#33 is a recap episode and 34 is the beginning of the final arc

[tokiro07]

Any UU moments in particular you are excited to see animated?

This is not at all what you asked, but because it's something I've been thinking about lately, I decided to answer your question with my expectations for how the anime is going to break down episode by episode and then just highlight which events are my most anticipated

Season 1:

Ch. 1

Andy and Fuuko vs. Void and Shen

Trip to Baikal, meeting Gina

Gina defeated, meeting the Union

Clothes, trip to Longing, Spoil Phase 1

Spoil Phase 2, Victor awakens, Spoil defeated

Victor vs. the Union

Addition of Galaxy, trip to Rio

Meeting Chikara, battle with Rip begins

Tatiana vs. Feng and Creed, Tatiana's backstory

Andy, Fuuko, Tatiana and Chikara vs. Rip and Latla

Child Rip introduces Under, Chikara joins the Union, Fuuko resolves to become stronger

Season 2:

(13) Brief recap, Billy's betrayal

(14) Apocalypse retrieved, Juiz explains the loop

(15) Undead X Unluck, meeting with Anno Un

(16) Soul Calibur, journey through Andy's memories

(17) Andy and Fuuko vs. Victor, closing the book, death of Sean

(18) Negotiations with Rip, Autumn Phase 1, death of Anno Un

(19) Autumn phase 2

(20) Juiz vs. Billy, battle with Feng begins

(21) Battle with Feng, death of Shen

(22) Resurrection of Shen, Feng defeated

(23) Summer defeated, Winter goes unchecked

(24) Deal with Under, Winter defeated, meeting with Under

Season 3:

(25) Brief recap, Who would win: Hydrogen Bomb or a Spring Breeze?; Fuuko resolves to break out

(26) Fuuko vs. Kururu (extended scene dedicated to Kururu to fill up time); Fuuko's message to Andy

(27) Plan to take on Under, Top and Chikara vs. Creed begins

(28) Creed defeated, "I love you, Fuuko"

(29) Andy vs. Billy

(30) Andy concedes to Billy, Spring battle begins, Fuuko chooses Beyblade and summons Isshin

(31) Isshin's backstory, Beyblade battle

(32) Karuta battle, Spring Phase 3

(33) Union+Under vs Spring

(34) Spring defeated, final cherry blossom viewing, Fuuko assassinated

(35) Union vs. Ruin, addition of Ghost

(36) Preparation for Ragnarok, Andy leaves the Union

Season 4:

(37) Brief recap, meeting with Lucy, rampage through the Rules, addition of Seal

(38) Andy vs. Seal, sealing of Lucy

(39) Sealing of Andy, escape from Seal, Rip arrives

(40) Andy vs. Rip

(41) Rip and Latla's backstory, death of Rip and Latla, Andy resolves to Loop

(42) Andy vs. Nico, Andy vs. Ghost

(43) Tatiana vs. Ruin, Billy arrives

(44) Billy vs. Ruin, Juiz explains the Loop (again)

(45) Fuuko becomes the leader of the Union, God's descent

(46) Union vs. God, Juiz's Rebellion

(47) Death of Juiz, Victor's Rebellion

(48) Ragnarok, Anno Un's epilogue, Fuuko's declaration of war...Fuuko meets Akira

[Season 5: Loop 101 Arc in progress]

I may have the timing a little off here and there, a few plot points might take a little longer or go faster than I anticipate, but I think it should be pretty easy for there to be a strong finishing point or cliffhanger every 11-13 episodes, standard length for a seasonal cour

Also, I'm honestly just really impressed with myself: I did this with minimal reference to the wiki, I really just have the general order of events memorized, apparently. It went so well that I feel like I must have forgotten something really important and will end up having embarrassed myself

My real worry is that this is just going to become a repeat of what happened with Medaka Box, though; I made a similar prediction around the same time (approximately the 150-chapter mark) that would have organized the current material into four seasons with a fifth planned for the remaining story, and LOOK WHERE THAT GOT ME

Here's hoping David doesn't hurt me like Gainax

[mtvswatches]

Wynonna Earp 2x09 Forever Mine Nevermind

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) The writers are actively trying to use Waverly to awaken the lesbian/bisexual in all their confused female viewers, right?

