Conductor and Ticket announce that they will be stopping at the next station, Kiraridai, for most of the day. The ToQgers are excited to have some pasta for lunch, but Hikari takes a pass as he wants to finish reading his interesting mystery novel.
As soon as the four ToQgers leave the station, however, Detective Toride Gonzaemon places them under arrest. They are handcuffed and taken to the cop cars, but they first demand to know what they are being arrested for.
Detective Toride explains there’s been a string of robberies in town and the four of them may or not be involved. He’s arresting them on a hunch. Conductor, Ticket and Wagon watch from the Ressha as the ToQgers get stuffed into the cars.
They are panicking when the door to the main car opens. A spotlight shines on Hikari as he turns to face them. “I’ve got to catch the true culprit and clear everyone’s names.”
Over at the Castle, Gritta is reiterating to herself that she will not be the Emperor’s wife and that her heart only belongs to Schwarz-sama. Schwarz-sama seems to have heard her.
Madame Noir is telling Zett that she is nothing like Baron Nero. In fact, she has Soujiki (Vacuum cleaner) Shadow out gathering shiny things to dress Gritta with right now.
At the police station, Right, Mio, Tokacchi and Kagura get thrown into a cell. Tokacchi and Kagura are freaking out, but Right is merely hungry.
Back at the Ressha, Hikari has changed into more (1980s) detective-appropriate attire. Conductor and Wagon see Detective Kendama off.
Ticket has no idea what’s going on.
Hikari makes his way around town, questioning people, interrogating people, rolling around on the ground, hiding behind lamp posts.
Conductor is very into the whole situation.
Suddenly, Hikari hears a crash and goes to find Soujiki Shadow robbing an appliance store. He henshins.
They take their fight outside, but Soujiki Shadow throws his just acquired loot of microwaves, TVs and lamps at Hikari allowing him to get away.
Back at the station, Detective Toride is interrogating the ToQgers who have nothing to say. He then offers some katsudon in exchange for information and hungry Right immediately confesses to the crime.
The others are now afraid they’ll go to trial, be found guilty and be sentenced to prison.
Detective Toride declares this case closed, but they hear the sound of a kendama being played with.
In walks Hikari, the Kendama Detective. He tells Detective Toride that the culprit is still at large. He explains the clues he has found, describing Soujiki Shadow’s modus operandi.
Detective Toride thinks that is an absurd theory and now wants to place Hikari under arrest for being an annoyance.
But one of his men come in to say the bank has just been robbed of gold. They hurry out.
The ToQgers are released. They assume Emperor Zett is involved if the Shadow Kaijin is gathering shiny things. They want to hurry and catch up to him at the latest crime scene, but Hikari says they must wait for him at the next one instead. And he knows just where he’ll be.
Hikari changes out of his Sherlock Holmes costume and he and the others stake out a sushi shop, waiting for Soujiki Shadow to come out with a platter of “shiny sushi.”
Right wants to go after him right there, but Hikari says no. They decide to follow Soujiki Shadow to where he’s brought his loot, an abandoned warehouse.
The ToQgers henshin. But Soujiki Shadow sucks up all the barrels and crates in the warehouse and sends them flying toward the ToQgers, burying them. They emerge from the pile and Hikari asks Right to switch lines.
Hikari goes red and takes on Soujiki Shadow himself. Soujiki Shadow goes to suck up another crate, but Hikari stands in front of it and gets sucked in instead. He uses the Rail Slasher to get himself out of the vacuum bag which is now torn and can’t be used.
Hikari and Right switch back and they assemble the Renketsu Bazooka. Hikari delivers the Shiny Sushi Platter Rainbow Rush to finish Soujiki Shadow’s first life.
Right remembers something. He runs over to the loot and finds a Support Ressha. Soujiki Shadow embiggens and Right uses the Ressha to summon Police Ressha, the fastest Support Ressha, according to Ticket.
Right hops into Police Ressha and uses its gun to fire at Soujiki Shadow who summons a Kuliner Robo. The others hop into the Ressha to form ToQ-Oh and Right uses Police Ressha to attach as new hands to become ToQ-Oh Police.
They first use the gun and handcuffs to take care of the Kuiliner Robo. They turn their attention to Soujiki Shadow who tries to avoid their gunshots. But they manage to subdue him and use the handcuffs on him. Right and Hikari say he is under arrest and they use a Police Smash to finish him off for good.
Hikari calls in the location of the stolen goods and Detective Toride thinks maybe the Kendama Detective actually was a good detective.
The ToQgers are back on the Ressha enjoying the shiny sushi while Conductor enjoys a huge wine glass of oolong tea.
Episode Thoughts
It’s hard for me to not like a ToQger episode. Every episode so far has each been lots of fun in their own ways and the story continues to develop at a steady pace.
This episode was definitely fun, seemingly spoofing police procedurals and doing throwbacks and shout outs using Hikari as an 80s-style cop and Sherlock Holmes while Conductor did an awesome David Caruso/Horatio Cane impression. That whole sequence of Hikari changing his clothes, Conductor playing the waiting boss, Wagon saluting the young detective, Hikari gathering clues around town; it was so much fun.
And then of course the other ToQgers getting thrown in jail. And Right still focused on food even when locked up.
The introduction of Police Ressha again felt secondary to everything else in the episode. Especially since Right just so happened to have spotted it amongst the stolen shiny loot.
We’re back to only fleeting moments of the Shadow Line, but the scene we did get was pretty interesting. Schwarz-sama possibly hearing Gritta’s declaration of love and maybe thinking about using that info later on? Then there’s the continued jockeying of position between Madame Noir and Baron Nero. And of course Zett still wanting shiny things.
Overall, it was another great, fun ToQger episode.
I love that Hikari allowed Kagura to be like him and how she got a bit sad that Hikari stayed on the train also when he was trying to bail out his friends she called him cool I know you watched this I’m just a big Hikari and Kagura shipper and the way they were sitting on the bench and when they did the rainbow rush I laugh at the way the shadow monster said “ok”
So cutee when Kagura is eating behind Hikari while secretly looking at the Shadow. <3
yeah I love them so much and i found cute as well