[Paladin]

Nox appears before Baku and reveals a startling transformation.

[Frontier]

I take it Kamen Rider Nox threw all that debris at Zeztz to wake Baku up and end the fight?

So I guess NOX isn't absolutely loyal to Lady, or at least they're kind of using each other to get to CODE.

It's kind of surreal to see Nasuka and Fujimi investigate what happened to the Zeroider not knowing the significance of what this means to Baku beyond a destroyed bike. Guy lost his spy boss and bike pal!

I love how Minami is joining Baku on his investigations.

So Lady was the one who actually kidnapped Nem. And she has some kind of telepathic power? Or a dream power that lets her read minds and charm people?

Ah, so that's why Nem was targeted. It was Haru's subconscious guilt over Nem's physical body disappearance.

What did Lady mean about Nem being done for? Like, she was never going to wake from her coma?

Honestly in Haru's position...even if she'd told people, with no evidence and no person to corroborate or way to find Lady, she would've probably been seen immediately as a suspect in Nem's disappearance. I don't blame her.

Who needs the knowledge of how to actually repair a bike when you have the Recovery Capsem? Too bad it can't bring Zero back.

Zero may be gone but he left Baku the means of still operating his bike and bike metaphors that Baku can remember to inspire him on.

NOX can't quite fathom why Baku is still doing this, and if he keeps getting in their way, NOX will have to stop him. But Baku isn't doing this for CODE, he's doing it for Nem and the Dreamers. And on some level it feels like NOX really doesn't want to fight him, even if he feels like Baku is heading for a tragedy the way he puts others so far above himself.

We were going to get a proper Main vs Secondary fight anyways so may as well get it out of the way. Zeztz Inazuma Plasma vs Nox. Lightning vs Shadow. Speed versus technique. At the end Zeztz tried to beat Nox with a Rider Punch of his own, but ends up de-transforming, though they seemed pretty even for most of the fight. Would Boost have made up the difference?

Dang, Wolf Nightmare ticked Baku off so much he beat him out of suit to make him cough up Nem.

This is Kamen Rider Nox's introductory arc so he has to be the one to finish the Nightmare and unleash his Rider Kick. NOX himself isn't loyal to the Nightmares, they're tools first and foremost, and Nem was never at risk...because NOX and Lady need her and her "bad dream" (?) for their plans.

Nothing suspicious about this attractive psychologist, none whatsoever!

Well, Baku is back in contact with CODE, only it's not Zero....it's Agent 03! Welcome to the new boss.

Next week: Baku goes back to high school!

[Fish Sandwich]

You know, I ended up being grateful for the week off this year because it gave me valuable time to come around to Kamen Rider NOX's design prior to seeing it in the show? NOX Knight already worked fine as a dark reflection of ZEZTZ (that's also the light reflection), and so soon after that suit was introduced, the new one was a drastic enough departure that it read to me more as a different character than an evolution for an existing one, despite keeping the most important broad strokes in the design.

Hilariously enough, though, while it didn't really scream "NOX" to me right away, I realized pretty soon the belt's overall shape and red(ish)/blue lines reminded me of the Blazar Brace, and a bit later than that, I realized "wait, no, the whole design is actually just Ultraman Blazar." Not sure if anyone else has already made this connection? I can't unsee it at this point. The asymmetry with the blue and red(ish) lines dominating the left side of the body? Heck, the chest belts this year even give a bit of a Color Timer look. Now, Blazar is hands down one of my absolute top toku hero designs in recent memory, so that revelation very much endeared me to NOX's new threads. Aesthetically, honestly, it probably is even more up my alley than NOX Knight was. The thing that really makes me love Blazar is how his appearance also tells you a lot about his story, though, which is the part I feel like I'm still not completely seeing here, even though I vaguely think I understand some of what is likely similarly strong intent. Will probably end up liking Kamen Rider NOX even more if I see some interview or something some day spelling that stuff out.

That being said, one thing I'm already sure about is how well it continues to work as the anti-ZEZTZ. Introducing the stark white to contrast against a hero that's generally much darker and muted; how the Shadow Capsem is the power of the thing that had NOX scared right after Baku gained the power of what scared him, it's great stuff. I'm always down for a cool rivalry, and I think the biggest victory of that year-ending episode pair was how it reoriented the relationship between these two characters. I'm really, really, really into the idea of flipping the more traditional rocky Rider relationship on its head by having two people who staunchly oppose each other on a professional level, but also share this sort of mutual respect (and also pity in NOX's case) on a personal level, as fellow agents.

