Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Turboranger Episode 41


There's an idea in this episode that I like, and would have liked to see played straight in a regular episode, but it's only a small portion of this episode, which is meant to be a kind of lighthearted romp. The Turboranger, the Nagare Bouma and the Bouma-Beast of the week are all playing each other to a ridiculous Murder by Death degree. It just doesn't work for me.

The Turboranger are still in Iyomishima when they encounter the latest Bouma Beast, Migratory Bird Bouma. He presents himself with a cool confidence of a warrior. When the Nagare Bouma show up, he kowtows to them, getting on their good side before he shows off his battle skills fighting the Turboranger. The Nagare Bouma are impressed until, suddenly, the Bouma-Beast comes across like he's all thumbs -- like a dunderhead, he ends up hurting himself in most of his attacks. The Nagare Bouma abandon him, disappointed. The monster flees, with the Turboranger in pursuit.

Daichi finds the monster, who botches yet another attack. The monster is a weeping, cowardly mess, and Daichi agrees to let him go, with the warning to never attack anyone again. So, Daichi's none too happy later on, when the Bouma-Beast is calling them out to fight once again, but the Bouma-Beast lays on the waterworks, saying he had no choice, that Yamimaru threatened him. He begs Daichi to seal him, that he can teach him the way. Riki and the others doubt this, knowing that the Bouma can only be sealed by fairies and Rakia. The Bouma-Beast claims that he knows a way that humans can do it, and that he'll teach them. Daichi goes along with it, reasoning that the ability to seal Bouma themselves would be a great asset, especially considering how the Bouma keep growing in strength.

Meanwhile, Dazai's having Shiron pore over her the magical fairy texts to research this weird-ass new opponent. There's no record of a "Migratory Bird Bouma," and the only reference to a Bouma particular to the area of Shikoku is a Bouma who enjoyed theatrics being sealed there.

The Bouma-Beast takes Daichi to a lake, where he says Daichi must strip and purify himself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka. Daichi does so, even handing over his Turbo Brace. As soon as the monster has his brace, the jig is up, and Nagare Bouma arrive to congratulate Migratory Bird Bouma. The monster doesn't comply, though, announcing his own intention to fight. To the surprise of everyone, Nagare Bouma included, the Bouma-Beast reveals himself to be Actor Bouma, who lives up to his name in being a show-off and over-the-top. Joke's on him, though, because the Turboranger figured out he wasn't trustworthy, and what he offered was too good to be true, so it turns out they were one step ahead and the Turbo Brace Daichi handed over was fake.

Meh... I guess it's supposed to be a change of pace that our heroes figured out the ruse and were one step ahead when we've seen the "hero who falls for a villain/monster's words" plot played straight numerous times. And maybe it's fitting to have the pragmatic Daichi not be fooled, but I think the episode would have been better if it was just played straight. Yeah, have Daichi be the only one who believed the Bouma-Beast; being the thinker, you could imagine him seeing the logic in the idea of having a Turboranger learn to seal Bouma on their own. So, against his better judgment, maybe he could have found the idea of learning how to seal Bouma too good to pass up, while the others were skeptical. (Especially once they get the info from Shiron about the "theatrical" Bouma sealed at Shikoku.)

But having Actor Bouma pull one over on the Nagare Bouma, while they think they're pulling one over on him, while he's pulling one over on the Turboranger, while they're pulling one over on him... They don't know we know they know we know! While the episode is trying to be comedic, it comes across as even goofier than I think they intend. Especially with how they depict the monster; with the episode title, with the showy and self-impressed way he acts, with his bird-like design, it just really reminds me of Space Beast Soldier Volta from Changeman's 21st episode. I get the impression Soda really wants to recreate that character and episode, but I don't think it fits here, especially since it's not saying anything the way that Changeman episode did. (It wasn't just about a silly, egotistical monster, but about war propaganda, manipulating media coverage and celebrity shills.) If this was just the requisite random-goofy episode before the final stretch, I might cut it a little more slack. But we still end up getting one of those, a very terrible one of those, so that's not the case.

Random note: When the Turboranger defeat Actor Bouma, we're shown that he's enlarged by the remains of Ragon. DUNDUNDUNNNNNNNNH.

