Ep. 9: Blue Shadow, Variblune Secret Strategy

This article is about an episode in Himitsu Sentai Gorenger.

Ep. 9: Blue Shadow, Variblune Secret Strategy
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, Episode 9
Air Date(s)	June 7, 1975
Production Information
Written by	Shozo Uehara
Directed by	Itaru Orita
Episode Guide
Previous	Ep. 8: Black Fear! The Murderous Poison Fang
Next	Ep. 10: The Red Balloon! Wind Speed at 100 Meters

Blue Shadow, Variblune Secret Strategy (青い影法師 バリブルーン秘密戦略, Aoi Kagebōshi Bariburūn Himitsu Senryaku) is the ninth episode of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger.

Synopsis

When EAGLE's new freeze beam and Daita are captured by a Masked Monster, Akira must figure a way to save his mission partner and their squad's weapon.

Plot

Witch Mask observes in the distance an EAGLE caravan guarded by Akira and Daita, immediately begins a distraction operation by attacking them and making them move away from the area. In a fight in which she has the entire advantage, she manages to escape from them and reach the caravan while her Zolders kill the EAGLE soldiers, thus managing to take possession of the ice beam, and using it against the same soldiers. Akira and Daita arrive at the place too late, seeing the corpses of all the soldiers.

Akira and Daita try to follow Witch Mask and manage to find his secret base, Akira tells Daita to keep an eye on him while he goes for the Variblune. Daita sees a ball falling down some stairs and it transforms into a huge plate of Curry that he begins to devour, which leaves him drowsy, being captured by the witch mask and his zolders.

Witch Mask takes Daita to the dungeon, but he had been pretending and steals his staff. The witch immediately manipulates his staff with her magic, seriously injuring him and tying him to the bars of the cell and beginning to torture him.

Akira takes off on the variblune and reaches the base area, but receives no response from Daita. In the end he responds to the orders of the witch mask. He plans to make the variblune land to freeze it with the ice beam. Daita manages to warn Akira with a flag signal, but the Variblune's rear thrusters are also frozen, forcing Akira to escape.

In the Gorenger Room, Akira explains that they must rescue Daita from a very well-protected base, at the same time that 009 announces that the 8th EAGLE division is attacking Witch Mask. Worried Kaijo goes out to help them.

Witch Mask massacres the entire 8th EAGLE division with the Ice Beam.

Akarenger manages to infiltrate Witch Mask's base by holding himself under his vehicle, and subsequently stealing a Zolder's uniform. He arrives at Daita and manages to rescue him, however he is in his underwear and decides to cover himself with a layer of witch's mask.

Witch Mask meets his scientists ordering them to improve the ice beam so that it has enough power to freeze all of Tokyo.

They come across Witch Mask and after managing to deceive the Zolders that Daita is the real one, they are discovered because he sneezed when he caught a cold from being almost naked, and they are tied to two posts to be executed by the Ice Ray.

The other Gorenger arrive in the Variblune and after avoiding the Ice Beam, they manage to rescue Daita and Kaijo. And recover the Ice Beam thanks to the Variblune hook

The final battle begins, ending with the death of Witch Mask by the Gorenger Storm.

The missile turrets are still activated and ready to attack, but are stopped by Akira and Daita in the Variblune equipped with the ice beam. Completely stopping the black cross plans for now.

Cast

• Tsuyoshi Kaijo (海城 剛, Kaijō Tsuyoshi): Naoya Makoto (誠 直也, Makoto Naoya)
• Akira Shinmei (新命 明, Shinmei Akira): Hiroshi Miyauchi (宮内 洋, Miyauchi Hiroshi)
• Daita Ooiwa (大岩 大太, Ōiwa Daita): Baku Hatakeyama (畠山 麦, Hatakeyama Baku)
• Peggy Matsuyama (ペギー 松山, Pegī Matsuyama): Lisa Komaki (小牧りさ, Komaki Risa)
• Kenji Asuka (明日香 健二, Asuka Kenji): Yukio Itō (伊藤幸雄, Itō Yukio)
• Commander Kenpachi Edogawa (江戸川 権八, Edogawa Gonpachi, Voice): Toshio Takahara (高原駿雄, Takahara Toshio)
• Yoko Kato (加藤 陽子, Katō Yōko)/Zero Zero Seven: Eri Kanuma (鹿沼絵里, Kanuma Eri)
• Narrator - Nobuo Tanaka (田中 信夫, Tanaka Nobuo)

Guest Cast

• Witch Mask (魔女仮面, Majo Kamen): Hisako Kyōda (京田尚子, Kyōda Hisako, Voice)

Suit Actors

• Akarenger - Kazuo Niibori (新堀 和男, Niibori Kazuo)
• Aorenger - Hiroo Kawarazaki (河原崎 洋夫, Kawarazaki Hiroo)
• Kirenger - Nobuyuki Ishizuka (石塚 信之, Ishizuka Nobuyuki)
• Momorenger - Midori Naito (内藤 みどり, Naitō Midori)
• Midorenger - Bunya Nakamura (中村 文弥, Nakamura Bunya)

Notes

• This episode aired on NET the same day episode 10 of Kamen Rider Stronger, The Frightful Gummer Bug! It Targets Humans!!, aired on TBS.
• Viewership: 17.0%
• First Sentai episode directed by Itaru Orita, who had directed several Kamen Rider episodes and would become the main producer of Battle Fever J and every Metal Heroes series from Uchuu Keiji Gavan to Kidou Keiji Jiban.
• This episode debuts a cosmetic change to the Goranger Storm finisher, which up to this point appeared as a simple silver ball that was passed amongst the team before being kicked by Akarenger. From this episode, Momorenger would produce a ball that intially appears pink; this ball changes color as it goes to the different team members before becoming a red spiked ball for Akarenger's attack.

Digital Releases

• Himitsu Sentai Gorenger DVD Volume 2 features episodes 7-12.
  
• Himitsu Sentai Gorenger Blu-ray Volume 1 features episodes 1-16.
  

Gorenger DVD Volume 2

Gorenger Blu-ray Volume 1