The opening sequence has been altered to reflect the events of the previous episode. Please read on rather than skipping it to see what's been changed.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
…
The Super Sentai logo appears with its characteristic twinkle, then suddenly splits into dozens of golden bee drones and swarms away.
"While we humans believe ourselves to be the dominant species on Earth," Nushi says in voiceover as the camera pans over scenes of ladybugs nibbling on leaves, ants stealing food from a picnic, mantises dueling each other, grasshoppers creating music, butterflies feeding from flowers, spiders spinning webs, scorpions fighting each other, and bees buzzing in a hive. "In truth, we are vastly outnumbered by insects, with an estimated 10 quintillion insects alive at any given time. They've been here before us, and with any luck, they'll be here long after us. Personally, I find that kind of neat, and more than a little humbling."
The camera then flashed through shots of each of the Bugrangers and Arachrangers, the heroes admiring their respective insects in their native habitats.
"This is the story of seven heroes who used the power of insects to save the world."
The theme song starts playing as we see Nushi sitting at her desk in her college dorm, hard at work on her laptop. At an unseen signal, she glances up, rushes to the window, and looks down to see her friends waving at her from the ground, and the camera zooms out to reveal she isn't on campus at all, but in Hive City! Several drones swarm together to form the show's logo.
In this world we strive for harmony
Though it is hard work to achieve
As minds can be clouded by rage and envy
We must fight for what we believe
Nushi quickly rushes out to join them, hugging Shin and Goro, getting a kiss from Ariel, and tripping and falling when Mibojin sidesteps her attempts to hug her, a twitch that could be mistaken for a smile on the ninja's face. Aranea pulls Nushi up using a web line before she can hit the ground, causing her to flush in embarrassment as Antares bursts into laughter.
Hearts of human and insect synchronize
All together, united as one
Everyone's with you and you realize
This battle can be won
A screen wipe made up of ladybugs passes over the scene, showing a close-up of Nushi doing sciencey things, followed by a wipe made of ants to Goro pulling off some impressive trick shots, followed by a wipe made of mantises to Mibojin sparring against humanoid mantises, followed by a wipe made of grasshoppers to Shin in a conductor's uniform driving the ShinLiner with some cheering Hive children riding along, followed by a wipe made of butterflies to Ariel performing a spectacular magic show before an audience of awestruck bugs, culminating in a wipe made of spiderwebs to show Aranea weaving something while Antares trains in the background.
Red Ladybug!
Blue Ant!
Yellow Mantis!
Green Hopper!
White Butterfly!
Black Spider!
Violet Scorpion!
BUZZ ON!
The screen cuts back to Hive City, where the sky darkens, and giant centipedes and Funghouls start raining down. The Bugrangers look up in horror, then a look of determination forms on their faces.
Come on, look alive
Fight for the Earth and Hive
A greater fighting force you've never seen
The Divine Insects and Arachnids appear on their wrists, and the seven of them transform in flashes of colored light.
Sound up the alarm
Go and disperse the Swarm
You got the love of our Queen
The Funghouls charge at the heroes, who start fighting them.
Konchu Sentai Bugranger!
The camera suddenly splits in two, the Hive palace on one half, and the Swarm flagship on the other. Both views zoom in, passing through the walls to the throne rooms of the respective monarchs, briefly showing Apista and Philia and Parasitica and Vespi before zooming in again to show both Queens staring at each other in profile, Apista with regret and Parasitica with rage, the crystal containing the damaged Anthoph in between them.
A tale of two sisters once so caring
Until resentment tore them apart
One sister stood in the abyss glaring
And now rot has infected her heart
The camera then passes through shots of Nushi's parents; Goro's wife and children playing with some robots standing in the background while uniformed members of the JSDF look on fondly; Kagami training alongside a large humanoid cicada wearing a cloth mask; Shiin, Inigo, and Mole Beastman raising their glasses in a bar; the entire Ozu extended family standing together, only for Kai to suddenly rush past, chasing after a pair of baby jackals; the members of Aranea's harem doing bridge Bunny things in the control room of the Imperiarch; and Apista and Philia in the throne room, the former looking wistfully at a hologram of her old team, while Philia is dancing around with the Divine Insects in the foreground. Golden hexagons serve as the screen wipes.
But the Heroes never stand alone
Through the Buzzing you hear loving thoughts
A sense of belonging you've never known
But are worth every battle fought
Next, we get to see a series of action shots as Nushi slices Funghouls to ribbons with her sword, Goro pulls off a series of impressive head shots and trick shots to blow his enemies away, Mibojin turns into a zigzagging flash of yellow light as she passes through a mob and out the other end, her foes exploding behind her, Shin hefts a massive ax around one-handed as he hops all over the place dismembering his foes, Ariel obliterates everything around her in a fusillade of magic, Aranea shreds Funghouls with her razor webbing, and Antares impales monsters on his stinger tail.
