The story is wrapping up. Everything is changing and the biggest challenges are coming fast. So, let's not waste time, click "read more" for my full coverage.
Analysis
This episode begins with a police raid of the Lupinrangers' Bistro. The Bistro is completely abandoned and the Phantom Thieves have left without a trace.
Sad.
Cutting away, the Lupinrangers have taken up refuge at Kogure's house where Noël Takao hopes to use his position in the Global Police to try and help them. Also, Noël Takao explains the story behind Dogranio's special safe.
Status Gold Physical Protect. A special bottomless safe which in theory could give him the power of every Lupin Collection Piece at once. Most likely, Dogranio stores most of the missing collection pieces.
This makes Dogranio especially dangerous, but Kairi is not worried. He goes out for a walk with no fear of being scene. That's Kairi, laid back until the very end.
Cutting away, Dogranio and Zamigo are in an argument about who will be the one to rampage and destroy the rangers. Ultimately, they aren't allied but won't stop each other either. Cut to intro!
So far, this is what I expected. Nothing but setting up the final battles.
One theme song later, the Global Police are still searching hard for the Phantom Thieves. Noël Takao returns at this point where is immediately bombarded with questions by Sakuya.
Sakuya was easily the most developed Patranger. It is a little sad to see this once optimistic face now drowning in rage.
Noël Takao goes on to explain how he was truly on both teams side. He wanted to both restore lost ones and protect the piece and hoped everyone could be friends. This is getting heavy.
Elsewhere, Keiichiro and Kairi have a reunion in the same place they first saw each other back on the first episode. Kairi appeared before Keiichiro on purpose.
Moments like these make you really wonder what Kairi is thinking.
Keiichiro has some flashbacks explaining how strange it was that Lupin Red would trust him so freely.
Looks like this episode is all about the drama and story. Nothing wrong with that, but I wonder how they will sneak a battle into all this.
Keiichiro keeps his calm and tries to reach out to Kairi, but that was not what Kairi wanted to hear.
Does Kairi want to get in trouble? Maybe this is a little brother thing. As a reminder, Keiichiro acts a lot like Kairi's older brother whom he lost to Zamigo.
Keiichiro does not snap, but he gets emotional. Blaming himself for not being a good enough officer to help Kairi when he was suffering. Kairi says it doesn't matter and that those who can't rely on the cops become phantom thieves. Harsh. However, when Kairi is walking away, Keiichiro tries again to reach out to him and reveals that victims of the mass disappearance, (which include Kairi's bother) are being turned into disguises.
Going back to the Global Police, Noël Takao also learns about the victims becoming disguises. Look at that, something the Police knew but the Phantom Thieves didn't. In return, Noël Takao tells the Patrangers that Zamigo is the one responsible for the mass disappearance. Now, both teams are learning truth bombs and the race against time has intensified greatly.
Just as the drama starting building, Dogranio appears, turns himself giant, and goes on a rampage in the city. The Lupinrangers appear before Dogranio in Lupinkaiser and attempt to attack his safe. This quickly shows to be a futile effort and Dogranio is showing a clear advantage in power.
Zamigo is watching on a nearby building and torments the Lupinrangers by showing their lost loved ones still frozen.
That's cold.
Umika is revealed that they weren't made into disguises yet, but Tooma is concerned that Zamigo knows their relation to the three of them. However, this distraction kept Lupinkaisers attention off of Dogranio and the Lupinrangers take a crushing blast.
Noël Takao arrives in X Emperor to try and help out, but is also not able to land any blows. Naturally, this is when the Patrangers arrive to bare witness to the massacre.
Zamigo disappears and the rangers continue to struggle against Dogranio. However, none of their attacks do any damage and Zamigo launches some dark energy in the sky that causes an explosion that not only takes the Lupinrangers out but destroys a chunk of the city.
Rita doesn't have anything on this.
Dogranio leaves feeling satisfied with his rampage and the Lupinrangers are left beaten and buried in rubble. Kairi returns to Kogure's home bloody and exhausted where he learns that an unconscious Tooma and Umika were taken in by the Global Police. The police finally win, by default.
Tooma and Umika are being treated at the hospital and their weapons have been confiscated. Keiichiro has gone out looking for Kairi.
Kairi isn't ready to give up. Despite his injuries, he pops a few pain pills and rushes out. Keiichiro arrives at the scene and finds Kairi's hat with a blood stain on it and fears for his life.
Now, both Red Rangers are frantically searching. Kairi for Zamigo and Keiichiro for Kairi. Eventually, Keiichiro finds Kairi and, after some back and forth, offers again to help him.
Keiichiro vows that if he can't save Kairi he will quit the police. However, at this moment, a bunch of giant Pordermen appear and attack the city. Why the heck was that attack launched? Kairi encourages Keiichiro to focus on saving the city and states that the two of them cannot become like each other. And that is that, Keiichiro is frustrated, but agrees. The Patrangers mobilize.
Meanwhile, Kairi and Zamigo appear face to face. Zamigo reveals that by touching the ice that people are frozen in, he can see into their memories and that is how he knew who the Lupinrangers loved ones were. Also, Zamigo says that the loved ones will become disguises the next morning, making this Kairi's last chance to save them. Now, the two do an overly dramatic henshin/change and the stage is set.
The two of them get a few hits in before the episode ends on a cliffhanger.
Final Thoughts
This episode was full of drama and great acting. It is natural that these shows save their best for the last few episodes. It is hard to really critique this episode because it did everything it was supposed to. I could complain about them not giving any action to the Patrangers, but for the story sake it worked out better that way. The stage is set for the final battles, nothing to do now but wait and see. 5/5
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