My Thoughts On The Donbrothers' End Game

 Finally, it's time to wrap things up! I would admit that I didn't really enjoy Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger as an anniversary season. Is it me or does Junko Komura actually suck with anniversaries? I feel that Komura's writing of Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger could've made it nearly Power Rangers Megaforce 2.0 - pretty girls in a bad show! Still, Zyuohger still had a more solid plot than Megaforce. Avatar Sentai Donbrothers was enjoyable though I was worried about Toshiki Inoue. Yes, Inoue (and no, not actor Norimasa Fuke) did appear in the finale in a cameo. Inoue did get permission to make a cameo in Kamen Rider Faiz but strangely never did in other entries where he was the head writer. Heck, I still wish that Yasuko Kobayashi made a cameo in Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters' finale after a rewatch!

Note: Most of the photos were taken from Dryed Mangoez.

I could draw some comparisons right now. Donbrothers is pretty much a Lighter and Softer season in contrast to how I used to see Inoue. Inoue is usually known for his Darker and Edgier pieces. Later, Inoue did attempt to dabble with comedy (which was most likely due to Executive Meddling) such as how Kamen Rider Kiva can be viewed as a mess. In my case, I do enjoy Kiva even if I'm aware of how people regard it as Inoue's burnout. Faiz still gets some fans actually. The show does throw in some comedy even with what it did to the Noto Layer Trio.

The three initial villains namely Sonoi, Sononi, and Sonoza end up redeeming themselves slowly. I'm reminded of how Gekisou Sentai Carranger had the three Bowzock officers (Gynami, Zelmonda, and Grotch) teamed up with the rangers to defeat Emperor Exhaus. I was expecting a finale similar to Carranger but as we know it - Inoue tends not to wrap things up well! 

We have the final two antagonists of the Council namely Sonoya and Sonona. They are the ones who try and finish the will. I feel this is rather last minute OR NOT. I could be reminded of how Inoue (or maybe, well, Shinichiro Shirakura) added the Orphnoch King only toward the finale arc. Though, having these guys is no surprise since the Noto Council may be bigger than we think. What amazes me is how Kohei Murakami and Yuka Motohashi (who's battling cancer right now) are involved. I just wonder how Motohashi's life has been after Carranger? I assume she's probably having a family somewhere and not too much in the spotlight. Yet, Motohashi manages to show up. I pray Motohashi survives her battle as it's been more than a year now!

Speaking of Murakami, it's really fun to see him return. Murakami did a devilishly good job as the incredibly annoying Masato Kusaka. Apparently, Inoue and Murakami are that close so the latter made a guest role. Just thinking that Sonoya's human form is Murakami makes it amazing. The fact that they've been on a rampage still stocks the odds. Though, I wish the executioners showed up midseason instead of add-up villains to complete the story. I'm pretty mixed about how these guys only appeared for the finale arc. A convenient plot twist? A stroke of genius? 

Then again, we know we've got the Noto Inspectors who were sent by the Noto Council. It's because the Noto Trio are failing in their missions. I think that Sonoya and Sonona aren't that last minute. Some final villains tend to be rather hidden or only mentioned more than they show up. The Kamen Rider series has been known for how some of the main antagonists never show up until later. Granted, Inoue was working with Kamen Rider for some time so I guess it's no surprise that this happened. The Noto Inspectors were later executed.

Then we can talk about this Bittersweet Ending which might be for laughs instead...

Granted, I really wanted to get some closure for Tsubasa and Tsuyoyoshi. Instead, we do get a lot of weirdness going on with the how Inoue decided to write their fates...

What's up with having Sononi and Tsubasa as a possible couple. Granted, Sononi fell in love with Tsubasa. Tsubasa always wanted to get Natsumi back. However, Natsumi ends up leaving him due to trust issues. What in the world was Inoue thinking?! I'm now reminded of how Ryu's love story in Jetman was a tragedy. Ryu was so close yet so far with rescuing Rie Aoi who became Maria. Still, I felt that Radiguet murdering Maria was better written than this one. Again, I doubt Inoue would be allowed to pull off more serious plots these days. I'm laughing (and also feeling sorry) at Tsubasa over what Inoue did. Man, I was hoping poor Tsubasa would get the chance to CLEAR HIS NAME!

The fact that Tsuyoshi was married to a Bestial is really just weird. Now, the marriage is over but we see Natsumi dropping by the apartment. Did Natsumi's time in the forest start to alter her mind or what? I think this is almost as random as Ryu marrying Kaori (but there were three years to develop it). This one is probably even more cracky than the wedding of Nago and Megumi in Kiva. I'd take Nago x Megumi any day over this. 

Granted, I really wanted to get some closure for Tsubasa and Tsuyoyoshi. Instead, we do get a lot of weirdness going on with how Inoue decided to write their fates...

Still unexplained or what...? 

The show still has Donbrothers Kaito's very existence still left hanging. Would we get an explanation of who he really is? Some believe that he was the God of Zenkaiger posing as Kaito. Apparently, it doesn't seem to be worked out. I still think Donbrothers is an entirely different self-contained Universe like most Super Sentai series would be. 

Meanwhile, there's still an UPCOMING Donbrothers vs. Zenkaiger movie which will most likely be NON-CANON. However, I heard that Inoue and Komura will be in tandem. Will Inoue actually try to explain the whole set-up or what? Granted, most of the VS Movies are obviously NOT CANON. I guess audiences will be left to decide huh?