Red Ladybug!
Blue Ant!
Yellow Mantis!
Green Hopper!
White Butterfly!
Black Spider!
Violet Scorpion!
BUZZ ON!
The camera cuts to the Fungigas gestation chamber as huge monsters begin to rise from the fungal sea along with an army of Funghouls, Vespi merrily dancing around with her doll without a care in the world. The camera then cuts again to a mysterious, very dark location, where a massive chained door covered in insect emblems shakes, ominous waves of power emanating from it.
Come on, look alive
Fight for the Earth and Hive
A greater fighting force you've never seen
Aranea and Antares stand back to back on a moonlit peak, their Great Divine Arachnids rising up behind them as Aranea clutches a jewel to her chest, three crystals spinning around her.
Sound up the alarm
Go and disperse the swarm
You got the love of our Queen
The Bugrangers finish off their enemies, only to look up as a Centicollosus appears.
Konchu Sentai Bugranger!
(Musical breakdown)
All the Great Divine Insects and Arachnids that have so far been discovered on the show fly by one by one before combining to form Bug-Ōhi, and starts engaging the Centicollosus in furious battle with Arackaiserin joining in to help. The camera then rapidly passes through shots of every member of the main cast, each of them lip-synching a line of the song.
Seven hearts
seven Cores
One hive
One world
Bugs fight
Bugs Swarm
Make right
Buzz on!
Bug-Ōhi deals her foe a massive blow, and dramatically turns her back to it as the Fungigas explodes behind her, winking at Arackaiserin, who swoons.
Come on, look alive
Fight for the Earth and Hive
A greater fighting force you've never seen
The team reappears at the front of the palace, while Apista smiles and nods in approval from a high balcony, Philia cheering in the background.
Sound up the alarm
Go and disperse the swarm
You got the love of our Queen
The team turns and strikes a pose as the logo appears over their heads.
Konchu Sentai Bugranger!
…
Buzz Twelve: A Good Soldier
…
Goro lay on his bed on his back, glaring at the ceiling, a frustrated look on his face.
There was a knock on the door.
Goro sighed. "Mom, I told you, I don't want to-"
"Atten-SHUN."
Eyes widening, Goro immediately sat up and surged to his feet, giving Lieutenant Kazuta a salute as he entered the room. "Sir."
Kazuta had to suppress a smile. Goro's salute and pose were parade-perfect, and he knew plenty of professional soldiers who could learn a thing or two. "At ease."
As Goro relaxed slightly, Kazuta frowned at his protégé. "Your mother told me that you've been getting into fights again."
"Yes, sir," Goro replied, staring straight ahead, face impassive.
"Are you winning them?" Kazuta asked.
"Yes, sir," Goro said in the same tone with the same expression.
Kazuta had to struggle to hide a grin at that. "Good lad." He frowned slightly. "Did you happen to have a good reason for fighting them?"
At this, Goro's stoic expression faltered. "… Sir, I…"
"Yes?"
Goro hissed through his teeth and glanced away, unable to meet his mentor's eyes. "… They said that dad was an idiot. That if he'd just stayed out of the way and waited for the "real" heroes he wouldn't have died."
Kazuta had to tamp down a flash of old, familiar anger at this. "You know that's not true, right? If your father hadn't done what he did, a lot of people would've died, myself included. There was no time to wait for a hero. Only him."
Goro nodded. "I know, sir. But…"
"A part of you can't help thinking they were right, because if he hadn't done what he did he would still be with us," Kazuta intuited.
He would know. He felt the same way sometimes.
Goro nodded, looking ashamed. "Yes, sir."
Kazuta put a hand on Goro's shoulder and tilted his chin up with the other to look him in the eye. "It's okay to have complicated feelings about your dad's death. I know I still do. I'm proud of him for what he did, but…"
"You still wish he were here," Goro finished.
Kazuta nodded, that familiar flicker of understanding passing between them.
"Do you resent them?" Kazuta asked. "The Sentai, the Riders, whatever other hero was active then for not getting involved?"
Goro shook his head. "No, sir. That would be like resenting the police or the firefighters for not getting involved. Their jobs are just as important. Just because they don't spend their days fighting monsters or piloting giant robots doesn't mean they aren't still heroes."
Kazuta smiled proudly at him. "There's lots of people in the armed services who feel differently, you know. And among the cops, and the firefighters. People who resent the heroes, and think they demean and underscore their own efforts to keep the peace."
