Movie Review: Tokumei Sentai Gobusters vs. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

It's been some time since I did a review.  I would admit that despite the fact I really suspended my watching Gobusters with some catching up to do, Kento Shimomiya managed to do a decent job arranging Yasuko Kobayashi's "burnt out" work Gobusters with Gokaigers.  Okay I'm not really a huge fan of both series but I'd admit the packaging and story telling manages to do well with a lot of gush factor.

Bacchus Gill the nephew of Ackdos Gill and cousin to Warz Gill teams up with Enter that monstrous fiend.  Pretty much talk about Power Rangers RPM may make an appearance in Super Megaforce but moving on, we do get the feel that the Gokaigers seemed to have joined the dark side but nope, the surprise twist isn't very surprising.  Meanwhile, you also get the Phantom Ranger Keys to which Bacchus Gill seeks to wipe out the Earth which does seem to meet the plans Enter has.  For one, Enter is really a despicable foe going monstrous more than his master the Messiah virus.  This is where the Gokaigers do the usual "defection trick" to which also raises the question to why they still had their Ranger Keys IF they gave up the powers or what?  Again, as Fantasy Leader would say the VS Continuity is different from the actual continuity and Gokaiger is the only series where all 35 Sentai existed.  Moving on.

I pretty thought that the plot itself was creepy as it really could lead to a potential doomsday. Whether Messiah (or Enter) infects the whole world system or Enter's plan succeeds where the Phantom Ranger Keys will wipe out Earth's existence.  Oh boy, does it look like a doomsday themed Sentai will come soon or was Gobusters intended to have a doomsday setting?!  Anyway, it was an intense plot seeing that the Gokaigers were thrown across several periods in time and the Gobusters had to rescue them.  Worse, there are NO Enetron refills in the past making the problem more complicated.  There's also a guest appearance by Kaoru Shiba who reveals that both Yoko was sent back into the past where she ran into gai Ikari, while Jerashid is time-stranded so I guess he divorced Noboyuki's mother.  For one, using Gai Ikari's mecha Gouzyu Drill to help install a time program was freaking puzzling yet amazing.

As the Gobusters travel into the past, they realize that the Gokaigers haven't defected at all... that they pretended to serve the Zangyack remnants to prevent them from using the Phantom Ranger Keys.  This was discovered by Hiromu who found Marvelous eating chicken curry where Yatsudenwani makes a short role (fortunately).  It's too cliche but still good as the fight goes on.  I like the part where Marvelous and Hiromu team up to rescue Gai Ikari and Yoko which does really burn out their Buddyroids which makes you say, "Hey I know they'll prevail BUT how?!"  So they do make it back to the present with their Buddyroids all burnt out.  Things look bad especially when they need to stop Bacchus Gill.  Worse, you have the Megazord Epsilon which while it attacked feudal Japan, it also returns causing much trouble.

My complaint may also go despite the intense plot, Basco is COMPLETELY WASTED then again the focus is on Bacchus Gill.  Sigh... why waste such an awesome villain?!  So we get to the rather cool scenes where they finally destroy the enemies.  I also love the scenes where Gokai Red and Red Buster entered the corrupted Gokai Galleon, another Gokai Galleon appears piloted by NAVI and how the climax goes.  So we do have the "red ranger attack" then the final battle.  The Gokaigers and Gobusters team up with their mecha which the latter gets burnt out.  Takeshi Kuroki orders them to pull out but the bond between the Gobusters and their Buddyroids leads to a miracle.  Expected... yeah but awesome.  The Greater Power of the Gobusters happens which creates a really amazing nostalgic mecha battle that makes Daizyujin, Daibouken, Gekitouja, Magiking and Gaoking appear.  Hmmm strangely enough Daizyujin appears and in MMPR the robot's counterpart was the first Megazord, the Dino Megazord.  After a series of cool nostalgic displays which then again Flash King appears as another transformation, the day is saved.  We are treated to the Gokaigers leaving then we have another awesome dance scene.

My rating? 8.5/10.  Never expected I would give this freaking rating since I basically didn't like Gobusters.