Makes me wonder if he has a bit of disdain for Satria Motors then, haha.

Azazel offers some good advice, which is surprisingly pertinent to the episode at hand.

I won't lie, a good chunk of this was a bit hard to sit through for me, given that half the episode is about Rena trying to romance Ray.

But, taken at face value without personal grievances, I can see what the overall story of this one is going for and, to that end, I think it was all pulled off well enough to still keep me engaged.

The episode highlights how Ray's' duty as Bima has diminished his ability to protect that which he cherishes most. While understandable, due to him now being a defender of the world and all, the crux of the climax is only able to happen because he broke his promise to Rena, without having any sort of priority towards making it up to her.

Oh, yeah, I should probably explain what exactly it is that's happening with this one, huh? It's a beach episode, with Ray, Belinda, Rena, and Rena's' friends all staying together at a resort. The result is some actually quite pretty scenery being used throughout the episode!

In addition to that though, Vudo sends its latest monster, the Decade Genome--I mean, the Megalodon Monster, to steal a machine known as the ZU Formula, which is an energy cannon that can pierce mountains no problem. Azazel is focused on the cannon, whereas Iron Mask is more concerned with making Bima suffer. With an easy way to do that; Having the Megalodon possess Rena. And what a fierce fight it puts up as a result!

There are also some Inoue aspects to this episode, given that due to Rena being entirely out of the loop she has a serious misunderstanding about everything that's going on with Ray. Makes me think the second part to this tale is gonna end with Rena turning into dust.

Anyway, sister pining for brother aspects aside, the soap opera drama and the solid cinematography carried this episode for sure. So I won't complain too much.

Also, Ray looks surprisingly good in a Hawaiian jacket, I must admit.

You know I joked about Azazel's' intro advice before, but I do legit like how they've been handling it, given that it highlights how, brainwashed or not, it is still Mikhail under all of that make-up.

And he's sort of the main star of this episode, isn't he? Like, I'm sure the writers more intended for the growing bond between Ray and Rena to be the major selling point, given that it makes for the climax of the episode and all, but Azazel is just so cool there's just no way to upstage that!

The fight between Azazel and Bima, while featuring some cliches(Azazel standing on Bima's' blade!) is still very fun to watch, and my joke about Inoue last episode ended up being quite prophetic given that this episode features them clashing in the water. Taranis not being two different colors like Helios is actually a great touch; Emphasizing how Taranis, unlike Helios, is a weapon made only for destruction rather than salvation.

On the Megalodon side of things, however, I did like how the story took into account the very obvious solution of just tracking the laptop belonging to Belinda's' dad. And seeing that Randy could actually throw down was a really nice treat. And of course, that very last bit of the episode, with Iron Mask blowing up the ship while Azazel is on it? That's a great hook.

Overall, as action climaxes go, this one was alot of fun.

If he had more free time, he'd totally start his own Anti-Satria Motors for no other reason than to put them out of business.

That's something I enjoy about Satria Series in general, getting to see some new settings outside of the ones in Japan that Toei reuse over and over again. Lots of cool vistas in Indonesia and it's refreshing to see something unique for Tokusatsu like the tropical atmosphere of the resort in these two episodes. Makes a nice backdrop for all the drama between Ray, Rena and Belinda as well, since vacation plots are usually an excuse for that kind of thing.

Azazel is cool for sure! So cool that even as a villain, he can still give good moral advice to the kids!

However, I do need to talk about the Ray and Rena plot as well, since that's a pretty big deal for the new status quo. I think this conclusion actually pushes back on the weird romance thing, as the whole "Mochi" flashback is something from their childhood, likely before Rena developed any of those additional feelings for Ray. I like how Ray used that memory to subtly lead Rena to figure out his identity. It was a cute scene, with Ray showing that even with his responsibility as Bima, he will always be around to protect his little sister!

Misunderstanding, check. Love triangle, check. Bodies of water, check. It's very Inoue.

Speaking of writers, now would be an appropriate time to talk about the impending staff change. Like Blade and Hibiki, Bima was also affected by this phenomenon. Due to the lack of discussion about Bima, I'm not sure what's the consensus for whether this is good or bad and I'm not sure about the reason either. The head writer for Episode 1-15 was Hayase Masato, but Nakazawa Takeshi takes over for 16-26.

If you want my general opinion though, I think both writers have their merits and some of my favorite episodes are in the second half. The main downside is that we're never seeing Belinda ever again, sadly. That's all I can say for now without spoiling anything.

I really do gotta give them props for all of the filming on location that they do. It really does help with the world building of the show with having such a variety of different locations that Bima needs to be in.

It was a cute scene for sure. And it made alot of sense too, as at this point there really is no reason to keep Rena out of the loop.

Hoo boy. Thanks for the heads up on that. I'm not the kinda guy who automatically starts doomsaying at that sort of thing; Yamamura was still able to capture the essence of Kamen Rider Decade when he took over, afterall, but it is definitely a shame when a writer's' work gets ripped away from them regardless.

Wow, that's a big shame. Belinda was just starting to come into her own as a character and a part of the cast. I guess the new guy just couldn't think of anything to do with her?

Oh yeah, I somehow forgot it happened in Decade as well. Hibiki's was the most infamous extreme case, while Blade and Decade changed the flavor a little but otherwise stayed pretty faithful to what those shows were about. Fortunately, I think Bima definitely fits with the latter example.

And to this day, I still don't even know where Imai Shoji went.

Her involvement with the ZU formula through her father was some genuinely intriguing new information about the character, after previously being a device for the Ray and Rena plot. I would've liked to see how Hayase planned to keep exploring Belinda as her own character, but it seems like Nakazawa for some reason wasn't at all interested in the cool biker girl. :(

I wonder by this how'd you think that Reza can end up evil, other than perhaps, being only brainwashed.

Now I wonder what'd differentiate cowardice or being rationale in that escape.

People's' upbringing has a big influence on their moral fiber. Reza was like five when he was taken. Not a stretch to think he'd be molded into a devout follower of Vudo.

Whether or not the action was done out of fear.

I will say, the general atmosphere of BIMA has definitely been retained despite the writer change.

Not that I think the writing was as much of a big factor for this specific episode, given that it's about 80% action, with all of it involving Iron Mask.

I did love the irony in how it was Iron Mask who ended up weakening the mind control on Mikhail, even if indirectly, which also in turn leads to showcasing how Rasputin is no pushover.

The other half of the action has to do with Iron Mask trying to settle the score with Bima, and man, Iron Mask really has leveled up since the two last fought. Both fights are choreographed well, but the fight with Bima is definitely the better of the two, with Iron Mask showing off alot more of what the Blue Power Stone can do.

That all being said, what plot stuff is in this episode really does jump things ahead a great deal. Randy theorizes that both his and Ray's' birth parents might still be alive, as keeping them enslaved would be a practical move on Vudo's' part. Mikhail meanwhile is not only struggling with resisting his mind control, but it's revealed that he is infact Reza, and he meets two mysterious people who know his real identity.

Really, the whole episode is kinda framed like one you'd see at the very end of a typical toku story, which makes me very interested in where exactly the rest of the show is headed, given that we still have nine more episodes to go. Not to mention four more Power Stones left unaccounted for.

Guess I'll find out tomorrow!

I'd immediately think Azazel was more intimidating than Topeng Besi, who can feel underwhelming to me despite his high position.

In this case, Topeng Besi and Azazel's rivalry can result in the people being free and safe from the loser's threat and make things easier for Bima, should either of them win and eliminate the other. That shouldn't mean either of them are doing something good right (for the winner)?