KR Gaim 18 released

[takenoko]

Obligatory spoiler warning for TOQGER 1 at the end of this episode. Watch TOQ first if you plan to do so.

http://wiki.tvnihon.com/wiki/Kamen_Rider_Gaim_18

Micchi, got to be more assertive! Got to support Mai! Oh wait, Kouta just ran after her before you could.

Hey, that was a rad entrance Zack. A little character development with Peko too. Nice.

LOL, those girls just grabbed Jounouchi and dragged him in. Is he their leader or prisoner? Are they using a cassette tape player?!

Aww, Duke tease.

Got to love Rat hitting on those girls. Why hasn't that team shown up before?

Don't worry Mai-chan! I'll be here if things don't work out with you and Kaito!

[DaVinci030]

It's really the first time to see all beat riders are dancing + those girls grab Jounouchi into the top. haha

So it's another Armored Rider, Knuckle... eh?

Are they using a cassette tape player?!

I dunno...

Spoiler

Next episode: It's Gaim (Jimber Lemon) vs. Zangetsu Shin at Helheim forest again!
It's been too long since Gaim (Pine arms) lost to Zangetsu in episode 4.

[takenoko]

Oh yeah, the Ganbarizing card says Jimber, so we're switching it to that. I honestly think it's better anyway since I hate it when the official translation changes j to z.

Edit: Oh, the girls in white are Kamen Rider Girls, aren't they?

[Phoenix512]

Man Kaito is one weird dude. He only dance as a way to show his power. Okay... But anyway, Sagura definitely has his own weird agenda that seems to conflict with the rest of Yggdrasill.

Jounouchi just bother the hell out of me. I think it would be a much better episode if there was some conflict of loyalties with him going on. He was so willing to go with Oren that his previous affliction as a Beat Rider didn't seem to matter to him at all. And then he suddenly decided to dance after being forced up there by his own members is just weird. I think his personality when he's Guridon is his true personality not the one we first see him with.

Damn you Toei. You make a big deal that Duke is coming but only get a few seconds at the very end. That's the biggest cock tease ever.

I wonder if Malika will be the strongest female Rider ever with the statement that she wasn't fighting at her full strength.

Team PopUp is the Kamen Rider Girls.

[butyoumight]

Damn you Toei. You make a big deal that Duke is coming but only get a few seconds at the very end. That's the biggest cock tease ever.

SERIOUSLY ugh. He had better henshin on screen next week.

[takenoko]

When adults deal with kids, it's normal to hold some strength back. Kids are just kids, after all. Both Sigurd and Malika have admitted to not using their full potential. But I like the way they keep saying that since it's probably true and it'd make sense. If Kouta were any threat, even with the Lemon Lock Seed, Yggdrasill would probably go all out in destroying him.

[Arigomi]

The other teams certainly know how to make an entrance, suddenly appearing on the stage.

I guess Kaito is going to the "lone wolf" route since he is technically the secondary heroic Rider of the show.

The Beat Rider reputation story is wearing a bit thin at this point. Hopefully they find a way to either wrap it up instead of dragging it out to the very end.

[takenoko]

Saw this on tumblr. The reflection changed:

[FirenOh]

Guess Toei has caught aware to the speculation in the scene and decided to crush it by refilming it. Or just wanted to showoff more toys.

But my big question is what the symbolism behind the reflections anyway?

Giant Transparent CGI Walnut, the truest power of Mister Knucleman.

[Dengar]

Knuckle's intro was amazing. While not exactly the highlight of the episode, he did have a respectable place by immediately showing that he's a capable fighter. It also did a good job of bringing background character Zack to the foreground without having him steal the show.

I think the real star of the episode is Kaito though. He's.. interesting. He does believe "strength is everything", and is frequently surprised by the statements and actions of the people around him. He does not, however, seem to condemn them for it, and encourages people to find their own way.

[ViRGE]

A 3rd Nut Bro, I didn't see that coming. I figured Kaito would get his energy lock seed first, since they can't let him go too long at being less powerful than Gaim.

[Revorse]

Pretty decent episode. Felt like a bunch of fighting which I liked. Had to offset that dancing stuff somehow. But that also leads me to a question.

Why in the world did they thing dancing together was going to clear their name? If anything it'd just show that they are a unified terrorist group. As everyone in the show thinks they are.
Jounouchi's scene with the dancing had me dying. It was like "oh maybe I shouldn't.....BUST A MOVE ON THESE MOTHA FUCKAS!"

Knuckle is pretty cool. He's a brawler. Kinda popped out of nowhere though. I never thought anyone on Team Baron, outside of Kaito, was going to be important.

Also, maybe it's just me, but is anyone else ticked at how easily Bravo has been getting beat in his recent appearances?

[ViRGE]

Also, maybe it's just me, but is anyone else ticked at how easily Bravo has been getting beat in his recent appearances?

No, I was just having the same thought.

At this point I'm really annoyed with how they've been handling Oren/Bravo. He was supposed to be a huge threat to the main riders, a decorated soldier who has just been given superpowers and knows how to use them. Instead he has become the butt monkey of the riders, whose main defining attribute is his flamboyancy.

He went into this knowing that there could be 3 riders there, one of which (Gaim) can easily clean his clock, and the other two (Baron and Ryugen) who wouldn't have any problem with the Inves. There's no way the plan would have succeeded, and that's the frustrating part.

Instead of a threat he's the Goldar. He cooks up absurd plans of the week just for the heroes to foil, and will always be back in a week or two.

[Catastrophe]

I would make a comment about Knuckle jobbing, but that Inves was the won that Gaim and Kaito needed to gang up to beat during Mango Arms debut.

Hopefully Oren either gets and upgrade or gets killed soon. With Gaims upgrade he really just gets his shit handed to him.

Also, lol at Jono breaking into dance. Good thing Oren didn't see him.

[Kamen_Rider_Shiki]

Here I come, rougher than the rest of them! The best of them, tougher than leather! You can call me Knuckle! Unlike Gaim I don't chuckle! I'd rather flex my muscles! I'm hard as nails, it ain't hard to tell; I break 'em down whether they solid or frail! Unlike the rest I'm independent since my first breath, first test, peel right and the worse's left!

Bravo's flying butt attack was weird, and the microphone hitting the ears really was painful, but the plot of this episode was real good. Kaito retiring and the decent teams that didn't end up like Red Hot coming together in the end really hit the sentiment. I'm also glad you guys didn't try to translate all those words.

Kamen Rider Duke kenzan!