Mission 31
Forest! Night! Panting! Who is this? Why are they running? Oh look, it’s Kotoha! (Wouldn’t it be amazing if it was Kotoha? She’s actually one of my favourite characters ever in life) She’s actually Shelly, and she’s being chased by a rhino-guy. She is soon struck with some lighting powers and falls to the floor. It’s not looking good for her. Meanwhile, the Go-Busters are alerted of an unknown energy signature – no Enetron leakage, no Megazords…just an unknown energy. Hmm. They quickly arrive at the scene and the Rhino-guy fades away in the shadows. The Go-Busters turn their attention to Shelly –
“I’m Shelly. I came to Earth with Space Sherriff Gavan.”
CROSSOVER ALERT. GRATUITOUS CROSSOVER ALERT. Cut to Gavan, fighting some people. I presume their the footsoliders of his villains. I’ll just say it right here, all my Gavan knowledge comes from the Gokaiger vs Gavan movie…so, it’s fairly limited (and I haven’t watched the movie since it was first subbed so it’s been a while…) I’m just indifferent to Gavan as a whole, but his suit in night scenes – LOVE. Can Gavan just always appear in the night? I’d appreciate that.
Shelly is taken to the EMC where she tells us non-Gavan folk what Gavan is. He’s a Space Sherriff…He fights the Space Crime Syndicate Makuu…That Rhino-guy is the last remnant known as Rhino Doubler. Shelly and Gavan were chasing Rhino Doubler, but they were separated in a dimensional rift. I love how Yoko asks if Shelly is from space after hearing that massive Info-dump. They all seem fascinated that they’re ‘communicating with a foreign culture’, but it’s also quite ‘yeah, you’re from space, cool.’ I doubt I’d be so calm in that situation…but it’s TV, so anything goes! And then Kurorin decides to help with the whole searching-for-Gavan-palooza. The team split up – Yoko and Shelly go one way, and everyone else another.
Shelly first takes Yoko to the top of a skyscraper, and while Shelly enjoys the views, Yoko questions whether Shelly’s choice of locations will help find Gavan. Yoko quickly discovers that Shelly is eating some of her chocolate and then she collapses. Right on cue. To fix this, Shelly takes Yoko to a café and orders about 10 different deserts for Yoko. Shelly –
“You should be okay with this, right?”
Okay, I love Shelly. I do wonder though if I would like her this much if she wasn’t played by Kotoha’s actress. I’d probably still like her for that line alone. Oh, and then she tries to pay with a diamond! Shelly continues to drag Yoko around, but they are soon attacked by Rhino Doubler and sent into a wormhole or something.
The two land in an amusement park. AN AMUSEMENT PARK OF DOOM or something. It’s a Makuu Dimension apparently, where rabid/murderous animal-costumed people are common. Yeah, Yoko and Shelly are attacked by them…but they quickly escape their grasps and run. They run through a doorway…into the Gekiranger public baths! They’re attacked by some people and Yoko makes a lame pun about a battle (‘sentou’) in a bath (also ‘sentou’). Shelly even points out that it’s lame. AMAZING. LOVE. And then Shelly turns into a bird. Yes, a bird…
Cut to a creepy concrete corridor of sorts. A shadowed figure speaks to a Metaroid and some Buglers. Who is this? Could it be? ENTER! Back at the EMC, there’s some news. A Megazord is being transported! The Go-Busters deploy, but Hiromu heads for the site where Yoko disappeared. Hiromu and Nick arrive, and soon, Nick is attacked by a guy. Elsewhere, Ryuuji fights that Metaroid and Rhino Doubler watches. They are also sent to the Makuu Dimensinon. In this Makuu Dimension, Yoko and Shelly have resorted to hiding in a…classroom. But it’s not safe! The model skeleton starts to fire lasers and the head rolls off and grows and chases them and it’s just so weird! Wow. The two manage to run into another classroom, escaping the Giant Skull of Doom, and Shelly is sure that Gavan will save them. And then, from seemingly nowhere, Ryuuji and a Metaroid appear! Yoko and Ryuuji morph and Shelly turns into…a bird.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Hiromu manages to break up the fight between the guy and Nick. The guy reveals himself as Jumonji Geki: Space Sherriff Gavan. They receive a call from Jin and J, saying that a wormhole-thing has opened. There’s some generic ‘Red Ranger Team Up Conflict’ as I call it and they’re attacked by Buglers – giving Geki a chance to show off some of his skills. At the same time, a Megazord appears so Jin and J get on with that. And then it’s time – ‘Jouchaku!’ – Gavan appears! Complete with the narrator annoyingly rewinding time and all that jazz. Gavan and Red Buster defeat the Buglers and hop onto their transport- Nick in Bike Mode (Does it have a name? Wikipedia time!) and Saibarian (Yes, Wikipedia told me that…). Now, Saibarian might’ve looked cool in the 80s…but here it just looks…I don’t even know….just weird. I laughed out loud when I first saw it since it didn’t know that Saibarian existed prior to the scene – ‘Oh my god, WHAT IS THAT? HAHA’. The scene of Gavan and Red Buster riding their vehicles was cool though…well, until they just TOOK OFF AND FLEW INTO THE WORMHOLE. WHAT.
