[Mesnick]

Go! The story of alchemists with magic rings and fantastic creatures that turn into cards has ended. It's review time. To do this, let's try to analyze the show from source to final product and understand why Gotchard is like this and how he coped with the task. It will be better and more interesting to do this using a thematic metaphor. Everything written below is, of course, imho. Now quickly grab the flask and Go!

First we light the Red Flame. This is the idea for the show that gave birth to it. In Gotchard's case, it's Gotcha. What is heard most often is what sets the plot in motion and supports it without allowing it to lose its meaning. But what is Gotcha? Oh, this issue is also worth looking into.
Gotcha is not a desire or even a dream, although it is close to them. But Gotcha is a much broader concept, because it also includes the path to them. Some shows focused on the goal, others on the path to it, and others argued that both were important, but Gotchard basically does not share these concepts. Also, Gotcha may not have an ending, and this makes her similar to her calling. Heroes may fail, but as long as they follow their Gotcha, they will be happy.
Houtaro is basically a pretty standard hero for a rider. He is kind, optimistic, caring, friendly, brave, smart and resourceful. However, it is not without its shortcomings. The show remembers that the protagonist is still a teenager, although not stupid, so some of his ideas are very naive. He also despairs easily, but, unlike Takeru, he also quickly restores hope to himself and others. He also knows about Gotch and really appreciates this idea.
At the beginning of the show, Houtaro is looking for his Gotcha. Having met Chemies and received the driver, he decides with her: to create a world where people and Chemies will live happily together. Initially, this seems impossible, contrary to alchemical laws, but Houtaro finds confirmation of his idea in every new acquaintance with Chemies. He sees that humans and Chemies can be friends, but also understands that it will take time. Therefore, Houtaro does not despair when Galejah regains his memories, but becomes upset when people continue to fear Chemies.
Other characters also have Gotcha. Some people find it thanks to Houtaro, others have been following it for a long time. Villains also have them. The sisters are doomed to die as soon as they feel theirs. Hotcha does not recognize kings and Geryon as such, because they do not bring happiness to people. However, they have goals and their own vision of an ideal world. The ideas of kings are global and ruthless. They are not so much aimed at harming people, but rather do not take them into account. For in the eyes of kings, people are insects: not important, but interesting, and sometimes even useful. This characterizes them as ancient, powerful entities.
Geryon’s goal is no less cruel, but at the same time completely meaningless. If the ideas of the kings can still interest someone, then Geryon's Eldorado immediately received the status of the most insane villainous goal in the history of the franchise. He is a pure villain without a single positive trait, sadistically cruel and does not go overboard with his means. This makes him the perfect antagonist for Houtaro, but also keeps him out of the pantheon of best villains. Still, a quality enemy should evoke a storm of emotions, and Geryon is too simple for this. Although he does an excellent job with what he has. Geryon knows how to create horror.

From the flame of an idea comes Orange Heat. This is the force that launches the plot, changes and develops it. For Gotchard, it's friendship. And here I would like to highlight the difference between him and Fourze, where the theme of friendship was also the main one. In Fourze, the energy of friendship was potential. By helping friends and other schoolchildren, Gentaro received their support, which made him stronger, allowing him to defeat his enemies and fly into space. This approach is true for most show riders, although Fourse has taken it to the extreme. In Gotchard the situation is different.
Houtaro's friendship is kinetic energy, constantly influencing people around. Somewhere she acts directly, somewhere through another person. Somewhere it is temporarily extinguished by the obstacle of memory erasure. But it is this friendship that allows you to put an end to a long-standing quarrel (Sabimaru) and thank a dear person (Renge), save your beloved (Kajiki) and recover from the burden of the past (Minato), find what makes you happy (Rinne) and become the best version of yourself (Spanner). This also affects the sisters, who started out as ruthless villains, differing only in temperament. Even if their happiness was short-lived, at least they tried.
Speaking of characters, they are in their place in Gotchard and quite good. Each of the permanent cast got the opportunity to prove themselves. The show didn't focus on most of them for long, but the character development was present and felt quite harmonious. The only thing that looked crooked was Fuga, who had to carry the statuses of “mentor of mentors”, “longtime enemy of Geryon” and “father of Rinne”. As a result, the character was used as a plot crutch. Also, maybe Houtaro's mom should have spent more time.

