That ending nearly killed the episode for me.

If you've been following my reviews for awhile, you most likely already know why, so I won't bother repeating what my hangup is for like the sixth time.

What I will say though is this: With the final minute being what it is, I now feel like I know exactly how Makai Senki is going to end, and that really kills alot of the vibe for me.

The rest of the episode was fun though. Kaoru's' return is very welcome, especially seeing how she's grown from her experiences in the first show. I got a good laugh out of her immediately realizing that the street light was a gate and just going "Nope!"

And between this and Red Requiem, it's been interesting to see the changes in Koga as well. He now seems to have better senses than Zaruba, and with the way he outright interacts with the vision he has in this episode, did he suddenly gain precognition skills? With his Watchdogs no longer being around, he also now works for the "Senate." (Whatever that is)

In terms of the Horror it's a bit of an interesting reversal from last episode. With the Horror plot being very much a backdrop here whereas it was the main plot of episode 1. And uh, man, MS is looking to be alot more graphic overall than the first season, huh? Did not expect the immediate boobs in episode 1 nor did I expect to see a dude get cut open and stapled back together in this one. Atleast the cuteness of the Goryu was here to distract me with its cuteness.

It's also clear to see that the show fully expects the viewer to have seen Red Requiem, as it does not at all bother explain the magic fish that Koga has. Which I imagine is sure to confuse anyone who saw the first season but skipped the movies. But, ya know, as someone who's bothering to watch everything, it's all fine by me.

Anyway, yeah. Decent time overall with this one. But man, I dunno if I'll ever accept the way the story headed come that ending.

Ooh now this is interesting to see in regards to you seemingly mapping out how Makai Senki will go just based on the final minute.

It'll be fun to watch along and see just if it comes true or not.

That said I admittedly don't remember much about Episode 2. It's still more of an introduction/reintroduction to the world and everyone. Though if I'm right about Episode 3... I think I'll have a bit more to talk about the more we go forward.

Gonna be honest. I really hope my prediction is wrong.

KOGA CAN DRIVE!?

I only half joke with that reaction. It legitimately took me off guard given how there's been so much walking in this franchise with the exception of Vanishing Line. Even Kaoru lampshades it!

And ya know, not to say that this episode totally lacks substance, because it doesn't, but me thinks the stunts were priority number one here.

If that at all sounds like a complaint, it isn't! This episode is full of wonderful bike stunts all throughout that tell Kamen Rider Dragon Knight to sit down and stuff it. It's like watching a section out of Mad Max or your average modern Fast & Furious movie. Only better.

Interspliced with that is a proper introduction to the character of Leo. His personality, his drive, all the basics of his character and how he goes about being an Alchemist. Seeing how his young, energetic self plays off of the more stoic and refined Koga is nice to see, as well as how Koga has very noticeably softened since the first season.

Given how the plot has to do with taming the Goryu known as Colt who's started going wild, if there's one thing that I'm now kinda sad about with the anime in hindsight, it's that, while not totally absent, we never really got to see alot of the different types of gadgets that Alchemists are able to make and mess with. It's been a real fun aspect of the live-action stuff so far. Especially now, with Makai Senki seeming to put alot more emphasis on it.

But yeah, this was just a fun, action filled episode all around, and I certainly won't complain about that.

Also, Rei jumpscare at the end. Good to see he's back too.

Yeah now I'm starting to remember these a lot more clearly. This one I remember very much because "Oh hey Kouga drives a car and rides a bike".

The fun thing about this being a sequel season is it means certain elements can be (re)introduced at random. Because we haven't reset anything really. So we can get stuff as simple as Rei showing up to say hi, or Gouten making an appearance to help close out the energetic and frantic chase that takes up a majority of the episode.

inb4 the finale has every person Koga has ever helped across both seasons return to give him the energy to unlock yet another super form for the Garo armor.

This thread is mostly teaching me that I remember almost nothing about Makai Senki.

Oh my. Perhaps a rewatch is in order?

Kinda don't have much to say on this one.

What you get is exactly what the premise is: Koga has to play a deadly Poker game in order to sniff out a Horror.

And yeah, sure, there's the usual atmosphere of dread that GARO is known for, and the fight at the end does have a pretty cool twist on the usual transformation, but outside of that...?

