Kamen Rider Zeztz Case #16- "ESCAPE" Discussion
 

Baku has been branded a traitor for allowing Nox to escape.

Code Number 07 has finally found his most convincing undercover assignment yet: playing a Nem fanboy! Because that's literally him. And he's Fan #7 because of course he is. Also I think this is the first time we've heard Nem sing like a proper idol.

Wolf Nightmare! Is that supposed to be a Faiz reference? Though the color scheme could also fit Ryuki. Also, he's got a bike!

"Track the Missing" - I mean, that kind of makes grammatical sense...? Poor Nem though. She even got an outfit that was basically begging her to get "eaten" by the big bad wolf.

How is Zeztz going to engage in a bike fight when his own bike is harping on him for not following orders and betraying his trust!? And how he only gives info to TRUSTED agents!?

They added Inazuma Plasma to the OP!

Look at Nasuka and Fujimi back like they didn't have a bad breakup with Baku and Minami taking care of them as Baku's new "manager." It was nice of the girls to make the boys makeup, even if it required some slaps (and a kick) to pull it off.

So Lady is basically NOX's Zero since she gives him his Capsem's. And is that a scar on her hand? I really feel like she's determined to watch everything burn by watching the world get consumed by nightmares.

It's nice to see Minami joining Baku on his undercover missions...which is also just an excuse for her to dress up and somehow look even more chic than she usually does.

I guess you can tell this is celebrity hospital because they're willing to go along with not reporting someone straight up vanishing if a CEO asks them to.

It's good to see Baku and Zero on good terms again and Zero showing his respect and acceptance of Baku. I feel like he accepts/appreciates Baku more than the organization itself probably does...his one and only agent.

BIKE FIGHT! BIKE FIGHT! BIKE FIGHT!!!!

Kind of surreal seeing the base form use the Inazuma Plasma bow like that.

Zero finally takes on Nox Knight and...wow, he easily soloes him. Like, it took Baku 3-4 episodes before he got that far, and Zero took him down in like a minute. Of course that was just the prelude because NOX doesn't need that transformation anymore...not now that he's KAMEN RIDER NOX.

Now he is no longer afraid of the shadows, he uses them as his weapons, from a shadow sword to a shadow entity that can thrash around Zero...to a shadow Rider Punch that destroys his robot body. Ouch. Can Inazuma Plasma even beat him now!?

I once likened the various aspects of this show to gears grinding against each other, but I have to say -- I think they spent the week off greasing the machine up all good as new?

The only thing that baffles me about this episode is how utterly floored I was by it the entire time? It's not just ZEZTZ getting interesting in the vague, reeks-of-denial way I've seen people predict where it will just suddenly become some different show. The reality is actually way cooler than that, judging by this episode, which puts together a thrilling narrative simply by smartly leveraging everything the show has already done, moving all the elements forward and, crucially, having them work together to accomplish that.

A lot of it is in those constant micro-moments that ZEZTZ has always been great about, that I never mention because there's just too many. This week, it's stuff like Baku responding with an "I'm on it" to Zero when he does, or him calling out Zero making another bike joke... those really tiny things that hold big meaning because they're connected to the show's unique sort of "grammar", which is at least an overall concept I've tried to touch on a few times before talking about this show, so hopefully I don't need to elaborate too much on that. Again, there's so much to get into I'd be here all day.

The episode also pulls off that same level of thoughtful construction in all the bigger picture stuff, too, which was amazing to see. We have a Dreamer conflict that builds from episodes 6/7, plus a Seven/Zero conflict and a Zero/Four conflict carrying on from the previous few episodes, while making room to explore stuff like the new status quo with Minami in a way that lets her ongoing background/spinoff plot give Baku the push he needs, and like... it all ties together so smoothly! I am bereft of things to complain about right now. I loved how this one was set up, and I really enjoyed the less black/white drama where a lot of the most interesting conflict comes out of that central thread of Baku and Zero trying to sort out their relationship in the face of the evolving narrative.

So writer-san is doing his job to my satisfaction, which already makes me happy, but then that's not even the end of it, because there's also the whole visual level going on? This one had a fresh director, and that came with a lot of stylish visual touches that are sometimes clearly there just to show off, but were always dynamic enough that I was having too much fun looking at the screen to care. The visuals and the writing come together especially well for the insanely effective cliffhanger, but again, even that is only one of many things I could single out. *All* of this going on, and I get elaborate bike action?! I'm honestly not sure I can say I've ever liked an episode of ZEZTZ this much, and there are a few I thought I liked quite a bit before this!

Things were pretty good this week, a strong start for the second leg of the show certainly. I don't know quite how to put this, but I get the impression the story has finally reached the part Yuuya Takahashi was eager to get to. Baku had reaffirmed his partnership with Fujimi and Nasuka, Minami is fully in on the secret (and serving delightful New Year's dishes to the team), we are digging deeper into the secrets surrounding Nem, CODE, and whatever is driving Lady and NOX. Things are just meshing a lot better and creating a coherent narrative and mystery where I actually feel like I am intrigued by the intended things for once! I did have to laugh a bit at NOX just blowing up Zero as soon as Baku tries to get some answers from his boss though. Hopefully this narrative cohesion can continue long term, there have been some moments before where I thought (or desperately hoped) that Zeztz was hitting its stride only to find my eagerness flagging again within an episode or two.

Anyways, can't wait for next week where Baku goes full lumberjack and cuts open the wolf's stomach to free Nem.

NOX was the big highlight of this one for me. I liked the idea presented here; that he ended up taking in the exact opposite lesson that Baku did with the previous two-parter. Baku channeled his bad dreams into some positive as a means of moving forward, whereas NOX instead is allowing his bad dreams to continue to consume him even more so long it means he gets to inflict his pain on others. A very cool foil, these two have become.

I respect that they're still committing to NOX as an antagonist, even as a Rider.

Well, this episode is about Nem's abduction by the Nightmare Wolf. The dreamer in this episode is the nurse who brought Nem out of the hospital. It's strange that her Nightmare didn't appear earlier, but I think it's justified.
The episode also boasts a spectacular motorcycle chase scene.
After this, I think it should be obvious that Japanese traffic rules are an excuse, not a reason. I was reminded of a similar battle between Wizard and Hellhound.
And after such a spectacular demonstration of the bike, the show gets rid of it by killing Zero. Most likely, it won't be for long, since an unknown person is hiding behind the robot body, but Zero is definitely gone for at least a while. Therefore, he won't be able to give Baku the answer he desires.
Rider NOX's uniform appeals to me with its duality and shadow effects, although I would have preferred a darker shade of blue. Perhaps even purple. I'm looking forward to his confrontation with Zeztz.
Baku and Fujimi also reconcile here. Perhaps faster than expected, but that's a plus. Especially considering that without Zeztz, the police are completely helpless. Nasuka also delighted me with her brazen persistence in this scene. Incidentally, Minami has been very active in the rider team. I'm guessing she'll be playing Nem in the real world. Plus, working together really develops the sibling relationship, allowing her to relax her overprotectiveness of her brother.
Overall, the show continues to delight the eye and captivate the mind. I'm looking forward to what surprises this spy dream will bring next.