Recap: Kamen Rider Revice, Episode 36 – Humanity at the Crossroads, to Each Their Own Resolve

Fenix has instituted a Vistamp mandate for all Japanese citizens in order to remove their demons from their bodies. Though there are some who gladly get Stamped, there’s more people who are skeptical of it and have decided against it.

Tamaki storms into the Weekend lair saying he wants to join the Weekend so he can protect Aguilera. Hikaru reminds him that Aguilera is no longer her name and she goes by Hana now.

Papa Ushijima says if Tamaki really wants to join Weekend, he’ll have to undergo trials. Tamaki asks if Aguilera did as well and Sakura tells him to cool it.

Papa Karizaki says their immediate concern is stop people from getting the vaccine Stamp. He tells Sakura to go out and see what’s up. Hana wants to come with and Tamaki says it’s too dangerous. She tells him to shut up and storms out with Sakura on her tail.

Over at Happy Spa, Ikki and Mama Igarashi are watching the news reporting on the incentives people will get if they get Stamped, including fancy new condos at the so-called Ararat development. In fact, a grandma and grandpa. two of the spa’s loyal customers, will be moving into their new condo after getting Stamped tomorrow. That means they will no longer be coming here. They thank Ikki and Mama Igarashi for their wonderful service.

George comes in and asks if he can set up shop here in the spa since his Fenix lab space is no more.

On the other side of town, Sakura and Hana run into Vail who demands Sakura tell him where her father is. She refuses and henshins. They battle, but Sakura is no match for Vail. Hana tries shooting at Vail, but it doesn’t do anything. Sakura tells Hana to run, but Vail jumps after her.

Just then, Tamaki comes charging at Vail who takes him hostage until they bring Papa Igarashi out in the open.

Sakura and Hana go to the spa to tell Ikki and Vice what’s happened. Hana feels guilty about Tamaki getting captured. But Papa Igarashi arrives with Buu-san and says this is actually all his fault. Sakura tells him he should still be in hiding. But Papa Igarashi says since Vail is his demon, he must be the one that deals with him.

Hikaru comes running in. He tells them all to chill because Tamaki being captured was part of a Weekend plan. Papa Karizaki knew Vail would be taking hostages. So they would have Tamaki get caught, but have a tracker in in his new Weekend Driver in order to lead them to Vail’s whereabouts.

Papa Ushijima said this would be Tamaki’s final test to gain Weekend membership.

Hikaru tells them that Tamaki was determined to do this of his own volition.

Papa Igarashi insists he go out and deal with this whole situation, but he is far too weak. He collapses to his knees and apologizes to his children. Ikki, Vice and Sakura head out.

On the other side of town, Director Akaishi summons some Juniors to terrorize the peoples. Daiji, who is guarding a Stamp site, sees the attacks on his tablet and rushes out. Daiji henshins and battles the Juniors. But Akaishi calls on demonAkemi to join the fun.

Director Akaishi decides to welcome a Hell Gifterian too.

Meanwhile, Vail demands Tamaki tell him where Papa Igarashi is. But Tamaki has no idea. Just then, Ikki, Vice and Sakura arrive. Vail realizes this was a set-up.

Ikki, Vice and Sakura henshin. But the three of them together are no match for one Vail. Even with all their power-ups.

demonAkemi arrives and she and IkkiVice face off. Ikki tells Vice he wants to try and separate Akemi from the demon. But it doesn’t seem to work. The good doctor’s face peeks through the demon face and tells Ikki that to defeat Gifu, they must use their Gifu powers. She offers herself up for them to use in that regard.

demonAkemi forces Ikki and Vice to dehenshin. Vail does the same for Sakura and tells Ikki to watch his sister die in front of him.

Suddenly, Tamaki appears with the Weekend Driver on his waist. He vows to defeat Vail so he can bring smiles to everyone’s faces. He prepares to henshin, but Vail swipes his Stamp and whacks Tamaki aside.

Just as suddenly, Hana appears and picks the Driver up. She says she committed many grave mortal sins while known as Aguilera. But she will atone for those sins now by henshining to Kamen Rider Aguilera. She tells Sakura this is her resolve.

Hana, who also accepts going by Aguilera now upon encouragement from Papa Karizaki, is able to drive Vail away as he has not yet acquired her Stamps yet. This battle is actually Hanalera’s final test to obtain Weekend membership too.

After Hana dehenshins, Sakura apologizes for being overprotective of her. Hana says it’s okay because she wants to protect where she belongs.

Back at the Weekend lair, Papa Ushijima declares both Hana and Tamaki are Weekend card holders.

Elsewhere, Hell Giftarian finds Daiji and easily slams him into a wall, forcing him to dehenshin. Director Akaishi thanks Daiji for his service to the country as now people will see that Gifu is so powerful, a Kamen Rider was defeated.

Later that evening, more people decide to get the vaccine Stamp. Daiji is resigned to leading the way.

