Recap: Mashin Sentai Kiramager, Episode 28 – Crying Shiguru

Juuru meets with King Oradin in his dreams again. Oradin is drawing a phoenix, just like the one Juuru loved drawing. He says he hopes to meet Juuru in a different place next time.

“You must open the door and enter. But each person can enter only once.”

Oradin hands Juuru a key and says Juuru’s Kiramental will lead him to that place.

Before Juuru can ask Oradin more questions, he wakes up. Mabushina says she is envious of him being able to meet her father, even if just in a dream. She wishes she could as well.

Shiguru, crying, turns to Mabushina who thinks he is crying for her. That makes her even sadder and they are now both crying. Juuru tries to calm them down. But Shiguru was actually just practicing his lines for a drama. Mabushina, annoyed, says Shiguru should be more considerate of how others might interpret him.

Juuru is surprised to see he is holding the key King Oradin gave him in his dream. But before he can think about it more, they are interrupted by breaking news of huge explosions causing major destruction downtown.

Mabushina is horrified because this is exactly how the first wave of attacks on Crystalia played out.

The Kiramagers hurry downtown in Kiramaizin, but they can’t seem to see what is causing the explosions. Muryou thinks he sees some movement, but they are unable to see anything before they get attacked.

Tametomo calls on Magellan to help and he shoots cement at something that seems to be invisible. They suddenly see red eyes glow. And before they can react, they absorb a major attack.

Yodonna, happy with what she has seen so far, calls the invisible monster away. Thanks to Carantula’s idea and tablet, the monster can remain invisible.

Back at the coconut tree, the Mashins are badly damaged and unable to move. Their shine is clouded. Mabushina is sure this is the work of Yodon as the same attack was used on Crystalia to make the Kiramai Stones unable to fight.

Zabyun says the Stones may regain their shine if they bathe in the miraculous light of the Atamald holy land. But that place can only be reached by Mashin Hakobu.

Hakobu was a royal aide that helped mentor King Oradin. Mabushina says Hakobu especially helped her father stop being a crybaby and mature. Takamichi remembers their father saying that Hakobu would cry in sympathy with him.

Shiguru says crying together must have brought Oradin and Hakobu closer together. Juuru thinks they can ask for Hakobu’s help. But Ex and Press say that Hakobu was vacationing on Earth during the Attack on Crystalia and is depressed and guilty about not being there to help protect their land and the King.

Dr. Sayo offers to give Hakobu some psychiatric advice. But Shiguru says what Hakobu needs is entertainment. And Juuru will help him provide that.

Zabyun takes them to the island where Hakobu has remained on, but says he will only drop them off as Hakobu likes to talk your ear off when he gets started.

Shiguru and Juuru take a knee and bow at the foot of the big Stone. But Hakobu says he no longer has the capacity to feel concern for his Mashin comrades. He tells them to leave. But Shiguru vows to restore those emotions.

Hakobu shrinks himself to a more manageable size into Shiguru’s hands and says that anyone who fails to grant a Stone’s request will get crushed beneath it.

Shiguru and Juuru begin with a comedy skit and then Shiguru shows off his swordplay. But Hakobu is unmoved.

Back at the coconut tree, Muryou gives the Kiramagers a clue about how the Jamenju was able to be invisible. The idea being the Jamenju is using projection mapping to project an image onto its body to blend into its surroundings like camouflage.

The alarm sounds and they will get the chance to test out that theory.

Back on the island, Shiguru decides to perform an original song for Hakobu. With Juuru on guitar, Shiguru sings an emotional rock ballad. But it still doesn’t move Hakobu.

The Kiramagers find Yodonna using a tablet, with the Bechats filming the live video, to project onto the Jamenju to give it its invisibility camouflage.

Yodonna whips the Bechats’ butts and they turn zombie to run the tablet away from the Kiramagers. Tametomo, Sena, Sayo and Takamichi henshin and chase after them.

