Recap / Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Ep 04 Onigiri Oni

Onigiri Oni

Original Airdate: March 27, 2022
Written by: Toshiki Inoue
Directed by: Shojiro Nakazawa

Summary

We're running, it's bad!

Tsuyoshi's next project is help revitalize a local onigiri shop that's been losing both popularity and revenue. Coming to Pheasant Consulting to work while Shirokuma Express is closed, Taro helps him out. The two of them immediately go to work, with Taro putting the staff under his strict training. While Tsuyoshi admits that he is incredibly talented, he worries that Taro is pushing the staff too far. Meanwhile, Haruka - having been pushed away by Taro - decides to talk to Jin about Taro. Jin decides to tell her about Taro's childhood.

Tropes

• All of the Other Reindeer: Taro was alienated from his neighborhood in his youth because he kept butting into people's business and doing everything for them.
• The Cameo: Masashi Takeda, Kiji Brother's suit and motion capture actor, makes an appearance as the officer that chases after Tsubasa.
• Crime of Self-Defense: Tsubasa easily see through the two Anonis' disguises and quickly finishes them off. However, the police officer he runs into thinks he killed two innocent civilians, adding to his rap sheet, so the officer chases him until Tsubasa escapes through a dimension door.
• Hard Truth Aesop: Jin reveals that the reason Taro can't lie is because he believes that self-improvement only starts by telling people directly what they need to work on. He simply can't fathom telling people lies, as it only keeps them from being their best self. Unfortunately, this had the consequence of everyone in his neighborhood alienating him despite his good intentions, which still haunts him as an adult.
• Internal Reveal: Haruka and Shinichi learn of each other being Donbrothers, and Haruka subsequently lets him in on Taro being Don Momotaro.
• In the Back: Shinichi and Haruka attempt to do this to Taro when Chouriki-Ki is defeated. Taro, being the Experienced Protagonist that he is, easily sees their attack and blocks it.
• Mythology Gag: The police officer is one long one to Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger specifically Keiichiro Asaka/Patren 1gou. He has a mole the same place as Keiichiro does, his name "Keisuke Asada"^note which was actually one of the discarded names for Keiichiro's is very similar to Keichiro's and he's named "Officer #1" in the script. Bonus, Masashi Takada was the suit actor for Patren 1gou.
• Trickster Mentor:
  • Taro tries to play one for Mizuno, telling him the key difference between their skills is that Mizuno grew up mainly eating onigiri, while Taro grew up making them himself almost every day. Unfortunately, Tsuyoshi lampshades that this was a very Cryptically Unhelpful Answer as this is something Mizuno cannot change, while it only confuses and enrages Mizuno even more.
  • Shinichi theorizes that Taro is trying to be this to the team, attacking them randomly in order to get them more prepared to fight the Noto.
• Two Lines, No Waiting: The A Plot focuses on Taro and Tsuyoshi trying to revitalise an onigiri restaurant, and eventually encountering a Hitotsu-Ki with an obsession related to it. The B Plot focuses on Haruka, who after finding out Saru Brother is Shinichi, enlists his help to defeat Taro in order to get answers out of him.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Taro ends up making an onigiri so delicious, it causes Mizuno to break down in utter frustration since he couldn't get Taro's full seal of approval, pushing him to evolve into Chouriki-Ki.

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