Recap: Ressha Sentai ToQger, Station (Episode) 2 – We Are Here

The ToQgers react to Ticket’s revelation. So they’re dead? Are they ghosts?

Conductor says See Ticket-kun, you shouldn’t be dropping bombs like that so casually. Now they’re all vexed.

While the ToQgers are trying to grasp the news, in walks Wagon, who runs the train’s concessions cart. She offers them some nice bento, tea and sweets. Conductor says they’re not really in the mood for…

But Right perks up and says he definitely wants to eat. Kagura and Mio follow. Having an appetite should prove they’re alive, so they should eat Tokatti says.

They do have an appetite… for stupidity, Ticket-kun laments. But at least one of them is being reasonable. They turn to Hikari who sighs as he takes a seat and plays with his kendama.

The ToQgers start eating and Mio goes over to give Hikari some lunch too. Wagon is happy they are so hungry and they all remember how Right was a big eater back in school. He’d always get seconds at the cafeteria by sneaking back in with another class.

Wagon is surprised they were all in the same class since some of the look so young (Kagura) and others so old (Tokatti). Mio says they used to play together a lot and Kagura remembers them exploring the city and building a secret base. At that big tree, Right says and other stuff, but they can’t remember the rest.

They suddenly can’t think of the city’s name though. None of them can remember.

Hikari asks them a question, what happened after the days they played together. None of them can remember.

You guys should be a little more suspicious of…

But before Hikari can finish, the lights flicker. Conductor comes in to say they’ve entered the Shadow Line. Ticket says the next station has been taken over by it and explains that the Shadow Line intends to expand its rail network to spread darkness around the world.

Shadow Line trains enter the Rainbow Line with Shadow Monsters, Conductor says, to create darkness and engulf cities using the rage, sorrow, hatred, jealousy and regret from human hearts. They must force humans to fall into despair sink into those feelings.

Ticket announces they’ve arrived at the station. It’s name has been changed to Kettougahara or Duel Meadows.

Everything seems normal at the station, but Conductor says wait until they actually step outside the station. Ticket announces the train is departing. They can’t stay on the Shadow Line too long.

The ToQgers head downtown and see the people gloomily walking about. An announcement is made and everyone pays attention. It’s time again… for them to choose an opponent and duel.

The ToQgers see a Shadow Creep on a rooftop who flips a huge coin. The townspeople whip out various weapons and immediately strike at each other as soon as the coin crashes into the ground.

The ToQgers rush over to the losers of each duel to check on them, but they suddenly emit black smoke. A man approaches them. Why didn’t they duel!?!

Shadow Creep Sabre Shadow confronts them and the Kuros surround them. He won’t forgive them for being cowards and not dueling, but Right says they don’t really care.

The ToQgers henshin.

“All aboard!”

The Kuros get to be a little too much for them, so they decide to switch Lines. Right to Pink, Tokatti to Green, Mio to Blue, Hikari to Yellow and Kagura to Red.

There they go again, Ticket says, treating line switching like some toy gimmick. Conductor says not to worry this is just part of their imagination.

Sabre Shadow notices a little boy watching from around the corner. He’ll punish him for not dueling, but Right, now back in Red, stops him. You’re a good fighter for a coward, Sabre Shadow says.

They’re cowards for not dueling and cowards will be eliminated. That’s how it works here in Duel Meadows.

But we didn’t know that since we just got here, Right says. Sabre Shadow thinks that’s a good point. He explains that people must duel at any time and any place against someone as soon as the signal is given.

Now that they know, they will duel next time. Yes?

Oh, I’ll duel alright, Right says, with you!

Sabre Shadow is amused and walks away.

The little boy comes out and thanks them. They head down by the canal.
He tells them he doesn’t know if he can go on after his parents got hurt in a duel. He crouches on the ground and darkness emanates from his body, just like from the duel losers.

According to the monster, once there’s enough darkness, the city will be a good as destroyed and the people living in it as good as dead.

Baron Nero is pleased with Sabre Shadow’s plans. At this rate, the Emperor’s arrival will be very soon. General Schwartz says he’ll go see to the creation of the Shadow Train Corps in the meantime.

Gritta longingly looks at Schwartz-sama as he leaves.

“As good as dead.” Hikari reminds them of what they talked about on the train, their not remembering things and not even realizing they didn’t remember things. That might be what Ticket meant by “good as dead.”

It’ll be fine, Right says. Right now they need to duel the Shadow Monster.

Right starts to run off, but Hikari calls out, Why? You must be imagining something positive coming out of all this, but it doesn’t seem possible in their situation.

“I’m no good at imagining things with no logical basis,” Hikari says. “Right now, we’ve got no past or future and are just rolling along in a train. We’re like ghosts riding a ghost train.”

