Recap: Kamen Rider Wizard, Episode 4 – The Doll and The Pianist

As Wajima is cooking breakfast, Haruto calls Koyomi over. He holds her hand over the Driver Belt (“Please… Please”), transferring magic to her, it seems, just as Rinko walks in.

Rinko asks what that was just now, but Haruto and Wajima change the subject. Shunpei happily walks in with a bag of donuts. Much to Haruto’s delight.

Across town at a junkyard, Medusa and Phoenix wake up Caitsith, a phantom in the body of a muscular black man. They order him to find the next Gate, champion pianist Takagi, and drive him to despair.

At the antique shop, Rinko asks how Haruto can eat doughnuts all the time, Haruto chokes, and Shunpei pours coffee all over him. Over the ruckus, Koyomi tells them about the Phantom attacking downtown which she sees in her crystal ball.

Koyomi tells Haruto to be careful today and he and Rinko head out. Shunpei knocks over a vase, but Wajima and Koyomi don’t seem to care.

Rinko ushers Takagi into her car letting Haruto henshin and fight off Caitsith. Wajima, Koyomi and Shunpei watch through the crystal ball as Caitsith runs away. Shunpei tries to make conversation, but Koyomi gives him the eye and he shuts up.

Haruto and Rinko talk to Takagi who tells them playing piano is his only hope and he won’t back out of tomorrow’s competition. At the junkyard, the Caitsith wants to go back to laying about, but Medusa gives him the eye and he goes back to work.

Rinko relays info she’s gotten to Haruto, that Takagi is a piano wiz but has been in a slump lately and that his comeback depends on how he does in the competition tomorrow.

Haruto takes a seat on the bench and tells Rinko she doesn’t need to accompany him all the time. Koyomi agrees as she and Shunpei come walking towards them. Only I can help, Koyomi says, cracking a rare smile at Haruto. She can see Phantoms disguised as humans. Rinko asks how she can do that and is surprised to find Koyomi’s hand is cold when she grabs it.

Koyomi tells Rinko and Shunpei to leave and just then, senses the Phantom Caitsith walk past towards Takagi’s apartment. Haruto chases after the Phantom and Rinko chases after them. Koyomi and Shunpei go after Takagi while Medusa becomes intrigued by Koyomi.

The Phantom ends up popping by the donut cart so Haruto and Rinko take a doughnut break. She apologizes about upsetting Koyomi.

Koyomi tells Takagi not to cause problems for Haruto, but she senses Medusa as she arrives. Koyomi tells Takagi to run.

Medusa says Koyomi isn’t a Phantom or a human, so just what is she? Medusa lets out her tentacles, grabs Koyomi and says “So, you’re just a doll that runs on magical energy.” She sucks the magic out of Koyomi and drops her onto the ground before walking away. Shunpei tries to wake her up.

At the donut cart, Rinko says she knows how Koyomi might feel about her. But Haruto says it’s okay since she didn’t like him at first either. But how’d you start getting along, Rinko asks. By completely accepting her, Haruto replies.

The donut cart manager grabs his/her employee into a hug, overjoyed at the thought of acceptance. But Shunpei calls Haruto to tell him what’s happened.

They rush over and Haruto gives Koyomi more Please magic energy like this morning. Koyomi wakes up and Shunpei backs up right into the pond.

Haruto chases after the Phantom who reappears nearby even though Koyomi worries his magic level is depleted already.

The Phantom is with Takagi who suddenly offers up his hands for Caitsith to chop off. The Phantom doesn’t understand why he isn’t cowering in fear instead.

Haurto arrives to stop it from happening and Takagi calls him a “meddler.” Haruto henshins and he and the Phantom fight again.

Haruto binds Caitsith, but when he goes for the finisher, the Driver merely says “Error.” (No Please.) The bind on the Phantom fades away and Haruto says he’s run out of magic energy.

Episode Thoughts
Yes! We finally get into Koyomi’s strangeness this episode and it should be interesting to see exactly who or what she really is.

It was a good episode but I have to say, the bits of slapstick seem slightly out of place. Haruto getting coffee spilled on him, the gang getting crazy, Shunpei falling into the water, the donut cart employee being grossed out by getting a hug from his gay boss… it may be all fun on their own, but those moments haven’t been meshed well with the rest of the story. Same as in the first three episodes, but more so here.

I feel like Fourze managed to handle the balance a little better even though things didn’t really start getting serious until maybe a third of the way into the season. Wizard on the other hand starts out with a pretty dark concept with the Gates and Phantoms, but the characters themselves are a pretty lively bunch (except for Koyomi of course) and I guess it feels a little awkward.

Nonetheless, another solid, fun episode. Let’s see if things can flow a little more smoothly in the future.

Oh and the Driver is very polite with the “Pleases,” but when there’s an Error, it doesn’t even say “Sorry.” That’s rude. lol

0 thoughts on “Recap: Kamen Rider Wizard, Episode 4 – The Doll and The Pianist

  1. You bring up a good point with the humor. Often it felt out of place to me in this season. Kind of forced actually, especially with one character that will come later, and I wonder whether it was only there because the writer/s thought “it’s Kamen Rider it needs to have humor.”

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