Back at the spa, George has his makeshift lab set up in the living room/lobby. He tells himself that things are gonna get busier soon. Ikki arrives home and asks George to help with saving Doctor Akemi.

Episode Thoughts

It is very unfair that I watched the final episode of Revice Legacy: Kamen Rider Vail immediately after watching 36. Because obviously, Vail is going to have the better episode. So no matter what the main series did, it would look inferior compared to the webminiseries.

But one thing that Kamen Rider Vail made me remember/realize is what I think is one of the biggest reasons the main series has regressed. (Oh boy, Akaishi and Gifu would be very pleased to see all this regression!)

What Vail (and Dear Gaga and even The Mystery) does that the main series has not is actually focus on what was established as the main theme for the season at the start: family. And all the extracurricular activities contents have done a great or even excellent job at jumping off from the idea of family (and the special, specific bond that includes) to deliver very engaging and enjoyable stories.

I think the fact that the webseries/Blu-ray specials, especially Vail, have focused more on family and the Igarashis’ story specifically is why I have enjoyed them much more than what the main series has been doing.

And let’s bring it all back to the main series. Which is what this recap is about of course. When it was clear that this was going to be an Aguilera-focus episode, I braced myself for the worst. So it ended up not as atrocious as I expected. But still not good.

First of all, my goodness. Starting off the episode with that Weekend stuff was brutal. I didn’t think I could care less about a supposed main plot of the season than Saber‘s whole Luna nonsense. But Weekend is doing what it can to be that for Revice.

I seriously cringed and/or rolled my eyes at any of the Weekend scenes. I don’t care about Hana and Tamaki getting initiated into the secret society. Like, WTF. And that’s setting aside at how ridiculous they all look in their Hogwarts cloaks. Somehow it was not as bad when it was just the Ushijimas wearing them. But now they’re all wearing them and it looks laughable.

Again, watching Vail after this, it’s kind of sad seeing Papa Karizaki wasted here in-series when he has such a good backstory as well.

So this episode was definitely the most toy driven episode of the season yet. Yes, it’s wonderful to have two female Riders in one season. I just wish they got better story to back them up. There was so much better story there for Aguilera than what they ended up actually doing.

I remember back when they destroyed the Deadman disco ship and Olteca revealed his true colors. The show seemed to tease the idea that Aguilera might have actually cared about Julio enough to push him away in order to keep him safe from whatever threats may come with being in an arranged marriage with a tree.

The show obviously dropped that when they decided to go with the Aguilera and Sakura are in love with each other angle. But now she wants to repent for all her sins? Really?

See, now each of things on their own are not bad ideas. But instead of actually folding them into a deep and cohesive foundation for Aguilera’s character, it merely feels like they had no idea what to do with her (or Julio or Olteca).

It’s all part of this feeling that the writer’s room just decided to overhaul the entire season’s story 1/3 of the way through.

What they should have done with Aguilera is have her do her identity crisis sulking and be conflicted about how she feels about Julio and then Sakura. Does she or does she not care about Julio? Does she or does she not want to ask Sakura out on an amusement park date?

And then through these conflicted feelings, she realizes she was actually an evil b- when she was Queen of the Deadmans. Thus further driving her to despair until she emerges from the darkness to become a Kamen Rider and get her own toy.

It would’ve made the debut of Kamen Rider Aguilera much more impactful and meaningful. But instead it just comes across as the toy commercials Kamen Rider and Sentai episodes truly are.

And what of calling it Kamen Rider Aguilera when she renounced that name in favor of Hana. They made a point about that in this episode too. And it also goes back to the muddled distinction between Aguilera and Hana or Julio and Tamaki. Reclaim your name and embrace your past! Papa Karizaki says. Really? Embrace who you are? Okay, whatever.

There’s two other moments in this episode that made me roll my eyes too. The first was randomly trotting out Papa Igarashi for absolutely no reason at all. What was the point of that when he didn’t even do anything. Instead of him making some kind of dramatic, triumphant and meaningful return to his family for a big episode, they pop him back in for an annoying scene in the Weekend lair (botching a father-daughter reunion) and to prop up? this episode’s flimsy toy plot?

The other thing was showing Aguilera immediately being stronger than the Igarashis as she was able to take on Vail better than the siblings. Yeah yeah, it’s because Vail didn’t program her Stamps into his system yet. Suuure. All to promote the toy at the expense of the story of course.

Meanwhile, seeing Daiji get his ass handed to him every week is definitely not fun nor enjoyable.

The one amusing? scene this episode was the show somehow mirroring COVID vaccine hesitancy with the apprehension of getting Stamped. Lol Uh… okay. I guess we should all be Anti-Stampers.

Overall, if you unconditionally love Aguilera and if you love the toys, then I guess this was the episode for you. Since I’m neither, thank goodness Revice Legacy: Kamen Rider Vail Episode 5 existed for me today.

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