Kamen Rider Geats Episode 2- "Chance Meeting I: Treasure Hunt & Bandits!" Discussion
 

The Desire Grand Prix is restarted. Participants old and new gather...

A pretty good episode, there was a lot of nice action and choreography, along with someone dying this early, though like most recent deaths in KR, it doesn't look like it'll be sticking long. We get our final 7, but later 6 Riders, after about 30 of them somehow can't get an item. (I'm assuming there was a limited amount of items, but they don't technically say that, so who knows?)

We also have a death, very early on, I know that Shirowe died last episode, but this was the new start of the Desire Grand Prix, and we already have a death, it being Kamen Rider Ginpen/Takahito Taira, I'm kind of glad we got a death since I probably wasn't going to remember all 7 of the riders names and faces, but once again, I must state, this is still very early for a death. But considering that Keiwa asked about reviving him if he won the wish, which considering he's basically our main character/PoV character means that Takahito will probably be revived.

The episode itself is pretty good, I would've preferred maybe a bit more substance aside from the Keiwa and Takahito stuff, as the rest of the episode besides that stuff is just fighting, which I do like, but I still prefer having more story. But still, an all-in-all good episode.

To start with, that opening is shit. I was not feeling this season's theme.

That aside, I did enjoy the rest. It definitely does seem like Keiwa is the real lead, despite Ace being the titular character, which I'm fine with. That dynamic worked well with Kagami and Tendou.
Ace also seems to be a massive douche with a moral center to him, which also gives me early Tendou vibes. I'm definitely curious to see how his character will play out, and what hidden tragedies he holds (And if him being chained down in the intro is symbolic of anything).

Not a fan that we got another death. I definitely would've enjoyed a bit of a duo between the boss and Keiwa before he bit it.
I'm also not keen on having so many characters eliminated in one fell swoop. While I'm pretty sure they didn't die, the fact that it seems they can't transform without an item doesn't lead me with much hope. Also, seriously? So many characters couldn't get a single item? That's lame.

Also, with Boost flying off at the end, did it mean that all non-Weapon Buckles are one time use, or is that just exclusive to Boost?

honestly kinda dig the op (TBF Music is suggestive)

I've decided not to follow this show weekly due to toku burnout but does anyone remember that drama here on Tokunation a while back when someone ranted on and on in a thread about how they wished tokusatsu was more mainstream in the west and started saying stuff like how Squid Game was causing people to shift more to k-drama and that it was causing the downfall of toku or something because people can't read subtitles?

Well, if the person who said those things is reading this, here you go. Kamen Rider Squid Game. I hope you're happy.

Another great episode! But not as good as the first, I don't think. Story-wise, it's definitely more unique and refreshing than anything that's come before in the Reiwa era. However, there are some questions that have been raised in this episode that I'd love to see answered.

The pacing in this episode seemed a little bit rushed. Everyone seemed rather okay with the whole DGP thing right off the bat, and I was expecting a little more resistance and confusion like we usually see with other Death Game series.

On that note, how are people chosen to become Kamen Riders? Were they chosen randomly or did they already have a wish they wanted to be granted? I would like to think the latter, as it would make sense as to why they weren't more reluctant to participate... How does Ace keep coming back after winning, and why would the DGP keep letting him in?

However, something I do really like is how they're doing the powers and upgrades this season. By making them a part of the game, they're actually giving the audience a dietetic reason for them to be random. Though, it's still kinda funny how some armors fit the headpieces much better than others.

The action in this episode was top-notch though. Very great strategies employed by the various riders and I absolutely loved the Boost/Water stuff.

The thing is, how do the Armed Weapons work when they're assigned to the lower-body slot? Do the Riders still have access to the weapons or do they just gain a vague power like the ability to control water? What happens with Shield, Hammer, etc...?

One last little nitpick I have is with regard to the green screen effect. It was a little bit too obvious, and there was a really obvious green outline around some actors, especially those in the background of the DGP stage. Whatever the case, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing if they'll be able to keep the serialized up.

another one bites the dust so quickly. Makes me wonder if the show will run more than 1 GDP in the series (with 1 for every quarter of episodes)...unless we were teased with such a big 'main cast' but actually only about 4 will remain.
Who will be the two riders joining Geats in the beer commercial hmmm. (1 of them most probably be Tycoon...but the other one who knows..)

So this year, we have a Red Ranger who can only speak the truth and now we have a Primary Rider who lies compulsively.

