This is also the really real first time Zeztz has appeared in the real world, let alone seen by other people, it's the Zeztz that Baku created.
Also they weren't going to waste the Final Form against some scrub Nightmares when it's clearly intended to fight against Dawn.

What kind of fighter is he then if there's no room for an enemy in his heart? Besides, while I'm not against the term "heart," the character himself speaks of "subconscious." In the same episode where Dawn tries to convince Nem that subconsciously she hates dreamers. And earlier, Baku's own subconscious gave birth to the Catastrom. So I think evil could very well appear there.
But even if we accept that villains are out of place at the base, it's possible to engage in a dialogue with oneself, as was the case in Gavv and Geats. In any case, it would help avoid misconceptions. Of course, a variety of interpretations is good, but it's still worth eliminating those that directly contradict the sence. Here again, it's appropriate to recall Geats, where, in my opinion, each viewer interprets Аce's motives and path differently.

We are probably thinking of different Fujimis.

I think Minami appeared almost immediately after Nasuka, and Odaka and Nem appeared much later. But that's a minor detail.
What's not a small thing is that the show is currently in a state of constant unraveling and unfolding events. Minami and Zero's secrets have been revealed, CODE's leadership has changed, Lady has entered the dream world for the first time since the birth of Nem, Baku has lost his power, died, and been resurrected with renewed vigor. And all this without a single break or respite. Even the ostensibly lengthy driver repair was allotted no more than ten minutes. Perhaps those who are on the same wavelength with the show enjoy this, but personally, I'm starting to get tired, like sleeping while sick. When you feel like you're being suffocated by a creep, and you dream only of breathing freely. And even if the dream is very interesting and captivating, enjoying it in such conditions is problematic.

I think it was more like Catastrophe was put into or hopped into his head when he was a kid rather than Baku creating him. Especially from what we're seeing of the Gore Class Nightmares.
Fujimi can be the voice of reason, on occasion.
Now you know how Baku feels!

There's usually not much meaningful distinction between these two things in ZEZTZ, but when I speak of the ZEZTZ Room as a reflection of Baku's heart, I'm referring more to the general symbolism of how it's used in the story than I am the rules of how it works in the universe. There really isn't any reason they *couldn't* have had some apparition of Sieg taunting Baku with the futility of his work in that sequence, but I believe the fact they avoided that route to be a conscious choice, consistent with the overall "language" of the room as Baku's fortress -- the place where he's most safe, and (usually) most in control. It's part of his subconscious, yes, but it's also the bridge between that and his conscious mind, and is also demonstrably not the whole of his subconscious, given the ruins we saw the Catastrophe Gore Nightmare residing in, among other things.

The Fujimis we're both thinking of might actually be pretty similar, but again, the point I'm making is more about the Fujimi Baku thinks of, who, alongside Nasuka, is very much one of the adults in the room who helps keep him grounded in the real world.

Something to mention that might help clarify my position further is that I see Baku as a fundamentally humble character. I think he has a great deal of respect and admiration for his friends and family precisely because he doesn't always respect himself that much. People have been poking fun at how strange it is he still refers to himself as a "normal guy" in the opening narration, but I think, when the show is willing to change the opening itself before it changes his word choice there, it's probably a deliberate decision to keep it? And I think part of the motivation for leaving it would be because, since the narrator is Baku himself, rather than an omniscient voice, it speaks to his own perspective.

I don't think he can be imagining his friends as nagging naysayers there because I don't believe Baku thinks highly enough of his own judgment to think the criticism is unwarranted or ill-meaning, even if it might come off as such to us. I think the root of that whole bit of direction is not about whether Baku thinks his friends would support him, but how he knows they'd accept that he's put himself through more than enough already if he ever decided to quit. (Which is likely another reason Zero specifically is the guy who doesn't say anything.) Baku doesn't think of himself as anyone special, but he ultimately chooses to believe even an "unremarkable" person like him can still accomplish remarkable things with enough dedication, even though it's tough for someone like him to see his own dedication as having the kind of value he sees in the dedication of those close to him.

I don't know. I think it's a great sequence, and I think the way the supporting cast play into it gives it much of its depth in a way that just wouldn't be as easy to accomplish if they tried to accomplish it with other characters filling that general role, or having Baku genuinely being alone the entire time.

