Recap: Mashin Sentai Kiramager, Episode 45 (FINAL) – You Were There and Shined + Season Review

At the coconut tree, Mabushina wishes she could do something to help the dire situation. But Muryou says all they can do is have faith in the Kiramagers.

Carantula tells the Kiramagers that the only time the Emperor removes his mask is when they are all dead and he eats their dead bodies. That’s just the way the Emperor does things.

Just then, Juuru has a Hirameking and they prepare their final battle.

Inside the Emperor’s Red Room of Consciousness, a dying Yodonna wants to know what she meant to him. The Emperor says she was his weakness. He tells her about being born out of serpents from the Sea of Corruption. He had never been a strong warrior. But a hit of inspiration one day had him forge his first mask. And when he wore it, he felt unstoppable. He would devour the bodies of his slain enemies and grow stronger.

That’s when Yodonna and Shadon were born inside his mind. He unwittingly began to yearn for companionship which he once hated. And that means Yodonna was the manifestation of his weakness which held him back.

Yodonna crawls toward the Emperor and is satisfied to know that her death will help him become truly powerful and invincible.

Smog Jouki speeds in, but the Emperor grabs it and whips it aside, mocking it and Garuza.

The Kiramagers arrive, resolved that they can give it all they’ve got to ensure the success of their plan. Each Mashin delivers their strongest attack, but the Emperor manages to counter each one. Takamichi leaps up to deliver a Driller Knuckle and that throws the Emperor onto his back for a moment.

The Emperor easily gets back up and delivers a Yodon Destroyer finisher at them. The Kiramagers and Mashin explode and the world turns dark. Emperor Yodon declares victory and prepares to devour them. He removes his mask, revealing his true face.

Suddenly, the Kiramagers somehow shoot the mask out of the Emperor’s hands, much to his shock. Turns out the Kiramagers used the Illusia Kanaema Stone to trap the Emperor in an illusion that showed him the death of the Kiramagers. With that, the Kiramagers were able to knock the mask out of the Emperor’s hands.

The Kiramagers are now able to directly attack the Emperor’s face. Takamichi delivers the decisive blow that shrinks the Emperor back down to size.

The Emperor says the Kiramagers are just insects. But Mabushina arrives and says he is wrong. The Kiramagers will put an end to him using their bright light. She points to them as they walk toward them, showing their shining faces.

The Kiramagers proudly do their roll call…

OMGYES! Here's Mashin Sentai Kiramager's helmetless finale roll call. AND THEY DID THE ENDING POSE! I literally stood up and applauded while in tears at this moment. #キラメイジャー pic.twitter.com/5NWylvsp22

— DryedMangoez (@dryedmangoez) March 1, 2021

…and charge toward the Emperor.

Emperor Yodon summons supercharged Bechats to battle the Kiramagers.

Mabushina prays for the Kiramagers’ victory. The Mashins arrive and say they are sure the Kiramagers will win. Especially when these are the strong warriors she herself discovered.

King Oradin tells his daughter that the Kiramagers’ kirakira is enough to overcome anything.

Mabushina watches as the Kiramagers work in harmony together. She talks about each Kiramager’s unique kirakira.

Mabushina says Tametomo is a strategic genius. And Shovellow adds that he is humble enough to let Juuru still lead the team.

Mabushina and King Oradin say Takamichi always puts his own wellbeing on the line just to protect them and others. And his sincere smiles have been a great source of courage for them.

Mabushina says Sayo is cute, but so mature. She can be flexible and never complains. Mabushina believes they all met so they could shine as bright as possible together.

Shiguru has refined his swordsmanship and faced any battle while still being the most stoic and disciplined of them all. Both Mabushina and Jetter think that is so cool.

A path opens up toward the Emperor. Tametomo tells Sena to go full speed ahead with Destoria. Mabushina says Sena’s momentum always carried the team forward. And she would always bring them smiles as well. Mach agrees and both he and Mabushina love her.

The Emperor blocks Sena’s attack and the Kanaema Stone goes flying. But Tametomo says that is all part of their plan. He knocks it back toward the Emperor and Juuru prepares Kiraful Go Arrow.

