[DreadBringer]

Apart from usual occassional cancellation, W's schedule on the TV station is further reduced in favor of the re-aired Ex-Aid, slowing down the story more, and it's been a while since I got into the latest part of the airing in these 2 parters below, the last pair of episodes for Nazca Arc, before moving on to Weather Arc.

Kamen Rider W(atch)

Nazca Arc

Episode 17-18: Farewell, N!

N stands for Nazca and Nemesis

Written by: Keiichi Hasegawa, Directed by: Satoshi Morota

/Memory Kids

It's shown that to refresh himself, Shotaro regularly goes to Barber Kaze for a shave and hot towel in face, with Shotaro even knowing Kaze personally. He talks with another customer who apparently also loves Fuuto including praising the barber, and designs the town mascot Fuuto-Kun. Of course, said customer is actually Kirihiko, being another one who loves Fuuto, but the talk continues due to their faces being covered by the towels, until those come off from their face. All of the talk immediately ended in an instant (with Kaze being aware to send them outside), continuing their feud as usual. Kirihiko explains about himself being the distributor of Gaia Memory which he sees as a path for human evolution, which as Shotaro pointed out, he's doing the opposite of Fuuto love with making the city cry instead for distributing evil tool. Both henshin into their respective Rider and Dopant forms, with W finding another difficulty of Fang Memory moving on its own, and Akiko with Phillip failing to find it, resorting to CycloneJoker, then CycloneMetal, and HeatMetal, of which they can't put down the significantly stronger than usual Nazca, especially when it utilizes super speed. Nazca also still proclaims his love of Fuuto, not listening to W's protest about him actually making the city cry; he's deluded to consider his actions.

As Wakana departs for work, Ryubee gives her back the Claydoll Memory. To me, Wakana here seems to feign being enthusiastic about the returned Claydoll Memory, a sign of her probably wanting to cut ties from the family, but is still too scared to do so for now, along with the Memory meant as a bond of the family. Saeko reports that Phillip/Raito still have not returned, but there's advantage that Kirihiko masters level 2 of Nazca (super speed).

Kaze's true intention is to hire Shotaro for a case of his missing daughter Akane Egusa, who in flashback, shown to know Shotaro as well. Shotaro thinks it's normal due to kids typically wanting to run away from home at her age and she'll come back naturally. Well that's optimistic, but a bit of generalizing, with Kaze reminding Shotaro about Akane's difference; not detailed how but Shotaro remembers and agrees to take the case. Shotaro returns to Narumi Detective Agency, only to find the office being messy af due to Phillip's idea looking for Fang Memory. Shotaro reports that he got a case, and Akiko would prioritize work over Fang Memory... distracting him by turning on Wakana's radio show as she and Shotaro leave for work... albeit it'd be coincidental that the topic of her show is about bird-man. Shotaro and later Akiko interrupts Queen and Elizabeth's photo session to get an information from them that Akane's hanging out with her friends, which is made up as suspicious for 15 year olds, and finally made Shotaro realize that he doesn't really get kids nowadays.

When they meet Akane, who's with Yayoi Kubota, Akane doesn't laugh anymore at Shotaro and Akiko's pranks, and has other attitude problem like refusing to go home, giving me Yuuko vibes from ep. 3-4. The youth problem is shown to Shotaro here with those 2's friend Touma Fujikawa revealing a Bird Memory, and possessing rebellious spirit to seek freedom of having fun and cut down meddling adults such as detectives. In the opposite of usual joke, Akiko is somehow called... old lady here by Touma. Touma hands the Bird Memory to another friend, Yuichi Kanamura, to become Bird Dopant who pulls Shotaro high up to the air, albeit he saves himself by henshin into W, surprising with Phillip's unconscious body dropping the cage that he used to catch a kabuto beetle.. setting it free again. W uses LunaJoker to capture the flying Dopant, and then LunaMetal. Yuichi claims to surrender, but hands the Bird Memory to Touma, who, to both W and Kirihiko's surprise can also change into Bird Dopant, despite that normally it's impossible for a Memory to be used by multiple people; another new revelation. Relevation comes again with Yuichi suffering painful side effects on the area he plugged the Gaia Memory (without Living Connector), not holding back to show the skin outright melted. Kirihiko reveals to Saeko that he wants to use Gaia Memory to evolve humanity into ideal life-form. So Kirihiko does genuinely have good intentions, but he still uses the wrong means to achieve it, a well-intentioned extremist, along that he'd agree to sacrifice corrupt adults to achieve it, but he has limits on his atrocity to not involve kids while Saeko looked up for it.

