[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

No wonder the Gochizos are selling like hotcakes in Japan.

Don't be ashamed, embrace the pun.

[Fish Sandwich]

To this day, there are few power-up debut episodes in Rider I'm more personally fond of than the ones about a ringed wizard fighting an immortal bird for the first time, which happened to be written by Junko Koumura. So really, there was never any doubt for me that she'd stick the landing for this pair of episodes, especially with the setup being so strong. If anything, the "problem" with this episode is the highest form of praise I think I can give a power-up episode that isn't for the final form -- "are you *sure* you shouldn't be saving this for the final form???"

It doesn't help that Caking Form already has that energy going in its design? First of all, it's like, how much room is left to go *up* after becoming a king? And then it's got the spiffy white and gold version of the undersuit, the silly yet highly elegant frosting armor and crown, the strawberry bling all over, complete with the red eyes that just pop... honestly, I'll be shocked if any form that comes after this ends up vibing with me more? (Mind you, "as much" wouldn't surprise me at all, with this show's track record.) It's a form I already liked before seeing it in action, and in action, it's everything I could want. The Whip Soldiers in particular were an inspired way to make the royalty motif more meaningful, and they add that crucial distinguishing element beyond simply being very strong.

The other part of that final form energy comes from the narrative, which is everything I think you can reasonably ask for from this genre of episode. It's a real culmination of everything the show has been about so far, building the new form up into a physical representation of the themes and character growth that got us here. I'm actually quite glad I already mostly explained why last week, because that saves me a ton of space here. The final piece is that the cake this time is one Shouma made himself, for someone he cares about, which is the perfect reason for it to create a Gochizo more powerful than the rest. The lesson he learns is that while there's great joy in receiving kindness, the joy of paying kindness back in turn is even greater. If Gavv is a coming-of-age story, then that shift in perspective is absolutely the biggest step yet Shouma has taken towards growing up.

Because doing one thing at a time extremely well is rarely enough for Gavv, however, there's also the flipside to all of this, that I didn't expect going in, which is how Shouma's triumph over Siita and Jiip turns out to potentially be a lesson in the consequences of paying back misery with more misery. I might be jumping the gun with so little to go on at the moment, but it absolutely comes off to me like when Shouma looks at Jiip in the aftermath, he realizes that, to some extent, he's looking at himself. Another child of the same abusive household, forced to endure the pain of losing the one person in the world they knew truly cared about them. There's the argument that it's deserved karma, with all those two have been gleefully complicit in, and Shouma clearly recognizes that fundamental difference between them before the fight, but the ending perhaps leaves him (and maybe us; definitely me) to ponder if it's really okay for it to be that simple. If this is really the kind of hero he wants to be.

Stellar outing for Gavv, needless to say. I think the fact that even the ramune Hanto was given in a throwaway moment last week has a payoff here tells you a ton about how tight the script is. Like I've said before, and will probably say again, it's tough not to just endlessly ramble on about episodes with this much going on.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Because doing one thing at a time extremely well is rarely enough for Gavv, however, there's also the flipside to all of this, that I didn't expect going in, which is how Shouma's triumph over Siita and Jiip turns out to potentially be a lesson in the consequences of paying back misery with more misery. I might be jumping the gun with so little to go on at the moment, but it absolutely comes off to me like when Shouma looks at Jiip in the aftermath, he realizes that, to some extent, he's looking at himself. Another child of the same abusive household, forced to endure the pain of losing the one person in the world they knew truly cared about them. There's the argument that it's deserved karma, with all those two have been gleefully complicit in, and Shouma clearly recognizes that fundamental difference between them before the fight, but the ending perhaps leaves him (and maybe us; definitely me) to ponder if it's really okay for it to be that simple. If this is really the kind of hero he wants to be.

As much as Caking's debut was incredible, I find myself being more curious about what the writers have planned for Jiip after what happened.

[FairyKing]

Out of everything amazing in the episode, one little thing that struck me was Shouma's sad little "this might be it for me..." in the opening narration. Just the perfect highlight of the vulnerability that makes him such a compelling protagonist.

[DH21965]

These goofy goofy suits that are also goofy.
I just cannot.
They look so incredibly DUMB.
Like the show writers went, ”How UNCOOL and LAME can we make these Rider suits ???”
And they went and ran with it.
While the writing on Candyman Sweetboy Rider is absolutely better than recent season, Gotchard suits were pretty damn FIRE.
These silly made-for-toddlers suits quickly turn me away from the show’s serious writing and storytelling content and personally make me gag, much like Power Rangers did.
I think I am officially FINALLY “too old” for Kamen Rider.
But I do appreciate the writing.

