Mission 15
The obvious place to start this review is to talk about the new characters – Masato Jin and Beet J Stag. Some fans may recognize Masato Jin’s actor Hiroya Matsumoto who previous played Tsubasa Ozu/Magi Yellow. I loved Magiranger so I’m perfectly happy with this casting decision, even if Tsubasa wasn’t my favourite character. The character of Jin however, I’m not really a fan. He just hasn’t given me any reason to like him yet but I do like his not-so-professional attitude. I also like that Jin has a relation to Ryuuji rather than being just another random person because it provides some interesting story opportunities for future episodes. I’m still indifferent to J at this point, but I’m sure he’ll get something eventually. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Yuuto and Deneb’s from Kamen Rider Den-O, but nowhere near as good. I do however like the mystery that surrounds him since he was thought to have disappeared 13 years ago. This adds something to the show that was needed to keep it fresh.
I have to say, I really liked Soujikiroid, especially his creation scene where the woman is using her vacuum and it just disappears. For some reason, I found this amusing. I don’t think I’ve commented on this before, but I enjoy how the individual Metaroids have different and unique ways to steal Enetron – Soujikiroid’s being ‘vacuuming’ the Enetron from machines, vehicles and whatever else.
I love the look of both Stag and Beet Buster. I’m not sure about the concept of Beet Buster stealing Beet J Stag’s armour since it just overcomplicates things when Beet Buster is morphed and J isn’t. Also, I’m not fond of Beet Busters’ thigh pads – they just don’t look right to me. But apart from those minor issues, I love them. I especially love the Morphin Blaster; something completely different to the Morphin Brace but keeping the same functions. I kind of want one. Also, their theme song: awesomeness.
I didn’t feel like there was a lot of plot in this episode but rather the episode just decided to focus on the new characters. I thought the episode was decent so I give it a 3/5.
Mission 16
The episode begins with an attack on the EMC; well actually, it’s just Beet J Stagg trying to get in. Nick makes an interesting point – “It’s like an old drunk guy trying to return home”. I found this whole scene hilarious and it made me like Beet J Stag a lot more. It’s later revealed that Jin took all the Enetron from the last episode for himself and told J to go to the Go-Busters for his own share of Enetron. I do enjoy this aspect of Jin and J’s relationship, even if I’m not a huge fan of the ‘comedic’ aspect. Also, for some reason, I find his cans of Enetron amusing. Another thing: ‘Kurorin’ – AMAZING. I’m glad they’re poking fun at the Commander since he’s been pretty boring so far.
I like how the Go-Busters actively seek out answers from Jin and J in this episode rather than dragging the mystery out. As much as I love mysteries, I’d rather the team actively work towards figuring it out. After an awesome battle between Red Buster and Beet Buster and after Parabolaroid and Enter interrupt, both Jin and Enter disappear after an explosion. Then, Jin and Enter rematerialize and it is revealed that Jin is actually an avatar with his real body in the subdimension, explaining why Jin requires a large amount of Enetron. I love this detail as it leaves us asking more questions – Does this mean that Jin is indestructible? Will Jin’s body ever be recovered?
The following morph, roll call and battle are awesome. I found the part where J attempted to go before Jin in the roll call hilarious, but I hope they don’t have a gimmick in every roll call as it might cross into Akibaranger territory. Soon, we see the debut of Beet and Stag Buster’s Zords! (There needs to be a team name for those two. Hmm. The Beetle Busters?). They don’t do much in this episode, but it was still good to see them. I think they both look really cool and I’m looking forward to seeing more from them.
The last scene where the Busters are given a Christmas present from 13 years ago that Jin found in the subdimension. There’s not much to it, but it’s nice. Even after this scene, the episode ends on a comedic note as Nick walks in the wrong direction…twice. (I love Nick. He’s awesome.)
This episode provided some advancement in the plot and I really enjoyed it, therefore, I give this episode a 4/5.