King-Ohger 33: It's A Huge Budget Action Festival

 

I really feel Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger is really THAT big of a budget with almost every episode. Last year's Avatar Sentai Donbrothers nor Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger got this festive. I guess Toei probably saw Super Sentai wasn't kicking off by the 45th anniversary. That's why I did have a proposal that Super Sentai could use a hiatus like Kamen Rider did. The big difference was Toei was juggling with several shows for some time. The now-discontinued but never-forgotten Metal Hero franchise was somehow in the way. This new episode shows just how much money Toei is pouring into. Heck, I'm even finding Kamen Rider Gotchard to be given less budget too. I could be wrong but I think a lot of budget from Kamen Rider Geats has been slowly allocated for King-Ohger.

Last week's episode had Deboss return but not in completion. Deboss' brave cells haven't sunk in so he can't really cause all the Michael Bay explosions that he wishes to do. Just then Souji gets injured. Okay, where are Souji's parents in all of this? I wonder if Junichi Haruta and Sayoko Hagiwara are just too unavailable to resume their roles? IMHO, they're NOT AVAILABLE. Rita does get her "mandatory headache" scene like her "mother dearest" Rita Repulsa. Rita discovers some Manga but forgets she's not in her homeland. 

I'm amazed (and pleased) that Ayumi Kinoshita resumed her role as Yuko Fukui even as a family woman. Ayumi's presence might be that she's encouraging the King-Ohger cast. I feel that the cast may have been humbled by Ayumi's presence considering her acting career. Haruna Enomoto plays the older Rika from 10 years ago. Noboharu and Kaguragi get some rather awkward interaction for the nth time. I did raise how it could be a possible inside joke (?) for all we know. So Kaku kinda looks like Yoshi Sudarso too. It'd be funny if Yoshi would meet the Kaku siblings in any future event. The two characters share about their younger sister. IMHO, I think this was purely intentional and NOT coincidental. 

Jeramie proceeds to talk about the mural that's put together. Okay Toei, did we just jump the shark or are they inviting people who love to forcibly create a Super Sentai timeline? I think some of those people are actually the Western Power Rangers fans checking out the source material. It turns out that Chikyu was some planet that was named after Earth. The narration goes that Chikyu is from some distant planet in the solar system. Okay, I think I'm really getting dizzy at how King-Ohger was supposedly a standalone series. What in the world Toei?!

Meanwhile, Himeno and Canderilla composed music. What happened to Canderilla's human form? I guess Haruka Tomatsu couldn't be contacted. Interestingly, neither Marie Iitoyo nor Atsushi Maruyama didn't join in too. I guess Marie is too active now to return. Ryo Ryusei also has his hands tied. I do feel that Ayumi only signed for a short role. If Ayumi only agreed to have less screen time then I'm going to salute her for that too. Ayumi's now a mother. The others who didn't show up are most likely busy too. The last I saw Marie was in the zombie drama Love You 'Til the End of the World with Ryoma Takeuchi as the main protagonist. If Marie's got her hands full then I salute her for not showing up!

It turns out the Shugoddom Castle is also a spaceship. I dunno if this is expected or what. I kinda wanted the whole dimensions in danger thing working. Instead, Chikyu is another planet in the same Universe as Kyoryuger. I think the plot becomes some form of a cash cow for Toei. 

Fortunately, Super Sentai doesn't do Ranger History Lessons all too often except during anniversaries. In this case, I think Toei deserves a free pass if it's really celebrating 30 years of Power Rangers. Hopefully, Ranger History lessons will be shelved again to avoid too many throwbacks. I'm also glad that neither Zyuranger nor Abaranger showed up. You know how much I hate that messy crossover film namely Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters.

Prince rescues Amy from the Deboss attack. The Voltasaurs are also rescued. Gira does try to stop a reckless Prince. I do find it amazing how Ayuri Konno manages to still show up. Then there are some really crazy scenes that come in next. 

The next scenes are plain crazy. We have refugees getting food for the battle. Just then the Deboss army sends in another mook attack. Sure, the mooks are fodder but no one should underestimate them. The suitless fight scenes here are typical - Koichi Sakamoto style. Sure, I do miss the insane action of Gosei Sentai Dairanger but we know censorship. Super Sentai main cast fights are typically near PG-7 levels since 2001 due to censorship laws. 

An extra bonus is the romance between Nobuarhu and Canderilla. This reminds me of that unusually funny episode where Jerashid marries a human woman in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. Kosoku Sentai Turboranger has Kirika as the half-Bouma child of Kishiam (Devil Mask Bouma) and a human woman. Jeramie's mother was a Bugnarok and his father is a human. I dunno what's going on here actually. If only Haruka showed up. 

