Recap: Kamen Rider Zi-O, Episode 8 – Beauty & Beast 2012

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Sougo and Geiz have brought a still-unconscious Tsukuyomi back home. Geiz says this is all Sougo’s fault for butting in. But Sougo says they don’t need to talk to Hayase anymore.

Geiz says he will go look for the guy with the Watches from earlier. Sougo stops Geiz and asks why he thinks Hayase accepted becoming Another Wizard. Geiz says he doesn’t give a s— about Hayase’s personal problems when a lifeless Tsukuyomi is laying in the next room.

Geiz says he’ll defeat Another Wizard in 2012 and this’ll be all over. Sougo doesn’t think that will change anything, but Geiz is intent on saving Tsukuyomi himself.

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Geiz heads out with Kosuke following him.

Sougo visits Nagayama at the hospital to talk to him about what happened. Nagayama says he can’t tell Kaori about Hayase being a monster as it would hurt her.

Sougo leaves the room and sees Woz in the men’s room. Woz says he’s relieved to see Sougo working separately from Geiz finally.

Sougo asks what is Woz’s relationship with Geiz. Woz says they’re old acquaintances.

Woz is more interested, however, in why Sougo is here in the hospital instead of obtaining the Wizard Watch.

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Reminding Woz that he promised to support him, Sougo asks him to let him do as he pleases.

Ora finds Hayase hiding in an alley and reminds him to do what he promised to do, that is, get his revenge. That will help his king resume.

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On the other side of town, Geiz finds Kosuke’s camp. But Kosuke had been following all along. Geiz asks for the Ride Watches. Kosuke doesn’t know where he ever got them, so until he does, he won’t be handing them over.

Elsewhere, Hayase attacks Kaori and transforms into Another Wizard right in front of her. Sougo arrives and is able to drive Hayase away. Sougo tells Kaori that Hayase will likely attack her again.

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Geiz visits Tsukuyomi at home. Sougo arrives and Geiz tells him about finding Kosuke and him not knowing where the Ride Watches came from.

Sougo remembers everyone with Ride Watches lose their memories. He calls for Woz and he appears. Geiz asks why Sougo would accept Woz’s help.

Sougo says he doesn’t know their history, but wasn’t it Geiz who said they should care about personal stuff?

Sougo asks Woz why do Riders lose their memories and get them back temporarily. Woz asks if Sougo really thinks he’ll give him answers. But Sougo knows he will since Woz is supposed to support him and they want the Ride Watches.

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Woz will of course do as his highness says. He explains that when a TimeJacker creates Another Rider, it changes history. The original Riders are no longer Riders and they lose their memories of being one. The only way to restore their memory is for Another Rider to cease to exist. During that period, history temporarily returns to normal.

Sougo has a plan.

Geiz returns to Kosuke’s camp and keeps watch saying Kosuke will find out what the Ride Watches are for soon.

Kaori is with Nagayama at the hospital when Hayase appears and bursts through the window to attack. But it’s actually Sougo in the hospital bed. He kicks Hayase and henshins.

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Kosuke is enjoying some mayonnaise squid as Sougo is able to defeat Another Wizard by going Build and delivering a Vortec Time Break.

That allows Kosuke’s memories to return. Geiz realizes it and approaches him, but Kosuke grabs him and flips him over before henshining. Geiz also henshins. They spar a little bit before Kosuke dehenshins.

Kosuke says he just wanted to make sure Geiz was worthy of the Watch. It was Geiz who gave him the Watches in the past and he can have them back now. Both of them!

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Geiz zooms back to 2012.

Woz informs Sougo that Geiz has retrieved the Watches, so they should join him in 2012. But Sougo says he’s staying in 2018.

Woz says there’s no reason to keep fighting 2018 Another Wizard. Sougo, however, says there is. He uphenshins to Fourze.

Back in 2012, we are back at the moment Uhr shoved the Watch into Hayase. On the other side of town, Haruto is fighting off a Phantom when he suddenly is forced to dehenshin. The history rewrite happening on cue.

Geiz finds 2012 Hayase and uses the Wizard Watch to uphenshin to Wizard armor. They begin to battle.

