Recap: Kamen Rider Revice, Episode 38 – Father and Son Weave Together! The Ultimate Revice!

“Tadaima!” Hiromi says as he stops Daiji from punching his older brother in the face. Getting up to leave, Daiji says Hiromi is too late.

While soaking in the baths together, Hiromi confirms he was just pretending to have amnesia and apologizes for leaving back then. Afterwards, they are joined by Sakura and Mama Igarashi for some coffee milk and Vice proposes a toast for Hiromi’s return.

Ikki tells Hiromi that he’s returned to what has become a disaster, however. Hiromi says none of what’s happened is his burden to bear. Hiromi says it’s okay since he was able to get his friend Tatsuhiko to help evacuate all the rehab patients before the Fenix ship crashed.

Hiromi and Tatsuhiko figured something like that would happen since they learned Akaishi had ordered the transfer of confidential files and data from the ship to a land base.

Hiromi asks what’s happened to Daiji and Ikki says he has gone to pursue his own sense of justice. Mama Igarashi says there’s no need to worry since they’re all here who care about Daiji. She says she will protect the bathhouse so Daiji will have a home to return to.

Hiromi asks them to allow him to watch over Daiji instead since he is unable to join them in battle.

Director Akaishi recounts to Hell Giftarian how Gifu contacted him to be the mediator between him and humanity. Gifu wanted a harmonious co-existence. But peoples across history branded Gifu as the devil, driving him into despair and into hibernation until Akaishi would decide when the perfect time for his return would be.

Hell Giftarian asks why Akaishi chose this time as that moment. Akaishi says it’s because humanity has evolved to a point where they are now capable of posing a threat to not just the planet, but even to the universe. It is humans who are the true demons, Akaishi believes.

At Weekend, George is beside himself feeling hopeless about the situation. His father says they are out of options. But Papa Igarashi pops in and tells them to use him to obtain Gifu cells. Papa Karizaki says that would require a dangerous surgery. But Papa Igarashi says it’s okay as long as they keep this a secret to his family.

Papa Karizaki apologizes for having initially ruined Papa Igarashi’s life, but hopes this will be his opportunity to make up for it. George, however, refuses to take part in this rehash of Papa Karizaki’s previous sins.

As George walks out, Buu-san arrives with Ikki who is upset that his father would not consult their family before making such a life-or-death decision. Papa Igarashi says there’s no need to worry and asks to allow him to be a hero as well. Ikki doesn’t want his father involved, but Papa Igarashi says it was he who got them into this mess in the first place.

Papa Igarashi apologizes that they were not able to live as a normal family. But on the contrary, Ikki says. They were indeed a happy normal family and he will never forget that.

Just then, the alarms sound when a huge number of demons appear in the city. Ikki says they will hold the demons off until Papa Karizaki will be able to come up with a Gifu-powered Vistamp for them.

Before Ikki leaves, Papa Igarashi hugs him. He says Ikki has grown so much and promises that after this is all over, their family should go have a bath together.

Ikki looks forward to that and hurries out. But Papa Igarashi asks Papa Karizaki what his chances of survival are. Papa Karizaki says it’s 50/50.

Ikki catches up to George who admits that he knows he must do this procedure. It’s just that everything his father says sets him off. Ikki suggests George be honest with his father.

George says that everything he went through was thanks to Papa Karizaki abandoning their family.

But Ikki points out that it was because Papa Karizaki wanted to change their fate. He and Vice both say that they will beat Gifu and they ask George to work with his father to build the Ultimate Vistamp.

Before the procedure, Buu-san films Papa Igarashi delivering a goodbye message to his family. He tells Ikki to continue to be a busybody, Daiji not to keep everything bottled up, Sakura to be adorable and Mama Yukimi “Thank you.”

Downtown, Mama Ushijima and Tamaki are fighting off demons with their bare hands. Ikki, Vice, Sakura, Hana and Hikaru arrive and henshin. They rush into battle.

Meanwhile, Hiromi finds Daiji. Hiromi says he did not have an inner demon and kept risking his life in battle at the cost of worrying his loved ones. He admits that his righteousness was out of control and now the same thing is happening to Daiji.

“Come back,” Hiromi says, “before we end up having to fight you.”

Daiji walks away.

Papa Karizaki is in the middle of the procedure to extract Gifu cells from Papa Igarashi. But he collapses and drops the stone that George had been studying as a child. He flashes back to that moment in the past and how he’s kept it with him since then.

George arrives and picks the stone up. He helps his daddy up, apologizes for being late and they work together on the procedure.

The Riders are all struggling against the demons. Vail joins the fun. But when Papa Igarashi begins struggling during the procedure, it affects Vail. Vail asks what the hell they are doing to his BFF. Ikki says Vail is the only one who is hurting his father. But Vail says he dies if Junpei dies and asks if they are messing with his heart.

Ikki begins to worry about his father. He drives Vail away and tells the others to handle things here as he hurries over.

The procedure is 94% done, but Papa Igarashi’s body is not responding well. Papa Karizaki tells George to stop the procedure. But George says that will only make things worse. Papa Karizaki begs Junpei to hold on.

Just then, Ikki storms in and punches through the glass encasing the new Vistamp, stopping the procedure. Ikki apologizes, but he cannot sacrifice his father just for a Vistamp. He believes there is no point in saving the world without his beloved family in it.

