[Fish Sandwich]

I liked Gurucan Form a lot more than I expected!

The design didn't grab me beforehand, so I didn't realize the obvious joke that it's the super tough robot armor form because it's based on hard candy, which is typically genius. That'd already be cool enough, but having Vrocan join in as an equally oversized gatling gun pushes it to a level where it feels like I'm making an objective mistake by preferring other forms.

As is the norm for Gavv, it's a wonderfully imaginative idea realized to its fullest potential through equally creative action. It does concern me we haven't done the cool cutaways to Shouma and Hanto's eyes after transforming two weeks in a row, but the other standard features are still all accounted for. Gurucan-flavored written sound effects, practical candy flying about, Gochizo helping out... Nawata even somehow manages Gavv's trademark beastial lean in a suit that bulky, which is dang impressive.

What I liked a lot less than I expected was the story here, which felt way more thin than I've gotten used to with Gavv.

Really, it's mean to pick on it, since it's just part one of a two-part story, but that's also my whole issue. Gavv hasn't really been written that way at all so far. There's usually so many narrative threads progressing and intersecting in new ways that every individual episode has something to contribute just by itself, including a case like the previous episode pair, which even justified its more traditional two-parter structure with an "immortal" monster to make the occasion feel more special.

With only half a Hanto story and a suprisingly uneventful Halloween romp for Shouma, I didn't feel there was a lot to unpack here, despite enjoying myself, which wouldn't be a problem if this weren't Gavv. I still liked all the characters and the fighting and everything the same way I usually do, but I also want to be able to say that I saw something fresh or clever in there too. Call me greedy, I guess, but I especially would've liked Shouma's side of the plot to build to something dramatically on top of simply being cute. (I also found it weird that Sachika is only here for like two seconds, but I suppose she *did* just get her own spotlight story, to be fair.)

Still, since Kaori Kaneko does have that other half of a script left, I'll wait at least until seeing that before I cast any firm judgments about the idea of guest writers on this show. I've liked plenty of things Kaneko has written before; that's why I'm holding the episode to the usual standard! I honestly didn't expect to feel any major difference without Junko Koumura around. Heck, now that the door's been opened, maybe I should ask Santa for a Christmas episode by Ayumi Shimo or something. Could be pretty great!