Chouriki Henshin! Ole!! (Ohranger intro)

 

I was recently rewatching Batman Forever. The stuff with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson is the strongest part of that movie, and I was kind of like "Have you ever seen a superhero thing where the heroes are so grim and yet the villains are so goofy?" Usually it's the opposite, you know? Or both sides will be either goofy or grim. There must have been something in the water in 1995, because Ohranger's similar.

It was a fun time in the late '90s, looking up all the tokus I remembered as a kid on the Internet and finding out about all the shows that came after. (And before, of course. At the time, I was more curious about the newer stuff.) Ohranger was one of the shows I was really drawn to. I remember watching the credits in shitty RealPlayer, for one. I liked the themes. I liked that the cast seemed mature and that they were military -- and the action bits looked great. I was let down when I got around to seeing it but didn't think it was atrocious until I saw the show in its entirety...

My biggest gripe was always the main villains. They looked stupid. They acted stupid. It's a complete tonal clash with the way the heroes acted. He might get hammy, but Masaru Shishido is taking this *seriously*. He's freakin' intense. We get all the info about how dangerous the Baranoia is...and then we cut to them: those fat, silly designs, those silly anime voices, the suit actors moving around too much, their base evoking goofy Rita Repulsa's and giving you nightmares about that show. It didn't match up. I think these villains, and villains like these, reflect negatively on Sentai. They're goofy and stupidly designed and not threatening and KIDDY. Why go so hard with the hero portion but be so damned kiddy with the villains?

And that was a big deal-breaker for me. No matter how much I liked the cast of heroes or the music or the awesome action, the villains were dumb, seemingly spliced in from a much lesser show. And the reason I've always doubted the whole "Ohranger was going to be super serious, but real-life events caused them to change gears" is because of the Baranoia. They were already designed and written and cast before the show changed gears. There was always going to be a style clash with these stupid dolts. (I blame the cartoonish cutesiness on Power Rangers; I've read that, since PR was a proven smash success by this point, Ohranger was the first Sentai really hampered by them keeping PR's needs in mind.)

But I've always felt a strange kind of...pull to the show. I wanted to like it. I have a reputation for hating every post-1980s series, but there are so many shows that I'll want to like more than I might. There's so much promise to it but disappointment in so many areas. I never had the greatest quality videos of Ohranger, but when I watched the full series, it was a heinous quality...like 10th generation VHS transferred onto VCD and then crammed all onto a total of 3 DVDs. I'm not even exaggerating -- if I still had those copies, I'd screengrab them to be like "See the shit the fandom put up with before downloads and official DVDs!?!" So to get to see the show in decent quality when the Shout Factory set came out...made a lot of difference. I already worshipped action-director Junji Yamaoka, but his scenes just really popped when they weren't reduced to 10,000 pixel squares. And CCLemon always talked the show up and helped open my mind to it a little more.

The state of modern toku helped. When modern day villains are non-existent or nicer than the good guys, the Baranoia start looking better. Nostalgia also helped. There are things about Ohranger that totally remind me of that time I described above when I got back into these shows. If you want to believe that the show was altered due to real-life events, then you have to allow some leeway there. Having so many staff members fluent in so many different styles, the show was bound to have an identity crisis...

...but getting all of those different people is something special about the show. From producers to directors to writers to a couple of cameo appearances, it was the first Super Sentai series to truly celebrate the anniversary. I love subtle homages to Goranger in Changeman. I love Liveman and Turboranger, but...they didn't go out of their way to celebrate the franchise or its legacy. Ohranger really was the first to go that extra step and try to acknowledge the series' milestone.

Chief producer Takeyuki Suzuki, who had been chief producer for Sentai since Goggle V, paired himself up with producer Susumu Yoshikawa with Kakuranger to lead Ohranger and the anniversary celebration. Yoshikawa had been chief producer of the Battle Fever through Sunvulcan run of Sentai and shared the title of chief producer on Kaku and Oh with Suzuki. Joining them as a sub-producer, being groomed to take over the future of the franchise, was Shigenori Takatera, making a triumvirate of past, present, and future. Both Suzuki and Yoshimura had planned to use this anniversary celebration as a note to go out on, both moving on after the show's conclusion, with Sentai then getting a surge of new faces behind the scenes as the millennium approached.

Main writer Noboru Sugimura returns after putting his quirky spin on the franchise as main writer of Zyuranger, Dairanger, and Kakuranger. But the really neat thing? All of the sub-writers are former main-writers! They got everybody -- Shozo Uehara (main writer of Go through Sun), who was returning to the franchise for the first time in 14 years; Hirohisa Soda, main writer of the Goggle through Fiveman run; Toshiki Inoue, the newest veteran as main writer of Jetman. They even included Susumu Takaku, who has long been credited as Battle Fever's main writer, despite having to step back from that show due to scheduling conflicts and having the show unfairly credited entirely to Uehara over time.

The characterizations of the Ohranger aren't always consistent, and there's a constant tug-o-war regarding the show's tone -- and a lot of that probably comes from the differing styles of all the writers contributing. There are parts of Ohranger that I used to dismiss as pointless and goofy, but yet another thing that opened my mind a bit about the show was when I finally got around to watching every Sentai series and more toku -- specifically the '70s or early '80s shows -- and you can see how certain aspects of the show (like Uehara's episodes) evoke those years. Growing up with the Soda Sentai shows, the ones that came at a period where they were trying to aim higher and appeal to a wider range of audience, it was an adjustment for me to get into, say, those early shows that are driven by (often kid) guest stars or the more comedic and mecha-focused '90s shows. Look at the villains of the Soda era alone -- when you're expecting a group of all face villains, played by the likes of Shohei Yamamoto, Yutaka Hirose or Akiko Kurusu, then getting to those early shows with a very small, masked villain group or the modern shows with all masked villains is a huge change.

(A weakness of mine, I must admit, is that I tend to think Showa = the mid-late '80s shows I love. So I would criticize people who said "Ohranger is a good tribute to the Showa era," because I didn't personally think it was a good representation of the Showa I knew, of MY shows. But Showa encompasses a big chunk of time, which include the '60s and '70s shows I mentioned -- that's the area Ohranger DOES attempt to focus its honor.)

I don't want to dwell on how much I dislike the Baranoia the way I dwelt on the problems I had with Koutarou Tanaka in my Jetman posts. (Remember, though, I came out of that last Jetman rewatch actually appreciating him a bit more.) I would like to say, though, while I don't like their designs, that the Baranoia suits are very well made. They look solid; they're detailed. They have all of these moving components and tons of lights. They look robotic, and toku's come a long way from the days of, say, Magma Taishi.

So, let's get started and then go pre-order the Memorial Edition Power Brace. OLE!!!!! 

Kooky theory: A Cool Guy Guest Spot in Abaranger?

 

Abaranger was the second Toei tokusatsu series Naruhisa Arakawa worked on as main writer, the first of course being the big smash and fan favorite Kamen Rider Kuuga. I think you can look at Abaranger and make a case that Arakawa had more freedom on the show than is usual for a writer on Super Sentai -- the show is one of the more cohesive toku productions. The episodes written by the secondary writers, from writers with as differing tones as Sho Aikawa and Atsushi Maekawa, all flow well with what Arakawa established, which always made me feel like Arakawa had a hand in their episodes, perhaps guiding them the way a showrunner traditionally would in an American production. (I think Arakawa was also instrumental in getting Carranger writer Yoshio Urasawa to contribute episodes -- don't you find it a little too coincidental that Urasawa ended up returning only for Arakawa-penned shows? And Abaranger was his first time returning to the franchise since Carranger, too.)

So, I feel like Arakawa had more leeway than the norm, not only because he was on the path of becoming one of the genre's more popular and go-to guys, but because he delivered such a hit with Kuuga, and he had more power on THAT show than is the norm as well, actually receiving a rare "series creator" credit. So, he has some pull, and writers have pet people they like to work with from project to project, whether it's directors, producers or particular actors. I don't think it's coincidental that Kuuga's Mie Nanamori went on to guest-star in a flashy role in Arakawa's Dekaranger, for example. (And Kuuga's Yuudai Ishiyama appears in the first episode.) But did Arakawa ever want to use anyone else from Kuuga?

