Changeman Episodes 1-7

 

2/2, Episode 1 -- "It's Arrived! The Secret Power!"

Here we go. It all starts here, and a jam-packed episode it is, just one hit after another to get things really rolling. Ibuki pushing his soldiers to the limit, knowing the horror that awaits named Gozma. Our villains are brutal bastards, wisely choosing military as their first targets, and not holding back. There's a lot of JAC effort in this episode, between the military training scenes and all of the crazy wirework they do for the first Change battles.

People criticize Ibuki in this episode for harsh tactics, when you really understand his motivation by the end of the series. These critics say Ibuki endangers his soldiers for a power he "doesn't even know will appear," but he's not sending them out specifically to get slaughtered by the Gozma in that first attack. His training is brutal, obviously, but he's looking for the best of the best. He anticipated Gozma, he knows of the Earth Force, but he didn't "send them out to get killed hoping to accidentally stumble upon the Earth Force." He couldn't know Buuba and the monster Gabuu would show up and slaughter a bunch of soldiers. Besides, later episodes show that the Soldier Group members had once endured Ibuki's training and didn't make the cut, so...his methods are rough, but he's not just butchering people.

Also, keep an eye out for the Changeman suit actors playing some of the soldier extras. Kazuo Niibori is easy to spot as a soldier on the wrong end of Buuba's scythe. And the scene with the soldiers being killed is a little rough -- I think Gabuu biting down on one soldier's head is one of the more gruesome kills in a toku. One interesting touch: all of the soldiers seen are wearing a Change Brace. Ibuki may not have known when the Earth Force would hit, but he was damned ready for when it would.

 

2/9, Episode 2 -- "The Wrath of Star King Bazuu"

This episode is mainly "Look at our cool hideout! Look at our cool toys! Look at our cool moves!" Just a continuation of introducing all of the awesome stuff that is Changeman and establishing the characters, their arsenal, their surroundings...and their threats.

The episode lives up to its title, with our seeing what a bastard Bazuu is, with the revelation that he's holding his soldiers' homes hostage and threatening them with that. (He causes Gator to piss himself in terror!) There's also a gross-out plan involving Space Beast Soldier Goomu liquefying humans for Shiima to drink just for funsies.

Highlight: the Changeman strutting through their base like rock stars, with the other officers being all "It's Changeman," followed by the impromptu surprise test attack by the Soldier Group. Ibuki's mind games continue!

 2/16, Episode 3 -- "Scrum! Soldier Group"

A lot of these initial episodes are just establishing episodes. Not much going on story-wise, but a getting to know the characters. This one's about the scope of the Earth Defense Force and the Soldier Group. Another thing these early episodes focus on is the general weirdness of the monsters of the week. Thinking about it, it's kind of the first Sentai to depict monsters in such a weird way, in terms of their looks or abilities. Up until Changeman, most were just generic monsters or mutants, usually based on animals or objects, but I guess they really wanted to play up the alien angle here, depict strange new SPECIES, not just a bear monster with a pencil arm or something. I know monster designer Yutaka Izubuchi has said he felt a freedom in designing the monsters, feeling excited at creating new species and monster types.

Tsurugi learns the lesson of knowing when to rely on his comrades, which seems small, but I've seen some toku shows that take a character dozens of episodes to learn this. Tsurugi's rebellious streak doesn't quite end here, though, so maybe the lesson didn't completely take. But, still...

Also, this episode kick starts Dragon's rivalry with Buuba, with some nice motorcycle action thrown in the mix.

 

 2/23, Episode 4 -- "A Kiss After the Battle"

This episode is widely mocked, and I don't think it's fairly assessed. It's supposed to show that Hayate has more shades than he appears. He leads the others to think he's shirking patrol duty to help some dame, when he's really being kindhearted and helping a kid. We also get some creepy background on Shiima that the show ultimately doesn't end up going further with. (Hinting that she could have a grotesque form and the Shiima we see is transformed from Uuba's milk.)

