[Paladin]

Shoma is alarmed when "kind and gentle" people suddenly begin vanishing from the city.

[gashatfreak]

What an unfortunate name for an episode lol

[Zolda]

Shouma says at the opening section that he hasn't told Hanto that he's a human-Granute hybrid and wonders if it'd be okay if he keeps hiding that fact. So yeah, like I've been hypothesizing since episode 5 here, this arc would likely concluded with Hanto finding out about Shouma's secret identity as a human-Granute hybrid who might also have been the Wolf Granute who kidnapped (and killed?) his mom 18 years ago. Hanto would likely be very surprised when he finally found out about it, which would mean that his plot is an idiot plot. Hanto: "So, you're not a human, Shouma?!" Me: "No shit, Sherlock."

Nyelv says @ 02:03 that the (bird?) Granute of the week has been gathering quite a number of Hito Pressed humans and thinks that KR Gavv and KR Valen will disturb her operation. He thinks that the time is ripe for the debut of his newly completed Driver.

Shouma is showing Hanto the photo of the victim of the week, a missing high-schooler named Takeshi, and suspects that his disappearance had something to do with Stomach's Granutes. Hanto informs Shouma about the possible connection between Takeshi's disappearance with the mass disappearance caused by Lage 9 in a court room in episode 15 and a movie theater in episode 16. So, why hasn't Shouma already heard of those mass disappearance cases? Such outrageous mass disappearances of that scale should've definitely made the top news of the past 2 weeks (like they did in KR Kuuga), and at least Sachika should've told Shouma about it. Also, I forgot to mention that since Lage 9 Hito Pressed every single human inside the court room and movie theater, wouldn't have he already attracted the police's attention? Say, if there were 30 people inside the court room and 100 people inside the movie theater, and 29 people inside the court room disappeared and 99 people inside the movie theater disappeared, then would've his exit from the court room and movie theater already informed the police that he's the culprit? And what about the CCTV camera recordings inside and outside those crime scenes? If he did his job in a discreet manner at relatively discreet places like the previous Granute of the weeks did then he could've gotten away with it. But he did his job in a very very very brazen manner in public places which are normally monitored with CCTV cameras. And what about eye witnesses outside those crime scenes? There should've been many many many people outside of the court room and movie theater who had seen him entering and exiting the crime scenes, so the police should've already identified him, a suspicious looking guy with an eye-catching (and out of place) big, black coat, as the culprit of those cases, and his photos from CCTV camera recordings and eyewitness testimonies should've made into the top news in the past 2 weeks. Those news should've already been heard at least by Sachika, who is the busy body character of this story, who would've then informed Shouma. So, why is Hanto the only person bringing it up? Why haven't Sachika nor Shouma already been informed about those cases already? Why is Sachika, who has been shown as the most social media-savvy character in this story, sooooooooooooo conveniently out of the loop? Don't know! If Shouma had already known about it, then he would've already discussed it with Hanto in episode 15, right after Lage 9 did his brazen rodeo, and would've already commanded his Gochizous to patrol the city, look out for Lage 9's movements, and intercepted his job. Sachika, and ultimately Shouma, was conveniently made out of the loop simply in order to allow Lage 9 to do his job perfectly at the movie theater in episode 16, gathered so many high-quality Hito Pressed humans, gained Lango's and Glotta's trust, and then be trusted with Nyelv's new;y developed Driver. As always: Plot convenience. What a great writing! :V

And @ 04:32 Sachika is searching for Takeshi, perhaps thinking that she can do a better job than the police do. What a busy body. Ikki Igarashi and Ace Ukiyo would be jealous of her busy-bodiness, haha. Her busy-bodiness could be one of the signs that she'll become a Rider later, haha.

Shouma is commanding 3 of his Gochizous to search for Takeshi @ 04:56. So yeah, had he known about Lage 9's action in the court room in episode 15 earlier, he would've already commanded his Gochizous to search for Lage 9 to prevent his next action from happening at the movie theater in episode 16.

