Recap: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Episode 12 – Christmas Special: The Targeted Silver Xmas

Ex-Aid 12

Emu approaches Kiriya to admit that he was telling the truth about Kuroto Dan. Emu brings up Kiriya’s friend and Kiriya admits that his friend got into an accident because he was so upset after being told he was infected. That’s why Kiriya is resolved to find the cause of and destroy Bugsters for good.

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While Director Kagami, Poppy and Hiiro report to Kyoutaro-sensei about Kuroto Dan, Emu focuses on curing and bringing a smile back to Shuuhei. Emu talks to Shuuhei’s mother who says he always gets upset when she and her husband get busy during the Christmas season making cakes. Shuuhei broke his leg this time after he fell off a tree.

After checking out the tree, Emu finds that Shuuhei likes climbing them in his free time. But the virus starts acting up when the Bugster targets Shuuhei’s mother. The Bugster hopes killing mom will drive Shuuhei to despair.

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Kiriya visits Dan Masamune in prison, the former CEO of GENM, and asks the real reason he is locked up.

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Emu henshins to Level 3 and takes on all the Bugsters. Hiiro arrives to help out just as Emu unlocks a special Santa Claus Christmas power up.

Shuuhei’s mother comes to him to say she knows he climbed the tree to make a nice Christmas wreath for them. Shuuhei says he hates cake and Christmas because it causes his parents to never be around. Mom asks him not to hate those things and presents him a special cake. Shuuhei smiles.

The Bugster won’t quit. Poppy slices through two blocks which releases more Santa Christmas coins. She takes one and Hiiro takes the other and they power up.

Poppy starts singing a Poppy-ized Jingle Bells while Emu and Hiiro finish off the Bugster for good.

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Parado collects the data as the Christmas game is cleared. He presents it to Kuroto Dan who is working on Kamen Rider Chronicle.

Poppy continues singing which causes Shuuhei more stress than actually helps. Hiiro remarks that Poppy is very Bugster-like with her stress-inducing persona. Poppy admits that she’s actually a Bugster from DoReMiFa Beat. Both Emu and Hiiro already knew that.

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Shuuhei thanks Emu-sensei for the Christmas miracle.

Back at the CR, Emu, Hiiro, Poppy and Director Kagami all celebrate Christmas with delicious food and cake. But Emu brings up the fact that the Bugster had already separated itself from the patient before the operation even began.

Hiiro says the virus has likely mutated like how the flu virus mutates each year to become immune to vaccines. So the Bugsters they’ve defeated may return and evolve.

Kiriya calls the others to says he has important news for them.

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On his way out, Taiga meets Saiba Nico who asks if he can defeat gamer M.

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Meanwhile, Kuroto Dan confronts Kiriya about meeting his father. Kiriya says he knows the truth about Emu’s compatibility. Kuroto Dan proposes a Christmas present/deal. A special new Gashat in exchange for his silence.

Kiriya takes the Gashat, but will use it against Kuroto Dan for revenge on what’s been done to the Riders as well as causing his friend’s death. He activates the Dangerous Zombie Gashat, but it overtakes Kiriya’s body.

“You know too much,” Kuroto says. He takes the Gashat back and shows Kiriya how to properly use it.

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Kuroto Dan henshins to danger danger Dangerous Zombie aka Kamen Rider GENM Level 10.

Kiriya goes 3rd Gear while Emu, Hiiro and Taiga take care of the zombie Bugsters outside.

Kuroto Dan delivers a Critical End at Kiriya which forces his gauge to completely empty. Kiriya dehenshins as rain starts to fall.

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Kiriya gets flashes of his friend as Kuroto Dan swats him away. “I’m sorry Jungo,” Kiriya says as the others arrive.

Kuroto Dan leaves. They all run over to Kiriya who starts to disappear.

“I leave the fate of humanity on this planet in your hands.”

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Kiriya hands his Driver to Emu and says that Emu must continue smiling and be himself. Only Emu can change his fate.

And with that, Kiriya’s game is over as he completely disappears.

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Episode Thoughts

What?!

WTF was that?!

I cannot. What even. And on the “Christmas Special” too. Completely

I don’t even know how to comprehend this. Like, this is all very sudden and strange and confusing and upsetting and I just don’t know!

I was wondering what was up since whenever the opening credits aren’t shown, you know shit’s about to go down. Usually on a finale or something. I merely thought this would be a nice standalone Christmas episode with a happy family reunion and cake.

But then that whole thing was wrapped up halfway through the episode so I knew something was really up.

I don’t know where, but think I did see some inkling or hinting at Kiriya dying sooner rather than later. I dreaded the thought of that since Kiriya has become the character I liked and enjoyed the most so far this season. And I’m actually quite surprised that I’m not alone in that sentiment!

So in a way, I wasn’t completely blindsided by Kiriya dying. The story on-screen with him being a busybody also kind of foreshadowed him getting too nosy for his own good. But at the same time, it happened so suddenly and on a damn Christmas special too. WTF.

On one hand Yay for there being a legit threat of death. On the other, why did it have to be a character I liked! Huhu.

There’s also the way the final scene had a heavy sense of finality to it as well. No Takeru resurrections here.

(That and Hayato Onozuka got the flowers! ) :'(

Anyway, the upside is that with one less main character, they can flesh out everyone else as well as they’ve done with Kiriya. Though this cute new girl may very well take Kiriya’s spot on the show anyway.

And as if we needed any more confirmation that Kuroto Dan is an absolute maniac. So there’s that too.

Killing Kiriya also has to be the cruelest way to draw out and tease the title character’s big secret too.

Overall? It was alright. But I will say, Ex-Aid, you’re not Go-Busters so don’t go making sad, emotional Christmas specials.

0 thoughts on “Recap: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Episode 12 – Christmas Special: The Targeted Silver Xmas

  1. man. I remember how Gaim also used bits Christmas episode to tell us that everything is going down to hell afterwards )but in a more subtle way).

    That christmas-themed fight in the first half was downright hilarious, which definitely drives the mood swing a lot later. And they threw in a lot of interesting hints here. So. lets see: Dan might have had his father framed up and he also had a hand in the illegal experiments done on Emu for whatever purpose. The guy is totally messed up. And what about this deal about Emu’s true nature? Heck, even that odd joke of Asuna/Poppy Pippopapo being a Bugster might even be subtle foreshadowing for a major twist later.

    But man, it’s definitely been two seasons since we got to see a character definitely dying this early and not coming back. This surely ups the stakes for the story. And it’s Kiriya too, I also like the guy. Too bad he gets sacrificed. Also, Genm Level 10 really made Mashin Chaser and pre-good side switch Necrom look tame in comparison. Hope they continue this route for the guy.

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