Highlights include Hayate using a SPECTRE-issued Rosa Klebb knife shoe and a brief appearance by Yutaka Hirose. Also: Shiima voice actor Michirou Iida's (intentionally) hilarious attempt at trying to sound feminine when Shiima's in disguise.

 

 3/2, Episode 5 -- "Pegasus's Arrest Orders"

In this episode, Yuuma lies his ass off at an Earth Defense Force hearing and nearly gets the Dengeki Sentai disbanded. OK, some of that is due to Gozma blackmailing Earth Defense Force Commander Johnson with the kidnapping of his granddaughter, but...Yuuma still lies his ass off. It shows his youth, the growing he has yet to do.

This episode's plot might be on the thin side -- the Gozma are after a crystal which fell to Earth, which Yuuma pocketed in hopes of getting some cash to one day open his own restaurant -- but I like the action sequences. First, you have Tsurugi riding his motorcycle into the building with Yuuma's hearing to bust him out. Second, you have the awesome sequence where Change Dragon acts as a diversion at the house where Gozma is holding Johnson's granddaughter, while Griffin fights his way through a room of Hidora to reach her and take her to safety via dangling from Heli-Changer 2. It's a cool little scene of an operation that nicely displays some of their skills as soldiers. And I like the way they trick Space Beast Soldier Pikara into entering the cave, ready to have it collapse in on him by blasting it apart with Land Changer 3.

Also worth noting: the debut of the song "Fight! Change Robo."

 

 3/9, Episode 6 -- "High School Girls Targeted"

This episode is probably mostly known for being part of the clips package in Gaoranger VS Super Sentai. It's a fun little episode that starts off with Mermaid being an unwilling passenger of Phoenix's as she takes Heli-Changer 2 out for a joyride (!). The monster of the week, Maazo, brings a neat little bit of backstory for Giluke, as Ahames is first mentioned -- when Giluke and Ahames attempted to betray Bazuu, Giluke partnered up with Maazo in trying to take Bazuu down directly. I always thought it was neat for the show to mention Ahames by name -- and show a glimpse of her via illustration -- 11 episodes before she appears.

 

3/16, Episode 7 -- "Sorrowful Space Beast Soldier!"

I've always been kind of mixed on this episode. It has some interesting ideas, utilizing old theories about aliens having once visited Earth and leaving behind structures or knowledge or helping shape civilization. With Tarou, the human disguise of the Space Beast Soldier Demos, the show has its first villain who shows signs of goodness. Tarou is touched by Tsurugi's dedication to protecting Earth and begins to turn against Gozma, and Bazuu leaves him no choice by permanently transforming him into Demos. There's a fan favorite shot of Tsurugi running through a line of Hidora in order to get to Demos and try to reason with him, to the Tarou within, and there's a cool action scene in the middle of the episode as Tsurugi and Tarou are ganged up on by Hidora, but...

Something about the episode doesn't click for me. I don't think the episode wants to commit to the idea that Tarou's Earth Force-like power could be a progenitor to Earth Force, and some of the ideas it brings up are danced around like that. Tarou, just as he's offering answers, is conveniently intercepted by Bazuu. (This is the first episode to not be written by the show's main writer, Hirohisa Soda, which might explain some of this non-commitment.) Secondly, Tarou's actor, Masahiko Abe, is just awkward and weird and doesn't really do the job.

This is the rare episode where Tsurugi befriends a male alien, though. Fans give him this Captain Kirk-like reputation that he's always conveniently bailing out female aliens. Stop trying to tarnish Tsurugi's reputation like that!

The episode has a neat night shoot, and a cool scene where the four other Changeman aren't transforming at Tsurugi's request (so he can reason with Demos), until they go against him when the fight becomes too much. (And, c'mon, that bit with Hayate combing the Hidora's hair is funny.)