Recap: Kamen Rider Gaim, Episode 33 – The Great Beat Riders' Gathering!

Kota goes home to check on his sister. But Akira has left a note saying she’s gone to the shelter and tells Kota to be careful.

Akira finds the evacuation center, but an older man walks by, carefully holding on to his wife who seems very weak. He tells Akira the evacuation center is useless, no help is coming. That is why you need to escape the city on your own.

A little boy runs and puts his arms around Akira, looking for his mom. She promises to take him to his mother, but an Inves suddenly jumps out of the nearby alley. Akira takes the boy and runs into the center.

Meanwhile, Chinese, French and American officials are arguing about the failures of the Kureshima fellow and the inaction of the Japanese government’s Self-Defense Forces. Ryoma pops in.

The three officials want him to show himself, but Ryoma says that’s not important right now as he’s found a path to the power of the gods. The officials don’t give a crap about some Forbidden Fruit.

Oh well then, Ryoma says and he flips the switch revealing Project Ark to the world.

At the Garage, everyone is watching the news reports about Yggdrasill’s plans for mass terrorism to eliminate most of humanity and the Japanese government’s involvement in it.

Japanese government officials are resigning, London is panicking, the New York Stock Exchange has collapsed, the world is in chaos.

Mai is upset there is no news on Zawame City. Their cell phones still don’t work and Mai is worried about Mitchi.

Minato says Mitchi’s probably run far away by now. That’s absurd, Mitchi is not like that! Mai protests.

Before Minato can explain, Kota arrives and updates them on the insanity outside. Jonouchi thinks people must be trapped in their homes. Mai wants to help those people, but Zack says the police or the Self-Defense Forces will do that.

Minato says no they won’t. She explains that Yggdrasill is responsible for taking care of what happens in Zawame. The SDF will cut the city off from the outside.

Kaito points to a map of Zawame, which is apparently surrounded by waterways and only accessible to the mainland by three exits, making it easy for the SDF to isolate the city in an emergency. They must have created Zawame City with that intention.

Minato gives them communicators and Mai suggests they work together to patrol the city and evacuate the people left behind.

Back at the Crack Room, Redyue laughs at the demise of the foolish Demushu. Mitchi comments at how Redyue appears to be the opposite.

Redyue says now it’s time to focus on obtaining the Fruit of Knowledge. And he she needs Mitchi’s help. Since she doesn’t know much about humans, Mitchi must help by thinking of ways Redyue can control and manipulate them.

Redyue doesn’t plan on eliminating humanity since being the ruler of ruins would be boring. That’s why Mitchi will manage and she will plan.

Mitchi likes that idea. For now.

Mitchi says they must defeat Kota-san first. Redyue calls the Overlord Dyudyuonshu to accompany Mitchi and help. But Mitchi knows Dyudyuonshu is just a watchdog for Redyue. “You underestimate me,” Mitchi thinks to himself.

Kaito has just finished defeating an Inves and reports to Mai who at the Garage with the map. She asks what he sees up ahead, but Kaito says nothing. It’s pretty quiet.

Mai falls silent and Kaito asks what’s wrong.

Mai says she thought Zawame would stay the same no matter how much she change. But Zawame will no longer be a city if people are gone. It’ll just be empty ruins.

Not really, Kaito says. He’s still here. As are the others. They are free, in a sense and it’s not so bad if you think about it that way.

I’m not strong, Mai says. Kaito tells her to just dance, that is her strength. But why dance when there’s no audience? Kaito says she doesn’t know that. They could return very soon. “I hope so,” Mai says.

“That is one of your abilities,” Kaito says. Mai has something that draws people to her. “Isn’t that true for you too?” she asks.

Before they realized it, people from Team Gaim, Baron and Yggdrasill were all fighting together. Isn’t that because of Kaito?

“So… so…”

Before Mai can finish what she wants to say, a Crack appears and Kaito leaves to take care of it. Kota arrives at the Garage and says he’s taken care of his area. Mai suggests they go to Drupers to eat.

Bando-san says he can’t close the shop while his employees are out working hard.

Mai asks Kota what he thinks of Zawame’s current state and he says things will work out. He doesn’t know exactly how, but he believes the Fruit of Knowledge will help them stop Helheim’s invasion.

Kota says he and the other Riders will do their best to protect everyone.

Kota is done eating, but he hasn’t finished his bowl. He comments to Bando how it wasn’t very flavorful. That’s impossible, Bando says.

Minato calls Mai to report the sighting of a strange Inves. Kota hurries to help.

Minato is at the plaza and tells Kota she saw it somewhere around here. With no sign of it yet, Kota has a question for her. Why did she betray Yggdrasill?

“I’m glad we’re on the same side, but I can’t ease up unless I know why.”

Minato says she didn’t betray them. They abandoned her, so she gave up on them. That’s all.