Dang, I've just mentioned 2 instances of Lage 9's previous actions, and @ 05:07 he does the exact same thing at a lecture room containing 17 people listening to a lecturer talking about common frauds targeting elderly people. Lage 9 does his third action using the exact same brazen method, and heck, even the same clothing! Gosh, how dense the police (and the civilians) in this story can be? Just because this is a story about vigilantes fighting otherworldly invaders doesn't mean that the police (and the civilians) can do nothing to at least try to stop them and preventing their next crimes from happening. They still have normal, healthy, and well-functioning logic, rationality, and common sense, right? Right? Right?

Shouma is following in Sachika's footsteps and encounters Lage 9 who has just finished doing his job. When Shouma is asking him about Takeshi, Lage 9 simply replies @ 06:12 that he's tired. In the scene @ 06:56 Lage 9 wonders how many more Hito Pressed humans that he needs to collect. This could mean that he definitely has an ulterior motive in working for Lago/Stomach. He could be a police/DEA spy like I've been hypothesizing, or he could be a civilian Granute who had a personal grudge against Stomach, or a combination of both possibilities. If he's indeed a civilian Granute or a police spy Granute with more than a professional motive, then his personal grudge could have something to do with Stomach's actions in the past. Perhaps one or several of his family members, friends, or relatives were victims of Dark Snack fatal overdose. A Dark Snack overdose could likely cause a Granute to gain extraordinary power and or go berserk, and in severe cases, ultimately causes a fatal harm to the Granute. If Dark Snacks can indeed cause overdose, then this could be a possible route of granting a berserker form to Shouma/KR Gavv. And perhaps the elusive Wolf Granute who kidnapped Hanto's mom 18 years ago was indeed Kid Shouma who was fed with Dark Snack overdose by Dente who thought that Dark Snacks could've strengthened Kid Shouma's Gavv. There's still a huge problem with Kid Shouma being the elusive Wolf Granute, where it makes no sense for Dente to release the berserk Kid Shouma into the human world. Perhaps Dente accidentally left Stomach's interworld portal open, or intentionally release the berserk Kid Shouma into the human world to kidnap several humans to make up for the Dark Snacks he consumed. Maybe.

Nyelv visits Lage 9 at his hideout @ 07:04, and @ 07:23 offers Lage 9 another secret part-time job, a secret only known by him and Lage 9. So yes, like I mentioned last week in episode 16 thread here, it's indeed a secret deal between Nyelv and Lage 9. Lage 9 asks Nyelv @ 07:42 whether his deal is more profitable to him than Lango's deal. Nyelv straight out voices his suspicion of Lage 9's ulterior motive @ 08:06, so he has already been reading between the lines likely since Lage 9 was recruited by Lango in episode 12, and asks Lage 9 to drop his cover only in front of him. Lage 9's reply Nyelv's straightforward question with a long sigh, which could imply that Lage 9 is quite a lazy police spy, or even a novice one, who thinks that he could get near Stomach's upper leadership as quickly as possibly without much work. His laziness was also implied in episode 15 @ 15:46 where he complained that he needed to do the grunt work in the human world before gaining Lango's trust. Someone with a personal grudge should've been more eager and louder like Hanto, not lazier and laid back like Lage 9. If Lage 9 is indeed a lazy novice police/DEA spy, then he likely has no personal grudge against Stomach like I mentioned earlier, since his motive is professional and his only incentive is his monthly wages and pension fund, haha. Nyelv says @ 08:30 that he wants Lage 9 to become the hunter who hunts the Granute hunters (Shouma/KR Gavv and Hanto/KR Valen), and discloses upfront that Lage 9's reward will be huge, be it in the form of Dark Snacks or other wishes, where in Lage 9's case could be money. Nyelv considers Lage 9's long glance @ 08:55 an agreement, and reveals his newly developed Driver, the Vrastum Gear and the Doppudding Gochizou. Nyelv could be plotting to corrupt Lage 9's professional (albeit lazy) motive and manipulate him to do his bidding with the final goal to claim the CEO position from Lango. What makes no sense is if Nyelv gives the Vrastum Gear to Lage 9, then Lango should know it, since the Vrastum Gear's (and Valen Buster) development was financed by Stomach. Nyelv's plot would only work if the Vrastum Gear was developed at Nyelv's secret lab. It'd be soooooo convenient if Nyelv developed the Vrastum Gear (and the Valen Buster via Kenzou) with his own fund.

