Isn't SHF Zangetsu out this month? In that case, I can almost guarantee that we'll be seeing regular Zangetsu in action pretty soon.

Especially given that Takatora was standing on the roof in Yggdrasail in the next episode

I prefer using Zangetsu-Micch, or since we don't like him, Zangetsu-Bitch :lol.

I'm guessing that the reason Yoko hasn't said anything is because she's too preoccupied with the events at hand and she doesn't know if Micchy is even okay right now to out him. Well, that and although she saw him take the Genesis Driver, she may not know he's been using it to masquerade as his older brother.

Because of these reasons (and possibly more):

1) Micchy knows Minato was a co-conspirator in the [attempted] murder of Takatora. She would likely out herself in the process. She gains nothings and loses allies.

2) Minato doesn't care what happens to anyone here except maybe Kaito. She has her own agenda here and Micchy's treachery isn't relevant to that.

3) Kouta is even less likely to believe her than Kaito. There's no trust here.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/23b4983d...wjuno1_400.gif

https://24.media.tumblr.com/2034a5eb...wjuno1_400.gif

LOVE THIS EPISODE SO MUCH.

Well, looks like Takatora is back on Earth and in the Yygdrasil building next ep. Since that's one of two possible places he would have left his Sengoku Driver, things are looking good in terms of him becoming Zangetsu again.

And really, Minato? 'What am I gonna do with all this power?' is the kinda thing you worry about after you've saved the day. The fact that Kouta hasn't thought about it just shows that Kouta is not unhealthily obsessed with power like half the Riders in this series seem to be.

This episode was...interesting.

Kouta is already showing signs of becoming an Overlord, which is interesting.

Unfortunately, other parts of the episode felt lacking to me. I feel as though the scene with Kaito and Mai would have been better if they had more than like 4 scenes of interaction the whole show.

Also, the reveal that Zangetsu-Shin was fake was unintentionally hilarious. Especially with Oren appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the fight for the sole purpose of the reveal and then immediately being taken out of the fight via a single Sonic Arrow.

I think it's pretty awesome how Kiwami arms doesn't have to physically use the arms weapons. The many use of Melon Defender will become a quick spam :p

Haha that was in Ryuki's episode 19 .

Interesting comparison from some fans:

http://i59.tinypic.com/2qa7qt4.jpg

apparently Zawame has the exact same structure as Gotham City. :P

Imma just leave this here...

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/...ps82ee37bd.jpg

Gaim isn't the hero Zawame needs, he's the hero Zawame deserves.

...
https://31.media.tumblr.com/f77f3523...67s6o1_500.jpg

:lol

Really liked this week's episode. Seeing all the non-incapacitated/douchebag Armored Riders together was just great. It's so cool to see them working together and I hope this continues for awhile. I'm a big sucker for stories about ragtag groups of fighters taking on insurmountable odds.

But really, can we please unmask Micchy and move on from this damn status quo already?

We gotta wait a whole two weeks before seeing the next episode of Gaim…the wait is gonna be rough. :(

Remind me why they have to stop the awesome momentum of Gaim for (Zzzzzz...) golf.

For the same reason interesting shows over here are pre-empted for football and the like.

Head-Cannon: Bandou is Kouta's father.

Are sports a big deal or something in Japan?

I always thought soccer and baseball were the most popular sports for Japan.

It looks like he shows up in the next episode.

That dude in the meeting had a super thick British accent. I can't believe this show went that far by having global panic...that's something a major summer blockbuster would do. Also, what was up with that ominous music after Kouta ate?

They do it every year. Personally, I prefer this over wasting a week of the show like we did with the Kikaider promo.

Has there always been a golf week in Japan? Is it a big thing there?

Haha I just hope we won't only get pics of Takatora standing or sitting around, but more Zangetsu action. I'm hopeful though since the writers have somehow been able to read the fanbase quite well thus far.

Oops I didn't see Switchblade's comment. Ok. :)

I'll take an episode of something over a week of nothing any time.

The acting chops on the Aussie guy was just.... oh, it's byotisful.

For the episode itself: EXTREMELY underwhelming. This was just not up to Gaim's standards. The action was dysmal, and I'm not even one to really care about it. The acting and direction was noticably sub-par. The story felt insubstancial as well. The only real developments were that the world has well and truely cut of Zawame, Yggdrasil's properly exposed, and they know that Shin Zangetsu is an imposter... but not who he is, continuing the long and painful drawing out of Micchy's deception. They continue to try and plant seeds for a Mai/Kaito relationship, but the two have had practically zero substancial screen time together past Mango Arms' debut, and have no chemistry or even any real plot-rooted basis for a relationship. It's just trying to force these two characters together for no reason. The Randy Overlord was a waste, especially since revealing YET ANOTHER should've been a huge deal considering there's only ever been three. (seriously where the fuck did he come from) Also, the direction of this episode overall just felt awkward and shitty. Kouta's sister just abandons him, Kouta and Mai casually eat at Bandou's in the middle of a serious fucking crisis, the over-the-top comedy was incredibly half-hearted. Everyone just kind of runs away to do something pointless and walk aroudn empty streets pretending there's meaning and looking for where the director went.

