Kamen Rider Gaim Ep 42 - "Mitsuzane's Last Transformation!"

I am... thoroughly impressed that so many things I didn't want to happen all happened within the span of a single episode. I have to say, I think my overall rating of Gaim just went down a full point.

Going into the "invade Yggdrasil" arc, Kaito was almost like the one in charge. He was a capable leader and it was looking for quite a while like Kouta even might have ended up on his own, in a sort of "Kouta has the overwhelming power, but Kaito has the mind and resolve, the mental power, and the people around him" scenario. Now that Kouta's got his resolve, however, everyone is inexplicably flocking to him and, with the exception of Minato, it's like everyone and everything involving Kaito from the past 10+ episodes just got reset or rewritten for the convenience of the plot. A stark contrast to the guy who admitted his own tactlessness then proceeded to punch Ryouma for being even more tactless a while back.

I was hoping Kaito might have had some kind of ulterior motive or some kind of plan that he was hiding behind the "RAR POWER" stuff, but the last scene in the rain (and the preview) seems to imply... nope, we're just disregarding the great character that we'd been building up completely after all. Meanwhile, all of Micchy's sins are being magically forgiven and he's getting a super sympathetic sendoff (if the "Last Transformation" title is worth anything, at least) while the genuinely decent, if gruff, Kaito is going to get dragged through the trash for the sake of... I don't even know. I can only hope that instead of pulling a cliche "I guess... you were the stronger one... after all... (dramatic death)" ending with him, they'll reveal he'd been being mentally corrupted by his injury or something.

Last but not least, Sagara. I want to hold out hope that he still won't be the villain here, but I'm rather disappointed they took such an easy route with him. With that as his identity, they've potentially found an easy fix for all the show's problems right there, and they could have done so much more than that.

Overall it was an okay episode on its own, but for what it meant to Gaim as a whole, I dunno.

I have to say I love this episode, but to me it feel like they are setting up a persona 3 like ending I don't know if anyone else feels that way. It just feels like the ending is going to be a catch 22 situation.

bran0523 said:

I have to say I love this episode, but to me it feel like they are setting up a persona 3 like ending I don't know if anyone else feels that way. It just feels like the ending is going to be a catch 22 situation.

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I'm thinking more he's going for a Madoka ending, but if you're referring to the part of P3's ending that's similar to that, then I'd have to agree.

Alternatively, one theory I've been tossing around is a twist on Ryuki's ending:

HurricaneDragon said:

"Kouta has the overwhelming power, but Kaito has the mind and resolve, the mental power, and the people around him" scenario. Now that Kouta's got his resolve, however, everyone is inexplicably flocking to him and, with the exception of Minato, it's like everyone and everything involving Kaito from the past 10+ episodes just got reset or rewritten for the convenience of the plot.

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This frankly ignores all the times we have seen him in the past arc talk about power, strength, weakness and his usual drivel. You only wanted to believe he has changed when the reality has been clear since the beginning of the arc: he is still very much the same character. He was only forced into an alliance of convenience and the alliance only showed us a side of his character that we rarely see as a team mate and sometimes leader . However it's been apparent since the Overlord takeover of the city that he still believes very much in his flawed ideology of power and strength.

Last but not least, Sagara. I want to hold out hope that he still won't be the villain here, but I'm rather disappointed they took such an easy route with him. .

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That was apparent since episode 40 or 33 when we know he is screwing with Kouta and concealed the truth about the Overlord. To believe Sagara isn't antagonistic when he lead Kouta into believing the Overlords could help is just going against all the evidence we were presented in the show.

I not referring to that part of p3's ending you kinda caught my drift with your twist on the Ryuki ending I think:

Eldar said:

This frankly ignores all the times we have seen him in the past arc talk about power, strength, weakness and his usual drivel. You only wanted to believe he has changed when the reality has been clear since the beginning of the arc: he is still very much the same character. He was only forced into an alliance of convenience and the alliance only showed us a side of his character that we rarely see as a team mate and sometimes leader . However it's been apparent since the Overlord takeover of the city that he still believes very much in his flawed ideology of power and strength.

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I wanted to believe he had changed because that's how he's been portrayed for the majority of the show. You're using the explanation the show have us this episode as a crutch, but prior to it, it wouldn't be at all a stretch to say that he had simply grown as a person. When he had talked about strength during this past arc, his words typically were less of the "grrrr power" kind that he had spouted early in the show and instead showed more respect - he would talk about how many people other than himself had power and in fact, most of these talks with him this past arc were actually fairly insightful, much more so compared to earlier on, again pointing to his character becoming something deeper than a power hungry rival/loner like he had appeared in the beginning. As early as the start of the Yggdrasil arc, he'd been starting to be more of an ally, but now that the plot deems him revert, so shall he revert.

