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

Though it felt like a build-up episode, a lot interesting revelations were in this episode.

-Mai is going to become the Woman at the Beginning, and choose who shall get the fruit. It's definitely a cool twist.
-Sagara IS the Helheim Forest. An even cooler twist.

Kaito wanting to evolve with Helheim fits in line with his motivations during the first arcs. He never really changed since then, and bringing it out here definitely sets him up to really become a true parallel to Kouta. The scene with Minato was great but what was up with the audio? Did they forget to do ADR for that scene?

The Mitsuzane and Ryoma parts were great though. I like how Ryoma is manipulating Mitsuzane to get him out of the picture now, though I dislike the way the Yomotsuheguri lockseed was introduced out of nowhere for the sake of plot convenience.

But man, when Mitchi started crying beside Mai and realized that he lost sight of what he was really fighting for, I can't say I didn't feel a little bit sorry for him. He's an asshole but still... The way this affected him, and him calmly telling his visions of his brother to shut-up sealed this arc as his send-off.

It was good to see Ryugen again, albeit in a different form (I guess Ryugen Yomi is counted as another Rider). It's pretty chilling to see him pretty much dying right in front of Kouta while he tries to kill him.

Baron Invess looks badass by the way. Next episode is gonna be so good.

It seems that Micchy got totally delusioned from Ryouma in this episode. It seems from the moment he found out about Mai, he knew exactly what he needed. Micchy was already against Kouta, so what's better than to give him the lockseed that will kill him, hoping that he will first kill Kouta. I liked how Micchy doubted that Kouta would risk Mai's life for even the apple. It just makes him not completely lost, as he still wants one thing, Mai protected. But I'm surprised how he couldn't see that Ryouma was manipulating him. But well, it seems Micchy will die, and Kouta will live, which will make things for Ryouma even worse. But still, that photo taken from the stage where there was a Kiwami Arms Kouta and a normal Ryugen may indicate that Micchy will, somehow, survive, and go for Kouta again, or something.

Undrave said:

Please, the whole thing screamed SET-UP! The moment Ryoma entered the garage his little act started. He knew EXACTLY what was going on. Remember in the last episode he was plugged into the Master Intelligence System? He knew Mai had the golden fruit, he knew Micchy was half broken and he knew he had to keep Kouta away from Mai.

That Hospital was anything BUT random, it was probably ALREADY his off-site lab before the invasion. He put the Yomi Lockseed there so he could nonchalantly reach for it and temp Micchy with it. He didn't need any of his fancy equipment to make his diagnosis and suggest taking the fruit out. He wants the damn thing anyway!

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I'm sorry to say this, but I don't buy your reasoning. Ryouma's actions and intentions might have been foreshadowed, but there was absolutely no mention of a "failed prototype" Lockseed anywhere in the series before and its sudden introduction with hardly a line of dialogue to accompany it is beyond contrived. With the Genesis Driver, there was build-up over a number of episodes. There has been an explanation for the creation of the Sengoku Driver and Lockseeds. We've even seen the testing process with Zangetsu's Melon Lockseed. Sagara corrupting and fusing Micchi's Grape and Kiwi Lockseeds would have made so much more sense.

Your argument of Ryouma not needing any of his fancy equipment to make a diagnosis and his hospital being an off-site lab are nothing more than theories and speculation at this point in time.

That's what I pretty much see it as. Ryoma just wants the fruit, all he cares about is power. You can see

Actar said:

I'm sorry to say this, but I don't buy your reasoning. Ryouma's actions and intentions might have been foreshadowed, but there was absolutely no mention of a "failed prototype" Lockseed anywhere in the series before and its sudden introduction with hardly a line of dialogue to accompany it is beyond contrived. With the Genesis Driver, there was build-up over a number of episodes. There has been an explanation for the creation of the Sengoku Driver and Lockseeds. We've even seen the testing process with Zangetsu's Melon Lockseed. Sagara corrupting and fusing Micchi's Grape and Kiwi Lockseeds would have made so much more sense.

Your argument of Ryouma not needing any of his fancy equipment to make a diagnosis and his hospital being an off-site lab are nothing more than theories and speculation at this point in time.

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I agree with Undrave. You can clearly see Ryouma wants the fruit. The whole fancy equipment to save Mia was all for theatrics so Micchy would go along with it. The Hell Lock Seed is just a easy way to get Micchy out of the way while at the same time hoping he kills Kouta in the process. The thing is, I feel Ryouma has forgotten about Kaito.

Don't misunderstand me. I have absolutely no problems with Ryouma's motives. The only thing that irks me is the sudden introduction of the Yomi Lockseed with absolutely no build-up or reason.

As of this episode, I'm making an assumption on the Sengoku War from episode 1.

If Mai is choosing who gets the Fruit, and both Kaito and Kouta are the best candidates, that's the point of their conflict. They're proving who is the better option (not necessarily through armies or shows of force, but through something).

Micchi is held back by his brother. I feel like that's Micchi knowing that he's not capable of being chosen after everything he's done. He wants to be Mai's chosen, but his conscious (Takatora) is holding him back, telling him that it's not possible, and he can only watch.

I don't remember what Final Fantasy Mai's point was in that opening, but it might be her not wanting to have to make this choice.

Ooh Micchy's new form was pretty cool. I love that darker shade of red on Rider suits. It reminds me of Agito's Burning Form.

Undrave said:

That Hospital was anything BUT random, it was probably ALREADY his off-site lab before the invasion. He put the Yomi Lockseed there so he could nonchalantly reach for it and temp Micchy with it. He didn't need any of his fancy equipment to make his diagnosis and suggest taking the fruit out. He wants the damn thing anyway!

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The presence of said fancy equipment would certainly suggest that Ryoma didn't pick a random hospital, though it could have been a temporary field base used by the kurokage troopers when they were in all-out war mode a few episodes back, or any number of other things. A random building any old tramp can walk into doesn't strike me as a secure backup lab. I'd rather think that he retrieved the prototype from Yggdrasil tower, though it would have been better if we'd seen him opening a safe or something at the time.

But yeah, Ryoma wants the golden fruit and yet Sagara implied that Kouta, Kaito and Micchy were the main three in the running. Ryoma immediately uses Micchi's own manipulation techniques to send him out against Kouta. Whichever one of them wins, there's one less front-runner (or possibly two, if Micchy won but then succumbed to the lockseed - Ryoma doesn't know Kouta has main character immunity) for Ryoma to have to overcome.

Toku Prime said:

Ryoma doesn't know Kouta has main character immunity) for Ryoma to have to overcome.

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Ryoma thinks he has main character immunity :laugh::laugh::laugh:

I'm pretty sure every Rider thinks they main character immunity except Zach, Yoko, and Kouta.

I've not seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but from what I've read of it, I'm asking those who's watched it : anyone else feels that Sagara is pretty much a Kyuubei like character, especially since he's been very active in giving power ups to Kouta?