And with school ending this week, and some time off around the corner, I might finally be able to get back onto a schedule and stick to it! I hope.
Spoilers & another new form ahead.
Kamen Rider Kiva Episode #24: “Emperor: Golden Fever”
Kivat talks about Silk Trees while Otoya gets killed. Priorities, man.
Shinji & Ryôko are walking along a bridge together when they see Otoya’s unconscious form.
2008. The two lovers are together in the present, at the hospital. Shinji tells her that it doesn’t matter where the (stolen) bracelet came from, as long as she's happy. Shinji apparently thinks that giving her a ton of expensive jewelry will make her get better, or something. I didn't like these two last episode, and I don't like them much more in this one (until the end, which just about makes up for the whole debacle.)
Unfortunately, he then gets some bad news from the docs. Ryôko doesn’t have long to live. On a semi-related note, if you clocked up all the hospital scene time from over the years in Kamen Rider, you'd probably come out with something roughly rivaling the entirety of Kamen Rider Amazon. Also, someday I want to make the ultimate fanvid in which all these scenes will be cut together to form some sort of coherant story involving a poisoned Shouichi teaming up with dying Godai, dying Kitaoka, and Another Agito M.D. to duke it out with a comatose Kiba, that Worm that pretended to be the three different version of the same guy for some reason, and Der Uber Wentz With special guest star Riderman to perform brain surgery on Kazami while he holds up the door Destron is trying to break through.
Megumi, Mio & Wataru celebrate a successful photo shoot at the café. Megumi is surprised at how forward Wataru is now, and quickly beats it to leave the two alone. See, she knows what's happenin'.
1986. Yuri meets with Riki, now using Otoya’s megaphone tactics. Unfortunately, there’s feedback, so it ends up all squeaky. Either way, Yuri is not taken by Riki's new fawning over her, and reacts coldly. There's also this weird surrealist scene where Riki lifts off into the sky, before returning to the ground. And people say Kamen Rider is "more realistic" now, ha!
Jirô appears, telling Riki to give up and scram. He is the only man Yuri should care about. Wait, what about Otoya?
“He’s dead. Killed by a Fangire.”
Jirô knocks Yuri out when she demands more answers, while Riki just watches on, confused. In a sense, he now represents the viewing audience.
Otoya... all together now, WAKE(s) UP! and meets Ryôko, since he's now at her place. I like how he's got claw marks on his face, good continuity.
Maya meets with Shinji, wondering why he isn’t making use of his power as he should. She muses on what role "the next queen" will play in his fate. Shinji changes, but Otoya shows up to throw a bicycle at him. A bicycle! Maya and him laugh, but seemingly at different things. Maya teases Otoya for his ways and then smacks him good. He runs off after her, right into Riki.
2008. Shinji is stealing again. This time it's a jewelry shop. Three guesses what's going to happen next (here's the formula: Jewelry = decorations worn on the body = clothes also are worn on the body = clothes have buttons = buttons? Did someone say buttons? = Nago!)
Wanting to know how things are going with Mio, Kengo follows Wataru, who is beginning to get annoyed with him. He has good reason to, considering Kengo’s hair looks vaguely Dai-chan-ish, and that's one memory Wataru probably doesn't want to recall at the moment. Also, he probably had just watched the first of the "Queen of Hell Castle" internet videos and wondered why he still lets Kengo hang around with him.
Nago chases after Shinji, and Kengo runs to help his mentor. Shinji changes to Fangire mode and escapes after a struggle. He returns to the hospital and gives a diamond ring to Ryôko. But despite his confident approach, Ryôko is quietly skeptical of his ability to give her great things, sensing something more than he's telling (re: the part about her dying. Kind of important, that.) Shinji then turns, seeing Wataru looking in.
They talk. 22 years ago, Shinji felt he couldn’t do anything. Now? He feels about as useless. Wataru asks the immortal question:
“Does your wife know you’re a Fangire?”
She doesn’t, but he must keep his secret. Ryôko has risen from bed and eavesdropped. She reminds him of the silk tree (aha!) they planted, and begs to be taken there.
1986. Jirô confronts Yuri in the forest, somehow having tied her up with... vines? Okay. He’s completely lost it, wondering why Yuri can’t understand his feelings, and he screams out in rage. Get ready for some serious Matsuda Gurning as Jirô attempts to out-Nago Nago. I'll be kinda disappointed if this show ends before everyone's had a chance to go totally mental for at least an episode (I want to see Kido just lose it and go completely ape$#%& one of these days.)
