The Weekly Ride Review with Ethan: Kamen Rider Gotchard Episodes 15 and 16

Welcome Riders to the final Weekly Ride Review of the year, featuring way more people spying on people then you would think, Holiday wishes, the start of a new arc and X-Wizard?!

Episode 15

Summary

Picking up where we last left off, Hotaro in Super Gotchard Cross X-Rex form starts doing battle against Clotho, who’s transformed into Kamen Rider Dread. Clotho starts using Dark Kamantis, gaining an upper hand against Hotaro’s new form. While he’s occupied with that, Lachesis takes the opportunity to attack Sawa, her dad, Rinne and the late arriving Mr. Minato. She transforms into the Clover Malgam using HappyClover and augments herself further with Bambamboo and Buglesia before poisoning Mr. Minato, taking him out of the fight. As Lachesis steps on Mr. Minato, he instructs Rinne to go protect Sawa and her dad. While running at them, Atropos uses her alchemy to freeze Rinne and taunt her about her dad and how powerless she is before telling Lachesis to kill Sawa and her dad. Hotaro tries to leave his fight, turning back into Steamhopper, but gets pulled back by Clotho who knocks the Exgotchalibur away from him so he can’t turn back into Super Gotchard Cross X-Rex. 

While Lachesis attacks Sawa and her dad, Atropos taunts Rinne more about how weak humans are for liking friends and family and how her Dad’s betrayal led to a lot of people’s deaths. She then uses her power to make Rinne start choking herself out, leading Rinne to realise that all of this focus Atropos has been giving her is all because really, deep down, Atropos just wants a friend. This suggestion makes the normally cool and collected Atropos throw a tantrum and pull a face before letting Rinne go. 

Rinne leaps into action and restrains Lachesis, throwing Hotaro the Exgotchalibur, propelling him right back into Super Gotchard Cross X-Rex. Back in this form, he immediately finisher kicks Lachesis, capturing all three of the Chemies she used to turn into a Malgam and saving Mr. Minato in the process. Everyone cheers Hotaro on and the hopes and dreams of those around him powers him up more. In a sequence paying homage to Kamen Rider Ichigo’s henshin, Gotchard glows with a new aura.

After a speech about the power of hopes and dreams, and how they make Gotchard even stronger, Clotho scans about fifteen Dark Antrooper Cards to do a powered up finisher. Charging at Hotaro she splits into five before being instantly cut down by Hotaro using the UFO-X Exgotchalibur finisher to tractor beam her into one body again and forcibly remove Clotho from Kamen Rider Dread, like he did Sabi. After Dread is destroyed, Atropos collects the Driver and the three of them leave.       

While everyone is celebrating the win, Sawa and her dad make up. Meanwhile, Licht Kugimiya, the investigator from the alchemy union and X-Wizard watch them from the bushes. X-Wizard is already in possession of the remaining five Level X Chemies, wondering out loud what game they should play next. This confirms that the crossover Winter Movie with Geats takes place in between this episode and the next. I’m looking forward to that review when the movie is available for us to watch in the West. 

Wrapping up the episode, we see the Gotchard gang – Hotaro, Rinne, Renge and Sabi – at Hotaro’s family restaurant for the week before Christmas holiday party. Joined by Hotaro’s mum, Kajiki and the two restaurant regulars, we cut away to see Sawa giving her dad his Christmas gift a week early: a blurry photo of X-Rex. The two share a nice moment, while Mr. Minato wishes them a Merry Christmas from the bushes. Rejoining the party, Kajiki is doing karaoke with Renge and Sabi as his backup dancers. Hotaro slips away to ask Hopper1 about the memory X-Rex showed him that he doesn’t remember of him as a child with Hopper1. He’s interrupted by being called for his turn on the mic; his mum watches him singing, wondering whether his dad will be around for the next Christmas. This brings our episode to a close.

My Take

GOTCHA! Another week, another Gotchard and this episode, honestly, was alright. It kind of just felt like the climax of last episode padded out with a Christmas epilogue and a teaser for the movie. I feel very whelmed this being the pay off to the Atropos/Rinne stuff. I don’t know not what I expected; it’s not bad and could lead to something interesting going forward but I get the feeling we are a ways off before that happens. Overall, the episode was fine. 

New Arc Announcement

Before jumping into the review for episode 16, I first need to talk about the announcement that this is the start of a brand new arc for Kamen Rider Gotchard, featuring this very cool poster showing off what we can expect.

This incredible piece of artwork informs us that Spanner is to become a Kamen Rider, Gotchard will power up into Flame Gotchard, further confirmation of Rinne becoming a Kamen Rider, and a new mysterious orange Gotchard! Additionally, there will be a new version of the opening song which will be getting an English version as well! All very exciting stuff.