So here's Abaranger, his first show after Kuuga. There's some similarities, enough for Toei to semi-jokingly call Abaranger "Kuuga 2" to encourage people to check it out. I wonder if there was ever any temptation, whether on Arakawa's or Toei's part, to ever include anyone from Kuuga...?

Well, when I last rewatched Abaranger, episode 46 stuck out to me like it tends to do. It's a weird episode, in which it's revealed that Evorian had sent the very first Trinoid to Earth a full year ago. The Trinoid has a human disguise, as the charismatic, eccentric fortune-teller, Master Ran. This monster plays an important role in that he's not only been active for so long -- and successfully established his plan in that time -- but also in that he's instrumental in bringing main villain Dezumozoria back in a physical form. A lot of focus is given to this character, when a lot of the monsters-of-the-day in this show are treated as just quirky cannon fodder. But this guy was insidious; he was treated a little more seriously than usual. They were making a big deal out of this character; he's supposed to stick out.

Not only were they acting like this character was supposed to be important, but it's an important episode overall -- it's the first time Nakadai's not fighting the Abaranger, but fighting the Evolian instead. So Master Ran ends up with a bit of stunt-casting, a toku vet, to help stand out more -- he's played by GoGoFive's Masashi Taniguchi.

So, Master Ran's built up as a big deal, and we have a bit of stunt-casting. I'm rewatching the episode, realizing Taniguchi's kinda similarity to Odagiri and then it hits me. "Huh. I wonder if Arakawa wished he could have gotten Odagiri to play this small, but flashy role." I thought maybe I was thinking too much about it, but then the preview for the episode flashed through my mind. It highlights a line from Master Ran, his promises of an "akarui mirai" (bright future). Akarui Mirai/Bright Future is the title of a movie Odagiri made that was released in early 2003, the first performance after Kuuga that got him attention and critical acclaim. It would certainly have been a big deal if they had gotten him to guest star in Abaranger. And Odagiri was still on the rise, though, so I could imagine Arakawa or Toei thinking he wasn't out of reach and a guest appearance was feasible, especially if it was a part written specifically for him by one of the guys who helped launched his career. But -- for whatever reason -- it fell through. (Although Odagiri was receiving rave reviews for his villainous turn in the movie Azumi, and ended up winning the Academy Award in 2004, maybe someone thought it wouldn't have been right to see him return to toku as a villain so soon.)

 

And so we end up with...Odagiri-like Taniguchi. (They started acting around the same time, and while Taniguchi beat Odagiri to the punch in landing his first steady gig by several months, Taniguchi never had the push of an Odagiri, his career never skyrocketed like Odagiri's. And what's even funnier is that Odagiri auditioned for GoGoFive, and I always thought if he had been serious about that audition and actually was cast in the show, he would obviously have ended up playing Nagare.)

And now, to sidetrack a bit to another topic. This isn't a kooky theory, but veers closer to one of my Wishful Casting posts. On the subject of Kuuga and Abaranger. Nakadai actor Kotaro Tanaka kinda reminds me of a younger Shingo Katsurayama. Like I've always said, Nakadai needed to be played by an older actor. Anybody with any sense would look at that role and realize it only works with an older actor. So what if, just what if Shingo Katsurayama had played Nakadai/Abare Killer? I think he could have pulled it off, and I think it would be a bit of a shock after being so used to him as selfless and courageous Ichijou. I think it can be interesting when an actor you so associate with a heroic role ends up playing a villain. (I still think Fujioka should have played G4 instead of being wasted in that walk-on cameo.)

Changeman Episode 55

 

2/22, Episode 55 -- "Farewell, Friends of the Universe"

This is it! The final battle. Bazuu versus Changeman, conqueror versus soldier, Gozma Star versus Earth, planet versus planet.

We pick up from last week's cliffhanger with Ibuki, Shiima, Nana and Gator aboard the Gozmard, which is being pulled into space via tractor beam by Bazuu. They awaken and Ibuki puts his extensive knowledge to use, cracking the Gozmard's computer looking for info on Bazuu and his next move. There he finds plans to have a planet collide with Earth while hiding behind Halley's Comet...

Now, I always thought this was such a cool detail in the show. The big-scope, universe-spanning, space-themed Sentai hangs its finale on a real life scientific event that was occurring at the time. The Halley's Comet being visible only every 75 years, the comet was a big, big deal in 1985/1986, and was a big news item. (Even if it ended up being a disappointment to most folks, the build up was huge.) The comet ended up being spotted just as these final few episodes were airing, so imagine teasing some wimpy kids with "Uh-oh, watch out for the Halley's Comet -- Gozma's right behind it, ready to attack!" The fun that mean kids probably had with this! (And mean parents, let's be honest.)

With the plans discovered, Bazuu shows himself, attacking the four of them and causing critical damage to the Gozmard. Nana sends a telepathic plea for help to Tsurugi, but the show's a bit ambiguous as to whether he hears it or not, because at that moment, the Shuttlebase picks up an emergency distress call from the Gozmard. The Shuttlebase makes space tracks and soon our heroes are aboard the ship, and finally get their first glimpse of Bazuu. I love that they seem scared initially, because that would be a damn frightening sight to come up against. I liked when the main villains were scary and intimidating and the heroes didn't have any real contact with them until the finale. Keep who's pulling the strings a secret, and make them as damn terrifying as possible. The Changeman get everyone out of the exploding Gozmard when at the last minute Gyodai enters, shouting some of the more pathetic cries of "Gyodai!" you'll hear. (Don't worry, they get him out, too. He's an innocent in all this.)

Back aboard Shuttlebase, Ibuki gives the Changeman the scoop about the planet hiding behind the Halley's Comet, with the limited amount of time they have to act. (Remember what I said last week, about the high-level attack Bazuu would launch when the chips were down.) And things just aren't working out for our heroes -- another little problem arises in that, going off to meet the Gozmard, they ventured into an unfamiliar area and are now lost. (Go ahead and make the joke -- lost in space.) Suddenly, before the Shuttlebase, an angelic figurine appears, and then within the Shuttlebase, an angel itself...Sakura! I always thought it was a stroke of brilliance to bring Sakura (and the Memory Doll) back. She was only in one episode, way back practically 40 episodes ago, but her inclusion in this final battle makes so much sense. (I'll get to that in a minute.) She tells everyone that the Memory Doll will lead them home, but it's too late...they're painfully being pulled into the orbit of a strange planet...

The Shuttlebase and Memory Doll land on the surface of the sickly colored planet. (The colors they place over the camera to depict the planet is brownish and yellow-green. It ain't pretty.) The Changeman decide to set foot on the planet, meaning the Change Suits can obviously handle strange alien atmospheres, which is cool. They're soon greeted by Bazuu's image filling the skies, welcoming them to Gozma Star. Suddenly, dozens and dozens of Hidora soldiers rise from the grounds. These Hidora are not only strong in numbers, but physically stronger, and give the Changeman a hell of a fight. When the Changeman turn their attack towards Bazuu, he flattens them with a blast of his ray. Ibuki can't watch his soldiers take this, leaving the Shuttlebase and rushing to the fight, becoming his Yui Ibuki form. He becomes a beam of light, rushing towards Bazuu, and there's an explosion... Ibuki's not dead, is he!?! He can't be...what, it's the commercial break!?! Dammit! Now we'll have to wait through Bandai ads (they're already hawking Flashman's toys) and Tohato ads before we find out.

OK, Ibuki seems safe. He's collapsed and now back in human form, but he was blasted back by Bazuu, landing onto the Memory Doll, and it's now destroyed, in pieces. The Changeman make their way over to him, when suddenly the image of Bazuu fills the planet's grounds, "swallowing" the Changeman, Ibuki and broken Memory Doll. They soon find themselves in a...strange surrounding. Surreal. Weirder than any of the "Blahblah Spaces" seen in a Space Sheriff show. There are tubes and tendrils and all sorts of weird, innard-y stuff. What the...? It's meant to be bizarre, and the show does a good job of conveying these surroundings on a tight budget. They're suddenly attacked, being strangled by tubes, bombarded with gasses... When they break free, Ibuki leads them to another area, where they soon discover...