We return to the Makuu Dimension where Shelly, Blue Buster and Yellow Buster are being attacked by that Metaroid in The Quarry until they’re saved by Red and Gavan! After some formalities, an awesome battle ensues. I can’t even explain why it was awesome…it seems it was just too much for me to even comprehend. Anyway, the Metaroid is destroyed and in the real world, the Megazord is destroyed.
EMC TIME! Gavan and Shelly announce that the Galactic Police Federation will be staying on Earth for the time being (…and Shelly and Geki look ridiculous in those costumes). Geki asks for the Go-Busters help in their fight against the Makuu for now. I really wasn’t expecting this. I was expecting the generic ‘Stay out of our way, Go-Busters!!’ scenario…so I’m glad they didn’t go with that.
I found this episode enjoyable, even though I’m not really a Gavan fan. I’m not sure if I want to watch the Gavan Movie though. Even though it’ll have KotoShelly, it’ll have Geki…and I don’t like Geki. At all. Anyway, 4/5.
Mission 32
The episode begins with Morishita giving a report. His findings – The Makuu Dimension is different from the Subdimension…and the wormholes are controlled by Rhino Doubler’s lever. And that’s it. Morishita just states the obvious and sits back down. I love it. The Go-Busters and Gavan don’t though; they were expecting a little more. Quote Yoko – “I hate to say this, but we were there.” Hiromu is displeased and criticizes it for not qualifying as a ‘report’, but Morishita just replies with a simple and emotionless ‘sorry’. Usada compares Hiromu’s harshness against his own harshness when speaking to Yoko…Ryuuji says it would be better if everyone was a worrywart like Gorisaki…and J is banging on the entrance demanding Enetron. EVERYONE IS ARGUING/TALKING/WHATEVER. CHAOS. Geki and Shelly just watch, questioning their sanity. CUE ALARM.
The five Go-Busters and Gavan fight Rhino Doubler on a rooftop, and great moves such as ‘Gavan Kick’…otherwise known as simply a ‘Kick’ are used. Amusingly, J’s Enetron runs out half way through and he just collapses, allowing Rhino Doubler to retreat. Gavan doesn’t seem impressed. Back at the EMC, Morishita overhears Shelly and Geki saying that the Buddyroids and Staff don’t seem that reliable and that the Go-Busters don’t seem to trust each other. Morishita escapes to the rooftop (which I’m pretty sure I’ve seen in every episode this season…and every episode of Fourze) where Nakamura finds him. Nakamura suggests that they find a way of communicating with the Go-Busters in the Makuu Dimension if they return, seeing as they couldn’t last time. Morishita isn’t enthusiastic seeing as apparently they aren’t that reliable. He suggests they just leave it to Gavan. Nakamura isn’t having any of this though and she reminds him of the honour of supporting the Go-Busters. This inspires Morishita to go to the Dimensional Research Centre (because apparently that’s a thing now…) and ask for assistance in contacting the Makuu Dimension…and they simply agree.
Elsewhere, Rhino Doubler is confronted by Enter who offers to help him. If they join forces, they’ll achieve their goals quicker. Back at the DRC, with some typing and editing of schematics, the contact-Makuu-Dimension-project is nearly complete. But DISASTER! Rhino Doubler appears and transports them to the Makuu Dimenion…but Morishita was clever enough to sneak a laptop with him! At the EMC, the whole crew are aware of the disappearance of the DRC members, but not Morishita’s (they didn’t even know he was there, so it makes sense). Nakamura seems concerned that he hasn’t returned though. Geki suspects that they were Makuu’d, so they get onto that.
The scientists of Morishita awaken in a prison cell. They seem quite panicked, except for Morishita who is certain the Go-Busters will save them. At that point, he takes out his laptop and continues the work. In the real world, the Go-Busters and Gavan fight Rhino Doubler again! (and of course, when Gavan morphs, they do the whole narrator thing again. Ugh).They’re soon re-sent to the Makuu Dimension where the fight continues…and Enter reveals himself! The fights become pretty weird – taking place on Saturn (I know…weird), in a graveyard or something, and ends up with Yellow and Blue running away from a boulder before coming across the prison cell! Blue simply pulls the prison cell apart with his strength and the scientists and Morishita are freed! The whole team regroup to face Rhino Doubler. Morishita finishes his little project-thing, allowing the Go-Busters to use their weapons in the Makuu Dimension! And soon, Rhino Doubler is defeated, and the team return to Earth.
But what’s this? Enter can make Rhino Doubler grow? Sure… Another wormhole opens…but it’s a Subdimension wormhole! Enter has combined the Subdimension and the Makuu Dimension and is now trying to suck up this world! (Okay…). Great Go-Buster is deployed and Gavan joins the fight with Starbeast Dol (as Wikipedia calls it). Shutdown Complete.
In a park, the Go-Busters, Gavan and Shelly (who was pretty much useless in the story sadly) say their goodbyes. Gavan and Shelly teleport away and whatnot. Hiromu then turns to Morishita and thanks him before revealing that he didn’t even notice he was gone…and Yoko didn’t either.
This episode. It was fine. I’m glad Morishita finally had some development…but seeing as this was the second part of the Gavanpalooza, I thought Gavan and Shelly wouldn’t be so pointless. Ah well. 3/5.