Every year we fans of Japanese
superheroes bare witness to the ending of one series and the
beginning of another. It's a constant, not unlike the changing of
seasons. Likewise, Zyuohger has been something of a constant, kinda
like old faithful, never really going out of bounds or becoming too
exciting, but never one to let it's audience down. I felt rather safe
in the assumption the series would wrap up in much the same fashion,
but then something happened. Something that's honestly a refreshingly
nice surprise. In the eleventh hour, when all the show needed to do
was blow up it's prime baddie, the writers actually took the time to
tie some themes together and make a point. A legitimate, relevant,
and well presented point. It's the sort of last minute play that may
well earn the show a higher standing than it would have had under
normal circumstances, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves,
we have to trace our path to this moment first.
Episodes 45 and 46 were primarily
focused on the battle against Azald who is revealed to be the nearly
indestructible monster that Cetis the Whale fought centuries ago. In
a wise choice, this was mainly a fight for the four zyumen of the
team. Sure, Misao healed out, but largely it was a more personal
fight for these beings to complete a task their ancestor had started.
Where was Yamato during all of this?
He was dealing with some major family issues. First we finally got to
the heart of why he hates his dad so much. The guy was always very
distant, leaving Yamato and his mother alone, and the last straw was
when dad failed to reach the hospital before his wife passed, which
Yamato took as proof his father never cared about them. When finally
taking the time to confront his father, he learns that the reasons
daddy was late to the hospital was the he was helping a wounded Bard
the bird man who'd been shot by hunters. Discovering that his father
missed saying goodbye to his mother for a good reason and that Bard
has been his protector all these years in order to repay a life debt
throws our hero into something of a rage dump.
The following episode played things
rather safely. Yamato makes amends with his father, Master Genis kick
starts his final plan to destroy Earth by injecting his genes into
it, which finally explained why his ship looks like a bow and arrow
(cause it is), and the team has to fight Naria, who after all this
time didn't prove to be much of a threat. Mostly it was all set up
for the final showdown, which is where things get good.
Throughout the whole series there had
yet to be any revelations as to who Master Genis is or what his
greater plan may entail. During the long final battle, the truth
finally comes out that Genis is simply a mass of Moebas, those
generic goons the team battles on a weekly basis. In a series which
touted the strength that comes from different individuals being
connected he was living proof, though that's not the way he looked at
it. Instead, Genis is ashamed and insecure, feeling his true
existence to be a weakness. That insecurity serves as the driving
force for him to travel the stars, eliminating other beings in an
attempt to prove his superiority. So deep is his self loathings that
when Naria comes to his defense, he kills her for daring to show him
compassion.
This revelation brings up another
discovery, when Misao realizes he was chose by Genis to become a
ranger because the villain recognized the same self-hatred within the
young man, and hoped that understanding would make for a more
successful partnership. His teammates remind him that he's better
than that as since he understands emotions along with the importance
of friendship and connection. Soon enough, the planet itself
restores/boosts their powers, including Misao's ill-gotten ones.
Finally, the guy feels truly accepted, not just by his friends but by
the very planet itself.
I won't bore you with the details of
the battle, suffice to say it involved plenty of explosions, and one
last power-up for Yamato. Honestly it was fairly basic for a last
battle, thankfully the show wasn't done with the twists just yet.
Having saved the world, the team
decided it was time to reopen the portal that connects to zyuland so
the four could return and attempt to convince their leaders to begin
a peaceful coexistence with the human realm. The group shares in a
hug, a moment that only further cemented Leo and Misao as the key
characters from this show, and that's when something interesting
happened. Instead of the portal reopening, zyuland was placed back on
Earth as it had been eons ago. The friends were reunited with their
families and given the chance to spend every day around each other
with the responsibility of protecting and guiding this new world
where humans and zyumans must try to get along.
While the series had a few lacking
elements during it's run, Bard's small tenure as an extra hero for
instance, this ending should secure it a pretty solid spot in Sentai
history. Frankly, when the show began I never expected such a
relevant point to be made from the adventure. It's a fine message
though. Don't let some insecure turd on a thrown ruin everything in a
vein attempt to prove their superiority. Actual strength comes from
caring and a communal spirit. Well, superpowers and spandex help too.
So that's the show, kiddies. Don't
fret too much though, Zyuohger will return in video specials and
films to come, not to mention a few that have already been released.
Unlike Ninninger, I'll actually be pretty eager to review these
flicks as well.
Next week kicks off the next Sentai
Series, Kyuranger. My current aim is to give this one a new kind of
review format and see how things work out. Today though, let's just
enjoy how well Zyuohger turned out. As a series, it proved that there
was always another chance at making something special. That'll do,
show, that'll do.
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