[Fish Sandwich]

I will say, I found the way Valen and Vram wrapping up their fights was edited into the middle of Gavv's to be very awkward. There are all sorts of tricks to cut things like that together smoothly, and it's sort of shocking to see an episode directed by Sugihara of all people having action that can be said to in any way lack flow.

That's about the only real complaint I can muster for this one, though?

Even the fact that Valen and Vram get that bit of focus during the climax, in of itself, is actually one of the things I really love about the story here. Master Mode's debut is all about bringing into focus the totality of everything Shouma has accomplished since escaping the Stomach household. The friends he trusts to fight alongside him are obviously going to be a part of that, and it's also why this episode pair brings back Rittsun from the second episode for such a prominent role, and why this back half even specifically loops all the way back to the premiere when Shouma is receiving that reminder from Hanto of all the good he's done in this world.

Once again, it fits the Gochipod's entire gimmick perfectly, being a story about how countless smaller thoughts and actions have accumulated into the singular undeniable truth that Shouma's life has meaning and worth. And the dramatic weight of Shouma coming to understand how much meaning and worth is where I think this episode excels most.

In a lot of ways, Shouma's real triumph over Lango happens before he ever throws a punch, you know? Throughout the episode, his older brother's words keep ringing in his head, taunting him every time his confidence starts to falter, the years of trauma overpowering the part of Shouma that already knows better, as though he's still the same helpless child he once was. And that specific angle is the nuance that made this episode land really well for me. It feels like an appropriate progression, where rather than merely finding strength by looking forward to the good times he can create by standing firm, Shouma looks back to realize he's already won this argument. Maybe *Lango* is still the same person *he's* always been, but Shouma definitely isn't. Shouma has been able to see, to do, to feel so much that Lango can scarcely even conceive of. Shouma is glad to be alive.

The smile on Shouma's face as he says that last bit is worth the entire episode all on its own -- the way he only realizes just as the words are about to leave his mouth that he really, truly means them from the bottom of his heart. That there's no longer a shred of doubt in his mind, after all he's been through.

There's plenty else to love about this episode, of course. I do quite like that fight afterwards, especially for how Over Mode and Master Mode are framed in a codependent manner which is both great fun to watch in action *and* continues that thematically relevant trend of Gavv being weak and strong at the same time that goes all the way back to PoppinGummy's breakable armor. I love the idea that the Gochipod is less two incredibly powerful new forms and more two halves of a form that only becomes truly powerful when combining their strengths to cover for each other's weaknesses. Again, fits with everything else going on quite nicely!

But even still, Master Mode's coolness here is ultimately the punctuation following the complete statement which is that smile. The period at the end of the sentence may make it hit that much harder, but the real impact comes from what it's helping to express.