Director Kagami welcomes Emu to the CR and explains that Poppi Pipopapo is the Kamen Rider navigator sent by the Ministry of Health. She pops out of the TV screen and hands Emu some stethoscope thing that will be their communication device.
Emu isn’t sure about all of this. But Dr. Kagami Hiiro (Director’s son and genius surgeon from the US) walks into the CR and says Emu is not needed here.
Not only is Hiiro a genius surgeon, he’s also a heartthrob that attracts all the nurses in the hospital. Asuna tells Emu about the Director calling him back to Japan since Hiiro can also be a Kamen Rider.
Emu gets an emergency call. Asuna drives him on a bike to the waiting patient, a man, Rensuke, in the park accompanied by his girlfriend/fiancé Asami.
Asuna tells Emu to examine Rensuke using that thing she gave him. But Hiiro arrives with two long-legged nurses. He wants to take over the examination and uses his own stethoscope to determine Rensuke’s problem.
The nurses attach the Gamer Driver to Rensuke’s crotch area and he henshins, using a Taddle Quest gashat, to Kamen Rider Brave.
The Bugster takes over Rensuke’s body and starts rampaging. Hiiro begins the operation to separate the Bugster. Asuna tells Emu to help so he henshins as well.
Emu immediately goes up to Level 2, but Asuna says he cannot do that. She forces him to downhenshin because a Bugster can only be separated from the patient in level 1. Hiiro cites Emu not knowing that as another reason he’s just a useless intern.
The Bugster toses Emu aside, but Hiiro says there is nothing he can’t cut and slice. So Hiiro cuts and slices the Bugster which releases Rensuke. Emu catches him and sets him on the ground.
The Bugster evolves to Aranbura Bugster. Another Level 1 Rider arrives, but then goes Level 2. Asuna comments that the suit is a repainted Ex-Aid costume.
The new Rider shoots at Emu and Hiiro, but disappears.
They head back to the CR where Asuna explains how to eliminate the Bugster virus.
Hiiro asks who that other Rider was, but Asuna has no idea. Hiiro leaves, but Emu asks why Hiiro isn’t going to examine Rensuke. In the office upstairs, Hiiro explains that he doesn’t get emotionally attached to patients. All he does is save their lives. And slice cake.
Emu thinks about how the doctor who saved his life was the complete opposite. Hiiro is definitely not like that that doctor was. Emu vows to save Rensuke himself. Hiiro finishes his cake.
Emu visits Rensuke who tells him that he and Asami were to be married next week, but Asami suddenly changed her mind. Emu thinks Rensuke might have been stressed by the situation. And since stress weakens the immune system, it allowed the virus to grow inside of him.
Emu goes up to talk to Asami in the waiting room. She brings him to the church where the wedding was to take place and explains she felt inadequate even though she really does want to marry him.
Aranbura Bugster arrives and it casts a spell which traps Asami in some strange vines. The Bugster wants to marry her, but Emu will not let that happen.
Emu henshins. But Aranbura Bugster stops him from going Level 2. Emu has to fight off the Bugster Viruses as Hiiro arrives to show Emu how it’s done. He henshins and a sword appears in a stone on the church’s altar.
Emu tells Hiiro that Asami is being held hostage, but Hiiro doesn’t care if it will interfere with the operation.
Hiiro levels up and grabs the swrod which turns into the Gashacon Sword. Hiiro thinks of it as a scalpel he can use to cut anything. Emu saves Asami before leveling up and joining Hiiro to fight of the Bugster Viruses.
Hiiro activates the Ice Mode of his sword and uses it to fight Aranbura Bugster. Both Emu and Hiiro use Critical finishers against the Bugster to take care of that.
Back at the CR, Poppi is excited to hear the wedding is back on for their patient. Hiiro says thinking about all that is a waste of time. Director comes in to say Emu can return to pediatrics like he wanted. But Emu says he would like to stay here because he can’t leave patients in the hands of Hiiro.
Director takes offense to the criticism of his son, but Poppi pops out and says this is great news. Director agrees.
Anyway, Director has some apple pie from their patients for them. Hiiro wants to cut it.
Meanwhile, Hanaya gives money to CEO Dan who in turn gives him a Gamer Driver and Gashat.
Episode Thoughts
So Ex-Aid is very loud, both visually and audibly. (Is that how you use “audibly”? lol)
Again, this all takes a little getting used to. There’s just so much going on on-screen and then we have random video game sounds and Poppi’s voice. Then there’s the random quirks like knee bumping and the Director’s face and Emu’s hair blowing/pre-henshin smile and Hiiro liking to cut things a little too much. It’s a lot to take in.
Story-wise, it’s also been a little sloppy. We’ve gotten random check-ins with random characters we haven’t met yet. Poppi hasn’t been very good with her exposition. I don’t even know where to look most of the time.
Emu’s story about wanting to become a doctor because of his experience when his life was saved is the only thing that’s really worked for me so far. It’s a nice foundation for his character and likely for any future twist since they’re not revealing who that doctor is, I assume.
Anyway, this was my first real listen to the theme song and boy is it very J-Pop. I don’t know if I love it or am kind of annoyed by it. lol
And as a Filipino-American, I giggle whenever they mention the “CR.”
Overall, it was an okay 2nd episode. But everything just looks and feels (and sounds) so different. I’m not sure about any of it.