Changeman Episodes 11-16

 

4/13, Episode 11 -- "SOS Koko and Kiki"

This episode gives another taste of Gozma's reach. Koko and Kiki may be cutesy, but their dilemma is serious -- they're on Earth to get diamonds which they need to fight the Gozma troops on their planet. I always thought it was a nice touch that they both spoke their own alien language, but had a contraption that tuned them into Japanese.

It's getting redundant to say, but there's some really cool action in this episode. I love the shot in the big fight with a handheld that's zigging and zagging all around to catch up to each Changeman member's individual fight. But that's not surprising when it's Junji Yamaoka choreographing the action, the man's an action genius.

Buuba's new weapon debuts in this episode. It took me a while before I even noticed that.

 

 4/20, Episode 12 -- "Mama is Mermaid"

Although Shiima seemed fond of Uuba in episode 4, she shows in this episode some bitterness and resentment at being taken from her family and raised by a monster. So the villain plan this week is Shiima's cruelly taking mothers away from their children so they taste her pain.

The kid in this episode always cracked me up, because he's pretty calm when Shiima kidnaps him. At one point she's holding him and making a big speech to Sayaka and the kid's just, like, deep in thought listening to her, really taking into consideration her side of the story.

Sayaka and Change Mermaid get a couple of cool fights in this episode, which I used for my "Onna Senshi R Tuff Enuff" video on YouTube. (Shameless plug, but, hey...sometimes you just gotta plug your stuff.)

 

 4/27, Episode 13 -- "Papa Sells the Earth"

Part 1 of 2. A lot of Changeman fans consider this to be the first episode when Changeman gets going or starts to become the Changeman we know as Changeman. We're introduced to Nana, who becomes really important to the show later on, and is -- I think -- the most tragic character of the series. (I plan to get into that more at later episodes when it's appropriate.) It's pretty cruel the way Gozma tricks her into working with her, making her think her dad is alive and all is well and that she remains on her home planet of Rigeru.

 

 5/4, Episode 14 -- "Attack! Giant Lizards"

Part 2 of Nana's introduction. Tsurugi takes pity on the poor kid, furious at Gozma for exploiting her and tricking her, and for just how low Dr. Kumazawa has sunk. Despite her attacking him previously, Tsurugi throws himself into danger time and again to save Nana, so she comes around to realize who the real good guys are. I know she's advanced and a genius and all, but I think that ending is a bummer of Nana just abandoning everybody to go and try to live a regular life on Earth -- it ain't going to be easy.

Not only Nana, but Gyodai is majorly abused by the Gozma, too.

Nice of them to put any effort in the episode's title, though. How lazy is that title? It gives the impression that it's some goofy filler of no consequence when that's definitely not the case.

 

5/11, Episode 15 -- "Reckless Rider Mai"

Finally, after 14 episodes, Mai gets her first standalone. Sad thing? It's one of three standalone episodes Mai gets. And this episode is mainly notable because of Mai -- Mai Ooishi that is, and the cool action she delivers. (Another clip of which I used heavily in my Onna Senshi R Tuff Enuff video.) Mai Ooishi is so cool, she deserved to have more episodes. But like Shirou Izumi, she's a performer who's always doing something interesting in the background or when she's not the focus. She's been delivering some great action the entire series and is one of the franchise's unsung heroes, in my opinion.

The weak point of this episode is the guest actor. It's not a bad idea to have someone witness the Gozma's shenanigans -- in this case Ken, a stubborn biker punk who's wise to the secret of the Space Beast Soldier, but isn't talking. The whole biker thing was really of its time and I like how Mai shows off biking skills in a bad-ass way, but Ken's actor, Akihiko Umeyama, just doesn't pass. He's like a boy band member who's pretending to be a cool biker. Mai saves the episode and makes it worthwhile, though.

5/18, Episode 16 -- "The Girl Who Had Wings!"

This is a really strong episode that's packing a lot in. Written by secondary writer Kunio Fujii, it's such a good episode that main writer Hirohisa Soda feels it's worthy of being referenced in the finale.

What starts as a "Here we go, another Hayate falling for a girl" episode quickly becomes something more as we're introduced to Sakura, who has big ties to the Gozma and Changeman's overall war and peace message. Sakura hails from the planet Meruru, a heavenly planet populated by angel-like beings who are able to calm the fiercest warriors and bring peace. Naturally, Meruru was the first planet Bazuu decided to annihilate since it posed such a threat to his ambition, but not before Meruru launched dozens of their children throughout the universe, Superman style, via the angelic Memory Doll statues. Sakura was the one who made it to Earth. And how bad ass is Changeman? So bad ass that Sakura knows she can trust the Earth to them while she travels space to find Meruru survivors and also help bring peace to planets ruined by Gozma.

This episode marks the first time the Changeman are made aware of Giluke, who sends a thunderbolt down to strike Sakura just as she's taking the fight out of Buuba and the Hidora soldiers through peace, love and SOUL.

Also worth noting: Buuba disguising himself as Doctor Yoshinori Okamoto in an attempt to attack a hospitalized Sakura. Joke's on him -- Hayate was waiting for such an ambush!