I'll be upfront: I really was not into this one.

It's the sort of thing where I can see what was being aimed for, I just feel that the episodes overall missed the mark.

Let's start with the plot: When Dimas Akhsara AKA Torga officially introduces himself to the group, the most recent attack from Vudo sees his assistant Sugi possessed by the spirits of the Crab and Bee monsters.

And right off the bat, this presents a really interesting angle: Back in the original BIMA, whenever the monsters would take on human hosts, Bima had his Blue Storm attack, which would separate the monster from their host. Bima-X, however, doesn't have anything like that. So how does this get handled now?

Well apparently the answer is simply "Just take the monster out like you normally do" because Torga just rushes in without a care in the world and it purges the Crab monster no problem. And at first, I felt this would get a proper follow-up, as Ray does go to call Dimas out for his recklessness, but it all gets quickly swept to the side. And then part 2 doubles back on the solution anyway.

Which brings us to the character angle in all of this. I get the general idea: Randy and Dimas come from totally different worlds, so of course their relationship is gonna be rocky at first. It's totally ruined though by the two never really coming to a proper understanding. In fact, the crucial advice that Randy imparts onto Dimas is never actually shown on screen, simply recalled in hindsight mid-fight by Torga. Which robs it of any sort of emotional sway it might've had.

Add onto that how the Orange Power Stone is also now the Thunder Stone rather than Metal like how the Yellow one was in BIMA and I felt very detached from this episode as a whole. But yet, in the small glimpse of a Power Stones lies the one thing that I was very intrigued by when it came to these two episodes, and that was Iron Mask.

For those that don't remember, Iron Mask was the one who originally commanded the Blue Power Stone, so seeing him have a vision of being chosen by a Power Stone very much piqued my curiosity here, and got me thinking: Maybe, just maybe, my initial hunch of BIMA-X adding an eighth Power Stone to the mix might be correct? If instead the Yellow one wasn't retconned, and Iron Mask gets the power of Metal to help justify his new body? I'd be all for that.

But that's one scene out of two whole episodes. So sadly, I can't call these an overall success.

Also I dunno if it was the rip that Bereke Scrubs used or what, but the audio quality for episode 23 was especially bad, and basically ruined what would've been an otherwise great track being played during the episode's' climax. So that certainly didn't help things.

Ice has the power to decrease local entropy, so ghosts can use that to project a hard aether-like construct around them to interface with the material realm as a substitute for physical biomass. Hope this helps.

Anyway, is this the episode with the Power Stone Cake? Or is that a lie?

I guess it's better to put a recap episode before a climactic moment than after, since it keeps the momentum going. Yeah, Draconer is totally the disc 1 boss. Between his defeat and the brief look at our new orange-eyed but otherwise yellow Satria, this makes an intriguing hook for the next arc to see how the status quo will change once more.

I think the yellow suits him, but of course it does make the Stone's color change even stupider, since not only does it make no sense, it actually makes less sense. Nevertheless, Satria Harimau Torga is pretty impressive and also courteous in how he doesn't steal thunder (haha, get it?) from Bima-X's and Azazel's climactic fight. I like how his suit is more top-heavy to emphasize the raw strength of the tiger. Overall, it's a totally appealing design!

For sure, Topeng Besi is one of those scheming guys who you should always keep a close eye on. He's in this for his own personal vendetta, so when Black Lord makes plans or orders that get in the way of what he wants, he becomes even more dangerous and unpredictable.

Huh, guess that explains why people get chills whenever ghosts are around.

Yes, yes it is. Haha.

Oh yeah, the suit itself is pretty good. I definitely like it better than the Bima-X suit for sure.

Black Lord was really out of character during these two episodes.

But that's not the important part. The important part is that we not only acquire the Purple Power Stone, but learn what its element is: Magnets.

And yeah, thinking about it, I don't recall it ever being stated what element Purple actually was in the original BIMA. And I suppose magnetic powers would aid in making illusions seem all the more real.

That being said, the Stone isn't the only cool thing going on in these episodes. There are two very big hooks in terms of BIMA-X's' plot here. First, that there's a new lead on the parents of our heroes, and second, that Rexor has been collecting the remains of the Grand Gator.

And while I won't spell my instant thought process outright, I will say that, hmm, I do wonder what all of that scrap metal could be used for, if it hasn't already?

The Rhino Monster also makes his debut here, and he's pretty fun. I not only thought the suit was nice, but I liked how a sledge hammer was his weapon of choice, and Mossa and Rexor having a backup plan with him planting sonars all around Indonesia incase the Stone acquisition went south was a very nice detail that leads us into our next arc.