In the scene @ 09:24 Sachika asks the owner of a restaurant where Takeshi worked part-time, and he says that Takeshi went to the Youko no Oka/Sunshine Hill Park to practice tennis after finishing his shift. Hanto investigates another victim of the (bird?) Granute of the week, a staff member of the movie theater where Lage 9 did his action in episode 16. In the scene @ 06:18 Shouma is also informed of another victim of the (bird?) Granute of the week, the daughter of the acquaintance of a random man's wife. Sachika informs Shouma @ 10:24 that she's on the way to the Youko no Oka/Sunshine Hill Park where Takeshi was last seen, but her call is abruptly ended. Shortly after, Hanto calls Shouma to inform him about another victim of the (bird?) Granute of the week he investigated earlier (a staff member of the movie theater), and says that the actions of the (bird?) Granute of the week is completely unrelated to Lage 9 actions in episode 15-16. Shouma concludes @ 11:21 that Takeshi and the other victims of the (bird?) Granute of the week are kind and gentle people, and worries that Sachika could be in danger because she's about to visit the Youko no Oka/Sunshine Hill Park where Takeshi was last seen. Several moments later it's revealed that Sachika's call earlier was abruptly ended because her phone's battery died. I was like, "Hey Sachika, have you ever heard of the latest, greatest invention of humanity? It's an object called power bank." Haha. Sachika's call being abruptly ended is sooooooooooo convenient. Its only functions as a warning to Shouma that Sachika could be in danger of encountering the (bird?) Granute of the week. If Sachika is a person who has common sense and brings a power bank, then her call to Shouma wouldn't have abruptly ended. The "unreachable phone = danger" trope used here is almost identical to the one used in episode 11 @ 12:50 where Hana wasn't able to reach Emi's phone due to Emi having been Hito Pressed by Niwa the scammer guy/the strange kid/the crocodile Granute. TLDR: Sachika brings a power bank = Her call to Shouma is not abruptly ended = Shouma is not worried = No subplot for Sachika being in danger of encountering the (bird?) Granute of the week. One more evidence of how laughably lazy, convoluted, heavy-handed this story is.

Sachika is going from the Youko no Oka/Sunshine Hill Park to Takeshi's house @ 12:32. She encounters a mysterious woman whose scarf is blown by the wind. Sachika is showing her kindness by getting the woman's scarf back. And yes, that mysterious woman is the (bird?) Granute of the week who almost gets Sachika, but is prevented by Shouma who arrives there at a very very very convenient time. My Lord in heaven, this scene is soooooooooooooooo ridiculously, comically, hilariously bad. How stupid of a criminal the (bird?) Granute of the week can be? Unless it's for destroying evidence, no criminals who still have normal, healthy, and well-functioning logic, rationality, and common sense, will ever return to or loitering around the crime scene. Being an airborne creature, the (bird?) Granute of the week can easily move to new places and target people from 1000 other places in Tokyo, and she chooses to return to the crime scene (the Youko no Oka/Sunshine Hill Park) where Takeshi was last seen and gets her cover blown by Shouma? Gosh, what a comically dumb criminal she is! The entire subplot in this episode relies on the (bird?) Granute of the week being a comically dumb criminal, so, once again, this story proudly demonstrates how dumb, lazy, and heavy-handed it is. Congratulations, Gavv's writers and producers! :V

