The Weekly Ride Review with Ethan: Kamen Rider Gotchard Episode 20 and 21 Double Bill

GOTCHA! What’s up, Riders. Another Weekly Ride Review is upon us. This time, join Ethan for a double bill, where we will answer the question on most of the fandoms mind: Can Spanner Kurogane beat the fraud allegations?

Episode 20

Recap

This episode sees Professor Kyoka visit the Gotchard gang, who are minding the restaurant while Hotaro’s mother is at a school reunion. Their talk about Spanner’s past is interrupted when Kyoka gets a text from the man himself, informing her that his decade dead parents are back. This, as it turns out, is the doing of the Angel Malgam and as part of Geryon’s plans for Spanner.

Shortly after Hotaro and Rinne arrive to deal with the Malgam (since without Madwheel Spanner can’t transform), Geryon arrives and makes Spanner watch as his parents crumble to dust in front of him. This causes him to be consumed by black flame and, when Madwheel goes to check on Spanner, he turns into the Madwheel Malgam. Both Malgams just kinda leave. 

Later, Hotaro and Rinne go to see the Professor as Spanner, who now remembered all the details of the first time his parents died in front of him, is likely to go confront her about that. Outside of her building, they encounter the Angel Malgam again. Inside the building, Spanner and Professor Kyoka are having a heart to heart, with her explaining to Spanner that she erased that memory of his parents death because, as a prodigal alchemist, he is likely to fall into the abyss. This manifests itself as the black flames, so, to overcome them, she trained him and taught him virtues of battle so that, eventually, he would be able to handle his power and become a Rider. The episode ends with Spanner, as the Madwheel Malgam, joining the battle going on outside.   

The Bad?

There really isn’t much this week for this section other than seeing spoilers for the episode the second I woke up. This sucked, massively, but that’s not something I can really hold against the episode, can I? The only complaint I guess I can really levy at the episode is that I wasn’t really a fan of Fire Gotchard’s showing this episode. It appears for the first Angel Malgam fight and is stopped by Geryon alchemy bending a wall into his path. I get that Hotaro couldn’t have interrupted Geryon putting Spanner through it but having the new big power up a future him time traveled to give him early getting done in like that sucks to see. It would have been better if Hotaro had been using a different form all together, frankly. 

The Good?

Everything involving Spanner. Like, all of it. Sure, this is a part one and we will see the main pay off next epsiode but all of this is wonderful stuff. I think I’ll save more of my overall thoughts for when we see how it all plays out.

Conclusion

I really liked this episode. It already pays off a lot of things set up over the season already, like why Spanner’s system makes him weaker and is just armour while Hotaro and Rinne’s is an actual biological transformation, and it explains a lot of Spanner’s deal in a way that feels very natural. Good stuff.

Episode 21

Recap

Picking up with the fight from the end of the last episode, the Angel Malgam summons Spanners parents again to, yet again, kill them in front of him. Before he can do that, Spanner’s parents take a piece of metal knocked from Spanner’s Malgam form and use Alchemy to turn it into a pair of rings. This baffles the Angel Malgam, as he believed the dead can’t use Alchemy. The alchemy turned the parents to dust before the Malgam could and, on top of it all, he can’t summon Spanners parents any longer. Panicked, the Angle Malgam flees to regroup. This leaves the MadWheel Malgam, Spanner, to eat a Fire Gotchard Rider Kick to prevent his rampage. After Spanner wakes up at the restaurant, being treated by the Gotchard gang, he leaves. 

At the Alchemy Academy, Lachesis mentions to her other Abyssal Sisters that Geryon may grow bored of them and throw them aside if he gets his way with Spanner. The other two chastise her for traitorous notions. Minato overhears this. The Gotchard gang head over to professor Kyoka’s place to help her with the Valvaradriver as it will help Spanner out. We then get a short montage of them working on it. 

The following day, the Angel Malgam reports back to Geryon and Minato suggests they target Spanner’s mentor, Professor Kyoka, instead. Back to the Gotchard gang, who stayed the night at the Professor’s, they wake to the news that she finished the driver. They are interrupted by the Abyssal Sisters and the Angel Malgam, who are quickly moved outside by, a now transformed, Hotaro and Rinne, backed up by Renge and Sabi. During this battle, Minato confronts Kyoka. 

Over in the toku battle warehouse (you know the one), Minato waits for Spanner, clearly having called him out off screen, with the completed Valvaradriver and DaiOni Chemy in hand. Minato tells Spanner he killed Kyoka and, as the two fight: Dread vs. MadWheel Malgam. The rings from Spanner’s parents glow, giving him a vision of their final moments when where he can now hear their final words to him. Armed with the wishes of his parents and mentor, Spanner turns back to himself having overcome the hatred in his heart. He vows to take the hopes invested to him and make them real, using his flame, to incinerate the demons that would take others’ futures. As the energy from his parents’ rings flow into his, his ring turned from green to purple. Madwheel evolves into MachWheel and ignites the Valvarusher in flame. 

Spanner proceeds to beat the allegations that he’s a massive fraud by dismantling Kamen Rider Dread, Minato, with his blazing Valvarusher; all while not transformed. DaiOni, Gutsshovel, Gekiocopter all fly into his hand all, resonating with him, as he joins the fight between Hotaro, Rinne, the Angel Malgam and Abyssal Sisters. He transforms into Kamen Rider Valvarad and proceeds to take the Angel Malgam apart as if it were made of Lego. Even Jyamatanoorochi decides to go with Spanner, enabling him to turn into his Orochishovel Custom Form. After capturing the Angel Chemy, Angelead, Spanner acts all tsundere, saying he’s not part of the team, before leaving. The final shot of the episode is Spanner returning to, the alive, Professor Kyoka explaining that he almost fell for Minato’s ruse and asks if he’s are ready to play chess. First, though, Kyoka asks if Spanner would make some food for her as she’s hungry. This brings the episode, and this two parter, to a close.  

The Bad?

Nothing, not a damn thing. 

The Good?

HE BEAT THE FRAUD ALLEGATIONS! While I’m sure he will end up jobbing more before the end of the show, I don’t think there will be quite the same level of fraudposting about Spanner. The fight with Minato was far too cool; Untransformed, wielding a flaming weapon… I was just clapping. I thought this during past seasons and again now: anytime they use real fire, it’s the coolest thing. Kamen Rider Valvarad’s initial fight was also extremely cool and I look forward to seeing more from him in the future. 

Something I glossed over in the recap is that it’s very apparent, now, that Minato is doing the whole “I turned evil to actually train you” thing and it looks like Lachesis will become an ally for him working against Geryon, which is fun, and I look forward to seeing more of that in the future.   

Finally, the vision Spanner got during his fight with Minato gave me goosebumps. Just fantastic stuff.     

Conclusion

This was a fantastic two parter. Giving Spanner a Kingdom Hearts Riku-like arc of overcoming his personal darkness was fantastic to see and I’m not just saying that because I really like Kingdom Hearts. From the acting, the choreography to… everything, I have no notes. Can’t wait for next week, now that all three Riders have debuted. Amazing stuff.  

What did you think? Did you enjoy Spanner getting some focus? Do you also find it funny his Dad’s name is Wrench? Do you think he beat the allegations? I look forward to seeing your opinions in the comments below! As always, I’ve been Ethan: writer, reviewer and flaming wrench wielder for The Toku source. I’ll see you next time.