The last thing I can think to note is how not only is Dimas now a part of both the opening and ending sequences, but the opening now plays the next section of "Kembali Bertahan." And like, the song is nice and all, but that specific section really does not work as a TV opening, if you ask me.

So yeah, a couple small bumps, but overall a cool set of episodes that got me excited for future developments.

Yeah, the return of the one of the more unique MOTW in the tokus I've watched. Zacros goes toe-to-toe with Bima-X now, despite that he was one of the earlier Shadow Crisis member, with the strongest being Velifer who takes base Bima and Azazel to beat.

Ricca's mystery unravels.

Well, though you're actually thinking that Chris Ruslan might be a twist, due to only getting through Bima now, the show actually doesn't bother to hide his identity during its previews, all of the trio baddies' human disguises are officially revealed before the show even started.

I think it's intriguing how Dimas uses his position as president of his family company Akhsara Corp to support his mission as a Satria. He's also a goofy guy despite the cool feeling of his training scenes from before, as we see how his rich upbringing makes him totally confused that a common remote control television won't accept his voice input, kind of like Neon asking Sara where furniture comes from. While Dimas clashes with Randy here over his reckless methods as Torga, he does take the advice seriously and shows his strong sense of responsibility to live up to the Satria spirit. His relationship with Ricca is cute and humorous to watch.

The vision is certainly mysterious. Sure, we've seen monsters using Power Stones before with Topeng Besi and Shadow Crisis, but actually synchronizing with them and drawing out their full power is something that can only be done by a handful of people who can "become one with the Stones". The idea of somebody like Topeng Besi being chosen by one is ominous.

Don't forget about Power Stone Ungu's other power: Catchy theme songs! :p

Magnetic Mode is a cool design, as the high tech aesthetic with rods and coils makes it stand out from the natural look of the others. Debuting it now after Torga is a good choice, as it lets Bima-X stay fresh and hip. I enjoyed how it managed to turn Magna's advantage in raw power against him, as expected from a wildcard type form like this. Once more, the jingle that introduces it is awesome, giving him this electronic techno feeling.

Oh yeah. Zacros and Karax certainly leveled up, just like their new boss has.

Makes me glad that I very rarely ever watch previews.

Truly, it is the greatest power to bestow. And it even applies to the transformation jingle!

Absolutely agree. I dunno if I'd call it my favorite form, but Bima-X Magnetic has a solid debut all around.

I was pretty half and half on these episodes.

The short of it is that most of the stuff with Dimas I didn't care for, but all the stuff having to do with Reza, I was in on.

Because those two really are the stars when it comes to this two-parter. And on paper that sounds great, but in execution, not so much. I think the main problem is that these two episodes try to juggle a bit too much at once.

First off, the Dimas stuff. While it is good to keep getting establishment on how he tries to be a part of the community, the main bit of his arc here has to do with overconfidence. The idea being that his not taking his duty as a Satria seriously ends up causing him to make a huge mistake.

On paper it's a good idea, but not only did Dimas already have an arc that hit some of the same beats in episodes 22 and 23, but these ones arguably do it worse? Dimas also didn't cause the Power Spot to activate due to his own hubris, he was literally blinded by an illusion cast by the Lion Monster. There was basically nothing else he could've done in the moment.

And just like that previously mentioned two-parter though, the solution kinda just comes fast and easy. It's noted that he can't use the White Power Stone due to not being in tune with it, but then come the very next scene, Torga is able to use it with no real issue. At the very least it does result in a very cool looking suit that ices the monster of the fortnight in a satisfying way. Heck, I think I like the White Tiger more than the Yellow one, actually.

There's also this weirdly jovial tone that blankets the first half of the first episode? While I do somewhat get it for the opening with Dimas playing with the kids, everyone else it just feels oddly out of place, especially given the serious content of the rest of the story. It's to the point that I'd almost say that the two Death Phantoms are out of character for the sake of comedic relief. And it's something that I hope the writers can find a better balance for in future episodes. Or at the very least have the comedic moments be alot funnier to compensate.

But now we get to the good stuff, and that's Reza. His guidance of Dimas felt like Mikhail days, and I loved how it was made clear in these episodes that Reza is now fully in with every member of the family. His resolve to volunteer on being the one to enter the Parallel World makes sense too since, as he himself explains, he spent years there already, and thus has the best chance of survival. Am I sad that this means that Reza is likely gone for the foreseeable future? Yeah, but not only did we get that great scene with his and Ray's' parents out of it, but it's the sort of decision that feels very in character for Reza regardless.

