Don't Cry, Slack-Jawed Tanuki
- Original Airdate: October 29, 2023
Written by: Minato Takano
Directed by: Hiroyuki Kato
Summary
Jeramie: While the Ohsama Sentai was away from Tikyu, the five kingdoms had fallen into the hands of the Five Galactinsect Jesters.
Now, the six kings find themselves hounded by their own subjects.
And the former king of Shugoddam, Racules Husty, has returned in the service of the Galactinsect King!
...Or so the story goes.
Now, the six kings find themselves hounded by their own subjects.
And the former king of Shugoddam, Racules Husty, has returned in the service of the Galactinsect King!
...Or so the story goes.
With the world now ruled by Racules and the Galactinsects, the team sets forth to reclaim Tikyu. Their first stop is N'Kosopa, now ruled by Hillbill.
As Yanma goes to take back the kingdom and the now brainwashed citizens, his past with Shiokara comes to light...
Tropes
- Actor Allusion: Suji's gang's emblem is a wolf's head that greatly resembles Doggie Kruger; Suji is portrayed by recurring Tokusatsu seiyuu Tetsu Inada, who previously voiced Doggie.
- All for Nothing: Downplayed. The monarchs infiltrated N'Kosopa in the hopes of kicking Hillbill out of there and restoring Tikyu's communications. The heroes can't fight her as they are and Yanma has to destroy his own laptop to lock her out of the kingdom's servers, all but destroying the country. They do however manage to save Shiokara from Hillbill's Mind Control by doing this and Yanma makes it crystal clear that they're going to rebuild.
- Brainwashed and Crazy:
- The masses of N'Kosopa are forced into following Hillbill through the headphones they wear, Yanma breaks them all through his computer.
- Hillbill pulls a more direct approach with Kaguragi and Shiokara. It doesn't work with Kaguragi considering the type of person he is and Shiokara didn't want to hurt Yanma, so he resorts to attempting to commit suicide through the Thundercaller.
- Call-Back:
- Gira has to be prevented from outright murdering Racules again by another monarch, this time Jeramie instead of Rita.
- Yanma brings up Kaguragi's backstabbing tendencies, surprised that he didn't suck up to Dagded to regain control of Toufu.
- The episode brings the lie-detecting Thundercaller back as a plot-device. This time for drama instead of laughs.
- Cerebus Retcon:
- The Japanese Delinquents-esque society N'Kosopa is known for starts the show Played for Laughs; the intelligence needed to maintain technology deliberately contrasting with the thuggish tendencies of yankii. This episode shows why that contrast exists and plays up the violent side of gang culture as far as a kid's show is able to.
- In #12, the Thundercaller shocking the user during a lie is played for laughs. Here, it's played more dramatically as Shiokara's excessive usage of it forces Yanma to make a Sadistic Choice.
- Determinator:
- Yanma managed to get Shiokara and the other gangsters on his side simply by being obstinate in the face of all threats.
- Shiokara manages to resist Hillbill's control through sheer willpower; opting to use the Thundercaller on himself instead of attack his king.
- Flashback B-Plot: Aside from the liberation of N'Kosopa from Hillbill in the present, the episode also reveals how Shiokara became Yanma's retainer.
- Foreshadowing: While Hymeno states that she's succeeded in taking over Ishabana, she does Kamejim's hand gesture in the process, implying that things aren't so straightforward in the healing kingdom.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: The Gratuitous English song playing during Yanma’s heartfelt speech with Shiokara includes the lyrics “It must be bullshit.”
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Kaguragi reports that a bounty has now been placed on the Ohsama Sentai.
- Heroic Willpower: Shiokara manages to resist Hillbill's compulsion, stopping short of hitting Yanma and choosing to defy her with the Thundercaller instead.
- History Repeats: N'Kosopa is once more a ruin thanks to Hillbill's machinations and Yanma sacrificing his computer.
- Idiot Ball: Shiokara was able to bypass Hillbill's brainwashing via earplugs. However, when Yanma enters his throne room to confront her, Shiokara pulls them out, leaving him open to her manipulations and eventually, the destruction of N'Kosopa.
