Beginning this episode, we see the male police officers discussing their counterpart in pink. It seems Tsukasa has been dedicating herself wholly to her work, including working through her normal days off. The setup for the episode is that she is given a paid holiday, for which she is very excited. When we cut to her, she is dressed nicely, hair and makeup done, and checks her reflection to make sure everything is in place where it should be.
This week’s Gangler, Naiyo Capaja, is introduced in an exchange with Boss Dogranio and the other Gangler leaders. It seems that, among Ganglers, she is a ninja with an odd fashion sense, but trusted and respected enough to take on this week’s assignment. Umika ends up having the day off as well, and she bumps into Tsukasa while the pair are in line for raffle tickets for a stuffed animal rally.
The interaction is a bit awkward, but comedically so, and the popularity of the raffle tickets has the girls teaming up to win the raffle. Hijinks ensue as we get a montage of them doing various things in the theme park to collect stamps, including various rides like a log flume and haunted house.
Through a few comedic beats, including off-key jazz music, we find out that Tsukasa is terrified of haunted houses. The girls have a bonding moment over this, as Umika remembers coming through the same haunted house with her friend from before she became a Lupinranger. Outside, Naiyo puts up a barrier of chains and forcefield energy around the park, not knowing a pair of Rangers is already inside. It’s a bit heavy-handed, to force the two to work together, but it serves its purpose well enough.
At the first mention of a Gangler, Tsukasa drops any pretense of a day off, and entrusts the safety of two of the haunted house workers to Umika. The barrier acts as a force field, a wall, but seemingly does not block phone signals as both girls are able to get calls out to their teammates, and then engage the Gangler. They end up, predictably, fighting each other more than the Gangler, and their hands end up cuffed together. For the audience, this entire episode is seemingly meant to serve as a lesson in teamwork.
Still chained together, the two female Rangers are depowered, and finally begin to cooperate and manage to lock the Gangler in a freezer. The thieves outside the barrier arrive just after the police, and a combined attack from all of them manages to shatter the barrier, allowing them to enter. After we cut back to the girls, we see them still working together, though Tsukasa is still very reserved about having to work with Umika at all. Their plan to get free works, and they enter the fight as normal.
In the fighting, Umika seemingly uses Tsukasa as a human shield, and the opening this creates allows Umika to retrieve the Lupin Collection item.
After a brief explanation, the male thieves finally enter the fight. Naiyo gets another chance after being killed, and so begins the mecha stage.
After the mecha battle, the female Rangers have another brief bonding moment, undercut by a comedic bit, and the episode cuts out. The lighter tone of this show versus its current Kamen Rider counterpart, Build, remains clear and in place. It is a nice, if striking contrast, and allows the two shows to balance each other out.
What do you think of Lupinranger VS Patorangr so far? Leave a comment and let’s discuss!
