Kamen Rider Revice E43 Review: Akaishi the Cockroach

Kamen Rider Revice, Episode 43: The End of Eternity, Where Regret Leads

So last where we left off, we had Vail and Genta's storyline done... which means that it's time to replace that subplot with another one. Namely that Giff finally has gone out of his weird pocket dimension and is now walking around as a suited-up monster! He still doesn't speak, though, which... is a pretty interesting contrast to so many other Rider villains we've had. The cliffhanger is resolved very quickly with the arrival of Hikaru as Over-Demons, and our heroes beat a hasty retreat while the confused Daiji goes off on his own. With the rather unimpressive 'death' that he had in the previous episode, it's also no surprise to see Akaishi get resurrected almost immediately by Giff. Giff, however, is past giving Akaishi any second chances about 'preparing' humanity to worship him. And Akaishi gets so desperate that he's willing to make a new contract where he loses his immortality just to continue serving Giff. 

Speaking of second chances, Daiji is unwilling to give himself one. That seems to be the crux of his problem -- he knows he fucked up. He knows that Ikki and Sakura and all the rest are doing the right thing. But he's so head-up-his-ass in his own idea of justice that he just cannot accept the idea that he's wrong... or to forgive himself, as Papa Genta has told him in that flashback. Daiji's mental state is more 'I can't turn back now'... and he finally admits that he erased Kagerou and he can't turn back from that. 

In comes Hiromi, too, to give a rather typical but very important "it's okay to fail, but after that, it's for you to decide" speech. If only Hiromi's presence was felt a bit more in the show! I know it's nowhere as bad as how Saber handles its characters, and that's an easy target to make, but Hiromi does still feel like they had an idea to have him disappear for the middle part of the show, but it's just kinda awkward because he's not really receiving as much screentime as most of the other primary cast members. 

Another thing that the show is leading to wrap up is Karizaki Senior -- who keeps talking about how his body is about to fail him. He talks to the cast about how he regrets all his actions as the mad scientist that turned Genta into a Kamen Rider, and about the shadiness of Weekend... but then drops the frankly out-of-nowhere bombshell that he transferred his inner demon into George's body. It's... it's honestly kind of nonsensical, and other than the fact that George was able to transform into Kamen Rider Demons that one time, it feels like this really had zero buildup. Is this just the writers' attempt to try and handwave or justify George's more ruthless tendencies earlier in the show? Because if it is, it's a terrible explanation and takes away a lot of George's agency for being an actual mad scientist who finally realizes that he should be good. 

Meanwhile, Akaishi goes around and wanders around Ararat, the shelter that his organization built, and starts going all Dragon Ball villain and shooting energy beams there. He allows himself to be transformed by Giff into a brand-new spiky red form, and we get Kamen Riders Revi, Vice, Jeanne, Aguilera and Over Demons fighting against Giff and Akaishi. 

And... okay, it's pretty much telegraphed what is going to happen the moment Hikaru opens his mouth. Ikki and Vice fighting against Giff is just to take them out of the picture. Jeanne and Aguilera fighting against Akaishi is kind of just there to prolong an action scene. Even Daiji showing up to beaet up the generics and confront Hiromi is just more miniscule build-up. The whole fight is just Hikaru maximizing his Genomix power-ups, so that he can avenge his dead parents. And... you know what? If there was someone who deserves the catharsis of beating the ever-loving shit out of Akaishi, it is Hikaru. It's pretty amazing how I went from not giving a shit about this brat into actually rooting for him to get his revenge. Again, it's typical -- Akaishi beats all the secondary riders, but then Hikaru yells out some triumphant shit while assuming his ultimate form, which is the same form that Demons!Olteca used before. 

And Hikaru totally beats the ever-loving shit out of Akaishi, and it's satisfying to see. And as Akaishi crawls and reaches out for Daiji... well, Daiji's never been in this for Akaishi. he's in this for his sense of justice, and after seeing how fucked-up Akaishi's justice is last episode and this episode, he just cold-bloodedly headshots Akaishi as he's crawling on the ground. That's honestly surprisingly brutal and shot as gruesomely as a toy gun with wings can get. 

And off goes Akaishi, dying and evaporating into red smoke, while the final cliffhanger is Daiji about to ask Giff for a contract. 

Pretty cool, though, right? Hikaru, the side-character, gets a great moment even if the final act done to finish off Akaishi still goes to the honestly rather consistent building-up of Daiji's insanity and delusion. It's this sort of good-rider-gone-psychotic that I haven't really felt since... since Micchy in Gaim, I want to say? And I really do enjoy the balancing act of Daiji's own mindset. I still don't really agree that losing Kagero (who is 100% a toxic influence, unlike Vice or Lovekov) is what's making Daiji so off the deep end, but the show's been so gradual about it that I actually don't mind it. Toss in the pretty great Hiromi speech, the takedown of Akaishi... pretty good stuff. 

Random Notes:

• Genta is still heavily injured after his whole Destream stuff last episode, and once more, Weekend's medical team is treating him. 
• Even more hints sprinkled throughout this episode of Ikki's memory loss. Again, still a plot point that I feel doesn't make much sense to me, but the acting is convincing enough that I'm willing to look past that. 
• Okay I get that he's training, but doing karate moves in a dark room really doesn't scream 'training how to use the Genomix Vistamps' to me. 
• That was a really nice shot, though, with Daiji raising one arm seemingly to help Akaishi up... but then moves that arm to cock his handgun and it goes Finisher Approved! HOLY JUSTICE FINISH! The explosion on the ground and the Akaishi-monster suit actor stumbling backwards as he's reeling from a hole shot through him is also well done.