This is one of Gaim's biggest strengths and failings. They'll use something for as long as they need it, then toss it aside almost immediately when it's done with it - this comes up again and again during the Yggdrasil storyline. For example, as soon as the Scalar System went, they never brought up all the reasons and worries it was originally there for again for the most part.

That was apparent since episode 40 or 33 when we know he is screwing with Kouta and concealed the truth about the Overlord. To believe Sagara isn't antagonistic when he lead Kouta into believing the Overlords could help is just going against all the evidence we were presented in the show.

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I disagree. Prior to this episode, he could still have been a neutral character - an observer, as he himself has said. In fact, his comments here actually still point to a potentially neutral role. I mentioned Madoka earlier, similarly, he could take on a more neutral version of Kyubey's role, and despite the characters' and fans' treatment of him, that character too is technically a fairly neutral one during the TV series. Embodiments of "the system" typically are in stories.

HurricaneDragon said:

I disagree. Prior to this episode, he could still have been a neutral character - an observer, as he himself has said. In fact, his comments here actually still point to a potentially neutral role. I mentioned Madoka earlier, similarly, he could take on a more neutral version of Kyubey's role, and despite the characters' and fans' treatment of him, that character too is technically a fairly neutral one during the TV series. Embodiments of "the system" typically are in stories.

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I have to agree with you on this one. He is neutral for the most part. I would like to think that he is also more thinking more about the forest's survival than anyone else's life. He wants to keep the cycle going so he will survive and keep going.

Personally, I don't see how Sagara could be a "neutral observer" of something as powerful and destructive as Helheim, while having powers himself. If he had the power to help against it and did nothing, but watch and incentive people to go after Helheim's power, in spite of that leading to the death of worlds, he'd be pretty much evil by default.

His true nature just makes his evil more obvious. He isn't even on Kyubei's level considering how he's doing things just for his own interest and not fighting against some other disaster or evil.

HurricaneDragon said:

You're using the explanation the show have us this episode as a crutch, but prior to it, it wouldn't be at all a stretch to say that he had simply grown as a person.

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Maybe it was unclear to you, but to me it was clear how he continued to espouse his ideas of weakness and strength that he hadn't changed only his priorities which was now fighting the Overlord much like how he had switched his alliances temporarily to work for Ryouma.

When he had talked about strength during this past arc, his words typically were less of the "grrrr power" kind that he had spouted early in the show and instead showed more respect - he would talk about how many people other than himself had power

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Then I think you have a clear misunderstanding of what Kaito wants or represents. He is not about power or strength solely for himself, his actions have always been about trying to spur people into achieving greater strength and power. it's why he initally has problems with Team Gaim and Kouta because they don't try and challenge the more powerful dance groups or why he leaves Baron so that Zack can become stronger. Others achieving strength have always been a part of his ideology, what we see in the fourth arc is nothing nww. And this episode only shows the dark side of his ideology that he would welcome something like Helheim since he would leave the survivors stronger.

For example, as soon as the Scalar System went, they never brought up all the reasons and worries it was originally there for again for the most part.

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It was a) a symbol of Yggdrasil and the lengths they would go to stop Helheim including destroying the entire city along with their employees and as a plot device b) it forced Kouta into another showdown which he triumphed physically only to break mentally. Ultimately Kouta's destruction of it is a trumph of him over Yggdrasil despite him getting shot off the roof by Zangetsu.

I disagree. Prior to this episode, he could still have been a neutral character - an observer, as he himself has said.

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No he couldn't! From 33 onwards Sagara could NOT have been a neutral observer when he was clearly manipulating Kouta towards one outcome namely becoming an overlord. He admits that he lied by omission in regards to the nature of the Overlords and he lied about the nature of the Kiwami Lockseed and what slowly turned Kouta into an Overlord. Whatever neutrality he had was thrown out the window in 33 and it's absolutely clear since 40/41 once he says to Mai that he wants Kouta to become an Overlord and rule the world that he represents the final problem in Gaim.

Sagara not evil ? He is the bloody forest, an invasive living organism that has probably destroyed countless of worlds. He is doing things for his own amusement, he is probably bored and maybe trying to spice up his invasion by messing with the minds of those he is invading. He even works with people who are trying to fight him and was probably laughing himself silly in the inside. If he is not evil the least he is is amoral. And Kaito, he might experiences character growth but he might also feels time is running out for him due to his infection....
:shrug: