Recap: Ressha Sentai ToQger, Station (Episode) 20 – Smiling is Dangerous

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Ticket-kun is upset Akira is making modifications to what is supposed to be a shiny, brand new Ressha. Conductor likes it, but Ticket wants to give Akira a piece of his mind.

The others wonder what they can do to have all of them get along better, so Wagon suggests they need to make Akira smile more. Maybe make him laugh.

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Meanwhile at the Castle, Gritta has summoned Jack in the Box® Shadow and orders him to go wreak some dark havoc. He turns to leave, but snaps his finger first. A flower pops out of Schwarz’s mouth.

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Gritta can’t help but be kilig by the sight and she giggles. But she suddenly goes flying thanks to a bouncy spring. This is Jack in the Box® Shadow’s power, inflicting the world with the hell that is laughter.

Schwarz helps Gritta up while Zett watches from around the corner. He laughs too, saying he will keep up with the farce for now. Especially since it appears Gritta is indeed growing shining, shimmering, splendid.

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Wagon is welcoming Akira onto the Resshas. He walks into the main car and sees…




Akira is not impressed. Nor amused.

The ToQgers say they just wanted to make him smile, but Akira says he has no right to smile. He will only smile when he’s successfully protected the rainbow… and dies.

They suddenly get the warning of a Shadow Line station up ahead, Oowarai or Great Laughter.

They disembark, but don’t see anything particularly Shadowy.

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Nearby, Jack in the Box® Shadow snaps his fingers again and the ToQgers are surprised when they see a man get his suit blown right off his body, leaving him only in underwear and a fedora.

The ToQgers, except Akira, laugh and they get sent flying into the air.

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Jack in the Box® Shadow shows himself and Akira recognizes him. Akira explains how Jack in the Box® Shadow uses laughter to blow people away to keep them from being happy. But it’s okay since Jack in the Box® Shadow isn’t funny.

Jack in the Box® Shadow takes offense and summons Kuros.

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The ToQgers all henshin and they charge toward the Kuros. But Jack in the Box® Shadow snaps his finger again.

Right grabs a Kuros’ hat off its head to reveal an afro. Right stops himself from laughing, but Jack in the Box® Shadow snaps his fingers again before charging toward the ToQgers.

Behind Jack in the Box® Shadow appear two sumo wrestlers, first walking about, then sitting down to eat.

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Suddenly, the sumo wrestlers lock horns then start doing the cha-cha and body waves.

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The ToQgers can’t help but laugh at the strange sight, so they get blown away again. Akira, still stone faced, goes after Jack in the Box® Shadow who decides to retreat.

Back at the Resshas, the ToQgers are trying to figure out how to keep from laughing so easily. Right is particularly frustrated and upset.

Conductor and Ticket, however, have a training plan that should give the ToQgers the best defense against Jack in the Box® Shadow.

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Across town, Akira comes across a crying little girl with a box while he’s looking for something he’s dropped. He approaches her and looks into the box. It’s a…

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Back on the Resshas, Wagon walks into the main car and is surprised to find…

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The ToQgers are doing crunches for the first part of their Special Training, Core Strength.

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Next is practicing their pratfalls. Ticket and Conductor want them to be serious about being silly.

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Part 3 of their training is their Exclamations. They use punching bags to practice their interjections.

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For part 4, it’s time for them to apply their training in the real world.

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Hikari, Right and Kagura are acting out an elevator/Ressha skit much to the disinterest of the children.

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Tokacchi and Mio, meanwhile, are acting out a comedy duo sketch that the grandpas and grandmas don’t really care for.

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Conductor and Ticket watch the ToQgers back on the Resshas delivering their final killer joke.


Conductor and Ticket think they are absolutely ready.


Downtown, Jack in the Box® Shadow continues to send people flying when the ToQgers arrive. They tell him they won't be laughing anymore and that he will be the one that gets blown away by his own laughter.

Jack in the Box® Shadow snaps his fingers and a comedian pops in to deliver a Madagascar joke. The ToQgers stop themselves from laughing and the Shadow says, fine, it's their turn.

The ToQgers henshin, but instead of the usual pose, they try something else.

But Jack in the Box® Shadow says the original one was funnier. Hikari’s had enough of this foolishness, but they suddenly hear a familiar tune.

They turn to see Akira walking in playing the recorder. He finishes with the wrong note, then says his line: “This is the place where I die.”

