[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Zolda

Rinne is about to henshin @ 03:55, and then she's just realized that her Ring's power is depleted and prevents from transforming. Why is only her Ring that's often depleted during crucial moments? Why aren't Houtarou's, Spanner's, and Minato's Rings depleted and need to be recharged as well?

Makes sense that Majade's Final Form would deplete more power than SunUnicon or MoonCerberus, like how BatKingrobo's arc reactor blasts quickly depleted Gotchard's power. Regarding the in-universe reason why it happens to Rinne more often than other members of the Kitchen Ichinose Alliance, I guess Spanner's black/silver flame can be used to recharge and Houtarou may get a passive boost from the 1% Philosopher's Stone. Rinne doesn't have any special circumstances like that, she's just a talented and hardworking alchemist and fighter.

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Originally Posted by Zolda

The angry Clotho transforms into KR Dread Type 1, attacks him, and gets teleported to a place that looks like a beach.

Huh, I only saw Dread Type 2 in this scene though. Pretty sure Clotho's never even used Type 1 before.

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

Well, although the episode followed a predictable path, there were things in it that surprised me. I'll start with purely technical details: KRVK is a chic suit, even despite its one-color design. The swords on the back are a particularly nice part of the design. Also the inscription: "Kurogane" on the driver. A small but very important detail. I'll come back to it when I discuss Spanner.

Even the episode title humorously refers to Valvarad Kurogane as "Shirogane No Valvarad". It's Crimson Saber all over again!

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

Also, the conflict with civilians continues, despite the victory over Galejah. I wonder if this line will have a place in the huge final battle? It was nice to see more returning actors.

Especially meaningful for Manabe who's publicly opposing his former employer Tatchan. Would've been nice to see Yua here though, so she could express her disappointment in Tatchan continuing to be a terrible person. Everybody wants to see that, right?

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

In general, I doubt that even anyone assumed that Clotho would outlive her sisters.

I assumed that she would outlive Lachesis, but not necessarily Atropos. I want to talk more about this, but I'll save it until the finale, lest I jinx Clotho's life.

I'll talk about Lachesis at least, since this is her finale. The blog mentioned how Lachesis' corpse is a final proof of her humanity, in contrast to Atropos who was assimilated in to Rinne. I like how this keeps the focus on Lachesis even in her death, instead of merely being a device to motivate Spanner. It's proof that Lachesis' life mattered, shown in the bittersweet way she died as a human. Her relationship with Spanner reminded me of Misaki and Jo, with the lonely Rider being the one to carry the pseudo-Rider's dream.

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

Therefore, Spanner cannot accept Houtarou's position despite his many successes.
Because then Valvarad will not fight alongside Gotchard, but under his command. At least in Spanner's eyes. Even the igniter-based driver was burdensome for him, as he expressed in the same episode. That?s why Kurogane always went into conflict, because in every situation it was important for him to defend his opinion. Even if it is wrong, his Kurogane will fight to the end.

I brought this up in Episode 21 about how the catalyst for Spanner becoming the ValvaRider was thematically odd, having nothing to do with him being a Super A-Rank Alchemist, but rather a mix of the black flame (from Gigist) and an invention of Houtarou and Kyoka. So I'm glad to see Spanner acknowledge that here, feeling unsatisfied with being a Rider like that and wanting to once more become something he can call his own, like his original Valvarusher system. Thematically, this is best version of Spanner we've seen, although I must admit that I prefer the design of base ValvaRider with the cool pink/black/silver combo.

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

This is his parallel with Gigist, who believed that he understood the essence of people simply by recognizing their desires. They both put their opinions above those of others, only Gigist did not recognize boundaries at all.
Therefore, to win, Spanner had to accept the only thing in himself that he considered bad and shameful: the Black Flame. And having done this, he received a development that so impressed Gigist.

Weird how Valvarad Kurogane was the one to finish off Gigist, even though Gigist was introduced as a parallel to Houtarou instead. I generally like the direction this show has taken, but I think maybe it was rushed a little, likely due to Legendsiders content taking up 3 episodes after Houtarou's and Clotho's teamup. Gigist's finale has nothing to do with the Chemies he supposedly cares so much about, so he's the most sensible of the original 3 Dark Kings, but the least consistent in his motivation.

The 1v1 fight makes Valvarad Kurogane a little too impressive, as Gigist has 49.5% of the Philosopher's Stone, while Twilight Majade fought Gaelijah with only 33%. I would've expected Gigist to put up more of a challenge, regardless of the difference in the power of the flame.