People will be like "Oh, the turned-into-a-kid trope, that stock plot," or whatever, but...this was the first time a Sentai had done it, and it's not done for laughs or as a gimmick as it typically is, but in a more meaningful way that brings together a lot of the show's themes. AND this episode solves one mystery, creating another.
What's strange about this episode is that I don't feel like we're entirely clear on what Mess hopes to obtain with this monster, but rather than feel like a plot hole or loose end, that's OK, because the episode chooses to instead focus on Dai's trauma and this week's big hero, Setsuko Tokimura. (I guess their plan was to turn all of the Flashman into kids to make them easy pickins, but they're only successful with Dai.)
It's just an ordinary day of patrolling for the Flashman when they get ambushed by a Mess attack. The latest Beast Soldier attacks Dai, wrapping him in a shroud which gradually reverts him back to childhood. (Props once again to, um, props/costumes, for recreating Dai's outfit in kid size. Both his current Earth outfit and, later in a flashback, the funky get-up from the Flash planet.) Dai doesn't recognize the Flashman, his memory apparently being set back to the age he's been turned back to. He doesn't recognize Earth, expecting Green Star. Seeing a small dog scares him. Nothing the Flashman say helps him, and he runs off in pure terror and confusion. Being told by the others that he's on Earth, he becomes totally focused on the idea of finding his mother. (In a pretty sad scene, he's looking in on a house where two kids are being read a story as they fall asleep by their mother; Dai ends up spending the night in a junkyard, sleeping in a pipe, alone and cold.)
The next morning, Jin's asked Setsuko Tokimura if she could pose as Dai's mother and comfort him and at least get him to stop running off and putting himself in danger. Dai awakens to her calls, joyful. She brings him food, and he's so overjoyed to have found his mom that he can barely even eat. The Flashman are grateful to the Tokimuras and relieved to see Dai calmed. And then...it all comes crashing down. Kaura appears. "Dai...that woman's not your mother." Words that echo and stab Dai like a blade, sending him once again into his panic. So, Kaura's just provided a piece of the series-long puzzle -- DAI IS OUT OF THE RUNNING for the "Who is the Tokimura?" game. Setsuko pleads with Dai to not listen to him, but he's soon running away once more, with Jin condemning Kaura for being so damn cruel. Setsuko has a point -- can they even trust Kaura? Probably, just because he's trying to be viciously cruel here. But he's also not a liar, which is something we'll find out in a few more episodes.
Keflen rips Kaura a new one for interfering, thinking the situation was best left to play out as it was. Kaura claims he did it in the interest of the plan succeeding, claiming that if Dai believed he found his mother, that their love might be enough to undo the monster's spell, as it were. Some of that might be true, but...c'mon. Kaura was just being a dick, too. And it's an interesting move on the part of the writers to remove one of the Flashman from the running so soon.
Kid Dai can't catch a break and is constantly grabbed by either Wanda, Ulk or Kiruto before managing to break away. (He retains his super strength, so he at least knocks off a few Zoros with ease.) At one point, he's knocked off a cliff, and is grabbed by...Setsuko! Injured and bleeding, she pours all of her strength and soul to pull Dai back to safety. After seeing her struggle, Dai comes to the conclusion that she HAS to be his mother after all, after putting up such a fight to save him. But before anybody can have any happiness, the monster appears and puts his shroud over the two of them, Mess threatening to revert both back to infants. Dai's frightened, while Setsuko tries to comfort him, telling him not to be afraid even though she visibly is. She begins to cry and...her tears, falling upon Dai, break through the monster's shroud and undo his work, turning Dai back into an adult. (So, Kaura was telling the truth at least about one thing -- that love could be the monster's undoing. Keflen and Deus laughed him off, probably because they're typical villains whose only concept of love is how much they love themselves.) Setsuko's unconscious, with the Flashman entrusting the professor to get her to safety as they go off to fight the monster.
Surprise turn number two...after the battle, we're shown the next day, as Setsuko's being wheeled out of the hospital. She claims that the shock of enduring the monster attack has caused her to regain her memories of 20 years ago, and she knows now that it their baby that was kidnapped was female. The Flash guys are shocked in a bad way, the Flash ladies shocked in a hopeful way. The Tokimuras have come to be an important part of the Flashman's life on Earth, but you can tell Sara and Ruu always felt kinda left out in the previous Tokimura adventures, because of the professor being so sure it was a son that was taken. (Why can't they give the professor a first name, dammit? I'm tired of typing "the professor.") The professor, by the way, it a bit of an oddball in this last scene. Jin and Bun are obviously pretty heartbroken to hear Setsuko's news, and he's just kinda laughing off his misremembering like "Eh, what can ya do? All y'all babies look alike!" You can't hate the guy, though, he's supposed to be somewhat kooky. He just seems easygoing. And he gets a nice bit earlier in the episode when Jin's thanking him and his wife for going along with his plan and the professor's like "Of course we'll help with this kind of thing, don't be silly."
I just like this episode. It could have been goofy, but it's far from it. (Like I said; the hero being turned to a kid is something that IS played for laughs in most of the subsequent shows that use it.) It's a nice, strong, heartfelt episode with big reveals, great Kaura moments, and finally gives Setsuko Tokimura more to do, and she really delivers. Tamie Kubota gives a great performance in this episode, and Noritake Kohinata is also pretty good as kid Dai. The character's state is a constant panic and he's often crying and that could have easily turned out annoying, but he never is, and you really feel bad for him.
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