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...