Spoiler Warning: The Gotchard/Geats crossover movie takes place between this episode and the last, therefore details from the movie will be spoiled in this episode. I think we’re pretty used to that by now, though. 

Episode 16

Summary

The episode opens with the Gotchard gang hanging out talking about all the Chemies they have before Hotaro realises the restaurant will be super busy. He begs Rinne to help out after Renge and Sabi say they can’t do it, which takes us into the opening. Rejoining the episode, we find the Three Abyssal Sisters in their lair licking their wounds. In this moment, their master, Geryon, gives Lachesis a “gift” turning her into the Orochi Malgam, completely possessing her as well.

As Hotaro and Rinne are helping in the restaurant, Hotaro’s mum asks about her alchemy ring and Rinne reveals it was a gift from her father. She then has a moment with Hotaro where she explains she used a little too much energy when she transformed during the movie (yep, surprise! She’s a Kamen Rider now!) but that she’s happy that she’s isn’t the same girl that needed everyone’s protection anymore. She suggests that they should fight together from now on which Hotaro is happy to hear and says they will Gotcha more with everyone at the academy.

We then see Spanner talking with a professor Kyoka. He thanks her for fixing his weapon before Spanner is shown a new driver she’s working on that will allow him to become a Kamen Rider. With this new driver, he will be able to mix and combine the powers of two Chemies, like Gotchard can. From their talk we learn two things: 1. Spanner’s extra focus on Rinne has been because Kyoka asked him to keep an eye on her in case her dad shows up, 2. Spanner is Kyoka’s apprentice. 

Elsewhere, Kajiki is out by a mall when he hears some bells and goes to investigate. Hotaro finds him looking towards the sky and the source of the bell ringing reveals itself. Out of the clouds, a giant Orochi head appears, turning Kajiki to stone. Hotaro transforms into Steamhopper form and fires at the snake, with little effect. Despite this, the Orochi head leaves anyway. While investigating the scene, the gang get a call from Mr. Minato who tells them that multiple people around the city are being turned to stone. At this moment, the Orochi reappears and turns Renge and Sabi to stone while Rinne and Hotaro escape. Spanner arrives and transforms, beginning to fight the Orochi head but he needs to be saved by Hotaro who, in LightingJungle mode, destroys the Orochi head. When he fails to capture it, Rinne concludes that they still haven’t beaten it and they work out that it’s Jyamatanoorochi – a Chemy with multiple heads on one body. Rinne then Chemy Rises the sun to reveal its true form.

Spanner and Rinne leave to evacuate civilians and Hotaro begins to fight the Orochi in NeedleHawk form. He is quickly knocked out of the transformation, regretting that he couldn’t save anyone. Suddenly, a mysterious new figure appears and does battle with the kaiju sized Malgam, defeating it. The Malgam is reduced to near human size and, after some prompting by the mysterious orange Gotchard, Hotaro transforms into Super Gotchard X-Rex and then into UFO-X to eliminate the Malgam and capture the Chemy. This returns the civilians turned to stone back to normal. 

Everyone congratulates Hotaro on the win but the other Gotchard has vanished. Later, Hotaro and Rinne are back at the restaurant. As Hotaro gives his mum a Christmas present, we then cut away to Master Geryon revealing himself to the Sisters and then Mr. Minato remarking to himself back in the academy that “we have reached the fated day.” The orange Gotchard looks out over the city with the Gotchard Igniter in his hand which bring this episode to a close.         

My Take

GOTCHA AGAIN! What a great way to open a new arc! There are so many questions raised, though! I have two points to make before really jumping in. First, the orange Gotchard does have a name that’s been revealed in the promo material: Kamen Rider Gotchard Daybreak. Secondly, I am annoyed that all of the interesting stuff that had been building with Rinne was all seemingly paid off in a movie we won’t get to see outside Japan for months! It feels like skipping an episode and it bugs me. That said, it’s great getting to see her emote more and act less cold. As for Daybreak, he is very cool and I’m interested to see where all of that’s leading. I also can’t not mention Spanner; the focus he got this week was nice and is clearly setting up for his official Rider debut. I look forward to being won over by him. All in all, a great episode and I can’t wait to see what’s next. 

With two episodes and some details from an unviewable movie in the bank, what did you think? Was Daybreak cool? Are you annoyed there’s a third variation of the Chemy Cards to collect? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or on social media.

Join me next week for the latest Weekly Ride Review as we delve more into Gotchard Daybreak. As always, I’ve been Ethan: writer, reviewer and mythical snake slayer for The Toku Source and I’ll see you next time.