Everyone gather around, it’s story time with Togo! Episode 8 of The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World features a long, winding backstory filled with classic clichés and a surprisingly heartfelt message about reconciliation. A cheesy tokusatsu tangent is just the thing to teach an important lesson!
Surprise, Surprise
In the Sun Forest, Raniya reveals that she and Azir, the corrupt noble looking to invade the elves’ home, were childhood friends. Over time they drifted apart; now, Raniya must steel her heart in order to confront him.
Togo suggests she take the opportunity to reconnect with Azir instead. His optimism is very amusing, especially when he destroys any sense of tension the other characters have built up. He then launches into his backstory to convince Raniya that bonds can be reforged.
Brotherhood and Broken Bonds
When his parents passed away, he was still a kid, and a friend of his father’s offered to take him in. Togo and his adoptive brother, Kiyohiro, became fast friends; supporting each other as they grew up. However, Kiyohiro grew jealous of Togo and joined the Relationship Enders as an agent named Bondkiller.
The visual storytelling was impressive, with Kiyohiro watching Togo from the background to symbolize his estrangement. Kizuna Red and Bondkiller would clash many times, until Togo finally defeated him and the two reconciled.
It’s Tokusatsu Time
Everything about this backstory screams classic tokusatsu. As a reminder, tokusatsu is a genre of Japanese superhero television known for its easy-to-follow format and toy tie-ins (Think Power Rangers and Kamen Rider).
Togo’s encounter with Bondkiller, aka Kiyohiro, is your typical case of close-friend-becomes-enemy-becomes-rival story structure. It’s been done to death, and yet I couldn’t help but laugh at how stereotypical the conflict was. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get invested.
The anime takes the premise of a tokusatsu hero adventuring in a fantasy setting so seriously that we’re compelled to do the same. The animation studio understands the shortcomings of the two genres and instead of shying away from them, chooses to exaggerate them instead.
Rather than trying to create something revolutionary, they focus on just creating something entertaining. Seems like we’ll get exactly that in the next episode. Anyone else getting Yu-Gi-Oh flashbacks?
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