[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaskedRiderAsakura

Hmm. I really get the feeling that Shouma might be the Wolf Granute that Hanto is looking for and that because his half-human DNA can't control his monster form, he was given the red Gavv to suppress it. And it's possible the reason his mom didn't want him to eat Dark Treats, the reason his dad locked him away and the reason his siblings tried to kill him is because of this. Maybe eating Dark Treats alsp triggers this transformation.


Just my crackpot theory.

I'm convinced.

Off topic, the granute that was dragged to Stomach was voiced by Kohei Shoji aka Kiramai Silver's actor apparently. If true, then this makes it another Faiz reference, specifically the Crab Orphnoch who was voiced by Satoshi Matsuda aka Ren/Knight in Ryuki.

[gashatfreak]

So let me get this straight. Stomach Inc sells Dark Treats, which are addictive. Then they forcibly recruit people who've grown dependant on Dark Treats and promises more if they do Stomach Inc's work.

Bruh, this is just a pyramid scheme.

Also, with all this talk of marriage and whatnot, along with a caste structure and visual aesthetic that looks like its been ripped out of an old Victorian-era novel, the Granute World is starting to remind me of those trashy fantasy romance manhwas I love to read.

[gashatfreak]

Also, Shouma is definitely the Granute who killed Hanto's mom. We don't actually know when the Hitopress method was created; Suga said that the Hitopress method was created recently, but I think we know better than to trust anything the guy says at face value.

[Kiwami]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

So let me get this straight. Stomach Inc sells Dark Treats, which are addictive. Then they forcibly recruit people who've grown dependant on Dark Treats and promises more if they do Stomach Inc's work.

Bruh, this is just a pyramid scheme.

And they plan to get authorities hooked so they can effectively rule the world. Evil shit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

Also, Shouma is definitely the Granute who killed Hanto's mom.

By the way, do we know Hanto's mother is dead? I don't think that's been confirmed yet. And if they are that particular about not confirming it she might be out there somewhere still.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

And they plan to get authorities hooked so they can effectively rule the world. Evil shit.



By the way, do we know Hanto's mother is dead? I don't think that's been confirmed yet. And if they are that particular about not confirming it she might be out there somewhere still.

Iirc I believe she was attacked by the Granute and never to be seen again.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

Iirc I believe she was attacked by the Granute and never to be seen again.

She can be someone's concubine, like Shouma's mother. But then this in any case implies the participation of other Granutes.

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

Hanto/KR Valen doesn't like the fact that his real identity has been revealed in front of Shouma/KR Gavv. And Shouma/KR Gavv calls Hanto/KR Valen by his human name, so he gave away the clue that he's already known Hanto/KR Valen. So, Hanto/KR Valen simply asks Shouma/KR Gavv to reveal his identity in front of him because he thinks it's not fair that he was the only one whose identity is revealed. Yep, it's that simple. No need for probing. No need for questioning. No need for deduction. No need for reasoning.

Well yeah, Valen only got dehenshined due to him heroically risking his body to prevent Early from escaping with Emi, so it seems respectful for Gavv to reciprocate at that point, as their circumstances could easily have been the other way around. Hanto earned the right to know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

The headache does seem convincing of it likely being the case. At the same time, one speculation I have thought up for now is someone else was fitted with it, a test subject before Shouma, and the Gavv belt happens to retain the memories of that test subject.

I recall there is something like that with real life organ transplants to support your theory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Shouma's cross-dressing are a clear influence of long work on Sentai. He took so much effort that he even painted his nails. Although he could have simply chosen closed shoes.

At least now we have confirmation about Gavv's talons, that they're not part of Shouma's regular anatomy. Those fashionable clothes look like something Sachika would wear, so I wonder if she let Shouma borrow them for the investigation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

The way Valen created the chocolate chip is cool, but the star of the show is his donut shape. It was funny and absurd, especially with putting donuts on the crocodile. Also am I the only one who thinks Gurukan is used too much?

Valen Doumaru made me hungry for donuts. And yeah, I'm also tired of seeing Gavv Gurucan finish the fight with his big stupid asymmetrical gatling gun everytime. I wanted to see Zakuzakuchips more. Otherwise, it was a pretty enjoyable fight scene in a cool underground location.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Sheeta and Jeeb also went on the warpath. I feel a separation awaits the twins, and a much more terrible and prolonged one. I wonder which of them will die first?

I think Eclipyon's suggestion sounds plausible, that they'd rather die together (literally) than live apart. However, if one of them dies first, my intuition tells me that it would be Theta, setting up Jeep to become the arc-finale villain to avenge his sister.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaskedRiderAsakura

Hmm. I really get the feeling that Shouma might be the Wolf Granute that Hanto is looking for and that because his half-human DNA can't control his monster form, he was given the red Gavv to suppress it. And it's possible the reason his mom didn't want him to eat Dark Treats, the reason his dad locked him away and the reason his siblings tried to kill him is because of this. Maybe eating Dark Treats alsp triggers this transformation.


Just my crackpot theory.

