KR Den-O Episode #14: "Dance With Dragon"

Is it okay if I say Spoiler Warning!? I can't hear your answer.

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Ryuutaros emerges from Ryôtarô's body on the Den-Liner, making his intentions known. He possessed Ryôtarô with the intent of "defeating" him, in other words meaning he wants to completely overwrite Ryôtarô's personality with his own and gain full-time access to our hero. He also mentions that he entered Ryôtarô's body at the same time as Urataros, but lay dormant until now. He vanishes back into Ryôtarô's body after having some coffee, and Momotaros immediately tries to get him to come back by nearly killing Ryôtarô before Hana stops him. Ryuutaros insists that there is good to come for him, so let him hang around for a little longer.

The Owner shows up and acts weird. There's literally nothing important about this aside from the fact that Ryuutaros has a ticket, so he is legit as far as our puddin'-obsessed friend is concerned.

Somewhere along the line, Toyama wakes up from being in the hospital, and rushes out in a panic. Owl Imagin has also been building a barricade so no one can get into the park.

Wondering what happened to Airi, Ryôtarô goes to the Milk Dipper and finds her gone, as well as something else gone from under the blanket on which that telescope sits (on its own little special podium.) Ryuutaros speaks to him from within about Airi, and then takes control. As Miura shows up intending to exorcise Ryôtarô once again, his backup dancers from the park come in and have a little jamming session. Ryuutaros reveals to Ryôtarô that he can manipulate people with a snap of his fingers, which explains why those guys from the park have been following him around all this time.

Momotaros, Urataros & Kintaros agree that something must be done about Ryuutaros, and agree to put aside their differences for the common good. I love how the music in this scene is shamelessly ripping off Pirates of the Caribbean.

Everything comes to a head at the park. Toyama, Hana, and finally RyuuRyôtarô & his backup dancers arrive. We find out that, for all his irreverence and tough talk, Ryuutaros is at heart a puppy-loving softie. This action resules in Reeji (the kid that Toyama knew who is now one of the dancers) and the others snapping back to their senses, just in time for Owl Imagin to arrive and announce that the contract is complete. He enters Toyama and goes back to 1997, on the day that a puppy named Koro died. Reeji blamed himself for this, and as a result stopped going to feed the animals at the park and became a dancer (wait, that's a bad thing?)

With RyuuRyôtarô is distracted, the other three Imagin enter Ryôtarô simultaneously, knocking him out and letting Momotaros take control. MomoRyôtarô transforms into Den-O and goes back to the past to kick some butt. Owl Imagin has left Toyama's body and is smashing stuff left and right. He notices the mysterious watch-holder, and begins to walk towards him/her/it, but the Den-Liner arrives and a fight ensues. Before he can land the finishing blow, Den-O Sword Form is overtaken by Ryuutaros, seeking to save Koro. Momo is kicked out, and Den-O goes to Gun Form, who then blows Owl Imagin away with his own final attack. For some reason, Owl Imagin splits into two old GiganDeaths, but Gun Form summons his own train car Ikazuchi along with the rest of the Den-Liner cars, and they make short work of the rehashed baddies.

Somehow, Koro lives, in spite of the fact that there doesn't seem to be any logical explanation, as the younger Toyama & Reeji stood around watching the fight, which means they got to the hospital later than when he originally would have died. But hey, that's Den-O!

Ryôtarô goes to find Airi at the place of her memories (she convinced Miura to hypnotize her, which is how she got there with Ozaki in the first place) but she snaps back to reality once our hero arrives, and nothing major is learned (other than Ozaki can make yet another weird face.)

On the Den-Liner, Ryuutaros realizes that the "good thing" he mentioned was Airi. He realizes that without Ryôtarô, she would be sad, and resolves that he won't kill Ryôtarô. However, he is still obsessed with becoming the Den-Liner's conductor!

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What We Learned This Episode:

• Obviously, the person responsible for designing Ryuutaros did not talk to the person who cast his voice.
• Ryuutaros wears headphones 24/7.
• The writers don't talk to each other either. Watch the scene they flashback to (from episode #5) and see how the ball of light that was Urataros hits the truck, causing sand to spill and thus being the reason the boxes fall on Ryôtarô. Now, it just magically flies up, which essentially means that events in past episodes didn't happen like how we thought we saw them. Next week: the dude's mom in episode #2? She didn't die at all. In fact, she's now Airi!
• The background music in Den-O is actually all there, and characters can hear it.
• Momotaros' horns bend! Seriously, check out the picture!
• Unless the Tokusatsu guest star was somebody from a show made in the last 7 years, nobody will notice (the actor in question is the one playing Toyama: Ueda Shun, best known as Hattori Hanpei in Kikaida, but he was in Kamen Rider BLACK episode #43 as well.)
• RyuuRyôtarô LUVS AMININALZESZ!!! LAWLZORS
• Watchman has a Seiko!
• The old GiganDeaths? Yeah, I can't explain that one either.
• Hypnotized Plot-Advancing Airi > Regular Airi
• Ozaki can't recognize Ryôtarô from the back.
• Momotaros is now one of the most normal, sane characters in the show. Be afraid.

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Screenies:

Next Week:

Okay, seriously writers, what is with you guys and crime in Japan? The show pulls a Ryuki and has our hero taken hostage. Hilarity ensues. Rod Form appears for the first time in like, forever.