Oh but we're not done quite yet, as once again we get two stingers with Iron Mask, and man is BIMA-X doing a great job at slowly unraveling pieces of his backstory. The vision he gets while fighting Torga is a big source of intrigue, and the end of the episode points out something that I myself did when watching BIMA; That we actually never got a fully fleshed out backstory for a character who was so important to the story as a whole. I have a few theories in my head floating about around him, but we'll see if any land properly in the coming episodes.

So yeah, alot of stuff that didn't quite land for me, but there was just as much that did. So I'm overall alright with these ones.

Another recap episode.

What? You expect more out of me? Well you're right to, because just like the last one, this is written and directed by Hideki Oka and it goes places.

But whereas the last recap was mostly done in jest, this episode that focuses on Reza's' past is played entirely straight, with a style and tone that matches the second half of BIMA very well.

And it's something that I feel has been really missing from BIMA-X if I'm being honest. The soap opera tone of the original show was something that made BIMA stand out from many other tokusatsu that I'd seen both at the time and even now, a year and a half later. And its return was much appreciated.

So what's the setup? Turns out that there's a space between spaces when it comes to our realm and the Parallel World, this space called the Portral Realm/World. And Rasputin, the big bad of the first show, ended up trapped here after being killed off by Iron Mask. Or at the very least, his soul did. And the ties to Iron Mask are certainly highlighted in a couple key scenes...

I really did find it interesting how this recap episode wasn't about recapping the last dozen episodes, but rather recapping a chunk of BIMA; Probably for the people who decided to tune into BIMA-X without having seen the original. Now granted, I would not recommend anyone watch these two shows out of order, but it is nice that the possibility crossed the minds of the writing staff. And making this episode actually plot important was cool to see too.

In the end though, it's all about how Reza isn't fully over his actions during the original show, and he very well might never be able to fully forgive himself. But at the end of the day, he has a family now, and he knows full well that every one of them loves and cherishes him just as much as he does them. That shot of Azazel surrounded by his family was great, and really did bring everything together.

The two recap episodes together really do show Ika's' range as a writer and a director, and it's almost a shame that it seems like he was in charge of recaps and not much else, because he seems to really understand these characters. But hey, it all works out in the end, I suppose.

A fun time, this one.

Guess dunno what to refer about this, but it wasn't something to watch, but rather something like this:
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...567&height=670

Lady Mossa is indeed someone who's easily tempted by shiny things like crystals, diamonds, and even Power Stones. Though Power Stones would be crucial for VUDO's plan as shown in Rasputin wanting them for Grand Gator.

But really, despite being the primary plot device of these two episodes, the Scarlet Bintang(nice callback there, guys), was maybe the most minor of things that stood out to me during this chunk?

This seems to be indeed something that only girls would understand, about how they really like their accessories, so the way to get rid of Scarlet Bintang from them is to try giving them an equivalent, which they should know better on what would appeal girls. In Indonesia, there's a memetic stereotype on how understanding girls is almost impossible.

Yeah, I find Rafflesian's kiai grating. Guess it's what Rafflesian got too in-universe in her hearing being attacked by a microphone.

Ice Mode is a much simpler visual difference than Bima-X's form changes, as Torga only changes color without adding any new parts. It looks cool though and I like the teal visor. Not sure if I'd say I prefer it to Thunder, since I think they both look great. I guess the requirement for Dimas synchronizing with Power Stone Putih is raising his confidence and to stop worrying about making mistakes, which Reza helps give him like he did for Ray in Bima.

Yeah, it's cool that Reza gets to reclaim his role as a mentor with inexperienced Dimas here, since of course this is the last time we'll be seeing these two together for a while now that Reza's going on his own solo arc back to Parallel World.

Topeng Besi is the most iconic villain of the franchise, so I appreciate that his mystery is maintained for such a long time. We already know his beef with Bima-X and Azazel and now we're starting to see something important that connects him to Torga as well.

Hopefully this has eased your concern that we wouldn't be getting much more Reza. We're totally getting more Reza. Due to his regretful past as a villain, he has a lot of darkness in his heart. However, Azazel is the Satria of Darkness, so he can turn that darkness in to a power for good to protect his loved ones. We can really see the Ishimori Pro influence in Reza.

Maybe it was just me, but it definitely seemed like I heard "RAFFLESIA!!" way more than any of the other ticks that the monsters have.

Absolutely. While I won't say his story up to now has been utilized perfectly, I have been pretty happy with it so far.

These episodes were some of Riku Sanjo's' best work.

It's hard for me to know where to even start with these. They go alot of places all at once, and every moment hit just the right spot for me.

So I guess I'll start with the basic premise: Dimas wants to get to know Ray more so they can make for a better team. Ray thinks it's unnecessary, but Dimas won't take no for an answer. An attitude that gets him into some trouble.

