Movie REVIEW: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger 20th: Fireball Booster

With both the casts of Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger and Bakaryuu Sentai Abaranger having recently reunited for 20th anniversary specials, Super Sentai fans have seemingly entered a golden age of fan-favourite series celebrating this milestone with brand new V-Cinext movies. Following their previous return in both their own 10 Years After film and the short-lived Space Squad series of films, there should have been very little doubt that cast of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger are always ready and willing to give it another round. Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger 20th: Fireball Booster marks the third 20th anniversary Super Sentai film, with Tomozaku Yoshida even returning to reprise his role as Tekkan/Deka Break despite his retirement from acting in 2018. Series main writer Naruhisa Arakawa returned to pen the film, alongside veteran Super Sentai director Katsuya Watanabe.

On the 20th anniversary of the Dekaranger team all joining Earth branch, Sen and Umeko are enjoying their day off when suddenly an explosion occurs. Rushing to the site, they encounter an alien child who identifies the culprit atop a nearby building. When the Dekarangers approach her, they are joined by Deka Red in his new Premier armour. However this Deka Red turns out not to be Ban, but Rui Edogawa - a new Fire Squad member Ban is training as his protégé. 

Ban and Rui identify the suspect as Raenjo, the wife of a crime lord boss recently deleted by the Fire Squad. Remarking that his ultimate plan will continue even after his death, the Dekarangers quickly begin their investigation. While Rui is quickly frustrated by the team's unorthodox methods, Tetsu notes a change in Ban's fiery attitude.

For most Super Sentai series a 20th anniversary reunion would seem like a huge deal, and while that milestone is still certainly something to be celebrated it's fair to say that the Dekarangers coming back isn't exactly a shock return. With the cast having repeatedly being enthusiastic about reprising their roles (whether it be in the aforementioned movies or cameos in the likes of Gokaiger or Super Sentai Strongest Battle) the odds of them not showing up for the occasion seemed unlikely. As such it really doesn't feel like we've been away from the cast for all that long, and with Dekaranger the kind of show that didn't really have a definitive ending this feels like less a grand reunion and more just business as usual. Sure they're a little older now, but they're still solving cases and taking down criminals just as they always have.  It's much less an event movie and more just your average Dekaranger two-parter, which with a little bit of tweaking could comfortably fit anywhere in the show's timeline. While the reality of that does make Fireball Booster less grandiose than it may seem, there's certainly no denying that it has that authentic Dekaranger feel.

But the main shake-up coming into Fireball Booster is the introduction of Rui, whose addition proves to be another example of a V-Cinext film putting forward a good idea but not having enough time to let it properly develop. Posing Rui as a no-nonsense cop baffled by the Dekarangers' strange antics is a good way to shakeup the formula for an anniversary movie, particularly with the way it forces Ban into a mentor role and the suggestion that rookie police are sent to the Earth Branch during their training. The latter fact is very slightly expanded on with some (completely context-less) flashbacks to Ten's appearance in Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger with Tombo Ohger, but given that the character didn't really have much in the way of context there either it all begins to feel more like window dressing than a plot point to get too invested in. After previously remarking that making Ten a second Deka Pink rather than something new/unique was a missed opportunity to expand the Dekaranger roster, exactly the same can be said for Rui - (unconsciously) teasing the possibility with his orange uniform but simply making him a second Deka Red. Rui himself is not a bad character, but the point of interest should have been his dynamic with Ban rather than him simply scoffing at the way the team conduct investigations. Similarly the notion of a more subdued Ban realising he's getting on in years and training a successor is the the perfect plot line for a 20th anniversary movie, but we don't spend enough time with Ban to truly feel that change in his character. 

That isn't to say Fireball Booster isn't preoccupied with other things to fill in its 50-minute runtime though, although they might not be exactly what you think. For example part of the film sees Sen and Tekkan travel to Koichi, with their investigation taking them sightseeing around some of the prefecture's main tourist attractions. This is because Yoshida is actually a member of the city's regional revitalisation cooperation team - part of which promotes awareness and tourism. Fireball Booster taking a moment to become an advertisement for Koichi isn't inherently a bad thing (lots of productions do similar things, and it certainly conveys Koichi as a beautiful place to visit), but it does feel like a little like a detour eating away at the film's precious time even if the seemingly lackadaisical approach plays right in to the film's overall message.

In terms of overall plotting though it is very much your traditional Dekaranger adventure, and even though the target audience will have grown up alongside the series it thankfully doesn't strive to tell a more "mature" adventure or anything of the sort. Though it might mix in some surprisingly heavy topics like drug racketeering and domestic abuse in with all the crime drama and mystery, at the end of the day it still plays a bunch of brightly coloured space cops talking to a chibi puppet completely straight. Having the Dekarangers break off into different teams to investigate different aspects of the case works well despite the time constraints, bringing all the strands together at the end whilst also giving method (to the audience just as much as Rui) to the Dekarangers' madness. Some might argue that Dekaranger's lack of a central villain is a weakness, but in reunion specials like these it particularly shows itself as a strength as they aren't predicated on needing any prior knowledge or resolving any loose plot threads. In that sense, Dekaranger feels just as approachable to newer Super Sentai fans who may not have necessarily seen the series as it does those who were there two decades ago. Again a lot of the ideas in here are good but could have done with just a little more time - one such example being Umeko being shot, a moment that was eerily foreshadowed in Dekaranger with Tombo Ohger but barely anything at all here.

But despite all its shortcomings, it is good to see the Dekaranger crew once again. If their willingness to come back again and again wasn't enough prove it then the effortlessness it takes them to slip back into their characters so just how much love the cast (and crew) have for the series, and it really does feel like something they'll just keep doing until they simply can't anymore. Frustrating as it might have been to listen to every single episode of the series itself, 20 years later the narration around Jasmine's ESP abilities and Sen's thinking pose immediately brings a smile to your face - particularly as the film chooses to have fun with these staple lines as well (including a sly reference to 10 Years After). With Doggie and Kat both making appearances (though sadly not in their ranger forms) and a mecha sequence it really does feel like the gang is all here. Complete with a newly recorded versions of the opening theme and new cast dance to go alongside ending theme "Midnight Dekaranger", it really doesn't miss a beat.

There's even a nice little bit of arsenal expansion/obligatory toy shilling in the form of Premier Deka Red, the latest piece of kit in the Fire Squad arsenal. Upgrades like these always feel much less forced in tech-based shows, and usual the Dekaranger power-ups nail the assignment. Not only is it a great progression from the standard Fire Squad look Ban has been rocking since 10 Years After, but the metallic armour parts give off strong Metal Heroes vibes. Even if said vibes are purely coincidence, it feels very fitting given the time they've spent working alongside the Space Sheriffs.

Maybe it's just that it doesn't feel like the Dekaranger team hasn't been away all that long (despite the first Space Squad being all way back in 2017), but Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger 20th: Fireball Booster feels much less a big anniversary special and more just another day in the life of our favourite Special Police. As always it's fantastic to see the cast together again, but the story sadly downplays some of its more unique elements in favour of a story that largely feels like it could have come at any point in the Dekaranger timeline. That may not necessarily be a bad thing, but those looking for something a bit more celebratory will likely find the film somewhat lacking. That said, toward the end of the film Ban remarks that he's going to keep this up for another 20 years - and with how much fun the Dekarangers are, we can only hope that's true.