No time to waste, friends, it’s about to go down on my review of Ressha Sentai ToQGer Station 40: ‘Who is He? He’s Who?’
We start out with a quick recap of the most salient points of Station 39 right up to Akira transforming and our story taking off from there.
Akira gives them a chance to leave without a fight, but these kids, so headstrong, still want to bring their friend back with them.
Which doesn’t exactly work out in their favor when Akira lashes out at them.
The ToQGers quickly transform and let’s get ready to rumble!
As they fight, obviously pulling their punches, they try to get Akira to tell them why he quit being a Rainbow Scout.
And he answers with a few kicks to the face because it’s none of their business. What’s done is done.
Right brings up the rainbows.
Akira, you said you were going to protect the rainbows? Akira, you love the rainbows! Akira, you said…
He’s now the Ranger Formerly known as Akira but actually the Shadow Zaram. Let the rain fall down.
Everyone’s really surprised that Akira’s Zaram again.
Schwarz shows up to prove that Zaram is back to being his bottom bitch and there’s nothing the ToQGers can do about it.
Zaram asks them why they all trippin, it’s not like him being gone is any skin of their nose, like really.
Tokatti, don’t you remember your pinky promise? You have to fight him when the time came or stick a cupcake in your eye, or is that a needle?
Pinky swears are legally binding contracts, Tokatti. You’re old enough to know exactly what you’re swearing to when you swear.
Schwarz and Zaram bounce, leaving everyone stunned.
On Schwarz’s Darkliner, he explains his plan to Zaram. He’s gonna ram the Castle with the train. Yes, that’s what he said.
Zaram isn’t quite sure that’s exactly the best way to go, but Schwarz assures him that he’s been hoarding darkness just for this.
As they ride forward, Zaram gets some jibblies, to which Schwarz attributes to being ready to fight, but we all know he’s just missing those kids.
Speaking of those kids, while chasing after the darkliner, they talk about Akira. How Kagura thought he would just tell them he was lonely, him saying that him not being around would change much of anything and in Hikari’s opinion that they didn’t mean as much to Akira as they thought.
Right immediately goes to Akira’s defense and Tokatti makes the point of how Akira may not even get why they wanted him to stay. That since he was a Shadow, friendship doesn’t come naturally for him.
Tokatti reckons that it was easier for Akira to go do what he needed to without worrying about fighting them and Mio points out that they all can’t really talk about their feelings either.
Looks like they’re gonna have to bring Akira back to show him how they feel.
In Castle Terminal, Nero’s anxious. He’s pacing a hole in the floor. Noire’s still hiding behind the curtain she thinks is hiding her, basically the same state we left them last episode.
Suddenly, the Castle begins to tremor, Nero throws open the lacy, gently wafting curtains to reveal Grita sitting on the throne!
Noire rushes out to her daughter, throwing Nero out of the way and he’s wondering what the hell happened to Zed.
They see him reflected in the mirror and Noire deduces that Grita was able to take control because of the darkness drought. She unfolds the fabric she’s been carrying to free Grita.
She blasts Nero out of the way as he tries to stop her, but is stopped by her daughter.
Grita tells her mother that she can’t leave Zed and Noire expresses her confusion and demands to know why. Grita stays silent.
As Noire reaches for Grita, her arm is grasped by Zed.
Noire accuses him of telling Grita things to get her to stay, which Zed denies, he compliments on the shine Noire shared with Grita and because of that she better step off. Which he punctuates by sending her flying off the balcony.
Seems like Schwarz’s Darkliner is in Castle Terminal space and is on a collision course, which means that Schwarz’s plan is working.
Schwarz and Zaram storm the throne room. They charge Nero and Zed, and just as Schwarz goes to strike Zed, Gritta appears. He hesitates and Zed uses the opportunity to draw first blood.
He changes into his Shadow form and jumps into battle, Zaram blocking his follow-up blow.
The fray stays pretty evenly matched until Zaram transforms into ToQ 6-gou. This was Schwarz’s plan all along, using the Rainbow Line power to defeat Zed when their powers were the strongest.
They clash, Zed ending the fight with a large wave of the black stuff, destroying the room, basic adolescent temper tantrum.
While everyone’s stunned, he makes off with Zaram like he’s Lupin the Third or something.
Inside Zed’s Darkliner, he hatches some kind of plan, using ToQ 6-gou’s power?
