*Season 2 Episode 1*
Well here is something I was always looking forward to writing but never thought would actually happen, the Akibarangers got a second season but in true Akibaranger fashion it isn’t as plain as it seems. We start with a bang as the Akibarangers are blasted down by the Guerrilla Marketers in the same location Toei always seems to use for their large scale battles. After the usually never giving up cries that sentai always does the teams of Boukenger, Jetman and Dekaranger appear to help in the form of s.h. figuarts on sticks. They destroy Delu-Knight and the sub-section chiefs. Malshina brings out a giant robot from nowhere that she doesn’t know how to control and the Akibas call for their Itassha before Nobuo wakes up in an ally.
An unfinished opening plays complete with storyboards and someone holding Itassha robo, the song is also just a demo version with lots of lalahs to cover up lyrics. Was it unfinished on purpose for future plot, was it really not ready for broadcast or am I looking in to things too much. At the Sentai café Hakase mentions the café is going into the red. Nobuo turns up and she asked if he has seen the new Z-cune movies which are compilation movies with new material added in just like this episode of Akibaranger.
They start reminiscing over the time of the first season but for some reason events are different in this season. The Akibas getting scouted, first transformation and using the fake DekaRed to stop Nobuo quitting but where it stops being the same is the Pentagon attacking then recruiting Mitsuki in scenes that are clearly edited as Mitsuki’s hair changes length and bad green screen. The battle from the start of the episode shows but the official teams turn up for real this time with only three voice actors voicing all 15 of them. The battle lasts for 3 days and 9 hours and in the end they use the penultimate cannon to blow-up Delu-Knight. This time when Malshina robot appears it fight a toy Itassha robo and they defeat it with their shoots-from-the-head beam which is a can that knocks out Malshina and presses the robot’s self-destruct button. After that fight Mitsuki leaves for America and Moegi has to go take care of something.
Nobuo’s boss finds him hiding out at the sentai café and makes him get back to work. On one of his deliveries he goes by one of the toy stores and sees an Akibaranger toy. He asks the store manager, played by Dr Makai from Kamen Rider OOO with Bae from Gekiranger on his arm and his famous doll behind him, turns out Akibaranger has replaced Dairanger in the sentai timeline. The ending features the Akibaranger cast in famous sentai pictures.
GRADE
The first episode did a very good job explaining the differences of the new timeline and eases you back into the Akibarangers’ world. But the episode being a clip show felt like a recap and trailer that’s been mixed together. In certain parts I had to keep myself watching just to see new parts. The nods to the Super Hero Taisen movie where very well done and Toei clearly know this is a show for the fans while poking fun of themselves. The toy fights where all clear advertisement but they so over the top it was clever. I would have liked a completely original episode but it’s given me the taste for Akibaranger and I want more 4/5