2) Wynonna just fucking did a backflip WHILE PREGNANT and then proceeded to high-five her unborn child, and here I am, eating pancakes and struggling to reach the remote that fell under my chair.

She’s quickly climbing up my favorite characters list, though.

3) Wynonna is not the only one interested in Doc’s ring, apparently.

And this old demon dude reminded me of the old demon dude from Buffy? You know, the one that sliced Dawn up in the tower? Same creepy old evil guy vibes.

4) Dolls just gave Rosita a gift card so that she can take Doc on a couple’s retreat or something? Weird way to get rid of the competition, but okay.

5) WYNONNA ASKED THE NIGHT OFF AND THE HOUSE TO HERSELF BECAUSE SHE INVITED DOC OVER FOR DINNER AND I MIGHT JUST DIE OF ALL THE FEELS.

6) They found The Creepster’s body, and I’ve never been so happy to see a carbonized corpse, hallelujah!

7) The Creepster’s sister is trying to make up excuses for his creepy, criminal behavior and Nicole is not having any of it but Waverly told her to stop... telling the truth? And I get that they’re not seeing eye to eye at the moment and I do not condone what Nicole did and I get that Waverly is trying to be respectful of the Creepster’s sister’s feelings, but… being dead does not erase all his wrongdoings and awful behavior, people do not automatically become saints once they die. If you were an awful person while you were alive, then you should be remembered as such. And the fact that his sister is trying to justify his behavior by saying that he loved Waverly “in his own way” is vile.

8) Doc bought the picture for Wynonna and the baby and I knew the old demon guy must have put some kind of glamour on him (or it?) because the painting did not look as creepy when he decided to buy it…

9) Wynonna made dinner for Doc and she’s feeding him and he’s pretending it’s tasty and this is everything I have ever wanted.

10) And the painting keeps changing…? Is it alive?

The freaking doll is straight-up staring at them. 

11) The cupboard just opened by itself when Wynonna said the third seal was Doc’s ring and I’m here wondering if it is just a coincidence or if some Paranormal Activity shit is about to go down. I’m hoping it is the latter, tbh.

12) Well, the reason Wynonna was trying to sweeten Doc up is that she wants his ring so that she can break it and release Clootie and release the demon that is WORSE than Clootie so that she can kill them both, while pregnant, I presume. Doc is less than excited, of course. And now the creepy doll is out of the painting and I’m 99% sure she’ll show up soon…

13) Rosita invited Waverly to the spa and this is definitely one of the scenes I’d seen a million times on my dash when I hadn’t watched the show. I’m trying to figure out why? Is it only because it’s two girls wearing bikinis in a hot tub? Or does something relevant to the plot or to the characters development happen here?

14) And yes, something creepy is watching both Waverly and Wynonna.

15) I’VE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN. THIS IS HEAVEN.

Wynonna is trying to convince Doc to willingly give up his ring so that she can destroy it and release both Clootie and the very, very scary unnamed demon, and he’s not having it. He believes destroying the ring would be his death sentence, and Wynonna argues that he’ll just be as mortal as any of them. Doc is truly terrified of dying, isn’t he? I guess the question is, does he love his agelessness more than he loves Wynonna…?

16) And now she called him selfish – which is kind of accurate, to be fair – but that’s not going to get you what you want, you impulsive doofus! He wants to leave but they can’t find the keys, and I’m 99% certain the little girl from the painting stole them. Yep.

17) Wynonna just stopped Doc from leaving by baby-bumping him????

18) Doc told Wynonna how he hid and listened to his dying mother cry and beg and pray every night until she died, and you kind of understand why he wants to hold on to life so much, right?

19) Waverly just texted Nicole…

WAVERLY: “Dear Control Freak. I will talk to you when I want to talk to you. Until then, have a nice life hurting the people that you love.”