Yuichi is hospitalized, but a nurse reports that he'd be fine. Not only Yayoi, but Akiko is relieved as well and consoles her, another showing of her dedication to the job and clients - those who are related to them too. Shotaro digs their story more as Yayoi explains that they're interested to become superhumans, enjoying to fly through the city as Bird Dopant, but, if even adults can get drunk with power like Kurata before, like what Queen and Elizabeth speculates, youth is even more suspicious to this, with Touma using Bird Memory to attack people and treat it like a game (that's outright Grongi thing, monsters who are all cruelty), despite Akane's objection, with Yayoi telling those 2 about his next location to attack, which is in the ramen stall Jinno and Makura eats while discussing about ace cop transferring, a foreshadowing of an important character. As someone who objects to Touma's idea, Akane has been warning others about Touma's attack, which happens soon after. Now I don't understand about Akane's standoffish behavior earlier, or that she is a slight prick but has standards, or the side effects she suffered later. Shotaro also comes, and had an awesome moment of flip-kicking the Bird Dopant away as the Dopant charges towards him. Phillip actually comes too with RevolGarry, and tests a theory regarding Fang Memory that it'll come through him when he's in danger, which is proven true, and finally they can henshin to W FangJoker, with Akiko somehow forgetting that it's Phillip who turns into W, to Shotaro's anger that she let his body fall. FangJoker beats Bird Dopant with Fang Strizer with Touma also getting the side effects, but yet another revelation, the Bird Memory doesn't break. I'd like it better if FangJoker deals with the flying by his boomerang ability. Kirihiko comes and W calls him out for selling underages Gaia Memories, but Kirihiko denies that as there are no records of underages buying Gaia Memories, with him waiting for Saeko's investigation to explain as W and Nazca fights again.

/The Friend with the Wind

The Fang properties to protect Phillip is a good advantage in the fight as well, that it can deal with Nazca's super speed, due to moving W's body on their own when there's attack, giving him automated response to super speed. Nazca's body breaks down anyway while W tries to finish him off. But it'd be better to try convincing Nazca, given there's a hint of redemption (and reminded by Fuuto-Kun poster), by appealing to his love of Fuuto, convincing him to not make childrens cry again. On the way to treat Touma, Phillip and the audience catches a glimpse of Living Connector on Akane's body, which later he confirms her ownership of the Bird Memory. Looking into the locations Touma attacked, Phillip found a clue that all the locations have the parents of Akane's rival in track and field. That'd mean he's doing what he did for his friend's sake, but doesn't mean it's noble trait if it involves innocents. This'd be a bad consequence of genuine friendship (corrupted further with power), non-friends are also people too. Akane got the Bird Memory due to being depressed, with the one handing it to her being a female.. confirming that it wasn't Kirihiko who sold it. It's shown too that even as human, Gaia Memory users would receive some buff in physical stats, improving her track and field capabilities. Akane apologizes for showing the Bird Memory to Touma and causing the chaos to happen, but Shotaro would show more tolerance to the kids, by blaming the ones who gave her the Bird Memory utilizing youth's cluelessness with Akiko consoling her as well, then pitying her as she sleeps in the bed (with her boots taken off, good as usual for Japan media).

