Thursday, January 31, 2008

Sushi Pack - Deep Freeze and Satel-lightening


Part one: Deep Freeze (Warning: The majority of the puns to come are indeed intended)
The girls trick the guys into spring cleaning by calling it a "top priority mission," and they fall for it, since they were hoping to show off their skills. At least they get a choice of sweeping/dusting vs. laundry. They take the latter.
While Maguro and Kani are cleaning, the ice dispenser goes off and who falls out but Mochi Mochiato, the only female member of the Legion of Low Tide. Ignoring their questions (such as, what is she doing there?), she gushes about how much nicer their headquarters is compared to hers (complete with cutaway to the remaining members all huddled on one couch). Kani is instantly suspicious, but Maguro wants to have an open mind, especially when Mochi compliments the feng shui. Kani continues to snap at her despite Maguro's warnings, and Mochi tries to get them to make plans to meet up later on, but Kani just makes fun of her girly-girl traits (and I don't blame her. Isn't Mochi supposed to be 'cold as ice?' That's what it says on the website, anyway). Finding they have a mutal like of Jelly Fish Tingle Egg (some musical artist that Kani doesn't like), Maguro and Mochi bond. And since Maguro just happens to have tickets, Maguro and Mochi make plans to go to his concert. But Kani still wants to know what Mochi's doing there, and threatens her with an electrical plug if she doesn't tell the truth. Without actually giving her a chance to talk, Kani insists that she's there only to spy, but Mochi says it isn't so--she just wanted to make some friends. Kani doesn't buy it, but Maguro's heart is melted, and she goes after the retreating Mochi. Kani stops her, wanting to know why Maguro wants to be friends with Mochi, acting totally jealous, which Maguro calls her on (Kani also describes Mochi as cute, which she illustrates by getting little heart eyes, and I so wish I could get a screenshot!). Kani denies being jealous, saying she's only concerned, so Maguro reassures her that they won't stop being friends if ("and that's a big if") she and Mochi become friends. As Maguro leaves, Kani demands that she find out what Mochi was doing in the ice dispenser, and insists again (as she'll do for most of the episode) that she's not jealous.
Out on the street, Maguro calls after Mochi, who freezes her in her tracks, but warms up to the idea of hanging out together. So we get a montage of them doing cute things together in size appropriate ways (trying on dresses -- for dolls, using ice cream, or maybe cream cheese or yogurt, to give themselves facials, swimming in an aquarium, etc.) with Kani spying the whole time. Eventually Kani is brought to tears by this apparent double-crossing.
Later, the rest of the Pack is hanging out in some kind of pink liquid, using bagels (or maybe donuts) as inner tubes. Kani makes her displeasure known, but Tako theorizes that Maguro just wants a new friend, leaving Kani to wonder what's wrong with the old one(s). The kid, I think his name is Ben, takes out one of the bagels and eats it, making me really question what that liquid is. He's there to deliver the the moral of the day (which is almost all he ever does) of making new friends and keeping the old ones, too. He also tells Kani that he trusts Maguro's judgment, even if she doesn't. Ikura is on her side, though: no member of the Low Tide can be trusted! Wasabi points out her jealousy, but wisely paddles away before Kani can get her pinchers on him.
Meanwhile, Mochi's friendship with Maguro has not gone unnoticed by the Legion of Low Tide. When confronted, she tries to deny it, but Fugu apparently has video in his eyes (freaky! yet cool) and shows indisputable proof. She tries to convince them it's okay by saying that she and Maguro have a lot in common, but Titanium Chef (who is awesome, btw) strides in to tell her that they do not actually have anything in common. And now, we get some great anvilicious "She's different, we don't tolerate people sushi who are different" dialogue (although I do like Toro's quip: "We can barely tolerate ourselves."), ending with Titanium Chef forbidding Mochi from seeing Maguro, with the promise of the worst punishment of all if she disobeys: ridicule. As a taste, the others tease her most mercilessly until she begs them to stop in tears.
Back with the Pack, a similar confrontation is taking place. Although Maguro insists that the team comes first, Ikura isn't convinced, and goes to "put a stop to it" himself. He meets up with Uni (the black sea urchin) in a junkyard, and accidentally agrees to a rumble, turning the episode into a West Side Story homage.
Tako chews out Ikura for getting them involved in a rumble, but concedes that they have to show up to prove Maguro is one of them and Mochi is not. Maguro insists that she won't fight Mochi because they're friends. Over with the Legion, Mochi swears the same thing, but Uni feeds her a line about Ikura telling him that Maguro was only using her. We don't get to see her reaction, though, as it's already night and time for the rumble. Unagi draws a line in the dirt, but ends up on the wrong side of it, so everyone switches sides.
While the others prepare to rumble, Mochi confronts Maguro about using her, but Maguro tells her Uni was lying. Mochi isn't sure that Maguro isn't the one lying, but before they can hash it out further, Kani shows up and admits that the rumble is all her fault for being shellfish (seriously, that's what she said) and wanting to keep Maguro as a friend all for herself. Is it too late to stop the rumble? Maybe not...
Everyone else is posturing, totally ready to get going. But Kani makes an announcement just in time, publicly owning up to her jealousy. She even goes as far as to say that the rumble would never be happening if it wasn't for her. Unagi states that oh yes it would, since the Legion and Sushi Pack can never be friends. But Kani overrides his opinion with a friendship speech. It looks like things are going to be okay for Mochi and Maguro, but Uni yanks Mochi back over to their side and tells her to "Stick to your own kind." (I told you this was West Side Story!) The Legion still wants to rumble, but the Sushi Pack just leaves.
Later, the Titanium Chef uses this as an example of the Pack's weakness, and Mochi feigns having learned her lesson, but still goes to hang out with Maguro and now Kani, too. They take pics together to cement their friendship, and Kani asks yet again what Mochi was doing in the ice dispenser way back when. Mochi replies that she was spying on them in order to tell their secrets to the rest of the Legion, and then goes on her way with a giggle. Maguro and Kani are pretty sure she was joking, but decided to keep their doors closed, just in case.