This episode focuses a little more on our mysterious protagonist Ace, following his introduction and Grand Victory in the previous DGP. His desire looks like it was entirely selfish on the surface, but based on his interaction with Tsumuri, I think he might be trying to find an exploit in the DGP by deliberately making extravagant desires. This is Ace's world, but it's not his ideal world. He's still fighting to get his true desire.

Ace contradicts himself a lot, maybe intentionally. Like before, he tried to cheer up Keiwa by telling him he could change the world. But now, Ace put him down by telling him that no matter how noble his desire, he'll never beat him. While the DGP forbids foul play between Riders which is strictly enforced through disqualification, Ace has no problem using deception to persuade Keiwa to give up the Boost Raise Buckle. Fortunately, it was a limited-use item, so there are no consequences but it does teach Keiwa an important moral that he shouldn't be so easily trusting towards his rivals. As Taira failed to fulfill his desire, Ace also donates money for his son's operation, after claiming it was a lie that he wants to help unfortunate kids. So Ace is clearly a hero, but he doesn't care about appearing as one.

The characters are still shouting out subtext about their animal motifs though, like seriously, it's the most superfluous kind of exposition!

Uh, nope, Da-Paan and Mary are both alive. Shirowe and Ginpen are the dead ones.

You're right, it's the latter. Same reason why Ace keeps getting invited, as he explains to Tsumuri, he wants to test the limits of what desires DGP will grant.

Cool episode.
Ace is a good guy even if he is deceiving. The end scene with Ginpen's kid proves it. But we don't know what he really wants yet.

The drama with Ginpen shouldn't have been an Ep2 thing I think. I guess it was needed to make people understand what is at stake here, but after Shirowe in Ep1, I think that's way too early to make it happen again. They could have made the same scene about Keiwa asking if Kamen Rider revives too and when they say no to him, remember Shirowe. No need to bring him someone he knows with a tragic situation.
or at least not yet, it should have been an ep5~10 thing.

I'm not a huge fan of the buckles being a one time use too. But I guess during the first part of the show with many forms that's ok. I expect them to keep the buckles or a rule change about it at some point.

This was a good one. Not as good as the first, but still. Probably the weakest part was the rushed drama with Ginpen, but I get that they are trying to clearly establish both the tone of the show and the way mechanics work soon. If I were to tweak it, I might actually make it so Ginpen isn't as open to Keiwa from the start, and only explains his motivations in despair as he dies. Besides that it was all really interesting. Ace proves to be a real manipulative jerk, but also at the very end anonymously donates money to help the son of a rival. He's a really unique sort for a Rider protagonist and I love how hard it is to grasp his true motivations. The fights were super clever with how abilities were used too. The opening is a jam. There's all sorts of interesting implications that something really nefarious is going on behind the scenes of the DGP. I'm excited to see everything unfold!


I'm curious about exactly how many rounds of the DCP the show is going to cover. I assumed 2 at first, but I could see them actually covering something more like 4 considering how quickly things seem to be going.

The battle royal concept is innately appealing regardless of how played out it might feel by now. It's a really good fit for the Kamen Rider world. I actually think Geats is easier to recommend to my non-toku friends as the wild suits and sound effects can be explained away with the game world- even more so than Ex-Aid.

Ryuki was an excellent show and I am enjoying the similarities in Geats.

Ace being an established, somewhat overconfident protagonist might not be for everyone, but with Kabuto being my favorite Heisei show, I really like the characterization.

Great start so far!

There's been no sign that Magnum or Zombie are one time use so far.

I am surprised they killed GinPen off this early. I mean, I was predicting someone would go to solidify the "Oh yeah Rider deaths are permanent till we hit the #30s" rule I knew was going to show, but I was calling Mary. I guess it makes sense - we do already know him, "kid with cancer" is a very easy tragic backstory - but still, strange all the same.

Episode was on the whole good though! Ace looks to be one of those guys who really wants you to think he's too cool for you even as he saves puppies in his spare time, Keiwa is hopelessly naive but is going to get that steely resolve as time wears on, and the others sure are there for now. Room to grow.

And yeah, the theme. Better than Ikadevil, but not as good as Almight, nowhere near RealXEyez.

They basically already wrote a way to resurrect the dead Riders, but it's clear Keiwa is currently the only one who wants to do so.

They've found a pretty non-asspull-y way to temporarily kill off characters while at the same time managing to make death matter because the one guy that's willing to bring those people back is probably the least capable fighter in the group. It very much reminds me of Shinji's arc in Ryuki, with the most wholesome Rider being the worst fighter until realizing he needed to be stronger to help people.

