I did get a bit mad during the scene with Haruto deciding to prioritize tracking down White Wizard, with the hope that he can help Koyomi, over helping the Gate. However, I guess I'm being to harsh on him, he does have a lot going on, and he really needs to decide what's more important, helping Koyomi, who has who knows what wrong with her, or his teacher who might go into despair any moment. I think one of things that was most frustrating about the scene though, was how Haruto thinks about the situation, he really tried to justify to himself that possibly letting his teacher go into despair was the best option by claiming that he can just come back, put the engage ring on, and everything will be fine.

Shunpei actually doing something, instead of being an annoying gag character, was nice for a change of pace. And the teacher deciding to show that family what really mattered by smashing his memento of his dead son, and then giving that speech about the smile in your heart was a really great scene. It's nice that we're finally getting some gates that aren't selfish and unlikable.

But Haruto's chain of thought is the point. It isn't supposed to frustrate, it's supposed to connote the internal struggle that Haruto is battling with, he is telling himself it will all be okay even when he himself doesn't believe it, he doesn't make this decision out of weakness or stupidity, he makes it out of the fact that he has been shouldering the burden alone this whole time and really needs to start letting people the fuck in. He can't save everyone, but THEY can.

Haruto isn't flat as many claim, Haruto plays his cards close to his chest, he wants to be everyone's hope after all the shit that happened to him, he wants to save everyone and fears letting others in. And for the first timeHaruto truly realised he can't be like this, if he ever hopes to truly win in the long run.

Yeah, I liked that, too. It was a moment where Haruto was stuck between a rock and a hard place - possibly find out what's going wrong with Koyomi and find a way to save her or save the Gate. I don't remember the last time a Rider actually faced a quandary like this and it was cool to see. Besides, he made the right call in the end, anyway.

The one thing that's really falling flat about the show's wrap-up for me is Koyomi. It's just really hard to invest any drama in a character who hasn't done anything for most of the series. Now to be fair, that's not the show's fault - the actress is a member of a popular idol group and her activities there have clearly taken precedence over being available for Wizard. Obviously it's not the first time an actress's availability has been an issue, but the show hasn't really tried to find a way to work around it like Kabuto or Den-O and have just stuck with leaving the character largely in the background. For someone who's apparently so important, though, that just hasn't worked and it doesn't give the audience much of a reason to care about what happens to her.

It was nice as well because it was a climactic moment outside of the fighting, as weird as it sounds the more toku I watch the more the two halves of the shows feel disconnected. This was a pure character drama moment, he wasn't getting his ass kicked and pulled himself together and saved the day with a new power, it was a human realisation and drama built entirely out of character focus. This was almost a new challenge for a Rider, who rarely has to overcome things outside of the suit.

I think this is one thing that Wizard has done well in general, there is a real sense that just because the fighting is over, the conflict isn't. Haruto is always on Phantom patrol, the new Phantoms each week mean the villains are always active and plotting. We may not see it but often in Rider shows the Riders feel reactionary, twiddling their thumbs and waiting for a victim before they snap into action and then as soon as the monster is done they just go back to thumb twiddling, here it feels like Haruto is actually having an active involvement in the whole hero shebang and even when the fight is done the conflict continues to plague him.

Not only has Koyomi done nothing but she's barely been in the show, often standing in the background has been her only purpose, you could probably have just a cardboard standee of her on set and it'll do as much as she is currently doing. So how the hell can I care for her? I'm as emotionally engaged with her as the seats they sit on. And I wouldn't blame the actress but why the hell did Wizard bother hiring someone who is clearly rarely available in the first place?

Skipped 44 to get to here. Nothing has been lost... I HAVE THE PHILOSPHERS STONE!!!!

Why would you skip episode forty four? That was a great episode as well.

Anyone knows where I can get subs for this episode?

Should be on krdl by now.

How come this show doesn't have a "Nitou Owned" counter in the bottom corner yet? :lol

Anyway, this was a really fantastic episode. Nothing left to say that hasn't already been said.

Because there aren't enough numbers. :p