https://i.imgur.com/7TWqP5D.jpg

I haven't taken time out to mention him yet, but this week seems like a perfect spot to say -- Hanto seems like a real swell guy.

His actor brings a charming energy to the role, and Koumura's scripts have smartly fleshed the character out over the past month without making his role in any given episode so big that it detracts from the focus on Shouma. We've already established an obvious parallel in their backstories with them both losing their mothers to the Granute, but their situations and their personalities clearly aren't the exact same either, so I'm looking forward to how that'll develop over the course of the show.

Right now though, it's simply nice to see someone giving the Kamen Rider the credit he deserves, right when he probably needed it most. Thus far, Shouma has always been quick to retreat whenever he's made to feel his presence may in any way cause trouble for the people around him, and the way he lets those fears drive his actions left him starting this episode pretty much at rock bottom, beginning to believe that making someone happy is just another way he'll end up hurting them.

The big infodump about Shouma's father by way of his granduncle gives us a ton of important backstory, formally introducing two new characters in the process, and even firmly establishing Gavv's old-school roots as a Rider, but just as important as any of that, it also reinforces how Shouma has all these painful, probably pretty complicated feelings he's been carrying with him his entire life, and while he's always eager to help others, it's only really here I think we see him actively start pushing against that sorrow, and considering his own happiness as something worth fighting for in the same way.

He's already starting to grasp that after realizing how absurd it is to let the bad guys convince him bringing joy to others is somehow the real crime here, but I have to imagine those words from Hanto are what really cemented Shouma's newfound resolve. It's the now usual routine of Gavv saving people, getting called a monster, and then meekly leaving without refuting the claim, except this time, Hanto says what Shouma still won't -- what Shouma probably wants to say, deep down. So instead, Shouma simply says "thank you" before he leaves, which was a wonderfully downplayed moment. I really enjoyed that Shouma's big moment of bravery in this one, more than anything during the action, ends up being his decision to go back to Sachika. It's good that he won't let the villains deny him his happiness, but it's great that he's trying not to deny himself anymore.

Heck no it ain't. 5 episodes in a row I enjoy this much? That doesn't happen often. It's very promising start for me.

"In retrospect I always wondered why he never took off the tooth-belt in bed, but who am I to kink shame others?" :lol

I do wonder if they will try to redeem the dad later. As in, it will be revealed that he had good intensions, but the lesson will be that you don't have to forgive your abusers to find peace.

Dente will obviously be involved in engineering upgrades for Gavv in the future, so maybe Shouma has to look into his Granute-side eventually.

I'm so glad he's not some secondary rider who is blinded by vengeance. :rock:

It's only episode 5, we'll see about that.

This series is the most anime-esque of all the Rider shows,in my opinion, and I am oddly okay with this. Solid performance overall, I TRULY HOPE it stays this way

Why you gotta jinx it, man?

I won't be surprised if he has his Bujin Arms moment along the way, but initially he doesn't seem like a Kusaka 2.0 at his core. But like you said, it's only been 5 episodes and who knows what changes he may go through after episode 6.

A lot of people had high expectations about Revice as well.... Just saying, remember the moral of Gavv Episode 3: Overindulgence can hurt you later.

We've already heard his good intentions, that he imprisoned his family and made them miserable to reduce their spice value. He might be like Racles though, where he admits in a flashback that he knows what he's doing is evil and deserves to be punished but has no regrets about it due to necessity.

Hanto is the healthy version of Kusaka. They both have some kind of adoptive father, tragic backstory, motivation to find the one responsible and ability to use a monster's power despite being human.

Congrats on your 11000th post!

For the love of God, I am going to beg Komura to PLEASE not redeem what Bouche did to Shouma and his mom. We don't need more Revice-level bullshit of justifying parental abuse with "good intentions". It sends a terrible message to the primary audience of these shows that they need to just suck it up when their parents treat them like trash.

Also, it's so hilarious how Gotchard couldn't figure out how to incorporate Houtarou's dad into the plot, while this show has gotten it out of the way by episode 5.

Well, Tendou is a mary sue because of his hypercompetence and invincibility, rather than righteousness/moral reason. Tendou is of course, more morally questionable/anti-heroic than most of the main Riders, so he's more expected to do that kind of decision of denying Hiyori's freedom, rather than the imperfect, but morally pure other main Riders. Of course, him being a mary sue means no one can stand up to him when he makes that decision.

Obviously they'd expect that, as they aren't humans unlike Shoma (half), and what's known is that the Stomach family holds humans in disdain. You'd seem to hold Lango in higher regard here, but it seems that Siita and Jiip would be what's relatively more 'sympathetic' here, as it'd likely show they can be potential victims to Lango's higher position and oppressor.

Causing sadness for their own 'good' is no excuse, been saying this from previous series way starting from Revice, and it seems that not the actual series, but the fanbase often excuse this, for the cooler asshole characters, like insisting that they're only that way to drive people away and not make them sad (e.g. over their departure), like the discussion about Tsukasa before in some previous Gavv episode, or anything about claiming that the assholes are only being 'tsundere' and that it's others' fault to not understand them.

But Heisei Phase 2 is the real benchmark to compare or praise quality, as nearly all the shows there have a perfect track record. Beating Reiwa shows isn't a real feat.

Dunno if I just should differentiate between cases that hit too close to home or the ones with more suspension in disbelief, just that, previously KR can have the goody two shoes giving second chances to even more depraved characters than the type of Bouche that committed far worse crimes (or at least attempted to).

But redeeming would actually require him to be alive, and change his ways to a properly good one, not about sugarcoating his bad actions that are still there and not fixed (as he's dead) in a positive light. This episode already claims that Bouche has a good intention.

Why'd he get that moment?

What'd be the parental abuse for Revice? As the Igarashi parents are good parents. And for Gotchard, most KR don't touch upon the parents of the main character, Houtaro's dad being absent maybe just a similar thing to those that have the claim that their parents are dead, simply explaining why they aren't in the plot and together with their child.