most perfectly bizarre couple in the series…come to think of it, they are somehow the only members to have any sort of romantic chemistry or tension. Spada’s high-pitched scream when he saw Ohtori and Raptor together was my favorite part of the episode, other than maybe Ohtori asking a terrified couple, “Do you recognize my incredible face?”
The introduction of the Phoenix Voyager was another cool highlight but also involved an obnoxiously long docking sequence. And with the coming of the awesomely retro-looking Gigant Phoenix, the gang now has four mechs for fights, 6 if you can count whenever Balance and Naga fight separately. I guess it makes sense for the amount of members, but it also feels like overkill.
Ultimately this episode revealed very little. There was a teaser at the end of the Kyuranger’s likely new enemies, Don Armage’s Vice-Shoguns, so it’ll be fun to eventually watch them die, I guess. The introduction of these new enemies makes me feel like it is even less likely that Scorpio will ever return, no matter what internet rumors say. The episode also revealed that Don Armage supposedly died…and may be dead, which would explain why he’s only ever appeared as a hologram. These little reveals and suggestions are exciting, but who knows when we’ll get more answers and less dumb posturing from Ohtori?