"Well I'm not one of them," Goro said confidently, causing Kazuta to beam even wider.
Reminding himself he was here to discipline the youth, he told Goro, "while I understand why you felt you needed to lash out, you know this sort of thing can't keep happening, right? If you want to make it to the JSDF, you need to keep your grades up and your nose clean. Just because I'm your mentor doesn't mean I'm going to give you an unfair advantage."
Goro nodded, looking embarrassed. "Yes, sir. It won't happen again."
Kazuta hesitated, then cleared his throat and said, "Well, I wouldn't go that far…"
Goro blinked. "Sir?"
"While your mother and your teachers and everyone else will tell you that you should never, ever get into a fight… The honest truth is, sometimes it can't be avoided. However," he said sternly, looking Goro right in the eye. "If you have to get into a fight, make absolutely sure it's for the right reasons, not because someone was saying things about your father, no matter how tempting it might be. Understand?"
Goro nodded fervently. "Yes, sir."
Kazuta smiled and patted him on the head. "Good lad. Let's go get some takoyaki."
Goro broke into a grin. "Yes, sir!"
"You're paying. I'm supposed to be punishing you, after all."
Goro's face fell. "Yes, sir."
…
"I mean, okay, I get it, I screwed up," Goro admitted. "I shouldn't have kept pushing Kari about joining the Buzzing and got her the neural interface against her will. That wasn't cool, and I'll own up to it."
"Good to see you recognize it," Shin told him.
Mibojin nodded in agreement. "While I was disappointed when Kagami made it clear she didn't want to join the Buzzing, I respected her wishes and haven't pressed further, trusting that when – I mean, if – she changes her mind, she will decide for herself."
"I still can't believe how that conversation went," Ariel marveled. "I mean, that was like the biggest argument the two of you've ever had, right?"
Mibojin nodded gravely, recalling the moment in question, triggering the same memory in her mind-linked teammates.
Several weeks ago…
"Kagami," Mibojin said to her daughter over their morning tea, placing a neural interface on the table between them. "Nushi has finished development of a device to allow anyone to temporarily link up to the Buzzing without the need for any sort of surgery or gene therapy. I would like for you to use it to join me in the Buzzing and strengthen our familial bond."
Kagami regarded the device on the table for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, thank you."
And that was that.
Back in the present…
"I still can't believe she said that," Nushi commented.
Mibojin nodded solemnly. "Yes. I never thought her capable of saying such things. Still, we have moved past it, and our relationship is the better for it, and I see no reason why yours should be any different, Goro."
"It is different, though," Goro protested. "Kari is my wife, not my daughter. And she's the only member of my family not on the Buzzing now. I just don't understand why she is so against it."
"We were against it, before we got our link," Shin pointed out.
"Well yeah, but we were wrong," Nushi insisted.
Ariel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and we totally don't think that because we've been brainwashed into thinking being part of the Hive is the best thing ever due to our brain chemistry being radically altered to give us a permanent link to the Buzzing hive mind and our bodies gradually changing, even now, making us a little more like insects with each passing day, which absolutely none of us have any problem with, even though we might have beforehand."
Shin frowned as he considered this. "… When you put it like that, I think we might've been a little brainwashed."
Ariel shrugged. "Eh."
"I have no regrets, though that could be the brainwashing talking," Nushi said.
"Likewise," Mibojin agreed.
"Affirmative," Goro added, then paused to think about this. "Huh. Maybe that's one reason for Kari to be against it." He frowned. "Except she didn't say that's the problem, which is what's frustrating and confusing me. She just said there's things she doesn't want to share with anyone, even me, and then refused to explain further. If she could just give me a concrete explanation for why she doesn't want to join the Buzzing, I'd be disappointed but I'd still understand." He sighed in irritation. "And I thought we already shared everything! Isn't that part of what marriage is?"
"You never kept any secrets from her?" Philia asked.
"I tried not to! I mean, except, you know, for some of the stuff I did at work, but that's classified, she understood," Goro replied.
"It does sound like the two of you need to have a frank discussion about this," Apista commented.
"And I fully intend to once I get home," Goro grunted.
"I'm sorry I can't help, partner, but the Hive are a communal species bound by a telepathic hive mind, so the concept of personal boundaries isn't really something we can understand," Formic apologized.
"Well, if you would like my opinion, while it's frustrating that your partner is refusing to properly explain her motivations to you, just because the two of you are married doesn't mean she is under any obligation to tell you something if she doesn't want to, and while that might not be what you want to hear, you should still respect it all the same, and not force her into anything she doesn't want to do," Parasitica suggested through the mouth of a Funghoul.