Fire and heat also emit Yellow Light. This is where the show shines the most and makes the heart flutter. For Gotchard, these are moments of heroic triumph. Victories over powerful enemies, last-minute salvation, fearless feats. There's a lot of this in the show, and not all of it is done by the main character, the riders, or even the regular characters. And it really captivates, even when there are repetitions. But there is a very significant reason for criticism here.
Gotchard's light is bright and strong, but flickers frequently. There are a lot of really creepy and violent things that happen in the show. For example, Spanner's parents resurrecting and dying in any other show would be shocking and would be cited as an example of the statement: "Kamen Rider is not for children." But Gotchard always deals with the problem too quickly, albeit in the most spectacular way possible. The viewer manages to feel the suffering of the characters, but this is not remembered. In the show itself, evil is identified with the Abyss. So, the heroes of this show fall very deeply into the abyss, but fly out of it with the help of a jetpack, and the horrors they see for a moment there do not leave serious consequences. In Gotchard there are no exhausting battles when the hero struggles to win. No, here the villain is initially on a completely different level, and then he is defeated. Not always with the help of a new toy, sometimes thanks to common work or ingenuity, but they win with defeat.
I appreciate that the writers love their characters and don't want to torture them beyond the needs of the plot, something that a couple of previous shows have done. Still, a little more drama wouldn't hurt Gotchard.

But now the time has come to put the original Green Substance into the flask. This will be the world of the show, its history and rules. Here I will mention alchemy and Chemies. Briefly.
At the beginning of the show, I wrote that Gotchard's world was well thought out by Hasegawa and Uchida. Now there is an opportunity to repent of this statement, but I’d better add this: the world is written well for a children’s fairy tale. Or rather, fantasy for young teenagers.
Everything is focused on the main character, his friends and enemies. The world around them is created for them and for them. The less something concerns Houtaro, the less they think about it. This is why the Alchemical Alliance is so useless and cartoonish, because the alchemists who supported Spanner have no past, future and replicas.
That’s why Fuga hides so skillfully and is so easy to find. Therefore, only catchy words are taken from alchemy and, when necessary, it easily turns into the category of magic. Because Chemies are cute creatures with whom you really want to make friends, despite the fact that at least a couple should have harbored a grudge against people (although there was an X Wizard in the film, but he was rather upset). Especially if they were originally created as instruments of evil. And yet... I can't be angry about it.
Because is careful elaboration of not particularly interesting details so important for a children's fairy tale? For the target audience, even a fairy tale about yellow flowers, which is not true in the show itself, will be much more interesting than what privileges an alchemist’s A-rank grants. Children want to watch the adventures of Houtaro and his friends, new Chemies, victories over each time the strongest enemy (hence the division of the Philosopher's Stone). Gotchard's world is naive, sometimes clumsy, but at the same time it works. I have no complaints about the logic, motives and role of the characters in it, and therefore I am ready to accept its conventions. Besides, in a stricter show, Malgam-Kitsune would hardly appear. Although, perhaps, under other circumstances I would be more categorical.
And, probably, considering that the last few topics were filled with criticism of Zolda on the topic: “Man cannot defeat God,” I should speak out about this too. This is the view of monotheism. In Japan they believe in Shinto, that is, a local form of paganism. And the pagan gods were repeatedly beaten and deceived by mortals. The supreme goddess of Shinto, Amaterasu, was once lured out of a cave by deception. Yes, even in Christianity, Jacob fought with God and did not lose. So for a children's show, defeating kings is also acceptable. Although, I repeat, in Gotchard these victories are too rapid.

But there is too little substance to fill a flask for 50 episodes. You need to fill it with Blue Water. Oh, and it seems like too much water was thrown at Gotchard!
Tokusatsu is known for its repetitiveness, but Gotchard managed to go overboard even with this. The show not only takes inspiration from its predecessors, but also from itself. Houtaro's victory over Germain repeats the victory over Gigist, and only one episode separates them. Valvarad's victory over Gigist was also filmed using the same patterns as Majade over Galedjah. In another show, these two fights would have been shown in parallel, but Gotchard decided otherwise. And I'm not sure it was the wrong decision.
Gotchard is in many ways a throwback to the pre-Haim approach. Less overall plot, more episodic. Intrigues and temporary alliances are given over to the villains, the hero again runs (alas, does not drive) around the city, solves the problems of civilians and gains new strength. I know, the most obvious associations are the OOO-Fourze-Wizard trinity (the stories are too simple for W), but for some reason I remembered Black RX. Because, if my memory serves me correctly, Houtaro looks like Kohtaro not only in name, but also in hairstyle and even facial expressions.
And I like this approach. Then again, perhaps under other circumstances I would have quickly become bored with the episodic nature and repetition. But I like the characters and the stories are interesting. Also, do not forget that water does not just fill the flask. It gives life.
The characters from the episodes who return for the show's finale fill Gotchard's world with life and dimension. They make it clear that everything Houtaro and his friends have done so far matters. They make the show more than a showdown between heroes and villains in an old warehouse. They remind you that killing monsters is not the most important thing. In the end, they give life to the show, if not correcting, then at least brightening up its shortcomings.
I'd also like to talk a little about memory erasing. Some shows show it negatively; others show it as a necessary tool. But Gotchard manages to casually reveal both the positive and negative aspects of such manipulations using the example of Kajiki and the massive memory recovery from Galedzhakh. And this does not look like an attempt to sit on two chairs, but rather a recognition of the fact that memories are a complex thing and there cannot be a clear answer here. In every situation it is different. That is, yes, in the end, the memory of the death of his parents and the Black Flame made Spanner stronger. But would Spanner the child cope with these memories? Especially supported by Kyoko, who is kind but barely able to take care of herself? We don't have an answer, but I highly doubt it.

