Recap: Kamen Rider Drive, Episode 41 – How Was the Golden Drive Born?

The SID head to a hospital where 18 women have lost consciousness after hearing a strange sound. A sound that they all suddenly hear right this minute! Rinna, like the other women, calls out for a Shou before collapsing.

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They decide to go talk to the woman who the nurses first saw in the waiting room in the middle of the night. And that woman is… Medic?!

Chase says they have the same face, but it isn’t Medic.

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The real Medic is watching with her telescopic eyes, happy that soon the world will know of whatever she wants the world to know. Brain asks what she’s planning, but more importantly, what’s with the filthy dog! Medic says he doesn’t need to know.

Back at the SID, they watch security cam footage of Brain and Medic unloading the woman at the hospital last night. Gou says that witch is probably just conducting another evil experiment.

Kyu says all the women experienced brain activity in a certain region, probably reacting to the strange sound from the mysterious woman.

Kiriko says Rinna’s final words earlier suggest maybe it is referring to a loved one. “Loved one, like family?” Chase asks. No, maybe like a sweetheart, boyfriend or girlfriend.

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Chase asks what’s a sweetheart. Otta gives an enthusiastic explanation and vows to avenge his Sensei.

Chase still doesn’t understand.

Kyu finds another CCTV angle and they see Banno hovering about in the shadows. Gou storms out and Chase follows. Shinnosuke, Kiriko and Otta go investigate some more.

Meanwhile, Medic is growing impatient that “he” hasn’t shown up yet. Brain tries feeding the dog while asking Medic just what’s going on. Medic refuses to explain anything to him.

Brain will not have any of this dog feeding or being kept in the dark. But Medic just snaps her fingers and Brain loses his body again is back to being just a number core.

Brain calls her a black-hearted she-devil. “That’s the problem,” Medic says.

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Belt Banno appears and offers to help her. But Gou also arrives and Banno immediately attaches himself to Medic. She goes Roidmude and Banno takes control of her body.

Gou tries fighting back, but Banno forces him to dehenshin. Heart arrives and rips Banno off of Medic causing her to revert to her human form. Seeing the dog is flustered, she gives Brain his body back and tells him to take the dog and run.

Heart tosses Banno aside as Medic runs away. Chase also arrives, but Banno just leaves.

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Chase tells Heart that they should join forces against their common enemy Banno. But Heart says he will stand by his convictions. He explains that on the night of the Global Freeze, Krim and Proto Drive moved to wipe the Roidmude out. But a white goddess appeared.

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And that goddess performed a miracle that allowed them to fight once more. Now, Heart is resolved to surpass all humanity and will destroy anyone who gets in their way.

Gou and Chase tell Shinnosuke and Belt-san what happened. Shinnosuke is not sure if she really is a devil or goddess, but he believes that she is not as she was before.

Gou is not buying what Shinnosuke’s selling and decides to go look for Banno.

A man runs into the hospital looking for Hatori Misuzu, the Medic-looking woman. He says Misuzu was his sweetheart until she went missing a year ago.

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They assume this guy is Shou, but actually his name is Igarashi Kazuya. They are both members of a ballet company. Misuzu was a rising star. No wonder Medic was always dancing about, Belt-san points out.

They ask Kazuya about Shou, but he doesn’t anything.

Meanwhile, 006 tells Heart that he will take care of Banno so he can achieve Ultimate Evolution.

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Across town, Medic is happy the dog is fine. She suddenly hears the high pitched noise.

Kazuya has Misuzu in a wheelchair outside the hospital, taking in the fresh air. Chase pulls Shinnosuke aside to ask about what romantic, sweetheart love is like.

Shinnosuke tries to explain that it is that little tightening of your chest whenever you think about that person.

Otta arrives with no more info on Misuzu who they realize has disappeared with Kazuya.

They hurry over to where they last were, but Kiriko trips on the stairs. Chase hurries to catch her. He tingles.

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“It can’t be. Could this be…?”

Medic has Kazuya by the neck and demands to know why Misuzu isn’t waking up yet if he really is her boyfriend. Shinnosuke henshins to Tridoron and stops Medic.

Otta and Kiriko take Kazuya and Misuzu to safety. Chase again protects Kiriko before joining Shinnosuke in fighting Medic.

Shinnosuke tries to get Medic to explain what she is plotting. She herself doesn’t understand why she hasn’t Ultimate Evolved yet since her love for Heart is so strong. The answer must be in Misuzu and unconditional love in her heart.

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Brain is annoyed by the dog and the weather, but he stumbles upon 006 cornering Banno. He watches from behind a carabao.

Banno easily takes care of three Roidmude goons before 006 decides to fight himself. Before he can Ultimate Evolve, Banno reaches into 006 and destroys the viral core.

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Instead of using Medic’s body, Banno will use this one instead. He henshins into Gold Drive.

