Recap

Mai becomes trapped in an alternate timeline as Kaito gathers his strength to destroy the old world.

Zigg’s Thoughts

After the last couple of episodes have been absolute barnburners it made sense that we would slow things down a little as a setup for the big finale. This installment definitely felt like a step down in terms of quality, but since the quality recently has been so overwhelmingly high that’s hardly a cutting insult. Furthermore, when it slows down Gaim uses that reduced pace to further carve out characters and lay out plotlines. Even at this late stage the ground continues to shift under our protagonists, which leads to a nicely uncertain episode full of buildup.

Kouta coming back to life is a ‘twist’ so predictable I’m not going to devote any time to it, but I did like his conversation with Mai. The substance is not groundbreaking, but the idea that you should always ask others for help and support is fundamentally such a good one it’s difficult to begrudge them using it. Furthermore, the dialogue and acting are easily strong enough to propel this past tiresome moral into important character moment. It’s a nice table-setter that further reinforces that while Kouta may be fighting for Mai, he’s fighting for the person, not the power. I will say I’m a little disappointed with the ‘trapped in alternate reality’ subplot. Not only is it clearly designed to remove Mai from the climactic action, it also proves the opening scene was sort of a red herring. That’s not a huge deal, but it does feel like a minor cheat.

Kaito and his motivations dominate this episode and it’s a nice meaty bit of establishment for his now very villainous persona. Importantly though, he’s still recognisable as his previous self, just with the dickishness turned up to maximum. It’s also great to see Pierre and Jonouchi again too, even if it’s just mostly as cannon fodder. One thing I did not expect was Zack’s turn to the dark side, since he’s pretty well established as a stand up guy. In fact, it was such an unexpected swerve it was pretty disappointing when it turned out to all be a ruse, though that arguably fits his character development better.

The last part of this episode is made up predominantly of the Kaito/Kouta fight and it’s a good’un. The decision for Kaito to start in his Rider form makes little sense logically, but it’s a nice slice of drama, harkening back to the very beginning of the show and contrasting the Riders’ basic forms with their ultra-powerful final evolutions. As a result there’s real heft and a sense of progression to the fight, and it’s almost a shame that Zack has to step in to break it up when he does. As such, the episode ends on something of an anti-climax, but with the promise of endless drama ahead.

Random Observations

• Jonouchi gets his lock seed smashed. Is this the last we’ve seen of NEVER GIVE UP?
• Chucky’s actress is truly rubbish and kills quite a lot of drama from the scenes she’s in, most notably with her weird angst-smile during the discovery of Kouta’s body.
• With so much emphasis on the Kouta/Kaito showdown, my pick to claim the fruit is the still-at-large Mitchy.

Marlin’s Thoughts

Man, things have been moving fast ever since Kouta got his feather bed last episode. That sure was some terrible acting by the Gaim sidekicks, but I suppose it can be forgiven since they hold no bearing on the story. I’m not even sure why they made the scene last week so dramatic when we know he was gonna be still alive. I wonder if seeing that he didn’t actually kill his best friend will actually do anything to Micchy at this point? He seems out of the game, especially from the way he is disregarded by Sagara, but it almost seems like too much misdirection to totally count him out entirely.

Kaito’s fall from grace has been particularly well told these past few episodes. The combination of loss and desperation has forced him back on his Darwinist roots. The more he sees how much different he’s become from humanity, the less he is able to empathize with them. Now he simply sees the corrupt world as something to be destroyed. It is disappointing to see Yoko so quickly go with Kaito simply because of his strength, but it isn’t unprecedented considering her character in the past. While Micchy was once powerful, he gained that power through deception, whereas Kaito gained it through “strength”. Thus it makes sense she’d stay with the strongest person until the end.

The rider fights have always been pretty good in Gaim, but this week’s clash between Kouta and Kaito was a step above. The feeling of motion and power from both of them really makes the scene as they duke it out on a level beyond any we’ve seen before. I’m really hoping we see one more powerup on Kouta’s side before the show is done, as having an overlord v. overlord fight would bring this arc full circle. Kaito wanted to fight the overlords to see their power, while Kouta wanted to understand their motives in order to work with them. Now Kaito has finally succumbed to the notion that he will never be stronger than them, so he has had to become them. Likewise, Kouta understands that he can never reconcile the gap in their values, and by extension Kaito’s. Thus he must fight for his own vision of the future alone. Whatever happens, it looks like we have a few more good fights left in the show before all’s said and done.

Random Observations

• So, in the metaphorical battle Mai is trapped in, Takatora is still present. Is that just symbolic of his effect on Micchy, or can he still come into play somehow?
• Kouta’s declaration of “You ended up like me?” makes me wonder if Kouta already knows he can make the same transformation, or if he is just referencing to their shared overlord powers.
• It’s good to know Zach didn’t totally heel out of nowhere. Still, did he really know that Kouta would come back, or was he just trying to keep an eye on Kaito in case he tried to hurt someone he cared for?