[Fish Sandwich]

I may have had some unrealistic expectations for this one based on the preview. I mean, it was Stacey coming back with his Battle Caesar Robo in tow (Battle Caesar Robo; yup, still made by geniuses!), and I suppose I expected some sort of ironic reversal of Twokaiser's debut where Zox would have the spotlight totally stolen from him in the end in favor of a cliffhanger ending where Stacaesar puts the team in a huge pinch.

Not only does that not happen, this is maybe the first episode to just... not bother with the cliffhanger at all? Kind of sad, considering that having those constantly was one of the many pieces of this show's energetic identity. I mean – and I've been trying to find a chance to mention this forever – during those recaps at the start? The flashing images in the borders are literally the entire previous episode speeding by start to finish in however many frames. I figured the need for a twist to leave on each time would be too limiting to the writing to keep up, but it fit the show so perfectly it's a shame that, best case scenario, it's no longer a consistent feature.

And you know, it probably sounds like I'm disappointed in this one now, but when I say the show didn't match my expectations, I only mean exactly that. What I got instead, I loved every bit as much as usual.

That roll call gag, for example. The show may be struggling to do/uninterested in cliffhangers already, but I am frankly shocked how many variations they keep finding on scenes of the team introducing themselves. And this one is so dense, too! Look at Kaito realizing he needs an extra finger! Look at Gaon being the only one to not react to Twokaiser being in the line! Look at him after Twokaiser walks off gesturing at Zox to come back as though he were a shy puppy in case you don't understand why it's funny that Gaon is the only one not bothered by Twokaiser being in the line! I mention the rich detail in this show all the time, and it's because there's always SO much of it. It's so hard not to just start listing off every single line of dialogue or bit of comedic timing I found amusing. (And I've probably said that before too!)

There's obviously an overall plot here, which can basically be summed up as the Magine, Zyuran, and Zox getting stuck in an episode of Kamen Rider Drive without a Shift Car, but once again, I don't think this is an episode that succeeds because of its deep character insights or thrill-a-minute twists or anything like that. Stacey ends up accomplishing little, and I don't think you get a much better idea of Zox's family dynamic. But the execution is so entertaining that none of that ends up being a real problem, and I actively want to be upset that I'm not getting enough Stacaesar action.

The big thing is that, as I've already been talking about, the characters in this show always have such strong personalities that them doing just about anything becomes fun to watch. I will gladly listen to Zyuran complain endlessly about Twokaiser cramping his style, and if Magine is there too, then all the better!

Once again, Tasaki's direction is also on point, doing a lot to elevate that thin story. Right away, I loved how many different "facial" expressions you get out of Zyuran and Magine in that initial scene with all the kids. The show doesn't make super extensive use of that idea of blacking out different parts of the eyes on those suits, so it's a treat to see them making the extra effort there. And from there on, it's just a ton of fun visuals, like the dramatic stage lighting making it clear Zyuran's summation of everyone's attitudes towards the pirates is more of a visualization than a proper flashback, or Twokaiser's botched heroic entrance. You even get a giant robot fight in the rain! What's not to love here!?