That's not to say that the episode bad or anything, it just is what it is, and that doesn't give a whole lot more to say than, yeah, it was a decent time. I'm glad Kaoru had alot more fun with her card games during the credits sequence, atleast. Thematically fitting.

The only other thing I'll note is that the episode actually makes a mistake on one certain thing: In reality, Three-of-a-Kind is actually worth more than Two Pairs in Poker, which kinda makes for a plot hole in regards to this episode. But whatever. I guess you could maybe interpret that as the Horror cheating to get what it wants, or something.

Admittedly, this thread does remind me that I seriously need to watch Makai Senki and the Red Requiem movie before that at some point myself. Haven't watched anything Garo related since the Beast of the Demon Night special back in October as part of my own annual Halloween marathon at the time.

So there's something fascinating to me about Poker. It might've been stumbling upon the Travel Channel one night and there being some Poker Games being broadcast in cool looking arenas with cool graphics. But I've always enjoyed watching it, never playing it though.

Never felt I was good at it. This also includes whenever I attempted to play Poker Night at the Inventory 2. Fun Game, hilarious character driven banter, I wish I knew how to play but I somehow managed to bluff my way enough to unlock some cool skins and backdrops.

This is to say, I enjoy watching poker related episodes in my shows. It's why despite it's average nature, my favorite episode in the DMC Anime is its Poker Episode.

This episode is the same, there's this fun tense atmosphere and yeah I'll agree that the Horror is a bit obvious, considering they got Kohei Murakami as a guest star. Especially considering who wrote for this episode. But it's still rather fun to see how Kouga outsmarts this Horror in the end.

That said...

I guess Inoue doesn't know his poker as good as we'd assume he would. Either that or it was just a slip of the mind. Anyway this episode marks Toshiki Inoue's first and only guest writing credit on GARO from what I can tell. Which is kind of hilarious given the subject matter of the next episode.

There are claims that this episode wasn't written by Toshiki Inoue.

And I refuse to believe them, because an episode where Jinno from Kamen Rider W jerks off to manhole covers that a Horror Lady proceeds to use as weapons is the exact sort of thing that he would write.

While that alone would've made this episode incredibly memorable, I also dug the underlying message about how alternative forms of art go underappreciated.

Like, yeah, most people wouldn't see any sort of artistic value in manhole covers, but what's to say they can't be? Doing such intricate designs would take alot of work, not to mention welding expertise. And welding is in itself a recognized art form, so.

But yeah, this was an overall fun one. It's the second episode so far wherein the Horror is the main focus, and for me it mostly worked. My only real issue is the ending, which, I mean, I think I get what it was gunning for, but really the line Zaruba gives about the incident not being tied to a Horror just left me more confused than anything.

But man, first Zi-O, then Changerion, and now this. Manhole Cover gets around.

please keep your lies out of this thread, thank you.

GARO on Halloween is actually a really cool idea for a tradition. I might start doing that.

It's odd but I'd like to imagine it basically being, this guy was so deep into the abyss he stared deeper in somehow and pretty much died from shock or something. And in his final moments he just hallucinated to hell and not back because well yeah...

Raia, from Kamen Rider Ryuki! You've come back to me after all this time!

So, I really liked this one, but at the same time it managed to really disappoint me, if that makes any sense.

The disappointment came in in that, at first it seemed as though Rei was about to get a focus episode, something he was very lacking in when it came to the original GARO.

But instead, 90% of the episode focuses on an elderly couple and their mourning over a son that they lost in a war. And while it wasn't what I initially wanted, I felt like the whole story was pulled off really well and I ended up liking this episode a whole lot as a result.

It actually really surprised me that, while Amemiya helped write this episode, he didn't direct it, as the whole thing has his style all over it. The only thing missing being angelic/gothic women. The guy has a real knack for taking characters who on the surface would be very deeply flawed or even unlikable and giving them rather complicated motivations and feelings.

By the way, if you're wondering who did direct this episode, that'd be Ryu Kaneda, who also did some episodes of the original show(including the famous Fish Tank episode!). So it's not like he's totally out of his element here. And yeah, the imagery is pretty good in this one. I especially liked how the tree transformed to fight at the end. Very creative. And that's already ontop of the very obvious symbolism it had going on with the moon in some shots.

