Turboranger Episode 45

Why's this episode even here? The previous episode ends with the narrator teasing Neo-Ragon, so it makes you wonder if this episode was a leftover or quickly whipped up or something. It has no relation to any episode surrounding it. It's pointless and random and repeats a lesson we just had better conveyed in episode 43. I guess this is the requisite "random lighthearted and fluffy one before the shit hits the fan for the final arc." Although, it's not really that funny, it's more just a...kid-centered, kid-friendly lesson-learnin' one.

Now, there have been a few Turboranger episodes that I said came short of being as good as they could have been, or it's a misplaced episode, but enjoyable enough or it's a good episode with a weak guest or whatever. That might have sounded wishy-washy, but my main point was that, even if I felt those episodes fell short or had a bad piece of casting hold them back or whatever, those episodes are still enjoyable. They're still entertaining. They may not make the grade of GREAT episodes, but they weren't BAD. Some shows have just absolute howlers that are unforgivable and unsalvageable -- like Liveman's pig school episode or Jetman's Dryer Jigen or Kamen Rider Black's gold-shitting bug episode -- but I don't feel like Turboranger's lesser episodes are on that level.

But then there's this one. This one IS bad. It might be the only Turboranger episode I'd say I don't like; I mean, episode 41 pushes it, but it at least has an idea and moments I like. This one's just awful and pointless and irrelevant to what's been happening in the show. It's like it was some rejected half-an-idea from much earlier in the series that they understandably scrapped, but dusted off in desperation. If this episode had been just an episode 5? Fine, it sucks, but the show's finding its footing or whatever, maybe you can excuse it. But 45?!?! C'mon. Let's do better than this. This episode feels like Proto-Fiveman to me in how forgettable, weak, random and cheap it is, and with what a thud the humor lands. (Also in the way that Youhei plays the role of teacher to a kid who's the episode's main focus.)

The plot is thus: a scaredy-cat boy watches a magic show and is wowed by what the magician, Miss Magic, is capable of. Surprise! Miss Magic is Kirika, and she woos the boy into being branded by the latest Bouma-Beast, Stamp Bouma, which gives him magical abilities. Kirika's plan? To give these powers to the bad kids, who will misuse the powers and watch the mayhem. We only focus on this one kid, though, the scaredy-cat named Toshio or Tatsuo or Idontcareo. It makes the episode feel reaaaaaaaaal small-scale, and then he really only uses his powers for minor shit! Petty theft! He uses his powers to steal crepes off of some girls, pantses his friends, steals an outfit from a store and gives some pals a perfect test score. Yeah, Kirika -- it's PANDEMONIUM! WATCH THE CITY BURN! WATCH ITS CITIZENS EAT EACH OTHER WITH THESE CRAZY AND SCARY ABILITIES YOU GAVE THEM! Don't even bother trying to take over Earth in the next show, Zone, because Kirika's leveled it all with this plan!

The kid is conveniently in one of Youhei's swimming classes, so Youhei gets involved and tries to get through to him. But you just don't really care. The episode is pointless, the kid's unlikable. Things are depicted stupidly, like the kid accessing his power by wiggling his fingers around and going "Hand Power!" He also has a set of the fakest damn freckles you've ever seen -- a production assistant obviously dotting his face with a thin-point Sharpie -- which he removes with his powers to, you know, look cool or something. I don't know. What I do know? This episode stinks. And it's also a bad time to have Ragon interfere by giving this kid a power-up just to freak out Yamimaru and Kirika. Save Ragon's reveal for a good episode!

The ONLY thing I like in this episode is the fight. Just a simple fight, set to the OP theme, which the show hasn't really done for a while. Some cool moves, like Red and Black taking out some Uras with a GT Crash and Hammer Break at the same time, posing together.

I can envision Kirika's plan working if she had instead chosen teens or people in their early 20s -- I feel like there's more potential there for selfishness and people abusing this power. If the episode's message is about the responsibility of having power and that you need to build character to hold that power, well...we just got a better version of this episode with episode 43, told in a more subtle and relevant way. This episode sugar-coats it by focusing it on kids and by playing it lightly. It's just a waste of an episode.