Red Ranger Isekai Episode 2 Recap and Thoughts
It’s been a while since I last posted a recap of the red ranger isekai animé. But now I’m back and to be honest, this episode was really great! Last time, we meet Kizuna Red who went to another world after sacrificing his life to defeat Break-Up King. From there, he met Yhidra who was studying mana metal and its properties. The episode ended when Yhidra applied to become an adventurer to learn more about Togo and his powers.
Cold Open Recap
At the Adventurer’s Guild, Yhidra attempted to examine Togo. Despite his bizarre appearance after transforming, she couldn’t help but notice that he still resembled an ordinary human from her world. She requested a blood sample to determine if he possessed mana. She was confused about how he was afraid of needles but was brave enough to protect her in the previous episode after his back got severely wounded by the Remains Dragon. The resulting commotion, while potentially lewd, added to the fanservice of this part. The guild master scolded them, advising them to handle such matters in private.
Opening
Finally, we get to see the opening! Honestly, it’s looks cool, not too showy but did a good enough job of showcasing the characters. Aside from that, the opening still feels a bit like a Sentai opening, with more focus on the main characters. Though I might be biased as I wasn’t able to watch animé lately.
Main Episode Recap
Upon joining the guild, Yhidra was given a stat tag, a symbol of her adventurer status. It also served to record her skills and stats. As a mage, Yhidra boasted high magic and intelligence stats. Togo, on the other hand, had a stat screen that looks like a magazine scan! It even included Kamen Rider stats like punching and kicking speed! It was so unexpected and unbelievable! The stats screen also featured a Kizuna Five DVD clip starring Togo. The DVD revealed that Togo was the fifth member of the Kizuna Five and showcased his Cooperation Calibur and Burning Kizuna Punch. It was a thrilling moment, seeing the DVD clip as part of the show’s canon. The stats screen’s unique format truly surprised Yhidra.
As Yhidra continued to study the stats screen, the two adventurers from the previous episode stormed into the guild hall, still seething over their last encounter. They directed their insults at Yhidra, who feigned ignorance, further fueling their anger. They introduced themselves as Zatsu and Lain, but Yhidra dismissed them as ’the rejected adventurers’ she couldn’t be bothered to remember. Zatsu warned Togo against joining Yhidra due to her alleged bad attitude. Togo defended her, claiming that despite her sharp tongue, she’s a good person who’s working on a new magic to help him. Zatsu retaliated, saying he had doubts about her passing as an adventurer due to her relationship with her father, Haodie, whom they described as a coward.
That remark angered Yhidra, who remembered the time her father left the position of Royal Scepter. He told her that their duty wouldn’t change despite the fact that he was no longer the Royal Scepter. He also told her never to forget their duty and be proud to fulfill it.
Yhidra’s fury rose as the adventurers laughed at her, daring them to retract their insult against her father. She retaliated, questioning their competence as adventurers after their failure to defeat her golem. Before the argument turns into a serious fight, Red offers to settle this instead by completing a guild quest.
The four adventurers went to Gaumene Cave, where a mysterious monster had been spotted recently. Togo proposed having a competition to see who could beat the monster first. As for the conditions, if Yhidra wins, Zatsu and Lain would have to apologize for what they said about their father. However, if they win, they can do anything to her, which gives them some lewd ideas, which I wish the writers didn’t add. That fanservice is too much, to be honest.
Zatsu and Lain ran off, trying to avoid the dangerous minotaurs in the dungeon. However, as Togo transforms into Kizuna Red, the resulting explosion attracted the minotaurs in the area as they rush towards the adventurers.
The adventurers have difficulty fighting against the minotaurs due to their sheer number and size. Red used his Turbo Huddle to activate his Kizuna Turbo Kick, knocking out multiple minotaurs at once. The Turbo Kick was so cool, and it looks like a Kamen Rider Kick reference, which is amazing! Since Yhidra struggled against the minotaurs, she suggested Red to use Maximum Kizuna Kaiser to defeat the minotaurs swiftly.