And now I’m afraid something terrible will happen to Nicole which will make Waverly regret sending this text.

20) Oh. I get it now.

WTF Waverly! This is a million times worse than the text! Also, kind of love how Waverly got all hot and bothered with Rosita’s SCIENCE TALK. 

21) I TAKE IT BACK, THIS IS WORSE!!!

22) And now he says that he came back to save her from his sisters? WTF, Frosty Creepster!

23) By the way, IS ROSITA REALLY DEAD?!

24) Wynonna and Doc are arguing about the ring and they’re about to physically fight and this creepy doll is responsible, right?

25) Oh, shit, they weren’t dead, the creeper’s sisters were NOT DEAD!

The widows stole their faces?! I guess they probably wish they were dead. 

26) Ugh, Wynonna and Doc’s argument really escalated and she’s saying some awful stuff and now…

…which she said she would never do? I gotta believe it was the creepy doll’s influence.

27) ROSITA SAVES THE DAY!

WTF!!!!!!

She’s been a revenant all along?!!!! Is that why Doc offered her protection when they first started working together? 

28) Dolls hung up on Jeremy because he was being annoying and Jeremy just threw himself in front of Dolls to save him from the Widow!

29) Oh, no, Doc just said he’s always known Wynonna would be the death of him and threw the ring at her and…

Phew, Wynonna shot the doll, but the things they said… they’re out there. And while they may have used the cop-out of saying it was the influence of the creepy doll, they basically admit that the doll might have brought those feelings to the surface but they were there, to begin with. Awkward, am I right? 

30) This is as close to an “I love you” as he’ll ever get, right?

WYNONNA: Doc, this is it's about something bigger than us.

DOC: The demon Clootie.

WYNONNA: Our baby. I mean, I need to do that on my own terms, but I promise I won't break the seal. Not until after. We we need a plan. But when that plan is in place, I will break it with you by my side.

DOC: Do you swear?

WYNONNA: I do.

Fuck, it’s almost as if he was proposing, isn’t it?

This show fucking plays with my emotions because I feel these two are not getting back together (I may or may not have seen gifs of Wynonna and Dolls as a couple... oops!) and yet they keep putting them in situations like this, and I feel like it’s baiting, you know? 

31) So…

She paralyzed him, told him she’d be his girl, and proceeded to… eat him? I’m not sure I understand what’s going on.

32) And the other sister seems to have figured out where the third seal is. Coolio.

33) I KNEW IT! Waverly thinks she’s half-revenant!

34) OH FUCK!

I knew that text meant Nicole would be in danger and Waverly would regret sending it! But why is the widow there??? That’s not where the third seal is, is it?

35) Fun episode, I really liked how the characters were paired up and sort of on adventures of their own but which are all connected to the main arc somehow. But it lacked the epicness of the previous episode, which is definitely one of my favorites so far. Of course, this one served to pave the way for the season finale as we quickly approach it. Can’t wait to watch the next one!

36) Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[murasaki-murasame]

Thoughts on Fruits Basket 2019 Episode 24: “Let’s Go Home”

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Thoughts under the cut [and spoiler warning for the whole manga. Also I’m gonna talk way too much about my own life and why I relate so much to this part, so be warned]

Oh boy, where to even begin with this one. The episode I’ve been waiting for pretty much ever since they announced this new adaptation last year.

Right off the bat I should make it clear that I loved and adored this episode and it exceeded my expectations. It was pretty much 100% perfect aside from one bit of awkward animation. But at least from a writing standpoint I dunno how they could have done it better than this.

For one thing, this was a very faithful adaptation of this part of the manga, which already makes it better than the 2001 version of this whole arc. Specifically this episode adapts chapters 32 and 33, plus the first few pages of chapter 34. So it’s pretty much the whole meat of the true form arc, but it’s not like they rushed it all in one episode. I was worried that they might try and cover too much in this episode, but this was a good middle ground between the idea of doing the entire thing in one episode, and stretching the arc into roughly three episodes like the 2001 anime did.

