Great Emperor Ragorn's 'End' At The Hands Of Teenagers With Attitude
If the first half started killing off the three main generals then getting rid of the Big Bad (though he does return in the finale arc) wasn't going to be surprising, right? Well, I guess this episode was written so more episodes could focus on two teenagers with a really huge attitude problem until episode 46. Both Yamimaru and Kirika were stealing the show since they appeared -- having had more focus than even Ragorn himself. They plan to have their revenge on the world that despises them and somehow -- it's almost pretty juvenile of the Nagare Bouma but it works!
Yamimaru and Kirika see the Life Jewel which somehow serves as the control mechanism of the Bouma Palace. They kidnap Riki and pit him against Ragorn. Riki's the red ranger and now he's meeting the Big Bad for the very first time. Ragorn gets startled and both of them are trapped in some red webbing. Is it me or does Soda have his habit of keeping some villains private from the heroes until later on? The Goggle V never saw Fuehrer Taboo (and Goggle Red is the first to meet him in person) until the finale. The Flashmen didn't know who Dr. Lee Keflen was until the finale. The Maskmen didn't get a glimpse of Zeba in person until the finale arc. In this case, Ragorn finally sees Riki for the first time which results in a really intense battle. It's meant to be some kind of diversionary tactic by Yamimaru and Kirika all the while they plan to collide the Bouma Palace right into the Turbo Builder!
As for the battle itself, I admit it's one of the most well-choreographed battles. Stunt actor Kazuo Niibori (whose name I first ran across while watching Akibaranger Season One) shows why he deserves to be called that legendary red ranger stuntman of the Japan Action Club. Riki transforms into Red Turbo and engages Ragorn in a dangerous one-on-one duel. Red Turbo is almost destroyed then he ends up delivering a fatal blow. Zulten could only watch helplessly (due to the red web barrier) as his master Ragorn is engaged in the battle against Red Turbo. He cuts off one of Ragorn's extra arms from his throne and delivers a fatal thrust into Ragorn's heart. It's an improved version of Goggle Red attacking Fuehrer Taboo. He de-morphs as a consequence of taking too much damage. But Ragorn shows he's not going to go down without a fight as he steals away the Life Jewel from the Nagare Bouma -- he goes full mobile and giant! He wants to destroy the Turborangers all by himself!
Ragorn goes into the field, fully giant and the Turborangers are helpless against him. Turbo Robo isn't enough to take care of the Big Bad! Riki manages to get a Garzock fighter, pilot it (which I think he managed to do so after learning to use the Turbo GT and using the Rugger Fighter for several episodes now) and go back into the Turbo Builder to launch the Turbo Rugger. The Turborangers form the Super Turbo Robo only to find out that the combination isn't enough! Dr. Dazai finally reveals the Turbo Builder which can combine into the Super Turbo Robo. Super Turbo Robo enters into the Turbo Builder -- forming the very first Ultrazord or ultimate combination in Super Sentai history. They manage to fire a massive energy beam though this was never used again until the finale. I mean, the Turbo Builder is stationary. Why didn't Dr. Dazai allow the Turbo Builder to move around? I guess due to this show's being old school then it's understandable why some oversights happen a lot, right?
Yamimaru and Kirika take charge of the Violent Demon Tribes from episodes 40-45 -- all the while Emperor Ragorn is still trying to regain his form. Zulten has no choice but to join up with them, fearing for his life though it turns out that Emperor Ragorn's spirit is out there. He declares he's not going to go down so easily. Soon, he will return fully mobile though I could save the whole WTF moments or Zulten's unfortunate character decay in the finale arc for discussion in another day.
Comments
Post a Comment