Back on the outside, the ToQGers, inside Drill Express, are just about to warp to Castle Terminal, when Zed’s Darkliner almost mows them down, dumping out ToQ 6-gou as it passes.
Everyone rushes out to help their unconcious uncomrade as Schwarz speeds by, noting that Zaram is not on the White Darkliner, so, by process of elimination, Zed should be alone. He boards the train and like The Crying Game, is surpised by what he finds.
Over on the Rainbow Line, Right and Tokatti are carrying their passed out pal over to somewhere to rest until Akira shrugs them off, taking a seat.
Everyone is kind of confused until Akira de-morphs…
Holy Body Swap, Batman! It’s Zed! So, that means Zaram is with Schwarz?! What a twist!
Basically, after Zed Shadownapped Zaram, he de-morphed, ganked Zaram’s shit and posed as him to get onto the Rainbow Line where he’d be safe from everybody that’s on his back.
#6’s powers will work with anyone, won’t they?
Zed suddenly shifts into Grita, surprising everyone again.Grita asks them for their help to stop Schwarz.
Mork hobbles into the throne room to find it royally fucked up. Nero starts to tell her what happened but she silences him because she basically knows already and when the Castle trembles again, they need to move out and fetch Zed post haste because shit is about to go down there.
On the Rainbow Line, Grita explains that she has to stay inside Zed, that the ToQGers need to stop Schwarz from freeing her, even though that would make her happy, because if she and Zed were separated, it would be Bad News Bears for the Shadow Line and humanity.
Schwarz and Akira regroup, Schwarz recalling his actions and his failure to save Grita.
Akira notes that he’s never seen Schwarz get his thong in a throng like this about someone before and Schwarz tells him that his opinions about other people have changed. That you can be alone but still want to protect someone.
Or something. Your rainbow.
They come to the conclusion that they’ve both changed. Well, except that Akira has and always will love cats very much.
The ToQgers rush up to them (aw Akira put the kitty down and shifted back into his Shadow form :C), glad to see that Akira is okay.
Schwarz demands to know where Zed is and the kids admit that they have him, but they’d really rather not though
But first, they have a message for Schwarz from Grita.
No time for questions because Mork and Nero are crashing this party. And they demand that Schwarz gives them back Zed.
Akira shows Mork some sass and she almost blasts his ass. Luckily, Right transformed and saves him just in time.
Right goes Hyper to fight Mork in the Darkliner Robo while the others battle Nero and his Crows.
The battle rages is on and Mork demands Zed’s return to them and Right is like whoa, what’s the rush? Is something going to happen?
Schwarz grabs Zaram and they run from the fight, stumbling upon Noire in their getaway.
She begs him for his help to save Grita.
Inside of the shared space inside of Zerita (lol shipname), Zed asks Grita why she’s not going to leave, even though her precious general came for her? Grita answers that staying is protecting him. This apparently makes her shine bright like a diamond.
With no one in it, Castle Terminal shakes like a Polaroid picture, causing Mork to get more riled up, her Darkliner Robo and Hyper Express Emperor firing massive attacks at each other.
Hyper Express Emperor is stronger, and while Mork’s Darkliner Robo is thrown back, delivers the finishing blow, destroying the Robo and seemingly Mork too.
Everybody fighting on the ground suddenly gets thrown all around as Castle Terminal pulls itself up out of the earth!
As the Castle rises, a familiar looking tree comes up with it. Sweet Sassy Molassy! It’s the Secret Base!
Castle Terminal is actually Pleiades’ Shore!
Final Review
It’s hard to give Stations 39-41 individual reviews individually, just because they tie in well and throw so much new information at you.
This is the episode in which the biggest bomb of the series to date is dropped and while some probably still saw it coming from a mile away, is a bomb nonetheless.
There were lots of good character moments here. Akira trying to drive the kids away by being Zaram again, Schwarz actually caring about Grita, Noire asking for help, the ToQGers realizing that in regards to Akira, that actions speak louder than words. You can’t just say you’re friends, you have to put your money where your mouth is.
The fights were really good, I don’t think I’ve said it yet, but I really love how acrobatic this season’s fights are. Especially how Akira Shatner!throws himself around in battle.
Summing up, great character development, good fights, plot twists!
I give this episode 4.2 kittens that we will pick up and coo at until someone catches us out of 5.
This is Amber/pan2dapan leaving the station!
You can find me @pan2dapan on Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram/Facebook
See you next time!