HUBB
ARDIAN
CASE FILE 07 :
DOMON HOSPITALIZED
In this episode, Domon comes down with a serious case of data sickness, which is caused by time traveling,
and checks in to a hospital that the Londerz then infiltrate.
Data sickness is explained as a state in which the 20th century information injected into the Domon's mind in Chapter 1
mixes with his own personal experiences from the 30th century, obscuring his memories.
Of the show's 51 episodes, this one would definitely rank in my top ten, and I'm sure most viewers would agree.
The episode starts with Domon handing out flyers for Tomorrow Research.
In the first few minutes we already have a beautiful scene of Domon gazing at the sky, reminiscing about the 30th century.
I don't really like this trendy word, but it's very "エモい/emoi."
This episode packs in a lot of emoi feelings.
("Emoi" is a Japanese word that caught on in the last few years
referring to something that stirs a lot of bittersweet, nostalgic emotions, and is derived from the English word "emotional.")
Even though they don't have any money, Domon and Tatsuya get some ramen at a yatai (food stall),
and Domon passionately talks about his past (though it's in the future) to Tatsuya.
Ramen yatai were already a rare site 20 years ago, and opening up about oneself while eating and drinking at a yatai
brings to mind the human side of the culture of the period of high economic growth
that the people of Showa-era Japan worked together to acheive after World War II, and I like how this scene uses that image to show the close relationship between Tatsuya and Domon.
Current Japanese society has for better or worse become more individualistic. Not that I was alive during the Showa period anyway...
That night, even Tac is sleeping and only the Hubbardian Sion, who hardly has to sleep at all, is up eating snacks and reading manga,
a situation familiar to anyone. Giving such a glimpse of their life with an only seconds-long scene is another reason I like this episode so much.
The right image oozes speediness.
While Sion is enjoying his time alone, Domon suddenly bursts out of his room saying he's going to be late for his match.
When a worried Tatsuya follows him outside, Domon doesn't recognize him, and loses consciousness in a state of confusion...!
It seems like this is a sympton of data sickness, and while it usually shouldn't be so serious, for some reason it seems to have a particularly strong effect on Domon.
Data sickness may cause one to occasionally be unable to distinguish dreams from reality after waking up, so this seems like it could be a particularly severe case of that.
Domon ends up getting checked in to a hospital.
Tatsuya isn't sure whether "Domon" would be a first or last name from a 20th century perspective,
so fills out paperwork with the tentative name "Domon Taro. 土門太郎"
Taro was the name of the dog he had as a kid, which means that he gave Domon the same name as his dog...
Taro is also the name of one of my cats, and it's one of the first names that Japanese people will come up with
(all of the Taro's of the world whose name was chosen meaningfully, please accept my apology),
and often appears in the name of the main characters in folk tales, such as Momotaro and Urashima Taro.
As an aside, I never got Momotaro being translated into English is "Peach Boy."
It's not necessarily wrong, but it's too weirdly adorable, like the title of a shojo manga or moe manga, and doesn't feel quite right.
By the way, the creepy scenes of the doctors being attacked by the Londerz recall the J-horror of around this time, with that good distinct cheapness.
The scene depicting Domon's dream while he's hospitalized also expertly explains a lot very succinctly.
He's dreaming of a Grapp match, and holding off a weapon-wielding opponent with his bare hands and winning by sheer force,
but that world ends up being sucked into time travel and disappearing.
We're not sure if this is the championship match Domon was bragging about to Tatsuya,
but we immediately get a sense of what kind of person Domon was, what kind of life he was living in the 30th century,
how Domon feels like his life has been stolen from him by time travelling,
and how disappointed he was to be kicked out of the Grappling Association.
With just this one scene Domon's characterization is meatier and with more layers than a doner kebab.
The Grapp Stadium has a really cool 2D yet futuristic look, and it seems like they put a lot of effort into the visuals.
I can understand how thinking he can't return to the 30th century would cause Domon to have a negative outlook,
but there's always hope for the future, and if he's such a skilled fighter who brings in such crowds,
I think he could count on the Grappling Association letting him back in.
When Domon wakes up he tells Tatsuya, who's been looking after him throughout the night,
that "The year 3000 wouldn't have such ugly scenery," and starts dissing the year 2000.
He must really be loved for the viewers to not start disliking him here...
The bill handed to Tatsuya by an expressionless nurse is for 1 million yen. What is this, America?
Does this include the fee for the ambulance and overnight stay in addition to the treatment?
In any case, it's pretty terrifying that America's medical costs make even the Londerz's rip-off prices look normal.
Doc is the first Londerz prisoner we've seen in a while with openly murderous intent.