I guess I just don't think that's a dream that can (or even really should) come true, then? Everything I've ever observed about the way people interact with media suggests to me there is no amount of effort that can prevent people from interpreting a work in ways not intended by a creator. Clarity is always something worth aiming for, but even something clear will hold different meanings for different people, so the purpose of clarity can't be eliminating those interpretations. Just like how I can offer my own interpretation of the show as another viewer, but I can't demand you accept it over your own.

I can sympathize with this feeling, admittedly, since it's very similar to what I went through watching Takahashi's first Rider show a decade ago. One of the things everybody seemed to love about Ex-Aid was the rapid tempo it moved at, but I spent a lot of its run wishing it would slow down and breathe for a bit on occasion. It can be a struggle to get into that sort of rhythm if it just isn't what you're looking for in the moment, for sure.

It was just a quick joking aside from Nem in the second(?) episode, but I still think back a lot to her line about how Baku has to do his job even when he's sleeping, as all these events keep piling up. It's a little terrifying how accurate Baku was when he told that therapist work ate up almost 100% of his life. And even that therapist was also a villain he was fighting as part of work! :lol

I should clarify that I wasn't referring to different interpretations, including those not intended by the creators. I was specifically writing about those that directly contradict the intended meaning. That is, if someone wants to prove that Harry Potter is the main villain of the seven books, they'll find arguments to support their opinion, but no one will believe it, including the initiator themselves. And even speaking of Zeztz, only in the thread of the previous episode was it mentioned that TV Asahi explained that the belt didn't break due to the destruction of Zero's Nightmare. And now we understand that this was done to avoid speculation that, along with the Baku`s belt, Nightmare was also restored, which would have marred the debut of the final form. So, if necessary, the authors are prepared to suppress inappropriate interpretations, even in the most direct manner.

I really enjoyed this episode, especially the Limbo/ mind fortress scenes. I can understand people feeling that it's odd that those closest to Baku would appear as naysayers in his mind. But I had similar dreams that people that I view as family and friends end up being the very thing I'm fighting against in my dreams. Or I have some stuff to unpack.

Either way, the concept of time in the dream world was something that always intrigued me, and seeing Baku spend 20 years even though it was merely a few crucial seconds in the real world, was a pretty cool idea.

Yeah, it was kind of weird seeing him learn PCB designing and repairing, but at least the story justified it by making it take years. As an electrical engineer who is still trying to apply academic lessons to real-world applications, I felt seen.

On a side tangent, I would love if Sieg would appear in red and green striped leisure suit.

Izu: "I suffered for hours inside a death simulation to make my president's Final Form."

Zeztz: "Hold my tea-flavored oil."

Hmm, maybe it's a little too early for me to judge, but right now, I get the impression that Sieg had succumbed to some kind of Guilty sin in the past, which he considers the Penalty of his weakness. So he feels lame seeing Baku and Nem turn their nightmares in to strength when he couldn't. He's right that sin exists in all humans, even if only in thoughts, but there's also more to humanity than that.

Based on 2045, I assumed it was only 19 years but then I Realized, like the title, that it's still 2025 in Kamen Rider Zeztz.

Baku isn't a tinkerer, no, he's not a man who speaks fluent English either. But like how Sieg canonically made the Breakam Dawn using the power of lucid dreaming and some parts he took from CODE, it makes sense that Zeztz would have the same tinkering skills.

The fact that Zero appeared as well suggests that Zeztz has become wiser in all those years of hermitic introspection and allowed him back in his heart. The Zeztz Room and the people he dreamed in to it gradually became more hopeful as he saw the evident progress of his restless determination.

Yeah, I didn't like EX-Aid's pacing either. For me, I feel like this episode is a metaphor for Takahashi's career in Rider, his talent as a writer improving slowly with each season, but improving nevertheless.

That's an apt comparison. While the context is slightly different, one getting sealed inside an egg, one getting killed, both Houtarou and Zeztz retreated in to their minds and came back through determination. While Zeztz had it the roughest, no contest, I think Houtarou's moment was also special for encouraging Nijigon to be born. They're different people in that sense, Houtarou helping people in the most direct empathetic way he does best while Baku fights incognito in the darkness of dreams. Rainbow Gotchard being niji-iro and Zeztz ExDream being black seems like a good contrast for this.

Clearly, Lady's real name is The. :p

Take a hiatus if it makes you feel better. Like a dream, it'll always be waiting for you when you decide.

Thanks.

So it turns out that the surname Nem is Lady? 🤔

Nem Lady or Nem Gore Nightmare.