Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Episode 16: "The Paradox Who Defeated M" Discussion
 

The latest Rider is stronger than any of the CR Team could've guessed! And Taiga is still obsessed with Emu. What do they need to be victorious?

Hmm.....the conflict between Pallad and Kuroto is just begun. Kuroto really angry because Pallad didn't steal Mighty Brother XX Gashat. Hmm...I think Pallad will not work for Kuroto again in episode 19-20.

Genm steal Hiiro's Gashats but Genm failed to steal Emu'Gashats because Emu shortly become berserk. Hmm...but Hiiro will obtain his upgrade. Maybe he obtain Gashat Gear Dual Beta from Pallad?

Hmm....one of my favorite game (Tekken) appeared in this episode when Emu vs Nico in game tournament.

I am really want other Bandai Namco games appeared in this series.

The second fight is really interesting. Snipe in Hunter Shooting Gamer still cannot to kill Genm Zombie Gamer. Really nice relationship between Taiga and Nico especially when Snipe vs Genm and after Nico trying to attack Genm.

EX-aid (in Mighty Brother XX) vs Para-DX (in Puzzle Gamer) but Para-DX is too strong Ex-Aid defeated by Para-DX after Para-DX mucsle, speed up, and invisible items. But Revolve Bugster shoot Para-DX.

Revolve Bugster finally defeated by Para-DX Fighter Gamer and Revolve Bugster's data absorbed by Genm. And Nico's health become normal again.

Next Episode, Ex-Aid Burger Action Gamer's debut but Para-DX steal Ju Ju Burger Gashat, and it seems Bagamon Bugster is good monster like Gazai Ganma.

So Snipe & Nico are the Black Jack & Pinoko now?

Huh. I guess what Para-DX did last episode to turn all the game constructs into power-ups was permanent? Transforming summoned just the medals this time around even without Parad around. Kinda...boring.

And...weird that they skipped the op for the second time in a row, I really don't think this episode warranted it though. I mean, it wasn't a bad one, but it was...just an episode, you know?

Anyway, the show continues to do good things with both Hiiro and Taiga, which is nice. I wonder if Hiiro's gonna go without transforming until episode 19, though...also, whether this is partly so they don't have to play around having both Brave and XXL in a scene together.

You can really already see Kuroto and Parad's alliance breaking down at an alarming rate. The two really just have fundamentally incompatible priorities. I enjoy that Parad was the one to finish off Revol. Dude's got a scary temper.

Apparently :lolol
The reference is now complete

So we've got Genius Gamers M and N? Is this turning into Death Note?



That being said, another great Ex-Aid episode. We're starting to see the Taiga and Hiiro sort-of-but-not-really come around to caring about Emu, meanwhile that alliance between Pallad and Dan is starting to crumble.

Para-DX has all of the blood knight tendencies I love to see in a villainous Rider, so that's good, too.

Not to be that guy, but what year exactly does this take place? In that flashback, they were playing Tekken 7, with the new character Lucky Chloe. I don't believe the arcade version of Tekken 7 was out 6 years ago, which is the time the flashback takes place, right? So how the hell are they playing those characters.

I ask because if it isn't supposed to be the future from now, Ex-aid just made a history hiccup involving a video game. That would be a first.

I'm going to bet it's a mistake, just on a hunch. It wouldn't be a major mistake, as I bet they just grabbed the latest entry for the footage without knowing the whole history.

Of course, when it comes to the theme, they do so much else right, I'd be more than willing to let it slide.

To be honest I'm pretty sure they just used Tekken 7 because of how convenient it was, also you know, shilling the new product.

Plus I like to believe that Ex-Aid is in this weird timeline where Tekken 7 came out in 2010 because why not? I mean we've got video games that turn people into masked heroes, I'm willing to let it slide.

Toei barely follow continuity on their own properties; why on Earth would you expect them to get some quibbling crap like a date appropriate game right? They don't care!

Anyway, I was kind of surprised at how nice Genius Gamer M was. I expected something a bit more brutal.

Also, okay, I got the "secret sister" part wrong, but I nailed the "Genius Gamer N" part!

Maybe M was split into the M and Emu we have now?

To be honest, after seeing this episode and connecting it with ep 12, I kinda realized something. It seems that Emu's compatibility actually started 16 years ago. He got the Bugster virus or something like prototype of it at that time but the surgery 6 years ago actually was the one that split his personality. Remember, many sources and Dan's words last episode said that the operation was to made a new type of virus. So, what we could have for Emu is might be a prototype of the Bugster Virus. Seeing M's antic toward Nico in the past, Im' even pretty sure that his Emu and M's personality was one or rather made obvious after the surgery.

