EPISODE 50
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the mecha battle at the beginning since it was completely different to regular end-of-the-episode battles. It was also a good opportunity to show off some Grand Powers that were previously unseen. The most interesting for me was Megaranger’s Grand Power which provided GouJyuJin with MegaWinger’s wings.
The cameo appearances were nice, especially since some of them weren’t even Rangers. We haven’t seen much of recurring characters returning and the only ones I can recall are Sha-Fu (Gekiranger) and Emiri (Abaranger). Magiranger is one of my favourite seasons so seeing Yuka Yamazaki was especially good for me. It was also nice to see a cameo from the boy from Episode 2 since it forms a full circle (appearing in the episode after the first and then the episode before the last).
I was really surprised at the Gokaigers destroying the Greatest Treasures since it’s been constantly mentioned as the Gokaigers’ goal. Although, I think its better that they didn’t use it since it could be seen as a dues ex machina or a MacGuffin otherwise. The scene where the Gokaigers come to terms with the fact the Earth needs Super Sentai was excellent; from the acting, to the cinematography and even to the music.
During the battle against Dairandou and the Gormin at the end, I noticed that some shots of GokaiYellow and GokaiBlue were recycled from the battle in Episode 1. I’m still not completely sure why this happened. The short Zyuranger fight was good and was the perfect opportunity to use DragonRanger’s shield. It would’ve been nice to see the entire team fight as Zyuranger, but I’m happy with what was shown.
EPISODE 51
I thought it was a bit odd to leave the final battle with Dairandou was left to the final episode seeing as he wasn’t a main villain. I would understand if Insaan was left for the final since she was there since the beginning, but not Dairandou. I did like the battle though, particularly because it involved DekaMaster wielding Zuuban which looked really awesome.
I like how the Gokaigers utilized Basco’s Free Joker. It’s the small details like this that I really love since the Free Joker could’ve easily been ignored and forgotten. I also found it hilarious how Navi was piloting it and he finally got to say the iconic phrase ‘hade ni ikuze!’ before getting thrown out of there by Marvelous.
I’m so happy that we got to see the Gokaigers helmetless, even if it was for a brief moment. It would’ve been awesome if there was a helmetless fight, but I’m perfectly fine with what we had. The following ‘spam Gokai Change’ fight following was awesome and I particularly liked how teams were grouped together (for example, car-themed teams Go-onger, Carranger and Turboranger used together; ninja-themed teams Hurricaneger and Kakuranger; dinosaur-themed teams Abaranger and Zyuranger…). The pace of this scene was really fast which made it stand out and feel more climactic compared to previous fights. I don’t know what I think about the use of the ‘Super Rangers’. While it did look cool, it came out of nowhere.
I do like how Akudosu was defeated by the Gokaigers’ Final Wave and Galleon Buster rather than by the powers of a previous Sentai team. It shows that the Gokaigers have become their own Super Sentai team rather than constantly relying on previous powers.
I didn’t really like the scene with the children and the Gokaigers since it felt really cheesy to me. However, I did appreciate the purpose of the scene and I liked how to the Gokaigers just simply walked away from the children.
The scenes following this were perfect in my opinion with Marvelous returning the Ranger Keys to their original owners and this was scene where it really hit me that Gokaiger was ending. During this scene, we see a cameo from AkaRed. I was expecting there to be a lot more of AkaRed in the finale, but I’m not too disappointed that this didn’t happen. This scene is followed by some cameos which I really loved (again, especially Houka/Magi Pink due to my love of Magiranger). I would’ve liked this scene to be a lot longer to involve all the Rangers that had previously appeared, but understandably, there are time restraints. The last few shots of the Gokaigers ‘sailing away’ to the Zangyack’s home planet was great and I’m glad their adventure is continuing (even if it is off-screen).
GRADES
I give these two episodes a 5/5. While they both had some faults, I mostly enjoyed them and thought they were a fitting end to one of my favourite seasons. I wouldn’t say Gokaiger is my favourite season, but it’s definitely up there (and not just because of the anniversary aspect). Gokaiger didn’t rely on the anniversary aspect too much and proved in most episodes and especially this finale that it could stand on its own.
Earlier into the season, I was really saddened by the thought that Gokaiger would be ending at some point. However, after reaching this point and while I’ll still miss Gokaiger, I think it’s time to move on to a completely different season.
It’s time for Buster!