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Sunday, January 04, 2009

Daddy Done Good

The end is near! And uh, I have a big-chunk-of-series-review to get to. I found this episode a little hard to summarize, because A LOT happened in these 20-something minutes. It was a good one though, that's for sure.

Big big Spoilers Ahead!

Double Kivas

Kamen Rider Kiva Episode #46: "Full Stop: Farewell, Otoya"

1986. Kiva watches on as Bat Fangire defeats Dark Kiva while Kivat and Tatsulot get us up to speed on the plot. Hey, it's been two weeks. Kiva flips out and attacks Bat, but is beaten up easily. Dark Kiva has since reverted back to Otoya, who lies on the ground flinching. Soon, his son is knocked back into human form, and joins him on the ground.

"Wataru... leave this to me."

Otoya stands up, gritting his teeth like no tomorrow. He takes out the IXA Knuckle, and transforms.

But IXA is easily knocked about by Bat. He is no match for the Fangire King. The IXA belt is knocked right off of Otoya, and a piece of his armor (arm!?) is sent flying into the nearby lake. That's gonna cost them. Otoya collapses again. Watatu yells out for him to stop pushing himself, and transforms into Emperor Form again, rushing at Bat. Otoya sees this. He vows that his son will not fight alone.

He calls for Dark Kiva's power once more, even as Kiva yells at him to stop fighting. Dark Kiva's power will be too much for him. He transforms. Maya screams out to them.

The Kivas fight Bat. Wataru believes Otoya will die, but it matters not to him (this is all spoken via voice overs. Maybe they're having a good old Rider Telepathic Conference.) I like how Dark Kiva suddenly flash to Otoya in a stylized slow-mo, so we actually get Wataru's dad jumping around and kicking the monster. Hey, end of the series, this is when they go all-out.

Bat still knocks both Kivas around though. He is the King for a reason.

Wataru begins to realize how this was all meant to happen, that he was meant to go back and aid his father. United, the Kivas are stronger. Suddenly, the tide turns.

Dark Kiva uses his power to stun Bat. He and Kiva use their Rider Kicks. A Double Rider Kick knocks Bat down. He reverts to King. It's a good classic major villain death scene! I love it when they revert to human form ala Black Shôgun and the Destron guys.

"You're mine... let's go to hell together!"

King summons the last of his power and fires it at her, but Taiga's Fangire powers suddenly manifest, and Maya and the child are shielded. King is proud of his son, who he believes will one day destroy the Kivas. He then finally gives in, and explodes.

The Kurenais revert to human form. Otoya claims to be okay. Suddenly, Wataru begins to fade away. Time to go. Otoya believes that his life from now on will be happy. Wataru wonders how, and there's some talk of the music (you know, the music.) Wataru vanishes. As Maya believes, Otoya looks like he's going to die. But he couldn't, not in front of his son...

2008 (or should it be 2009 now?) Wataru is back (to the future.) Things are pretty much as we left them. Nago is trying to take on the role of replacing Shima and pestering Megumi with a request to back him on it.

In a church, Bishop plays the organ. He thinks back to when Taiga hit him. He no longer believes that the boy is worthy of being King. Bishop revives a ton of Fangire, creating multiple copies of past monsters and sending them all over the world (well, Japan. Well, Tokyo.)

"Collect the life energy of the world!"

Wataru hears Bloody Rose, as well as the words of his father. He must protect the world. I rather like the idea (implied in this scene) that Bloody Rose when it does playing was also always somehow tied to Otoya, and it's only now that Wataru, his mind "clear" at last, hears what it's really saying.

Shizuka is attacked by a revived Wild Boar Fangire. Wataru intervenes himself, not changing to Kiva. Go Wataru! He gives the monster a glare 'o doom, and the rehashed Kaijin flees.

"I'm home Shizuka-chan."

He carries her home. He almost lets slip what he's been up to. Wataru sees some suspicious cops walk by...

Nago and Megumi are arguing as usual. He still wants her help in becoming the Blue Sky Organization's chairman. The two cops walk by, but they attack them. They're Fangire. Wataru gets in the way, fighting them (still untransformed.) Nago becomes Rising IXA. Wataru is able to scare off the Fangire with just a look yet again. Rising IXA destroys the other monster brutally. Bishop then appears.

"Bishop."

The two rivals face off...

Bishop, as Swallowtail Fangire, rushes at IXA, and they fight. He's mad as hell, and beats IXA down. Megumi intervenes, and Bishop knocks her gun from her. He's about to finisher her off when IXA gets in the way, taking a blow meant for her. Megumi stops Swallowtail with a blast from IXA Knuckle before he can kill Nago.

Taiga goes to visit Mio's gave. He vows that he will become stronger King. Wataru shows up there too, and puts his own flowers down. He and Taiga exchange tense words; they both know what they must do.

They must fight. The brothers face off.

They transform.

"HENSHIN!"

Emperor Form Kiva vs. Saga.

We cut away from the fight back to 1986. Awwwww.

The rain is pouring. Yuri is looking for the cafe's resident dog, and is offered an umbrella by Otoya. But they decide to wait it out. There's a nice little scene where she comes to the realization that this is probably good bye. The fighting is over, his destiny with Maya is assured. Otoya seems almost unearthly. He believes that soon, the rain will stop. He throws he umbrella up... and is gone. And the rain has stopped.

By the lake, the Arms Monsters look up at Castle Dran. Otoya meets them. He begins to fade away... but before he does, he asks them to work for him. To help his son. To save him.

"We're monsters. What do promises with humans mean to us? But with you..."

Otoya is the only one they would honor a deal with.

"I leave it up to you, Jirô"

And then he's gone.

2008. Saga & Kiva continue their fight. Things explode around them, and they are attacked by Revived Fangire.

"Saga!"

Bishop appears. He will destroy Saga, and make his "own" King.

The monsters attack Saga, beating up on him.

Megumi and Nago walk off the effects of their fight. Megumi suddenly rushes off, leaving the other man behind. Nago's vision is blurred. He's losing his sight...

1986. Otoya and Maya have a picnic. He plays violin for her.

"Can you hear it?"

She can. and soon, he lies in her arms, as she cradles his head. His hand falls. Maya begins to cry. And Otoya is...

NEXT TIME: The Endgame continues. Bat Fangire revives in 2008. Wataru becomes King!? What does the future hold for Taiga? And who's voice is that speaking to Nago, who is now undergoing Hikawa Makoto-style vision impairment?

***

3 comments:

  1. Now, that dog probably took some growing hormones. I mean, a couple of eps ago it was still a puppy! But yeah, not so important...isn't it?
    EP46 was really good, and even if we knew Otoya's ending, I've been touched. I'm likin Kiva more and more every week. Though, the time trips arent handled too well, IMO.But oh well, we cannot have everything, right? And we have SupahDoggie now, so...:-P

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  2. That dog can't be the same dog in the 08/09 era, It just can't be.

    Kiva really is coming closer to a great ending, which is really surprising. Here is hoping they they can keep up the pace until the final credits roll.

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  3. Wow, Kiva is certainly getting better and better every week, and a very touchy farewell to one of the best characters in the Heisei Kamen Rider era.

    We'll miss you, Otoya!!

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