Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger 09 - The Lion, Runs

Great, the episode title is GaoRed's name, Shishi (Lion) Kakeru (Run)! In this episode, the empire knows what the pirates want, that is what is hiding in a floating island. The Gokaigers found the island and so does the empire, and so the fight for the GaoLion begins.

I am not a fan of Goaranger but I am quite familiar with its concept thanks to Power Rangers Wild Force. So yeah, I have a brief idea on what is an Animarium and the Power Animals. Thus I noticed that the GaoLion "grew up." To those who haven't watched either of the two shows, blue streaks appeared once the Lion growls, has a different design for his boosters and lastly, he looks more "toyetic" compared to his previous appearance. But I am not complaining about it since it has a second purpose in the series.

If there is one thing I learned about this episode is that, Oiles Gil is drawing back his officers' full potential. Seriously, after he learned Damaras' and Insarn's plan to steal the GaoLion before the Gokaigers gets it, he just laughs at them and tell them that they will own everything once they conquer the world. Seriously, what's wrong with him?! I mean, they were constantly being beaten by the Rangers for eight friggin' weeks now!

Now back at the Gokaigers who just met the vet, Kakeru Shishi. Compared to the previous Reds who appeared in this series, Kakeru wants to stop them from getting the Gaoranger powers since he just thinks them as lawless pirates. Considering on what they did in the past eight episodes, I guess they are just pirates by name and 70% in action. What I can say about Kakeru is that for a guy who watched Wild Force, he is one interesting character. He cares about his old partner and doesn't want him to fall into the wrong crowd. Considering the Gaoranger stock footage I watched via Wild Force, I guess he has a pretty reasonable reason for stopping these pirates.

And so, for the second consecutive tribute episode, Ahim and Doc ends up talking with Kakeru thanks to Ahim getting an injury while they are fighting Bowser (laughs) in the sky. Partly surprised since the guy who wrote the Gekiranger Tribute is also the one who wrote this tribute! Ahim's reasoning on why they should be trusted with the GaoLion makes perfect sense. I mean, since she is a former princess of some planet, why a bunch of pirates care about her since she can't generate funds for them?

As for the Gokai Changes in this episode, I love this week's choices! Also, I love the subtle show references they added on this week's transformations. Namely, the Jetman one in which the scene when they were falling looked like a scene from the show's opening. Lastly, the Gaoranger Gokai Change, after a tribute episode of not using the Gekiranger special effects in their transformation sequence, they decided to use the Gaoranger sequence in this episode. Which causes me to think that those special transformation sequences only applies to Sentai powers that has its own auxiliary mecha.

As for this week's fight scenes, it was great but I am quite disappointed for the lack of more each of the Gaoranger's special attacks. Only GaoBlue's special attack was featured. Foreshadowing on what's going to happen in the next three episodes perhaps? As for GaoGokaiOh, it felt weird to me, especially its special attack. I mean, laser spam? Is that the best they can give for the GaoGokaiOh?

Overall, it was a good episode. My only problem with this tribute episode is GaoGokaiOh's powers. I am dead serious. It was lame, and it doesn't feel like a Gaoranger special form compared to the previous two forms. Why previous two? The MagiDragon felt like a proper Magiranger tribute mecha, but the MagiDragon sticking outside the belly of the GokaiOh felt a bit off. If only they can ride this dragon like what Kai did in Magiranger...

Special thanks to That Chick's That Toku Blog and Super Sentai Images for the screencaps.

A Blazing Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Update!

Just recently, more scans for Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger has just surfaced the web! Asides that we have the glimpse of the upcoming Gekiranger episode that will happen after the show's sixth episode that focuses about Luka, we now have the first images of Gokaiger's version of the GaoLion and its combinations with the GokaiOh. Yep, combinations.

According to the info we had regarding this episode weeks ago, the Gekiranger episode is called, Niki! Niki! Training Kenpo! The episode's guest star will be no other than Hiroki Suzuki and Ichirou Nagai reprising their roles as Jan Kandou/GekiRed and Master Xia Fu.

In this episode, Navi asks them to look for a Tiger Boy for Great Wisdom and so, they started heading out to search for zoos. However, the Kung Fu Specialist Action Commander, Pachamac XIII appears and begins destroying the city.


In the battle, Doc and Ahim tried to take on the Commander and the lost which cause them to feel down for themselves. By chance, the came into a group that teaches Kenpo Lessons for kids. Teaching the kids is a young man (obviously, Jan) and the two started their Kenpo training. Will Doc and Ahim defeat this Kung Fu Specialist?

Unlike the rest of the Super Sentai teams in which the Gokaigers will earn another mecha, with the Gekiranger's case, once the Gekiranger Ranger Keys will be used on the GokaiOh, it will cause the GokaiOh to summon the GekiBeast! Based on this scan, GekiTiger, GekiCheetah, GekiWolf and GekiJaguar will be summoned! Now, where is SaiDain?

Meanwhile, we have a scan of the hierarchy of the Zangyack Empire. In this scan, we see a shadowed figure above Oiles Gil, the leader of the Zangyack fleet invading Earth. Will this shadowed figure have a very significant role in this series?

Lastly, the first actual toy shots (below) of the Gokai Machines' third Legend Machine, the GaoLion. As seen in this scan, it confirms the earlier shadowed image of a possible Shinkenger formation with the GaoLion. The first formation with the GaoLion involves removing the legs of the GokaiOh and mounting it on top of the GaoLion forming the GaoGokaiOh.

On top is the actual TV series images of the GaoGokaiOh, in which unlike the rest of the Legend Machines, it really looks similar to the original GaoLion back in Gaoranger. By similar, we can't see the Gokaiger logo somewhere in this picture. It is also confirmed that Kakeru Shishi aka GaoRed's actor, Kaneko Noboru will reprise his old role. In Gokaiger, Kakeru returns to his old profession, a veterinarian who later meets up with the Gokaigers in the show's ninth episode.

The second formation involves dismantling the GaoLion and place it on the GokaiOh's respective ports, creating the ShinkenGokaiOh. As seen in this scan, the formation of each part is similar with the formation of the Origami of the ShinkenOh, and yes, this formation will retain the ShinkenOh's kanji.

In case you are wondering if this would be the last of its kind, according to an old rumor, we will see more of this two-in-one Legend Machines in the near future. If the rumor is true, we might be having the Bakuryuu Tyrannosaurus next with an Abaranger special episode and later, a Zyuranger special episode.

UPDATE: Added a new images coming from Henshin Grid.

Source: DecaEnd of HJU (Link 2), Gold Samurai of HJU