They've been eaten by the Gozma Star. We saw the image of Bazuu swallow them, after all. Soon, Ibuki puts it all together -- Bazuu is really the Gozma Star. What we know as Bazuu is just a holographic projection of the Gozma Star. (Bazuu is a nice, frightening image to keep your subjects in line, I'd say.) Bazuu's image appears nearby to confirm Ibuki's theory. He was a life-form that grew into planetary size by devouring other planets and lifeforms. With all of the planets we know he's conquered, just think of all of the life he's taken, all of the destruction he's caused. We know his methods, we've seem him be nothing but cruel, we've seen how he treats even his most loyal subjects. Bazuu is pure evil. And this is a great, fascinating twist. Also, remember about the planet seemingly birthing Hidora? Since the Hidora, Bazuu and Gozma Star are all of a blue color, I've always wondered if the Hidora are Bazuu's offspring. (And maybe the Hidora that are hatched from eggs, as seen in the earlier episodes, are just Hidora born from Hidora.) 

With his characterization, the creative and creepy design by Izubuchi, Seizou Katou's sinister voice work and actor Kazuto Kuwabara's menacing performance, Bazuu is one of the best, most interesting, most intimidating and most terrifying villains in the franchise. And the Changeman have been eaten by him! And they're against the clock! Because, while all this happens, Halley's Comet and the Gozma Star are still a-movin'. When things look bleak, Dragon gives everyone a pep talk. It's a nice moment that reminds me of the first episode, when Tsurugi is convincing the four others to keep fighting to stay alive, that they didn't put up with Ibuki's hellish training to just die there. Here, he gives them the full scope of this entire war -- that they're not the only ones involved, that the others have sacrificed and fought by them, and that they can't have that all end up being nothing. With a renewed sense of strength and hope, they form a plan...

Discovering the broken pieces of the Memory Doll nearby, ready to be digested along with them, Dragon forms the plan to shoot through the planet's innards, knowing the Pavlov kind of effect it will have on Gyodai, who will fire his beam, enlarging the Memory Doll and providing the Changeman and Ibuki an opening to escape. It's a pretty clever move on our heroes' part, and it works, providing a nice scene of symbolism -- a gigantic, rebuilt Memory Doll, having torn through Gozma Star's insides, looms in the skyline. The angelic doll, representative of the planet Meruru, the first planet Bazuu conquered, the heavenly planet of angels. I love that Sakura has a role in this finale, representing the first planet destroyed by Bazuu, bearing witness to Bazuu's end. It's also interesting that she refers to the Gozma Star as a demonic planet.

Another thing I find cool is, when the Changeman reach the planet's surface, they can actually see Earth in the skyline, knowing their time's about to run out. They haul ass to the Change Robo and prepare the Dengeki Sword. I love that music that accompanies the usage of the Dengeki Sword, and I think this part's just so cool, the final big fight and they're preparing to use it on Bazuu/Gozma Star. The Change Robo descends to the planet, piercing its surface, cells, until it gets to the center of the planet, the very innards the Changeman themselves had just been in the center of. The team performs the Super Thunderbolt, ridding the universe of Bazuu once and for all. I think an effect of the planet just explosively breaking apart around the Change Robo would have been cool, but...the show's over, and they've spent the money! Katou lets out an awesome death wail at least, as the Change Robo poses victoriously.

I like that this show resists having some so-far-unmentioned power or deus ex machina revealed to bail them out at the last minute. Nowadays, I think the Changeman would be backed against the wall and growl until the Earth Force rewards them with Super Earth Force to get out of the jam, or if their space friends suddenly and miraculously developed a Space Force to join with their Earth Force to save the day. Think of how they kept changing the rules of what Chouriki could accomplish in the last Ohranger episodes or the way Dino Guts or yuuki or Mojikara could be stretched to cover any scenario. No, the Changeman fight using the weapons and abilities they've had all along -- the Earth Force combined with the Earth Defense Force's technology along with their brains and bravery.

The last scene gets me. The Changeman five, their alien friends, the Soldier Group, all together near Mount Fuji (where the Dengeki Sentai base had been hidden beneath, of course), saluting and parting ways. Ibuki's going to take the Shuttlebase and dedicate his life to rebuilding worlds ruined by Gozma; the others, presumably returning to their worlds to do the same. (Ibuki has A LOT of work to do; he says he'll dedicate the rest of his life to it.) The Changeman reflect on moments from the battle, the people they've met and will soon lose (or already lost), all while the excellent insert song "We Can Change" plays. It's one of my top favorite tokusatsu songs, a song that I think is honestly just beautiful sounding and epic (in the true sense of the word) and transcends being simply a tune on a mere superhero soundtrack. A lot of it probably has to do with the emotional ties to this poignant scene, but it's also just a great composition by Tatsumi Yano.

One nitpick about the scene, though. Everyone's flashing back to important characters they met or have parted with. It's an emotional scene, it's a sorrowful scene. For Tsurugi, it's a flashback to dancing with Nana during that festival. For Hayate, it was when he met Sakura. For Yuuma, it's when his beloved horse, Pegasus, sacrificed itself for him. For Sayaka, it's Icarus. Tsurugi and Hayate are losing Nana and Sakura so they can return home, while death took Pegasus and Icarus. These are tragic moments of things lost in the war, things left behind. Mai's clip? Her flamenco dancing from episode 44! What the fuck!?! Who decided on this? And if you see Mai Ooishi's performance before her clip plays, she's fighting back tears, so...obviously a dramatic clip is warranted, and we get something goofy. It's not a big deal, but it always puzzled me, always disappointed me. To me, the obvious clip to play would be when she parts ways with Doctor Togo from episode 26. He was her first love, he had to leave to clean up Gozma's mess -- you don't know if he's coming back, that wasn't specified. Nevertheless, it was something that she lost in the war with Gozma, so it would be a far more appropriate clip. So, I've reedited the flashback segment and will upload it after this, to show you how much it improves the scene.

The Changeman and Soldier Group wave farewell to those departing in the Shuttlebase, before walking off to resume their lives. I've always liked the final narration, which is: "The aliens and Changeman endured a variety of incidents throughout the war. No matter how far apart, no matter how different in appearance, all living things throughout the universe feel love, feel trust, feel the same wish for peace." 

THE END

It's a damn good finale to a damn good show. And it's a big finale. Think about how cool it is that the space-themed Sentai had a finale episode where about 90% of it doesn't take place on Earth, but in space and on another planet. That's awesome! The farthest a Sentai traveled prior to this was the North and South Poles in Sunvulcan and Bioman. Could the episode have used some money, for bigger effects? Of course. Toei's pretty notorious for pulling the exiting show's budget and pouring the big bucks into the start of the new show, and Changeman was given an extended episode count on top of it, so money must have been stretched as far as it could have. As I've pointed out, Changeman makes creative use of it, and does a great job of getting all they can out of it. And the episodes don't suffer for it, either. And the show wisely decides to focus on the emotional impact, the character drama... 

Think of how overproduced some of these final episodes could be, but by having to dial back things on the production side, they were therefore able to blow up things on the dramatic side. Think of, say, Shinken Red and Juuzo's final fight. It was a big, effects-heavy, pyrotechnics-heavy fight. But it was all sizzle. There was no real emotional connection between those two characters, there was no weight, nothing to prop it up. So you had a stylish fight, but a hollow one. Changeman might just be fighting by the standard rocky mountain in these final episodes, but the emotional importance of the fights is highlighted. You know the characters, on both sides, you know their motivations, their motivations make sense. I don't even notice that so many of the key fights in these final episodes take place at that rocky mountain because they do such a good job of getting you emotionally invested in the scene. Like, the Space Sheriffs or something like Turboranger or Kamen Rider Black can get tedious, because they're obviously always fighting at that damned rocky mountain in every episode, and it sticks out, because those shows are weaker works than Changeman. Or think how many finales are filled with impersonal mecha battles for the entire episode's running time.

Changeman is truly an epic, sprawling saga of a space war. I think there are a lot of shades of gray to it, with how we see so much of it through the eyes of Gozma members, and that you can understand and even sympathize with some of them their trauma and dilemma. It has bigger ambitions, strong, tangible themes. It has a message. More than just being a solid, influential entry in the Sentai franchise, it's a good show, a well made show, period. The show does a far better job of conveying intergalactic war, intergalactic strife than Dekaranger, and Bazuu is a far more interesting, well-realized head villain than Agent Aburera, so...Changeman is far, far more deserving of a Seiun Award, in my opinion. Dekaranger wishes it had Changeman's scope and depth and talent in front and behind the camera. (I still don't understand how the same-old same-old, super formulaic Ultraman Tiga was deemed worthy of a Seiun, either.) Changeman is a stronger work of science-fiction than either Dekaranger or Tiga.