Mabushina says Juuru has always been an odd person. He is timid, but never weak. Fire adds that his power of imagination even rivaled that of King Oradin.

Mabushina says Juuru is her hero.

Juuru shoots a Destoria-powered Sparkling Phoenix finisher and that destroys a shocked Emperor Yodon for good.

The Kiramagers, Mabushina and Mashins all celebrate their victory. Muryou even falls out of his chair, he is so happy.

Mabushina says seeing the Kiramagers win in the battle against Yodonheim has made her realize what she must do now.

Three months later, Juuru is in the park and uses a Hakatan device to take him to the virtual meeting at the coconut tree.

Juuru apologizes for being late as he just received a call from Carantula who has promised not to attack or invade other civilizations anymore.

They’re still waiting for Takamichi and Mabushina to join them. But in the meantime, Juuru asks them what they were talking about before he got here.

The others say they were wondering how Juuru was able to sync with King Oradin and Garuza’s memories. They have come to the conclusion that… it was all a happy coincidence.

Juuru can’t believe it’s that simple. But Sena says it makes the most sense.

Tametomo says it all started because Juuru was able to connect to another world. And thanks to that, they were all able to meet each other. A happy coincidence indeed.

Takamichi and Mabushina beam themselves in. They can all hear the Mashins, but can’t see them, however. Muryou decides to flip a switch and the Kiramagers all appear on Crystalia.

The Kiramagers reunite with their Mashin partners.

But Mabushina has a big announcement. She tells her friends that she has been crowned the Queen of Crystalia.

Mabushina had been able to use the Kanaema Stones to restore Crystalia. But the survivors of the kingdom will need time to recover. And Mabushina will do her best to help them along the way. Especially when the king and queen are still a bird and crown, respectively.

Queen Mabushina says it was thanks to all of them. She would like to live a kirakira life like them.

The Mashins point the Kiramagers to a special present: their likenesses on the side of a kirakira mountain. Mabushina says it is a monument to the ideals she would like Crystalia to emulate.

Just then, Mizuki’s hologram pops in to nag Juuru about his drawing of her. That drawing is of her in the corner, while the main focus of it is the team of the next season.

Juuru is not really sure what it all means, but thinks it’ll be good too.

Juuru and Mizuki return back to Earth and she chases him around.

King Oradin concludes that when people shine, a miracle can be born. And that kirakira can shape the future.

Episode Thoughts

Let’s first talk about this finale before we reminisce about this awesome season.

I was a little sad they played the full opening credits. Though last week was a little more dramatic so it was fitting there. One reason why the opening-less episodes can work so well is that the opening theme is usually played at the most emotional or climactic moment in the episode itself. When that opening theme kicks in during a battle or when the heroes pick themselves up and charge forward, it is always such an exhilarating feeling. So exciting and many times emotional.

That said, the helmetless roll call and the battle that ensued definitely still hit the mark. I think those scenes and really this episode were more about showing the bond the Kiramagers (and Mabushina, Muryou and the Mashins) have formed and solidified this season. That’s why aside from the good action in that final battle, it included Mabushina’s narration about each Kiramager and how they’ve all worked together to not only defeat their enemies, but raise each other up to be their shiniest and best.

I would have loved to have seen more of the Emperor’s origin story this season. Born out of serpents from a sea of corruption?! WTF! That would be amazing to watch. Especially when his true face was just as terrifying as his indestructible mask. It’s a fascinating idea. And perhaps it’s one of the things that got cut because of COVID disruptions.

The fact that Yodonna remained loyal to the end, even after hearing the Emperor’s pretty hurtful words toward her. Not to mention him killing her of course. That was pretty dark. I wasn’t expecting that at all. It was quite sad. Yodonna was such a great character. And the only thing I may have changed is perhaps giving her a similar enlightenment story as Carantula got. Her stature this season called for a big story on her own.

I loved seeing Mabushina coming down to face the Emperor herself. I perhaps would’ve wanted it a little longer, especially since this is the guy that destroyed her planet and ruined her family.

