As many who are reading this knows, Koda is clearly a fan favorite in this season. Not only is he known for his adorable cave-man like demeanor but because he’s actually gotten some solid focus these past seasons. I personally love any episode that focuses on Koda and this episode did not disappoint. Several of the cast members have stated that this episode was their favorite and suddenly we realize why, because Koda again cements his child-like character and creates even more love for him. While this review will be short, let’s go over a few moments I wanted to touch on.
Koda Tries Sports: This montage, including the baseball montage later on, were some of my favorite parts of the episode. Koda once again clumsily attempts to learn a new sport before finally settling on baseball. Any scene with Koda in it, Yoshi steals the show!
Riley’s Interest: While it has been established that Riley is athletic as well as smart, I was still rather taken aback that he suddenly wanted to be so involved in Koda’s new-found talent. While it seemed as if the writers wanted another Ranger to go along on the journey with him, it seemed forced in many scenes. I suppose that Riley was needed so that Koda had someone to explain the sport and such. I wasn’t a fan of many of the bonding scenes between these two and was drawn in more with Koda than Riley. But, that is the point with “Home Run Koda”
Victory Charger: Random new Victory Charger, introduced randomly but damn isn’t that pretty?! #toys
Riley, as a Character: As mentioned above I am having a little trouble connecting to Riley even at this point in the story. Throughout both Dino Charge and it’s Super counterpart we’ve seen a rather schizophrenic view of his character. His a farm boy, he’s misunderstood, he’s brainy, he’s calculating, he’s a fencer and now he’s suddenly very invested in baseball. Riley, for being such an interesting character, has a lot going on for him and yet I still find him the hardest to connect to out of all the Rangers.
Koda’s Devotion: One way where the writers are succeeding, as mentioned earlier, with Koda is that his character is vastly simple but also vastly complex. We’ve only seen a few traits that we can strap to Koda. He’s a true friend, he’s caveman who is always hungry and he’s probably the most devoted Ranger out of them all. This is where Riley fails, it seems as if they’re trying too hard to give Riley something to interest the viewers.
Koda’s devotion to being a Ranger throughout the entire episode shone bright. While Riley not wanting to help his friends and play a baseball game instead only created more dislike for Riley.
What is Heckyl Doing: While I love this character so much, I feel like Heckyl is being wasted as he suddenly has turned into a villain who stays in the base shouting orders all the time. I hope this changes in the future.
Final Thoughts
Fluffy fliller with a load of Koda is always a great combination in my book and this episode was a fun foray into Koda’s and Riley’s minds while still progressing the story of the Rangers! The episode was funny in the parts it needed to be funny and of course Yoshi Sudarso was the best part of the episode because he just seems so passionate!!
As I’ve said above I am still having some issues with Riley as a character and the lack of Heckyl being more of an active character. However, all together this episode was a fun Power Ranger romp!
Story: 8/10
Action: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
All Together: 8/10