From start to finish, Changeman delivers. It's giving the viewer so much, it's setting up a big world that it pulls you into. It's well acted, well produced, there's so much thought and care put into it, it truly aims high and there's something for everyone to enjoy. There are storyline payoffs, and it's a show that rewards rewatches. (So, it's a real shame that it didn't have an official home release until the DVDs came out in 2009.) I think it's an important show to the genre, and the best damn Sentai show, period.

Changeman Episode 54

 

2/15, Episode 54 -- "Giluke's Great Explosion!"

Here it is, one of my top favorite Sentai episodes. It's pretty much this episode and Liveman's first episode that's neck-to-neck in a race for my top fave. It's an action-packed episode, but still has room for drama and character moments and has one of the more morally murky situations I've seen in a Sentai show...

It's mighty lonesome in the Gozmard ship. Now it's just Super Giluke and poor, sleeping Gyodai. Bazuu complains Giluke's big elf ears off when he discovers that Yui Ibuki is the sole survivor of the conquered planet Heath, and Bazuu is doubly insulted that this survivor is the head of the Dengeki Sentai. It's now all on Super Giluke to lead the fight and Super Giluke, as he's been since he arrived in episode 43, is completely confident. Unshakeable. Super Giluke gives zero fucks and it's awesome. There's no question in his mind that he's awesome or that he'll win. You really get the impression that he thinks he's equal to -- or maybe even greater than -- Bazuu. Think of the way Shouhei Yamamoto played these scenes with Bazuu back when he was just a general -- he was real brown-nosey, often hesitant. He'd show fear when Bazuu was displeased. Super Giluke never shows any of that. He tells it like it is, he's confident, he's seen it all. And I just love how Yamamoto conveys most of it through his performance. Because Giluke beat death, he went through a painstaking process to claw his way out of the grave -- what else does he have to be afraid of? The people he worked for betrayed him, so he's becomes a crueler, darker bastard than he was before.

And Super Giluke's a menace here. His plan is to take the Gozmard into Earth's orbit and just lay waste to whatever he can. And that's exactly what he does (there's a neat little effect of the skies filling with waves of purple clouds in the scene of the Gozmard's attacks) and he succeeds. After the last episode, all that the Changeman have left is the Shuttlebase, so this battle is coming down to the Gozmard versus the Shuttlebase, and guess what? Super Giluke succeeds in downing the Shuttlebase! (I guess if people still insist on writing it as "Gorenger," just because that's the way Toei writes it, I should have been saying "Shuttlbase" all along. Oops.) The Shuttlebase crashes, and is left with so many repairs it would make Chief O'Brien jump out the nearest airlock.

Lucky for the Changeman, Giluke picks that moment to beam to the surface and boast. Unlucky for the Changeman that he hits 'em with his Space Buster maneuver (aka the "Giluke Loves the Smell of Napalm in the Morning" attack) and even Yui Ibuki is beaten by him. I like how bleak things look for our heroes in this episode. They're backed into the corner, they don't have their greatest arsenal, and Super Giluke is powerful and terrifying and cruel and relentless in his attacks. As I said before, these final few episodes of Changeman really highlight and sell the idea of this being the absolute endgame, with a ticking clock, with escalating threats and danger and with a big sense of desperation. And desperate times call for desperate measures...

Knowing that they need to take the Gozmard out, but not having the ability of flight, the one to save the day is...Gator! He remembers of a Gozma fighter ship that was stashed away, in need of only a couple of minor repairs, which should be good enough to get to the Gozmard. The problem is, there's only room for one person. While Gator is ready to be the one, Tsurugi makes the decision that it should be him. He reasons that Gator has a wife and two kids, so he forces him off the tiny ship. This is a real desperate act on our heroes' part, and I think pretty much everyone realizes that whatever hopes and plans they hitch onto this little fighter ship will mean certain death. Tsurugi knows this is a suicide mission. And while Hayate had earlier mentioned using the Shuttlebase in a kamikaze kind of attack, Tsurugi's plan is to get to the Gozmard and assassinate Giluke. And against everyone's cries, he takes off, not knowing that Nana teleports herself onto the ship as a stowaway.

In one of my favorite scenes, Giluke sits on the Gozmard bridge, sipping wine at the success of his attacks. Suddenly, he sees the reflection of Change Dragon in one of the ship's panels, turning around just a second too late, finding himself stabbed through the heart by Dragon's Change Sword. (There's a cool lightsaber/Laser Blade effect they give Dragon's sword here.) Giluke fires back an attack that cripples Dragon, and while Giluke shows some cracks in his usual unconcerned demeanor indicating pain, he keeps unleashing his attack on Dragon, who writhes on the ground. When you look at this, it's just a down and dirty fight. I like huge, fanciful battles in tokusatsu shows, but this scene, with Dragon's sneak attack, is small in scale, but huge in what it implies...

This is the morally murky part I was talking about. In their desperation to put a stop to Giluke's attacks, feeling there's no other choice, Tsurugi decides upon the sneak attack, the assassination. No big pose down where they introduce themselves, no grand invocation of a samurai battle. I mean, as much as I LOVE that final Buuba fight, I think this scene is a really interesting contrast to that. And I think this idea is something that's really appropriate considering the war theme of the show. Not every fight's going to be fair or "glorious." Giluke's an extremely dangerous opponent and they needed to do whatever they could to eliminate him. It's not an ideal situation, it's not exactly fair combat, but Tsurugi made the call to take it upon himself and he KNEW he wouldn't be getting out of it alive. And he obviously wasn't going to. Giluke was still standing, Dragon was writhing on the floor. I do think Dragon was going to die...

But he's saved by Nana. The stowaway jumps before him, taking some hits, sending her own attack back at Giluke, one that causes the Gozmard to malfunction and crash land. See why I think Nana's one of the unsung heroes of the series? Not only does actress Tokie Shibata do a great job at making the character sympathetic while capturing the sorrowful and tortured, yet hopeful side of the character, but Nana's a strong character. Between the strength of the actress and the strength of the writing, Nana, a supporting character who appears in only several episodes, has more going for her than a lot of full-time main characters from shows nowadays. And here, she not only saves Tsurugi's life -- not only out of care for him, but it's REALLY come full circle and she's more than paid back the times he's saved her -- but she cripples Gozma's forces by taking down the Gozmard, which gives the Changeman a fighting chance. (The pinch is the chance!)

While our heroes and their alien pals make their way to the crashed Gozmard, a troop of Hidoras stand in their way. Suddenly, Giluke appears on a mountaintop, furious. In yet another cool effect, he turns the skies red and then transforms HIMSELF into a Space Beast Soldier, Giras. Giluke had no reservations about this -- if you thought he was a coward for trying to turn the others into monsters, you're wrong. A couple of interesting things is that his arms are now made into his old swords, the Giras Swords, and he takes the name of his planet, Giras, as his own monster name. I think that says a lot about Super Giluke as a character. And I love the Giras design, it's spooky and just a hideous freak of a monster, it's great. The face reminds me of the vampire form of Amanda Bearse's character in Fright Night, which is one of my favorite movie vampire designs -- not content to have two sharp fangs, her vampire had a shark's mouth full of them, making for a really creative and terrifying design. Designer Izubuchi does say that a lot of the Space Beast Soldiers pay homage to sci-fi and horror movies, so who knew if he happened to see that one. It would have been cool if they could have done a prosthetic on Yamamoto, but toku just doesn't have the time or money for that. (I think Gou's half beastman transformation from episode 3 of Liveman is the only time Sentai's tried to do prosthetic make-up.)

Tsurugi rejoins his team and an awesome fight breaks out, the Changeman aided by their space friends (even Gator joins the fight, I guess he's Cosmo Green of Cosmoman). You gotta love the way everyone takes part somehow in these final few episodes; planets joining forces to stop their shared foe. Gator finds them a ship, Nana saves Tsurugi, Shiima fights off Giras, they're all doing something in this episode alone. And Giras is a real bastard of an opponent, he wipes the ground with everyone. (Phoenix remarks that he's the strongest Space Beast Soldier they've faced, and that's not just the usual hyperbolic bullshit shows will spout to sell the latest threat of the week.) 