Hanto is pissed off at Shouma @ 13:53 for not chasing and exposing the identity of the mysterious woman, who he suspects is the (bird?) Granute of the week. Hanto has just conveniently arrived there, so how is he able to conclude that the mysterious woman is the (bird?) Granute of the week, not a mere random pedestrian? He wasn't even told by Shouma that Sachika and or Shouma would be at or around the Youko no Oka/Sunshine Hill Park, so how the heck is he able to know and pinpoint Shouma's location in the first place? Don't know! Shouma is telling Hanto @ 14:03 that he's commanded a Gochizou to follow the mysterious woman. Since no one in this story but Shouma is able to communicate with Gochizous, let alone command them, isn't this an indirect yet blatant confession that Shouma is not a human? After many pieces of direct and indirect evidence, and even confession, Hanto still can't connect the dots.

The Gochizou that Shouma commanded to follow the mysterious woman returns with the intel of her location @ 17:05, and Shouma decides to follow it. Following the Gochizou guidance, Shouma arrives at a parking lot @ 17:15. But strangely, Hanto also arrives there. How does Hanto know the location of the parking lot, if even Shouma needs to follow the Gochizou to arrive there? Does the Gochizou even know the exact address of the parking lot, and then informs Shouma, and Shouma then informs Hanto via message? Don't know! And the (bird?) Granute of the week is still there after a friendly fire with Lage 9 earlier @ 15:39? Why did she stay there? Why didn't she just go to a new location? What's the reason for her to stay there? Don't know! As expected, she then fights Shouma/KR Gavv and Hanto/KR Valen. And, as shown @ 19:02, Lage 9 is also still there? What's the reason of him staying there? Is it to wait for Shouma/KR Gavv and Hanto/KR Valen who will come there later in this scene? It's impossible, because Shouma/KR Gavv can only arrive there due to the intel from the Gochizou, and Lage 9 doesn't know at all about the existence of the Gochizou that spied on his encounter with the (bird?) Granute of the week earlier, let alone use it to manipulate Shouma/KR Gavv into arriving there. This only shows that both the (bird?) Granute of the week and Lage 9 are blatantly manipulated by the writers. Their decision to stay there makes no sense at all. The sole reason of them staying there is so that Shouma/KR Gavv and Hanto/KR Valen can be together in the same location, see Lage 9 bring out the Vrastum Gear and transform into KR Vram with it, and get their asses kicked by KR Vram. They must stay there at all costs in order for the plot to happen. Gosh, what a very bizarre reasoning! This ridiculously, comically, hilariously heavy-handed scene is just another evidence that the writers and producers of this story is striving to insert a gazillion of plot points into the story, at the expense of logic, rationality, and common sense. The more the writers are trying to make this story a 7D story with a gazillion of plot points, the more it loops back and becomes a laughably 1D, shallow story with very very very little common sense.

It seems like the Vrastum Gear is not a Granute-specific Driver. I think it can also be used by humans, which means that there's still a possibility of Sachika becoming a yellow Rider. Perhaps Lage 9 will have a crush on Sachika (haha), die after getting his cover blown by Lango or his agents, and pass on the Vrastum Gear to her. And it seems like the Doppudding RG can be used several times, unlike Shouma's RG's. If the Doppudding RG and the Purujelly RG are depleted, then Lage 9 would need to request new copies of them from Nyelv, which will make his position disadvantageous since he's now dependent on Nyelv. And how did Nyelv create the Doppudding RG and the Purujelly RG in the first place? Aren't Gochizous supposed to be created by Shouma (a unique human-Granute hybrid) via his Gavv after eating human snacks, not something that can be artificially created (and likely mass produced as well) from a sample of human snacks in Stomach's lab? Aren't Gochizous supposed to be a black swan to Dente, and Nyelv as well? Don't know!

Next week:

Can Shouma in KR Gavv Caking form defeat KR Vram, or will he get his ass kicked by KR Vram? I think the latter is more likely, haha.

The debut of KR Vram's weapon, the Vram Breaker. I'm not really fond of the design. I think it's ugly, haha. The sickle mode makes it even uglier, haha.