Kirihiko comes across a secret doorway which Saeko gets out, and enters it, discovering underground cave system beneath the Sonozaki Mansion. Ryubee appears to explain about the place, where the first set of Gaia Memories was discovered there and it operates as experimentation place. It's confirmed too that, the family purposely bend the rule to get children using Gaia Memory, due to getting more comprehensive data, giving accelerated evolution. Ryubee would give no regards to those children's death for achieving Museum's goals. Ryubee has lower moral standard than Kirihiko, who would be ok doing that to adults but not tolerate children, and his coinscience defies Ryubee here, but it's a reckless action, despite that Ryubee still explains the way to save Akane, due to another truth that, Kirihiko was a pawn to the Museum as well to peel the secrets of Nazca, that while he reached level 2 in Nazca, it's his limit and he'll die soon, and him changing to the Dopant here shortens his lifespan further. Kirihiko flees, but Ryubee assigns Mick to end him. Nazca is saved by Wakana as Claydoll Dopant. Despite the new truth Kirihiko gains, and the next question he asks to her, he's actually aware to Wakana's behavior that he thought she hated him before, but is now gone due to Wakana showing concern to him after saving him. I guess her behavior change isn't fully restricted to only Phillip then. Kirihiko gains an inspiration from Wakana by his question to know what she would do if she got betrayed by someone she had faith, which is to know what her true self wants, and for Kirihiko, it's to take care of Fuuto, thus he decides to help W, before bidding farewell to her and tell her that he loves her radio show, keeping all of his potential demise secret from Wakana (though she'd probably find it later in newspaper). I'd think that either Kirihiko's redemption is the usual rushed type to only take some inspiring speech/tips from others, or that Kirihiko isn't really redeemed - he'd still agree on his philosophies like sacrificing some people like corrupt adults, albeit not supporting Museum and Gaia Memories anymore, but he'd also do something that benefits Fuuto if the option is available to him.

However when Akane wakes up, she's acting strange, slapping Phillip and pushing Akiko, while demanding Bird Memory and escapes. Though Akane's the owner, she still suffers the side effects which gives her something akin to drug addiction even when her friends presumably use it quantitatively more than herself, and later, the Bird Memory can potentially kill her as well. Phillip however attaches a tracker in her and inform Shotaro. On her way Akane meets the woman who gave her the Bird Memory, which is Saeko. When Shotaro meets Akane again, she had retrained her Bird Memory which she uses to turn into Bird Dopant and satisfy her flying desires. Shotaro laments about the worsening situation and henshins into W. W uses Hardturbuler from RevolGarry to fight the flying Bird Dopant, then continues with CycloneTrigger to shoot off Bird Dopant and her fireballs. Kirihiko as Nazca comes to assist W, for once doing what W hoped for Fuuto lover to do, by using Ryubee's information to save Akane, using his Driver to locate the Bird Driver, which W uses Bat Shot in the TriggerMagnum to perform Trigger Bat Shooting which is a wind blast that is made sure to be accurate with Bat Shot's targeting. I guess LunaTrigger's homing properties isn't 100% reliable for this situation. Akane feels better then returns to Kaze with Touma and Yuichi waking up. Kirihiko warns Shotaro about Museum's secrets while handing him the Fuuto-Kun keychain as he departs. Kirihiko begs for Saeko to leave Sonozaki family with him. Kirihiko is fully nonchalant throughout his last moments yeah, but I don't know if Kirihiko somehow can see the possibility of Saeko following him while he feels Wakana hates him before. Sure before ep. 13-14 Wakana had nasty traits, but Saeko had even more so and openly shows disdain to him for his 'failures' which he tries to make up, or he's making one final chance even if he knows that he won't get it, but it's worth trying (he started his plead with "if you love me"). Not to mention, Saeko was the one doing something Kirihiko disapproves of giving Gaia Memory to children. Saeko promptly turns into Taboo Dopant to shoot Kirihiko dead, showing how unpredictably ruthless she is, not even to her family that she had her own ambitions. Kirihiko is still nonchalant, enjoying Fuuto's winds... the opposite of the ace cop Jinno and Makura talked about before, who is Ryu Terui, making his first debut, declaring his hate for Fuuto instead for the nasty winds.