When Dragon thinks to focus an attack on the chest wound he gave Giluke, they haul out the new and awesome Earth Force Dengeki Sword attack, all five at once stabbing Giras through the heart. I'm not going to say that Jetman ripped off of this with Radeige in their final episodes, but...no, that's exactly what I'm saying. (#JetmanIsARipoff) When the Changeman target him with the Power Bazooka, I love how he flashes back and forth between Giras and Super Giluke, a reminder of who this fearsome opponent is, that he's no mere Space Beast Soldier, and what a victory they've achieved. This episode goes a long way in selling just how formidable Giluke is -- as I said before, if Super Giluke had been in more episodes, he'd probably be my favorite Sentai villain. So, he's at about number two, but still one of my favorites, and I feel this episode is a grand send-off for the character. They did a good job getting across what a humongous obstacle was overcome with his defeat. (I'd also like to point out just how cool Yamamoto's voiceovers are as Giras -- he really cuts loose.)

And, just in time, the Soldier Group comes through once again, completing the repairs to the Shuttlebase. Time to wrap this up with Change Robo, man. As the Changeman take a giant Giras on in the Change Robo -- yet again focusing on that wound with the Dengeki Ken! -- Ibuki and the others board the Gozmard, hoping to find intel or something they can use against Bazuu. (Giluke just caused a lot of damage, so what do you think Bazuu's going to do when it's his turn to attack, for crying out loud? Run for the hills!) A familiar blue lightning enwraps the Gozmard and hauls it into space, with Ibuki, Nana, Shiima and Gator trapped aboard. The Changeman pursue in Shuttlebase and then...TO BE CONTINUED! 

A cliffhanger, leading into what was then the most ambitious Sentai finale of all. Heck, it's still one of the most ambitious tokusatsu finales.

Changeman Episode 53

 

2/8, Episode 53 -- "Ahames in Flames!"

A jam-packed episode of revelations, and it's also a landmark episode. I'll get to that in a minute. First...

We begin this episode with Ahames alone in the Gozmard. Director Minoru Yamada makes the wise choice of having this be a quiet scene, one of Ahames reflecting on Buuba's death and Shiima and Gator's defection. With only a napping Gyodai nearby, the setting and actress Fukumi Kuroda's introspective performance highlights the isolation -- Ahames knows it's down to her.

What Ahames doesn't know is just how things are going to play out. She's taken by surprise by Super Giluke who, of course, wants to sacrifice her in order to make the latest Space Beast Soldier. Ahames thinks she's above this -- and she is -- and is surprised by how callous Bazuu is, ignoring her pain and only adding to it by disregarding her, and firing his ray so she'll submit to Giluke's rays, eventually becoming Space Beast Soldier Meezu. Actor Shouhei Yamamoto plays Giluke as taking such a wicked delight in Ahames' transformation, it's demented and awesome. You can tell Giluke's just been counting the days until this happened. Meezu's design is pretty cool, kind of kabuki like with serpentine limbs. (Designer Yutaka Izubuchi says it's based on a kabuki renjishi and that it also subtly incorporates elements from Ahames' first design; so it's kind of like Giluke, as part of his revenge, is downgrading Ahames by having her monster form reflect her look from the pre-Rigeru Aura days, before she overthrew him and came into power.)

Meanwhile, the now good -- and renamed Princess Shiima -- is being led on a tour around the Earth Defense Force's base by Nana. These scenes are impressive for the amount of extras they use -- even if a lot of these guys are wearing the uniforms from the first episode of Shaider, there's just a lot of people working in the background, helping sell the impression of all the people running around and keeping things running back at base. Unfortunately, they soon have their work cut out for them, as all of the Earth Defense Force's systems begin to break down and malfunction and explode due to a direct assault by Meezu. She's taking the fight right to the heart of Changeman's operation, soaring around and emitting a signal that disrupts their technology. As I've pointed out, ever since she joined the show, a lot of Ahames' plans have been targeted directly towards the Changeman team, so it's fitting that her big, final, ultimate attack is their base of operations.

Unfortunately, when the Changeman take their fight to Meezu, they get messed up. Real bad. (I like that Tsurugi recognizes Meezu's voice right off the bat as Ahames'.) They go right for the Power Bazooka, which Meezu directs the missile right back at them like it's a ping-pong ball. Stop hitting yourself, Changeman! The Changeman get a taste of their own power, and it causes what Ibuki refers to as the worst damage their Change Suits have ever taken. Which is kinda crazy, considering all of the stuff they've endured throughout the series. Power Bazooka causes more damage than Super Giluke's giant napalm sparklers!?! At any rate, Ibuki realizes that Meezu's no ordinary monster, being Ahames of course, and definitely not to be taken lightly, which I think factors into a decision he makes later...

Meezu kicks ass all over the place in this episode. It's one thing to just cause equipment malfunctions, but she actually discovers the location of their base! And while the Changeman are recuperating in their base's medical center, she begins the attack, killing several Earth Defense Force soldiers. The Changeman aren't ready for another fight, so Shiima volunteers, leading into one of the coolest scenes of the series...

Meezu's approaching an opening to the base, ordering several Hidora to enter. Those who do are immediately spit back out, kicked in their ass -- right in the crack -- by Shiima, who catapults into a fight, taking down Hidora like nothing. Meezu's another story, but Shiima made a good try. Actually, I like that she fires at Meezu with a blast of Amanga Energy, the stuff Ahames was trying to use against Shiima's will, at the risk of her life, for her plan in the last episode. A bandaged and wounded Changeman team join her, but aren't even as successful as she was, all falling to a laser ring attack. Suddenly, Ibuki jumps in front of them, taking all of Meezu's attack on his own. He endures the attack, and endures, as everyone looks on him in worry, when suddenly...he transforms! To the shock of Meezu, to the shock of Changeman, to the shock of every viewer at home, Chief Ibuki has transformed! I love the way his reveal is filmed, with the quick cutting between Ibuki and Meezu before he finally transforms, and the M-27 segment of the "Gekitotsu" track from the BGM kicks in.

This transformed Ibuki sends off an electric attack to Meezu and her underlings, but the dueling powers eventually cause such a blowback that it scatters the fighters. The Changeman gather around the fallen Ibuki, concerned, but he's all right. And then he finally admits, to everyone's astonishment, that he's an alien of the planet Heath. Here the episode goes to commercial, a manipulation which probably pissed off a lot of viewers at the time.

So, Ibuki's an alien, by the full name of Yui Ibuki. That explains his shocking knowledge of the universe. That explains why he was one of those affected by Warajii's song. That explains why he could telepathically hear Nana. And, as he tells his team that Bazuu destroyed his planet, that he's the last survivor, that he dedicated his life to wanting to get Bazuu and recruit soldiers to fight him, it explains why Ibuki was so desperate for everyone to shape up way back in Changeman's first episode. Remember when all of the soldiers thought he was strict or crazy or a demon? His motivation is that he knew of the Earth Force, and knew that soldiers who harnessed it were the best chance against Bazuu. Again, his planet was destroyed, and he's the only survivor, and with his knowledge of the universe, knowledge of where Gozma's been and who they've made suffer, Ibuki was well aware of the stakes, of what possible fate awaited the Earth, so he was determined and desperate to tap into the Earth Force and make the Earth Defense Force soldiers and the Changeman all they could be. You can go watch the first episode with a new understanding now.

And I think Ibuki's reveal is something that had been planned from the start. I remember seeing some character breakdowns in a series plan from when the show started, cryptically pointing out about Ibuki's suspicious knowledge of aliens and the universe. So it's not a cheap twist pulled out of nowhere, but something that pays off if you go back and watch earlier episodes. Like, people like to poke fun at Episode 2, with the reveal that Ibuki loves bathhouses and had one built into the Earth Defense Force base, but now I see it as a rather funny alien quirk. (I think you can compare Martian Manhunter to Yui Ibuki, from being the last survivor of their planets to their identifiable quirks. Ibuki has his baths, Martian Manhunter has his love of Oreos.)