I actually appreciate the 2001 version of this arc more than most people do [though I understand why people with a longer history with the series resent it more], but this was so much better, lmao. I can understand where they were coming from with the 2001 version of it, but they went too far with trying to make it slow and depressing. It just felt way too drawn out in that version, not to mention the various changes to characterization that they did which are really jarring and weird if you’ve read the manga.

Some people might criticize this episode for being too fast, and not taking it’s time to get to the climax more, but it’s at least worth noting that episode 23 was more or less the first episode of this arc. A lot of it was about reminding you of Kyo’s issues, and making it as clear as possible that his secrets and insecurities were about to be brought to light. And then this episode just followed through on that. So it’s not like this arc just came and went in the space of a single episode. Plus there’s the fact that we still have chapter 34 to be adapted in the finale, which is where this arc winds down and we start setting up the rest of the story.

And honestly one part of this episode that I really liked was how slow and atmospheric it was. It was still adapting a little more than two chapters of content, but it felt very deliberately paced, and especially in the first half there were a lot of scenes that felt really tense and gripping because of how the pacing was done.

Mainly I’m thinking of the whole scene of Kazuma confronting Kyo and removing his beads, because holy SHIT that was way more tense and nerve-wracking than I expected it to be. It definitely felt longer than it did in the manga, but I really liked it. They went all in on the atmosphere with that one and it really payed off.

And then of course it ended with Kyo’s transformation scene, where similarly to the 2001 anime, they actually show him transforming instead of us cutting straight to the aftermath of it. I’ve been waiting to see if they’d be able to effectively get across just how viscerally shocking and horrific Kyo’s true form is, and oh boy they sure delivered. I bet most anime-only people weren’t expecting Kyo’s big secret to be THAT, lol. It’s the sorta thing where you naturally go into it thinking ‘surely it’s not gonna be that big of a secret, it’s just something that he THINKS he needs to hide’, but then you actually get to the big reveal and suddenly you realize just how big of a secret it actually is.

In general it’s representative of how this whole arc is where Fruits Basket starts to really show it’s true colours. Technically we don’t see anything quite like Kyo’s true form ever again, but this is where it becomes clear that the story’s not going to hold back with the drama, and that it’s willing to put it’s characters through some real trauma.

It’s still kinda funny that this arc being the end of the 2001 anime lead lots of people to thinking it was the end of the story, when in fact this is pretty much just the START of where things get real. Though it was still a good idea to make this the climax of the first season. It’s definitely the end of the first act of the story, which is even more clear with how the reboot’s been rearranging things. In the manga there’s a sort of transition period between this arc and the summer vacation arc where we get some more character introductions and stuff, but a lot of that’s already been covered in the reboot, so after this it won’t be long before we get into more plot progression.

Before I talk about the emotional weight of this arc and why it means so much to me, I just wanna say that I’m somehow still confused about exactly what the final episode is going to be covering now, lol. We’re definitely getting the rest of chapter 34 next week, but that clearly isn’t going to be the only chapter they cover. The episode title refers to summer starting, but I honestly can’t figure out which exact chapter that line’s being taken from. There’s a surprising amount of different chapters between now and the summer vacation arc where Tohru says stuff about summer coming soon, or already starting, or whatever. So there’s like several different chapters they might be ending this season on, and I can’t really begin to guess which they’re going for.

The obvious choice would be chapter 35, since that follows the immediate aftermath of this arc, but I looked back through that chapter in the manga and I don’t think Tohru says anything about summer during it. At least not that exact line.

I also thought it might be from chapter 48, since the last bit of that chapter would probably be a good way to end season 1 off, but that takes place when summer vacation’s already started, so I don’t think that’s it. Unless they change the context and timing of that part, though. Which is possible. I wouldn’t be too surprised if they basically cut most of chapter 48 for the anime since it’s so filler-y that it might be hard to find room for, so maybe they’ll just transplant the more plot-important part at the end of it into the end of season 1. Who knows.

