New year, same Ethan… Snacks up, Riders! We’re back with another large helping of Kamen Rider Gavv to talk about! In this bumper, four episode, edition, we’ve got crabs, pudding, treats and more Super Sentai actors than you would expect! Let’s jump in!
Recaps
Episodes 15/16: A Crab for Christmas
This two parter sees the musician that Valan fought in the fountain (you remember, the one he was busy with while Shoma was dealing with Shita and Jeebh), played by Yōsuke Kishi (Stinger from Kyuranger), approach our two snack themed boys and take up Shoma’s usually rhetorical offer to give up the Dark Treats. Meanwhile, as its almost Christmas and since this is his first, Shoma wants to get Hanto something. A comparison to the story “Gift of the Magi” is made and the plot lines converge; it’s revealed that “Stinger” was, in fact, playing Shoma, and Hanto ends up getting captured. Hanto sees this as a chance to sneak into the Granute homeworld to get proof that Granute are all beyond redemption and deserving of death. Shoma ruins Hanto’s plan by rescuing him, and the pair have a heart to heart, where Shoma talks Hanto out of his plan (still not telling him that he’s a Granute). The pair, both in their Cake forms (Shoma gave Hanto a couple Bûche De Noël Gochizos for Christmas) lay the smackdown on and grab the Granute. Meanwhile, Nyelv working his new side job for Bandai and builds the Vlam gear, picking out Laage9 as its user. We see them be given Dark Treats for the humans he’s captured but they never actually eat any… Hmm. Wonder what that could be leading too…
Episodes 17/18: Fly-By Pudding Pounding
Nyelv actually asks Laage9 to be the Vlam Gears operator. Basically it’s a Hakaizer situation – Laage9, as Kamen Rider Vlam, will be the bodyguard for the part timers, keeping Gavv and Valen busy. Of course, he accepts. Worth noting, Laage9’s human form/voice is Kohei Shoji, also known as Kiramai Silver.
After overhearing some people at the local new years celebrations Shoma, Sachika and Hanto end up on the case of people going missing, are described as good, kind people. It turns out, a Granute taking the form of a pretty lady with a red scarf has been using her wind powers to bait kind people into grabbing her scarf. When they return it to her, she then grabs them. During the big confrontation with this bird Granute, Vlam appears and absolutely destroys our boys without breaking a sweat.
Nyelv shows up to taunt Gavv and Valen, leading to them leaving. Afterwards, Shoma kinda opens up a little and explains who Stomach.Inc is, not that he’s related to them or anything but at least Valen knows who they are and realises this is why Shoma didn’t want him going. The pair come up with a new plan: they post, on social media, a sketch of the Granutes human disguise revealing that she’s a monster and how she kidnaps people, ruining her method completely. In her desperation, the boys confront the Granute and Vlam again. Valen keeps Vlam busy while Shoma deals with the Granute, only to learn that the press of the boy from their neighbourhood – who led to them finding out about this case – wasn’t in the possession of the bird Granute. Could they have already been shipped off? A weakened Gavv (man had to use CaKing) comes back just in time to see Vlam using a finisher to knock Hanto out of his transformation, seriously injuring him. If i had a nickel every time an episode ended on the clifhanger of “oh now maybe Hanto is dead”, then I’d have a lot of useless coins I can’t use in this country…
The Bad
My only bad has to do with episodes 15/16 and you might be able to guess why. I worry, repeatedly, about them removing a lot of the nuance around the monsters of the week being drug addicts, used by their dealers. I have issue with a two parter that opens with Gruncle Dente explaining that the Dark Treats are so addictive there’s no way anyone that’s ever had any would ever give them up. While I may not be the most qualified person to give a super nuanced take on the subject, I don’t think “all users are irredeemable monsters” is a great message, you know? While I’m loving everything else about Gavv, that part just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The Good
Everything else about these four episodes has been a wonderful continuation of everything I’ve loved about Gavv so far; from fight choreography, to acting, to the plot, it’s been doing a great job of maintaining the momentum and keeping up the high standard of superheroics it set for itself. Other than what i said in the bad section, my other personal complaint was that I was planning on doing a whole toku theory section about Laage9 and how I think he’s clearly undercover, likely after his own revenge or a secret Granute cop or something… but I kinda feel like episode 18 made it way too obvious that he’s very much not on team Stomach Inc., and has some tragic past that will be explored in the next two parter, most likely. In conclusion, though, another great serving of Kamen Rider and I can’t wait for more!
What about you? Did you enjoy the episodes? What do you think of pudding boy? Please, let me know in the comments! As always, I’ve been Ethan: Writer, reviewer and number one pudding taster for The Toku Source and I’ll see you all next time!
I definitely think Dente’s comments has to be taken with a grain of salt (imo his perspective doesnt means much when Stomach Inc has been virtually unimpeded upon until recently). However I do hope Lage9’s background will give some much needed perspective on granute society and the collateral caused by Stomach Inc there. As even Shouma himself seems to struggle not giving in to Hantos comments on them.