Old School Kurenai

Once again, my grand plans last weekend went to hell.

Aye. On to Kiva.

Spoilers and Violence against the IXA Knuckle ahead.



Kamen Rider Kiva Episode #20: Nocturne: The Lovely Messiah

Wataru introduces himself as “Kurenai Otoya”. Ladybug Fangire shoots beams at him. Wataru dashes through the explosion, but finds the monster gone. He notices the IXA Knuckle on the ground next to the unconscious Megumi.

Later, the still Otoya-controlled Wataru is at his violin workshop table. He takes a keen interest in the work of his son. Kivat appears, opening a nearby. He wants to know why Wataru’s acting so strangely. Wataru replies:

“You must be Kivat The Second’s Child.”

Kivat asks how he knows that, Wataru explains that he’s Otoya. Kivat is, understandably, confused.

Ladybug Fangire has Nago & Kengo tied up in a warehouse some where, and rants about how soon, he’ll destroy IXA.

Megumi is in the hospital, begging the doctor to help her out. Her leg is injured from the fight, but with the guys as hostages, she's the only one who can save them. Wataru then shows up, with the IXA Knuckle. Megumi begs for it back, but he plays keep-away. Megumi mentions her mother, and Wataru (still possessed by Otoya) recalls her name. He starts to go on about the past. Megumi, thinking him mad, tells him to get out.

1986. Otoya and Yuri talk on a rooftop about Rook. Yuri has a flashback to how she couldn’t defeat Rook, but she simply says that "he escaped." She vows that when next they meet, she won't be so easily defeated.

2008. In a park, and injured Megumi attempts to walk. Wataru (dressed in new clothes he got via the “Inter-net”) shows up, but Megumi has no time for him.

At a pool, Megumi tries to heal her leg, no matter what. Unfortunately, Wataru shows up again, telling her to just give up. This just pushes Megumi further, and she jumps in, trying to swim. But she can’t. Wataru throws floatation devices, but Megumi still doesn’t want to give in. Can you guess where this is leading?

Kengo tries to bite through Nago’s ropes. He thinks back to how Nago fought the Fangire, and feels empowered by his less-optimistic fellow prisoner.

“That’s Rock, isn’t it?”

“Stop it. I have no interest in Rock.”

Nago grows impatient with Kengo’s honest, simple attitude.

1986. At a wedding, Otoya finds who he thinks is Yuri. But it’s not Yuri at all. She shows up soon enough. Bu this is a new woman, dressed in black. She smiles at him. She exchanges curt words, but Otoya feels uncomfortable, and walks away from her.

Rook shows up.

“The Game isn’t over yet!”

He kills the bride. Otoya tries to attack Rook, but is knocked back. Yuri looks down at the Knuckle. Can she do it? She can't, and runs away.

Soon, Rook prepares to kill another bride in a church, but is knocked back by the woman from earlier. He recognizes her as “Maya”.

“This is my job.”

She is the Queen of the Checkmate Four. Rook leaves. And Maya turns her attention to the bride… who begins to turn into a Fangire.

“Your night is coming.”

The bride is knocked out of the church. Suddenly, day turns to night, with a red moon in the black sky. Maya holds her hand up, a tatoo forms on it, and she shoots a beam which destroys the woman. Night reverts to day.

At a lakeside. Yuri is there, and Otoya shows up. He says that he knows she was afraid, but that’s okay. Because, while he doesn't explicitly say it, he too felt fear around that other woman. As he tries to wrap his head around that experience, Yuri cries, and leans on his shoulder. Jirô is behind them, but doesn't approach them.

2008. Megumi is still trying to run on her bum leg. Wataru shows up on a bicycle, still with the IXA Knuckle. She begs for it back. But instead, he’s about to throw it into a flaming trash can! In fact, he does! Megumi, enraged, gets up and runs for the IXA Knuckle. She kicks over the can, and retrieves the Knuckle.

“How’s that?”

Via the good ol' Kurenai Reverse Psychology, Wataru has given Megumi her fighting spirit back. Again, Megumi wants to know who he is. But there’s no time for that.

“They’re waiting for us.”

Megumi shows up at the warehouse. Full of confidence, she fights the Ladybug Fangire hand-to-hand, then with her gun/whip weapon. Wataru shows up to watch. Megumi blasts away the monster, but is hit by one of its blasts herself. Ladybug Fangire laughs, this is still too easy for him.

“I will live as a warrior!” Megumi shouts.

Megumi frees the guys, and tosses the Knuckle to IXA. Nago transforms.

“Henshin!”

IXA & Megumi fight the monster, but Wataru leaves. Suddenly, Wataru regains control, wondering what he’s just been doing.

IXA tosses the caliber to Megumi, who slashes at the monster furiously. Megumi tosses it back, and IXA uses his final attack to slice the Fangire to bits. The monster explodes, but its light essence grows into a giant CGI thing.

Kiva summons Kivat.

“Henshin!”

Kiva summons Castle Dran. But it doesn’t come! IXA summons Powered IXA, which arrives to attack the Fangire. But even he is overpowered. Castle Dran finally arrives, bursting up from the ground and upsetting Kivat with its lateness. Castle Dran lifts up powered IXA, placing the mech on its (his?) back. It then takes off into the air. Powered IXA & Castle Dran attack simultaneously.

IXA himself then jumps up to Powered IXA's claw/head thing, then launches off into a flying kick. Kiva jumps as well, and they execute a Rider Double Kick, which destroys the monster. Castle Dran leaves IXA and Powered IXA behind as it flies off. Despite the temporary alliance, IXA does not seem pleased by this turn of events.

Things are back to normal at Wataru’s house, except for the violin parts he finds. Expertly crafted. Wataru wonders who could have made them?

1986. Maya walks along under the red moon… as what looks like Kivat flutters around her.

NEXT TIME: Golf. So no Kiva for another two weeks. I'll think up something to do in the mean time.

Okay, seriously: I'm not sure what exactly happened in that preview. A lot of stuff flashed by and after reading what TV-Asahi's site said, Kengo wants to become Nago's brother and in the 80's, there's a "Ramen Date". Oh dear.

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