Either way I think it’s more likely that they’ll just end things off with chapter 35. But I kinda don’t want them to, since it’d be a really good way to start season 2. It serves as a bit of a recap of the true form arc, while setting up some other long-term plot stuff as well. In general I just feel like it might feel jarring to have the last half of the season 1 finale suddenly switch to Yuki’s POV in a way that just raises more questions than answers. I think the end of chapter 48 is a much more fitting way to end the first season since it’s one big teaser for the summer vacation arc as a whole. And honestly even though it’d technically mean jumping forward like 12+ chapters, it’s not really that strange to consider, with how they’ve already covered a good chunk of the gap between chapters 34 and 48, with what I said before about the anime moving a lot of that transition arc to before the true form arc.

Though tbh I also just kinda want to see Rin in the final episode so I don’t have to wait until season 2 for her, lmao. 

And since I have far too much time on my hands at the good old time of 11am on a Saturday morning, I decided to comb through my Japanese volumes of the series just to be absolutely sure, and as far as I can tell the line used as the next episode title isn’t actually taken from anywhere from chapters 35 to 48. Which is weird, since I think all of the episode titles have been pretty 1:1 with lines from the manga. The most similar-sounding lines are the ones from places like chapter 48 where Tohru talks about how summer’s starting, but it’s still not quite the same.

So yeah I’m at least hoping it means that ep25 is gonna end on a modified version of the end of chapter 48 where instead of happening at the start of summer, it happens before it, but we still get that whole dramatic monologue from her about how it feels like things are about to start moving. But who even knows at this point.

Anyway, that was far too much of me talking about my predictions for the next episode, lmao.

Back onto this episode itself, I’ve always thought this was my favourite part of the whole manga mostly because it’s the part I relate to the most, to be blunt. Though really it’s more that Kyo’s my favourite character and his entire character arc is great and there’s so many elements to it that I relate to, but this is the most prominent part of it, and it covers a good chunk of what I relate to most about his character. But there’s definitely stuff I’m gonna wait to talk about until way later when certain other parts of his backstory are revealed.

Either way, even though it isn’t exactly the main thing that Kyo’s whole arc is meant to be a metaphor for, I’ve always thought this arc was intensely relatable and realistic to my experiences as a disabled person, especially when it comes to topics like my relationship with my parents, and my own self-perception.

In terms of personality I’m much closer to Yuki than Kyo overall [though not fully], but in terms of life circumstances I’m much closer to Kyo.

I dunno if I’ve talked about it in too much detail anywhere on my blog before, but I was born completely blind and deaf. My condition has improved since then, mostly with my hearing, but I still have enough issues with my vision that on top of wearing glasses I’ve spent the last year or so learning to use a cane to help me get around in public. But one way or another I spend the first few years of my life blind and deaf, and for obvious reasons that had some major impacts on my family, in ways that have had lifelong consequences.

My parents got divorced shortly after I was born, and until I was about 12 I only saw my father once every few weeks, and after that I made the choice to cut myself off from him once and for all. As time’s gone on I’ve gotten more sympathetic toward him, and the stuff he had to deal with on his side of things, but a part of me will never let go of my resentment toward the fact that one way or another he decided that he didn’t want me to be a proper part of his life. I always got the impression that for one reason or another he refused to engage with the fact that I was disabled. He never talked about it with me, and whenever I visited him, he never made any sort of accommodations for me. And I was always too ashamed and nervous to talk about it with him even when I should have.

On the other side of things, my mother is more on the over-protective side of the spectrum. Which I can’t exactly blame her for, since she was left pretty much on her own to raise me when she already had one other child with special needs.

She does her best to be constantly aware of my disabilities and to support me in whatever ways I need, but sometimes it feels like she just pities me. I don’t really know how to put it without sounding selfish or disrespectful.

I think that if she could keep me in her sight at all times and never let me go, she would. I know that she’s just worried about me, but sometimes I worry about what she thinks of me, and what she thinks when other people meet me. But I think that’s more just about me being self-conscious and paranoid about how other people see me.