That’s great then! Right says. If they really are ghosts, they get to go home during the Obon Festival. They might not remember where home is, but they might be able to return automatically.

No, they WILL return home, Right declares. He turns.

Hikari wants to say more, but Mio stops him. Not now, you know how Right gets.

Right goes to the little boy. You shouldn’t give up either. Think about everything working out and picture it up here.

If you can see it, it’ll be okay. “That’s imagination for you!” Tokatti adds.

Right asks the boy to close his eyes and imagine them beating that monster. The boy closes his eyes then smiles. He sees it.

Alright! We’re going to borrow that image, Right says.

Sabre Shadow is about to start another duel, but Right blasts the huge coin to pieces.

Sabre Shadow summons an army of Kuros. Right tells the others he’ll take on the big guy and they’ll handle the Kuros. They henshin.

He’s older, but hasn’t changed a bit, Hiroki says about Right. He ends up dragging them along as usual. But Mio says Hiroki hasn’t changed at all either. While Right floats off like a balloon, Hiroki would always keep them a bit grounded.

“Well to be honest, I’m kind of afraid of heights anyway. So flying around too high doesn’t suit me.”

“I’m glad we didn’t end up on a ghost plane.”

We’re not ghosts, Kagura says, look how solid we are. Tokatti adds that their memories might be hazy, but they’re definitely here right now.

That’s true, Hikari says, “The five of us are all right here.”

Hikari, Mio, Tokatti and Kagura finish off the Kuros. Meanwhile, Right is with Sabre Shadow.

Wanting to make the duel more interesting, Sabre Shadow summons a Shadow Line Kuliner train and hops onto the roof. Right summons his own train and he gets ready to fight. But Hikari speeds up and says to link up so he can drive while Right focuses on fighting.

Good idea.

Right and Sabre Shadow get to it and take their fight into the sky.

Right slips off the train and Hikari catches him.

Right slips off again and is clinging on to the side of the train. Looks like I’ve got you, Sabre Shadow says. I don’t think so, Right replies, right Hikari?

I can see it, Hikari says, a vision of us winning based in reality.

Right pulls himself back up onto the roof. Sabre Shadow has his swords clipped off when they go into a tunnel and that allows Right to deliver a Final Strike. The Shadow Creep falls off the train and blows up on the tracks.

But of course it’s time for him to embiggen. So the ToQgers initiate Express Coupling and link up for ToQ-Oh.

Sabre Shadow is ready to duel and of course Right thinks that should be fun. They set five paces, but Sabre Shadow turns at 4 and tries a cheap shot. But Right pushes the Release Combination button and all the bullets miss them.

They waste no time finishing off Sabre Shadow for good with a Crossing ToQ Shot.

The town’s station name returns to normal and the Rainbow Line moves on to their next destination.

Hikari tells Conductor and Ticket his theory that the reason they lack memories and are “as good as dead” is because they were residents of a town consumed by darkness. The others think it’s a solid theory.

Is he right? they ask.

Well…
“You’re correct!!” Conductor says. But Ticket says “You’re wrong!!”

Which is it!?!?!

Episode Thoughts
This is going to be a Gaim situation, isn’t it? I mean, it’s only going to get better and better (and darker) each week, yeah?

It’s very easy for me to love this season already. It’s crazy fun with very dark undertones. And there’s steampunk villains wanting to fight on top of trains! I mean come on, on top of trains!

And that really was an awesome sequence.

So Hikari comes up with a reasonable theory, which Ticket-kun completely shuts down. I’m actually more inclined to believe Ticket over the Conductor since Ticket does not sugar-coat anything. He’s completely open. So while a pretty good theory Hikari, I doubt that’s it. But it does give an interesting new dimension to the Shadow Line’s plans and actions.

I still think they’re actually dead or in purgatory. But one eagle-eyed fan pointed out something very interesting. Look at the kid’s t-shirt:

A hospital eh? Accidents and emergencies? Interesting. The ToQgers should be in a coma at the hospital. And everything they’re seeing now in their coma-world are things and people from that hospital. The American Life of Mars did something similar with their explanation of the trippy world the hero had to experience while in a medicine-induced deep sleep on the way to Mars.

So I could definitely see them being in a coma. And whether dead or in a coma, it’s all that damn Goseiger tree’s fault probably. Hmph.

Now as much as I’m loving pretty much everything about ToQger so far, I don’t like when Right shuts Tokatti up though. I know it’s supposed to be a sight gag, but it’s pretty mean. Especially for Right who is supposed to be all nice and happy. He can put his hand or even just his finger on Tokatti’s mouth or something, but not be so forceful with it. It’s off-putting.

But anyway, I’m definitely very high on ToQger. And coupled with Gaim, I’d say walang-wala ang Super Megaforce. Or, Super Megaforce has got nothing on ToQger or Gaim. Not by a long shot. And thank goodness for that.