Everyone, the ToQgers, Jack in the Box® Shadow and even the Kuros burst out in laughter and all of them go flying. The ToQgers are frustrated that it was Akira, of all people, that caused them to break.

Akira doesn’t really understand what’s wrong, but he does know it’s time for him to henshin. He charges towards the Kuros, including one with pigtails.

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The others snap out of their comedic rut and decide to fight normally, but Right is still upset over the failure of their plan. He takes a seat on the steps and when Kagura goes to check on him, he hands her his Ressha.

Right is announced to have “depressed to White” and he sulks alone until the pigtailed Kuro, also depressed, takes a seat next to him.

Kagura transfers to Red, but then trips over a dead Kuro. The Ressha falls out of her ToQ Changer and Hikari picks it up to transfer. He tosses it to Mio who also transfers and finally Tokacchi gets it.

Tokacchi returns it to Right’s ToQ Changer and he regains his color and takes out the pigtailed Kuro next to him.

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Akira finishes off Jack in the Box® Shadow’s first life and naturally, he embiggens. Akira jumps into Build Ressha and Right decides he feels like hopping into Gramps Ressha today.

Mio tells Right not to be so down about their gag not working, but Tokacchi adds that Right is not used to losing or being not-“right” all the time.

Right pilots Diesel-Oh while the other four hop into ToQ-Oh and Akira initiates Build Dai-Oh. But Akira suddenly starts cracking up.

The others try to snap him out of it, but they still manage to work together to finish off two Kuliners and eventually Jack in the Box® Shadow.

Akira reveals the reason he cannot stop laughing… a cat has been tickling him in the cockpit. He relates his meeting with the little girl earlier. Her mother told her she had to get rid of the cat, so Akira took it to care for.

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The ToQgers watch Akira happily playing with the cat. But the little girl comes running up and says her mom has allowed her to keep it now. Akira’s smile quickly disappears as he hands the cat back to her.

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The little girl thanks Akira for taking care of her cat and she also has something for him. She hands him his harmonica which she’s found.

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The little girl leaves and Akira collapses on the floor, crying.

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Then he stands and turns to the ToQgers, stoic and serious once again. He tells them he’ll head back to work and he walks away playing his harmonica.

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Back at the Castle, Madame Noir is happily examining Gritta’s wedding dress and excited that it will finally happen. Baron Nero watches and wonders why Noir is so focused on the wedding.

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Episode Thoughts
An insane episode. Cross dressing, nearly naked men, depressed Right. It was crazy!

But of course lots of fun. Especially Akira’s whiplash of emotions at the end there. Who would’ve thought he’d have a very soft spot for cats. It’ll be interesting too to see Akira recognizing his former Shadow Line comrades in the future. That’s a nice little fresh dynamic.

Another fresh dynamic happened this episode too. Right being all depressed that he was actually wrong for once. I definitely enjoyed that since it really was starting to get tiresome having Right basically be an all-knowing deus ex machina most of the time. Also, colorless Sentai!

I hope they go to the countryside soon. I thought we’d be seeing more of non-Tokyo locations. =(

This was the first time Conductor and Ticket left the Resshas! I want to see them and Wagon out in the battle in the future.

But maybe the biggest story development this episode was that little tease at the end. The wedding is fast approaching and looks like things get crazier, in a dramatic sense, next week. Can’t wait!

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5 thoughts on “Recap: Ressha Sentai ToQger, Station (Episode) 20 – Smiling is Dangerous

  1. Awwww the wittle kitty is so cute! Sorry I love cute and every other animals but spiders. Anyway Right looked creepy he made me feel more I’ll then I do know. Ugh! I agree with Akira-kun. Gee weez. I kinda like he circles to show who’s who. Which one was Mio I couldn’t tell. Oh well. 🙂

  2. Awwww the wittle kitty is so cute! Sorry I love cute and every other animals but spiders. Anyway Right looked creepy he made me feel more ill then I do know. Ugh! I agree with Akira-kun. Gee weez. I kinda like he circles to show who’s who. Which one was Mio I couldn’t tell. Oh well. 🙂

  3. I’m KAT349. I just want to say something else Zed is a f**king bastard! Using someone that Gritta has a crush on?! Zed is not husband material just like Zed from mighty morphin! They’re all bastards.

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