*Episode 10*
Right at the start of this episode we get a huge backstory dump as Hakase tells the Akibarangers about her father’s past and her start in voice acting. Her father was a genius getting a doctorate at 21 but he never got over his anime loving side and worked fully on become an animator even leading into is divorce before getting his break on designing Z-Cune Aoi. His idea of Z-Cune was to make it dark and mature but the studio didn’t want that, he didn’t want to dumb down his idea and so got fired. He got a reputation for being hard to work with so couldn’t get another animation job and went back to science to pay child support. He discovered a parallel universe filled with an unknown type of particle that reacts to electric impulses in the human brain forming corresponding solids A.K.A. the delusion world. His research disappeared the same time he did.
Near the same time Hakase left college at 16 she tried voice acting and got a lead audition for Z-Cune. The Moe Moe Z-cunes where delivered to Hakase at the Aoi wrap party from her father. She thought it was a gesture of kindness but it was all part of his evil plan. After hearing the story the Akibas want to fight. Doctor Z brings a new commander over into the real world, Delu-Knight, and says he has no need for any more sub-section chiefs. Z plan on turning Akihabara, the town that worships Aoi, into hell.
The Akibaranger almost see a puppy get ran over but a “showa-style cool” guy saves it just in time and impresses Mitsuki and Yumeria. Delu-Knight attacks the Akibas and Mitsuki and Yumeria manage to transform in the real world but this seems to hurt Hakase. Delu-Knight is in a position to defeat the Akibarangers but Z stops him as he wants something to watch for lunch tomorrow. Later the cool guy turns up at the sentai café and is in fact an Interpol agent. He says the Moe Moe Z-cunes had a special trap built into them, a curse in a shape of a scorpion tattoo that will move till it reaches Hakase’s throat and she will lose her voice permanently. He has a suitcase of fake candles that represent the number of times they can transform like the Zyuranger Dragon Ranger arc. He tells them he is Hakase’s half-brother Tsuzuki Takuma. The café then gets a call from the pentagon and they want Nobuo to join them and so they get Tsuzuki to replace him.
GRADE
If you been following my reviews you already know what I’m going to say, I loved this episode. The plot is in full force and with only 2 episodes (and 1 recap/behind the scenes) left it is really heating up in the short episode time even in the official sentai series you don’t always get this much story. Doctor Z is an understandable villain but not overly sympathetic so he seems like a real threat and evil. Z relationship with his daughter and Malshina are both interesting and complicated. The explanation of the delusion world is a little far-fetch but very interesting. The show is very original but also full of references for long-time fans but fresh enough to look at though new eyes. The next couple of episodes seem short but I’m sure it will be worth it. 5/5