Seeing some of that vast potential realized is but one small part of why I loved this week's episode.

It's just really, really smart, all around? The plotting is very clever in structural ways, like how Minami gets to fill some of that void left by Nem and Zero's absence by giving Baku someone to bounce off of. That clever structure is in service of a story that has a great thrust to it with Baku being so isolated in his mission since again, it's Zero *and* Nem who are gone, an extra level of pressure which lets it focus in on Baku's heroic determination in a very cool way. That strong story is then further supported by all the little touches, including some more great twists on the existing grammar of the show, such as the voiceless mission briefing at the start. The fight scene is also killer? Fantastically creative use of ZEZTZ and NOX's respective abilities, but in a way that still leaves room for dynamic choreography, rather than just feeling like two guys throwing CG at each other or something.

Once again, supremely satisfied this week. I don't necessarily expect every episode after this is going to make me this happy, but part of that is how I feel like they've sorta upped the standard I want to hold the show to now.

[GoldenXtreme]

I enjoyed this week too. Folks, we might finally have a show that is working for me. It's amazing how the show feels like it has actual goals now and the cast is actually meshing with just a few changes to the format. Again, it's really nice that Minami is now involved in the main plot and is helping Baku investigate in real life and it was a nice twist to see that the Dreamer had been lying because she was afraid of being implicated in kidnapping Nem. Honestly if I do have ONE complaint right now, it's the fact the Dreamers still often feel like afterthoughts amid all of the other drama, but it's a minor issue. Indeed, I think the bulk of the interest this episode came from all the interesting things we get to see about both CODE and whatever Lady's faction is up to. Baku is left without official orders, but chooses to keep fighting to help Nem and the Dreamer before getting a mysterious new boss at the end of the episode, while also suffering from headaches, perhaps a health complication of using the power of Nightmares. Odaka seems to have some friction with his own boss and also noting that the Nightmares are nothing but tools to him. Baku and Odaka are still diametrically opposed though and end up fighting, though once again showing a certain amount of mutual concern for each other too. Like Fish said, it's a nice spin on the conflict oriented Primary-Secondary dynamics that are often seen in these shows, where their goals don't align but they also have some respect for each other. It's just nice to see the show moving with such purpose finally.

On to next week: Kamen Rider Ryuki? Or perhaps Geats.

[Mesnick]

So, the main theme of this episode is: do what you can, or half the work is better than nothing. Baku can't save Nem in reality (yet), but he can do it in his dreams. He can't defeat NOX, but he can continue the mission even after defeat (luckily, for NOX, it's enough to hear that Baku is doing it for himself, not CODE).
Baku can't bring Zero back, but Recovery Capsem restores the motorcycle (meaning bike rides will still be in the show). This approach inspires Nurse Haru.
We also learn a lot about Lady in this episode. It turns out she's a telepath. By the way, is that why Zero uses a robotic body? I doubt Lady can read minds and mentally control a machine. And, in the best traditions of espionage, she's approaching Baku under a pseudonym. This will surely have its consequences.
I have nothing to say about Agent 3 yet, except that I don't trust such pale faces. But I'm glad we met another CODE agent. Four left .
I'd also like to point out that after Zero's destruction, Zeztz's mission is no longer announced. This is reminiscent of how, in Saber, after Tassel's capture, he stopped greeting the audience at the beginning of the episode.
Speaking of technical aspects, I liked the fight between Zeztz and Nightmare at the beginning. The barrel-smashing added a touch of reality and brutality to the dream world. It's also great that the fight with NOX didn't turn into a Baku-bashing match. Although, the newer gimmick still wins.
And so NOX continues to be a mysterious, yet
quite logical character.
I also want to say that I'm looking forward to next week. Rescuing your comrades should be exciting. I love these kinds of stories.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Baku is left without official orders, but chooses to keep fighting to help Nem and the Dreamer before getting a mysterious new boss at the end of the episode, while also suffering from headaches, perhaps a health complication of using the power of Nightmares.

Honestly, I thought Baku's headache was due to Lady's mental influence. After all, she appeared so opportunely, right as his head was starting to hurt. But time will tell. Plus, both possibilities could be true.