- Ironic Echo: In both #7 and the flashbacks of this episode, Yanma notes he doesn’t have the privilege of having anyone he would miss. When he reveals to Shiokara about what he sacrificed, he notes might’ve been privileged after all.
- Immune to Mind Control: Played for Laughs. Kaguragi is able to defy Hillbill's mind control due to his baffling ability to betray himself. He uses this resistance to suplex her.
- I Surrender, Suckers: Kaguragi pretends to have fallen for Hillbill's Mind Control. He lifts her up as if to satisfy her whim of foot-pain...then suplexes her to the ground, even trying to finish her off.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Gira immediately try to attack Racules in the first scene, but Jeramie takes him away, stating he's too much of a high profile target to risk capture when they should be focusing on reclaiming the other kingdoms.
- Loophole Abuse: Kaguragi is immune to Hillbill's control due to his ability to betray even himself, preventing him from accepting commands.
- Man Behind the Man: Invoked. After Jeramie whisks the monarchs away, Dagded teleports in and Racules bows to him; their dynamic very clear.
- Monochrome Past: Flashbacks to Yanma's past are shot with a muted blue-gray tint.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Heroic example. After Kaguragi suplexes Hillbill, he immediately goes for the kill. She dodges out of the way.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Hymeno reveals she and Rita had already taken back Ishabana and Gokkan.
- Out of Focus: Hymeno and Rita don't get much screen time as they're occupied with their own kingdoms.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Yanma manages to save Shiokara from Hillbill, but he's forced to destroy his personal computer to do so, effectively hitting the Reset Button on N'Kosopa's progress. This, coupled with the heroes' prompt retreat, temporarily concedes the territory but prevents Hillbill from getting access to the country's main server (and the secrets inside).
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: Yanma chooses to destroy "Boro", his personal computer that housed the main server of N'Kosopa, essentially resetting the kingdom to before his rule to save Shiokara's life. As Shiokara realizes what had happened, he breaks down sobbing, but Yanma reassures him that just like before, they will rebuild.
- Reformed Criminal: The flashbacks littered throughout the episode reveal that Shiokara, Akka, Usuba, and Mayuta were former gang members. They reformed when Yanma proved his worth to their boss, following him ever since.
- Sadistic Choice: Hillbill forces Yanma either to give up the kingdom's main server or let Shiokara die. He ultimately chooses to destroy his laptop instead so she'd never get it.
- Strong as They Need to Be: Hillbill is capable of brainwashing an entire nation's people through mid-range audio-devices, but the rulers believe her incapable of enacting a global broadcast and ensnaring the whole planet.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Douga leaves with Gira by hanging out on God Tarantula's leg, but since the Bognaarok are located underneath Gokkan, he ends up nearly freezing to death.
- N'Kosopa's over-reliance on tech made it the first and easiest kingdom to be conquered. All Hillbill had to do was whisper into everyone's audio-devices and it folded within a day. With the citizens forced to smash their own technology, the kingdoms are effectively isolated.
- Title Drop: After Shiokara gives Yanma an apology for the Sadistic Choice and breaks down crying, the latter starts his response with "Don't cry, slack-jawed tanuki."
- Truth in Television: In his past, Yanma defies the norm and is stubborn in the face of a homicidal gangster. Shiokara berates him for it; saying that fighting is pointless given N'Kosopa's youth are "done from the day they're born." A lot of petty criminals in real life tend to be misplaced individuals that turn to crime in order to make ends meet and survive.
- Undying Loyalty:
- Despite Racules' return as ruler, Douga chooses to follow Gira instead.
- Shiokara also chooses to attempt suicide using the Thundercaller rather than turn against Yanma; fortunately for him Yanma chooses his life over his technology.
- Wham Episode: While Yanma is able to take back N'Kosopa from Hillbill, it comes at the cost of destroying the kingdom's main server, which essentially resets the kingdom to a dilapidated state similar to a few years ago.
