Recap

Kaito and Ryouma face off one final time as Mai attempts to use the power of the Forbidden Fruit to change history.

Aqua’s thoughts

Three characters died this episode. Sure, two of them are not actually dead, but the impact their demises have on the other characters hits a lot harder than most of the actual deaths we’ve seen in tokusatsu over the last few years. Of course there’s Mitchy, reduced to a hysterically crying mess after Kouta sacrifices himself to redeem him, only to find out that Ryouma cut the heart out of his beloved Mai in his absence. Kaito too goes completely off the deep end when he finds out the only two people he respected have bit the dust. To say that this was Gaim‘s darkest episode yet would be an understatement.

First and foremost, the cathartic hug of foregiveness between Kouta and Mitsuzane I so feared turned out a lot better than expected. It is the only way in which I will allow Mitchy to be redeemed, because it tells us more about Kouta than about him: Kouta is the all-loving Messianic archetype. He is strong and brave enough to forgive someone who has done such terrible things, while Mitchy remains pathetic as ever. You see, the important thing is that in spite of all this, Mitchy obviously cannot forgive himself. He sees the error of his ways, but he cannot be redeemed. Though with all the crap he’s been put through this episode, no matter how melodramatic, you might actually feel for him again. That’s Kamen Rider Gaim for you. It can make a character so despicable you hope they never get to be exonerated, only to grant your wish when you’ve come to revise it.

Speaking of being careful what you wish for, the revelation of who and what the Woman of the Beginning really is served as a nice subdued addition to the episode, clearing up one of the biggest mysteries in the show without diverting attention from all the other horrible stuff going on. Nevertheless, it raises some questions. Given that Mai could only talk in riddles in the past and as such, actually ended up causing the trouble that got her killed in the first place, does that mean that the wishes granted by the Fruit of Knowledge are in a way poisoned or corrupted, or did Sagara have a manipulative hand in this tragic outcome? With all the attention he has been giving Mai, I hope her completely undeserved physical death doesn’t signify her premature exit from the plot as a whole. After all, she seems to be the only person with any kind of reconciliatory abilities in this entire show. For all the good her tragic death did, it must be said that Gaim totally did just kill off its sole main female character in order to give two men something to angst about. Not exactly helping your track record there, Urobuchi.

Mai’s death and Mitchy’s subsequent mental breakdown alone could be more than enough material for one episode, but the lion’s part of the dramatic twists actually took place in Kaito’s parts. With his Driver destroyed and the only people he remotely cared about dead, he vows to destroy Ryouma and makes good on that promise in an absolutely delightful way, though not without sacrificing his humanity in the process. You could argue, that given his twisted sense of morality, Kaito has always been an “Overlord” to begin with. It would explain how he can retain his personality where Hase and Yuuya miserably failed. Whether it signifies his full-fledged descent into villainy is a whole different pair of trousers. As expected from Kaito, his beef with Ryouma is more about the cowardly, weak way in which he managed to dispose of Kouta and Mai. It remains to be seen what he’ll be up to after punching Ryouma into a wall so hard it made the most self-absorbed character in the show kill himself to avoid any further punishment. It’s no secret that he and Kouta will eventually have to throw down to decide the very fate of the world, but will Kaito aim to use his new powers to create the social darwinist utopia he so deserves, or will he desperately decide to simply destroy the cowardly, corrupted world altogether? As always with this show, there is not a single direction I can see this heading into that doesn’t get me pumped. if it manages to keep up the thrilling, macabre atmosphere of these last few episodes, Kamen Rider Gaim will end up so much more than just the best Kamen Rider show I have ever watched.

Random observations

• Oddly enough, no ghost Takatora in this episode. You’d think he’d pop up to berate his little brother for rather creepily cradling his friend’s naked dead body.
• Kaito’s Overlord form is actually called “Lord Baron”. You might wanna go see someone for that eight grader’s syndrome of yours, Kaito.
• While the set design in Gaim started out a bit lackluster, Ryouma’s evil laboratory is a truly mesmerizing, atmospheric bit of scenery that perfectly encapsulates the sort of place where anyone would lose their minds in. Which is sort of exactly what happens, too.
• Blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail of the week: Yoko picks up Ryouma’s modded Genesis Driver. With her own Driver reduced to a useless hump of plastic, I wonder if we’ll have a new Kamen Rider Duke running around in the near future.

