Ryusoulger Episodes 7-9

The past few months have been filled with changes, some small and normal like searching for a new job, others large and troublesome like losing two dogs. Change is a frustrating thing which often brings me back to comfort zones like these silly Super Sentai shows. During these months I've also found myself revisiting a number of favorite stories.. Basically I've been checking in with what I enjoy about storytelling evaluating what I'd like to bring to the medium through my own work, even if it may just be sharing opinions as a guide to entertainment. Taking in all that content has made Ryusoulger less important to my weekly schedule. All the more so with the show seemingly missing something important. After breaking the new two episodes at a time format I can see this show has hit the make it or break it period earlier than usual and will soon have to reveal if it has the guts to become something truly worthwhile. Dive in with me and we'll discuss.

Story:

In recent weeks, Ryusoulger has treated us to a two-part adventure guest-staring a couple of pop stars followed by an episode focused on Melto that could mark a shift within the series. All this action is framed around the arrival of a new villain named Wyzul. Something I rarely note in these articles is the difficulty of names having different translations will bring different spellings. Wyzul is practically the living embodiment of this phenomenon as I've encountered three different versions of his name already.

Anyhow, this new bad guy shows up around the same time as a new singing monster and a pair of alien princesses, one of which has been kidnapped by the villains. The main focus of part seven is introducing Wyzul whom I'll talk about later while the team runs a rescue mission. Of importance here is that at one point our heroes seem to beat Wyzul only to find he can use regular minions as decoys.

Episode eight is where much of the actual story happens with the princesses being a bit overbearing about feeding an energy source they supposedly stole from the Druidons to the dinoknights in order to make them stronger. A certain amount of trickery is needed in order to flush out the truth which is that the princess they rescued is actually Wyzul in disguise and the energy source is a bomb meant to kill the Ryusoulger crew. As for the real princess, she's actually inside the current Druidon which is yet another added wrinkle to how these creatures can work.

We get the best example of teamwork within this installment as Koh decides the dinoknights must eat the energy source in order to get the princesses to safety while Bamba and Melto come up with some tricky strategies to survive. Finally Asuna is a linchpin as her horrible singing is vital to defeating the monster, the host is allergic to lousy singing, while Towa goes inside to rescue the captive girl.

Episode nine involves most of the team being sucked into an alternate dimension within a Minosaur shaped like a treasure chest. This realm will grant wishes to the point that they become dangerous, think wishing for food only to eat too much. While most of the group is oblivious to the danger, Melto sees the threat closing in around them but is also shaken by a lack of confidence in himself along with distrust between himself and his teammates. The appearance of his former master through either a delusion or some metaphysical soul connection, guessing the later, allows him to take charge as a proper strategists and aid his friends. This marks a great shift for him and the others as they begin to strike a balance between thinking through problem and facing them head on as the situation may require.

Outside of that magic realm we witness Bamba tracking down the true host of this minosaur which turns out to be a miniature garden box. In traditional Japanese fashion even objects have emotions which can be manipulated to create new minosaurs. Nine was easilly one of the best installments so far and showcases how advancing the characters could be key to a stronger show.

Heroes:

Ryusoulger has lacked for meaty character development which seems to finally be changing. Most of the group are still operating as types rather than full personalities as the steps towards actualization can be quite small. A moment that stick out to me occurs in part nine when Towa wishes for an endless stream of enemies to train against. His antics cause so much trouble that Koh actually puts him to sleep for his own safety. This illustrates how the writers are getting a better grasp of team-dynamics.

The idea of Asuna the battle with her terrible singing may seems like silly nonsense but for a show primarily aimed at children this is a wonderful lesson. Here's a hero using a weakness to save the day. It's another instance of this person who wants to be seen as girly failing at stereotypical girly things but in a way that benefits those around her. In the states the temptation for most shows is for someone to either do well at everything or have the ability to get better at everything. Showcasing how a flaw can provide strength is awesome to show kids and continues the recent trend of Sentai with strikingly stable views towards mental health and personal worth.

Still the M.V.P. Statues goes to the Tatsui family. Both Ui and her father don't have much to do within the primary conflict but each is so well done from the outset and the performance between them so solid that they're holding this show together when it might otherwise become boring. Each of them is getting better thanks to moments like the dad's mockery of different situations, and Ui's aid in missions such as using her cellphone to bug a conversation with the fake princess.

Villains:

The introduction of Wyzul is a huge upgrade over Tankjoh. Here's a villain with style, humor, and cunning who's already thrown new challenges at the team. As noted previously the series looks like it will cycle through a multitude of baddies which means We likely won't have this chap for very long. While a sad thought considering his entertainment value his current value as a sign of growth for the show can't be overstated. Within less than ten episodes we've moved on from a generic strongman who only requires our heroes to be strong to someone who asks that they think and analyze the situation.

Action:

While there's no singular great action sequence to commend during these episodes, there is a noticeable emergence of individual fighting styles for the heroes. Blue is a bit slower and methodical, Pink is hyper and destructive. Each has a more solidified approach to how they deal with battle and the stunt crew is doing an excellent job. Of particular note is Asuna's suit-actress. She's actually the same stunt performer who doubled for Umika last year but here her body-language and overall styles meshes so much better with the character. It's a small touch but one that's vital to selling this sort of show.

Overall:

During the past few weeks I've noticed a few complaints from folks online that see something wrong with this series yet don't really seem to know what it is. Admittedly I haven't found myself terribly attached to the events so far and these episodes have illustrated what the issue is and that it may actually be remedied soon. In general this is a solid show. The gimmick is catchy without becoming unbearable, the style is a bright mix of retro with modern simplicity, the action is well done, and there have been story beats outside of the normal Sentai formula. What's been hurting the series so far is that the core five heroes haven't been clearly defined in a way that makes them endearing. There isn't even a true stand-out hero so far with their support crew proving to be more interesting. This set of episodes, mainly nine, does an enormous amount of lifting in developing these people which will hopefully be the norm for a while as the initial set-up period is over. Likewise I hope this meatier content gives the actors more chance to grow.

The next installment looks like it will tackle the biggest obstacle by focusing on Asuna. It's sad to say but after seeing many recent Sentai with excellent heroines she may be the least compelling character. Most of the time she simply comes across as brainless and selfish which is a far cry from the wonderful scene where she talked Ui down from suicide. I want to see that person again, not the current loudmouth.

Seeing as this recap has been all over the place I'd say it's time to wrap up. With all the recent changes I'm glad as ever to have this franchise around for comfort but I'd like to feel safe that it is working towards becoming something more interesting than it is right now. I like this whole genre ans nothing makes me quite as happy as when I can wholeheartedly endorse series like Kamen Rider Gaim or Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. That's the sort of stuff I want to see hitting the airwaves. For now let's keep our fingers crossed that these dinosaur heroes can step their game up.