 This article is about an episode in Choujin Sentai Jetman.
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Hellbound Bus (地獄行バス Jigokuyuki Basu) is the twelfth episode of Choujin Sentai Jetman. Uniquely, this episode exclusively focused on two Jetmen, Kaori and Raita. Ryu, Gai, and Ako only appeared towards the end, while Commander Aya Odagiri was completely absent.
Synopsis
A bus taking Kaori and Raita to the countryside becomes the scene of bizarre murders set up by Tran's Dimension Beast, forcing the passengers to figure who is the culprit.
Plot
It is early morning, the moon is high. There is a place in the mountains where arcane doings are evident and human skulls litter the ground. Kaori and Raita are riding a bus up into the mountains to go hiking. Kaori daydreams about doing this with Ryu, feeding him treats she's made herself and him praising her talents. The bus enters a tunnel, honking to alert anyone who might be going the opposite way. The bus goes dark, and a man screams for help. As they leave the tunnel, a woman begins screaming, pointing at the pile of clothes with foam all over it. One of the other passengers is a detective. He is here to investigate recent disappearances. Raita looks at the clothes and says "this looks like the work of the Vyram." Frightened, two of the men start to fight, but the others make them stop. The detective says no one can leave the bus. He does not think it is the Vyram, but some sort of bizarre hoax. Tran watches from the Vyram space ship and snickers, identifying White Swan and Yellow Owl among his victims.
The detective eyes the bus driver, who wears a hospital mask on his face. "I see you have a cold. How long have you been driving this line?" "About six years." Another man tries to take the woman passenger hostage, but they get him away from her and then the bus enters another tunnel. Coming out, they find the man who had grabbed the woman has turned to foam. The woman thinks it must be the other male passenger who did it. Lyta starts to signal the other Jetmen, but Kaori tells him they should not until they know for sure it is the Vyram. Tran thinks this is just too good.
The woman passenger is chug-a-lugging a flask of wine. She hears Kaori and Raita talking quietly about their work as Jetmen. Her purse falls and the medication she is supposed to be taking rolls down the floor of the bus. She is a woman who has given up on life. The driver pulls the bus over and runs out, trying to jump off the bridge. The detective catches him, ripping the mask off and identifying him as a criminal who disappeared into the mountains six years before. The other male passenger accuses him of being a Vyram, which he denies hysterically. They force him back to the wheel and handcuff him to it. Raita, Kaori, the detective and the other remaining male passenger join hands and cling together as the bus approaches the next tunnel. The woman laughs, calling death to come for her but when they enter the tunnel she clasps her hands and prays.
They come through the tunnel, everyone's still there. But the driver is foam! The bus is out of control! They dive to the floor as the bus heads on a collision course with a car, but the car swerves and the bus winds up stopped in a pile of gravel. Suddenly the bus fills with organs that appear to be things like hearts and lungs. They realize it was the monster all along. The driver of the car runs to help but is caught by the tentacles and consumed. Lyta is trapped in the bus. Kaori gets the others out and comes back to get Raita. The bus transforms, extending arms and legs and opening huge yellow eyes. Kaori realizes there is no way to handle this on their own and signals the other Jetmen. Flailing around the bus knocks boulders toward the helpless civilians. Kaori protects the drunk woman with her own body. They get the others away but Kaori is lifted in the monster's hand. The other woman cries out, wanting to somehow help. Kaori gets away to join the others in their planes. They form Jet Icarus. Kaori mainly directs their portion of the battle, though Ryu calls in the Flaming Birdnic Saber and they destroy the bus.
Another bus arrives to pick up passengers. The woman, now sober, has found her will to live again and thanks Kaori for it. The team stands together after the bus leaves. Lyta apologizes to Kaori for the fact that their trip was all spoiled. She reassures him it is all right. Ako and Ryu beg to join their hiking excursion. And while Gai does not ask to join, he does join them as Ako gets a piggy-back ride from Ryu and they start to hike up the road.
Cast
- Ryu Tendo (天堂 竜 Tendō Ryū): Kotaro Tanaka (田中 弘太郎 Tanaka Kotarō)
- Gai Yuki (結城 凱 Yūki Gai): Toshihide Wakamatsu (若松 俊秀 Wakamatsu Toshihide)
- Raita Ooishi (大石 雷太 Ōishi Raita): Ikko Tadano (ただの いっこ Tadano Ikko)
- Kaori Rokumeikan (鹿鳴館 香 Rokumeikan Kaori): Rika Kishida (岸田 里佳 Kishida Rika)
- Ako Hayasaka (早坂 アコ Hayasaka Ako): Sayuri Uchida (内田 さゆり Uchida Sayuri)
- Back Dimensional Count Radiguet (裏次元伯爵ラディゲ Urajigen Hakushaku Radige): Masaki Tachi (舘 正貴 Tachi Masaki)
- Maria (マリア Maria): Maho Maruyama (丸山 真歩 Maruyama Maho)
- Tran (トラン Toran): Miku Kuga (久我未来 Kuga Miku)
- Grey (グレイ Gurei, Voice): Hideaki Kusaka (日下秀昭 Kusaka Hideaki)
Guest Cast
- Passengers: Yuzo Mikawa (三川 雄三 Mikawa Yuzō), Mayumi Yoshida (吉田 真弓 Yoshida Mayumi), Mizuki Nakamura (中村瑞希 Nakamura Mizuki), Tetsu Masuda (益田てつ Masuda Tetsu), Minoru Nakajima (中島 実 Nakajima Minoru)
- Driver: Tooru Ranko (蘭紅 徹 Tōru Rankō), Masaaki Kurita (栗田聖佐晃 Kurita Masaaki)
Notes
- The bus transformed by Vyram is a Hino.
- One of the passengers on the bus is played by Mayumi Yoshida, who portrayed Lou in Choushinsei Flashman.
- Ironically, Masumi Yoshida's Flashman castmate Yasuhiro Ishiwata would later guest star in episodes 23 and 24, playing the role of Ray.
DVD releases
Jetman Volume 2, DVD cover
Choujin Sentai Jetman Volume 2 features episodes 11-20. [1]
Jetman: The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
- The complete Jetman series will be released in North America by Shout! Factory in Sept 25th, 2018.