[DreamSword]

Episode 2

This episode is very much the action climax to the first one.

The mission this time is for Ray to save his brother, who at the end of last episode was taken hostage.

And despite the sound design still being very lackluster, the action sequences themselves are still fun to watch, and every now and then were interlaced with some decent character moments to keep me hooked.

Things such as establishing the rivalry between Bima and Iron Mask, the reveal that there are seven Power Stones out there(do they get to make a wish if they gather all of them?), and Mikhail(the mysterious man from last episode)'s' role as a sort of spiritual advisor.

It's funny that I'm currently watching Kamen Rider Revice at the same time that I'm deciding to do coverage of BIMA, as this episode ends with a hook that the opening arc of Revice also took on: That being of the main character's' resolve and how that ties in to their personal brand of heroics, if at all. The needs of the many vs the needs of the few, sort of.

I do like that both shows go about it at different angles, and don't me wrong, I've been liking Revice just fine so far, but BIMA's' take interests me alot more immediately. Basically, rather than pressuring Ray into being a savior of the world just because he can transform like how Mama Igarashi did to Ikki, Mikhail instead poses a rather important question to Ray: If it's not Bima's' responsibility to protect the world, then whose is it?

It really stood out to me because Mikhail isn't calling Ray wrong for wanting to prioritize the lives of the new family he found, but rather pointing out that both go hand in hand. But, if Ray really wants nothing to do with it, well, then who else can they really rely on to be able to use the Red Power Stone in order to fight back against the Vudo Empire? It makes for a really nice hook for the episode to end on, and going by Rider standards makes these opening episodes a sort of three-parter, which I dig.

Looking forward to seeing how all of this is sorted out come next episode!