[Mesnick]

Once, back in university, I came across a bagel without filling. It wasn’t the kind of bagel I picked up by accident. There was a cavity inside for the filling, just an empty one. But despite my disappointment about this, the bagel turned out to be delicious.

What was the point of the previous paragraph? Well, it seemed to me that the conversation about Gavv should start with a story about food. So let’s continue in the chosen direction. There is a theory that in order for your criticism not to cause aggression, it should be the filling in a sandwich of praise. That is, you start with a compliment, then express a remark, and end again with a list of pluses. This approach supposedly allows you to overcome hostility and make criticism truly constructive. In practice, I can say that it doesn’t work, and you will still be called a hater, ignoring all the praise.

So instead of a sandwich I have bread and butter today. I will immediately express all my complaints about the show, and then move on to compliments. And I want to start with the villains.

And here I will immediately have to backtrack and note that they are not bad in themselves. Yes, simple, but not so much as to seem like cardboard or walking clich?s. They have understandable motivations, influence on the plot and other characters, and lives outside the role of antagonist. Even Lango and Bocca, although devoid of any sympathetic traits, do not do evil for the sake of evil or the destruction of civilization/planet/universe. On the contrary, they are busy creating their own world with themselves at the helm, and it is not a fact that it would be too bad for a lucky person or an average Granute.
So in themselves, the villains from Gavv are not bad. But they do not cope well with their task precisely within the framework of the show. Because there are reasons why the connection with the villains Philip, Koyomi, and Ryuga Banjo was revealed only towards the end. And it's not just the desire to surprise the viewer with an unexpected twist and raise the stakes before the finale, but also the need to keep them low until then. If your hero and the villains are relatives, then the relationship between them will be different, ambiguous, and more complicated. Gavv has it, but not enough and very unevenly. For an example of how to properly and effectively show an evil sibling, I recommend watching Gozyugers.
Here you can argue that Shouma's origin is an open secret and his connection to Stomatch was obvious from the very beginning. But I disagree, because:
A) This is not true. Nothing prevented the writers from pretending for a while that Shouma is the son of one of the temporary workers.
B) The show made a mystery out of the obvious in the case of Masaru, whose connection to Shouma's mother was guessed as soon as he started appearing frequently.
You can't ignore the obvious parallels within the franchise either. The Stomachs are a family of antagonists who sell an analogue of a fantasy drug, and of which the main rider of the show is a part. Just like Sonozaki from W. Also among the villains of the show there is a mad scientist who is close to one of the family and is guilty of the death of people dear to the secondary rider. Even Bokka and Liesel can be compared to the X Foundation due to their late appearance and much larger level of influence. And for all this similarity, as well as the ability to take into account the shortcomings of W, Gavv does worse. At the same time, I do not consider W as a sinless standard and admit that Sonozaki are also passive villains with a bunch of unnecessary scenes. But even when Ryubei just drinks tea and hugs a cat, it still looks more natural and charismatic than Lango sitting in a dark conference room or standing on a roof. Although, perhaps, this is the merit of the cat ��

Another significant drawback of Gavv is the pace. The plot, which is good in a short retelling, develops very unevenly, sometimes lingering in one place for a long time, then suddenly bursting into a rapid avalanche of important events. And if this is usually imperceptible within one episode, then after watching several in a row, it is no longer possible to close your eyes to it. And I would even take this approach (in fact, I did it) if it did not lead to the fact that the plot-important events seem very compressed in time. We barely had time to understand Nyelv, and he was already dead. And the ending turned out to be very rushed.
Among other problems, one can also note the schematic nature of the Granute world. It is clear that the budget imposes its limitations, but then it would have been worth showing Bokka and his palace less. Let the president be a mysterious, powerful force, like the cosmic entities from Super Sentai of the Showa era. And so he looks more like an evil aristocrat-hermit than a ruler.
Also, although Zolda's claims are excessive, I must note that the logic in the show is really often lame, and two or three additional cycles of script editing would have gone to Gavv's advantage. The theme of "riders are considered monsters" was never revealed. Although it is worth noting that if Gavv's basic form left room for such assumptions, then the rest, as well as Valen and Vram, completely destroyed them. However, Granute's design could have been made differently so that the concept of candy monsters did not seem like something idiotic in the show's universe.
I would also like a bigger role for Sachika. I wish Suga's noble motivation was expressed not only for the audience. Furthermore, I wish Shouma and Dente's different views on Bush were not limited to two sentences. But these are just trifles, and I'm starting to get a little carried away collecting them.
In general, if I summarize my criticism, then the impressions of Gavv are exactly what you expect from a show about junk food: it was fun, I really liked it, but it's over, and I'm still hungry. So even in its minuses, the series corresponds to the chosen theme. Although I doubt that it was intentional.

But let's finish with the criticism and move on to praise. Gavv is the long-awaited breakthrough of the Reiwa era riders. The first show that most of the audience likes. No matter how much I love Saber, he was met very coldly, and even after the triumphant knightly campaign, there were many unconquered fortresses, aka audience hearts, left for him. Well, there are no books that everyone likes. But sweets are refused only on principle.
Gavv is the same golden mean between the previous G-riders. He managed to find the perfect balance between Geats's meat grinder of suffering and Gotchard's battering ram of optimism. The show has darkness and cruelty that traumatize its characters, but there's also a lot of joy, laughter, and happiness (which I'll talk about in more detail later). Moreover, by going back to the basics, namely the principle "the rider is a tragic hero who has gained power against his own will," the show looks at him from a different angle, showing that heroism is the path to happiness, both for himself and for everyone around him.