[gashatfreak]

Finally caught up.

Lage 9's only been here for like 2 or 3 episodes and I already love him. I was honestly not sold on Vram's suit when I first saw it (I mean, look at it, it's a military infantry suit with a Bob the Builder color scheme), but it's grown on me and I kind of dig it now. His whole 'I couldn't care less' energy helped sold me on it and on Lage 9 as a whole.

I've speculated that Lage 9 might be part of Granute law enforcement, but I've read a theory on Reddit speculating that he might be from a rival drug cartel, which could be interesting if true. Regardless, I'm here for Vram.

Also, Hanto is getting noticably more aggresive, especially after he starts suspecting Shouma is hiding something. I wonder if they're doing a Kamen Rider Ryugen situation and slowly building him up to become an antagonistic force later on.

Gavv continues to cook, and I hope it can continue this momentum for the next three cours.

[DreadBringer]

New Rider debut.

More Sachika focus here as the main victim of the week of this ep. is Takeshi, as she knows her neighbor well. Sachika doesn't seem to hear about the other disappearances and the strange events happening at the theater yet unlike Shoma and Hanto. The people who have disappeared are all described as sweet, which leads Shoma to realize that Sachika might be Granute Chooul's next target, following a troubling pattern.

Chooul appears to be targeting kind individuals, but even Lage9, who's a jerk towards others, qualifies. Although Lage9 mocks Shoma when he asks for help, he maintains a pleasant facade around the Stomachs until Nyelv turns out to be working for his own agenda, where Lage9 becomes colder to him too. According to Nyelv, this cold persona is Lage9's genuine self. Lage9 only agrees to work with Nyelv to become Vram, motivated by his desire to obtain what Nyelv has promised.

Similar to iirc Aya Kujo from W, Chooul disguises himself as a different gender, leading to a change in voice and concealing his true identity as a Granute who lures people for Hitopresses. If Vram is the show's third Rider, it could be the 1st time a Rider show eliminates a third Rider permanently, as Komura doesn't do redemptions (with Stacy being the exception). While Ouja was eliminated for good (though his case might not count due to the reset ending), he was a 4th Rider.

There’s a concerning setup for both Hanto and Shoma. Hanto begins to doubt Shoma based on his reactions when Hanto wants to infiltrate Stomach Inc. In turn, Shoma questions his own character, feeling selfish for lying to Hanto and concealing his identity from Sachika. It’s unclear whether Shoma has an actual dark side or if he’s simply experiencing self-depreciation similar to Sachika’s feelings in ep. 8, but I feel this is him being selfish as I think a kind person should accept Shoma for who he is.

Vram’s debut is a pretty dope one; he really shakes up the battlefield while fighting Gavv and Valen, causing the ground to crack and launching them into the air. So far, his fighting style relies primarily on raw strength. Shoma’s naivety is also apparent as he believes that just because someone is a Rider, they must be good or on the right side. However, being a Rider is simply about possessing power, and it ultimately depends on one’s morality and how that power is used. He now learns that KR has evolved beyond the Showa era.

[Eclipyon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

"Hey Sachika, have you ever heard of the latest, greatest invention of humanity? It's an object called power bank. Haha. Sachika's call being abruptly ended is sooooooooooo convenient. Its only functions as a warning to Shouma that Sachika could be in danger of encountering the (bird?) Granute of the week. If Sachika is a person who has common sense and brings a power bank, then her call to Shouma wouldn't have abruptly ended. The "unreachable phone = danger" trope used here is almost identical to the one used in episode 11 @ 12:50 where Hana wasn't able to reach Emi's phone due to Emi having been Hito Pressed by Niwa the scammer guy/the strange kid/the crocodile Granute. TLDR: Sachika brings a power bank = Her call to Shouma is not abruptly ended = Shouma is not worried = No subplot for Sachika being in danger of encountering the (bird?) Granute of the week. One more evidence of how laughably lazy, convoluted, heavy-handed this story is."