Yeah, would say this isn't as good as episode 1 overall, it does reduce some of this series' mysterious nature, but it's better in certain part. Other than that, this is really the definitive Kamen Rider Squid Game, as the game's seemingly not about killing off your competitors but instead various stages and missions.

It's rather quick that, now both Tsumuri and DGP have clear portrayal/explanation here. Tsumuri's someone that can contest Ace for the most mysterious character, but now she's clearly shown as someone who gathered Riders to fight against Jamatos, other than it being DGP's purpose, she's less fishy than what she's implied before, and seems that she's not a villainous scout like previous battle royale Rider series like Shiro and Sid (and thus one of the lead heroines, dunno if she or Neon is the primary), other than how she can put the Riders on danger as the game is a real war against Jamatos (with added difficulty of treasure hunting game, the players starting weak).

She also seems to be no-nonsense, with her attitude against Ace's date, and among Poppy and Izu, other Takahashi's lead females, she seems to be the balance between the 2, she had some enthusiasm (and Ichigo's pose), but is still rather grounded in explaining DGP to the contestants. Outside of that, the DGP also has countermeasure like strictly prohibiting fightings in Lounge, so it had some effort to keep the well-beings of the contestants. Tsumuri and DGP still has uncovered mysteries though, like their overall origin.

A contest that is about getting any of your wish granted would be bound to attract some morally dubious individuals (but no outright villains yet at this point like Asakura or Ryoma) regardless of if DGP staff has noble intentions (dunno what'd they do if the winner has dangerous wish), and Kanato Sumida/Da-Paan is a "don't judge books by its cover" scenario, but in a negative way. As a young student, Kanato has quite the "innocent" baby-faced look (with panda motif as his Rider too), but he's a cold-hearted man who brushes off anyone.

But the DGP contestants are still varied though, there are those who are at least decent person, like Morio Koganeya/Mary, who accepted Neon's offer to teamup, and later... like Neon, got brushed off by Kanato too. So it seems possible that Shirowe was genuinely selfless too before, and his wish probably can be about for others' sake or such.

Neon is relegated into another contestant here, but she seems to pick up the game quicker compared to Keiwa despite being another newcomer. Keiwa unwittingly gave Neon false hope though in baiting her when talking about Sara being her fan. Michinaga is also someone cocky, but as he's a meanie overall, he's the type who actually puts down others for that like Keiwa and Neon (it'd be mean regardless if they're deserving or not), while Ace is full of himself but defended them from said remark.

Outside of the general episode quality, the lead characters are established well here though. Ace takes up more focus than before although Keiwa stays the POV.

Keiwa's naivety shines here with him struggling to process what happened, being confused of what he should do regarding the game, or doesn't understand people enough like their desires and why would they risk their life to get what they want. Previously, Keiwa talked about people only getting married and be happy as ideal world, so here, he doesn't realize how living is more than just surviving, people can have more in their lives, something to live or work for, what they do to reach happiness. In a more morally questionable individuals, it can be those whose action save others' lives, but doesn't care if they're doing well or not (a type of anti-hero if they're good), but if Keiwa turned heel like some predictions, it can be probably him forcing others to their shell, practicallly reducing their free will as long they 'survive'.

If not in a job interview, Keiwa gets along better with Takahito Taira/Ginpen, the job interviewer before. As DGP isn't a job where he had full authority there, Taira appreciates Keiwa's wish better, and due to already knowing him before, he becomes the closest to Keiwa's 'tag' partner. For Keiwa it's no question in him being the selfless one to look after other's well-beings. Despite getting along with Keiwa, he's the one that I'm a bit more suspicious of though, instead of Shirowe, as he seems to be pragmatic and business oriented in his talk about seeing the world as battlefield, just that he had soft spot for his family. Like, he can potentially act like Ren in Ryuki, regarding his desires and his worldview.

Albeit, he didn't live long enough onscreen to properly get to know him. Likely due to him being a non-action businessman who can't fight well, and probably his death shows what'd happen if people like them didn't get broken Rider, unlike Masamune or Gai (at Thouser's early appearences for him) who also can't fight but can throw overwhelming power around. But yeah, he's portrayed as the character who died for other character's development, Keiwa in this case, so while his wish didn't change (for the well-being of others), he can understand the resolve to work towards that wish.

