Kuon's Moral Event Horizon In Gozyuger

As always, I'm going to give reactions to updates than write episode reviews. I want to focus on OTHER STUFF. At this point, I couldn't be sure if I'm having a random taste fatigue. Right now, I want to focus on spending my leisure credits on playing some games from the late 2010s. However, this week's episode is somehow too good not to post. So far, I've been having trouble selecting my favorite ranger between Hoeru Tonu (Gozyu Wolf), Ryugi Bakumagi (Gozyu Tyrano) because of his devotion to Tega Sword-Sama, and old man Kinjiro Takehara (Gozyu Eagle) because I want to become a child again until Gozyuger ends. However, Gozyuger doesn't appeal too much to my inner child. 

This week's Gozyuger starts to show some descent into madness for Kuon/Ring Hunter Garyudo. Kuon's just too obviously evil. Karuma does a splendid job in making the villain come to life in human form. It's a Broken Pedestal. The tropes going with Cain and Abel is right. Cain was the evil older brother to Abel. A sibling rivalry isn't necessarily Good vs. Evil. However, this is already a Good vs. Evil Sibling Rivalry. Hoeru once looked up to Kuon -- only to discover his brother is one Manipulative Bastard! 

Your family may be your best friend or worst enemy. Kuon already showed signs of being psychotic when he shot Meguru Osai at the back. Meguru managed to survive. However, Meguru was forcibly put under mind control. Super Sentai has been under censorship toning since 2001. It's still cold-blooded how a guest character, Mine Takanashi, got manipulated. Mine's been long dead before the series began. This plot was probably inserted due to censorship. Mine gets shot but there's NO BLOOD. Yes, Mine is wounded, she reveals that she saved Koeru from being possessed by a No. 1 Monster, and then she DIES AGAIN. Mine temporarily returned from the dead to tell Hoeru something important. The way Mine died again reminds me of how Burai's body dissipated in Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.

This scene had me thinking of Skyla's guest role in Power Rangers Ninja Storm -- except SLIGHTLY more disturbing. I'd say SLIGHTLY because Kuon was directly targeting Hoeru in cold blood. In this case, it was just one episode but it already showed how dirty Kuon could be. IMHO this story should've been a two-parter like Ninja Storm's dealing with Skyla. Too bad that this was left to one episode. However, one couldn't deny that Kuon, though a villain restrained by stricter censorship in Japan these days, still proves to be down and dirty. 

This Moral Event Horizon might make Kuon popular with the fans. Kuon's down and dirty methods might make him the best villain so far. However, there's no telling if any game-changer villain will arrive. Is Kuon meant to fix what Mikoto Nakadai/Abare Killer's writers couldn't? I'd like to wait and see. This episode's brutal plot, despite the lack of 1990s violence, is just brilliant!