[DreadBringer]

Olteca and Demons parted ways again faster, with Holy Live being outright stomping him in a fight, though taking a while for Holy Live to put down Demons, as Demons did punch Holy Live, but it had no effect. Other than that, Olteca's even more fleshed out in this episode, and it's nice that even a purely evil villains got this without giving them redeeming traits when Olteca displayed his nihilistic worldview like him thinking promises are meant to be broken or that he thinks happiness can only be gained from sacrificing others, to psyche out Daiji killing Kagerou before. I'm one of those that hoped Olteca won't be redeemed, and now he's shown to have a dark kind of backstory too that his father abused him due to being a freak via being a prodigy. One of the worst instance of "redemption" in Gai from Zero-One had the series using father abuse (and not as bad as this) acting as it's the only reason Gai treated everyone terrible and that the daddy issues alone are fully sufficient path for redemption, and I hope Olteca's backstory involving father won't be used like that.... as Olteca goes even further in his cruelty, using Giff ViStamp on a young child this time. Otherwise I predicted about Olteca mass turning people into Giftarians as a sacrifice for Giff in the preview before. I don't know how did those people get unconsious though. Now there goes the chance to kill Olteca easily (like when Aguilera worked with him again) as Giff protects him when Holy Live attacked him, and his presumed evolution in preview. There's also a tease of Olteca and Akaishi breaking apart too.

It seems that even Yukimi had a bit of a selfish going with the past that she wanted to keep the family's happiness thus she kept Genta's backstory a secret from everyone. This can be the keeping secret to honor Genta type, but this is also the keeping secrets to keep people she loves happy, the "doing what's best for them in their mind" type, which can remind me of certain characters.... obviously if it's really Yukimi being in the wrong, then she gotta apologize for keeping secret. For the group hug, now Yukimi sees Vice as another Ikki, of which resolves the feud between them now. Vice has changed for the better now, but I'd like to see more clear resolution of the apology like Kasumi to Gentoku in Build, forgiving him due to how Gentoku's clearly redeemed at that point as Kasumi noted. Otherwise this shows more why Yukimi really cherishes Genta, more compared to the children, including acting lovey-dovey to him without shame. She seems fashionable too in the past with her outfit choice against Junpei.

For more Weekend reveal here, the theory of Ushijima family not being actual family was a right one, but other than that there's more in that Weekend is an anti-government organization thus it targets Fenix for their true intention. Both Ikki and Daiji are enraged of them targeting Fenix... of which both of them seem clouded and biased in this case, and is not like their previous portrayal after they deemed Fenix as questionable (albeit Daiji wants to stay to investigate further), or them still trying to reassure themselves of the organization they have affiliation with. Other than that, though at first they forcefully take Ikki by zapping him, the Ushijimas don't seem to have malicious intent towards the Igarashis, apologizing for the secrets too and revealing them, albeit their method is still questionable to spy and keep tracks on them. And Kimiko admitting she enjoyed Happy Spa. And the relation in Weekend wasn't only between Ushijimas and Igarashis, but also between Yukimi and Masumi, the former who remarked that Masumi survived, and is unfazed by that. Now this can signify Yukimi's importance just like Buu-san before.

Regarding Ikki being captured, this shows more of their newfound friendship that Vice is more concerned about Ikki disappearing in his berserk state, and Vice's old wish of being free is now treated as banter. But despite Ikki telling Vice to believe in him, it'd not be as easy as what's said of Vice still going berserk at the end, making him one of the current main threats, emotionally too. Jack Revice got buffed with the berserk mode at the end? As Jack Revice that time can repel Holy Live who beat Demons (and who beat Jack Revice before). For Daiji and Sakura's fight against Olteca and then Jack Revice, while Daiji has been shown to be dutiful soldier of Fenix that fights for people, this episode didn't only make Sakura fight alongside him but is also like-minded as well, to also vow to not let Olteca get away or the innocent civilians being killed. Guess this is also good to show actual characterization within her and not only fighting threats, to also become more altruistic (well, since her declaration to Hiromi alongside her siblings), if she changed from her edgy phase pre-Jeanne (though she was agreeing with well-intentioned people, but also their villainous methods). Oh, them being like minded here... but Sakura had joined Weekend while Daiji defended Fenix... so that could mean something later. Teased George's henshin as Demons... and him claiming to help the Igarashis later. But previously George excused himself of the group hug nonchalantly. That still brings up sus points for George to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

On a very shallow level, I'm still in love with Holy Live and his silly Ghost-esque stock footage transformation. (Even when he's supposed to be running, which is as tokusatsu hero as a tokusatsu hero can get.)

Kagerou's demise being something like Makoto clone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

George is a wonderful presence as always, and it seems like part of the rapidly changing status quo in this stretch of the show might end up being him coming into focus as more of a straight good guy, considering how much genuine concern he's been showing for other human beings lately.

Personally I don't know about this. George did show legitimate concern towards Igarashis here, but he had shown concern towards them like to Ikki (the debut of Volcano Rex) before the reveal of Hiromi being a guinea pig, of which he gleefully discards Hiromi like a tool (only with the mitigating part of the claim of it being the best for Hiromi). Like it feels that George treats certain individuals differently at this case, of which he favors the Igarashis for some reason. It's a common (but not necessarily) mistake IMO to assume that someone previously shown morally questionable caring about someone as "caring about other human beings", like treating someone who fights for only their family as such when, it's really done only for family.