[DreadBringer]

I'll cover ep. 3 first.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

With Ichijou, there's a lot of emphasis in this one on digging into how the police are responding to the sudden rash of monster murders going on.

It's unfortunate for Kuuga to be lumped together with other Unidentified Life Forms and that Ichijou can neither contact Yuusuke or Sakurako (for a less plausible reason of taking a break). The conflict wouldn't be only Kuuga with Grongis but also with the law which he can't attack at all. But as they're still using guns, technically Kuuga should be fine, as for now. Even the human form Grongis are also immune to bullets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Then there's the Grongi third of the episode, which pushes things in even crazier directions. There's a lot of deliberately jarring cinematography going on, as we're introduced to a whole batch of new Grongi who will take their turns in the spotlight as time goes on. We see them awkwardly beginning to blend into society, despite some hiccups, like one who doesn't quite get how currency works. I mean, I guess he had the basics down? You hold money in front of people and expect good things to happen. That's right, right? The Grongi are an unusual lot, is the point, and that comes across super clearly. Having them only speak in their own language at first was one of those decisions born out of Kuuga's desire for realism, but rather than make the show more dull and colorless, it's actually super entertaining in its own right. Don't get me wrong, villains who make grand speeches about conquering the world once a week are great too, but the way Kuuga just goes for it, and has scenes of these characters speaking actual, thought out dialogue based on their unique personalities and positions, entirely in a constructed language the staff actually took the time to have someone think out, it's awesome. It's fun guessing at what they're saying based on implication and body language. Makes them feel more human. Which is only right, because this episode also confirms their blood is nearly identical to that of humans. Huh. At any rate, Ichijou's plotline naturally crosses over with them when he goes out to investigate, and meets up with both Gooma again, as well as some lady with roses who he probably won't interact with that much.

Yeah, them having their own language are their own traits. And the subs even translate them to their own language. Wish there are ways to actually understand their dialogues. Also what was the female roses Grongi doing exactly there?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Can't forget about Yuusuke, though. Appropriately for the laid-back guy he is, his chunk of the episode is largely conflict-free, with him exploring and meeting people as he catches up on what's going on around Tokyo.

Minori is really in blood with Yuusuke for taking care of the childs. And have to give credit to Joe Odagiri because that's the guy who's dismissive towards toku, including this role. And for his battle at the end, it's satisfying to see an opponent being realistic to interrupt his henshin pose (like in my review before! posing for henshin is maybe not good... I know I know it's meditation, a bit jokey here), but it's NOT enough to stop the hero where his armor still forms and protects; a real advantage when your Rider's powers are within instead of coming from device (never have a feud against gimmicks, but still a real advantage). Also Yuusuke possesses good physical too aside from being a Rider by climbing up his house, can help as a fighter too.