Now, as the thumbnail I chose will immediately tell you, Zoik reappears in this episode, and while this two-parter is slightly less insane than his first one, it is every bit as funny. But this isn't a straight up comedy, oh no! There's a load of action and drama, and it's all balanced wonderfully.

Let's start with the action. Every fight scene is really well choreographed, and episode 30 starts off with a battle on a CGI stage so bombastic that I could've believe that BIMA-X aired in 2014. Not only is the greenscreen handled really well, but the fight itself is very inventive featuring a constantly changing and looping environment that both fighters utilize to the fullest.

But of course the action wouldn't be nearly as effective if not for the characters and their drama. Enter Iron Mask, who now has the power to enter Limbo. You know, that pocket dimension from the original BIMA that none of the bad guys could touch before? Not only is it expanded into its own world here, but it turns out it has a dark parallel. And the explanation that anyone chosen to be a Satria can get in there does explain how Reza was able to transport there during his Mikhail days.

While Dimas learning about Ray's' past could've maybe been explored a little more, I do feel we got just enough to get the idea across; Especially for anyone who's already seen the first show. And it also helps in emphasizing just how differently Ray and Dimas take the idea of being a Satria in the first place. Add in the return of Bima Legend and it made for a really good time. Sadly not played by Gackt this time, though.

I had a ton of fun during the entirety of these two episodes, and I could easily see them being my favorites by the end. So good from start to finish.

Also, the Tiger Spirit being a floating PNG of a tiger head was hilarious; unintentional or not.

So, my computer of 14 years ended up dying Monday morning. The week was spent on me just living off my scuffed laptop as I look into a replacement. I just got the replacement set up yesterday and of course needed to get my stuff back. This of course meant redoing the Bima-X Torrents I had lost (I've been grabbing them in chunk) which took way too long. Anyway I'm back now and spent the day just playing catch-up so let's get started.

In terms of General Thoughts, I do enjoy having all three Satrias active. It makes for some fun pairings and cool situations where one or two get the spotlight. Torga's a beauty of a suit, and Ice Mode just keeps it up. I also love Dimas' changer. Dimas himself though... he's got his quirks to him but I don't think I'm entirely sold on him. He's a solid ally though, I'll say that for sure.

That said the worst crime of this batch of episodes is the opening switch-up. I'm sorry but starting from the Chorus just kills the entire vibe of the OP, especially with the obvious cuts. It's also a lot shorter so it's a lot more cramped than it should be. Did they ended up having to cut off 20 seconds of the OP for time or something? Cause if so that's a shame. Anyway...

Episodes 22-23: I'd say a solid introduction to Dimas, though continuing from the prior episodes, my focus is more on Iron Mask and his connection to the Power Stones and Satrias. We're really delving into his mystery now and it's got me very excited.

Episodes 24-25: I have to agree on Black Lord just being really off in terms of portrayal. Like even with the excuse of Vudo has only one more chance to grab a Power Stone, his attitude was just weird. Bima-X Magnet is pretty funky in both appearance, powers, and form jingle. It's probably my second favorite of the alt-form changes. There's just something about the purple accents that work better than the blue ones they used for Storm.

Episodes 26-27: It feels like they have ideas for what they want to do with Dimas, but keep getting mixed up on the execution. I will say I do find it interesting how Atlas doesn't change like Helios does with forms, and Torga gets new weapons instead. That said, yet again Iron Mask continues to intrigue me with his connections to the heroes. And I'm excited to see where that leads.

Episode 28: I was not expecting a Reza/Azazel focus Recap Episode, but sure, why not? Honestly it just shocked me they decided to recap a chunk of the original Bima in this episode. Hell I wasn't expecting Rasputin to return, though his face has certainly seen better days, ha ha. We get some good character focus on Reza and his thoughts on his prior actions. Though I hope he isn't gone too long since having seen the next two episodes, he's once again absent. But still, a good focus episode despite it being a recap.

Episode 29-30: Zoik is honestly the most entertaining of the Vudo Monsters this time around, and his scenes were always a delight to witness. Honestly for being the smart one, you'd think Rexor would've avoided reusing Zoik, but oh well lol. Iron Mask continues to get some great stuff, and his three-way fight with Bima-X and Zoik at the start was honestly hilarious to watch. Though of course his fight at the beginning was a stunning one in terms of effects. I don't think I was too sold on the Dimas stuff here either, which is a shame. But I do like the expansion of Limbo, and Bima Legend returning means getting to see more of the OG Bima Suit so like, sign me up!

Overall I had a great time catching up.

That's about where I'm at. I like the overall ideas they've had for him, but when it comes to execution I more often than not feel they fall short.

