Boom Headshot!

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Episode 11

I kind of feel sorry for Kouga, I mean he’s just learned a whole hell of a lot of information that he was completely in the dark about. Guess he knows how his sister feels now, huh? Too bad he probably still won’t fill her in on anything. I’m wondering if all these deaths are going to better shape him as a hero, I sure hope so. Watching him being so easily crushed by Jirou’s words was really tough, though not as tough as killing Hayami. 

Jin on the other hand doesn’t think so heavily about what it means to be a hero, or what a hero must do and leaps into action as Players start causing trouble in the city. I admire his willingness to risk himself and risk people seeing him transform if it means saving them. Thanks to all this chaos, it’s going to be really hard for a lot of people to see Jin as a hero. 

Cats out of the bag now that Seiji and Jirou’s plan has been completely revealed. I’m not sure anything that Seizou can do or say would be able to trump the evidence of all these Players running about the city. What is the one corporation that has the power to do all this and would stand to gain from it all? Things are about to come to a head and I don’t think Kiuga and Jin are ready for it. We’ll find out next episode though.

GO Rating: 3/5

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Episode 12

IT’S OVER 9000!

Where do we even start on this one? Kouga has gone, seemingly, crazy. Konoha has first hang knowledge now. Jin has attained his true form. Seiji’s true form has been revealed. Hanako is the Sand Monster… and I am getting a headache. This is way too much for one episode.

First off, let’s touch on Hanako for a second. Suddenly there are little hints that make it achingly clear. Remember when she was at home, surrounded by those little shrimp dudes? Jin then gets home and she’s there, naked, and the place is covered in sand. The clues were all there and now I feel stupid for not even noting it. Hopefully I’m not the only one caught off guard by this as I’m pretty sure this is not how the manga went at all in terms of her character. 

While on the subject of transformations, Kouga probably doesn’t even know who he is anymore. The kid has gone off the deep end and doesn’t seem to even realize he just shot his mother before taking his own father out of the picture. Hell, the only one that seemed to think about this at all was poor Mayu. Hopefully Youko survives this, but I’m not sure the same can be said of Kouga at this point. There is no turning back for him and no chance of being a true hero now. I’m really hoping that he and Jin don’t have to face off at some point. I’m also hoping he can, in some way, redeem himself and get past all of this. Kouga is a good kid somewhere underneath all this emotional turmoil.

As a whole this is not something I’d expect from this genre of anime, as Zetman has taken the beloved Henshin genre and turned into something dark and monstrous. Gone are the comical monsters that our hero of justice must vanquish with a special kick after transforming. In their place are the Players, far more terrible than anything the Super Sentai have ever faced. Plus, this sort of event would have spanned several episodes and, instead, will more than likely be resolved in the next. At least, that’s what I’m hoping, as I don’t think I can keep up with another episode like this.

GO Rating: 4/5