[StardustWhip]

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Originally Posted by Pokemate91

I feel like the reveal happened too early, and it should have happened in the next episode at the earliest. Also, sae being proven as the desaster to us before the characters learning about it was kinda... lazy? I feel like if it had been revealed to us at the same time as the others, then it would have had a bigger impact. The whole reveal just kind of fell flat for me.

Agreed; I definitely would've preferred if the reveal came for us, the IRL audience, at the same time as it did for the characters. Plus, it felt (at least to me) like there wasn't much evidence prior to this episode that pointed towards Sae being the Desire Star? If anything, Neon was my next prediction after Daichi was revealed to not be Desire Star, followed by Ace.

[Electric Turahk]

It would've been interesting if it was Neon, as some sort of deal with her father to have her independence and his sponsor support. Really started to think that was possible after the scene with her mother. But yeah being the character we haven't been following up till this arc and who will probably be gone after it is the more obvious and predictable route...

[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by goseigold

Wow, I guess one of my theories from last week's thread turned out to be right

Sure looks that way.

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Originally Posted by Pokemate91

Okay. This is my first review on this forum, so bear with me if some thoughts are jumbled.

Beroba being the jyamato sponsor also leads to more questions. Are there multiple sponsors? If the only sponsor is Beroba, why is there no one else supporting the jyamato? Beroba can't be the only one rooting for the villains can she?

Youkoso!

There are definitely multiple sponsors, but Beroba's the only Jyamato sponsor we know about. Gene's phrasing suggests there might be others like her though. I wouldn't be surprised if she was behind the introduction of Jyamato Raise Buckles, a test drive in preparation for becoming a Rider sponsor with Michinaga as her champion. Jyamatos are meant to lose the DGP by design, so a human-Jyamato who was once a qualified Rider could be Beroba's ticket to turning the tables.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

By taking an interest of Michinaga as he wants to destroy all Riders, making him practically similar to Jamatos, as well as his ruthless aims to do anything to win, technically Beroba is also one of the Rider sponsors, so Geats and Buffa rivalry extends to even their sponsors. Sponsors' influences are further shown in Jean giving Ace a secret mission that returns his primary Buckle Magnum, and holding a gun that is potentially a new Raise Buckle. The sponsor's influence is still on equal grounds with other sponsors though, like Kousei ensuring to Irumi that Neon'd prevail with a powerful supporter.

I'm curious to find out about the sponsors' deal, what's their stake in the DGP and reason for supporting their respective Riders. Kousei probably had no choice but to tell Irumi now, since Neon's communal living would've needed to be explained to stop her from freaking out even further. Although, maybe finding out her daughter is involved in a death game is actually more stressful than not knowing? Good for Neon anyway, standing up to her and asserting her independence. Irumi shrugging off Sara's welfare is terrible, as Sara is one of Neon's most loyal fans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StardustWhip

Agreed; I definitely would've preferred if the reveal came for us, the IRL audience, at the same time as it did for the characters. Plus, it felt (at least to me) like there wasn't much evidence prior to this episode that pointed towards Sae being the Desire Star? If anything, Neon was my next prediction after Daichi was revealed to not be Desire Star, followed by Ace.

I thought maybe Tycoon could've used his cloning ninjutsu to throw the apple bomb without blowing his cover, tricking Ace to suspect Neon and Sae, considering how hard last episode tried to make us think Keiwa was innocent and how he's the only one in this episode without any votes against him. But yeah, looks like Sae was the Desire Star all along.

[Daikaijuman54]

Sponsored by Zaia Enterprise.

*insert Pen Pineapple Apple Pen here*

I'm kind of glad to see Buffa back in the game (I mean, we kind of figured) but I'm a little disappointed that he won't be using Zombie Buckle for the time being. Such a good suit that suits him (*wheeze*).

On another note of disappointment, I kind of wish they made the Desastar someone else, since Lupo was a little too obvious (not counting Quiz Owl, who was acting way too obvious, but still).