Agreed. When comes to Storm, some of the lighting of the latest episodes result in the blue being a darker shade, and I think that helps the suit look way better.

Zoik is absolutely the most memorable character when it comes to BIMA-X. They had an absolute winner with him. And that fight at the start of episode 30 was like something right out of GARO!

This time, the female isn't portrayed by a JKT48 member, but just a selebgram in Abel Chantika. Ironic that JKT48 are the actual idol group for real life, with an actual idol not being portrayed by them. Dunno what'd count as an usual idol bait for this one.

Rena participated in the fight (with a stick) but failed to do so. Felt that the show can't decide to make Rena a fighter or not in her at the finale taking down a Kombatan during the Grand Gator fight with this later happening (though with different mook in Kranion, but not much difference in how Ray deals with them).

Yeah, Bima-X's Earth Mode debut was my favorite among the four, in how his raw power is displayed clearly in his unflinching walk (though this can be him being really slow as an usual weakness for power type forms), him punching a hole through the Armadillo monster, and also him conjuring a weapon that even Draconer cannot lift, but of course he's strong enough to do so. Though the finisher doesn't even directly hit the opponent, only causing a rift on the ground.

It's a debut that really goes all in on showing you just what this new form is all about, and I for sure appreciated every detail about it.

These episodes felt like a callback to the original BIMA.

The biggest part of it being that for the most part, the tone here is alot more dramatic, with the episodes mostly being about the bond between two people.

It's not just that though. The plot having to due with Shadow Crisis by themselves without Iron Mask, the style of directing being alot more moody, and there's even a callback to my favorite episode of BIMA: Where Uncle helps Reza.

What brings this all about is Zacros' plan to go back to basics during their Vudo days, and possess a human who has great physical strength. Thus we meet Niko, a boxer who looks just like Reza and even acts a bit like how Reza did during his possessed days. And it's in this setup that there's also a problem.

Remember how a big part of episodes 22 and 23 were how Bima-X didn't have an attack that could sever monsters from their human hosts? Well nevermind that I guess because now Bima-X once again has his old Blue Storm attack, which then begs the question: If he could do that the whole time, then why was half the plot such a big deal in those earlier episodes?

That one glaring issue aside, however, I did enjoy these episodes for what they were. The overall mood was nice, no one felt out of character, and the boxing match at the end was alot of fun. And while I'm sure someone out there could point out that logically no human should stand a chance against a member of Shadow Crisis, I felt that emotionally, everything worked in the episode's' favor, and I didn't mind any sort of power discrepancy, really.

And speaking of Reza, he shows up during the stinger at the end, so that's something to look forward to!

Honestly enjoyed these episodes more than I thought I would. Especially given the title of the first. I expected one thing but was blindsided by a pretty compelling story of a boxer and his coach being the target of Shadow Crisis.

I'll agree that them just deciding Bima-X has Blue Storm again (which he probably should've had this entire time) is really weird. If there's one thing about Bima-X that's apparent, there's a lot of inconsistency from episode to episode in regards to continuity.

That said, the episode plot by themselves I just enjoyed a lot. The climax being that Zacros watches as Karax gets really into boxing and us ending with an actual boxing match with our guest character being backed up by Bima-X and Torga? Honestly incredible.

Really great time with these two, issues aside.

Those new forms aren't really upgrades, unlike God Helios, just complementary forms with different strength and weakness. Earth is strong in physical stats, but physical stats aren't everything. Storm has longer range than the other forms, for starter.

Well it's expected, due to the preview picture I posted earlier. Bima-X is about 4 forms, so Power Stone that isn't red, blue, green, or purple isn't expected to work.

Intriguing to see this backstory contrast between Ray and Dimas, showing that while Dimas is genuinely heroic and wants to help, he hasn't suffered as much tragedy as the other Satrias (2 sets of lost parents is kind of hard to top!) or even Ricca, so he cannot understand as deeply. However, I think that actually justifies Dimas' decision to try getting to know Ray better, allowing him to appreciate more what they're fighting to protect and earning Ray's respect.

The screencap was confusing, until I remembered it was Niko, not Reza. I liked how Shadow Crisis' plot to try using human hosts again was defeated this time by showing the power of humanity in Niko, who despite lacking the physical strength of his opponents has the strong spirit and boxing skills to make up for it, making this another time where Zacros underestimates humanity's bonds.

R.I.P.

I guess this can be expected with the larger roster of writers. I agree that it makes sense for Bima-X to have had this ability all along, at least since he obtained Storm Mode.

I figured it was a Kuuga reference, considering the colors and the order of their debut.

Congrats on your 1400th post!

Yeah, the highs are really high in this one, which helps alot.

