Kamen Rider Zero-One E04 Review: Cover-Ups

Kamen Rider Zero-One, Episode 4: I Saw the Bus Guide! Anna's Truth

So we finally go into the string of episodes that's going to slowly crack open the main premise and conspiracy-plot of the series while slowly drip-feeding the initial wave of toys, merchandise and alternate forms. In this episode, we've got Zero-One's Flying Falcon and Vulcan's Punching Kong forms being introduced. 

The basic plotline of this episode is another relatively simple one, with the main cast sort of being brought to Daybreak Town. We get the context of what exactly the ruined town is -- it's a town where a huge explosion apparently occurred, leveling the city and leaving the ruins half-submerged. Of course, Hiden Intelligence has clearly covered it up. As usual, Fuwa is determined to prove that it's the evil evil Humagears that's being evil and oh-so-evil, while our guest-star-of-the-week, a kid called Sakurai Go, is the son of the overseer of the factory and is bullied relentlessly by his classmates because his father is a fuck-up. (What a bunch of shitty kids, huh? "Haha your dad caused the Chernobyl meltdown, what a weeeenie")

Of course, an attack by yet another converted Humagear (this time a bus driver) ends up fucking shit up, bringing Vulcan and Valkyrie and the rest of AIMS into the battle. The Onycho Magia ends up buggering off with his wings since it's not the third act yet, but this ends up causing Fuwa to basically bring up and rant about how the evil-evil Hiden Intelligence company is covering up the fact that the explosion in Daybreak isn't caused by 'faulty machinery'. Aruto is doubtful, but in perhaps the first serious showcase of Vice-President Jun, it's pretty clear that things are, in fact, being covered up. After a conversation with Aruto's Humagear-buddy-of-the-week, the bus tour guide Anna, Aruto decides to go off and uncover the truth.

Also trying to uncover the truth is Fuwa, who is such an insanely irresponsible adult that he decides to bring the little kid Go with him. Although I guess he does have the ability to transform into an armored cyborg robot-man, so I guess it's not that irresponsible? It's at this point where Aruto shows up to hold off the horde of Trilobite Magia that attack, and, more importantly, reveal his true identity as the 'damn grasshopper' to Fuwa. So much for secret identities, then! I am not sure how I feel about the execution of this, though -- on one hand, I do like that the whole theme of the episode is about coming clean and not keeping secrets, and I definitely do like that they didn't stretch it out for too long. On the other hand, Aruto's reveal of his secret identity was sort of... underwhelming?

Fuwa, Go and Anna go off to the central security room of the ruined Daybreak Town, and essentially after a motivational speech by Fuwa, the kid gets enough courage to... reach down and take an SD card. More emotional, though, is the tour guide Humagear Anna, who fights through the corruption and gets enough time to unveil the security recording that shows that Go's father actually blew up the factory to box in the rampaging Humagear, as well as what's basically a terrorist gloating threat monologue by Kamen Rider Horobi of Metsubojinrai-dot-net. It's... it's extremely convenient, honestly, that Hiden Intelligence still has plausible deniability, and that Aruto's blind faith in his company is actually being rewarded with everything evil happening in the world being caused by the terrorist group. 

Despite the dual debuts of Aruto's Flying Falcon form and Fuwa's Punching Kong form, the two of them only really manage to blow up the Onycho Magia. And, unlike the previous couple of episodes, Anna was not recovered, and she blows up and shatters into dust. Which honestly does raise some questions about Mamoru and the sushi chef from the past couple of episodes... just what are those? Are they actually the original Humagears, just with a 'factory wipe' or something, or are they just brand-new Humagear with no memory or connection with their past 'lives' other than their appearance? It gets curiouser and curiouser. 

Ultimately, though, the episode ends with the happy tone of Aruto broadcasting the truth about the destruction of Daybreak City, clearing Go's father's name, and basically earning Fuwa's respect as he revealed both his secret identity and reveals the whole batch of information that they found to the public. It's kind of a relatively simple episode, but a neat one. 

Random Notes:

• We actually get to see a bit of Horobi de-henshining with his fancy new belt, but ultimately it's more of a teaser more than anything. 
• In a weird bit of painting the medium, the Katakana for Punching Kong's finisher actually briefly fall back down the hole alongside the detachable rocket fists. I guess the staff still has Zi-O on their minds?
• So I guess Fuwa's whole thing is that he really has to make strained, quasi-constipated screamy faces every time he wants to open one of his transformation devices, then. 
• Interesting that Flying Falcon doesn't even get to do his finisher this time around. 
• Know your Magia: This week's Magia is your obligatory bat monster, the Onycho Magia, based on one of the earliest-known prehistoric bats, the family-and-genus Onychonycteris. The grunt Magia have been officially named as the Trilobite Magia, a nod to one of the more famous prehistoric creatures out there. 
• The Gimmick Watch:
• Wing! Authorize. Progrise! Fly to the sky! Flying Falcon! Spread your wings and prepare for a force.
• Power! Authorize. Kamen Rider Kamen Rider Kamen Rider. Shotrise! Punching Kong!  Enough power to annihilate a mountain.
• Punching Kong's finisher is Power Punching Blast.