[Kamen Rider Lucha]

Ok, so. I'm finding Maskman impossible to discuss episode-by-episode. 17min of content just doesn't justify a post on its own. So I'm gonna be going over these in groups now.

Episode 17 - When the team mistakes Takeru as a serial purse thief, he pursues the real culprit, only to get trapped in a Hellish labyrinth dimension by Igam, where he's forced to battle through the labyrinth's psychedelic obstacles. Turns out the Tube's plot this week was to inspire doubt in the team, so Takeru would attempt to solve the problem on his own -- leaving him vulnerable to a one-on-one attack.

Episode 18 - Haruka finds a beloved doll from her childhood at a consignment shop in the city, but when she buys it, she meets a little girl who has been saving her pennies in the hope of one day buying the doll herself. Haruka sets aside her sentimentality and agrees to sell the doll to the kid. But -- gasp! -- the Tube have cursed the doll with a Ground Beast. Their plan? To inspire so much guilt in Haruka that she quits being a Maskman.

The Tube's plans are getting increasingly twisted. At this point, they're playing mind games with the Maskmen. Their plots are all about inspiring doubt and guilt, negative emotions that block them from accessing their Aura Power.

Episode 17 was the weaker of the two. It goes exactly as expected. Takeru gets his ass beat but rallies at the last minute -- vowing to never give up. Meanwhile, the team realize their mistake and save him from the Labyrinth. They learn a lesson about not allowing the Tube to sew dissent among their ranks.

Episode 18 was a little more interesting. It continues to tackle Haruka's gender issues. When she was a child, Haruka loved playing with a pretty porcelain doll, but her ninja clan thought that made her weak and took the doll away. Now, as an adult, she has to decide whether to indulge her nostalgia or make another child happy by giving up the doll. She chooses the latter -- but it ends up making things way worse. Because the Tube have possessed the doll with the intent of killing the child, thereby emotionally crippling Haruka so she'll never be able to access her Aura Power again. Of course, everything ends happily, but the ride was pretty turbulent. And, lest I forget, Takeru bitch-slaps the fuck out of Haruka at one point. It's... kinda great.

These episodes continue the streak of excellent ground fights. Also continued are the less excellent Giant Robo fights. Seriously, these robot fights are so tacked on it's hard to enjoy them. One thing Sentai has improved dramatically over the last 30 years is the quality of the giant sized fights. Which is saying something, considering how superfluous they often feel to this day.