Anyway, it's a really nice episode for a Taiga's fan like me. This really cements that he isn't a really type of bad guy or an antagonist at all. In fact, I have a feeling that he is someone a Kiriya-like successor in the second arc of the story. Love Hiiro's interaction with Emu here and he actually cares about Emu as his junior. Pretty much, he has changed since what we saw in the first episode. And Parad... I got the feeling that he will be a wild card of the series. I don't believe he will become a good guy; just a guy who has his own agenda. One thing I'm sure is he might backstab Dan later in the story.

I hope that Parad will act like Heart throughout the series. I see him as an anti-hero with his own agenda.

But I would love to see Emu & Parad interact more. They both love games.

They probably did not think too much about it as long as they can get video game footage with hardly any hassles thus eliminating the need to make some faux fighting game footage which will take time, money, and manpower. Or another possibility is that they did consider it but Bandai Namco requested it as a way of subtle promotion.

so Taiga has soften up and Nico is made his morality pet/sidekick. Maybe with this, he will slowly stop being such a loner since he is not a bad guy and Hiiro showing he does care for Emu. Waiting for the day the three of them becoming buddies.

As for Parad, I can't see him becoming a good guy at all but he will probably be a wild card rider. Sometimes against the heroes and sometimes working with them for his own agenda. Who knows...maybe some sense will be knocked into him or he will become even more excited when Emu gets level 99 and beats him.

I can see a possibility of him going as far as Gremlin from Wizard or Mishima from Kabuto if they let him live that far. Or he can always be another Sid/Sigurd from Gaim.

Or, like every pretty boy from recent Rider, something'll happen to redeem him. He certainly hasn't shown himself as evil, just wanting to play games with M. I can see so many ways they'll use that to make him an ally, like Alain.

Didn't he say he wants to make the planet his play thing? I think Para-DX and Genm will still be villains but fall out

Oh, I'm not saying he'll turn good now, but I think it's highly likely he will eventually. I do kinda hope he doesn't though - all too often nowadays to riders show up as villains for a quarter of the show and then turn it around, only to job hard as the series goes on.

You're right, it's been a while since we've had a truly villainous Rider, which is why I liked Professor Banno so much.

Id like for him to turn good near the end. Hope he's like Heart.

He's far too chaotic to be like Heart in the strictest sense. Especially since he doesn't seem to give a crap about the other Bugsters.

Heart had standards and morals from day one. Parad has had no such thing and has only shown how much crazier he actually is compared to his initial appearance as time has gone on.

Yeah, if anyone was gonna be a Heart type character it would have had to be Graphite, since he at least showed some degree of concern for his species. Even if villainous, his motives were...pure, so to say. Parad's are entirely selfish.

He could possibly get some sort of redemption, who knows. He's definitely nothing like Heart though.

And Graphite is dead, so that's all there is for that, one has to guess.

Supposedly scans say that Parad turns on Dan because Dan kills the Motors Bugster, so he does care about the Bugsters to some extent. Dunno why he so quickly killed Revol in the latest episode, though.

Honestly? Graphite's motives made sense in that scary way good villain motivations should. He's out for his own, plain and simple. That it requires the deaths of humans doesn't matter, so long as HIS people live.

Let me put it this way. If you had to choose between humanity vs. an alien species, with zero possibility for co-existence due to the very nature of the two, which side would you take?

...Seriously, Graphite was killed off too soon.

About Pallad, I am really curious to his Bugster form. maybe Pallad's Bugster form will be based on puzzle games like his Para-DX Puzzle Gamer. I think his origin will be revealed in episode 33 or more....

And, I also really want Kuroto's father will become Rider.

If anything, I think Parad is probably more something to do with M than a traditional Bugster in his own right, so I'd guess he's an Action Game Bugster.

Interesting episode.

Usually I'd call Parad out for having the same arrogance as most toku villains in assuming the MC won't be able to actually kill them even if the MC gets stronger. But considering bugsters are immortal, along with Puzzle Para-Dx being able to use any energy item the moment Emu activates the MAX (Oh jesus christ, how did I never notice that? Mighty Action X = MAX), he probably could just keep the rivalry going till the end of time.

Nico's whole deal was kinda shallow (even Poppy says it is). But it seems like she's just going to be Snipe's companion for the rest of the show, so in terms of minor/supporting character backstories its actually pretty ok.
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I also really like what it seems like they're doing for the next episode. Normally I'd hate filler-esque episodes with superfluous forms happening in the middle of an arc but it seems next episode will hopefully/actually be necessary. Having Emu help a friendly bugster, as the first steep in the process of becoming more friendly towards other bugsters and eventually switching sides when he finds out the truth.
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On a side note, is it me, or was Emu using a character wearing Zombie Genm's armor in that scene where he beat Nico at the tournament?