But yeah, really liked this one. I dunno if this is setting up some sort of trend for the rest of show, given how many episodes have focused on the Horror plots moreso than the main characters, but if the stories keep being as good as this, then I don't think I'll have any real complaints.

Yeah, I could see that. Death from shock is a thing, even if it is somewhat rare.

Ah now this one, this is one of the Makai Senki related ones I recall clearly. Mostly in that this one involves just Rei in the Horror Plot. While we don't get much on him, and mostly the Couple & Horror, we still get a few nice bits from him.

Also it's just a tragic turn of events, a couple grieving for their son and the Horror taking full advantage of that to turn them into monsters. Then at the end, when it's all said and done they're just begging Rei to take their lives, except he can't because no matter the deeds they did they're still human and he has a code to uphold.

I totally get your feelings on wanting a bit more focus on the cast though. I feel like you'll probably get your wish from what I can recall of the season. Though I imagine the way they're utilizing the Horror Plots is partially because we're familiar with the cast and we're more continuing off of character beats we were previously shown than starting entirely fresh.

Yeah, it's just kinda off putting to a viewer like me who's grown used to four seasons worth of the show wherein the main cast was almost always the main focus, ya know?

But hey, either way, I'll do my best to enjoy what I'm given.

An episode wherein Koga has to escort Quirinus Quirrell to deliver the pelt that's used for the brushes that Alchemists use.

As one might expect, it's not going to be that simple.

On the surface, this is essentially Makai Senki's' equivalent to the seventh episode of the first season; Featuring an absolutely bombastic duel wherein the over the top action just continues to escalate.

But um, great action aside, I personally don't think it works quite as well here?

Part of what episode 7 of the original GARO work as well as it did was due in part to the great character work that was used as a build up beforehand. We got to know Rei as a character, and the way inwhich he ran polar opposite to Koga fueled nearly every event in the episode.

Here? I barely have any idea who Red is, and as such I'm not nearly as invested.

That's not to say the episode in and of itself is a total wash or anything. The fight between Koga and Red is really good, featuring some great wire stunts done across some really cool set pieces. And I get the idea of adding to the mystery of who exactly Red is by showcasing how powerful of a foe he's making himself out to be.

And yet, my favorite stuff from the episode was pretty much everything else.

Koga getting embarrassed by the antics of his friends was such a wonderfully humanizing moment for the guy. The interactions between Kaoru and Leo were really touching despite how simple they were. And as always, Zaruba continues to have absolutely no filter which leads to some great laughs. It's all the little character moments that really worked for me. They're just totally unconnected to big fight during the climax.

Plus, you know, the sound design wasn't nearly as good in this episode as it was in episode 7 of GARO, so this episode loses by default.

Yeah the fight definitely suffers a bit from lack of any real build-up/connection. Though it is fun to see the mystery that we're slowly unfolding out.

I do like the idea that this guy is able to create a shadow of GARO. But it's also clever how that falls apart once Kouga realizes "Hey wait, it's just copying my armor, and not actually an armor" and he uses his armor to defend instead of charging forward to attack at the end.

And to think, we never got a Seihou of Jaaku, despite how easy of a repaint that'd be.

No, this episode isn't about the evil version of me.

Rather, it's Amemiya's' love letter to Samurai films, and it's stuff like this that really does show how much GARO is a passion project for him.

Juzo is a lead straight out of one of those movies. Single-minded, focused, strong, and incredibly, undoubtedly awesome in what he's able to achieve. And despite his selfish desires, has a code of honor that he follows to the death.

The overall style and presentation is the main center focus to be sure, but the charisma that both Juzo and Rei bring to the table only enhances the overall experience, and had me more emotionally invested in their incredibly awesome swordplay way more than what the battle between Koga and Red did.

It's simple, it's straight-forward, but man is it pulled off in such a fun way.

So yeah we've got another Rei episode this time, and man what an episode it is. You've got to give kudos to Amemiya for showcasing his love front and center.

Rei gets some fun stuff to work with in this episode, though Juzo absolutely steals the show. Especially in how he just consistently says "no" to the Horror before basically subjugating it so he can fight Rei.

Also I always love it when they remind us that Makai Knights and Priests are things that are ever present. So of course Juzo ended up seeing a Makai Knight one day that inspired and drove him. It's those fun little moments that really flesh out the world and show the different impact these unseen protectors might have.

