[Paladin]

Baku, having lost his confidence as an agent, is branded unfit by Zero.

[Frontier]

Does that count as a Rider Punch? Oh no, all those Capsems we've gained along the way!!!

It's bad enough that this is probably the biggest failure Baku's dealt with yet since the Bomb Nightmare...but he didn't just fail to stop NOX, he failed to protect Seiya's dream, and he's fighting an opponent he genuinely doesn't think he can beat.

Honestly I did not expect to see Fujimi turn on Baku or Nasuka defending him, or a dissolution of their partnership. Fujimi is just too obsessed/close to the Odakka case. What will happen when he reunites with his old partner as NOX?

Really kicking a guy when he's down, huh Zero?

When Baku is at his most down, he needs a child who can still believe in dreams, even when things get tough, to steer him back.

So I guess Minami is taking the "I'll leave my brother to his new thing because I trust him and just want him to be okay" method. Was really expecting she'd directly confront him about it. Did Zero tell her not to tell him?

Ah, so they extrapolated "I'm going to give up my dream for my parents' sake" into "Let's blow up the entire world in a meteor shower!"

Nothing better than a newfound resolve to help with the gacha re-roll.

I had a feeling the Meteor was the Nightmare. Although it's Nightmare form felt like I walked into an Ultraman show.

Paradigm Gravity! It's not enough to completely overpower Nox Knight, but it can maneuver around him and hold him long enough for Zeztz to finish off the real threat with a Gravity Sphere Rider Kick. Also those gravity gauntlets are pretty handy!

Uh...I don't think Zeztz getting consumed by the black hole left by his own finisher was part of the plan...

NOX was Code 04!? What about 1-3, and 5-6!? And it doesn't seem like Zero cares about the personal health for the Agents so long as they complete their mission. Especially since BAKU WON'T WAKE UP!

A long nightmare? The truth that Zero would have to kill Minami if he told her? Baku going after NOX directly next!?

[Fish Sandwich]

Something I understand after watching this episode of Kamen Rider Zeztz: This show is definitely more willing to mess with the at this point long-established Rider formula than I had previously assumed, which I'm happy about.

Things I don't understand after watching this episode of Kamen Rider Zeztz: Kamen Rider Zeztz.

It kinda feels like the thing that ultimately got extinguished here wasn't humanity, Baku's Capsems, or even his confidence, as much as it was any remaining shred of my ability to properly process anything that's happening in the story with certainty? I barely know what's happening, and know almost nothing about why, in the sense of what the people telling this tale are hoping to convey to an audience.

I'm seriously baffled to find myself in this position, because I pretty much *always* have stuff to say about Kamen Rider? Here though, I think if I actually try to talk about the episode, it'd just be isolated little things? Positive opinions like how impressive the choreography in the NOX Knight/ZEZTZ fight in the climax was, and snide remarks like asking if Zero decided to talk to NOX for any specific reason beyond wanting to let the audience know his official CODE Number at that particular point. Real basic observations, when I strive (as best I can) to come in with more unusual angles, in the hopes of making things more interesting.

"But... there was still someone better."

In that sense, I kind of relate to Baku here, because I feel like I just realized how many steps ahead in the game I'm not, and now I have to struggle to pick up the pieces and, and... and wherever the narrative is going from here, I guess. One common theme I've begun to identify that unifies Zeztz's episodic stories is the danger of making assumptions, and it turns out that might've been true for my own meta viewing experience, too. I've been treating it like just another Kamen Rider show this whole time, and I'm starting to think the preconceptions I've been coming in with are what's been keeping me from actually seeing it?

Like, I assumed this would be the usual part two of two, you know? Baku builds his confidence back up, that pep talk with Seiya comes full circle, he wins his first major victory against the cool rival hero/villain dude, does some speechifying about dreams that clarifies the themes. But it turns out this is still the middle of a larger story, and it certainly looks like it's actively subverting most of those usual tropes to make a point about how in over his head Baku actually is? The resolution with Seiya is especially striking in that regard, because that last scene is played less as a child overcoming bullies through belief in himself, and more like he's become single-mindedly focused on a goal at the expense of actually connecting with the world around him... which isn't too far off from the mindset that led Baku to getting sucked into a black hole for the cliffhanger?

One assumption it IS probably safe to make is that eventually, ZEZTZ still has to be a hero doing good things that viewers will root for and be excited by, but the show has successfully thrown me off the trail in a way that doesn't happen often. Maybe ZEZTZ gets his first big powerup and things immediately settle back into a routine that's different but still broadly the same. But then, maybe even if they do, the show will just find new interesting and unusual angles anyway.