To be honest, I think the mispelling of the next episodes title would be fine as it's kinda punny. "An Unusual BURG-ster?" Would be funny.

That was a fun, although more lightweight episode. Nico and Taiga seem like they could be amusing in the future and Hiiro really does care about Emu in a way. I'm most interested in Dan and Parad's rapidly deteriorating relationship though, I suspect Dan will be killed by Parad sooner rather than later.

Another really solid, enjoyable episode of Ex-Aid, but my thoughts might make it sound like I hated it:

- Okay, Ex-Aid, listen. I don't know if the scripts getting turned it are too long or whatever, but you can't just not have an opening whenever you feel like it. There needs to be some ground rules. 12 was both a Christmas special and had some very heavy events, and last week at least had a big revelation about our main character. It's like, I've been having a problem with the pacing of Rider episodes being too cramped since Drive and now I feel bad for complaining at all. :lol

- Man, the Bugsters are basically the most pathetic MotW ever at this point. When they aren't being used as glorified vending machines, or being used by the main villain towards some vague ends, they're horribly out of focus and desperately trying to matter, only to inevitably fail to be anything more than punching bags for the Riders until Plot stuff needs to happen. I feel sorry for them.

- Hiiro and Taiga continue to be more interesting than they used to be, although I'm having trouble grasping the whole dilemma with Emu. Last I checked, separating a Bugster from a patient involves them being stressed out anyway, but even putting aside the question of why Emu being stressed is some absolutely unacceptable thing, is randomly trying to beat him up REALLY going to be any better towards that end than just explaining the situation? This is starting to feel like a Faiz plotline. :lol

- Next week looks like another "let's have some goofy fun until Genm shows up to ruin it 15 minutes in" plot. I guess that's just going to be a recurring thing now. Sure, why not?

It wouldn't be the first time Ex-Aid just did whatever it felt like with the rules of its setting. If I had to guess, I'd imagine lugging around boxes, chests, barrels, and trophies to all the filming locations was a pain and a stack of circles is way easier to work with. Although this does make it even more glaring that nobody ever uses the dang things unless it's convenient for the plot. Or if you're Para-DX and you need to shill your toys while they're new, of course. :p

Oh, it's also explicitly 2016/17 in the show, as the event 6 years ago is the Player's Cup 2010.

That and I'm banking on Nico/Taiga being a thing, at least in the fandom. Seriously, just replace doctor with boyfriend and their last exchange this episode still makes perfect sense.

Of course, I said the same thing about Kaito/Mai and look how that turned out... At the very least they haven't been implying something between two characters who act more like siblings than lovers all series...

I assume you're referring to something specific there?

Kouta and Mai. Who else?

Good question. It's just that that's one of the biggest of my many, many problems with Gaim's ending and I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever actually heard somebody else bring it up, so it caught me off guard a bit. :p

Believe me, I love Gaim, just not it's ending. It feels like there were two Gaims, the one that was planned which the ending would probably of made perfect sense for and the one we actually got before that ending.

Wait, isn't Taiga in his late 20s or something? I mean I guess toei could still make it the pairing work depending on how old Nico is, but for me the age gap makes it seem more like the writers are trying to recreate the Daisuke and Gon relationship from KR Kabuto.

Taiga's 29. Maybe 30, who knows what his birthday is. Nico's 18, so yeah...it would be...pretty weird.

It's hard to remember because the actors look, and are, much younger, but the Riders this season are basically Old Men, by modern toku standards anyway.

Doubt it. Parad wants to play Kamen Rider Chronicle, so he needs Dan alive to develop it. Also, even though he's 40 levels above him, there's no reason to think he's capable of killing Dan. I suspect the zombie thing will continue to be a problem for a while yet.

Anyway, this was a good episode. The "we don't want to stress Emu out by telling him he's a bugster, but attacking him sounds fine" plotline needs to end on account of still making no sense (the Faiz comparisons are not unjust, and somewhat worrying), but it's really good to see Hiiro and Taiga getting more characterization, I'm really enjoying them.

I'm a little confused as to why exactly Nico couldn't transform. The game virus was dormant in her until she activated the gashat, according to the subs for last episode, which is like....exactly why Emu is able to transform? Girls can't be Kamen Rider, indeed.

In spite of these complaints though, I really am enjoying this. Burgermon seems like a rehash of Cubi, and I'm not sure why it's so shocking to see a good bugster when Poppy's been there the whole time, but I'm really excited for some McDonald's shenanigans next week.

EDIT: Oh, also, what was up with DKHZ suddenly getting a back piece to the armor? Not a complaint but it seems random.