Kamen Rider Kiva, Episode 19: Fusion - Aura Storm
One episode only this time. No real reason, I just felt like watching this episode today. It's actually not the most elaborate episode, with actually a pretty short set of 1986-era sequences. We get to see a bit more of Rook, going around doing his 'I'll treat myself/game start' insanity, going around hunting women with wedding dresses this time around. And... and we sort of focus a lot on Yuri, which is nice! But, on the other hand, the writers of the show really doesn't want to let Yuri do anything cool. Like, make no mistake, the show really emphasizes just how Yuri tries so hard, but she also basically fails any time she manages to get the chance to do anything. Which, if it happens to only a single female character in a show with a large cast, I'd just brush it off as a quirk of the character. But considering the frankly rather sexist attitude that the writing has towards the women in Kiva, it gets more and more frustrating that Yuri's whole character arc in this episode, getting herself pumped to fight Rook and finally finish her character motivation... ends up with her straight-up just freezing up and unable to do anything, and Rook even ignores her in that confrontation in the church. I really want to be proven wrong, that the show's not as sexist as I make it out to be, but that really will only happen if she gets to do something next episode. It's, like, a decent set-up for her to finally show that she's good for more than just whipping a chain around and then getting bashed face-first into trees, right?
At least that scene with Jiro and Otoya is hilarious as hell. Matsuda Kenji as Jiro tends to play his character as badass, cold and aloof, but man that scene when he suddenly freaks out and goes "KORE WAAAAAA???!?!?!?!" when Otoya hands him a (fake) signature of his favourite idol group, and both he and the owner of Cafe Mal d'Amour ends up freaking out in fanboy solidarity... that's actually pretty cute, and they don't go too over-the-top with Jiro's reaction, which I feels really sell this scene.
The 2008 scene is a bit more elaborate. While the 1986 cast has gone back to the Rook storyline, the 2008 scenes have sort of deviated, following kind of a more light-hearted storyline, at least in the beginning. While going around collecting snails for violin varnish, Wataru gets bullied by a bunch of random punks, leading to the glorious return of Eritate Kengo. Kengo drives away the punks and then gives a huge speech about how he's found the new meaning of rock... and "ROCK IS KIVA!" Of course. The civilian friend who's a huge, huge fan of the main character's superheroic alter ego.
Of course, the "mean grumpy old man" (Kengo's words) Keisuke Nago shows up, with a whole lot more sanity than he showed last episode. Unfortunately, a sane Nago is still McDouchebag Supreme, and he just goes around telling Nago to shut the fuck up about Kiva, and even slams the table down and snarls at Wataru for daring to 'speak up'. Man, Nago really makes it easy to dislike him, huh? He needs to get drop-kicked into a puddle again.
Anyway, one thing leads to another, and, uh... Wataru, Kengo, Megumi and Kengo short of ends up at a random psychic, who they commission to try and figure out Wataru's identity. The scene was fast and generically goofy, but Wataru faints, and this encounter with the psychic is presumably what sets off the rest of the episode. As Wataru's friends surround him at his house, Wataru seems to be possessed by an alternate personality, going around spinning Megumi around and flirting with her, telling her to "take my heart" while wiggling his chest around. Seto Koji is glorious as he hams it up, considering how we see Wataru as meek and introverted all the time.
(Notably, Nago does not accompany Wataru back to his house, really cementing the fact that even in his civilian mentor-wannabe relationship with Wataru, Nago's such a prick that he doesn't care enough that Wataru has fainted.)
This goes on for a bit, with Wataru being possessed by the mysterious ghost (which, really, the audience should realize who he is the moment he starts creepy-flirting with a girl) and beating up the punks that bullied him earlier. After baffling poor Shizuka for a bit, the possessed Wataru realizes that he's in the wrong century, the wrong body, and the wrong clothes... but ends up quickly adapting into things because 2008 has maid cafes. The rules of possession are a bit ambiguous, though, leading to Wataru reverting back in the midst of being pampered by the maids at the maid cafe.
Can't have an episode of Kiva without a Kiva-vs-Fangire battle, though, and the three punks kicking a can end up running into a Fangire at a parking lot, leading to a battle between Kiva and the Ladybug Fangire. In a supreme move of idiocy (particularly unforgivable in a show where we explicitly see Castle Doran eat Fangire souls at the end of every two-parter) Kiva leaves the Ladybug Fangire laying there unmoving, allowing the Fangire to attack Kiva and escape. Kiva de-henshins, and Otoya-in-Wataru ends up knocking Kivat-bat aside because, uh... he's kind of a dick.
While all of this is going on, Kengo is pestering Nago, and they bump into the fleeing Fangire. Nago's attempt to fist himself (hee hee) end up with complete failure as the Ladybug Fangire blasts him with some sort of a sonic boom, and the attempt at Nago and Megumi in taking down the Fangire untransformed (Kengo was sort of there too) ends up with ultimate disaster. Nago and Kengo get knocked down, and Megumi's attempt to transform with Ixa... ends up with her also freezing up. Sigh. At least we seem to be hinting at Megumi inheriting Ixa a lot sooner? The Ladybug Fangire grabs Nago and Kengo and threatens to hold them hostage if Megumi doesn't show up as Ixa, before stomping Megumi to the ground a couple of times in a pretty uncomfortable scene.
Of course, though, knowing this show, it's just as likely that Megumi does not become Ixa, and instead it's the dramatic reveal of Wataru-possessed-by-Otoya that shows up to kick Fangire ass that's going to do the hero-ing. Come on, Kiva, don't disappoint me.
Random Notes:
- This is the first time we get to see the Arm Monsters transforming into the Fuestle that Castle Doran speaks up. Ramon transforms into Basshaa form, jumps up into a chandelier, which apparently clatters around Castle Doran's body before being spat out at high speed, at which point it turns into the Kiva-weapon.
- Know Your Fangire: This week's Fangire is the Ladybug Fangire, which I totally couldn't tell, and I thought it's another bug toku monster. When you know what you're looking at, though, those wing designs sort of become obvious. The Ladybug Fangire also has a pretty cool spike-studded wheel weapon!
- The idea (and visual effects) of the main character being possessed really would've worked better if Kiva didn't come immediately after the heels of Den-O, huh? It's been a while since I personally watched Den-O, but the kiddies watching this episode back in 2008 are probably finding it pretty similar to the show that ended last year.
- Apparently Otoya's limits of flirting is exactly Shizuka's age. Good to know that even Otoya has standards in his greasiness.
- For all of the grief that I give Nago throughout my reviews, I do really like the fact that he and Megumi work seamlessly as professional vampire hunters in the final battle of the episode.
- That confrontation between Megumi, Nago and the Ladybug Fangire has a lot of great visual shots, by the way.
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