Battling the Bechats through a warehouse and tossing the tablet around, Takamichi finally gets a hold of it and destroys it. That reveals the huge new monster that is twice as big as the usual Jamenju. Mabushina recognizes it as a Gomoryu. Takamichi hops into Gigant Driller and Tametomo and Sena hop into King Express Zabyun.

Yodonna orders the Projector Gomoryu to continue its destruction of the city.

On the island, Shiguru cries about Hakobu’s situation and what he has been feeling. Shiguru’s words sound very familiar to Juuru. But those words seem to touch Hakobu and he begins to sympathize with him and cry as well.

Hakobu says crying after such a long time has lessened the burden in his heart. He is even laughing now as he remembers King Oradin when he was a child.

While Hakobu reminisces about his memories of the past, Juuru and Shiguru whisper to each other. This was part of Shiguru’s plan all along knowing how Hakobu sympathized with King Oradin’s tears. He does feel a little bad about deceiving Hakobu. But Juuru says even if Shiguru was acting, he was still able to help Hakobu.

Muryou calls to update them on the situation. Hakobu says he will lend them his strength as promised.

The Gomoryu flaps its wings, causing major destruction to the city and the Mashin. Before it can send an attack at the Kiramagers, Shiguru and Juuru arrive in Hakobu.

Hakobu transforms and is ready to help.

Episode Thoughts

Kiramager doesn’t disappoint. This was another fun and exciting episode. The show continues to effortlessly balance the funny and the dramatic into a thoroughly enjoyable package.

It was a great Shiguru-focus episode. It plays around with him being an actor, his funny personality and a rather nice message about a passion for acting that many actors have about their craft. Having it fit together with trying to cheer up/encourage Hakobu is very creative.

Much kudos to Atom Mizuishi. He is such a great, versatile actor. It’s been a lot of fun seeing him throughout the season be as goofy and as dramatic as anyone else on the cast. There’s been a lot of hilarious moments of Shiguru just in the background. Not even him as the focus of the scene, but him just making faces and physical comedy just on the side or in the background. So funny and a testament to how great Atom is.

Back to the beginning of the episode, I enjoyed Shiguru and Mabushina’s scene where they cried. But even more so, I loved Mabushina expressing how she is envious of Juuru meeting with her father, even if just in a dream. I was wondering if the show would touch upon her feelings about Juuru getting to randomly meet with and talk to Oradin. And it was a good moment here. It’s little character moments like that which have been plenty on this season.

There’s a lot of care in making sure the Kiramagers plus Mabushina (especially) and Muryou too be fully developed and deep characters. (Certain other shows can learn a thing or two from Kiramager.)

The Gomoryu is absolutely terrifying. Love that design and the clever concept of the projector. I was wondering about the level of destruction in this episode. It was intense and really on a midseason finale or even final arc-level of action and damage. Are we at the midseason climax perhaps? Do they still do that?

Anyway, since this is a two-parter, it was a great cliffhanger and provided an epic debut for our new friend Hakobu. Seeing a legitimate threat and the stakes high makes for an exciting episode.

Speaking of exciting, I absolutely LOVED that long take when the Kiramagers battled the Bechats.

This scene from Mashin Sentai Kiramager Episode 28 though. I love a well-executed long take. And this one was amazing! (With a few seamless cuts, sure). The direction. The choreography. So good! #キラメイジャー pic.twitter.com/rXS9IM4iq9

— DryedMangoez (@dryedmangoez) October 19, 2020

There’s a few edits and cuts in there, I’m sure. But they were seamless and not noticeable. Most of that sequence though I feel was one long take and I always love those kinds of shots. That takes some excellent directing and choreography to pull off. And they absolutely did pull it off here. One of the best and most exciting action sequences I’ve seen on any toku (American or Japanese) in a while.

Basically, Kiramager is delivering.

Overall, a fun and exciting episode. And Shiguru’s rock ballad is another on the list of awesome character songs for this season.