However, the giant robot got stuck inside the cave, which is really funny but makes sense. Makes me wonder how the beasts arrived despite the size of the cave. Due to this, Red and Yhidra left the giant mech. Luckily though, some minotaurs were killed due to the immense weight of the robot, so that’s something.
Zatsu was having trouble fighting the minotaurs when Yhidra’s Undine Scream spell saved them. She tells the two adventurers that despite their harsh remarks towards her father, his father continued to study magic for the people till the end of his life. Just like her father, she will devote her magic to saving others and honoring the duty entrusted to her by her father. And also so that they won’t die before they apologize to her. Red remarked that Yhidra is an intimidating beauty, which makes her blush.
Eventually, a giant mysterious monster with a treasure chest above his head showed up, scaring the minotaurs. Red sensed that his power is at the same level as a Relationship Ender general. Zatsu and Lain rushed to fight the monster to ensure they won, but their weapons got broken instead in one punch. Red punched him, but barely did any damage as his body was really solid.
The monster’s durability reminds him of Break-Up Fiend Rejectiondra’s force field in Episode 30 of Kizuna Five. Rejectiondra fought against Kizuna Blue after they dated. Red saved Blue from being crushed by her ice block and gave him some words of motivation. I couldn’t believe they added an episode title screen as well as some clips from that episode, which weren’t present in the manga! Another easter egg is that the location in the clip was the one used in most tokusatsu shows. It really shows how much care they put into this show.
Red sought Zatsu and Lain’s help to use the Victory Kizuna Buster to defeat the monster. The rest of the adventurers reluctantly agreed to help him defeat the giant monster. However, due to their hostility earlier, the beam split into two, just like in Episode 7, where Nagare Banjōji (Kizuna Blue) and Emily Tobihoshi (Kizuna Yellow) quarreled. Red uses up too much of his bond energy, which overwhelms him with the monster’s attack and detransforming him.
Togo, severely damaged, told the three to leave the cave immediately. Yhidra, not wanting to leave Togo behind, cast her healing magic at him while Zatsu and Lain defended them. Yhidra was amazed by their tenacity and felt terrible about humiliating them earlier. This interaction formed a strong bond to wake Togo up and regain the strength to transform into Kizuna Red again. They used the Victory Kizuna Buster one more time, this time defeating the giant monster for good and making them pose, which is so funny as they didn’t intend to pose after they won.
After defeating the monster, an old man fell. They brought him to the guild to heal him, as Yhidra noticed that he had a weird bulge on his head. The four adventurers bid their goodbyes, and a new bond formed between them. While Togo congratulated Yhidra for challenging herself and her beliefs on the two adventurers, the latter pushed him to challenge his fear of needles. Togo was still so afraid that he transformed again in the guild hall.
Due to the commotion, the old man managed to leave the guild hall but was spotted by a princess and a knight as he transformed back into the monster. However, he was struck down immediately, and her bulge, which was a weird specimen, was removed as the two walked away.
Final Thoughts
This episode was a great follow-up to Episode 1, fleshing out the two main characters, Zatsu and Lain, who I thought were just one-off characters from the previous episode. It also showcases how bonds affect Red’s power, as shown by how the Kizuna Buster misfires due to the hostility between Yhidra and the two adventurers. I also love the callbacks from the past world, as apparently, those scenes were improved by adding more detail than the manga version, such as episode titles. The opening was also solid as well. It captures the sentai feel of this show. However, some gripes continue from Episode 1, such as the lewd fantasies of the two adventurers. There were a lot of suggestive scenes and weird camera angles that made this show not suitable for kids as well as those who don’t like sexualized characters. I wish those were removed from the episode itself. I hope that this kind of fanservice will die down later down the road.
Overall, this was a solid episode, and I’m so excited to meet the two people we saw at the end. I can’t wait to see how they shake up the dynamic between the two main characters and complete the quartet that we saw in the opening.