Kamen Rider Gotchard Reviews

Gotchard Episode 39 Review

A seeming breather episode after the conclusion to a heartbreaking storyline that was originally a joke that pushed the acting and characters to a near breaking point before recovering after the final hour. Wait just like Geats...until Bujin: it wasn't Keiwa's fault, nor the actor who received death threats from the Japanese side of the fanbase because reasons? Sure, why not.

Even before we get the opening:

It's kinda fun to be back to semi-normal even as the Chemy capture is coming to a close end. Props for just have the revived Chemies next to the yellow flower interacting with a few ones we're familar with in SaboNeedle and the Parka one, but also the Chemies caught int he first half of Renge's arc.

Kyoka's debrief on the situation so we get an in universe explanation over "the show never told us," just implied."I can't control the raging power within me any longer."

Keep it in your pants Clotho, we don't need that information. Though these sisters really need a better boss and parent. Their father showed consistent love to only one of them, and now their grand-uncle is torturing them with gravity enraged.

We even get a fun competition between the teams, gender war style to see who can catch them first,

Spanner and Minato going to the Association.

Even Kajiki's paranormal hunting adventures he said he was going to start alongside his blog still return. Just the absurdity of "hey I got licked by this terrible creature, but it smells weirdly nice" sounds exactly like what a teen paranormal investigator would say.

Also, these kids would be way too excited to hunt down a PakuRaptor that was semi devouring their own friend. 

The methods to finding them are both actually inventive and ridiculously charming: food for Houtarou, using a Chemy in X-Rex with technology via a drone is so Sabi, but Renge and Rinne dressing up as dinosaurs, only for her to get embarrassed by the lack of reaction after her attempt at a Roar leads her to storm off would be funny on it's own, but her feet dragging the dinosaur costume with her was one of the more funnier rage quits one wouldn't notice at first glance.

Atropos vs Lachesis vs Clotho: well now we know what she was doing, but the little devil trying to bargain, Clotho assuming Lachesis trying to take her away, Atropos briefly trying to ground her sister only for Rinne to show up using a Chemy she and Houtarou defeated back in episode 31 to protect Lachesis before Clotho counters her when Lachesis goes in for the save and get them both out of there was quick, but it does remind the audience there's still unresolved business.

Which is immediately contrasted with PakuRaptor eating their stuff, only for the truth to be revealed. PakuRatpor and Ojilacanth built a home, watching over each other all this time when Gigist snatches them, declaring himself to decide how they live, die, is just toxic relationships personified at worst, and using the Chemies as human soldiers at best, creating life only to be used as fodder isn't too far off from how governments and organizations use men as a recruitment tool for their own wars.

But Houtaro and Nijgon are able to deflect it and use their Rainbow Breath to gather and save the two with their own powers with alll One Hundred One Chemies now together. The choices for which Chemies are also good to note, the first one Gigist uses after his temporal warp are Gaiard and Dragonalos, the second are AppareSkebows and GoldMechanicor, two of the first two duos Houtarou befriended to create Gotchard Brothers.

Also, a red, blue, and yellow/gold Kamen Rider pose. Feels very Saber, but they play up the speed and combat of Appare Skebows and Rainbow comboing, and Gold defending and blasting chunks of Gigist off before we get this:

And just the fun of watching Gotchard actually be able to physically fight alongside the friends he's defended while making Gigist's hurt on the mere concept of Gotcha being able to counter malice is really just hysterical, man basically said "what does that even mean," like man called the protagonist too stupid to understand wanting to hurt people.

The final finisher of a triple Rider Kick going one after the after, combining Appare Skebows's tornadoes with the two using their Wild Forms to trap Gigist in a tornado first was a fun call back. 

Even though it's not the end just yet, as far as collecting the one hundred Chemies goes, it was definitely a blast to see them finally get to this point just by defeating the Big Bad supposedly after just taking on his sloppy Malgam from before with a party even Spanner, even if Minato accidentally sprayed the wire confetti.

Hope the cast and crew actually made that food and they got to eat it though, of course the Kansai girl would bring a ton of takoyaki. We even get the "who found them first" argument between Houtarou and Renge with Sabi and Rinne just watching them until Nijigon's like "screw it, you all win," for them to fawn over him, and giving Hopper1 the credit for finding Paku earlier was a good moment between them.

And now we know why Kyoka also sent Lachesis out, though one would forget the Sisters are kinda covert in this world, so if someone asks "hey why is this cute goth teen-dult who tried to kill people once able to walk around," they didn't attack the populace directly, just other alchemists. 

Though it is cute to see Spanner exasperated Kyoka added coriander to takoyaki (might wanna try that one day) given the last time she experimented with food, and Minato stealing Spanner's catchphrase for him.

Even better, Lachesis taking Kyoka's offer for food and to be human worked out after all, though the "after all, someday I'll," got cut off. That had to be intentional, especially after the smash cut to Atropos taking care of a tired Clotho while gasping for her dad.

At least we know as usual, the Association executives being a bunch of stoic lazygivers not given too shits about the other sisters being at large but after hinting about it, Minato's finally going to start reforming the Alchemist Association.

Plus, we're not done with Door of Darkness just yet.

Granted, the only real criticism is that with Lachesis, there should've here there in the beginning wondering whether she should participate before Kyoka calls her, but this was a breather episode the show needed. Especially since now begins the final stretch.