Avataro Sentai Donbrothers is a story-driven Sentai series that delivers a complex story arc festival going beyond expectations. The 46th Sentai series has recently finished its run after releasing the 50th episode, which delivers the ending chapter to one of the most mind-bending stories to feature in the Super Sentai franchise. Many mysteries remained unsolved throughout the story but manages to expertly gift viewers with gradual answers, even with the episodic format. Here is the full review of Donbrothers and its unprecedented concept as the concluded 46th Super Sentai series.
Avataro Sentai Donbrothers featured Tarou Momoi (Kouhei Higuchi), one of the last remaining Don Clan members fighting against the Noto. His team consisted of 4 companions that are recruited over time, with another surviving Don Clan member, Jiro Momotani (Raizou Ishikawa), joining later in the series. As strong desires cause people to become Sentai-themed Hitotsuki, the team fights to stop their havoc while dealing with the Noto warriors, Sonoi, Sononi, and Sonoza, and the later appearance of the Juto (Beastials).
The team is also aided by Zenkaizer Black and the mysterious café owner, Kaito Goshikida (Kiita Komagine), and the imprisoned guardian and Tarou’s adoptive father, Jin Momoi (Sohkoh Wada).
Donbrothers, The Most Brilliant & Insane Sentai Series
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The 46th Sentai series has one of the most unusual beginnings for a Sentai series and acted as an indirect sequel to the predecessor, Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger. Although a Sentai Ranger team, the characters fought together but some members were not officially part of the team, since their identities weren’t discovered by the other members. Taro, Haruka, and Shinichi were the most assembled members early on but were later joined by Kijino, Jiro, and near the end by Tsubasa.
The Full Vibrant Cast and Story for the 47th Sentai Series
Each member of the series has delivered memorable moments for the 46th Sentai series, with each providing their own flares and iconic contributions. From Taro’s unforgettable laugh to Sononi’s fascination to understand love, each character has distinct quirks that make them stand out in each episode they star in. The orchestral performance of the cast has made a huge impression on viewers, making it a diverse festival of drama, humor, and action. The show also had a theatrical stage essence in the series with Haiku poems delivered by Shinichi (Yuki Beppu), who added a thought-provoking performance as an unusual character.
The story started with 17-year-old Manga writer, Haruka Kito, who obtained the powers of OniSister and later was accused of plagiarism despite being the creator of ‘First love Hero’. The disguised Anoni were a major part of the series at the start, with Haruku being told to swear fealty to Taro Momoi by Jin to resolve her situation. The gradual beginning led to many hilarious encounters as Haruka (Kohaku Shida) mistook others for Taro, starting with Sonoi. There was a lot of tension leading up to the status quo, adding excitement to each episode but also anxiety to see all characters introduced and settled.
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The introduction of the Robotaro form allowed for greater unity for the team, while character growth and learning about each character continued. Quirks and bonds began to flourish, especially between Sonoi (Yuya Tominaga) and Taro. This led to greater story complexity and demonstrated fantastic chemistry as seen when they discover each other to be the enemy. The introduction of Jiro added to the mystery and was perfectly entered from the aftermath of Sonoi unexpectedly assassinating Taro.
The Sentai series was perfect at telling slow-burning stories and some of the best story arcs in the series were for Inubrother and Kijibrother. The stories of Tsubasa Inuzuka (Totaro) and Tsuyoshi Kijino (Hirofumi Suzuki) relating to Miho Kijino (Momoko Arata) and the Juto were a huge surprise. Both Suzuki and Ishikawa gave amazing performances for their duo personalities in the unique Sentai, showing different forms of mind-breaking anguish and violent tendencies.
Unconventional Foes of Donbrothers
Fundamentally, the series created points of escalation with characters from different factions. The main foes were originally the Noto’s Sonoi (Yuya Tominaga), Sononi (Amisa Miyazaki), and Sonoza (Shinnosuke Takahashi), but eventually were joined by the various Juto and then by Don Murasame (voice by Ayumu Murase). The obsessions of each Noto member created great pieces of the story and a nice quirk in various episodes in the series. Don Murasame was an oddball addition that was less of a character and acted more like a feature for the Ranger series, but still provided fantastic action and played as an astonishing key to the backstory.