Ace is a good example of how to write a mysterious character, he's still mysterious enough, but not to the point that the story gave him little to do so he remains "unknown". At the beginning, he seemingly had an utterly narcissistic wish to have him worshipped by others, though it's more of trying to test the upper limits of God of Desire's power. Dunno how intensive Ace had been testing various things in DGP. And it's kinda expected, but Ace turns out to be a douche type here like Tendou or Tsukasa.

Of course the jerk with good heart type (inherent in characters that aren't meant to be made bad), but to fit his fox motives (his Rider name is, after all, "kits" from "kitsune" but replaced with "g"), he's someone manipulative and would trick other Riders to gain upper hand, worsening Keiwa's trauma, taking advantage of Keiwa's naivety that Boost only worked once too. Him donating for Taira's son's surgery shows that he's not a bad person and his story to Keiwa isn't a total lie, but if he keeps his stunt regularly, he'd be an anti-heroic type too. He seemingly can in his declaration to Keiwa that his wish doesn't matter before his victory, it may indicate he's cutthroat too (and probably it gave Keiwa false hope to think that he can try changing the world before). I have a problem though in this part, if Ace secretly fulfilled Keiwa's wish, Keiwa should've talked about Taira's son, especially after hearing Ace talk about helping children.

The fights here are better too compared to previous episode, IMO. There are some neat moves pulled in the fights, like Buffa pinning a Jamato under his foot, because his Zombie Buckle pour poison downwards, or Ace using his Raise Water to whack Jamatos instead if it can't shoot water. For all his hypercompetence, seems that not everything is going on Ace's favor (especially flirting), like Raise Water not working at first. And when he uses Boost, there's sick combo too of pummeling the Jamato using Boost while also using Raise Water as surprise weapon by embedding it in tree. It feels better to watch for me than just going stylish while using a long-ranged weapon.

I have a feeling that a lot of animosity is there only to hide the riders working together against whoever is in control of the desire games. The concierge guy in the white suit is definitely a candidate for final boss.

Very interesting show so far, I enjoyed watching this episode. Very high stakes and drama already, damn. I'm kind of fascinated by a main Rider who can be a huge douchebag sometimes. I mean they nerfed his attitude a bit in the end by showing his caring side, which they kind of need to do so the kids watching still cheer for him, but I wish they left that side of him a bit more hidden.

Oh well, he's a fox, a trickster, so not just a bad guy. It needs balance.

What I like about this show so far the most is probably that the enemies take a backseat which I think is good. You don't need to introduce the "generals" early on like - I think every Reiwa show so far did? Zero-One had Metsubojinrai.net (at least two of them) in the first episode; Saber the three evil guys whose names I've forgotten, plus Calibur, and Revice had all the Deadmans.

So Geats just says "here's evil dudes just because" and uses that saved time on characters, world building and action instead. I like that.

i still read that thread time to time because of just how wild it went

Man, if I had a nickel for every time tokusatsu pulled the "I don't think I can fight, oh wait, someone else got hurt so now I recognize the stakes and have personal motivation" card I could retire early.

I liked the action this week and some of the early character interaction, but the stuff with Diet Tendou and Kagami Zero Sugar left me a bit flat. It's not that there was anything bad about it, just that it's stuff I've seen before in other tokusatsu shows. I immediately knew, for instance, that Ace was lying to steal Boost from Keiwa because it's what any other morally gray Rider would do in the situation. I could feel Inoue and Yonemura's DNA all over that scene. It looked good, but it felt very much like something that was just reused from Faiz or Kabuto. I'm sure the show will do more to differentiate itself as it goes along, but a lot of this episode felt very "been there, done that" in terms of building Keiwa and Ace as characters.

Theme song is okay. Not a total banger like Ex-Aid's, not audio diarrhea like Saber's.

Just a Boost thing so far. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a few more limited use power-ups as the series goes on. They really are playing up the battle royale concept with powers being random drops with different power tiers. Should make it easy to work in new armors and weapons.

The part where the enemies are carrying the power-ups that the Riders use to fight them, though? Getting some massive red flags from that. Not sure what the relationship is between them and the people running the game and break room, but no way it's as simple as trying to stop an invasion.

Forgot to mention in Episode 1, but I loved how the Jamato do a Showa Grunt move surrounding Geats. (Yes, I rewatched the first episode)

Honestly, I'm liking Geats so far. It's got some good stakes this time around, but man, I wish Ginpei and Shirokuma stuck around longer. I also think the gimmick items this season fit perfectly with the theme, just having a scavenger hunt for items feels like a great way to use them, and I enjoy that.