The main problem with your theory is that Granute Wolf was already fitted with the red Gavv during his rampage. I recall the human side only caused Shouma to be born with a deformed Gavv, so Bouche asked Dente to transplant the prosthetic red one to make him function like a healthy Granute. However, I believe there is definitely a connection between Granute Wolf's rampage and the red Gavv.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Oh no they're gonna pull a Faiz. And it's even a wolf monster too, WTF

Then Super Hero Time in Spring will have 2 wolves as the face.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I recall there is something like that with real life organ transplants to support your theory.

Interesting.

[DreadBringer]

New mystery, something suspicious regarding the main character now.

So Shoma finally reveals his identity because of him blurting out Karakida when seeing Valen's human form thus he's forced by Valen to do so. Although Shoma and Hanto seem to be growing closer, using each other's given names, there's still a potential tension as Shoma realizes that, to Hanto, he appears to be just another modified human like himself. Hanto also expresses frustration towards Shoma for focusing on him instead of defeating Granute Early, though he later apologizes for his outburst.

This section reveals that Hanto doesn't value his own life due to his numerous losses. In contrast, Shoma values life and this is why he protects others, including Hanto. I wonder if this suggests that Shoma is a hero who doesn't condone recklessness or sacrificial methods. Shoma experiences headaches whenever he hears about Hanto's mother, Sae, being eaten by Granute. There is a theory suggesting that Shoma himself was the Granute that consumed Sae. This reminds me of Joker Undead pre-Hajime.

I'm not sure if Gavv would even be able to defeat Granute Early if he followed Valen's wishes. Valen wants all Granutes to be exterminated, but that doesn't guarantee Gavv's success. Unless Guruchan can solo Granute Early. Zakuzakuchips’ swords can be strengthened with Valen's chocolate, but I was expecting more in Valen filling the bowl with a substantial amount of chocolate, thinking of something like Geats filling up the tank with water to blow away the Jamato hordes.

The compressed humans not remembering any moments from when they were compressed might potentially have Emi never learn about being scammed, though turns out she did, and for this case, Sachika tolerating the Riders is utilized like Hanto in ep. 5, to help more people understand that they're not monsters. Though likely Emi wouldn't be targeted anymore after this because she's no longer happy and has become fearful of further attacks. No longer a premium ingredient.

And yes, Granute Early tries to scam other people now, using alternative accounts like "Getaro", like real life scammers. Sachika continues her role as an informant, working tirelessly through the night to identify Granute Early's alternate accounts, though it's a trial and error case. Her efforts highlight her dedication to helping others, Emi and Hana in this case. More, and unexpected, similarity to Philip, Shoma too even crossdresses to bait the Granute Early from Sachika's information.

After meeting Gavv, Lango realizes why Jeebh and Shita failed in their mission; Gavv's physical strength exceeds Lango's expectations. Despite this, Jeebh and Shita are still expelled from the hideout they created, as they are no longer part of the company. They're portrayed more sympathetically, especially in the moment when their hands are forcibly pulled apart. However, they still lack positive traits, apart from their love for each other, and they continue to deflect blame onto Gavv.

[Fish Sandwich]

Valen pointing a camera at a fight scene with Gavv like he's me looking for a screencap to use every week was unexpectedly relatable.

What was no less relatable, but much more expected, was the strong human drama in this one, which was especially suited to Kamihoriuchi's talents as a director. Not that I think that big two-hander scene with Shouma and Hanto would've suddenly turned out bad under anyone else, but there's an atmosphere to it that I definitely suspect is his doing, and that enhances the strong performances of the two actors, who are reading dialogue from an extremely strong script to begin with.

There's so much fantastic emotion from both characters all through that conversation, both really having their respective paths in life reflected in the things they're each saying, and it all makes me as happy to have this new version of the status quo as I was to have the old one.

The show also pulls that slick little trick of exposing Shouma's identity as a Kamen Rider to Hanto, but pointedly saving for later the revelation that he's a Granute with a direct blood relation to the main bad guys. For one thing, it immediately reassures the viewer that it isn't like they just resolved the relationship between these two before even hitting the halfway mark, and that's nice. Just in the moment though, the way that hesitation is itself important characterization for Shouma, how he still feels that fear and maybe even some shame and all that, it makes the episode a lot richer emotionally. It's very happy in that Shouma and Hanto utlimately only become closer now that they share each other's secret, but there's that sadness underneath that Shouma still can't feel comfortable sharing himself completely.

It's just kind of a great episode all around, really? I loved Sachika here, too, for example. She's basically at least as much of a powerhouse as the actual Riders, even if her form changes don't come with potato swords or chocolate guns. In the information age, being *that* adept with social media is frankly as impressive as any amount of fighting, and probably much more useful on a day-to-day basis. Hanto is very smart to rely on her help with that kind of stuff.

Needless to say at this point, the action didn't disappoint either. Gavv rides his bike again, they made sure to do the eye thing for the first big double transformation, the chocolate-coated swords were a perfectly Gavv kinda way to highlight the teamwork going on... heck, despite the wildly different context, Shouma gets a dou suru in there, so even that (kinda) checks out! Again, really hard episode to go wrong with!