I think a lot of my posts about Zeztz so far have maybe given the wrong impression because I've sort of neglected to outright say that not being able to understand so much of it has also been part of the fun for me this whole time? When I'm leveling criticisms at it, it's coming much more from a place of curiosity than anything else. After this episode, my ability to understand the show may be at an all-time low, but that also means my curiosity is at an all-time high. Which, I guess, like Baku only ~kinda~ saving the day here, is about the most out-of-the-ordinary opinion I can offer at the moment.

[ThirstMcGurst]

Yeah....Zero is kind of making me mad.

And I really wish Baku would confront him about Nox and the capsems. I understand Nox's words messed with Baku, and the mission comes first, but I wouldn't completely dismiss them.

Also, I at first took Nasuka reminding everyone that Baku is a civilian as an insult, but in reality is just the gravity of the situation. Baku never really trained and was not presented with the full story. That's a lot to put on a the shoulders of someone really good at lucid dreaming. so Fujimi getting into Baku's face own more than one occasion upsets me because Fujimi has yet to deal with his own guilt about Odaka.

Edit: Zero is either way too confident or very mission driven, which makes sense for a secret organization. Though Nox"s method of exposing CODE endangers people, I'm wondering what happened that caused Nox to go this far. Baku was focusing to much on the coolness of being an agent versus the organizations themselves when watch Janes Bond.

[Mesnick]

Well, it seems the biggest blow to Baku wasn't the revelation of Capsems' contents, but his defeat by NOX. Realizing he could lose even in his dreams, Baku loses confidence, and his fight with Fujimi only makes matters worse. Zero's curt remark that anything is possible in dreams doesn't help.
Luckily, no one can dream like children, and a new encounter with Seiya helps him get back on track. It's funny how this makes the boy the most important Dreamer on the show at this point. And his story, realistic, shown in passing and without dramatization, is touching. Sometimes less is more.
I was pleased with the gravity effects. CGI has improved significantly since Ghost Newton's time. And Nightmare Meteor was also good. Its somewhat cartoonish appearance actually works to its advantage, as it's a child's fear.
The ending is truly intriguing and answers many questions. It turns out Zero has changed agents at least six times and isn't particularly upset about ending up in the dark hall of Baku. And NOX, former No. 4, is offended by such neglect. And how can anyone now tell who's right, or if there's any right at all?
Fujimi, though charismatic, is almost always wrong. I'm even starting to think that's why he was assigned to black cases. Luckily, Nasuka is with him to remind him how police officers should work. It would be a shame if their collaboration with Baku really were to end.
Minami also seems to have the makings of a spy, given how calm she is after meeting the robot from the closet and realizing that her brother is an agent protecting dreams. It's all the more interesting to see what she'll do now that Baku has already suffered during its mission (and, by the way, not for the first time).
Unfortunately, the preview only says that NOX will decide to destroy the Dream World, expecting a full-blown beating from Zezz's power-up. We'll see what happens next.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThirstMcGurst

Baku was focusing to much on the coolness of being an agent versus the organizations themselves when watch Janes Bond.

He should have expanded his genre knowledge with something like Jonas Bourne and Mission Unfeasible.
Also: I'm surprised that many took Zero's words, "I thought you were like this in your dreams," as his disappointment in Baku. I took them as a reminder, along the lines of, "It's a dream, you don't need to train."

[GoldenXtreme]

Bit of a mixed bag, this episode. Baku finally hitting a wall and losing his confidence didn't really hit the right emotional notes for me, which made me realize just how uninvested I am in Baku as a character so far. Still, it was interesting how he seems to have actually had a long-term falling out with Fujimi and Nasuka over it. Fujimi in particular has been going in a dark direction lately, so I'm really curious to see what they have planned for him as he learns more about Odaka. It was also nice just seeing Baku have some more time with our character of the fortnight. NOX continues to say foreboding things, Zero is revealing a more murderous side to him, and Baku gets sucked into a black hole formed by his own finisher. I think all of these things should probably have me excited, but I'm kind of back to being meh on what is going on in the show. Gravity had some very cool powers though, I liked how it was used in the fight to toy with NOX. Next week, we get to learn more about Baku's traumatic lightning strike backstory.

