[Fish Sandwich]

Episode 9 isn't quite the absolute masterpiece that 8 was, but that might only be because I wasn't expecting how amazing Orb Dark is last time. It's still great, and one thing I especially appreciate is how much thought seemed to go into the scripts for both these episodes.

Aizen's motivations, for example, are actually totally internally consistent with that big checklist on the report card in episode 8 which made it clear that, in-universe, he literally sees Ultraman the same way a viewer out-of-universe (or even a writer) does. It's basically like pro wrestling to him, with the routine of a cool hero fighting a villain being more important than the reality. Hence his willingness to cause the problems he solves.

I don't know, I'm probably making this sound more complex than it is, but considering how easy it is for a character like this to use "he's crazy!" as an excuse for sloppy characterization, I'm just impressed R/B has found the time to do this big metaphor for people who wouldn't like R/B, have it make sense, AND still make room for constant references to Orb and other past Ultraman shows in the dialogue without sounding awkward or forced while they're at it.