Hearing his story, seeing his sincerity, hearing him offering encouraging words, realizing his complete faith in the Earth Force, Ibuki inspires the Changeman -- I love how once Meezu shows up, they just whip off their slings and bandages, with a renewed strength to fight. No growling into a power-up, no Bandai stoolie like Conductor dropping a new toy in their lap -- just the emotions and sorrow of the man they've grown to trust, depend on, and love inspiring them. And I love how, once the five transform, Ibuki, Nana and Shiima join them in battle. Those three are like the show having an extra three-person Sentai team. (Since this three-person team is made up of Changeman's friends from space, I like to call them Uchuu Sentai Cosmoman -- which was a working title of Changeman's.) It's in this scene that Hamada, Kazuoki, Izumi, Nishimoto and Ooishi are actually in-suit as the Changeman themselves. Beginning with Dynaman, Super Sentai started the tradition of having the cast don the suits for a scene or two in one of the final episodes. Meezu still proves to be too strong of an opponent, though, even taking down Yui Ibuki again. Suddenly, somehow, Ahames manages to separate herself from Meezu!

Shiima needed the encouragement of Tsurugi to fight free from her Space Beast Soldier form, Zuune. Buuba needed Jiiru. Well, Ahames is such a bad-ass, she breaks free of her own accord. Just right in the middle of the fight, like it's nothin'. (This even perplexes the Changeman, renewing their fear at just what an unpredictable and frightening opponent Ahames is.) The sad thing is, this is a broken Ahames. She orders Meezu to keep attacking our heroes, as she stumbles off in delirium, heading back for the Earth Defense Force base...

Needless to say, but Meezu seems a bit easier to fight without Ahames being a part of it. It still takes the Changeman pulling out practically every special maneuver of theirs they have, but they get the job done. Meanwhile, Ahames has entered the base, firing and killing soldiers, sending blasts and just laughing her ass off.

Kind of like the Buuba sunset duel, Ahames' last scene is something I've seen a few other toku shows try to duplicate, but never to the same effect. Ahames is breaking down. She's sending blasts all over the Changeman's base and is just destroying it. She's successful, her plan this week is succeeding. She's had a lot of good plans, and has worked her ass off for Gozma and Bazuu. Maybe she betrayed Bazuu in the past, and maybe she betrayed Giluke in the race for the Rigeru Aura, but she's done everything that's been asked of her. And I think she just sees it as a massive betrayal, not only the way Giluke turned her into a lowly monster, but the way that Bazuu joined in and attacked her. What have all of her efforts been for? What's all the fighting been for? What has her loyalty to Bazuu gotten her? So she's in hysterics, near tears, just pleading with Bazuu to just take her back to her planet Amazo, to restore it. Again and again, she calls out to Bazuu, pleading with him. And he does nothing. Says nothing. He's abandoned her. The Gozma officers liked to think they were special, that they were above the low-ranking likes of the Space Beast Soldiers, but they were ALL just pawns for Bazuu, all just underlings for him to rule over. 

Did Ahames see the love and respect the Changeman have for Ibuki, and he for them, and realize how different it is for her and Bazuu? Did seeing Ibuki lay his life on the line to protect the Changeman and Shiima make her realize Bazuu's selfishness? Is this why she was able to break free from Meezu? Her pleas unanswered, Ahames is left to die, laughing, as the Changeman's control room, such a familiar sight for 53 episodes, explodes and collapses around her.

When I was a kid, I used to get a kick out of the finales where it's the heroes storming the bad guys' lair. You're used to just seeing the bad guys hang out there and hatch all of their evildoin', so it was kind of strange to see a hero on that set, but at the same time, you knew it meant a reckoning -- the series was ending and the heroes were taking the fight to the villains to stop them once and for all! Changeman's one of the few Sentai shows I can think of that flips that, and has a villain storming the heroes' base. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a show where the villain actually succeeded the way Ahames does, though. She totally destroys their base, and it's a huge blow to the Changeman team...

Thankfully, the trusty old Soldier Group gets the Shuttlebase out in time, so they get a final, great moment to shine. The base being destroyed serves two purposes, really -- one, to demolish the set and save money by filming at sparse outside locations. Secondly, it goes a long way in making this final battle between the Changeman and Gozma that much more urgent and dangerous. I've always been impressed by just how large the staff of the show tried to make the Changeman's base seem -- we've all seen the shows that are cheap and just keep it to mainly one room, even if it's supposed to be an entire building. (Maskman, I'm looking at you.) But in Changeman we see so many different parts of their base. Sure, we focus on the control room mainly, but they have the rec room, they have the medical center, they have hallways and the Changeman's quarters and all of those underground passages. It just always seemed huge to me, they did a great job conveying the scope of the base. And now all Changeman has is Shuttlebase and Change Robo. It's a desperate time, and the battle is coming to a head...

At 16.1%, this is the highest rated episode of Changeman. In a segment on Toei Hero Net where Toei staff members were asked about their personal favorites of their works, the works they were most proud of, Changeman producer Takeyuki Suzuki cited this episode. He credits the ratings and success of the episode to Fukumi Kuroda and her performance as Ahames in this episode. (As I pointed out before, Suzuki credits Kuroda and Ahames for a lot of Changeman's success.) I don't want to sound like I'm disrespecting Suzuki or Kuroda, because Suzuki would know more than I would, and I certainly love Kuroda's work as Ahames and think that Ahames is one of, if not THE best Sentai villainess, but I've always wondered if Ibuki's reveal had something to do with the high rating...

The show had spent the past few episodes teasing the reveal, giving you hints about Ibuki. The preview at the end of episode 52 certainly dropped a big clue about the reveal. I think the show did a better job of hiding it compared to a lot of later shows, but the clues were all there -- something big was going to happen with Ibuki. (I'm still surprised that they were actually so cautious that they changed the episode title; scripts show that the original title for 53 was "Chief Ibuki's True Identity.") Ibuki actor Jun Fujimaki was a well known and popular actor, so much so that people expressed surprise when he was cast in Changeman. So I imagine people being excited by the idea that he was going to play a bigger role than the chiefs usually do, and maybe that enticed them to tune in. Ibuki's pretty much the first of these older mentor characters to be made such a crucial part of the show's tapestry, to be given more than a couple seconds per episode just giving orders. Whatever the reason, it was still the highest rated episode, and one of the series' best.

Next week: Giluke proves that he can talk the talk and walk the walk in one of my all-time favorite Super Sentai episodes.

Changeman Episode 52

 

2/1, Episode 52 -- "Buuba Dies on Earth"

This episode's a biggie, and Changeman is full throttle from here on out, so let's get right to it...

Bazuu is PISSED that Gator defected, and is taking it out on Giluke. Can you believe that silly, little, green pickle guy is the FIRST person to successfully defect from Gozma? Who would have thought? Ahames seizes the opportunity to steal Giluke's thunder, getting the go-ahead from Bazuu to lead the latest attack; I said last week that she starts playing as dirty as Giluke, and boy does she. She might not be able to make a Space Beast Soldier like Giluke can, but she still comes up with a dangerous plan that risks the life of one of her officers...

The plan? She enlists the help of Space Beast Soldier Dariru, who initially disguises himself creepily. It ends up that Dariru is of the same race that Bazuu used to attack and take over Shiima's planet of Amanga; Dariru's people give off an energy that feeds negatively off of the Amanga people, creating a destructive force for whomever or whatever is unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of that energy. (Ahames, per her usual M.O., is specifically targeting the Changeman.) Shiima's furious at not only seeing this species of monster, but by Ahames' callous disregard for her life -- this plan, in the end, is going to end up killing Shiima. (You gotta love just hold cold Ahames is in her exchange with Shiima. "You'd send me to my death?" "What of it?" COLD!)

And this is where Shiima's pretty much had it. Despite her earlier protests to Buuba that she'd never consider rebelling the way Gator did, Buuba knows her better than she would have ever thought -- Gator HAS planted the idea of abandoning Gozma in her mind. After the events of episodes 46 and 49, and then Gator's defection, her thoughts are filled with ideas of stopping fighting and going home, thoughts that are telepathically picked up by the likes of Nana, the Gator family and Ibuki. Nana, once again with disregard for her own safety even after all she's been through, is the one who takes it upon herself to reach Shiima and save her. But Buuba doesn't need to be a telepath to know what's on his comrade's mind...