But regardless of my complaints here, I'm still enjoying Geats. And I love the Create Buckle.

Next Episode: The Wolf's out of the sheep's clothing.

[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Tokumonkey

I wouldn't wager one way or another about whether any of these are intended to be nods to Gaim. It seems to me more likely, given that these are integral plot elements, that there's just some similarity. I suspect the plant-transformation makeup/costuming was reused from that show, but that's about it.

Perhaps it's intentional.... Takahashi isn't the only returning Rider veteran here after all.... Geats has Gaim's director Naomi Takebe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electric Turahk

It would've been interesting if it was Neon, as some sort of deal with her father to have her independence and his sponsor support. Really started to think that was possible after the scene with her mother. But yeah being the character we haven't been following up till this arc and who will probably be gone after it is the more obvious and predictable route...

To be fair, everyone had good arguments of why they can be DezaStars, like how the least standout character is the is valid here, but Daichi's shit-stirring behavior is also valid (and the even more predictable route).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I'm curious to find out about the sponsors' deal, what's their stake in the DGP and reason for supporting their respective Riders. Kousei probably had no choice but to tell Irumi now, since Neon's communal living would've needed to be explained to stop her from freaking out even further. Although, maybe finding out her daughter is involved in a death game is actually more stressful than not knowing? Good for Neon anyway, standing up to her and asserting her independence. Irumi shrugging off Sara's welfare is terrible, as Sara is one of Neon's most loyal fans.

I wonder what are your thoughts about sponsors seemingly tampering the game not unlike Girori, but Game Masters are the one forbidden from interfering while sponsors can be just as much impactful IMO. Irumi shrugging off Sara's welfare is something that is actually expected, as in ep. 3, Irumi looks down on "normies" such as Neon's fans and forbids her from associating herself with them. Irumi's the snob kind of rich where Neon's the opposite. Though, while Irumi is still overall loathed, she gets a few defenders in this case as it makes sense that if parents learn that their kids are in dangerous situation without their consent, they'd also try to get them out, other people be damned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I thought maybe Tycoon could've used his cloning ninjutsu to throw the apple bomb without blowing his cover, tricking Ace to suspect Neon and Sae, considering how hard last episode tried to make us think Keiwa was innocent and how he's the only one in this episode without any votes against him. But yeah, looks like Sae was the Desire Star all along.

It's true that Keiwa is a tanuki thus he's also supposed to be a sneaky trickster, but would you think that this action can be OOC for him to do as this sounds troublemaking, or that this is actually harmless enough for him to do and, how he can fulfill the DezaStar mission as harmlessly as possible?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

I'm kind of glad to see Buffa back in the game (I mean, we kind of figured) but I'm a little disappointed that he won't be using Zombie Buckle for the time being. Such a good suit that suits him (*wheeze*).

Well...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

On another note of disappointment, I kind of wish they made the Desastar someone else, since Lupo was a little too obvious (not counting Quiz Owl, who was acting way too obvious, but still).

It can still be a red-herring where Sae is possibly just holding someone else's DezaStar mission card, like she found it, which likely it can be Neon as she shares the lounge's space with her. And the preview for 21 is described as:

"And behind these battles, there is always a plan as the game of suspicion continues, the Dezastar is actually… "

[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

I wonder what are your thoughts about sponsors seemingly tampering the game not unlike Girori, but Game Masters are the one forbidden from interfering while sponsors can be just as much impactful IMO. Irumi shrugging off Sara's welfare is something that is actually expected, as in ep. 3, Irumi looks down on "normies" such as Neon's fans and forbids her from associating herself with them. Irumi's the snob kind of rich where Neon's the opposite. Though, while Irumi is still overall loathed, she gets a few defenders in this case as it makes sense that if parents learn that their kids are in dangerous situation without their consent, they'd also try to get them out, other people be damned.

Well the sponsors are a major source of revenue for the DGP, so Niram's going to want to keep them happy, even if that means rigging, sadly. I don't like it when executives and stakeholders interfere with results, but I understand why that happens. At least they haven't blown up anybody's head yet though.

