[Paladin]

Baku's latest dream finds him at a wedding, guarding the father of the bride.

[Zolda]

In the scene @ 04:28, Nemu shows up in the dream realm and is cosplaying as a wedding planner/EO, which means that my hypothesis several hours ago in my elaborated post in episode 3 thread here is proven to be quite correct in this scene. So far, in 4 episodes, Nemu has only appeared in the dream realm, and in the real world, she's only appeared in posters/video ads, never directly in flesh-and-blood in front of her fans. This means that my hypothesis since my 2nd post in episode 1 thread here about Nemu being another dream-dwelling entity who only possesses incorporeal existence with no actual real-life existence similar to the Nightmares (albeit she could be a benevolent variant of it) could be proven correct later.

In the scene @ 10:19, Tetsuya and Nasuka are shown talking to Tsukasa. And yes, like I hypothesized several hours ago in my elaborated post in episode 3 thread here, they are talking about giving Tetsuya's MID a 2nd chance, especially in light of the mysterious explosions at the Tokyo MPD HQ that was caused by Bomb Nightmare breaking out of Tetsuya's body in the real world in episode 3 last week. Although, Tsukasa's authorization to reactivate Tetsuya's MID is unofficial, which means that Tetsuya's MID is now operating as a secret operation. It means that Tetsuya's MID is now an extralegal division of Tokyo MPD and has no legal standing whatsoever. Tsukasa's tactic could serve as a double-edged sword, because it could mean that:
- Tsukasa is planning to have the MID (Tetsuya and Nasuka, and perhaps including Baku as well) work in total secret without any legal backing whatsoever because he needs to erase paper trails from MID's operations (to prevent it from being discovered by the Nightmares, and especially, by humans who had been taken over by the Nightmares, who could be lurking inside Tokyo MPD itself), which means that he has a genuine intention to uncover the Nightmares' schemes and endgame, or
- Tsukasa is planning to have the MID (Tetsuya and Nasuka, and perhaps including Baku as well) work in total secret without any legal backing whatsoever because he's trying to use the MID as a mere tool (read: unknowing suckers) in his own disinformation campaign in order to advance his own nefarious plan behind the scene, which may involve conspiring with Nox and or the Nightmares.
I'm interested to see where Tsukasa's actual loyalty is. Perhaps the real sabotageur inside Tokyo MPD is not Tsukasa, and he would show up mid-season after episode 20.

Mmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyybbbbbbbbbbeeeeeeeeee...

[DreamSword]

Hey! I actually managed to catch the episode right as it went live this time!

The direction of the episode having a noticeable amount of focus on eyes(especially Baku's') got me thinking about the design work in this show.

And I could be totally overthinking it, but I think Zeztz's' red shoes might be a reference to the Wizard of Oz, what with Dorothy's' red shoes and the role they played in the story.

Also, curious that the Moonscoop logo is visible from outside the secret base, when that's been a sign of Baku being in the dream world up to now.

[Frontier]

I love the way Zero reads out the mission in English.

So Baku will take on any role for a Mission, even officiating a wedding as as priest! And Nem is also the wedding planner, though the chapel and romantic atmosphere doesn't help Baku's attempts at flirting with Nem. Also Nem is cognizant that Baku keeps appearing with her in other peoples' dreams.

Watch out for the CG crows! Especially when they turn out to be a Nightmare! Actually does Nox just create the Nightmares out of anything that appears in the dream or that's relevant to the Dreamer?

Baku can use Capsems out-of-suit? Good to know. Even if it weirds out the people dreaming.

Ah, the old "childhood friend trying to steal the bride away" plot. But dude, you're supposed to do this dramatically during the actual wedding itself!

That's a lot of individual people for a single dream, no wonder Baku isn't actually sure whose dream this is exactly.

THE OP IS HERE! AND THEY SUBBED IT!!! With plenty of trippy visuals as Baku and co. deal with the dream world! Showcasing the form changes! Nox and a woman in white (the real Nem?)! Bike riding! Baku shooting somebody, 007 style!

So they're basically fighting a bad dream virus that infected people from the Bomb Nightmare's attack and means Nightmares can attack their dreams. And Baku being Baku blames himself for not stopping the Bomb Nightmare in time to prevent this.

4 episodes and Baku didn't even know what the Capsems he's been using are. But luckily he also now has a handy guide for revealing what the Capsem actually does.

Minami is on that old school Aunt May perspective that she doesn't want Baku doing ANYTHING. I mean, granted, he can't even walk two steps with good intentions without something nearly hitting him so maybe she has a point. But that's also why she can't know about Zeztz.

What are the chances Baku would run into someone relevant to the dream he's in? Good thing any decent spy knows how to tail somebody and listen in on their conversations. The office even has a handy relationship chart!

Congrats to Fujimi! Paranormal Affairs is back on the case! Unofficially! Nasuka still doesn't seem enthused about this, but Fujimi knows Baku is their "in" to solving the Black Cases and the Nightmares.

Enter the Crow Nightmare! Like a plague doctor, but beefier! And watch out for his feathers, they're deadly!

Zeztz flies now! And he's got a bladed wing cape! What an epic dogfight with the Crow Nightmare!

Honestly I think the biggest clue the dream was Miyuki's was Nem being the wedding planner. It only really makes sense if the dream was of the Bride having the wedding instead of someone wanting to sabotage it. Miyuki even got complimented by Nem while acknowledging how meaningful that is coming from a top tier beauty like Nem, something clearly only the Dreamer would want. Which also probably means she subconsciously wants to sabotage her own wedding and that's why Ippei is there.

Next week: The first form change! And Fujimi in the agency!?

[Fish Sandwich]

I like how much of the story of this one is directly rooted in the consequences of the previous story. Really puts into perspective that the series decided to get so apocalyptic so early for a reason, and that provides a great base to drill into Baku's lack self-confidence and how that contrasts with the agent he likes to dream of being. Just a real good setup for a two-parter, built on a three-parter that was itself good setup.

The action was also quite nice, and I appreciate how the fight scenes continue to incorporate the weird dream imagery in ways that don't necessarily have to break the bank. Just flip a few shots upside-down, or have some guys off-screen shoving furniture around, and you can still get the idea across while saving the big bucks for elaborate CG flying sequences. And by the way, I'm really glad ZEZTZ is carrying over the whole Oigashi Change thing straight from Gavv? I think having a smaller number of clear main forms that branch into little sub-forms is a brilliant way to keep things less cluttered while still having the requisite amount of collectable trinkets. It's like a refined version of what made Fourze's whole Module setup so great.

Opening also had some good visuals! I would've preferred something that was timed to the music in a more snappy way, but the imagery is very evocative, with lots of seemingly abstract shots that get me excited about how they'll inevitably take on more meaning the further we get into the story. (The song itself is also pretty up my alley, but I already knew that part. It was genuinely the first thing from this show to get me really excited before the premiere.)

[Switchblade]

Man, how many tokusatsu fake weddings have taken place in that church now?