"… Aren't you the one trying to forcibly conscript all life in the universe into your army of the undead?" Asked the incredulous Nushi.
"That doesn't mean I'm wrong!" Parasitica insisted. "On another note, WHY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THIS IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT?!"
For indeed, the Bugrangers were currently in the middle of a battle with a number of Funghouls, the festering, oozing Funghoul mass they had emerged from roiling and struggling against the magical bonds Ariel had placed on it to try and keep it in check. As was standard protocol by now, the area had been cordoned off by honeycomb barriers generated by Hive drones, with exterminator drones on standby to use Nushi's latest antifungal solution to destroy the mass once they'd exhausted all the undead beasts Parasitica had sent through.
"This wasn't really a conversation I wanted to put off until later," Goro explained, firing a shot which pierced the craniums of three Funghouls in a straight line. "Also, this kind of thing is pretty good stress relief for me."
"Stress relief- do none of you take this seriously?!"Parasitica demanded.
"Oh, of course we do," Nushi replied, clashing blades with several Funghoul surrounding her. "After all, if even one of these things manages to get past us, it could cause a major outbreak."
"Doesn't mean we can't gossip while we work, though," Ariel added as she swooped overhead, unloading magical volleys at the Funghouls which sent them flying.
"Also, we know this drives you crazy, only giving us further incentive to do it," Shin added cheerfully, burying his ax in a Funghoul so hard it split its upper body in half.
"You're right, it does drive me crazy," Parasitic snarled. "But once my newest Fungal Beast has dealt with you, that will no longer be a problem, and I shall be rid of your nattering once and for all!"
As the last Funghoul fell, a grotesque figure that had been standing atop a nearby building jumped down, the Bugrangers scattering as it slammed into the pavement, cratering it. As it rose from a three-point landing, all five of them got a good look at their adversary for this week.
The Fungal Beast was a grotesque patchwork of insect and machine, a vaguely humanoid tick with eight limbs, each of the six semi-mechanical arms looking radically different from the others and ending in a different weapon; a buzzsaw, a blaster, a drill, a harpoon, a wrecking ball, and an oversized claw. Gears jutted out of its body in awkward places, making a sickening squelching noise as they ground against the infested flesh, numerous holes in the carapace revealing most of the monster's body was filled with moldy, rusted clockwork. Its head was vaguely shaped like a cuckoo clock, with its mandibles resembling the door the cuckoo might pop out of, smaller gears taking the place of the eyes.
A large clock face took up the center of its chest, painted to look like Vespi, with her mismatched primary arms forming the clock hands.
The monster laughed, its mandibles popping open to reveal that, rather than a cuckoo bird, there was a smaller, second pair of jaws not unlike a xenomorph's inside. "Beware, Bugrangers, for the countdown to the hour of your demise at the hands of Tick-Tock has begun!"
Everyone stared at the monster for a moment.
Abruptly, Ariel started singing.
"Hickory, dickory, dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock."
Tick-Tock stared. "I'm sorry, what-"
Following her girlfriend's lead, Nushi sang the next verse.
"An ant
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The ant ran up the clock.
The clock struck two,
The ant ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock."
Parasitica goggled. "What-"
Goro, fondly reminiscing all the nursery rhymes he sang to his kids when they were younger, was next to join in.
"A beaver
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The beaver ran up clock.
The clock struck three,
The beaver ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock."
"Will you stop-"
Shin eagerly went next.
"A frog
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The frog jump up the clock.
The clock struck four,
The frog jump down,
Hickory, dickory, dock."
Very confused, and growing angrier by the minute, Parasitica managed to calm herself with the knowledge that there was no way Mibojin, of all people, would participate in this nonsense.
And then the ninja, feeling pressured by what felt like the entire Hive, sighed and reluctantly sang,
"A cat
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The cat ran up the clock.
The clock struck six,
The cat ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock."
Parasitica stared in disbelief, unable to believe what had just happened. "… WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"
And then her daughter (the betrayal!) Joined in, forcing the words through the mouthparts of a not-quite-dead Funghoul.
"A dog
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The dog ran up clock.
The clock struck seven,
The dog ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock."
Giggling, Philia remotely activated the speakers in the Bugrangers' suits and added the final verse.
"A rabbit
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The rabbit hop up clock.
The clock struck eight,
The rabbit hop down,
Hickory, dickory, dock!"
As the Bugrangers (except for Mibojin) enthusiastically applauded, Parasitica's eye twitched. "I despise every last one of you."
In her throne room, Apista sighed and called for the hard nectar, getting a feeling this was going to be one of those days.