While it's not likely due to them being different continuities and all, given the time period that Juzo is from, my headcanon is that the knight Juzo saw was Zanga from Crimson Moon.

Koga doing mundane things is just so funny to me.

Like, the dude is so serious and stoic that I just couldn't help but laugh when I saw him attending a play with Kaoru and just having none of it.

That, plus the exchange he has with the Watchdog about makeup makes me headcanon that the guy was so hyper focused on becoming the ideal Makai Knight that the basics of the world just totally escape him.

So uh, as for the episode itself, it was fun enough. It's all about playing up and having fun with stage play tropes, with some minor commentary about what being an actor means to different types of people. But really, most of my enjoyment(out some laughing about Koga) came from the cinematography.

Amemiya did a real solid job with this one. Not only in capturing alot of how stage plays work(with a brief fourth wall gag, surprisingly), but also in how great alot of the transitions in this episode are. The fight at the end alone does a great job at feeling seemless despite Ryunosuke changing outfits inbetween cuts. It's clear Amemiya had just as much fun with this scenario as Leo did.

So yeah, while I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous episode, this was still a rather fun love letter episode to go through.

Not much to say about this episode, though one of my favorite parts was Kouga suddenly getting the spotlight on him much to the Horror's annoyance thanks to Leo.

Though I do enjoy this one as one of the few times I actually recognize a filming location in GARO. Especially because the outdoor area we end the fight at has been seen in many Rider and Sentai.

Leo knows how to have fun with his job!

Leo and Kaoru go on a date.

I could just end the post right there, but this episode actually surprised me in how exactly it ended up playing out.

Like, it'd be so easy to just write this off as a budget episode, given that, were you to write it out, very little actually happens in this one. Koga is off hunting a Horror, and Kaoru walks around town with Leo to see a CGI creature.

And yet, the more I think about it... has there ever been a toku that's done an episode like this? Wherein two of our characters just kinda hang out and get to know eachother, all while surrounded by a whimsical atmosphere and setting that helps not only with character development, but world building?

None immediately come to mind for me. And in terms of GARO alone this episode really stands out as something unique. Not to mention, this is the first focus episode that Kaoru has had in Makai Senki, and even if it's shared time with Leo, it's still good to see her shine in many of the ways that got me to like her in the first season.

So yeah, this was overall just a nice, relaxing, breather episode that I surprisingly dug. Here's to hoping Kaoru's' quest to bless her brush has some sort of payoff down the road.

It's rare to see an actual slice of life episode in GARO, especially one this whimsical in nature. But when they do end up putting them out, they sure are something special.

It's a simple premise as you described, but it does a lot with the characters. It's fun to see the show explore more of Leo and pairing him up with Kaoru makes them a fun duo to follow. Seeing the two interact with each other, and also seeing the more spiritual aspect of GARO's world come into play is really cool. Definitely a big favorite of mine from this season.

I do want to comment that the stage-play Horror episode is a personal favorite of mine. It was a great tribute to all of the elements that tokusatsu itself takes from the stage (Even if Kouga is entertainingly oblivious). The scene where the Horror and Kouga both do the same wire stunt but the wires are only visible on the theatrical Horror absolutely floored me.

Leo totally just wanted to hold Kaoru's' hand.

Oh absolutely. The whole fight on the stage is one giant meta gag that's alot of fun to watch. My favorite part being "YOU'RE BLOCKING THE VIEW OF ME!" with the Horro shoving Koga out of the way of the camera.

Man, that sure was a fun Power Rangers episode!

This episode is all about reaffirming Koga's' legacy as Garo, and how he'll always be dedicated to the cause, despite all hardship.

And the way that's emphasized is through a really fun set of battles that features some really cool green screening and sound stages, which result in a sort of visual flair that's really stylistic and fun to see.

It was also neat to see that the opponent this time wasn't a Horror, even if only by technicality. And getting a small bit of world building via the Garo Graveyard Tower was pretty nice too. That, plus the return of Garo's' cape, made for a decent callback to the season 1 finale.

All in all, a fun time.

...

