 This article is about an episode in Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Season Tsuu.
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Delusional Imports (妄想輸入 Mōsō Shunyūi) is the fifth episode of Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Season Tsuu.
Synopsis[]
A delusion has caused the origin of Super Sentai to go from Japan to the United States, making Nobuo's love for the franchise go international.
Plot[]
Akagi and Yumeria plans of celebrating Luna's return to the Akibarangers is cut short when Hakase revealed she only hired her for the day and cannot afford her services full time. However, though his reasons were pure, the group scheme to get Luna to join their group by any means. Finding her at an audition held by the famous American director George Spielburton, Akagi and company learned her lost the role to her rival Akina Maihama. After talking with Luna about it, Akagi realizes that Akina reenacted Queen Hedrian's dance scene from the 15th episode of Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan and deduced that Spielburton is a Super Sentai fan. Luna mentions that he was playing with some Super Sentai figurines during the audition, with Akagi showing her an image related to Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.
However, Akagi is shocked upon researching about Zyuranger just to find that somehow its origin is listed to be from the United States instead of Japan, under the name Powerful Rangers. Soon after, with her and a group of Oneeders posing as a group of monks, ©Na appears and hands out pictures of Sentai villain actresses during dress rehearsals. Attempting to fight ©Na in the Delusion World, the Akibarangers finds themselves attacked by an "Americanized" Tyranno Ranger and Dragon Ranger, forcing Hakase to have them retreat. Back at the Himitsukichi, Kozukozu informs the others that somehow reality has been rewritten so that Powerful Rangers is the source material of the Super Sentai franchise instead of the other way around, with Gaoranger being the first entry yet the source of a major copyright infringement case as it was made from its American version without permission.
Despite browsing through several shops in Akihabara to confirm the reality change, with Luna amazed of their passion, Akagi and Yumeria learn that restoring the Zyuranger brothers Geki and Burai is the only way to restore reality back to normal. However, with AkibaBlue standing on the sidelines, AkibaRed and AkibaYellow are outmatched against ©Na, the Zyuranger brothers, and the Trinoid Kunimasmaphogany. Luckily, despite the beating they take from the brothers, Akagi and Yumeria reach Tyranno Ranger and Dragon Ranger by mentioning some facts about their series and with Akagi restoring them with the melody of a toy replica of Zyusouken. Malseena falls back as Zyurangers entrust the Akibarangers with the Zyuran Buckler, which they use to finish Kunimasmaphogany. Upon return to reality, the Akibarangers learn that the history of the Super Sentai was once again restored and Luna decides to stay in the team as it may help with her idol career.
Cast[]
- Nobuo Akagi: Masato Wada (和田 正人 Wada Masato)
- Luna Iwashimizu: Shione Sawada (澤田 汐音 Sawada Shione)
- Yumeria Moegi: Karin Ogino (荻野 可鈴 Ogino Karin)
- Hiroyo Hakase: Maaya Uchida (内田 真礼 Uchida Maaya)
- Kozukozu Mita: Kozue Aikawa (愛川 こずえ Aikawa Kozue, of Danceroid)
- ©Na: Honoka (穂花)
- Tsu Shogun: Ryo Horikawa (堀川 りょう Horikawa Ryō)
Guest Cast[]
- Akina Maihama: Sakina Kuwae (桑江 咲菜 Kuwae Sakina)
- George Spielburton: Koichi Sakamoto (坂本 浩一 Sakamoto Kōichi)
- Kunimasmaphogany (Voice): Katsuyuki Konishi (小西 克幸 Konishi Katsuyuki)
- TyrannoRanger (Voice): Tomokazu Seki (関 智一 Seki Tomokazu)
- DragonRanger (Voice): Takeshi Kusao (草尾 毅 Kusao Takeshi)
- MC Audition (Voice): Yuki Anai (穴井 勇輝 Anai Yūki) (Non-credited)
Tropes and References[]
- In the delusional universe within this episode, Super Sentai never existed until the arrival of American import Powerful Rangers in 1993, which is the exact reverse situation between the two franchises.
- The monster of the week is an original Trinoid created by Tsu Shogun. The Trinoids are a villain group from Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger.
- When Luna explains about her idol rival Akina doing the Queen's dance of avarice, Nobuo mentions that the dance was from Queen Hedrian, the villainess in Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan episode The Queen's Greed Dance. Queen Hedrian was portrayed by the late Machiko Soga, who also portrayed Witch Bandora, another Sentai villainess in Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.
- Nobuo also reveals that Spielburton was a big fan of Diane Martin/Miss America from Battle Fever J, since he went out of his way to gather all the American-related Sentai products to use in this episode. George Spielburton is portrayed by Koichi Sakamoto, a recurring director for Power Rangers.
- During the climax, Nobuo and Yuuko try to persuade Tyranno Ranger and Dragon Ranger by referring to them as "eternal warriors", "warriors of passion" and "always by the kids' side". All those phrases are direct quotes from the opening theme to Zyuranger.
- During Nobuo’s efforts to persuade the siblings, he mentions the flashback to Burai's death in Burai Dies....
- As Yuuko is threatened by Dragon Ranger, she mentions about the first thing she remembers when she got her first kids magazine was Goushi.
- Before Tyrannoranger and Dragonranger lend their Ludicrous Power to AkibaBlue, they both shout the line, "You'll be surprised when you hear this!", the tagline for the then-currently-running Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, another dinosaur-themed Super Sentai series.
- During the roll call, Nobuo refers to the Zyuranger insert song "Dragon Caesar No Uta" and performs Witch Bandora's "Dolla!" dance after that.
- Kozukozu dresses up as Jan Kandou from Gekiranger .
- When the Zyurangers return to normal and their theme begins playing, the credits gives the singer as "Red Turbo". Kenta Satou, who sang the Zyuranger theme and portrayed Riki Honoo in Turboranger.
Errors[]
- When the Powerful Rangers appear, their Dino Bucklers have not been changed to say Powerful Rangers on them.
Notes[]
- This episode's ending is girls in trouble! DEKARANGER, Dekaranger's alternate ending theme.
- George Spielburton's name is a portmanteau of three American movie directors: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton.
- There are changes in the opening, with Tazuko slapping Nobuo with her clipboard replaced by Super AkibaRed and ©Na's Battle Mode.
- The Munyu Munyu Zuuban figure was added to the sponsor's section.
- In the flashback during Luna's audition, Spielburton is seen playing with S.H. Figuarts Tyrannoranger and Dragonranger. This episode was filmed a few months before the release of the figures.
- The Powerful Rangers comics art style of Tyrannoranger resembles that of former Marvel artist and writer Rob Liefeld, who is known for drawing disproportionate characters with abnormal musculature and "extreme" personalities. He was prominent in the 1990s, when Power Rangers first started airing in the US.
DVD/Blu-ray releases[]
Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Season 2 Volume 2 features episodes 4-6: Ep. 4: Delusional Goddess, Ep. 5: Delusional Import, and Ep. 6: Delusional Niangniang.