I really can't tell how much of my reaction to this show is just due to it not being to my tastes (not very character driven, very basic motif and suits, etc.) and how much of it is due to my DISASTROUS burnout on Yuuya Takahashi's style of storytelling after Geats. Regardless, it really struggles to maintain my bare minimum level of interest, even if I don't really hate it. To be blunt, I wouldn't be watching this show live if it wasn't getting a US simulcast. Since I am very much in the target audience for this international push though, I do feel like it's important that I express how I feel about it since Toei is probably keeping an eye on fan reactions in the English speaking world.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The resolution with Seiya is especially striking in that regard, because that last scene is played less as a child overcoming bullies through belief in himself

Except that that's literally what it is. Thanks to Baku, Seiya has a renewed faith in his dreams, and thus isn't letting what other snotty kids say get to him anymore.

------

Anywho, I've really dug these past two episodes. The second part especially hit all of the rights notes with me; especially in terms of presentation and atmosphere. The entire thing felt like there was an encroaching feeling of doubt and guilt over the entire story, only to then shine a light of hope despite it all.

That, combined with the build up we've gotten with both the story and the characters over these past 13 episodes has really gotten me excited to see what direction everything is gonna go in. I seriously doubt I'd be nearly as invested if this show were paced like, say, Build, and these past two episodes were episodes 4 and 5, for example.

Given how high tensions are right now, especially between Baku and the cops, I am very interested in seeing how Seven is going to handle the NOX situation come next episode!

[Frontier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

One assumption it IS probably safe to make is that eventually, ZEZTZ still has to be a hero doing good things that viewers will root for and be excited by, but the show has successfully thrown me off the trail in a way that doesn't happen often. Maybe ZEZTZ gets his first big powerup and things immediately settle back into a routine that's different but still broadly the same. But then, maybe even if they do, the show will just find new interesting and unusual angles anyway.

I'm kind of expecting it not, though? I feel like they're setting up the usual "Rider gets an Upgrade/finally defeats their Rival" story but it mostly feels like Zero is making Baku go after NOX because he needs to get rid of an inconvenience like an ex-agent.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

not very character driven.

Well what is Zeztz driven by, then? And I mean, I'm actually not sure what the answer would be. Are we really sure this show isn't trying to let the characters dictate the story more than the other way around? Something I thought was very strange as I was watching this episode was how quickly it almost totally pivoted away from big the Plot revelations NOX keeps hinting at. I wondered why Baku had no further questions, no scene where he asks Zero about even one little thing... and then I thought, you know, maybe that actually shows how seriously Takahashi was considering Baku's emotions and personality above just feeding more facts about Capsems and Nightmares to viewers? Because there's a pretty solid argument to be made that Baku would actively dodge the subject as much as possible, for a few different reasons, and the episode still puts his whole emotional struggle at the center, mostly waiting until the end to do further shocking twists.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Except that that's literally what it is. Thanks to Baku, Seiya has a renewed faith in his dreams, and thus isn't letting what other snotty kids say get to him anymore.

Probably! I *did* explicitly say I don't understand this show!

I certainly don't think for a second it's meant to be portrayed as an outright bad thing that Seiya believes more in his dream thanks to Baku, and those other kids are clearly jerks, but... I don't know, I still got the feeling there was another layer to it under that surface. It's a couple things. One, the music cue in that moment came off ambiguously to me, this big emotional swell that's also slightly ominous. Two, the specific dialogue in Japanese has Seiya's blunt affirmative response coming after those kids joke about how he should "escape/run away" to space, which I also thought was a curiously specific way to write that exchange, in the larger context of the episode?

Don't get me wrong, if this was the simple narrative it seems like it's going to be towards the start, it'd still be a good one, but so much from the climax onwards is already about turning things on their head, I kind of figured the guest character plot might not necessarily be an exception? It works as a contrast that gives the viewer some sense of relief between the shock of ZEZTZ disappearing and Baku not waking up, showing that his efforts weren't in vain. But it'd also maybe work as a parallel to Baku, who decides here to continue pursuing his dreams without really facing the facts of his situation, and ultimately has to suffer consequences for it, as if the story is acknowledging that simply having a dream by itself isn't always enough.

But yeah, again, I don't know! Could be reading into just that scene the wrong way, the whole episode the wrong way, could even have some or all of it more right than I can be sure of! It's all just what I felt personally, and especially with the way I'm currently feeling about this show in general, I don't particularly intend to push back too hard if someone is reading things a different way right now.