[Kiwami]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DH21965

These goofy goofy suits that are also goofy.
I just cannot.
They look so incredibly DUMB.
Like the show writers went, ?How UNCOOL and LAME can we make these Rider suits ????
And they went and ran with it.
While the writing on Candyman Sweetboy Rider is absolutely better than recent season, Gotchard suits were pretty damn FIRE.
These silly made-for-toddlers suits quickly turn me away from the show?s serious writing and storytelling content and personally make me gag, much like Power Rangers did.
I think I am officially FINALLY ?too old? for Kamen Rider.
But I do appreciate the writing.

Skill issue.

[Sh Ranger]

Finally, an episode that doesn't end with Gurucan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

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.

My intuition was right!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eclipyon

Is Gavv the first main rider to have a summoning gimmick as his first power up?

OOO Gatakiriba Combo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eclipyon

With that being said, looks like Bouche wouldn't be beating the allegation that he's a shitty father anytime soon...

Yeah, I'm starting to understand why the Stomach siblings decided to kill him and perhaps the reason for their resentment towards Shouma. Not for being part human like they claim, but rather for getting the attention from Bouche that they were denied.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eclipyon

And looks like I was right about Suga, as the mad scientist is shown to be acquainted with Nyelv as shown in the final scene of the episode...

Unsurprising, but it does make me curious to see what they'll talk about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Sachika be checking every box on the best girl list. Casually grabbing her cute ass bat to cave in some skulls after they beat up her bestie, I love it.

I love how Sachika is so prepared for anything that she has her own adorable personalized baseball bat, which I'm calling the Ador-bat, just lying around in the house. Maybe she plays baseball as a hobby or something. She already has the cap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanch90

Prior to the debut of the series I was rather skeptic about the design and show premise. I?m glad I was so wrong, the series at this point seems better in my personal ranking than every other Reiwa Era show, except for Geats which is still sitting a the the top (just for clarity sake, from best to worst it goes like this: Geats, Gavv, Revice, Zero-One, Gotchard, Saber).

1) GOATchard
2) Saber
3) Geats
4) Zero One
5) Revice

I'll rank Gavv when it's finished. Our opinions are pretty different, huh.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

The previous year's show did an even bolder take on this; not even being the trusted best friend for the rest of your life stops Houtaro from doing the right thing and not letting the Malgam Hopper-1 go, killing it to protect humans from being attacked by it.

Yeah, damn, that was heartbreaking! While Jeep and Theta had a choice and they chose evil, Hopper1 was brainwashed by Gigist and didn't deserve to die, but tragically it was the only way to stop his rampage. Shouma is sad for the relationship he could've hypothetically had with Jeep and Theta, but he hasn't really lost anything from them. Ultimately, they were accomplices in the death of his mother, a crime for which they have shown no remorse. At least, I can respect Theta's loyalty for sacrificing herself to save her brother and I'm sure Jeep would've done the same thing if the situation was reversed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

This week: Sheeta gets creamed and recieves her just desserts. Jeebh lost his batter half and his world has gone to crumbs. Hanto finds there may be more layers to the conspiracy than he realised. CaKing is amazing, and the Whip Solders are just the icing on top. Overall, Gavv keeps cooking.

These puns really take the cake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

Also, note that Shouma stopped calling them nii-san and nee-san, implying that he no longer sees them as family or has moved on. It was a subtle yet powerful moment.

It was chilling to hear Shouma just drop the honorifics like that. He gave them a chance, but they refused to repent and now he's done playing the nice little brother.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The final piece is that the cake this time is one Shouma made himself, for someone he cares about, which is the perfect reason for it to create a Gochizo more powerful than the rest.

And one that doesn't die either!

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Finally, an episode that doesn't end with Gurucan.

You don't like Candy Ex-Aid? That minigun tho.

[maruusa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FairyKing

Out of everything amazing in the episode, one little thing that struck me was Shouma's sad little "this might be it for me..." in the opening narration. Just the perfect highlight of the vulnerability that makes him such a compelling protagonist. slope

His admission of his limitations in the opening not only adds depth to the character, but also creates a sense of connection with the viewer, because we've all experienced that feeling of helplessness and self-questioning.