Recap

As Kouta and Kaito desperately battle to contain the rampaging Overlord, Sid and Mitchy seek the Forbidden Fruit.

Aqua’s Thoughts

When we introduced the Butcher Bingo way back at the beginning of our Gaim coverage, “severed heads” was one of the few squares we were certain would never get crossed out. Turns out what Gaim has in store for us was even worse. It’s hard to feel even remotely bad for Sid, but no one said only sympathetic characters get to die shockingly. Death is no stranger to Kamen Rider, yet the sheer brutality of Sid’s demise was the perfect proof that Gaim is playing for keeps. With the revelation that Rosyuo is already in possession of the Fruit of Knowledge and wants to use it to set straight what what wrong the last time he used it is a nice way to set him up as a common enemy for all the Riders without sacrificing the show’s trademark grey morality with a generic doomsday villain. What’s most intriguing however, is how his words to Takatora could reveal something very interesting about how a certain other girl-obsessed character might end up.

Nevertheless, things get a bit strange here, as I don’t think Rosyuo is supposed to be Mitchy’s equivalent. This episode more than anything hammered home the fact that the three Overlords we’ve met up to now are dark(er) equivalents of our main characters. Deemushu’s darwinist rhetoric makes him sound like Kaito without the humanity that makes him such an interesting character, and episode 29 existed mainly to set up the similarities between Rosyuo and Takatora. This would make Redyue’s Mitchy’s scheming equivalent rather than Rosyuo — as evidenced by the two ‘bonding’ over their shared disdain for Sid. Especially of all, the very first of these analogies is fleshed out the most in this episode. Confronted with the results of a world in which the strong prey on the week, he doesn’t abandon his philosophy entirely, but does display much more sympathetic motives for his endless pursuit of power. It’s nice to see him no longer blame Kouta for his perceived lack of power, but simply pushing him into developing himself further. That is also why he left Team Baron way back in episode 18 — it signified his ‘graduating’ from childhood into a quest for ‘power’ to face whatever hardships adulthood throws at him.

If anything, Kamen Rider Gaim reflects the idea that our ‘duty’ to develop ourselves is what makes us human. Kaito might not take the most sympathetic path down to adulthood, but his evolution is motivated by his confrontation with Deemushu — what would happen to him if he weren’t to ‘grow up’. Mitchy, on the other hand, is developing himself in entirely the wrong way, taking advantage of others for his own gain. Kouta, being the hero he his, takes a third option — not ignoring others like Kaito, nor taking advantage of them like Mitchy — but working together with them to develop both himself and his allies. His first transformation into Triumphant Arms already asserted his desire to grow so strong he could overcome the rules of the world itself — a surprisingly Gurren Lagann-esque notion for a show this pragmatic — and Kaito’s speech about a system where the strong hunt the week probably implies Kouta will once again vow to grow so powerful he can destroy this system, with a new sweet power-up to boot. Geez, Urobuchi, it’s like you’re using objectivism itself to criticize objectivism.

Random Observations

• The fact that Rosyou was the only one to survive the apocalypse alongside two complete psychopaths can’t help but remind me of Shinji and Asuka’s fate at the end of End of Evangelion. Better not think that through too much, huh.
• Very satisfying to see Kaito and Zack team up again.
• Why oh why was Ryouma in his Rider suit when he did his cool computer thing? The answer is, of course, because Tsunenori Aoki was too busy being in a play to show up on the set. Never change, Kamen Rider.
• With the debut of Zenith Arms (or “Kiwami Arms” for the weeaboos) next week, I wonder if any other Rider will get the privilege of an ultimate form. Kaito seems the most likely option, but I’m just wondering how the heck Mitchy’s gonna stand up against an even more powerful Kouta?

Zigg’s Thoughts

As Aqua has already noted, despite all the bombast of this episode, it’s in its unexpected thematic richness where it really shines. More and more the show is playing the ‘parallel evolution’ card, comparing and contrasting the ongoing conflict between the Riders with the catastrophic war which brought about the end of the Overlord’s world. Within that comparison it’s finding new ways to eke out dramatic tension by showing us the possibility of what awaits our heroes and at the same time giving us hope that it might be different this time.

I was initially wary about the way the show has rapidly ‘humanised’ the Overlords, losing some of their foreboding threat in exchange for more immediate character material. My fears were soothed this episode though as it became more apparent that, well, the Overlords are kind of assholes. I was already gripped by the idea of an entire world being torn apart just because a bunch of idiots couldn’t stop stabbing each other in the back, and it’s pretty obvious to see that they’re still at it. Aqua has already pointed out the pretty obvious parallels between the players in this game, but it’s worth noting that although they’re obvious, they’re never explicit. Indeed, the show is careful never to bash you ever the head with the comparison between the two worlds, instead letting the unspoken supplement what’s happening onscreen. It’s a powerful and subtle bit of storytelling and displays far more nuance than I’d expect from a Kamen Rider show, a sentence I felt I’ve said a lot by this point.

I’d also like to again point out the supreme character writing. I have no idea how Urobuchi and his team are managing to keep Kaito balanced on the knife-edge between good and evil, but it’s incredibly compelling to watch. He’s a genuine shades-of-grey character, something remarkably uncommon in most media. I must confess I’m completely uncertain as to which way he’s going to turn next, and that’s very exciting. I keep expecting him to eventually back down from his single-minded pursuit of power, but amazingly he manages to keep on that basic train while finding new and interesting ways to justify it and develop his personality. There’s definitely a shift back towards his more heroic side here, what with his teamup with Zack and his defiance of Ryouma’s orders, but there’s also plenty of darkness. His lecture to Kouta is a perfect encapsulation of this – he wants his power for a noble cause sure, but he still really wants it and he’s prepared to do what it takes to get there.

The other major point I want to talk about here is Sid’s shockingly brutal demise. I’ve said repeatedly that he was the one most likely to die, since he’s been pretty much superfluous to the plot ever since he stopped being a dealer, but it’s the manner which is so breathtaking. Like any good character death, it’s used to set up and pay off a whole different array of quirks and sub-plots. We  see how Sid’s greed consumes him, how Mitchy is too smart to be tricked (showing that he’s truly surpassed his supposed superior), how smart and willing Redyue is to use the humans as pawns in the battle against Rosyou, and how willing Rosyou is to utterly obliterate all those who stand against him. This is about as brutal and violent a death as you can get away with on a show like this, and it really puts the hammer down on how serious the battle is about to get. Bad news for our heroes, great news for us.

Random Observations

• Sagara continues to be an enigma. He knows Rosyou by name and seems not to fear confronting him head on. What is he?
• Rosyou speaking of his lost love seems to give us a pretty firm lock on who the mysterious ‘Other Mai’ might be, but I’m still going to believe they can surprise me.
• It’s an old trick, but Ryouma’s complete disregard for the life of his troops is a pretty effective way to get heat on him as a villain.
• Although Rosyue claiming the Forbidden Fruit already does give a reason for all sides to oppose him, I feel it dents the image of the fruit as some sort of powerful, unknowable force. Since he claimed it once already, shouldn’t he already have near unlimited power?
• Just outstanding acting all round this episode. The intensity in the Kouta/Kaito staredown is palpable, and Yutaka Kobayashi radiates charismatic menace to a brilliant degree.