I must also note that I simply adore the characters of the show. At first glance, they follow the types laid down in the early Heisei: the na?ve, optimistic main rider; the hot-tempered secondary; and the tertiary with a tragedy in his past. We've seen all this more than once. But they all behave in a way that is perceived as living people, not clich?s. And, no less importantly, good people, who can be forgiven for all their mistakes, because you understand that they wanted better and blame themselves for their mistakes. Shouma, with his softness and inexperience, Hanto is always ready to rush into the thick of things, regardless of the inequality of forces. Lakia is one of his own among strangers, a stranger among his own, who is slowly finding a new meaning in life. I would also like to separately mention Sachika, who, having always been hyperactive, becomes helpless and vulnerable when faced with tragedy. This is understandable because, unlike the riders, there have been no losses in her life, and therefore she does not know how to overcome them. I will remind you that even an insult from a stranger upset her and knocked her off track; what to say about the death of a loved one? But even when there are tears in her eyes and you don’t want to smile at all, Sachika finds the strength to support her friends.

And now let’s talk about happiness. This is the central theme of the show (yes, sweets are more of an entourage that also brings happiness), and therefore being outraged by its frequent mention is like spitting on friendship in Fourze. Happiness connects all the main characters. The show's heroes are looking for their own happiness. Shouma was born in a joyless world, where he received only crumbs of happiness from his mother, and then suddenly transported to the place of his dreams. For the first time in his life, he saw so much happiness, and therefore he is ready to protect it at all costs. For Hanto, traumatized by the loss of his mother, happiness is that no one else repeats his fate, so he will desperately strive for this through obstacles, suffering, mistakes, and new losses. On the other hand, for Lakia, happiness was his brother, so after Comel's death, he, albeit with the apathy inherent in the character, is looking for something new. And he finds it in his role as a protector. So, in fact, all three riders of the show have in common that for them, heroism is the path to happiness. And that is why Sachika, for whom happiness is helping others, becomes an ideal ally for them. And then there is Dante, who found his happiness in eating sweets in a cave. He also helps the heroes, but out of a sense of guilt. And through him it is shown that even if you change from the past, you cannot escape and will have to answer for your sins.
On the other hand, the villains of the show already have happiness (except Shuga. He lost his before the show began and is trying to replace it with a surrogate) but they do not value it and therefore lose it. The twins enjoy their unity but are completely indifferent to everyone else. Glotta values her family, but gentle words escape her only on the verge of death. Nyelv lives in a world without his hated grandfather and is busy with his favorite work, but he himself destroys himself, getting involved in a confrontation that is too serious for him. Lango, contrary to his own words, has all the prospects for a brilliant future, but his old grievanceslikes, inability to get out of the shell of prejudice and feigned coolness destroys him. Twice. The same applies to Bokka, who, being the most powerful, dies because he wanted even more power. In fact, the crime of all local villains is that they encroached on someone else's happiness instead of enjoying their own. And the heroes protect him from them. In this regard, the contrast is not bad, but I would like it to be felt on a more personal level.

Now let's move away from philosophy and talk about the action. It is gorgeous. The active use of both real and CGI environments makes it unique in each episode. I could list my favorite moments for a long time, from the stretch between containers to Gavv running on thrown knives, but then I would have to remember them all, so I'll move on to the costumes.
And, in my opinion, all the battles about them are a dispute between blunt and sharp-edged.

The costumes in Gavv are normal. This is exactly what you would expect as soon as the theme with sweets was announced, so you shouldn't be indignant at them. But at the same time, unlike Gaim or Ex-Aid, they have no uniqueness outside the theme, so praising them would also be overkill. But what really impresses me is the implementation of their abilities. It's not just a snack-based design but also taking into account all the features of the chosen food, including the minuses. Very cool. My personal favorite is Valen's chocolate donut with its cartoonish effects.

However, I must note that the combination of an unusual theme and its chic implementation was able to even change the audience's priorities. Usually riders are criticized for the large number of forms, but in Gavv, on the contrary, the audience wanted to see more diverse options. I won't say that this is unique, because I remember the fan art of Majade with a ignater and the Zi-O forms on the Showa riders' theme. But it is in Gavv that this opinion is voiced more often and louder, being, so to speak, in the mainstream of discussions, so I had to mention it.
From forms, let's move on to Gochizo. They are cute, funny useful and perfectly liven up the show. Perfect helpers. I still prefer Chemies for more variety and individuality, but these little colorful boxes are also great. It's a shame that the initiative with live gimmicks will be abandoned next year. But at least the live bike will be back again.

To sum up, I want to say that Gavv is a great show, with which I had a great time. Even the shortcomings I mentioned at the beginning play in its own way to its advantage. Now I will explain this non-obvious idea. Many writers have never been able to surpass their first and/or best show. On the other hand, Komura's debut in Riders turned out to be great, but not flawless. So she has the opportunity to do better next time. And I personally will look forward to it. But first, I will enjoy the Gavv post-content, which I really do not want to say goodbye to and which I will mention more than once.
I think I can safely give Gavv the second place among my favorite Riders of the Reiwa era, and even the first, if you put aside personal preferences. Needless to say, it was a great show. But, after a delicious snack, it is useful to take a little nap for better digestion of food. And who knows what incredible adventures you will see in your dreams?
Autumn is coming, and with it, Zeztz.