Wataru tries to hail a cab for the wheelchair-bound Ryôko & Shinji. Fortunately, Mari pulls up in the dry-cleaning van. Oh sorry. Mio pulls up in the Bento (box lunch) van. Wataru asks a favor of his gal pal.
Shinji brings his dying love to their tree, which is now fully-grown and looking kind of scraggly while Wataru & Mio look on. And surprise! Ryôko did actually know about Shinji's Fangire-ness (he begins to change, triggering this revelation), but it doesn't change a thing about how she feels towards him. She thanks him... and dies.
Wataru & Mio take it all in stride, but understandably, Shinji is devastated. The poor guy is having the worst day of his life, there's no way things could possibly get even worse, right? Right?
You wish! Nago appears, and Shinji runs at him, scraming. Nago transforms.
“Henshin!”
IXA and the Grizzly Fangire duke it out, the monster full of rage. He strangles IXA, who quickly changes his weapon from sword to gun mode and blasts him away.
Mio is knocked to the ground, and a tattoo appears on her hand... Grizzly recognizes the mark. Mio is his target now...
1986. Otoya appears to save Yuri. Jirô becomes Garulu, right in front of them both, so now Yuri knows his secret. He attacks Otoya viciously as Yuri struggles to free herself. Otoya gets the crap beaten out of him again (and nearly drowned), and Yuri screams out:
“This man... Kurenai Otoya... I love him!”
Angrily, Garulu vows that if he can’t have her, no one will. And he prepares to kill her too...
Grizzly beats down IXA and chases after Mio & Wataru. He strangles Mio, and Wataru rushes to his aid. Mio is knocked into a tree, and down for the count. And Wataru? Is not pleased.
In Castle Dran, Garulu gets a Full House. Suddenly, everything shakes. A strange noise rings out.
“Tatsulot” says Dogga.
Wataru transforms.
“Henshin!”
A seriously ticked-off Kiva attacks Grizzly, who savagely fights back, desperate to get at Mio. Kivat tells him to fight on.
Another talking CGI fella, the aforementioned Tatsulot, smashes through the roof of Caslte Dran, and fliesout to Kiva. He circles around him, unlocking the chains on his shoulders, which form into wings. Golden bats fly everywhere. Tatsulot goes to his left arm, and our hero changes yet again...
Kiva becomes the regal Emperor Form. He easily beats down the Grizzly. He pulls the front of the slot machine-like Tastulot, getting the “Wake Up Fever” attack.
Kiva jumps into the air and unleashes a mighty Rider Kick. The open “wings” on his foot also act as blades, slicing into Grizzly as he is pushed back through the air. The monster collapses against a tree, dead. Kiva looks for Mio, but finds her gone.
1986. Garulu can’t go through with it, reverts to human form, and walks off. Yuri hugs Otoya, who is weak, but alive.
2008. Shinji struggles to reach Ryôko’s dead body. He reaches out to her, seeing her alive in his mind.
"We'll be together forever..."
And death takes him too. His hand falls on hers. And his body shatters and breaks.
Mio looks at him, coldly, and walks away. See, I told you that made up for all the screen time-killing last episode!
NEXT TIME: Spider Fangire is back, and he's got... IXA's belt!?
***
What the hell?! Now Megumi and Wataru MIGHT be related? Wolf loses control and yet he still can't say he loves Yuri? Kiva the Emperor of Fangires? Yargh!
ReplyDeleteNot surprising that Mio will betray her. Kengo's haircut should be one of 'em signs.
0_0
ReplyDeleteFinally they got rid of those 2 pests!! speaking of which, where'd Shizuka-chan been to these days?? if she got back & finds yet another girl clinging onto Wataru, i wonder what'll happen then...
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one that finds it disturbing how everyone seems to be in a state of euphoria over the death of two people (fictional or otherwise)?
ReplyDeleteSheesh, looks like those cynical about humanity's future are on to something.
Well, death has basically always been a fundamental part of Kamen Rider- it's where a lot of the drama comes from. Because ideally, the ultimate goal of the hero in every show is, among other things, to stop the bad guys and by due process save lives which are lost as a result of the bad guys' actions. I think so, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's really euphoria, but I have to agree that the way they paced their story last episode really didn't make me very fond of them and I'm not that crushed that they won't be back. This last one did go some ways in making up for it though, so if nothing else than I think people have a right to be impressed by how the death scene was handled, especially for a Sunday Morning TV show.