Recap

After the revelations of last episode, the Riders ponder their next move. Meanwhile, Kaito and Mai meet to reminisce about their shared past and Zangetsu tests out a sweet powerup.

Aqua‘s thoughts

This show is good. Still good. I’m not very good at talking about things that are good. When is it going to get bad? I’m good with things that are bad. Or bad at being good. Whatever. I’m not tired of this show being good. Did you know that bad can mean good sometimes? In the nineties it sure could. As in “Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the president?”. In that line, “bad” would mean good, because actual bad dudes don’t rescue the president. Unless he’s a bad president. Or as in “I love the Power Glove, it’s so bad.” By which he means that the Power Glove is good. Too bad it’s actually bad, though. Or that Michael Jackson song, “Bad”, in which he says he’s bad, but that’s good. It’s good to be bad. Unless you’re a paedophile. Paedophiles are bad.

Ayways, Gaim, right. This episode certainly hinted at a rift forming between Kouta and his good friend Mitchy, who is slowly but steadily breaking bad. Even though at the moment, he seems to be even more opposed to Yggdrasil than our big good is, his persistent utilitarianism — hello, Urobuchi — could eventually drive him to his brother’s side, as seen in the three-way stand-off at the very beginning of the show. Hey, you know what three-way stand-offs remind me of? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Clint Eastwood is pretty bad in that one, even though he plays The Good. And with “bad” I mean good, of course. As in “bad-ass”. But if The Good is bad, would The Bad also be bad? Or would he be bad? This is bad for my brain.

In any case, I now wasted a good chunk of your time with this bad blog about good and bad. Not bad, huh? That’s a good way to say “good”. Have I mentioned that I’m bad at talking about things that are good?

Zigg’s Thoughts

In case you haven’t noticed, Aqua has firmly established that this show is pretty good. What makes it so good though is the way it seems to have been carefully paced and plotted out. While most Kamen Rider shows do have an overarching plot, the great length and ongoing production means they tend to see saw between episodes clearly marked ‘amusing filler’ and those that are obviously more plot related. We haven’t seen that so much here though. Instead, Gaim has allowed its plot to unfold much more organically, aided by the fact the monster of the week format appears dead and buried. That leads to episodes like this one, where no major event of consequence happens, but we still feel like we learn a lot.

The main development here is obviously the growing tension between Kouta and Mitchy, as they begin to diverge over the path they should take against Yggdrasil. What’s important is that this tension wouldn’t ring true unless the story had spent the time building them up as genuine comrades beforehand. With that firmly established, watching them gradually fall out is far more absorbing. There’s not really any open conflict in this episode but a nice simmering tension. They’re going for a tried and true dichotomy that’s also very faithful to the personalities of those involved. Kouta is the on the ground guy, the one who cares more about getting out there and saving lives, battling the immediate threat. Mitchy is much colder, more distant, focusing on the long term consequences, willing to make ‘lesser’ sacrifices for the greater good. Impressively, this also signals the first signs he may be drifting towards his brother, who likewise is cold, methodical and a long term strategist. There’s been some minor hints that Yggdrasil’s mission may be more altruistic than we first assumed – if so that would provide a strong motive for the eventual Mitchy/Takatora team we saw in the opening of the series.

The other major character pairing who get work here are Kaito and Mai, a pairing which continues to delight me in its unconventionality. Sure, them suddenly realising they were childhood friends all along is cliched and daft, but it’s presented in such a sweet way its difficult not to warm to the scenario. Again, we’re given the chance to see two very different takes on the same situation. While Kaito has allowed bitterness and his desire for revenge to define his personality, Mai has instead opted to work within the system and try and honour her memories by adapting. The net result is added depth for both characters, and that rarest of things, an interpersonal relationship in a toku show that feels it can genuinely carry an entire plotline. I’m very keen to see where this goes. The appearance of the mysterious girl is another nice layer of intrigue. It’s worth noting that while her proclamations to the riders were more doom laden, here she’s strongly suggesting Mai still has a chance to avoid that doom if she bails immediately. Considering the fact that there’s strong hints the two are either related or are in fact the same person, that’s…something worth remembering.

As you can see, Gaim continues to be stacked with cool plots, interesting questions and great character work. I can’t wait for the next episode, and what higher praise is there than that?

Random Observations

• In another break from tradition, the sweet powerup was barely even a side story in this episode. It looks cool, although that bow really needed to be twice as big to avoid looking like a toy.
• Pierre’s Zangetsu styled-dessert is simply wonderful.
• Interesting that they’re keeping a plotline for the Nuts bubbling under as well. That’s good work with your secondary characters.
• Micchy even looks less cherubic in this episode, probably a combination of camera work, makeup tweaks and increased menace in Mahiro Takasugi’s performance. It’s very effective.