If you were under the impression Buuba was just mindless muscle for Gozma, then this episode will teach you otherwise. (Well, other episodes did it, too, like episode 48, but this time it hits home with a poignancy.) It seems all the battles they fought together has created a closeness, because Buuba takes it upon himself to save Shiima. He sees the sadness and pain she's in. He recognizes that she has something to fight and live for, and he really doesn't. I like to think that Jill's appearance in 48 is what motivated Buuba here; his love for Jill was rekindled, his memories of his pirate crew were revived, the betrayal by Giluke, it all served as a reminder of the life and freedom he had before Bazuu got his claws in him. Now, his love is dead, his crew is gone, Gozma's getting more and more cruel in their willingness to sacrifice their main crew. A wanderer, a ronin, a man of mystery, forced to fight for Bazuu's cause because he didn't have a cause of his own. Buuba, obviously a proud warrior -- Klingon-like -- probably thought fighting and winning was enough, but no more.

So Buuba does the only thing he thinks he can, which is to strike down Shiima with a maneuver he refers to as "the sword of life." Shiima appears dead, which not only pisses off Ahames -- Shiima was important to her plan, after all -- but it also pisses off Tsurugi! Tsurugi, the one who put his ass on the line for Shiima in episodes 46 and 49, believing in her, believing in the good in her. Buuba knows that, with this act, he's a dead man. One way or another, by Gozma or by Changeman, he's walking to his death, entering his final battle. It's a good day to die. (I suppose I should mention here that designer Izubuchi has said that Buuba's design was inspired by Klingons. However, I'd like to point out that a lot of the Klingon warrior/honor culture -- which some have described as being "bushido-like" -- didn't become a part of Star Trek lore until The Next Generation, which was a few years after Changeman. Kind of weird how that worked out.)

Which leads to THE scene. Buuba's final battle with a very, very angry Change Dragon. It begins with a sword duel, without a music track. (It's interesting when they choose to use music or not in this show; no music can make a scene seem tense or, in this case, emphasize just how brutal these two are fighting, and the damage they're causing one another.) The shots, the stakes, the seriousness -- it's like a samurai duel from a classic film. Buuba's fighting with his all, and he and Dragon are pretty equal in terms of hits. And then, the classic shot...the fatal blow is struck with the backdrop of a setting sun. With these final few strikes, music does play, but not your everyday Changeman music, but classical. Dragon gets in a final slash as Buuba falls before the sun, rolling down a hill.

Now, this scene is awesome, and one of my favorite final duels in a tokusatsu. It's a pretty well known scene to the Japanese Sentai fans. (The booklet for this DVD volume referred to it as one of Sentai's "most famous scenes.") It's an amazingly choreographed fight and a beautifully staged shot; over the years, numerous tokusatsu shows have tried to imitate it, but they've never duplicated it. One thing that makes a huge difference between this fight and subsequent imitators -- the emotion behind it. It isn't just "Oops! This is episode 52, time to kill a regular!" There's an emotional backbone to it, there are layers of motivations. Another thing that makes a huge difference -- AN ACTUAL SUNSET! This is the real deal. There's too many tokusatsu shows with awful artificial sunsets, period, but when they have artificial sunsets as the backdrop for a duel, no doubt trying to recreate Changeman's magic? It's really pathetic. This final duel, with so much drama and emotion behind it, is really aided by the blood red skies.

It was supposedly a bit of a painstaking process, just for a few seconds of screen-time. It's strange to think, but you have to wait for the sunset, but once it happens, you only have so much time to get the shot. So, it's time-consuming, yet has to be done quickly. Most people credit episode director Takao Nagaishi and director-of-photography Masao Inokuma for this scene. And, of course, I credit those guys, but I also think action-director Junji Yamaoka should be given credit. Yamaoka's always taken care in the way he visually stages a fight scene, but you know what else tells me that Yamaoka's probably the driving force behind it? He himself goes on to try and duplicate this scene in later shows, and he's the ONLY ONE TO ALWAYS USE GENUINE SUNSETS. In Flashman, with Red Flash versus Kaura, in Jiban when he gets killed, in Blue Swat with their final fight with Jisp -- Yamaoka was action-director for all of those shows, and they all had crucial final battles that took place before the setting sun, which was authentically filmed before an actual setting sun. Now, look at Dairanger or Kakuranger or Kabuto, which each have a few sunset duels which are embarrassing and atrocious and not cool because it's all an effect. (A bad effect -- the sun in those shows looks like a drawing.) Thank goodness that the Changeman staff recognized the importance of this fight and deemed it worthy enough to go to such lengths. It obviously made an impact, because it's still remembered. (When I first saw Gaoranger VS Super Sentai, I loved that the sword-fighter segment was kicked off with the Dragon VS Buuba fight; all of the other segments went chronologically, so it was a nice way of recognizing the scene's importance. Also, the way it was recreated in Akibaranger as Akiba Red's dream battle says a lot. Akibaranger director Ryuta Tasaki once referred to Changeman's sunset duel as a masterpiece.)

As Buuba lies dying, Shiima springs upward, transformed and revived. She makes her way to Buuba, crying, thanking him...now, in her own voice. The move Buuba used, the "katsujinken," meaning "the sword that gives life" is part of a marital-arts philosophy with a few varying interpretations. When Shiima tells Buuba that he only pretended to kill her, he tells her otherwise, saying that he did, and that she's resurrected as the person she should be. I think he's taking the metaphorical side of the philosophy and making it literal, which I think is something that's confused some viewers, but I don't think he actually killed Shiima. I think it's something more spiritual, more symbolic -- he gave of himself, he sacrificed himself for Shiima, and it spoke to her soul, it reawakened her. In the martial-arts philosophy, there's the sword that gives life and the sword that gives death. Buuba's weapon, the Bulbados, has seen its share of combat -- it's been stained with blood, it's ended plenty of lives. This is the first time it's given a life, in that he's freed Shiima from her hatred, from Gozma, given her the opportunity to reclaim herself, her life, and get on with helping her people.

I always liked that Buuba summons up the last bits of strength and rises, making his way towards an understandably concerned Ahames and Dariru. He's obviously going to attack, but falls over and dies in a glorious blue explosion before he can make it to them. Buuba did not give a shit that day, my friends. He was going down swinging and he was taking whoever he could with him.

But the last scene is really strong. It's nighttime, which gives it a downbeat mood. A makeshift grave has been made where the Bulbados fell, with a grateful Shiima weeping and our five heroes joining her, Tsurugi bringing flowers. Sometimes, it really doesn't work for me in a tokusatsu when the hero beats their sworn enemy, but ends up mourning them. Think of the end of Sunvulcan, when those three weirdos salute Amazon Killer after they kill her. Why does Ryou decide to become Jin's best bud in Dairanger, when he just REALLY wanted to rip off his head the last time he saw him? How dorky did the GekiJuuKen school look in forgiving Rio? But I think it works here. Tsurugi understands the sacrifice Buuba made, what a kind of sorrowful person he was and how much he meant to Shiima. And he's seeing the changes that are happening within the battle and with the aliens and the Gozma and wonders how Buuba might have been different if those changes had come sooner. Gozma's conquest, the war they bring with them, has been long and bloody, and it wasn't until they set their sights on the awesome Earth that things changed, that Bazuu and Gozma started tasting defeat. Earth was the game changer, no wonder it gave us the Changeman, huh? (The show's too subtle to hit you over the head with that one; that's all me, baby.)

I feel I should take this time to honor Buuba actor Yoshinori Okamoto. He brings so much to the role of Buuba that it's pretty amazing and impressive all that he was able to accomplish with the role. If you know me, you know that I complain about the Sentai villains who are suited -- I like when visible actors play the villains, like Munemaru Kouda as Dr. Man or Shouhei Yamamoto as Giluke or Yutaka Hirose or Akiko Amamatsuri or Kenichi Endo. I don't find the suit villains like Wolzard or Yami no Yaiba or Doukoku as interesting as the villains played by actors. But Okamoto is so strong as Buuba that I don't even think of him as a masked/suited villain, even though he's pretty damn close. All you can see of Okamoto as Buuba is the eyes, but like any good actor, he knows that the eyes are his strongest tools, and he manages to do so much with the character, convey so many different emotions. Good casting informs the writing, and I think Okamoto's talent and what he brought to the role helped shape Buuba into being the strong, memorable, fan favorite character he is, instead of being a generic henchman.

