Yeah, I don't know, I guess maybe my problem is that it didn't really feel focused on the characters? Mostly I think I'm just being kind of irrational but, despite being pretty good, this is the least I've enjoyed an episode of Ex-Aid in a while, even though I still liked it.

I did love all the stuff with Hiiro though. It's kind of funny how the plot becoming about Emu's big secret caused the show to start focusing more on everybody BUT Emu, who's mostly just been running around being clueless about things for 6 episodes. :lol

I think for me the problem is the mastermind egotist part of him sort of counteracts the whole "taking him down a peg" thing. Like, yeah, Chibi Ex-Aid smacked him around a while ago, and Para-DX beat the crap out of him this week, but he just brushed that off and ruined Parad's day by way of ruining Emu's day.

He's sort of untouchable in that sense. His inflated ego means he never feels like he's failed in any way, ruining the satisfaction that would usually come from seeing him get beat up, and even when he seemingly loses things still end up going his way. Like, literally the entire gimmick of his current form is that getting his s*** kicked in just mildly inconveniences him.

So he's in this weird position right now where he's simultaneously a gigantic loser and yet also always wins, which sends me mixed messages. It doesn't help that his shtick has been kind of stagnant since killing Kiriya. I suspect my opinion of Genm will pick back up once this Kamen Rider Chronicle business starts.

Ah, but my fishy friendo, think about it
This means his eventual death will be THAT much more satisfying. And he's fighting Brave LV50 next week so Hiiro could knock his ass out again, but Kuruto doesn't have anything to get the last laugh

I'm trying to sort out the mechanics of gashats, riders, bugsters, and the infection, all of which apparently were created by Dan

So he designs a virus that takes the form of a video game come to life.

It's transmitted into a human hosts, who is disabled from the virus initially

From the disabled host springs forth a bugster, of various levels

As the disabled host gets more stressed, the bugster gains power and increases in levels

Gashats are tools used to fight the bugsters, and therefore are the solution to the spread of the virus, BUT, to use the gashat, you have to either be:
1) a bugster (like how Parad can use them)
or
2) a regular human in fected with a strain of the game virus that doesn't turn you into a bugster

Emu is the "first" person infected, how does that give him super powers to create gashats and use them?

For that matter, is Dan even human anymore, or has he infected himself with something we haven't seen?

I'll echo what others said, he's stupid for giving that Lv 50 Paradox gashat to Parad if its stronger than the Zombie gashat.

KR zombie was at least even, possibly even stronger than Might Bro, level XX (since he never was finished by mighty bros)

Paradox has pwned everyone including zombie

I think you're making one big mistake/assumption there. That Dan is the one who created the virus in the first place. I dunno about you guys, but I didn't get the impression that he's actually THE guy behind that one, and that it's actual origin is the big secret he offed Kiriya to protect.

Maybe that's just me.

Emu's virus is a lot stronger, the blank gashat was said to make Bugsters stronger, and his virus really flared up after that.
Dan isn't human, he's undead now after the...11th episode?
Mighty Bros couldn't beat Genm because they weren't strong enough to absolutely overpower him
I feel like you skipped an episode or two

Oh man, that last scene was intense, Dan and Emu's actors really sold it. I think the real reason Kiriya was killed was so Dan could become the best character on the show by killing the best character on the show :p.

The whole bit with Parad about the Bugsters following the rules of the game could prove to be a really interesting deconstruction of video game characters and their relationship with developers and players, if they keep exploring that, which I expect they will. Video games are a really easy theme to screw up if the people involved aren't invested and educated in the medium, but damn if this show isn't doing it right.

The Kamen Rider Chronicle reveal has been pretty obvious for a while now, but it doesn't make it any less interesting. Truly, MMOs are the most evil of all game genres.

Also, I will be very surprised if the game Tsukuru is working on for the game jam doesn't turn out to be Maximum Mighty X.

One thing I love about Ex-Aid is how the other riders also play as big a part to the story as the main rider. And I mainly mean Hirou in this case.

Like there aren't many other secondary riders that move the story along as strongly as the main with the exception of like...Baron. I mean Brave almost feels like he's a co-primary rider at this point.

But what about the OG really-important-to-the-plot knight, uh... Knight? Baron and Brave are really just biting his style, when you get down to it.

Damn, this was a great episode. That last fight scene between Dan and Parad was fantastic and the cliffhanger really has me pumped for the next episode. It feels like the characters' relationships are starting to settle into a good status quo - the Riders are showing legitimate concern for each other finally and I really like Nico's role as Taiga's sidekick.