Even if someone had the preview, the context within the episode itself is still a bit irksome, given that, again, half the goal of the show up to that point is to get all of the Stones back. And there's still no proper explanation given for why Bima-X can't use the White Stone.

That is one neat detail: Dimas was all in on being a hero of justice from day 1, whereas Ray was reluctant a first before deciding to put others above himself.

Just imagine how the family felt! Haha.

It really does help to sell these episodes as a callback to the style of BIMA. Daisuke Kihara really did his homework for that.

Dunno if this isn't too easy for her but that, it's also what Ray felt himself that his parents died and he's adopted by the Iskandar family, and Ray extends that to Ricca as well.

I too felt that perhaps it'd be better for the marketing team if they don't reveal the human disguises of the Death Phantoms, even though you do think that Chris Ruslan is suspicious already.

Well yeah, the actors of Bima are, like some of the KR actors, are beginners for acting scene. The males are selected based on them winning L-Men competition, so yeah, based on how they're shirtless.

That makes alot of sense honestly. Thanks for that info.

The mystery of Iron Mask could've so easily gone wrong.

This sort of slow build up for a character I've grown to like... it builds a sort of expectation and anticipation, you know?

However, I'm happy to report that, in terms of my own personal tastes, these two episodes came very close to being perfect. And the mystery of who Iron Mask is concluded in a way that I was very satisfied with.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Befor we tackle what is very much the biggest highlight of this two-parter, I wanna take some time to give credit to various others aspects that shouldn't be overlooked. Because there's alot going on here, and it all comes together for a very enjoyable experience.

First off, Rexor has the best showing here that he's had all show. This is the first time we get to see him be very direct in his manipulation of his enemies, and he does it all while carrying a gravitas that makes him very enjoyable as a character. He's the one primarily responsible for pushing this story forward, and characters providing plot is how I tend to like things most of the time.

Next, the technicals of these particular episodes are surprisingly good. The score for episode 34 especially is rather memorable all around and great to listen to. And the action across both episodes is superb, with big highlights being stuff like Torga rebounding between iron pillars, and Bima-X Storm's' arrows being wielded as swords, which is one of the most badass things I've seen in a long time. Combine those with a moody and dramatic atmosphere and I'm locked in.

But now the big one. The very crux of the entirety of these two episode: Iron Mask's' backstory. As it turns out, both of Iron Mask's' bodies were made by Rexor. And Iron Mask is a Kamen Rider in all but name: Being a human who was experimented on and turned into a cyborg. And the entire plan set in motion by Black Lord was to fill Iron Mask with enough hatred that they would cause the Synthetic Power Stone in Iron Mask's' new body to evolve, and turn him into an Anti-Satria: Evil Torga.

Although while I don't think Black Lord fully thought out this plan of his, it does bring back an aspect of the Power Stones that we haven't seen in a long time: That being how they can absorb emotions. Remember, that was a whole part of Rasputin's' plan in building Grand Gator. But more than just thematic symbolism, there's also a very direct reason as to why Iron Mask is a Satria; And that's because he was one. Infact, he's the original Torga. And in ages past he decided he was beyond the very people he'd been chosen to protect, and had to be put down by Bima Legend. Which in turns helps explain his beef with Bima.

And if the absolutely stellar fight he has with Bima-X and Torga wasn't enough to sell you on the power scale that Evil Torga wields, it's established that he was almost equal to Bima Legend, who back in BIMA was absolutely insurmountable. Wielding Storm Mode's' Hurricane Blaster as swords? Yeah, Iron Mask is the one who does that. Other feats include creating his own pocket dimension, no selling Torga Ice's' deep freeze combined with Bima-X Magnetic's' binding field, and forcing Atlas to work for him alongside his own weapon; Titan. And there's no sudden Azazel showing up or any of the sort here either. This ends with our heroes losing.

It's all high praise, but I did say "almost" perfect earlier, didn't I? There's just two small things that I feel could've been done to make these episodes even better. First is one that we've already discussed prior: That the Orange Power Stone really should not have replaced the Yellow one. Keeping the Metal Stone around, and thus here having it be revealed as the original stone that Iron Mask used in the past would've been very thematically fitting given his cyborg nature. Heck, even saying that the Blue Stone was originally his would've been better. But no, it is still the Thunder Stone, which works alot less smoothly. The other apsect being that I wish it had been revealed that Rexor had used pieces of Grand Gator to create Iron Mask's' new body, as it would've tied into how Rexor mentioned gathering the scrap way early in the show and also would've been very thematically fitting, given the angle of filling Iron Mask with hatred.

In the end though, both of those are very minor complaints. I had a really great time with these episodes, and I really don't know if BIMA-X will be able to top these.