Being a Japan Action Club member, he of course brings a great physicality to the part, and provides countless amazing action scenes, but Okamoto is also just a good actor, and he really shines as Buuba, and I think his talents and what he did with Buuba is what led to him becoming such a fixture to the franchise, one of its classic performers. He's recognizable to fans, which is saying something for a guy who really rose through the ranks of the Japan Action Club, beginning his career by being just a suit-actor and stuntman. And Okamoto took the role of Buuba seriously, and he's still fond of the character to this day. He has stories of how damned hot that suit was -- sweating his ass off even in winter -- and he even reprised the role of Buuba in 2011, in Gokaiger stage-shows, where the final sunset battle between Buuba and Change Dragon was recreated.

Okamoto has said that on the same day of filming Buuba's death, he himself got into a serious car accident, which required several months of recuperation. (He's mentioned that he broke teeth and his face got cut up.) However, shortly after the accident, he left the hospital so he could make it to the studio to do the voiceover work for Buuba's dialogue in the episode. The accident was near fatal, leading Okamoto to supposedly remark that "Buuba took [his] place [for him in death]."

The episode's final narration nicely sums up Buuba, but it's pretty depressing and a bit on the pathetic side. But it's appropriate, and I love the somber way narrator Nobuo Tanaka reads it. "Changeman's fierce opponent, the space pirate Buuba, dies on Earth. His age is unknown. His birthdate is unknown. The planet of his birth, also, unknown..."

Changeman Episode 51

 

1/25, Episode 51 -- "Nana! Tell Him!"

Nana's back! Since we last saw her, it seems she's settled down and makes ends meet by delivering papers. While she stares longingly at some passing, ordinary schoolgirls -- the life she wants but can't have -- she continues about her duty, crossing an abandoned church. There, she hears a woman suffering and the worried calls of a child. Now, considering all that Nana's been put through, I wouldn't think less of her for just keep on walking and keeping out of it. In fact, I'd advise her to run. But Nana's a good person, so she investigates and finds...a collapsed Zoorii and a worried Warajii! Nana recognizes the similarities between the two and Gator, and that's all Zoorii wanted to hear -- shocked that Nana knows Gator, she gives Nana the additional job of finding him and telling him that Zoorii's about to give birth to their second child. Nana should have taken my advice and run.

Because Nana's a good person, she keeps her promise, and puts herself in harm's way to find Gator, following a Gozma fighter ship in hope that it will lead her to him. Luckily enough, Gator WAS the one piloting the ship, taking part in Gozma's latest scheme to round up a bunch of Jangeran's eggs to try and hatch a new lifeform, the Neo Jangeran. (And there are a ton of eggs, Gator's carrying sacks of the stuff.) This whole thing's kind of convoluted -- the Gozma send the eggs sinking into the Earth's liquid hot magma; the egg which survives is the Neo Jangeran, the failures will be rejected by the Earth and be spat back up with deadly force. Like I said, convoluted and strange, but the rejected eggs *do* cause serious damage, exploding on impact, just setting everything ablaze. (Sure enough, that poor car falls victim again. And the owner just had it restored!) There are probably some people, Go-busters fans, who will ridicule this plot, but I think the gist of it is basically to underscore that the Jangeran is a rare species; you can't just easily hatch a new one whenever, so you shouldn't wonder why Gozma never hatched thousands of them. And if you look at it that way, it gives further color to Bazuu's decision to split the original Jangeran, and more reasons why it upset Ahames so much. And this method behind this hatching also gives it a kind of ritualistic feeling.

Heading this plan is Super Giluke, which Ahames is not too pleased about. And Giluke gets in some digs, tauntingly ridiculing her for not knowing the hatching process or the possibility of a Neo Jangeran lifeform. It's like old times for Giluke in this episode, as Buuba and Shiima are on his side, and he has the upper hand over Ahames. And it's a boost in his confidence, because Yamamoto gives Giluke a real swagger here, you can see how much he's into making Giluke take imposing stances. He's intimidating here. Super Giluke is not someone you'd want to meet in a dark alley. If you saw him, you'd either freeze and piss yourself in terror or become the new Flash. Now, compare him to the lame villains of today. You see the Kyoryuger villains in a dark alley, the only threat is the risk of death from laughing too hard.

In the midst of all of this, Nana manages to find Gator and deliver the news. And it's news that takes Gator completely by surprise. He's actually torn between whether to go see Zoorii or keep on with his Gozma duties. Giluke picks that moment to pop up and chew Gator out for slacking off, only fueling Gator's decision to be through with Gozma. But he's still the afraid yes-man, so he doesn't know which way to go, so for the moment, he sticks with Gozma. But once he hears that an explosive egg poses a threat to the village where Zoorii is, Gator panics, dropping one of the Jangeran eggs, which REALLY pisses Giluke off. THAT could have been the Neo Jangeran! Gator's ejected from the cave base and attacked by Giluke. Motivational speaker that he is, Super Giluke decides that sending a nice, cooling beverage of laser beams at Gator will correct the situation. What's coming up is actually a favorite moment of mine...

Tsurugi dives in front of Gator to take the blast. Gator's knocked flat down in pain by it, and soon Tsurugi is, too, as he's pleading with Gator to make the right choice, the choice to go to his family, that he knows that's what Gator wants deep down. The part I really like is, when things are looking bad for the two, Hayate, Yuuma, Sayaka and Mai charge Giluke, tackling him, knocking him down. This might not sound like much, but it's awesome. It's awesome that the four of them are that worried about Tsurugi, it's awesome that they have the guts to attempt an attack on Super Giluke who, as I said, is imposing in this episode, and who has been a mysterious, terrifying and deadly opponent since his return from death.

And it pretty much seals the deal for Gator. He's had it with Gozma, and he hands in his resignation by charging into the cave base of their operation and destroying it, surprising everyone from Buuba to Shiima to even Geran. With that, a nicely choreographed fight in the nearby forest breaks out, with the Changeman doing their best to guard Nana and Gator. (Change Dragon takes a nasty claw attack to the back by a Hidora for Nana.) Soon, Nana's leading Gator on their way to Zoorii, Warajii and the incoming baby.

The episode pulls a massive tease, though. After the fight with Gozma and Geran is through, Tsurugi and the others make their way to the church. It's nighttime...and the church is in rubble, thanks to one of the exploding Jangeran eggs earlier. Gator's before the fallen church on his knees, in tears, Nana next to him. Holy shit! Could Changeman have gone this dark?!?! Did the show just kill a pregnant woman and her child?!?! Thankfully, no, as the newborn's cries cut through the silence, everyone following the sound until they reach a pile of rubble, quickly moving it aside to discover Zoorii, Warajii, and the newest, pink hued member of the Gator family all safe. (I hope the psychiatrists on planet Navi are good, because Warajii's going to need 'em after playing midwife.)

Everyone's thrilled that they're all safe, and at the newest addition, and here's a moment where you can appreciate what a talented bunch the Changeman cast are: although a cute design, Zoorii's baby is just an empty wad of pink rubber, but they all have this look on their face that's just totally believable, like they're laying eyes on an adorable infant, and that their safety is a miracle and that Gator came to his senses is a miracle. (There's a reason the scene is set at a church, with the Christian imagery.) That it starts snowing on this night gives the scene a nice bit of mood.

The final, nice touch is that Zoorii names the kid Kukku. Now, this has always been just an assumption on my part, but I think it's in tribute to Nana's pet, Kuuku, who sacrificed itself to help the Changeman way back in episode 34. Now, I know there's the slight difference in the way the two names are written, and I know that Kuuku is a common name for household pets in Japan, but I pretty much base my assumption on the way actress Tokie Shibata has Nana react to the name -- she breaks into a huge smile, and she and Mai kind of look at each other with recognition, with remarks of what a nice name it is. I could be wrong, I don't think I've seen that mentioned in any of the Changeman books or by Changeman fans. That might not have been the intention, but I think it's something that can be taken that way if you choose to.

Next week: Ahames plays as dirty as Giluke and Buuba dies. (What? It's in the title!)