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I will be discussing the Downs, the Ups and the Whats of Donbros 34.
#SuperSentaiSanctuary #HenshinInspection #AvataroSentaiDonbrothers #SuperSentai
CREDITS
Avataro Sentai Donbrothers 34 Natsumi Meets Me – October 23, 2022
Writer: Toshiki Inoue
Director: Hiroyuki Kato
Writer Tracker
Toshiki Inoue (31; 1-25, 27-32)
Saburo Yatsude (1; 26)
Director Tracker
Ryuta Tasaki (6; 1-2, 9-10, 27-28)
Shojiro Nakazawa (2; 3-4)
Katsuya Watanabe (7; 5-6, 13-15; 22-23)
Hiroyuki Kato (7; 7-8, 16-17, 24-25; 33)
Kyohei Yamaguchi (6; 11-12; 20-21; 31-32)
Satoshi Morota (4; 18-19; 29-30)
Kazuyuki Chatani (1; 26)
SYNOPSIS
It is a well-known fact that the resurrected Sonoi resembles Taro, but they do not admit it. Meanwhile, Tsuyoshi, who has once again become a Hitotsuki, is depressed. Meanwhile, Tsubasa, who is convinced that Miho is his girlfriend Natsumi, asks to have Miho’s home-cooked meal at Tsuyoshi’s house. Tsubasa has mixed feelings when he sees Tsuyoshi and Miho looking so happy. However, when Tsubasa leaves Tsuyoshi’s house, Miho chases after him….
DOWNS
-It’s silly that they had to edit and use special effects for Tora Jirou to transform back into regular Jiro. His robe and makeup disappeared and it was done well, but that seemed like a waste. What was the purpose of the scene anyway?
-Is the new mech’s design wrong on purpose? I like that the show highlights the apparent design flaw of blocking off the vision of Saruhara and Tsuyoshi, but does that really matter? Do these other characters matters or are they just literally extensions of Tarou to help flesh out his story and sell the toys?
UPS
-Inu Brother is making salty comments at Kiji Brother, which makes sense given his perception that Natsumi is Miho
-Tsubasa also was not involved with Tarou getting healed, I don’t think he knew he was injured, so he was surprised by Goldon Momotaro. That level of realism is cool. It makes the world and characters feel more real.
-I love how consistently Tsuyoshi is written. He is ALWAYS himself and the things we have seen him do are all true to the deeply flawed person he is.
-I like Sonoi going back to normal. I wonder if he will be different going forward.
-Haruka’s aunt being the detective to interrogate Tsubasa is fun!
-Haruka and Sonoza carrying on about her manga is a delight
WHATS
-Is Miho LITERALLY Natsumi, or is this the Beastial copy “weaving a story” which we are told the Penguin Beastials do?
-Where is Natsumi?
-Where do the original hosts of the Beastials go?
-Is Donbros a fake Sentai? Sentai means team. The Donbros are NOT a well-oiled cohesive unit. Is that OK? Does that work?
SCORE
Episode 34: 9/10
Sonoi returned to normal, Miho or Natsumi ran off with Tsubasa and Tsuyoshi got him arrested. Oh and I guess Tarou is dying or hurt or something?
This show is wild! The interpersonal drama is rising, but the threat of the true enemy is still unclear to me. I love how slick Goldon Momotaro is and upgraded Sonoi is a great match for him.
It seems the Beastials are the real threat and perhaps an alliance between the Cerebranas and Donbrothers to eliminate them is where things are headed.
This episode made no real forward progress except with the turns for Sonoi and Tsuyoshi, but it was still very entertaining. I am loving the personal drama and I still hope there is a Miho and a Natsumi so everyone can be happy.
MINI
I love the personal drama so much! The character moments in the fights are delightful. I don’t care that the plot didn’t really move forward and we still don’t have a Big Bad, because all the little things are so good.
LESSONS LEARNED
There are 2 or 3 fights in every episode of a Super Sentai. Most of them are a blur. I remember Joe from Gokaiger and his friend-turned-enemy. it has been more than 10 years since Gokaiger ended. I adore the side conflicts and personal bonds that characters share in Donbros. I think I’ll remember Haruka and Sonoza talking about her slump as a manga author while they fight. I think I’ll remember Tarou and Sonoi sharing Oden. What is THIS that Inoue is doing? Whatever it is, I want to do that because it feels like a key to making something that will really stick with people. Would that be called “constructing a story within a story” or something else? Is it making complex, layered characters? I feel like I have “discovered” something that is already known in the literary world, but I don’t have the name for it. This is what I get for being a self-taught writer! If you know what to call it, please chime in and let me know.
LL000: Secondary connections between characters make for a richer, more engaging story.
NEXT!
35 The Origami Song
INFO
Avataro Sentai Donbrothers is a Japanese television series. It is the 46th in Toei’s Super Sentai series. Its Momotarō-themed Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger The show succeeded Kamen Rider Revice line-up Super Hero Time to Avataro Sentai Donbrothers in premiered March 6, 2022, on TV Asahi.
The series theme is based on the legend of Momotarō and Virtual Reality. Because of this, many of the show’s graphics are styled to resemble traditional Japanese watercolor brush paintings, and the series makes more extensive uses of CGI than past productions.
SOURCES
MJ Muñoz 