I can tell that she’s had a lot of struggles with raising me that she’s mostly kept to herself because she doesn’t want me to feel bad, but it makes me feel uncomfortable. Part of me’s always worried that there’s a lot of emotions she’s bottling up which will one day explode, and ultimately I just don’t want her to leave me. Even if she doesn’t love every part of me, even if she doesn’t always enjoy the process of raising me, I just want her to be able to stay with me.

And then on the final point of this whole messed up trifecta, you have me and my own self-perception. Which is a whole iceberg of a topic that I’m gonna make no attempt to fully cover, lol.

In terms of how I relate to this whole part of Kyo’s arc, all of my self-consciousness and paranoia about my own status as a disabled person within society that’s been left to fester over the years has lead to me developing this irrational, warped, self-hating idea that at the core of who I am, I’m basically a catatonic vegetable who can’t survive on their own. I always worry about whether or not I ‘look disabled’ to people when I’m in public. I can’t help but worry about people see when they look at me. So in my own way I’ve developed this image of myself being some kind of hideous monster which I have to avoid people seeing. It feels like if people see the ‘true me’, they’d be disgusted, and so I try and act as normal as possible, while avoiding interacting with people as much as I can.

So you can probably get why the whole true form arc here kinda strikes a chord with me, lmao. It’s just such a raw and visceral depiction of the feeling of being exposed and made vulnerable in a way that shows everyone everything that’s wrong with you. But it’s also a representation of the sort of genuine, unconditional connection that you secretly want when you’re in that sort of situation. It’s not really about love or hate. It’s just about not wanting to be abandoned over something that you can’t even change.

In a lot of ways this arc is also why I love Tohru so much as a character, and why I think she’s so interesting. Her whole relationship with Kyo feels like a really realistic exploration of the fundamental anxiety of feeling like you don’t deserve true love and acceptance, that you’re asking for too much if you want that, and that anyone who gives you that is just ‘too perfect’, and they’re just pitying you, or whatever. But at the end of the day, their whole relationship is about how you always do deserve love, and that there’ll always be at least someone out there who will properly accept you. And on top of all that, there’s the fact that love isn’t a simple matter of just saying that you love someone and ignoring anything unpleasant about them or your own feelings. Love is a choice that you have to keep making.

Which is part of why I always felt annoyed and disillusioned at the idea that my father still loved me at the end of the day, in spite of everything. I can admit that for all intents and purposes that’s true, but it ultimately feels fake and hollow if you say that you love someone even when you hold them at arm’s length and choose to stay away from them.

On a more specific note, this arc in particular also touches upon the whole idea of physical contact and intimacy, which has always really resonated with me. In general the whole concept of ‘turning into an animal when you hug someone’ is used to surprisingly poignant effect across the whole series, and this is one of the best examples of it. The image of Kyo as a cat laying on Tohru’s lap and crying always gets to me.

And honestly, I think that the absence of physical contact can be one of the most painful signs of abandonment, especially to a child. It can make you feel alone even when you’re in the same room as that person. I distinctly remember that my father’s relative lack of physical affection with me was always one of the things that made me feel most uncomfortable and unwanted when I visited him. At this point I know that it was probably more about his personality in general, since he was a fairly closed-off person with everyone, but it still hurt.

What I’m trying to say is that everyone has a fundamental, primal desire to be hugged by somebody that loves them, which is why I like that that’s the big emotional climax of this arc. I actually prefer it this way, to if it we got a more conventional kiss scene or whatever.

Also I just wanna point out that literally one episode ago Kyo was being all tsundere about not wanting Tohru to hold him in his cat form and LOOK HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED NOW, CAT BOY :)

Yes, you better believe that I’ve been hugging my own cat whenever possible ever since I finished this episode, lmao. Everyone should go hug a cat. It doesn’t even have to be one you own, just go out and find one to hug, lol.

Anyway I’m one giant emotional wreck after this episode so I’m gonna go take a nap. See y’all next week when we have to face the even greater emotional pain of being faced with the wait for season 2 to come out.