Say what? You're asking if that's all the episode is? Why, yes, it is simply a fun bit of stylistic action. Some might claim that there was another aspect of this episode, but those people are lying and you should ignore them. Trust me, I'm the reviewer here, so I would know!

Don't remember this episode too well, but I do remember Zaji for sure, quite the interesting entity to have face off against Kouga.

That said, I do appreciate the lore and worldbuilding when it comes to GARO, always fun to see how it opens up and expands.

His design reminds me of a monster out of Gokaiger, honestly.

This is an episode that deals in some rather tricky subject matter.

As such, were anyone to say that it rubbed them the wrong way, I wouldn't argue. Child abuse, and more specifically a child's' reaction to said abuse, isn't exactly a very comfortable nor easy thing to talk about.

While it could be very easy for anyone to think that Misao should hate her mother and want nothing to do with her, and, sure, many an abuse victim does go down that road; Other children, however, end up broken or reliant. Especially if there's no other clear road that's been made available to them.

Rei knows that the situation is going to hurt regardless, and that Misao's' life will be changed forever going forward. While he has faith that things will one day get better for Misao, it still comes at the cost of Misao's' family, as well as Rei not being allowed to be a part of her life anymore. Both due to Misao's' despair as well as his knighthood.

The world is a place full of opportunity, but it's also a place of great anxiety as a result. Especially for those thrust into it without much preparation.

Overall, I wouldn't say the episode is perfect, but I feel as though they handled the subject matter as tastefully as they could, and I also very much appreciated the expanded backstory that the episode gave to Rei. If there's one call that Makai Senki has made that I greatly appreciate, it's been making Rei a secondary protagonist with his own stories; Something he was sorely lacking in(and understandably so) in the first season.

I enjoyed my time with it, but I wouldn't blame anyone who felt the polar opposite.

If there's one thing I'll remember about this episode, it's Rei's view of dreams and smiles. How your dream should be yours and yours alone instead of someone else trying to push something on you, and how while it's important to help others, your own happiness is something that shouldn't come second.

It's a rather messy episode, not in terms of how it's presented but more in what it's trying to showcase. I think it pulled it off well enough but I totally get why people would be put off by it.

That said we're halfway through Makai Senki now, so that's pretty exciting!

Rei would absolutely fit in with the cast of Agito. Would probably throw hands with the cast of Faiz though.

Right away, I will say that I like this second set of OP and ED than I do the second OP of the original GARO and the first ED of Makai Senki.

But more importantly, Jabi is back!

It was a nice surprise in that not only is she back, but almost the entire episode is dedicated to her as the center focus. The premise being that she's the only one who Koga trusts to fix Zaruba's' recent malfunction.

And the general way that alot of the episode flowed reminded me alot of Kamen Rider Hibiki, what with the generally lighter atmosphere and all of the outdoor locations that this was filmed at. But of course, that all changes come the climax when Red appears.

The fight itself was pretty cool. Really loved the shot of Red blowing up the clouds above them. But with this encounter comes the biggest focus on Red's' identity that been displayed so far, and so I'll say it here: I've been of the mind that Leo is a bait and switch. All through the show so far, the hints that's he's Red have been so blatant that I just can't buy that the show would be that obvious about it.

If it somehow does turn out to be the case though, I feel like I won't be so much mad as I would be disappointed, ya know? Not as disappointed as another possible path that this show might take, but still.

Regardless, for what the episode was, I had fun with it. Good to see so many old faces returning to the show!

So let me say this to start, Wa ga Na wa Garo is probably my favorite of the vocal tracks that Jam Project has done for this franchise. It's competing at the #1 spot with another one but we won't get to that for a while. I will likely bring it up then however because of how much I adore that song.

PROMISE: Without you for the ending theme switch I will say though, honestly works a lot better. There was just something a bit too energetic about the first ED.

But enough about our mid-series song switch ups, we've got a fun episode ahead of us with Jabi. I do like that GARO is a series has such a robust cast of characters that you're able to single them out of pair them up with another and you get some really fun episodes. Makai Senki's been able to show this point pretty well what with not having to worry about introducing too many new characters.

So being able to spend most of an episode with just Jabi, Zaruba and our red masked villain makes for a rather fun scenario. Also continues to show us that while the Makai Knights and Garo are cool, the Makai Priests aren't slouches at all and come with their own cool tricks and fighting styles.