Personally, I think it'll be interesting if we find in a later episode that Mochi's girly-girl demeanor is just an act, and she's really "cold as ice" underneath. Still, I can't say I blame her for wanting to hang with the only other girl sushis around, act or not. And don't worry, Kani, I think you're plenty cute.


Part two: Satel-lightening
The Pack is kicking back and watching TV, when Ben (finally, confirmation) shows up with a towel and tells them it's time for yoga. Despite the episode not being over, everyone except Kani goes forth and starts meditating. Kani's absence does not go unnoticed, and the others don't buy her excuse of yoga making her crabby. But Ben, always handy with the examples, sprays the yoga-ers with what looks like Squeezy Cheese, but is (according to him) fast-drying donut frosting, making it hard for them to move. He then instructs them to bend over and touch the counter like that. Tako is the first to do it, but Ben's point is that it's hard for Kani to do yoga because she (apparently) has a hard shell, being a crab and all, so don't jump to conclusions. Personally, I thought that the lesson was going to be that Kani was a couch potato and that when you don't move around enough, it's like being covered in frosting, but whatevs.
Now safely out of yoga, Kani indulges in watching the Crab Channel, and we pan up to the sky where a satellite is orbiting Earth, until a comet hits it, sending it on a crash course to Earth and knocking out all the TV stations. Kani blames Ben for not paying his bills, but Ben tells her it's karma telling her to stop watching so much TV (see, I knew that lesson would come up). The satellite lands in the middle of a nearby park, freaking out the townspeople, even though it doesn't do anything but stand there. A kid hits it with a rock, so it starts zapping stuff while spouting pseudo-quotes from TV shows and movies. The police show up, but are of no use. The police chief tells the mayor, who calls in the army.
Back with the Pack, Ikura and Wasabi has a nonsequitery conversation about rodeos and clowns, and Ben notices tanks rolling in, bringing the Pack's attention to the satellite. The army is useless against the satellite's electro-magnetic blasts, so they take a commercial break.
After the break, the Sushi Pack is ready to take on the satellite. Tako comments that they've taken on worse, but when Maguro asks when, Tako can't actually think of anything. So they leap into action, but since the satellite is so big, this takes a while, long enough to banter a little with the satellite and figure out that it talks like a TV set. Regardless, they attack, but they are pitifully underpowered. Even Kani's pinchers are useless. So Tako thinks about things from the satellite's point of view, utilizing his "many heads routine" (which I think is nifty, but others may not).
While Tako's thinking, Kani, flipped on her back by the satellite, tries to get up herself, but is not flexible enough. Ikura helps her up, but the satellite strikes! Fortunately, Wasabi is able to ward off the attack. Tako starts to think that the satellite isn't actually attacking them because it wants to hurt them, but might be confused or scared, or even just tired. Just as Tako announces that the satellite won't hurt them, it sends out a blast, which Kani is able to block with her forehead (due to her having an exoskeleton). Tako reminds them of Ben's lesson earlier, and suggests putting themselves in the satellite's place. But the satellite is still attacking them, making it a little hard to do that. So Tako expounds a little about how everything on Earth is new and strange to the satellite, especially them (Ikura doesn't see his point, however). It's clear to Maguro that they have to calm the satellite down, and so she shares some of her chi with him while spouting new-agey babble. The others ask her to ask him what's going on, and together they get to the bottom of things. Apparently, the satellite was asleep when the comet hit, and it just wants to go home. So Tako somehow flings him back into space, and then sagely comments that "What goes up, must come down." Ikura comments that he sounds like Maguro, but she just blithely says that he's putting himself in her shoes, and Tako quotes the TV show they were watching earlier, rather than admit to anything, and the episode ends with everyone sharing a laugh.

I find it kind of interesting that Tako appears to be the leader, with Maguro as a close second. It's odd, because Ikura seems more of the stereotypical leader type, if you know what I mean. And he was the one that met with Uni in the previous episode. But in the episodes I've seen, in the battles it's almost always Tako who's calling the shots. Which makes sense, since he's the designated thinker, but still, he's blue and the leader is usually red (not that I know that much about sentai team dynamics, but still).

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