Zigg’s Thoughts

This was in every single aspect and facet an outstanding episode of television. With better action, better acting, bigger twists and an even more clever, multilayered script, it managed to surpass even last week’s impressive episode in every possible way. As Gaim thunders towards its conclusion its delivering some of the most powerful, compelling television of the year, and that’s really exciting, especially since most Kamen Rider shows can sometimes stumble at the end of their long runs. Instead, Urobuchi appears to have structured his show to peak at the very best moment.

Of the multiple outstanding segments, probably the weakest is the opening ‘death’ scene between Kouta and Mitchy. While I’m aware that Kamen Rider is inherently an incredibly over-the-top show, I probably would have dialed back the melodrama here a bit. It’s mostly a presentational thing, what with all of the spotlighting and falling feathers veering dangerously close to outright camp. What saves it, and in fact propels the segment all the way to ‘very strong’ is the acting. Gaku Sano delivers the best performance he ever has as Kouta, really throwing his all into it. As a result, the somewhat cliched ‘I forgive you’ sequence becomes a magnificently intense, desperate plea, which is perfectly complemented by Mahiro Takasugi’s tearful yet angry Mitchy. The entire scene crackles with emotion and does a great job of reminding the journey these two have taken, and that there was a genuine friendship at the beginning of it. If you’re going to attempt a Mitchy rehabilitation, this is about as well as you could have set it in motion…which is ironic considering he’s just killed our hero.

My favourite scene in this episode though is definitely what happens after he returns to the laboratory and is confronted with yet another consequence of his misguided actions. Even though we already know Mai is not ‘dead’ it’s still pretty shocking to see her laid out on a slab like that, and Mitchy’s instant breakdown sells the drama appropriately. Tsunenori Aoki’s deliciously evil Ryouma ramps from smug self-satisfaction to cackling evil perfectly, before moving to a full-on mad scientist/child molester hybrid as he attempts to choke out Mitchy in one of the most disturbing scenes we’ve yet seen (and that’s really saying something). The atmosphere is electric and it’s really offputting to see Mitchy, who for so long has been a steely figure of hate, reduced to helpless crying victim. It gets under your skin in the best possible way.

I don’t think too many people were super-shocked by the Mai twist, as time-travel shenanigans have been suspected for quite some time now. There are some really nice touches about how they carry it out though. Firstly, they deign to give an explanation as to how Alternate Mai was only ever able to talk in riddles. Granted, it’s not a particularly thorough one, but the gesture is appreciated. Secondly, and much more cleverly, there’s the revelation that Mai’s attempts to change the future have instead caused it, setting up a stable time loop. What I especially like is that the show largely underplays this revelation rather than choosing to make it a headline moment. It fills an important plot hole, but the script doesn’t draw too much attention to mechanical function, instead allowing it to serve as the emotional blow it’s primarily meant to be. Nice callback all the way to episode 23 too with the rooftop conversation, tying up another loose end.

Finally, there’s Baron’s ultimate transformation, both onscreen and also in a plot sense. With Mitchy crushed and Ryouma out of the picture, it definitely seems as if Kaito is being setup as a the final boss, or at least as close to an unambiguous final boss as the show is going to get. His desperate gamble is very in character and though it’s hammy as hell, it works as a big payoff for the end of this episode. I will say that Ryouma’s death felt a little weak and dragged out and I probably would have preferred it if Kaito had just thrown him off the roof. I suppose I doubt that would have been possible given the show’s demographic. As the only one of our core three left standing, Kaito’s at a distinct advantage for the final stage of the battle. We’re holding out for a hero…

Random Observations

• Kouta is very clearly breathing when he’s meant to be dead.
• When Yoko sees Mai’s body she immediately (correctly) checks her pulse and breathing.
• I get what they’re going for, but that shot of Mai flying through the timeline looks super cheap and shoddy.
• Kaito points out that due to his longstanding wound he’s actually developed something of a resistance to the power of Helheim, which adds a nice layer of additional justification to his transformation.