Iron Mask has always been a fascinating character to witness, being a fairly cool general who seemingly died only to be brought back at the very end of Bima to serve as a bridge in the sequel.

Of course there was his second death and then his rebirth, in which we've slowly but surely been getting these hints that Iron Mask is more than he seems. And it all culminates in thee two episodes in which not only do we get to learn his backstory, but he gets an absolutely insane debut as an Anti-Satria.

Honestly I'm finding an appreciation for that dinky arm cannon of his on his new body now. Purely because that's pretty much how Atlas(and now TItan) functions as a weapon. So in a sense you could say it was very thematic that he's been using it all this time. Also Evil Torga? Killer name and a real slick suit.

Real solid set of episodes these two.

Yes, the Iron Mask/Evil Torga biography is truly insane. He connects with the main characters on so many levels.

Adds another layer to why his main weapon was a claw back in BIMA, too.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

There was similar thing in Bima's first season in Azazel defeating many of the returning MOTWs at once before iirc facing Velifer.

Satria is one of the models of Suzuki bikes. There was a joke that Bima's name is just a combined product names known in Indonesia, with Bima coming from KukuBima (an energy drink), Satria coming from Suzuki Satria, and Garuda coming from Garuda peanuts. The commercial break also quite often shows Suzuki Satria commercial at that time.

If you were able to guess that these episodes were an homage to the Karate Kid franchise based on their titles alone, then congrats, you've watched television before!

And hey, I'm a fan of martial arts flicks and shows. I love me a good training arc.

Which is why it pains me to say that I really didn't care for these two episodes at all. Everything they tried to do, I felt was done poorly, and I've seen done better.

The generous interpretation of Ray and Dimas' training is that the lesson that's imparted on them by the Master is all about mindset. That as long as you keep what's important in mind, you're be more motivated and thus perform better. Being focused is better than being scatter-brained or lethargic.

Unfortunately, the actual dialogue of the entire scenario instead makes the claim that somehow, the fight against Evil Torga made our heroes lose sight of the reason they fight in the first place. Which is frankly very stupid given that their struggle against their new found foe isn't treated any differently than any other threat to Earth that they've fought so far.

And the very ungenerous take on this is the implication that the lack of proper mindset is the reason why the duo couldn't beat Evil Torga to begin with. Which is frankly very insulting to the characters as well as very ignorant of the entire narrative up to now since a ton of episodes had to do with these characters putting others above themselves: Dimas using his wealth to aid the people of Jakarta, Ray resolving to help everyone he can ever since the original BIMA, etc.

Now, the episodes aren't a total wash: There's some decently interesting stuff done with the villains here. Such as Rexor reviving Draconer as a zombie, Iron Mask making an alliance with the Vudo Empire, and Mossa's' powers working how they logically should. But sad to say that they weren't cool or notable enough to me to make up for the main meat of the story. Needless to say, when it comes to fights to the death, I very much prefer what Dragon Ball Super had to say about the matter:

Yeah these were an odd bunch of episodes I'll admit that.

I think the concept of "Oh our heroes were defeated by a powered up villain, it's time for them to try and train and better themselves and maybe find a way to win"

And instead we just get a really odd lesson of "You all weren't protecting anyone, you were just thinking of fighting" which like... okay if the climax was the two managing to smartly give their enemies the slip so they could get to the Power Spot and calm it down? That would make sense.

But no it's just two standard battles before Ray and Dimas finally get the idea to strike fast and hard in one spot enough times.

Other than that I think the best part of the episodes for me was seeing that Iron Mask will just wear his cloak while as Evil Torga which is sick. And also Draconer as a zombie now is horrifying but I couldn't stop laughing at how he didn't have the capacity to kneel and basically just hunched over while twitching slightly the entire time Black Lord was in the room.

For some reason, Bima had the major antagonists not shown to be really strong, at least in their early appearences, with Topeng Besi being slain by OG Bima's Helios, as well as how the Death Phantoms fare to current Bima-X's forms such as Earth Mode in its debut. Topeng Besi was even seen as a failure by Rasputin, and in his infighting with Azazel, Azazel just (literally) curbstomps him without problem.

This is an even better way for how the people managed to know the Satrias' fate and pray for them, rather than them just viewing the destruction and the heroes being on the verge of losing.

Guess this is something that doesn't commonly happen in Kamen Rider regardless of the KR series' quality. And yeah, with how the previous thing has said Power Stone being referred as Power Stone Yellow.

This adds an interesting new angle to Topeng Besi's undying hatred of the Satrias. Even when he was revived as a cyborg without his memories, that hatred was the only thing driving him. Now he lives only to get revenge on the Satrias, for denying him the power to change something that wasn't his place to change, the exact details of the event that got him excommunicated being yet another mystery saved for later. There's so much lore with this guy, it's crazy!