“But why didn’t you run away?” Kota asks. “Because Kaito is here,” she replies.

Minato says she likes people who seek power. It makes her want to see how far they’ll go.

Mitchi watches from a rooftop. “Hook, line and sinker.” He tells Dyudyuonshu to defeat “the woman” and lure the guy to him.

Are you sure, Dyudyuonshu asks. “Wasn’t he your friend?”

Mitchi laughs, “Friends are those who do what I want.”

“Is power everything to you?” Kota asks. Minato says “Power is useless unless you can control it. What about you? What will you do with that power.”

“I’ll protect everyone.”
“And what will you do after you’ve protected everyone?”

Kota is taken aback by her question. He doesn’t really know the answer.

“Stop saying you’re doing everything for others. You cannot beat Kaito.”

I can if I tried, Kota says. “Stop being so naive! There’s only one Fruit of Knowledge! If you’re not determined to fight, you’ll just get eaten alive.”

Kota lets that sink in when Dyudyuonshu jumps down from the roof. Kota and Minato henshin, but Dyudyuonshu overwhelms them. He easily forces Minato to de-henshin before he charges toward Kota only to leap over him and back up to the roof.

“I’m fine,” Minato says and tells Kota to chase after the Overlord.

“I will avenge Demushu-sama,” Dyudyuonshu says. “Your lives are worth nothing compared to the Femshinmu.”

Kota goes Kachidoki and gains back some ground against Dyudyuonshu until Mitchi arrives, henshined as Zangetsu. Kota still thinks he’s Takatora.

“This is no time for us to be fighting…,” Kota says. But Mitchi and Dyudyuonshu tag-team Kota. Mitchi unleashes his pent-up rage on Kota until Oren pops in to help.

Oren proclaims that this Zangetsu is a fake. There is no “elegance” to him, Oren says. He’d know immediately.

Mitchi fires at Oren. And Kota, now even more angry, goes Kiwami Arms.

Mitchi can’t believe Kota has new Arms, again.

Kota can now go toe-to-toe with both Dyudyuonshu and the impostor. Kota knocks Dyudyuonshu to the ground for a little bit before turning his attention solely on the impostor. Summoning his Musou Saber, Kota slashes at Mitchi sending him towards Dyudyuonshu before taking out Hinawadaidai-DJ-ju.

Oh sh*t, Mitchi says and quickly gets up to use Dyudyuonshu as a shield. The Overlord absorbs the Ichigo Charge and Mitchi gets his ass outta there.

“You damn traitor… someday…”

Mitchi de-henshins, exhausted and pissed. Damn Kota always getting stronger.

“But, no matter how strong he is, Kota-san is still the same. He’s got his weaknesses.”

Mitchi looks up at the Helheim-engulfed Yggdrasill Tower. He smiles.

“I will be one who laughs in the end.”

And Mitchi laughs. Crazily.

Episode Thoughts
This sonuvabitch has lost it. He’s gone off the deep end. He’s too far gone, as Lucy Van Pelt would say.

And yet why is he so awesome. Why Mitchi!? Why must you make me so conflicted with my feelings of absolutely awe and disgust? Hmph.

So this episode started out really well and ended really awesome, but what virtual reality meeting/conference thing. WTF was that!? It was so dumb and completely ruined the mood set by the first scenes.

Thank goodness Kota remembered his sister exists. Him frantically searching for her and then Akira in the empty streets looking for the evacuation center, the man telling her to save herself and the lost, probably orphaned kid clinging to her was a great way to illustrate that the Inves invasion is serious sh*t. Like Zawame is in deep. And they’re being isolated like Chester’s Mill in CBS’ horribly nonsensical Under the Dome.

The Gang regrouping at the Garage was really nice, but it again just made me sad not seeing Rica and Rat who both were very much involved earlier in the season. Now they’re probably dead somewhere. =(

Then there was Kaito and Mai’s intriguing talk. Minato explaining her crappy relationship with Yggdrasill and Mitchi partially getting outed by Oren of all people.

An episode full of great stuff sliced 1/3 of the way through by that horrible scene of floating foreign people. They could’ve easily not included that scene and the news broadcasts would’ve been enough. Even Ryoma simply pushing a button to release the information to the internets would’ve been better. I can’t even express how much of a mood and momentum killer that scene was. Ugh.

So it hasn’t been mentioned on the show, but Redyue is apparently female. That’s definitely adds a very interesting new side to her character.

And Kota losing his sense of taste? On a Korean drama, that would mean he’s got a fatal illness. But maybe all those Lock Seeds and fruits aren’t that good for him? Hmm…

Not the best cliffhanger to go into a two-week break with, but crazyMitchi laugh is still a pretty haunting scene, yeah? Such an awesomely demented little mofo.