Kyoudaikido Soldier Chromacorps

Hey everyone! Saturday’s Episode was “Boxed In,” the conclusion to the previous episode. Will Jayden be alright? Will the team be able to save him in time? What will Antonio do? Read on!

The team is resting up, Ji and Antonio watching over them. Ji tells Antonio of what he needs to do. Antonio wants to help Jayden, but Ji insists that he concentrate on the Black Box, as that’s what Jayden would have told him to do as well. Antonio wonders if he can even do it, because he doesn’t have any training in Symbol Power, plus the previous Red Ranger couldn’t do it. However, Ji trusts him and his technical skill. Kevin tries to get up to help, but he’s in too much pain to move. Elsewhere, Deker walks into a lake with Jayden, and drops him in. Jayden wonders what’s going on, but Deker tells him to stay under, as the water will cure him from the poison.

On the Sanzu River, Octaroo is talking to Xandred, trying to distance himself from Arachnator’s plan. Xandred isn’t concerned with that, and more worried about how they weren’t able to get Jayden. Xandred also approaches Dayu, telling her to take down Deker once and for all. Though Octaroo warns her, she reluctantly goes off to follow Xandred’s orders. The final thing on Xandred’s checklist is Arachnator’s transformation.

And hey! A Bulk and Spike part. Let’s see how this goes. Bulk wants to get out and help real people instead of just training, so Spike runs to grab half of the stuff in the place to go. This leads to Spike falling over and asking for help from Bulk, as Bulk facepalms. Yes, lets move back to the plot, please!

Antonio is trying to work on the Black Box, and has hacked in to the system. Yes, the system of an item that was created by the FIRST Red Ranger, and wasn’t completed by the previous one 17 or so years ago. Just let me know, Saban, how DO you hack an abacus? Antonio falls over and Ji warns him about how tiring it is to use symbol power, especially for a job like this. Unlike Genta in Shinkenger, who pops back up with a smile, Antonio asks “Who told me the whole world was at stake?” I think it’s really cool to see how different Antonio is from his Shinkenger counterpart. While the others have their own variations, they still feel like the originals quite a bit. Antonio is becoming his own character, something that reminds me of characters like Tommy and Adam, who became fan favorites because of how they stood out from the crowd. So I have to give some credit to the writers who have been working on Antonio’s character, as they seem to have some interest in making him something different. Kevin once again gets up from his bed, and Mia decides to help him up, saying that they need to help each other to save Jayden.

In a cave, Deker and Jayden sit around a fire. Jayden wakes up, cured but weak from the effects of the poison. Deker tells him once again about his quest for the ultimate duel, and how all he remembers is that he was once human, but now the Nighlock side of him just wants to fight. Even though Jayden doesn’t want to fight just to fight, Deker insists that he does, mainly because it’s the only way to free him from his curse. Dayu watches on from the shadows, and wishes that Deker knew the truth.

Antonio tells Ji that he’s formatted the Black Box. Again, how do you format a Babbage Engine? I mean, it can’t be as recent as an ENIAC. I don’t see a place for a punch card anywhere. What? Ok, I’ll stop with the computer jokes. I know it’s not ancient, but it’s kind of odd for me to wrap my head around. Maybe it’s just me. But yeah, he formats it. Unfortunately, that only allows for him to now start the actual task of infusing the symbol powers into the Black Box. Luck is not on the side of the Rangers, as the Gap Sensor sounds. Antonio wants to rescue Jayden as the others fight the Nighlocks, but Ji tells him that the Black Box is the most important thing right now. The others hand over their Power Discs, the items that Antonio needs to finish programming the Black Box. The others run off to fight the monsters as Antonio gets back to work.

Bulk and Spike go looking for people to help, and come across an old woman. Spike asks to help her across the street, and she seems delighted by the favor. As Spike starts to walk her across, Nighlocks attack the citizens. Spike, cowering in fear, is pushed aside by the woman, who proceeds to jump over the hood of a car and sprint away. Predictable? Sure. Got a chuckle out of me? Yeah. The Rangers rush into help, and approach Arachnator, who they recognize. They take a couple blows, and then charge the monster.

Back at HQ, Antonio is having trouble with the Power Discs. He finishes up the Dragonzord, but is unable to complete another one. He thinks about how the whole world is resting on his shoulders, and comes up with an idea. Through technobabble, he’s able to find out where Jayden is and tells Ji that while he can’t finish the Black Box, he can save Jayden. Ji tells him to go rescue Jayden.

Jayden asks Deker why he chose him, to which Deker responds “Like me, you have a secret festering inside you.” This makes Jayden’s ears perk up, and his demeanor changes from confused to downright angry. Deker also tells him that his spirit is that of a warrior, unlike the other samurai he’s met. The two draw swords and stand off, but Antonio jumps in to pull Jayden out.

The Rangers are busy fighting a handful of Moogers, but are easily dispatching of them. That is until the mutated Arachnator jumps in to take them down. Just in time, Jayden and Antonio show up, with Antonio giving the Power Discs back to the others. Four of the Rangers throw a Quadruple Slash at Arachnator, but it has little effect. Jayden runs in, summoning the Fire Smasher, but once again gets pushed back. The Rangers combine 5 slashes and knock the monster back, but it’s still not enough. Finally, Antonio has a plan. The five throw a slash at Antonio, and he spins the attack to gain energy and speed. Arachnator runs off, and Giant Moogers pop out from the crevices. The heroes summon their Zords, and form the Samurai Megazord and the Clawzord. They try to find Arachnator, but they are surrounded by Moogers, and have to take them out first, forming the Samurai Battle Wing to fight the flyers. Taking a few out, the Moogers run off, and Antonio destroys a handful of them with a final slash. After the battle, Jayden sits and thinks about what Deker had said to him. The others want to check in to see if he’s ok, and if he wants to join them for dinner. He declines the offer, but then changes his mind and decides to head off with them, thanking Antonio for rescuing him earlier.

This was a good episode for a few reasons, but also suffered in some spots. The acting was back to a more rough style, not as polished as in the last episode. But it’s mainly the girls who still need some practice on their acting. Antonio was good in this episode, really playing up his character, though the writing was a bit cheesy at times. Speaking of cheesy, the Bulk and Spike parts once again feel unnecessary, and they don’t run into the Rangers at all. They seem very tacked on and not thought out as well. But here’s what’s good about this episode: They changed it up. In Shinkenger, Genta is able to complete the Inroumaru, and gives it to Takeru. They also are able to destroy the monster at the end, completing this arc. However, it seems the writers wanted to stretch out the next big thing a bit more, if they even are going to use it. But the change was really nice to see, and I think more of this stepping outside of Shinkenger is actually making me enjoy Samurai a bit more, even though I am a huge fan of Shinkenger. While there were parts in this episode that really didn’t work for me, I can see the effort put into making this episode a little different. That goes a long way to making a series really stand out as its own. Because of that, I’m giving this episode a 7.5/10. An all around decent episode with some nice surprises in it, even for a sentai fan like me! See you next week!