It's time for Final Buster!

Falling in love with a series that shows potential can either leave you with a satisfaction of glorious levels, or send you into a bottomless pit of despair. On the other hand, there are some instances where the remains of this shattered hope can leave you with an ending that graces your eyes. However, it takes a courageous or foolish soul to confirm this matter, so I recommend that you avoid this action at all cost.

In this case, my feelings for Go-Busters fall into this rare category, which was thanks to my sheer determination. Let’s take a dive into Hyperspace, as we shutdown the final mission in this everlasting battle. 

It’s hard to believe that Go-Busters started off with so much promise, since we were given a Sentai series that took a few steps that I considered as new ground for the franchise. The show used more real time attacks than stock footage finishers, and the usage of leather was a nice change of pace from the spandex suits that we all grew to love. Besides the new decisions in props and effects, Go-Busters brought back a few elements that were present in most of the older Sentai shows.

One of my favorite features was how we had to wait a few episodes for the Go-Busters to form Go-Buster Oh, which acted as the symbolism behind the original team’s goal in rescuing their family, along with being a nice shout out to the older Sentai shows. Perhaps the best part was how the crew of the Energy Management Center played a big role in supporting the main team, since the staff was in charge of maintenance, gathering intel, and providing moral backup to the team. 

So where did the series go wrong? Simple, the sheer guts and passion that was introduced during a good third of the series was tarnished after a few episodes that took place after the first fake ending. Even though this was a scene that occurred during the episode 30, the sequence did a phenomenal job in playing with the team’s decision in choosing the most important thing to protect. In fact, the whole trip to Hyperspace was started by the very parents that Hiromu, Ryuji, and Yoko were determined to save, so you knew that something was about to go down. Long story short, the Go-Busters had a final battle with Enter, Escape, and Messiah, which resulted in the destruction of their home base. In other words, they triggered the requirements for a proper resolution.

Instead of ending right there, we get a twist where Enter survives, and he manages to back up Messiah. From there, things begin to go downhill as he splits Messiah’s data into a data cards. While the premise was a bit intriguing, the whole thing started to drag after the team was acquainted with the Powered Custom and Li-Oh, who both happen to exhibit a Terry Bogart-like voice. Perhaps the biggest problem with these episodes is that the emotion and build up that made Go-Busters great has been reduced to a series of random filler-like segments that disregard the show's main advantages. And right when they introduced a possible new ally that could have saved the series, she ends up becoming a one time character -- poor Pink Buster.

Something tells me that the result could have been from the fact that Go-Busters wasn't doing too well as a series. In response to this outcome, the production team was probably trying to push tooth and nail to desperately raise the ratings. Perhaps the fake ending was an attempt at raising the bar, since it would open up for a new direction in the story. And if that was the case, a part of me thinks that the fake ending might have been intended as the real finale for the series. But mind you, this is only a theory that I came up with, so don’t go around spreading this as a fact. If somehow it turns out to be true, then Go-Buster’s current predicament would make perfect sense.

Despite the nonsense found in the post Messiah episodes, Go-Buster’s finale was a surprisingly good way to wrap up the series. In other words, my despair and slight rage was turn into rejoice and tears, as Jin had to sacrifice his own body to save Hiromu from Enter’s endless respawning cycle. This scene alone was one threw me into an array of emotions, due to Jin and J being one of the greatest things to happen to Go-Busters -- at least in my opinion. That said, Go-Buster’s whole cast was the only thing that were unaffected by the show’s stale segments. Heck, it was one few reasons for me to keep up with the series.

If there was one way for Go-Busters to improve, it would involve switching the total episode count with Kamen Rider Decade, since the aftermath could benefit both shows greatly. For Decade, the series suffered greatly from leaving too many important questions unanswered (such as Narutaki’s true identity and motives), so an episode count of 50 would help it fill in every hole present. Then Go-Busters can benefit from being 31 episodes, due to the great closing that it would bring. Afterwards, they could wrap up any loose ends by having one or two extra episodes to resolve Jin’s situation.

Since this imaginary solution will never happen, Go-Busters turned out to be a show with a great first half, mediocre second half, and an ending that exceeded its current reputation. Based on my current experience with Super Sentai, I think this clarifies that no matter how terrible a Sentai show turns out, the finale will always end in a grand manner. To be honest, this is one of the few pieces of fiction where I can confirm this occurrence.

Most importantly, Go-Busters has been shutdown, and we can now make way for Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger! With Koichi Sakamoto directing this spectacular new Dino-charged dance number, Kyoryuger might be the show to get Super Sentai up and running again. But before we move on to the next series, we must first break into the important catch phrase that wraps up each successful mission. 

Shutdown Complete!