3 comments:

  1. Hey there Shougo, sorry I've been absent for a while (life stuff happened). Just caught up on all your posts and rewatched all the eps to them. I also realized the last few times I commented on here, I accidentally used my other account (Alexander Washburn). Whoops. ^^;

    My thoughts on all the eps you've covered since the last time:

    34. This episode works out so much better than it has any right to. The way Yamimaru simply wants to humiliate both the humans and Zuruten as an act of revenge. I feel it really follows the style of the Nagare Bouma in the second half of the show ever since Kirika joined in. This is honestly imo a pretty big deal in terms of Yamimaru's character.
    Also, is it just me, or does the food Yamimaru eats in the flashback pretty tasty looking? xD

    35. I do find this episode decently fun. But yeah, it's not very believable for a lot of the reasons you mentioned. Which is a shame. Though even more of a shame that the 2nd half of the show is kinda alternating between a good ep and a mediocre ep. I enjoy it, but it's sadly tripping up quite a bit. Kirika and Yamimaru deserved better.

    36. This is a really great episode for Kirika.
    I do however have one slight nitpick with it though. I can't help but think this ep would've been stronger if it was a Riki ep, instead of a Shunsuke ep? I mean, I know poor Shunsuke gets the least to do. And this was a nice ep for him to star in. But I feel like Kirika just has more ties to Riki? I dunno, it kinda reminds me of that one Liveman episode of Mazenda's clone. Great ep, but it may have had more umph if it was a Yuusuke ep, instead of Jou. But yeah, I dunno, I feel like the ties of Kirika/Shunsuke never really get brought up again, so I kinda can't help but feel like this ep is slightly in it's own little world compared to the rest of the show. Nitpick aside though, fantastic ep.~

    37. Sigh. I'm a little disappointed in this ep. I remember enjoying it quite a bit before. But upon this rewatch... it was just kinda okay to me. Like, there's definitely a lot of sweet things in this ep. But like you said, the plot is pretty meh. I also don't get why they just bring up the whole idea of people regaining faith and being able to see fairies, only to never use the idea ever again. Maybe cause it's late into the run? Just seems like a big missed opportunity to me. And after how many cool ideas they dropped from eps 29/30 not long ago, this just feels like a really frustrating tease, which never goes anywhere. And again, it's too bad the episode quality keeps going up and down from ep to ep. Some work great. Others are clearly just going through the motions.

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  2. 38. I love this ep. This style of strangeness is precisely what I expect from the Bouma and just Turboranger in general. Great stuff!~ =D
    I think my only slight nitpick with this ep though is again, I'm not sure Shunsuke really quite resonates as much in this ep as he should. I dunno, but the Fire/Ice Brothers ep still remains as THE Shunsuke ep to me. Otherwise... he kinda just feels like he's sometimes treated as a typical youngster blue? Not that that's bad. I still like the guy, and he works well enough. But I feel he's really losing to Riki, or even Youhei and Haruna for that matter.

    39. This ep is a legend. And I agree with how Takeshi Watabe just gives Ragorn this spine chilling laugh and voice in general. Great stuff. I want to say more nice things, but I think you've pretty much already said them all, lol.

    40. Has some neat bits. But overall I tend to try to forget this episode exists, since it makes no sense, for the reasons you stated (like the whole Kirika origins bits). Bit of a shame that this is the ep to succeed the awesome ep 39. I dunno how or why this episode turned out the way it did. It's so bad.

    41. LOL. Another cruddy episode. I never understood the point of this ep. They hype up the Bouma-Beast at the end of ep 40 like he's going to be some big new threat to the show, and then they just wuss out at the end with this ep hard. Geez, the 2 eps to succeed ep 39... I would've rather just skipped them tbh. I'm a tad bit disappointed in how wonky the pacing has kinda been in the 2nd half of this show upon rewatch. Ah well. I still enjoy it a lot though. And there's some good eps coming up!~ Keep up the good work Shougo! These posts have been fantastic! ^__^

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  3. Hey! Love the Purple Rain reference in the 5th paragraph!!

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