I knew Geats (The Star of The Stars of The Stars) was baiting Tycoon, and I kind of like how they made him a complete jerk in line with his Fox motif but has a side that actually does care deep down. I'm honestly wondering if he's in his own way granting other people's wishes, since he donated to Ginpei's (I know I'm probably getting his name wrong) kid.

The Theme Song is... Not my favorite. I really do think I prefer the other three Reiwa openings over this. Like I said last time, it kind of does sound like LiveXDevil but not as slapping, it's okay, but it doesn't overtake the others. The visuals just scream Break the Chain at that one scene or a darker version of RealXEyes in others.

Next Episode: Danger! Danger! Death the Crisis! Dangerous Zombie.

Not sure if anyone notices but Morio (Kamen Rider Mary) called Neon ?koneko-chan? (transl. little kitty) even before they all transformed and have Neon (with Morio) find out that her rider form resembles a cat, to which Morio calls her ?koneko-chan? again. Perhaps he knew about the riders beforehand? This will be interesting.

The ID cores on their buckles make it kind of clear what animal they are.

Are you implying that Morio was observant enough to identity the animal motif from an abstract logo on a small bottlecap-shaped item on the waist of a girl who was constantly moving in reaction to rampaging Jyamatos, while he was also constantly moving in reaction to rampaging Jyamatos?

“Little kitten” seems to be a general nickname for younger girls.

Maybe because, DGP has no rule to forbid previous winners from entering, like, many of seasonal sports in real life? Anyone can join if they want like how the currently dominating participants in those sport seasons can keep participating as long as it's legal.

Perhaps, the real reason why Keiwa is in trouble due to Ace is because Boost is one-time use, thus Keiwa cannot take it back and use it anymore, otherwise it'd be only Ace borrowing it (unless you meant Ace keeping Boost to his huge advantage especially against Keiwa). Keiwa does can learn from this but dunno if you saw this about events that happen or Ace intentionally teaching him that (this excuse can be used on any single crimes like, the thief is just 'trying to teach people to be careful').

Won't drag down Ace's deeds to Taira's son, but yeah, this kind of action can be dismissed as only done to, well, selfishly boost their reputation when it gets known by others (yeah Ace donated it anonymously... but this'd happen even when the people they help talk about it in social media or such, not the person who didn't say anything, it'd be seen as, knowing and using the people they help to boost their image). Wealthy people similar like Neon is common to be subjected into that even if they use their money for good.

Ace is overall really mysterious for now (and good that the series gave him enough action while keeping himself shrouded in mystery), though my feelings are that, though he IS cocky, Ace doesn't seem to only merely want to be viewed as 'too cool' to save others.

Dunno about deeming any acts of kindness as only something done to appeal for children.

Yeah, it'd be something that has been done before, but honestly, every fictional stuff had all stories and ideas being done, redone, retold, and recycled ad nauseam, so there are nothing that are completely original anymore...

I guess that makes sense

Keiwa looked like he was about to use Boost before he fell for Ace's lie, so it would've been lost anyway after the Jyamato boss was defeated. I guess the only variable that might be important is whether or not the extra points for defeating the boss will carry over to the next round, which would put Ace at an advantage. Either way, Keiwa technically relinquished it willingly (Morio tried to pull a similar con with Kanato, offering common Raise Buckles in exchange for Magnum), so he's lucky that it was a limited-use item and thus Ace can only benefit once from his mistake.

It's still too early for me to make any judgments about Ace's intentions, since he's such a mysterious protagonist for now, but I guess it's possible to be both, pragmatic deception for personal gain and teaching Keiwa a moral as a result, potentially helping him survive in a future scenario. Of course, Ace will only admit doing it for himself, as being unpredictable and contradictory is probably an asset in the game, like assuming a persona.

After rewatching, I noticed that a lot of the eliminated Riders who we never got to see transformed had ID Core symbols that aren't just recolors of the seven who did make it past the treasure hunt. Looking at the screen of all the DGP participants, I'm seeing zebras, dolphins, baboons, (probably) wolves and a couple other shapes I can't quite decipher.

I have to wonder if these are motifs of future Riders who'll get introduced later on... or maybe they just designed those symbols for the sake of visual variety in scenes where all the DGP participants are listed, maybe to be released as a P-Bandai item someday, forever leaving their transformed appearances to our imagination.

I think it's interesting so far. I wonder who is going to be the most popular character. So far I like Ace,