Banno says this power rivals Ultimate Evolution.

Gou arrives and demands to know what “Banno” is plotting. Banno is amused Gou no longer calls him “Father.”

Gou vows to defeat him as that is his responsibility as Banno’s son. Banno asks what he means.

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Gou explains that Banno is a traitor who betrayed their family and their love. But Banno says he never felt any such thing. To him, a family was just something else to rule over. There was never any love.

“Then what the hell am I to you?!”

Banno says Gou is just a lab rat and definitely more useful than neechan Kiriko, more than he ever expected.

Gou is enraged. He henshins and tries fighting Banno, but Banno easily overpowers him by taking his Signal Bike and using it against Gou. That forces Gou to dehenshin.

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Banno laughs. “I take back what I said. Your use as a lab rat is over.”

The dog pees on Brain’s shoe and runs off. He screams. That attracts Banno over to him.

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Banno has a favor to ask of Brain.

Meanwhile, Medic says she will obtain the love needed for Ultimate Evolution.

The dog runs up to Misuzu who suddenly says something inaudible. Medic seems to hear whatever it is.

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With Medic distracted, Chase sees this as an opening, but Shinnosuke blocks the attack once again.

Shinnosuke dehenshins to ask Medic a question. He wants to know the truth.

In more interesting developments…

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Tomari Eiji has just arrived through the Time Road on August 5, 2015. He is determined to change the future. When Krim shows his true self, Drive destroys the whole city and his father Shinnosuke will be blamed.

As Eiji runs, Dark Drive appears. Eiji hols his father’s burned tie in his hand. He runs for his life, determined to meet his father and change history.

Episode Thoughts

“I want to know the truth about this case!” Yeah, that’s not much of a cliffhanger. I, myself, am not really that interested in finding out the truth about this case.

So we finally get into Medic’s origin story. Again, this should’ve been touched on a long time ago, not in the 40s when the season is wrapping up. Shinnosuke says Medic has been changing, but really she hasn’t. She’s in love with Heart. She likes to one-up Brain. Big whoop. What’s changed?

Something else that hasn’t changed either is Shinnosuke’s cockblocking. Like seriously, what is up with that? It’s become almost laughable. Just kill ’em and get it over with. It’s not like letting them live will make them more interesting anyway.

With Banno, it almost feels like he was a last minute addition to be the Big Bad to make up for the idol group and overall Roidmude being completely hollow and uninteresting. I think a more interesting and cohesive story would’ve been just simply having a bunch of crazy Roidmude robots that they needed to wipe out. They’ve just really and completely messed up the development of Heart, Brain and Medic which has prevented them from being deep characters.

Banno should’ve been at least a half-season build up. Again, seeing Gou so upset here just reminds one how horrible this part of the story developed and how much Gou’s character was completely wasted.

Plus all this Ultimate Evolution and Promised Number stuff just feels tacked on even now at Episode 41.

And speaking of haphazard, this love triangle could’ve easily been incorporated into a fuller story about the relationship between humans and Roidmude (if Chase really is just a machine or actually a human, who even knows really). Gou opposing his sister’s romance with a robot. Shinnosuke defending the Roidmude who eventually will take his girl. Chase learning how to become/remembering how to be human. Kiriko enjoying her long hair. They teased Shinnosuke-Kiriko, then dropped it. They had Kiriko salivating over Chase, then dropped it. And now Chase is feeling tingly.

This is all stuff that should’ve been done in the late 20s, early 30s. Not as we reach the finale. Oh well.

Really one of the few things I actually enjoy about the season is Shota Matsushima and his faces. Plus, he plays the hell out of Brain and at least makes him amusing, fun and interesting.

3 thoughts on “Recap: Kamen Rider Drive, Episode 41 – How Was the Golden Drive Born?

  1. This was actually an interesting episode. BUT (and this is definitely a big BUT) the more I watch it, the more I become disappointed at seeing what Drive could have been versus what it has actually turned out. It’s just utterly frustrating considering how promising it was initially.

    Shinnosuke says Medic has been changing, but really she hasn’t. She’s in love with Heart. She likes to one-up Brain. Big whoop. What’s changed?

    Am guessing that is was supposed to be about emotions. But, meh, who cares? That aspect of the roimudes have been barely taouched upon MUCH LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE.

    And speaking of actors, am kinda disappointed that Fumika Baba was underused here, she gave an interesting portrayal of Medic. Well, at least, the Dead heat forms were cool (much cooler than Type Formula or Tridoron).

  2. Finally someone who agrees with me. I thought she was going to bring it up the fact she has a crush on Chase in the episode where Shinnosuke and Kiriko had to pretend to be a couple. But I watched the preview for episode 43 and the raw version of episode 42 it looks like they’re not dropping Chase’s crush on Kiriko (I f**king hope)

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