[Fish Sandwich]

EPISODE 15: "Armor"

The good thing about the previous episodes doing all that setup is that these ones get to waste no time at all getting to the point. There's a mysterious beetle thing flying around, and everyone's time is getting taken up trying to figure out what its deal is. Including Ichijou, who it seems is going to be missing out on his own birthday because of the situation. The emphasis here is firmly on the police, taking some time to give Sasayama her first shot at a bigger role in a plot, and in general offering up more of that delightful grounded seriousness that becomes so amusing when you consider the stuff these overworked cops have to contend with. News of a giant artificial beetle thing flying rapidly towards Tokyo barely elicits more than an annoyed sigh from them at this point. It's like "Oh, another one of these cases... alright, go get some eyewitness accounts and blurry photos and we'll all meet back to discuss how likely it is this thing wants us all dead."



Sakurako and Yuusuke, who has been seeing weird flashes of the beetle in his head, are also trying to figure out the mystery, and they're a lot more relaxed about it. Sakurako has managed to decipher text that seems to point to an insect capable of becoming armor for a horse, which sounds wrong to her, but Yuusuke, going with the flow as ever, thinks the idea sounds cool, and is convinced that whatever this thing is, it must be something good. On his way to deal with the latest Unidentified Lifeform, the beetle even shows up to hover by his bike for a little bit.

The Unidentified Lifeform in question is Me-Gyarido-Gi, who in the last episode developed something of an obsession with driving a truck, and is now going around backing into anyone unfortunate enough to be in his way. It's one of the more memorable Grongi gimmicks, and it makes a lot of sense when you realize that, since he's based on a hermit crab, the truck is essentially his "shell". Very clever!

Back at the police station, Enokida explains to Sasayama the special circumstances surrounding Ichijou's birthday after he refuses to accept a gift from her. Ichijou's life outside of work is so shrouded in mystery, characters asking him about having a girlfriend is a running gag. This is the first time the show has delved into his past, and the reveal that his father, also a police officer, died on his 10th birthday certainly explains a lot about why he is the way he is. Especially since it turns out telling Ichijou to take things seriously was apparently something of a catchphrase for him, which sheds some light on why Ichijou was so upset with Yuusuke back in episode 2. It's just a quick little mention, but it's a real slick way to build the character. Anyway, ever since that day, Ichijou's birthday has been an occasion that brings some complex feelings for him, but he makes it a point to try and visit his mom (a nurse, further showing that public service is a way of life for this family) every year. Which isn't looking like it's going to happen with everything going on.

The action scene that closes out the episode is amazing. It's mostly Kuuga riding to a place on his bike, but there's the rather unusual twist that he's actually riding through extremely congested traffic, and we see loads of civilians reacting to him driving by. Combined with the triumphant rock background music, the effect is just awesome. Trying to depict the ways society reacts to a hero show playing out around them was, of course, one of Kuuga's big goals, so to have this scene of people going "Is that #4?" with a mix of trepidation and excitement, it's super fresh. It's very rare to get this many extras in a bike scene in Rider, and because of that, it sticks out just as much as the trial action does.



What else sticks out is the big ol' beetle robot thing that attaches itself to the Try Chaser. Uh, it's called Gouram, by the way. I should probably just establish that to make things simpler. Despite the fears of Ichijou and the rest of the police, Gouram is basically Kuuga's best friend. Its sole purpose is to help Kuuga do hero stuff, and to that end, it does indeed become armor for a horse. Or a bike. What's the difference, right? It's a cute example of Kuuga doing it's best to make everything seem plausible within the setting, akin to how the Pegasus Bowgun is a crossbow with a pistol grip. There are modern touches, but it still reasonably seems like a piece of equipment the ancient Kuuga could've had. But now Gouram's been revived in the present, and it's ready to help Yuusuke as he charges headfirst into Gyarido's truck... and a cliffhanger!

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

This one marks the first time in a while two episodes in a row have had thumbs up.



