Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger: Episode 22 Review

The opening scene involved Gai handing out the scrapbook-style Super Sentai Encyclopaedia, documenting the powers, abilities and weaponry of the past 34 teams. I found it funny that Gai went through all this effort just to educate the others, although, he probably had a lot of fun while making them.

The main story of this episode follows Gai, Joe and Shouta. Shouta made a promise to his friend, Daigo, to meet at the top of Mt. Kamikura to watch a meteor shower. In amongst Shouta’s efforts to cycle to the top, he is chased by the Zangyack after overhearing their plan. Usually I don’t like child actors in Super Sentai because of their acting abilities (or inabilities), but the actors who played Shouta and Daigo weren’t bad. Gai and Joe are the first to meet Shouta, and therefore make it their duty to protect him from the Zangyack.

The Zangyack’s plan is to summon a meteor to hit Earth, by using a Power Stone located on the top of Mt. Kamikura. It seems very convenient for the plot that the Power Stone is located on the same mountain that Shouta and Daigo are meant to meet.

We see the full-team Gokai Changes of Goseiger, Dairanger and Ohranger in this episode. I always like it when we see a full team, even outside of a tribute episode. I’m surprised we didn’t see the Goseiger full team any earlier since it was the most recent season, although, maybe the writers thought a break from Goseiger was needed. During the Ohranger Gokai Change we see an Ohranger-inspired finisher. I would like to see these types of finishers used more in tribute episodes as I mentioned in the Episode 21 review.

I liked the mecha fight in this episode because it didn’t feel like it was just an obligatory fight. This fight continued the plot of the meteor. GouJyuJin being launched into space by GokaiOh to destroy the meteor was cool, as was the subsequent ‘victory pose’ shot following the meteor’s destruction.

GRADE

I give this episode a 3/5. While this wasn’t a bad episode, I didn’t think it was great; it was decent.

The full Dairanger team might cause a problem if this was adapted into Power Rangers. This could be resolved by having them transform into the Mighty Morphin Rangers, meaning that the White Ranger/Kibaranger footage could be kept.