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Sougo tells 2018 Hayase that Rider powers are not for personal gain, but for protecting others. Hayase says he is doing this for Kaori, but Sougo knows it’s because he is in love with her.

Sougo reminds Hayase he attacked the woman he loves. What he needs isn’t magic, but the courage to tell her how he feels.

Hayase briefly dehenshins, but his anger and frustration forces him back into Another Wizard.

Geiz and Sougo both defeat the Another Wizards they are fighting.

Both Hayases are released from Another Wizard and Tsukuyomi wakes up.

Kosuke packs up his camp and walks away.

Sougo calls Woz and asks to borrow his phone to call Geiz in 2012. He asks Geiz to allow both Hayases to talk to each other.

2018 Hayase tells 2012 Hayase to muster up the courage to tell Kaori his true feelings.

Geiz listens in as 2012 Hayase gets a chance to redo his conversation with Kaori and instead of showing her magic, he confesses to her.

Geiz arrives back in 2018 just as Uncle Junichiro has also just gotten home with groceries for dinner. He leaves to the kitchen and Geiz sits with Tsukuyomi, happy she has awaken. She asks if he saved her, but he admits that he spent the whole day being led around. It was Sougo who saved her. With Woz’s help.

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Geiz believes they have completely underestimated what Sougo is capable of.

Woz reads his book and says it’s fine that his lord hasn’t obtained the Wizard Watch. But his power is indeed increasing even more than he can imagine.

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Recap: Episode 8.5 – The Terrifying Time Paradox
Kosuke is still unsure how he gained possession of the Ride Watches. Geiz says he gave them to Kosuke in the past in the future.

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Geiz explains that in the future, he goes back to 2012 to give Kosuke the blank Watches. Then in 2018, the blank Watches will become Ride Watches.

Kosuke still doesn’t understand. Geiz says time paradoxes are scary.

Kosuke decides to introduce Geiz to the wonderful world of mayonnaise and do his henshin (after he asks the crew for the ring).

But Geiz is surprised when Kosuke attacks him so Chimera can eat his demon. Geiz is a Gate, after all.

Geiz tries to explain that he is not a Gate, he is “Gates”.

Kosuke finishes the story.

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Geiz remembers they already covered his name in episode 1.5.

Episode Thoughts

So this actually felt like a full X.5 episode as it seemed to try and illustrate how (as 8.5 made fun of) the time paradox works. Really, the idea of histories being changed not only for the Riders losing their memories, but for regular civilians possibly changing the trajectory of their lives.

Really though, I feel like any going back in time to change an event will just result in a timeline/universe split or something. (As Build established lol)

But I guess that’s all overthinking the details which I’ve already accepted is probably not the most advisable thing to do with Zi-O. hehe

For the story itself, I’m not really sure how to take Geiz and Tsukuyomi’s last scene. Because to be perfectly honest, after the whole focus on Hayase’s unrequited (or unconfessed) love, I was totally expecting Geiz to admit he was in love with Tsukuyomi or something. lol Especially with the competitive undertones between Geiz and Sougo about Tsukuyomi.

So obviously it wasn’t that. But I will venture a guess to either Geiz realizes Sougo actually has what it takes in him to become Oma Zi-O. Or Geiz sees Sougo can overcome his destiny and not become Oma Zi-O.

At the same time, Woz didn’t seem troubled by Sougo not obtaining the Wizard Watch. In fact, he seemed amused or at least comfortable knowing what actually happens in the future.

I guess it’s Geiz realizing there’s more to Sougo than he and Tsukuyomi ever imagined and it has thrown him for a loop. We’ll see I guess.

Nice to see Kosuke again, though Tasuku Nagase wearing the hat the whole time kinda throws you off. Obviously Tasuku Nagase doesn’t have the Kosuke hair these days. So he looked very different with the cap on and with what little we saw of him, we didn’t get the full nostalgic feeling I think.

It was also a little off-putting that the double they got for Haruto looked nothing like the back of Shunya Shiraishi at all! At least the guy they got to fill in for Sota Fukushi matched his body type and the hair obviously was easy to recreate.

I must say, the Wizard armor looks the best so far.

And the actual 8.5 episode was just pure, random fun again.

Next episodes should be interesting. How in the world is Kuroto involved with Eiji and Hina?! Talk about random! lol

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