Total thumbs up count: 29+1 = 30

EPISODE 16: "Creed"

Gyarido wins the game of chicken when Kuuga swerves away from the truck at the last second, and proceeds to punish him by attempting to smash up his bike with him still on it. Another great example of how to handle form-changing occurs when Yuusuke thinks to leap out of the way with Dragon Form, taking the fight to Gyarido and seemingly destroying him. Actually, can I take a second to specifically mention how much I love Dragon Form? I hesitate to call it my favorite when all of Kuuga's forms are so equally perfect, but it packs in so many elements that are way up my alley. The lightweight, slick design. The agile, dynamic fighting style. The scavenging for a stick every battle. The Showa style exaggerated hand motions when he doesn't have a weapon. The jumping shtick that's as Kamen Rider as you can get. The simple fact that blue is my favorite color. It's all there, man.



What was I talking about again? Oh, right. After the battle, Ichijou and Yuusuke are surprised to find the Try Gouram doesn't have so much as a scratch from being rammed into by a huge truck, and bring it to Enokida for further research. Ichijou is informed by Sasayama that his mother has collapsed, but doesn't seem all that concerned. Ichijou must be real heartless... is what you might think if you don't know Ichijou very well. Luckily, this episode is here to clear up any misunderstandings. Starting with Enokida explaining to Sasayama that Ichijou is dedicating himself this hard to work because of who he is, and not simply because he's a police officer.

In general, this is a great episode when it comes to fleshing out the supporting cast. You've got Sasayama, who gets a little bit of backstory on top of everything else. You've got my boy Jean, not updated on the situation with Gouram, stopping by to tell Sakurako how he feels like he can't face Mika now that he's lost the fragments her father left behind, just in case you think Jean doesn't feel bad about his poorly timed words to her back in episode 7. Plus, obviously, there's Enokida, who doesn't really have development here, but is a huge presence, contributing a ton to the plot, and just generally being cool. On top of the plot with his mother, Ichijou even gets a scene convincing the higher-ups to overlook the Gouram case that demonstrates the police are smart enough to recognize how helpful #4's presence has been.

Yuusuke gets a chance to further prove his usefulness when Gyarido goes back into action, which means Kuuga is on the scene with the Try Gouram once again. This time, he doesn't chicken out and just goes straight to ramming the truck. Yeah, this is the episode where Kuuga performs a finishing move on a vehicle so hard it kills the monster that was inside it. These episodes are by Katsuya Watanabe, whose direction I'm generally finding to be Kuuga's blandest, but dude. DUDE. This moment is just awesome.



On that note, there's some good use of practical effects throughout this episode, including actual explosions, a rarity for Kuuga, as well as the much more common "things on fire", something that always works for this show, and Yuusuke and Ichijou talking in the aftermath of the fight is no exception. Gouram, presumably exhausted from all the awesomeness, decides to take a nap, turning back into fragments and falling off the Try Chaser, leaving it back to normal. I'm not sure how clear I've made this yet, but I really love Gouram. It's two great things about Kuuga put together. One, that it's an upgrade with situational use, since it runs out of energy, keeping the normal Try Chaser relevant, and two, that Kuuga loves bike action so much the bike gets the first super mode. It's a whole new flavor of bulky fun to complement the trial action, and I couldn't be happier.

Wrapping up the story, we see Ichijou actually does take a second out to call his mother, and the conversation they have is short in length, but heavy on character development. They basically roast each other for not working harder, and then hang up, but it's obvious from the way they're talking how much they care about each other. And from there, from how much their attitudes mirror each other, it comes together why Ichijou commits himself so hard to being a cop. He doesn't simply find his job fun the way a workaholic like Enokida does. He just comes from a family who takes things seriously. Their belief in duty, their creed, if you will, demands they always give their best. Ichijou was ignoring the situation with his mom not because he doesn't care about her, but because he does. Because he wants to live up to that standard at all times. It's once again an example of Kuuga communicating a lot without saying much, and it's a great note to end a solid pair of episodes on.

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

This one marks the first even-numbered episode without a thumbs up in sight.

Total thumbs up count: 30+0 = 30