Now a small digression. I wanted to continue walking the colors of the rainbow in honor of Rainbow Gotchard, but I ran into a major cultural problem. I don’t know why in English goluboy and siniy are called blue, but purple and violet are considered separate colors. Some will say that there is no fundamental difference, but it still seems to me that the difference between sky and sea is more significant than in the shades of grapes. I am leading to the fact that further, for the sake of convenience, I will refuse colors. Sorry.
The liquid in the flask boils and steam rises above it. It contains everything that appeared later, already during the work on the script, its polishing and additions. This is the theme of triangles inherent in the entire show, and the parallels between the riders and their enemies, and the theme of the coexistence of people and Chemies (not the first time raised, but with an unusual local specificity), and the riders themselves. For the most part, all of this is implemented to a good level, so I want to devote this section to discussing some of the technical features of the show.
There are too many chemies. The show tries its best to compensate for this, but there are too many of them. There won't be a compelling story for everyone, and even fewer will be able to show character. Some didn't even receive a form. Even Wild. In the end, at most three dozen will be remembered and, probably, we should have limited ourselves to this. It's a shame that commerce ruined such a good idea.
It's also worth talking about the distribution of shapes. The main rider always gets more. In Gotchard, this is justified by the plot: the friendly Houtaro is much easier to make friends with Chemies than the closed Rinne and the conflicted Spanner. His boundless trust in Chemies also contributes to this. At the same time, Majade and Valvarad received little compared to the non-main riders of previous years. Even if this is justified by the plot, it seems unfair. But at least it becomes clear that a small number of forms have nothing to do with Rinne.
It's probably worth speaking out about the first female secondary rider. Majade isn't perfect, but she's pretty good. She and Gotchard are a great team, with a beautiful costume, impressive moves and a catchy jingle. From what I've seen, Rinne has less negativity from viewers than the two minor riders before her. So, although this is not a stunning success, it is still a success.
And a few more words about Malgams. Last year we had unified rider suits; this year we have unified kaijin suits. I think someday we will get both. Either way, the Malgams looked great and, thanks to their structure, Gotchard featured more monsters than several shows had before. So I'm not against this approach to design as long as the basics are good.
In the end, my complaint boils down to the fact that too much toys have a bad effect on the show. And the fact that the toys are characters, unfortunately, only emphasizes this problem more. Let's see if Gavv can do a better job.

So, the fire is extinguished, the steam has dissipated, and we see the final Product. This is Gotchard in his final form, after watching the last episode. And what can I say as a result?
This is a good show with nice characters that first and foremost wants to entertain its viewers. Therefore, it is ready to devote as many as 4 episodes to fan service and goes wild in additional content. Gotchard has no special ambitions, but he contains interesting, useful ideas that will be useful to both young and adult viewers. The show does not try to explain the essence of life, but tells a story where, in an exciting way, it invites viewers to find it themselves. And even though the series suffers from commercialism, not the most suitable format, repetition and sometimes clumsy storytelling, it is still good. For some, Gotchard will be the first rider. It will become a favorite for someone. And in this regard, the show definitely did not disappoint.
The result was not gold, but something clearly valuable. I enjoyed watching Gotchard and had a wonderful year with this show. I don't remember a single episode that left me dissatisfied. Could it have been done better? Certainly. But even in its current form, Gotchard is a very worthy show. Good defeats evil and does it as effectively as possible, what else is needed?

I can easily call Gotchard my second favorite show of the Reiwa era. If we try to abstract ourselves from personal feelings and judge unbiasedly, then... well, I still can’t give it lower than third place. The lack of uniqueness and tension is fully compensated by bright emotions and pleasant characters. In the general list of franchise riders, Gotchard's place is somewhere in the middle. This is not bad and well deserved. I can confidently say that I will always be happy when I see him again.

Now it’s time to leave the laboratory, go to the cafeteria and have something to eat. Next year promises to be very tasty for rider fans!