The Vistamp suddenly flies away. Papa Karizaki says it’s on its way to Gifu. George hands Ikki a new Driver and says he must split the Vistamp in two to complete it.

Hikaru, Hana and the self-proclaimed “unbeatable” Sakura are defeated, forced to dehenshin by basic demons.

Ikki and Vice come flying by as they chase the Vistamp and they are able to grab it before it flies through the Gifu portal in the sky. They are thrown back to the ground.

Ikki and Vice fight to split the Vistamp, each taking a side. And they are able to. That allows them to henshin to Giffard Rex.

Ikki and Vice use their new powers, including being able to multiply, to completely ravage all the basic demons and finish off Hell Giftarian.

Gifu attempts to burst out of the portal. But Ikki and Vice repel him with their own fireball.

Having watched the entire thing, Director Akaishi cackles at the idea of humanity just prolonging the inevitable. Daiji looks at himself in the mirror.

At Happy Spa, Papa Igarashi apologizes for overreacting by recording a goodbye message. But Sakura and Ikki tell him to drop the act as being serious and caring is not him. Mama Igarashi says him regaining his memories shouldn’t have suddenly changed his personality.

Papa Igarashi laughs and says he was just forcing himself to be more Junpei-like.

They are all happy at this moment, but they’re still missing Daiji.

Episode Thoughts

Well. That was Episode 38.

What else is there to say. lol

I’ll start off with something positive I guess. I think the twinsies concept is cute. It’s cool and all. I just prefer good story to accompany my cute toys, you know?

Also, as much as the Weekend is laughable, I give props to Mama Ushijima and Tamaki fighting the demons off with no Driver or Stamp. They were just using their fists to fight them off and actually did much better than Sakura, Hana and Hikaru. Lol It’s funny how Sakura keeps pumping herself up as “unbeatable” when she’s been beat every week. lol

Anyway, let’s get to the ranting instead lol

When Ikki told Hiromi that he had come back to a “disaster,” I lolololled.

The truest words Ikki has spoken all season on Kamen Rider Revice #仮面ライダーリバイス: pic.twitter.com/JbbQ8xAlGj

— DryedMangoez (@dryedmangoez) June 5, 2022

When you want to talk about a Kamen Rider disaster, I mean, Saber still exists. And Ghost too. But Revice is certainly a mess right now. Especially compared to when Hiromi was still around.

I know nothing can be changed about the way they handled Hiromi’s “death” and resurrection. Sure, they never intended he last more than an episode. But I think they did a pretty good job of folding him into the story before they decided to kill him off, especially if none of that was even the original plan.

So him just popping up now to be some sort of guardian angel to Daiji just lacks the impact it could’ve had if they had not completely thrown away Hiromi’s story.

Thinking about it now, how awesome would it have been to have had an entire arc dedicated to finding Hiromi, him pretending to have amnesia and pairing that up with Daiji’s descent into hopelessness. Especially if that arc replaced whatever this entire Akaishi/Gifu absurdity is or the Demise of the Deadmans nonsense too.

Swapping out everything after around Episode 15 and instead inserting The Mystery, Vail and the aforementioned Hiromi arc/Dear Gaga would’ve kept Revice on track to be a top tier season. [/brokenrecord]

And what about the Karizaki Family drama. George mentioned “everything I went through” because of Papa Karizaki abandoning their family. Well, we don’t know anything about what you went through! I wish we did. But we don’t.

Now that I think about it, the Mystery miniseries should’ve been the in-series arc fleshing out the Karizaki Family drama instead.

Anyway, everything just feels so disconnected.

We don’t see Papa Igarashi for weeks until they need him as a plot device to introduce the new toy. But that final scene though.

The family thinks it’s weird for Papa Igarashi to be less goofy. But let’s consider what he’s remembered. His inner demon murdering his family, having been a test subject through inhumane experiments, Yukimi almost being killed herself because of him, his children inheriting the devil’s DNA because of him, etc. The “normal” reaction would be Papa Igarashi being a bit more serious and thoughtful. Not him just easily going back to being a YouTuber who doesn’t even help out at their family’s bathhouse. Like, WTF.

That last scene actually annoys me the more I think about it because it just completely disregards the gravity of the family’s past and entire basis for this season. Not just what they’ve spit out via expository monologues in-series, but also beautifully depicted in the Vail miniseries.

It’s this nonchalant, indifferent reaction that seems to only undermine any of the strong narrative foundation the season has left. And merely furthers the perception that the season has no idea what it’s doing anymore.

As if things weren’t wacko enough, what the hell is Papa Ushijima doing:

As if Revice couldn't get anymore wacko…
Yo, Igasaki cousins, come get your dad/uncle. 😬 TF he doing?#仮面ライダーリバイス pic.twitter.com/w7KUDdslRU

— DryedMangoez (@dryedmangoez) June 5, 2022

I know Kamen Rider‘s history. I know who Shocker was in cahoots with. I know Revice is an anniversary season doing little Easter eggs. I know Weekend has been shady as f-k since they first popped up. But yikes at that scene in the preview for next week.

I mean, if things weren’t bad enough for Revice, I definitely know that making the Weekend, probably the most annoying part of the season so far, feel even a tiny bit Nazi-ish is not going to help at all. *awkwardlaugh* But at the same time, again, I wouldn’t be surprised if Weekend turns out to be a villainous group as well. Especially with their hilariously horrible outfits. Look more like evil buffoons rather than righteous heroes lol

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