Hey Zolda, have you ever considered that not everyone has a power bank? I myself don't have one too.

[Kiwami]

Fun episode but man that secret between Shoma and Hanto is so nerve-wracking, it gets worse the longer it goes on, you just know this will hurt once it comes out, and it will be revealed at the worst possible time.

I really "dig" Lage9, like I feel we "unearthed" quite the "shiny silver jewel" here, just based on his character I assumed he wouldn't be in the show for long but given his ambitions (and that he received a full set of toys to be sold in stores) I think we have one in for the long run here.

And I think that rules, making the new Rider someone evil but with their own goals in mind, because first of all that takes guts to do (“Hey the characters we want to sell toys for children just kidnapped three dozen people to be processed into food”) and second it' a perfect fit for this show.

The Vram suit is ugly AF by the way and I absolutely love it. I like how similar the undersuit is to Gavv and I adore how he has spoons for antennas. That's so weird but awesome.

I didn't even expect any action this week but Vram delivered, quickly and effortlessly beating both of our Riders. I quite like his style, how they incorporate his Granute abilities, and: Bonus points for snipping a flying piece of debris to block one of Valen's chocolate bullets, that was cool as hell!

[gashatfreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

And I think that rules, making the new Rider someone evil but with their own goals in mind, because first of all that takes guts to do (?Hey the characters we want to sell toys for children just kidnapped three dozen people to be processed into food?) and second it' a perfect fit for this show.

Kids will love roleplaying as a kidnapper, what are you on about?

[Sunred]

So Vram is pretty much Kitazaki Delta with a pinch of Kickhopper.

[Fish Sandwich]

I didn't expect to kick off the new year with a rare complaint about Gavv's usage of suits, but I can't help but note how much it bothers me that Valen only uses Bushel in this one?

I'm willing to anyway because it also gives me the chance to highlight something I've been enjoying about the overall series that I think has escaped my mention until now. There have been several instances so far (5 and 8 come to mind) that actively have Gavv switching back to PoppinGummy for no discernable in-universe practical reason, presumably entirely because the staff felt the base form -- the face of the show, the form that's just a little *more* Gavv than all the rest -- should be the one in those scenes. There are plenty of times it happens for clear enough in-universe reasons as well, but it's those couple of occasions in particular that I think best demonstrate the unusually high level of etiquette the show applies to the costume choices in any given scene.

All this is to say it was a bit surprising to me that in the episode where the third Rider debuts, in a scene where all three Riders are on screen together right away, exactly one of them isn't wearing their main suit. It's not exactly a problem, especially when Valen having that axe is relevant to the fight choreography (and in very cool and fun ways, at that!), but... I mean, I'm honestly not sure how to properly convey why I think this stuff matters to anybody who doesn't already kinda get it. I guess the most important part here is that this is all like whatever the opposite of a backhanded compliment is? I'm "complaining" about Gavv mostly to point out how high a standard I can hold it to. I feel like this show would think it'd be better to have everyone in their base forms at the end because it's the kind of show smart enough to realize a fully Granute Rider's first transformation should probably happen from his monster form to immediately stress what makes him unique.

Oh yeah, and Vram is pretty great so far, by the way! The design has grown on me rather quickly, as tends to be the case with this show. Between the scowling bad guy face and the yellow/orange giving each Rider an immediately distinct overall color scheme, it's doing a lot right on those slightly more quantifiable objective levels. Stuff like the spoon headphones, on the other hand, I like that mostly because I just do?

Lage Nine is also proving to be an extremely interesting presence very quickly, and the fact that Eitoku is the suit actor who gets to bring that across in-costume makes me extremely happy. He's long had exceptional talent when it comes to bringing out the character in the characters he plays, and the slim Rider suit lets him do that easier than the bulkier jellyfish getup does. (And even then he manages to tilt his head just right to get that unenthused attitude across.) I'm excited to see how this guy continues to move the plot from here on, and I'm also just excited to see this guy from here on, so I'd definitely call this a successful debut.