Just like Thunder and Ice Mode, Evil Torga is another cool variant of the Torga suit! Black Lord is kind of a genius for figuring out from Rasputin's old plan that he could make a synthetic Power Stone as strong as a real Power Stone simply by imbuing it with strong emotions, the undying hatred of Topeng Besi being easily enough for the job.

And the suit is dark. Poor Azazel.

I guess the moral is that a Satria shouldn't seek power for the sake of destroying the enemy, which is what separates Ray, Reza and Dimas from Topeng Besi who lost his way a long time ago.

Anyway, I thought it was humorous how Dimas performed especially poorly at training, since he was literally introduced in training scenes.

Zombie Draconer sure did happen.

For sure, that's what makes him such a memorable and iconic villain!

Okay but like, it still wasn't a sponsorship deal like how it very much is in BIMA-X.

That would've been a way smarter play to make. Heck, they still could've tied it to the water thing too via "fixing a leak."

It's like how Shadow Moon was never allowed to sit down in Kamen Rider Black. Funny stuff.

Yeah, more often than not a new hero showing up means it's all about them, for better or worse. It was nice to see this show subvert things in that regard.

I mean, he's also a spoiled rich guy, so of course he has no idea how to properly mop a floor!

Our third recap episode.

What? You're expecting more out of me? Well unfortunately, this is the most basic of them all, and thus there's not much to talk about.

This episode is written and directed by Ahmad Nurudin, another of the directors who works on BIMA-X. And I guess the staff just decided that directors should handle the recap episodes.

And as a recap episode not handled by Hideki Oka, this one is much less insane than the previous two. It's all about Iron Mask and his army having flashbacks as they discuss what their new plan of attack should be after everything that's happened across both BIMA and BIMA-X.

As a result, the episode is just shy of being a straight up clip show, to the point that you can tell this was a budget episode due to how the editing is handled during the original scenes. But hey, I can definitely say that the bit at the end, where Karax kicks a dude into re-entry? A really fun(ny) reward for sitting through a bunch of old scenes. I appreciated that.

Anyway, yeah, it is what it is. Nothing crazy, nothing bad, it just serves its purpose of catching the audience up some while very slightly advancing the plot. It works.

Yeah, this is pretty much a Bottle Episode + Recap all wrapped in one package.

As a result I really don't have much to say but it's probably just my least favorite episode of the show? Mostly because out of all the recaps this definitely is the least interesting of them. It's not bad, but it's definitely the weakest episode we've had I feel.

Forgot about this part but it seems disappointing yeah to have a dilemma with more stakes being solved normally as if the stakes wasn't there. Can be just a tactic for the monsters to just psyche out the heroes and have them more hesitant in their actions so they fight worse or let the monsters wreak havoc.

Was only Ray that tells Dimas about Randy, with Dimas actually explaining what he meant by what he said and Ray understanding him better. Should be a new info as well for Ray to be conveyed to Randy. Ray was the one that acted as the middleman between them, guess it's better handled by the one that has clearer head and isn't clouded by anger in their judgment.

In terms of recaps specifically, sure. But across the whole show? Can't agree. Other episodes have annoyed me more. And this one had that amazing re-entry scene.

That is a way to look at it, yeah. But at the very least it should've lead to a bit more character drama, I feel.

I'm gonna miss you, Gackt.

Honestly, the title of this one straight up tells you what's what: Evil Torga throws down with our heroes in the Satria World.

And it's a really cool fight with alot of emotional highs! As always though, Bima Legend is the show stealer. The staff behind BIMA had to have known that he was gonna be a fan favorite, because they do him alot of good here.

It's to the point that the credits of the episode are a tribute to him and his actor. Although in that regard, it does point out one minor flaw in all of this: If anyone's tuning in to BIMA-X without having seen BIMA first, the effect isn't going to be anywhere near as strong.

That's about the short of it really. The fight is big, cinematic, and comes as a great loss. Bima-X dual wielding both versions of Helios is awesome, the three Satrias doing their own version of the Father-Sons Kamehameha is even better, and Evil Torga with the cloak on is just cool. Much like this episode. And thus I have no real complaints. It's a fun time.

Yeah this was a pretty exciting episode to witness.

We get an epic and grand final showing for Bima Legend, a really cool team-up between him and the younger Satrias against Iron Mask. And all around a pretty intense and action-packed episode.

I will say I did enjoy what comedy we did get in this episode though. The bit with Ricca and Dimas at the factory and even Dimas pointing towards his toy with a smile when asked "How did you even move this potential doomsday device to our front yard?" were great.