The next set of what I'd call near PG-7 levels of action is just crazy. Ian does shoot some bullets - something that's NOT allowed in Power Rangers. Power Rangers usually carry with the American rule of replacing bullets with lasers. Kaito Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger somehow followed that rule too. If Ian fired some lasers then it'd be even more easier to pass American censorship rules. Ian does try to flirt with Himeno calling her "my lady". Rita offers protection to Luckyroo. Yanma manages to show off some cool moves. 

It's really cool to see Amy, Gira, and Prince do some more fighting. It's nice to see Ayuri still has what it takes even after her retirement. Is Ayuri probably teaching martial arts now? Deboss returns and he's fully restored. It's not going to be easy. 

What I love next is how things get tough. Kaguragi states the obvious that it's going to be difficult to fight without morphing. Sure, it's nice to see the main cast fight with their own stunts. However, I'm also reminded of how I used to hate unmorphed scenes in Mighty Morphin' or any badly-dubbed Super Sentai I saw as a child. I ended up appreciating it when Ken Hoshikawa finally defeated a monster unmorphed in Chikyu Sentai Fiveman. Then there was that moment when I wished that Akira in Hikari Sentai Maskman didn't fight unmorphed too long. I feel those scenes are only cooler to the adult audience. I guess the children fans might be wishing for the morphing powers to be available. 

Rita finally asks Luckyroo how Deboss was defeated. I guess the people of Chikyu have no Ranger History books to read. I guess Super Sentai likes to add in some silly tropes obviously taken from American superhero shows a lot. Luckyroo mentions the melody and it's time to sing the Kyoryuger theme song. Maybe, I should confess by now that I'm not a huge fan of newer Super Sentai music either. I tend to enjoy more of the 1980s to 1990s music. I may have found it hard to watch Himitsu Sentai Goranger but I sure like the opening song. The singing happens and we're taken to a few lessons. Daigo may have defeated Deboss one-on-one but he had to have the Ultraman Tiga effect to do so. So yeah, I guess I'm being super unfairly harsh to Kyoryuger just because I dislike it. I tend to be super harsh to stuff I dislike. I kinda wish that habit would just go away and let me dislike stuff without being a douche about it!

The giant castle ship finally arrives. Yes, the cries of the kiddies have been heard. My inner child would probably say, "At last! It's morphin' time! Yes! Yes!" I was enjoying all the fight scenes while they lasted. Sure, I don't find them to be as intense as Dairanger fight scenes. However, seeing the cast members do their fight scenes here and there was still a lot of fun.

I guess Toei phoned in Bay yet again with the explosions. I heard Sakamoto was the one who gave Disney the Kalishplosions for Power Rangers. I think the Founder's Crown needs to be shelved one way or another. I'm getting tired of seeing the Battlizer getting overused. I was refreshed that the Battlizer wasn't used in the previous episode. Deboss is defeated with the two teams together. 

The Megazord battle is cut short due to time constraints. Maybe, one can think also of how Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger had some monsters that never got enlarged for a Megazord battle. IMHO there are deleted Megazord battle scenes. I think certain Megazord scenes get deleted because they can't fit in. I think maybe this Megazord battle should've just not been included. But yeah, we know how Megazords can sell like Krabby Patties. I simply want to think of Toei and Saban both just want the money. If that's so then that explains why both of them agreed to work together in the first place! 

Is it me or are warehouses also convenient locations for Toku? Superhero shows used the warehouse scenario a lot even before Super Sentai and Power Rangers came into existence. Power Rangers Beast Morphers used the warehouse scene when it had a crossover with Power Rangers Dino Charge. IRL, a lot of crime scenes and police action can also happen in a warehouse. The sovereigns all go back to Chikyu. Okay, I think I'm getting quite dizzy thinking about whether or not Toei just wants to cash in nostalgia or what? 

They do mention that Dugdead still rules the Universe. Okay, I think Dugdead might actually be intentional as the show's version of the Dark Specter. It's also 25 years since Power Rangers in Space. The first "official Dark Specter" was with Star King Bazoo from Dengeki Sentai Changeman in 1985. 2017 also had its own Dark Specter with Don Armage in Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger. Hmmm.... I guess Dugdead is the official Dark Specter here? 

Next week introduces a new mysterious (?) villain known as Shugo Mask. I do feel the Kagaku Sentai Dynaman reference is coming. I even heard the next Super Sentai series is called Boomboger. I suspect that annoying idiot King Racules might be this guy. Racules is just too vital to be written off plus actor Masato Yano is still hanging out with the cast members. I wouldn't be surprised if Masato is discussing what they could do next. Shugo Mask would be a reference to the Dark Knight character too. Okay, I think things will get rather interesting. Though, the way King-Ohger is going might cause whatever will succeed it to get overshadowed. You know what happens with the Tough Act to Follow act.