Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season 2

Episode 24

It's a damned shame, because even here, in the rushed and unsatisfying final moments of Go, Go, Loser Ranger!'s second season, you can still see the version of this story that would have been genuinely pretty awesome if it had been given another season or two to be properly told. The montage of all of the past characters uniting to defend humanity from Deathmecia, the unlikely reunion between the Dragon Keepers and the Dusters, and Angel's double-reverse heel-face turn as she ascends as one of the show's primary anti-heroines. All of these elements could have been so much fun if they came with, you know, all of the plot and character development that such beats usually require.

Instead, we have to settle with a decent-enough-if-your-standards-are-properly-calibrated conclusion to a severely compromised, loose collection of random manga scenes that the producers of Loser Ranger felt made just enough sense when slapped together that they could get away with their hack job while technically fulfilling their contractual obligation to adapt the source material. For anyone that already read the manga before watching the last eight or so episodes, I am curious to know how much better the original version of the story is compared to what we got. I have to imagine that the printed chronicles of Fighter D's rise to glory at least makes more coherent sense as a linear sequence of events (even here, at the very end, I cannot tell how much of my confusion comes from simply forgetting detail of past episodes as opposed to the show having ripped scenes out of the narrative entirely). For folks like me who are watching Loser Ranger as a standalone television series, this finale is the only thing we could have expected, by now. Just about the only pleasant surprise is that the production values returned to form, somewhat, instead of disintegrating into a jumbled mess along with everything other element in this show.

I think what I'm most angry about is how dirty this does to Fighter D, himself. The concept of a random Power Rangers mook pulling himself up by the bootstraps and overthrowing the entire superhero institution is just such a great idea, and our protagonist was completely robbed of his chance to finally stand out as the star of a great adventure. Sure, this finale shows us scenes that are supposed to capitalize on all of that potential: He regains his dignity and pride; he successfully makes allies (and possibly more) out of the likes of Angel and Hisui; he even finishes what the Keeper's started by figuring out how to outsmart Deathmecia and starve him out for good.

It's too bad it's impossible to care, because of how fragmented and nonsensical the story has become. Not only does this render the parts of the episode that are decently told enough to make sense impotent, but it also makes the other obvious compromises stand out that much more. What was the point of including Hibiki and XX in this story, again? Why did Yumeko become a background character after a season-and-a-half of buildup? What was the purpose of spending so much time in that godforsaken parking garage if nearly every one of the characters introduced in that arc ended up as nothing more than cameos to show up for a few seconds in a couple of episodes at the end of the season?

The episode even has the gall to end with a tease for future adventures. I was convinced that this finale would at least have the good sense to end as any proper failed adaptation should - with a messy and half-baked anime original ending that makes it obvious that the embarrassment is over for everyone involved - but we don't even get the decency of closure. We have to live in fear that the poor, beaten corpse of Loser Ranger will continue to be flogged into dust someday in the future.

At the end of Season 1, I was able to hold on to enough hope that a second season of the show could make up for past mistakes and forge ahead into something so much better. Go, Go, Loser Ranger! has lost whatever trust I had left to give it. Unless we get a completely new creative team involved, I have no reason to suspect that any future seasons of this mess won't just disappoint and infuriate me further. Please, Yostar Pictures, just let this show die. I'll read the manga, I promise. You don't need to hold Fighter D and his friends hostage anymore.

Rating:

Go, Go, Loser Ranger! is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+ on Sundays.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.