Just as he's about to slice Domon's head with a chainsaw, Yuuri, Ayase, Sion, and Tatsuya burst into the room and stop him.
Domon wakes up, and his memories seem to have reverted to when he was in elementary school.
Doc takes advantage of the chaos to escape from the hospital, and the 4 drag Domon along while chasing him until they reach a riverside.
Domon's memories move from his weak crybaby elementary school days to directly before when he time travelled,
mistaking Tatsuya for Ryuuya, and he violently attacks with the skills of a former pro-fighter, also knocking back Ayase when tries to break up the fight.
Ayase being blown away
The main character, who's supposed to be a good role model that everyone looks up, having the crap beaten out of him by his friends,
which also happened in Chapter 1, is one of this show's more dangerous features.
Tatsuya tells the other 3 to chase after Doc as he continues to match Domon's aggression with his specialty, karate,
while also understanding the reason for Domon's anger and trying to calm him down.
Tatsuya, who has already displayed his devotion to Domon by sticking with him at the hospital, really shows his tolerance here,
fitting to someone born with regalia such as him.
We must have Mr. Asami's elite education to thank.
The scene evokes a passionate response to Tatsuya accepting Domon's violence without rebuking his impulsivity,
but since this is fiction please overlook the glorification of violence.
(Please don't resort to violence in the real world, kids.)
After Tatsuya's so beaten up he can no longer stand, Domon seems to have come to his senses, maybe because he's let all his rage out.
He sits down, exhausted, and notices in the evening sky that the year 2000's setting sun is no different from that of the year 3000.
The image of the setting run radiating chill onto the lo-fi 30th century's famous (?) landscape is evocative,
together with Domon's strong display of emotion.
Regardless of whether it's the 20th or 30th century, the viewer understands that Domon shares the same emotions with everyone else, and we feel emotional just watching it.
This is the peak of "emoi."
No matter how bad his attitude was for the rest of the episode, seeing him like this, it's impossible to hate him, and we're drawn to him.
The screenwriter's really pulling our strings!
After that, Tatsuya and Domon meet up with the other 3 who are battling Doc, and they do a Vector Hurricane together. Any kids who want to try a Vector Hurricane with your friends, please be sure to do so outside!
That Domon's signature technique,
Vector Dividing, has its own special sequence seems like proof that he's loved not only by the viewers, but by the creators as well.
Unlike the other's Vector Ends which use recycled footage, this one was created just for this episode. It's even got its own lightning flashing!
One feels for Ayase, who doesn't even have his own Double Vector technique.
While Domon and Tatsuya's popularity grow, in this episode Ayase gets pushed aside by Domon and almost killed by Doc... his fans must be sad.
The Voltech Bazooka fails again, and while we see Doc rebounding their attack, kids must surely have already given up on this weapon,
so I don't think anyone was surprised here. The emergency system arrives shrouded in the darkness of night,
which emphasizes the special effect of the usually lame Gamma Tornado, making even it look cool.
The music tastefully drops out here, leaving us only with the forceful mechanical sounds of the Time Jets.
With details such as the beams emitted by Doc and Time Jet being clearly visible and Gamma powerfully filling the frame,
this episode also has high quality as tokusatsu.
Doc was strong in hand-to-hand combat, proving too powerful for the 3 Timerangers, and puts up a good fight after expanding as well.
The episode doesn't make having a strong focus on its drama part an excuse to skimp on the battle scene,
and overall allots time masterfully, which makes one wonder what was going on with the last episode!
Here we see an impactful image of Doc running towards Time Robo Alpha just before Time Yellow Press Blizzards him.
It seems like the small version of Doc was stronger, but he still entertained us in his huge version. Thank you!
After returning home, the other 4 poke fun at Domon when it becomes clear it was his homesickness that was making his data sickness so severe.
This seems like proof that the 5's relationship has progressed to something beyond the superficial. Good for you guys!
I'll close out the commentary this time with the sight of everyone in their pajamas.
SCORE:
This episode doesn't waste any time. The tempo, battle scene, scenes of the 30th century, drama part, tokusatsu and overall direction are all perfect, and we're left with a high feeling of satisfaction after watching. While having a serious drama element, there's also a lot of action, and represents the perfect balance that a Sentai episode should aim for. Compared to the feature episodes for the other 3 from the 30th century, this episode does an excellent job of deepening Domon's character. The effort put into this episode proves how loved he is by both the viewers and creators. Tatsuya's leadership in his devotion to helping Domon and the understanding he continues to show towards him is another reason for this episode's high praise. It's too bad that the other 3 Timerangers didn't stand out too much. The rating system of this site is supposed to be such that the stars increase according to Sion's role, so a Domon-centric episode without Sion playing much of a role at all makes me think there may be something wrong with my system...