[furederiko]

Don't let your shame messes around with the game! The 34th episode of Kyuranger reminds us that no matter how, why, or for what purpose we were born, it does NOT define who we are now...

- Hmmm... there's no intro narration again. Since it's already two episodes in a row, should we assume that this is the new norm? I guess so... - Our story immediately begins with a surprise revelation from our two Vice-Shoguns. Kukuruga confirms that Professor Anton's laboratory... is where they received 'upgrades' too! Recall how the two and Tecchu looked different in the past? Could it be... these Vice-Shoguns are in fact mechanical beings, then? That would explain why they can't seem to die. - This also brings a new theory to mind: could Anton has been faking his death all these time? As pointed out later, the professor had many cyborg enhancements, allowing him the ability to live for more than 300 years. Do you get where I'm leading with this? Anton could very well be... the true face of Don Armage!!! - Let's put that speculation aside for now, and get back to the recap-view. Akyanba decides to activate Champ, who is being kept inactive inside the lab. But is this our very own Champ? The answer to that doesn't take long. While several members stay behind on Battle Orion Ship (Raptor is piloting, Balance reenters Naga's brain using the modified Microscopium Kyu Globe to dig memory about Armage's exact location, while Xiao is... basically dumbfounded by this newfound shrinking ability), the away team encounters not just one, but TWO incarnations of Champ! Bullseye. - The one working with Kukuruga might look like Champ, but when he injures Hammy and Spada without hesitation, it's clear something is amiss. The second one might be proclaiming himself as Yagyu Jubeef. But he's not fooling anyone, not the audience, not even the Kyurangers. LOL. Jubeef is no doubt the genuine Taurus Black, who is merely masquerading behind a fancy luchador mask and silly accessories! Fun fact: Over-Time translates this masked character as Yagyu Jubeef, but the actual Japanese naming is 'Yagyuu Jubee'. Not confirmed, but it might be: 1) a wordplay to the word 'Wagyuu' that refers to a particular variety of japanese cow, popular for its high-priced meat. 2) a nod to a feudal figure Yagyuu Juubei, a name more popularly known as a samurai character from the fighting game series "Samurai Spirits". One interesting bit is also lost in the fansub. Namely the way Jubeef keeps on stuttering whenever he's trying to utter the word 'I'. He generally uses the informal japanese word 'Boku', but somehow always stumbles into saying 'Wagahai', which is obviously Champ's signature manner of speech. It might seem pointless, but it's exactly a hillarious minor detail that gives away Jubeef's true identity. LOL. - Let me take that back. Jubeef DOES succeed in fooling one Kyuranger. Garu the group's simpleton! LOL. Clearly Stinger doesn't buy Jubeef's words either, but it seems he's playing along and acting coy. What for? To find out WHY 'Jubeef' has to go all the trouble of acting this way, instead of just... you know, comes back to the team as his true persona. - His personal reason is... moving, to say the least. Champ discovered in the past, that Anton created him for Jark Matter's evil purpose. That other 'Evil-Champ' is the Bovine All Purpose Weapon Unit-00 ('Ushikai Hanyou Hakai Heiki ZERO-gou' in Japanese), the evil prototype model for his design. And his tendency to occasionally go berserk or out of control (which might be unlocked during that devastating showdown with Scorpio) serves as the proof. Simply put, it's a dilemmatic existential crisis to someone who as long as he has lived believe that he's a righteous robot created for justice. That's why Champ couldn't face the Kyurangers, feeling that he deserves no place to uphold justice with them, and went into hiding. All due to this dark 'lineage'. - Both he and Stinger knew about this fact, because Scorpio has told them before. But at the time, Scorpio's words was too ambiguous to believe, so they didn't really believe him. It's official now, the duo shares a similar 'bad blood' situation. Allowing Stinger to return Champ's own words about not doing everything alone. This is also where Garu nicely comes along. Despite being clueless about Jubeef's identity (even Kotarou calls him dumb LOL), Garu believes that Champ's justice is real, and wants him to rely on them as his friends. Harkening back to their short off-screen bonding moment (took them long enough to FINALLY share the spotlight in this episode's ending dance). Way to go, Garu! - And it... works. 'Jubeef' unveils his not-really--a secret, as the team's final lost member officially returns home to "bear with his shame" with them. Oow... there goes that cool luchador mask! A shame really, because I actually like that better than Champ's actual gigantic head. - It's plain hillarious that both Garu and Champ himself are taken aback with the fact that everyone else already knows. Two of a kind, huh? It's also a heartwarming moment to see Lupus Blue kicking Taurus Black out of his sudden berserk in battle. His signature kind of tough love that he gave to Lucky before. Champ has both Stinger and Garu watching his back now! Both in battle, and in keeping his 'running wild' condition a secret... Fun fact: we finally get to see Ursa Minor Skyblue and Taurus Black perform their signature "Polaris Impact" and "Aldebaran Impact" in battle. Leo Red Orion also steals the scene by using a popular trope in Japanese anime shows: overloading an enemy with infinite power. A major disadvantage for antagonist who can absorb attacks, right? - While Team 2-Reds&Blues deals with Unit-00 and Kukuruga, Xiao forms Ryutei-Oh with Hammy and Spada to deal with the two giant Consumarz. We get a first look of Battle Orion Ship's Voyager Launching Sequence here. Of course, the highlight of this giant battle is when all four Kyuranger robots enters the scene, and Orion Battler actually proposes to use him as the finisher. A truly smart reason for giving the robot sentience! "Ultimate Galaxy! Orion Big Bang Cannon!" genuinely looks impressive. The team does not have a combined human-size cannon like previous Sentai teams, so this works as a great homage to that standard in a relatively new way. Trivia: I used the word 'relatively new' because well... it's not entirely new. The 'giant mecha turning into a massive cannon' is a concept used by "Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger" with their DekaWing Cannon before (which by the way, was also used by Ryutei-Oh in that Space Squad crossover episode! Nice, huh?). It goes even way back with the case of Tetra Boy's Tetra Buster mode in "Choujin Sentai Jetman". - Naga sneezes Balance out of his body, as the two have discovered the exact location of Don Armage's base: Planet Southern Cross of the Crux System. Will they obtain the truth of his immortality there? Let's just wait and see...

