Lupinranger Vs. Patranger Discussion Thread

The Good: The obvious thing to mention is Keiichiro. This was his best episode. There was this debate going around about whether we should get the Patrangers' backstories or not, and I was in the camp that we didn't need it, but as the show went on, and now after seeing it, I'm glad they gave it to us, for the simple reason that the Patrangers are so sidelined in the show, and are sometimes treated as jokes. I think it was due time to get more focus on the Patrangers, and to give us an episode that takes them seriously. Part of the reason I was okay with not getting his backstory was because I automatically assumed it was just gonna be a cliched tragic backstory about his father being a policeman and dying on the job or something, but that's not what we got. The flashback wasn't about what gave him the drive and determination for justice that he has. I like that that was always a part of his character. It was about what I assume was the moment that made him want to become a policeman, and I think it's great. To be honest, during my rewatch, I almost teared up a little because of how heartwarming it was. It does a lot for his character, because now he's more than just Kairi's foil. I'm with him on more of an emotional level, and it totally makes sense why Keiichiro is so black and white. By the way, a cool little tidbit that I found out on the wikia is that the actor who played that policeman is actually Patren1gou's suit actor. That's pretty cool.

We even get backstory for one of the monsters. It somehow manages to be both funny and tragic at the same time. During the mecha battle in episode 4, PatKaiser accidentally steps on Odordo's brother, and he wants revenge. It's funny, because it goes back to that thing people always say about PR/SS, and why don't they ever just get in the mecha and just step on the monster before they grow. It doesn't make sense, but that's one of the things about these shows that I always give it a pass on. That being said, there are some sentai tropes that some seasons manage to come up with a fix for, and this season actually makes it work, because they can't form the mecha without GoodStriker, and the Lupinrangers need to get the Lupin piece before they destroy the monster.

Speaking of mecha, I appreciate that there wasn't any megazord battle. You mean to tell me you don't have to shoehorn a mecha battle in an episode, and the action can just be there to serve the story? We still got a battle with one zord, but still, I'll take that.

Speaking of action, SS almost always does this right, but LvP has been exceptional with it. Rheannan, I might need another gif, for when Tsukasa does her own Black Widow Takedown at 17:18 in the episode. That was awesome. Sakuya was good, too.

I also love the scene with Dogranio doing that one attack that completely demorphed Sakuya and Tsukasa. Now that's how you make a villain feel like a threat. I've been complaining so much about Dogranio just sitting in his chair and doing nothing this whole show, and knowing that this is the same writer as Zyuohger, can you blame me for being skeptical? After seeing that scene, I wish the show did more to build him up properly. "The seat I have doesn't come cheap, capisce?" That's freaking great. I don't need every sentai villain to be as fascinating as Zett, as interesting as Bladerun, or as compelling as Rio, but I do need them to feel like a threat, and play more into the story, and this was a step in the right direction. I hope the show can keep this up.

The Good: I'm almost having a hard time deciding where to start, so I'm just gonna start with the Lupinrangers. I liked how they were used in this episode. Just like with episode 2, we're continuing the thing of the Lupinrangers coming to understand the Patrangers, and seeing how far they're willing to go to bring peace and justice. Kairi sees it with Tsukasa and Keiichiro, and Umika sees it with Sakuya.

One thing I always appreciate in superhero movies and shows is the hero moment, the moment a character decides to put their life on the line to show why they are heroes. The scene where Keiichiro comes back and they all fuse and share in the pain in the poison is a Patranger-defining moment, and to paraphrase something a certain character said to another character in a movie that was came out last month, you have my respect, Patrangers.

I also loved that they played the Patranger theme, though it's starting to make me think the individual versions of the openings are just gonna serve as the battle theme, which is disappointing.

I appreciate Tsukasa a little more in this episode. I feel like my posts read like I dislike her more than I do. I don't hate her at all, but she's my least favorite. I just wish we would get deeper with her character. That being said, I liked how she is headstrong but not reckless, and she takes the time to try to formulate a plan.

Togeno is my favorite monster of the show so far. This guy is freaking great. This is how monsters should be in every sentai episode: full of personality and smarts, and I can actually see them as a threat, and not just joke characters that are there to just get beat up. I love how he put the spike trap in his safe I actually kinda feel bad for him for not being able to impress Dogranio, and rarely does a show make me feel that way, and it goes to show that these shows don't always have to go the "not all monsters are evil" route to pull stuff like that off.

By the way, did anyone else think of this scene from Captain America: Winter Soldier when Kairi was blocking Togeno's spikes with the Blade and Scissors Dial Fighter?

I also like that we're continuing the plotline of the mystery behind the Trigger Machines. When Good Striker was wondering why the Trigger Machines had triggers on them, that blew my mind. That's interesting. If the Trigger Machines didn't have triggers on them before, who put triggers on them and why? It had to have been the Global Police. There's still the mystery of where are they even getting the Trigger Machines from. I hope the show deals with all of this pretty soon.