This was just a waste. This entire episode could've almost been cut so little happened or even felt like it mattered. Easily Gaim's weakest episode yet. At this stage this near-filler level of poor pacing and substance is kind of inexcusable.

did anyone else notice that they hinted that something's wrong with kouta's sense of taste?
if you recall they did somthing like this in OOO as well when eiji was startinng to turn into a greeed

I don't see how anyone could not have. It was a bit overt.

If Gaim is going to be preempted I'd prefer it to be by something else, not an episode of Gaim that doesn't advance the story so it can try to build an audience for a movie or the new Sentai. Gaim is such a tightly plotted show that I think missing a week for a sporting event is less annoying that sidelining the plot for the same week.

This was the one thing that stood out to me the most in this episode. I havent seen OOO yet, I am fairly new to Kamen Rider, but I love these little small things that progress the story or set up hints for a future story.

Or Kouta has nothing wrong, but everybody in the city is slowly turning Inves by the food...

Or Bando's cooking just isn't what it use to be :p

For me that'd be the Kikaider episode. At least stuff happened in this episode.

One thing that bothered me was that bravo showed up out of nowhere to be like "That's an imposter!" then got hit, and disappeared until the end of the fight, and that conference scene...wouldn't it make more sense for them to all speak Japanese, rather than having them all speak their native languages and expect one another to understand each other? Thinking about it more...I want to take back my vote for "Excellent" and put it down to "Good"

:lol

Wow shit really got real, it's just a shame the episode was so damn corny.

I actually grew to really hate Kaitou, I loved his premise but he was betrayed by the fact he lost every fight he was in, with Kouta eventually surpassing him and leaving him in his dust cloud. And ironically despite hating the energy riders, becoming an Energy Rider is the first time I've ever really been able to take Kaitou seriously. Lemon Energy Kaitou is a total boss, swimming in bitches.

I thought it was sorta awkward the way that new Inves just came out of nowhere and could immediately speak Japanese but for a giant chicken peacock thing he was pretty badass, even if they've now reduced Overlords to of the week foes.

It's only taken like thirty episodes but it looks like the action is finally getting pretty good. Ironically probably the weakest aspect was Zenith, I actually really enjoyed the introduction but with the music and the special effects it looks like it's trying so hard to be awesome but it's trying too hard and betrays its own potential.

Overall I'll give it a good.

Reading through this thread actually made me remember parts of the episode, or at least see parts differently so to add on:

Kouta's sister just leaving him behind. BULLSHIT. Not only is that a shitty fucking thing to do, nothing about her character AT ALL makes this make sense. Not only was it fucking bullshit but it added nothing to the episode. What the fuck guys?

And I know they don't have the budget to capture an end of the world scenario and fine whatever, but when I think over the episode, considering we're supposed to be on a planet right now in panic this episode really lacked a sense of genuine momentum or urgency. The scene at Bandou's existed solely so Kouta could go 'I CAN'T TASTE!' and the Butcher to jazz hands in the background while saying, 'mysterious'.

And that whole scene with Kaitou and Mai was just awful, I love how Mai's only role in the story is to be the goal for every single male character in the series and rather than being grown up about it all she does in every episode is juggle being useless and completely undesirable while revelling in the attention of hormonal teenage boys. She's basically Daisy from the Great Gatsby only shit.

I wish I read the thread before voting, I would have voted lower.

I wish they'd eventually subvert the "protagonist is turning into a monster trope" though. I don't like that they have to resort to ye olde twist in OOO that we still fondly remember.

Although how they handled the "monsters are people" trope during the Hase death arc was pretty damned magnificent.

- For all of you complaining about the english accent of one of the corporates, I can tell you it was better than the french one, at least I understood him perfectly. The supposedly frenchman wasn't understable, and I am french !

- Kouta losing his sense of taste, that's interesting ! What about one of those nice juicy hellheim fruits, Kouta-kun ?

- It's true bringing the Kaito/Mai connection was weird, it happened in just 2 episodes. For comparison, we're reminded Micchy is an evil basterd each week. I hope the background of Mai being the daughter of the sacred tree priestess won't be pointless.

Note: amusing fact, I'm currently watching the drama"35-sai no koukousei" on crunchyroll(fr). Guess what role Micchy's actor is playing ? ;) (a douche little prick is one of the correct answers)

Well episode itself was amazing.

Now one part that I sort of laughed at was when the 4th overlord was fighting with Kiwami Arms, and he just took one of the two staffs and twirled off screen.:lol

Now I like the aspect that you can take a closed lockseed and just put it on the DJ gun, and it seems Rider monsters are gaining personality a but this series.

Hmmm am I the only one who finds it funny that the melon and orange in kiwami's chest armor is conveniently placed where boobs should be.

I'll agree with this. The ToQGer special felt much more natural to me. Kikaider's on the other hand was very shoehorned.

Episode was great, it was mostly some character development and setting up for more things to come. Seems like each Overlord has some sentient minions, sharing the same color.

I wonder if Kaito and Micchy would want to become Overlords like Kouta. Is Blonde Mai the one who can grants them that power ?

I keep thinking of Kamen Rider Blade and Assassins Creed when I watch this show.