But her being there was so great. I’m so happy they decided to do that as she has been as much a main character of this season as the Kiramagers.

The moment at the end explaining (or not!) Juuru’s connection with Crystalia was funny. Perhaps if they got the five more episodes, they could’ve done something with that plot hole. But oh well. It doesn’t take away from the rest of the story.

Now of course, my absolute favorite moment from the finale was the roll call. THEY DID THE POSE HELMETLESS!!!!!!!!!!! The actors themselves did their pose! I literally stood and applauded at that moment. Complete with tears in my eyes, mind you. MaGMCM? Check! In the midst of an emotionally charged scene and then getting that fun moment was so awesome.

Overall, this was a WONDERful finale that truly exemplified what the season was all about.

Alternate Finale Idea

ETA (3/3/21): A few days after the finale, I got to thinking about what could have made an even more impactful finale episode.

Though the Emperor was a truly menacing villain, I think the season should’ve ended with a focus on the Crystalia Family. And that means keeping Garuza as the big bad final boss. Perhaps transferring Garuza’s realization about being under the Emperor’s spell and manipulation to these final episodes instead.

That would have allowed for what could have been an incredibly emotional and impactful moment. That is, Garuza sacrificing himself to help defeat Emperor Yodon. Perhaps using his last bit of energy and power to help the Kiramagers deliver the final blow to the Emperor. But in turn, using up all his life energy.

Imagine this: The Emperor has been defeated. The Kiramagers, Mabushina and King Oradin (perhaps revived in his normal body by now) running over to a dying Garuza as he lies on the ground. Juuru thanks Garuza for saving him. Garuza talks about wanting to make his life mean something, even in his final moments. He tells Juuru to live for him and continue drawing and making art.

Then Garuza turns to his family. King Oradin, Mabushina and Takamichi move closer to him. He begins to disappear with the usual sparkling light. But before he dies, he addresses his brother specifically. “I hope I can be a better brother to you in our next life.”

Everyone’s crying as Garuza shines with kirakira for the first time and disappears completely.

Smiling through tears, Juuru says he will keep drawing and shining as Garuza asked him to.

Time jump 3 months later and continue on from there.

Right?! I would be swimming in my own puddle of tears if that were the finale. Essentially transfer the events of Episodes 43 and 44 to 45 instead.

It would remind me of Ninninger‘s emotional finale moment when Kyuuemon essentially admits all he wanted was a family. I liked that story, but it could’ve used more depth throughout the season.

Here on Kiramager, the foundation is all there. The finale we did get was good. But just imagine what an incredible moment this could’ve been. Well, just an idea. =)

Season Review

And what was this season all about? If I had to compare it to any other season, no question it would be ToQger. (I am waiting for that crossover! lol)

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story that deals with shining bright and battling the darkness. (Interpret those metaphors any way you would like.) Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds.

Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The season was able to be so fun and enjoyable while being on solid narrative ground. I haven’t felt that way completely since ToQger, to be quite honest. I was so excited every single week to watch an episode of Kiramager. So much that for the first time, I ran to the fastest subs every Sunday instead of waiting until the end of the week.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

Kiramager also had the best use of new techniques that Toei has employed these last few years. These scenes will always be my favorite from the season:

Recap: Mashin Sentai Kiramager, Episode 22 – Are You Prepared? The Witch is Here – #キラメイジャー – https://t.co/gwul2378Ym pic.twitter.com/nJNS3mv7nm

— DryedMangoez (@dryedmangoez) September 7, 2020

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

The season definitely benefited from the experimentation in new direction techniques and new technology Toei has tried out in the last couple of years. And the result was amazing to watch.

Obviously, COVID has presented challenges for all of us around the world. And for both Kiramager and Kamen Rider Zero-One that included a pause in production last year resulting in less full episodes for both series. But despite those challenges, including Rio Komiya himself contracting the virus, they were able to successfully and safely complete production.

And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years. A huge congratulations and thank you to the entire cast and crew.

Is it one of my favorite Sentai seasons of all time? I say yes. A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during this challenging past year.