Sonoi and Sononi’s transformation from villain to hero was an interesting ride, as they gradually establish a connection with Taro and Tsubasa, respectfully. Tominaga enacting the struggle for Sonoi to defeat Taro was a terrific event to witness and Sononi delivered a romantic drama for her redemption arc. Sonoza originally seemed to be a social menace but his connection with Haruka and her Manga opened an unexpected turn for the character. Sonoshi, Sonogo, and Sonoroku provided a good void filler for the villain roles, but it was a shame they were not introduced sooner, along with their obsession quirks.
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The Hitotsuki was a great gimmick left unexplained as they were based on different Super Sentai teams from the past. They gave a lot of substance to each episode and added chaos to the story, which is hard to isolate as good or bad. The henchmen of the series, the Anoni, were the most confusing for a Sentai series as their purpose was too fragmented and unhinged. Serving the Noto, helping Hitotsuki, being Juto food, and having human traits was a blur of events that didn’t explain their existence.
Ranger Series & Arsenal Analysis
The Ranger series arsenal was a mash-up theme utilizing avatars for the link between the concept of the show with the Momotaro theme and varied abilities. The early use of Alter forms and Avataro Gears made the Donbrothers feel like an anniversary series like Zenkaiger but eventually became obsolete or trivial after the debut of Don Murasame’s Alter form. The weapons and Robotaro releases created spectacular events for the series, with fantastic visual effects used for attacks. The Ryuko no Geki was the best follow-up release for both the Don Blaster and Zanglass Sword as it provided excellent features that worked fantastically for the line, especially with the unique ability to switch from spear to axe.
The Sentai series was the first to use a pre-series crossover as a filler for the main Robo, which included Zenkaizer Black in the beginning. The Robotaro debut completely changed the aesthetic of the series, making it feel concrete rather than unfinished. Furthermore, they remain the most memorable for breaking the conventional format since they are human-sized until a monster becomes big. The additions of Dai Gattai Toradoragonjin and Omikoshi Phoenix created a fantastic collection of new Robo formations but even the Black Onitaijin Murasame added a nice touch as a last-minute entry.
Action & CGI in 46th Sentai Series
The first use of CGI Rangers was unexpected but Kijibrother and Inubrother become normalized additions after a few episodes of their debut. Although they weren’t the best example of the technology, they provided many memorable moments throughout the series. Live-action shots used for the two Rangers allowed them to create better scenes, which worked so well for close-up shots. The best CGI used in the series was seen for the debut of Don Robogoku and Robobolt, which demonstrated fantastic use of textures and action sequences.
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The action throughout the series didn’t disappoint in many episodes but the series had a comical tone for most of the content. The final attacks from the team included dazzling visuals and the sword combat between suit actors, Asai Kosuke and Mori Hirotsugu, provided substantial combat for most of the series. The series also delivered the first multi-scale action that uses CGI and live-action sequences in combination, which added a lot of fantastic variety throughout a cluster of episodes.
Finale Of Donbrothers & Series Completion
Overall, the series was a fantastic story, which the finale episode highlighted by wrapping up the story of each character featured throughout the series. The grand finale didn’t include a dramatic final battle like other Sentai series such as Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger but was great to tie the knot for the concept’s aftermath. The eradication of Sonogo and Sonoroku was the unexpected highlight of the last episode, but the dramatic finish was delivered by Don Momotaro as must live his companions behind.
Avataro Sentai Donbrothers delivered a masterpiece of unexpected storytelling while delivering epic Sentai series action that has broken the conventional format. Although it didn’t have the big combat finale like some past Sentai teams, the dazzling performance and fantastic characters granted the 47th Sentai a rating of 7 out of 10.
Ohsama Sentai KingOhger will be the 47th Sentai series that will continue the Super Sentai franchise. The new series will premiere this Sunday, March 5, in Japan via TV-Asahi.
What do you think of Avataro Sentai Donbrothers? Do you agree with our review of the 46th Sentai series? Are you excited about the premiere of Ohsama Sentai KingOhger? Let us know on social media and keep following The Illuminerdi for more Super Sentai.
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