I think Ace is right to have reservations about Gene, with how he's digging in to his past. Ace has to fight over and over again to get what the DGP won't give him, so he probably doesn't want to rely on someone like him who doesn't understand that struggle. Beroba is also a sponsor, but unlike the others, she actually wants better game balance between Riders and Jyamatos.

Regarding Irumi, yeah, I agree that her behavior is consistent, she wants to protect Neon from the real danger of the DGP.... But man, I just can't muster any sympathy for her at all. She sucks as a mother and a human being, with her apathy for anybody's feelings except her own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

It's true that Keiwa is a tanuki thus he's also supposed to be a sneaky trickster, but would you think that this action can be OOC for him to do as this sounds troublemaking, or that this is actually harmless enough for him to do and, how he can fulfill the DezaStar mission as harmlessly as possible?

He could've believed in Ace's talent to dodge the impact, like we saw. He might be willing to hinder his fellow Riders to an extent, but if he receives a Secret Mission to do something depraved like Da-Paan feeding Na-Go to the zombies, then yeah, he'd probably draw a line at that. Unless he makes it to late-game and feels confident enough to get his desire granted.

[Mesnick]

Watched the episode. Well, I liked the introduction of the Jamato sponsor, although I still believe that it is the Jamatos who are the main victims of the DGP. Beroba herself is directly a pure villainess, hating humanity simply for its existence (but remember that this is Geats, which means she could well lie). The idea of ​​the round, also with the involvement of relatives, is good, although the moment with the cutting in the last seconds was more like a parody of such clich?s. Keiwa telling Michinage "Are you alive?" this is strange, because Ace shared the story of the meeting with him. It also seems like the VFX budget has been cut slightly since Jamatobol, but the fights are still spectacular due to the very good filming. Overall, a solid episode, but very in-between.
P.S. Regarding Daichi's return in the next episode, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's great that Michinage will have someone to talk to, on the other hand, I would prefer Dapan or Merry. Although, maybe the extra screen time will help Sparrow not look like the clich?d anime smartass that he was in the DGP.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

He could've believed in Ace's talent to dodge the impact, like we saw. He might be willing to hinder his fellow Riders to an extent, but if he receives a Secret Mission to do something depraved like Da-Paan feeding Na-Go to the zombies, then yeah, he'd probably draw a line at that. Unless he makes it to late-game and feels confident enough to get his desire granted.

I would say that Keiwa would be quite ruthless in this episode, but it's more likely due to the threat to his sister and the overall Zombie Buckle vibe.

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Regarding Irumi, yeah, I agree that her behavior is consistent, she wants to protect Neon from the real danger of the DGP.... But man, I just can't muster any sympathy for her at all. She sucks as a mother and a human being, with her apathy for anybody's feelings except her own.

She doesn't deserve any sympathy, though doesn't mean she can't be deemed as someone worse than the likes of Kanato only because she's more infuriating to watch (for now, at least). I hope this kind of move doesn't get defended due to parent position where the kid is always seen as wrong one - naughty and disobedient (me bringing up about 'If I were her I'd do the same thing' excuse was a complaint), and for people to not lump any rich people together with her (other than a villain doing this in Kanato, this is also quite Michinaga move, but done on the rich instead of Riders), which for the latter happens frequently.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

I would say that Keiwa would be quite ruthless in this episode, but it's more likely due to the threat to his sister and the overall Zombie Buckle vibe.

Do you think that there can be ways Keiwa be bold or asserting himself here without being 'ruthless' in your eyes, especially in a case Sae refuses?

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Do you think that there can be ways Keiwa be bold or asserting himself here without being 'ruthless' in your eyes, especially in a case Sae refuses?

I don't really blame him for taking the buckle from Sae (Ace did the same with Neon in the maze episode). I'm more about the fact that he lifted an unresisting enemy with zombie hands and cut him in half. And no, I don't think anyone can look brave while killing a fleeing enemy, but I think it would look less brutal with other weapons.