Overall: Kyuranger has returned into a complete unit! That was FAST, eh? Similar to Raptor's case, this show reminded us once again that even a robot has a heart of justice. In this case, big but softie Champ received his very own long-awaited focus episode (which might not be the final closure to his personal arc with Prof. Anton). It also put Garu, considered by many among the generally 'underdeveloped' character, into the spotlight. Not only the wolf-man worked exceptionally well as a comic relief throughout, but he was given a powerful moment and speech, that cemented his place as the heart of the group. It was however, not a perfect episode. The handling of Champ's return, albeit heartwarming and moving, did feel a bit sloppy for my taste. Unlike the neat approach the show applied to Xiao, it was implied that during the previous 33 episodes, two Champs were both 'active' within the same timeline. A minor detail that could be problematic to the whole plot once you stop and think about it. It's an issue the show actually could've gotten away with, by simply having Champ putting himself on 'hibernate' mode during the long 300 years (considering he's a robot that runs by Operating System). Sure, it would feel redundant, but at least it would avoid nitpickers like yours truly to start 'questioning' stuffs. LOL. Overall though, I highly appreciated how the episode weaved intricate details from past episodes into one, while sending off a strong thoughtful message of self-acceptance to its audience. For that part, well done! Next week: Hammy Idol Debut feat. Hoshi Minato... PS: According to recent rumor, the next Super Sentai series is expected to start airing on February 11th, 2018. Since two additional breaks have already been scheduled, this partially confirms that Kyuranger will have a total of 48 episodes. Dang it, here I thought moving the broadcast schedule to 09:30 means there will be no breaks. I guess the annoying thing is inevitable, huh? Anyway, this means the show is still 14 episodes away. I wonder what it has in store for us in the final quarter then? Hmmm....

Episode 34 Score: 7,9 out of 10

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All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.