Recap: Kamen Rider Geats, Episode 31 – Lamentation VII: Heaven and Hell Game♡

As Archimedel feeds his Jyamato with some of his personal fertilizer, Beroba sets the final JGP round in motion.

Keiwa is with his sister Sara about to enjoy lunch. Sara is sad about Neon not being active on social media lately. Keiwa says Neon is probably out looking for a new home. He adds that you should do whatever makes you happy.

Just then, a loud explosion is heard outside and they both head out just as a section of Tokyo gets raised into the sky and a large figure appears as well. Keiwa quickly henshins when strange colored circles begin popping up on the ground.

The Jyamato, however, don’t seem to attack people who are within one of the circles. But as Beroba explains, this is the Heaven and Hell Game. The strange goddess-like form in the sky places judgement by choosing a color. Anyone standing on that color circle will fall through the ground and head straight to hell. The last one left standing will be granted their happiness.

Keiwa is able to grab his sister to keep her from falling. Ace also saves a falling woman and then henshins when Michinaga pops up.

Beroba says the Riders, including Niramu, are allowed to join the happiness game as well. Niramu thinks it is a good idea to try and retrieve Beroba’s Vision Driver. Tsumuri says they should put their trust in Ace and Keiwa.

The JGP ends for today with a noon start time set for tomorrow’s resumption of play.

Beroba appears to Ace, Keiwa and Michinaga to explain that this game is a mini-version of the real, unjust world where the many are sacrificed in order to fuel the happiness of one. Which is exactly how the DGP works.

Beroba explains that the happiness from the souls of the countless victims of the DGP get fed into the goddess in order to convert that into the power to create new worlds. Beroba taunts Ace before she and Michinaga leave.

Keiwa meets with Kekera to ask about the concept. And Kekera explains that only so many people in the world can be happy. So any bit of happiness to help the next Dezashin is banked.

Ace, meanwhile, confronts Niramu wanting answers. Especially to the question of what he is. Why was he born with the power to retain memories of past lives.

Niramu says his birth is an anomaly in and of itself since future and present-day people can’t have children together as their physiology is different. Ace wonders how his mother was able to become pregnant with him. Niramu says there is one way.

Keiwa has overheard this entire conversation and then joins his sister taking shelter in a subway station.

Next morning, Ace is alone looking over Tokyo and trying to come to terms with the fact that his mother is the Goddess of Creation herself. Daichi comes and lays the facts on the table as Keiwa listens from around the corner. A future person marrying an ancient person was out of the question, yet one woman yearned for happiness and obtained a ghastly power to reach it. This power robbed others of their happiness in order to convert it into fuel for new world creation.

Ace cannot believe his mother is the Goddess of Creation herself. Keiwa cannot believe it either and Daichi explains that he saw all of this with his own eyes through the Vision Driver’s historical archives.

The goddess in the sky now is just an imitation. But the Goddess of Creation manipulated the world’s happiness in the same way by pitting humans against Jyamatos. And Ace is the heaven-sent boy that was born long ago atop the heaping pile of sacrificed happiness.

Keiwa thinks about how his family simply being together was enough to make them happy. And yet the goddess took that away in order to grant someone else their happiness.

As the JGP begins day 2 of this round, an angry Keiwa grabs Ace by the collar and asks why innocent people have gotten even their smallest joys robbed and for what. No matter. Keiwa vows to not let anyone else’s happiness be taken away ever again.

Downtown, Keiwa is able to arrive and help Sara save a high school student from falling into the hell hole. He henshins and takes on the Jyamato. But the goddess continues to pass judgement. The high school student pushes a man off of a circle in order to save herself and the man falls to hell. She vows to be the last one standing.

Michinaga says as long as there are those who wish to be happier than others, then this fighting will never end. Thus, winning is the only option. He grabs Keiwa by the neck. Keiwa remains defiant saying he will never give up fighting to protect everyone’s happiness.

But Michinaga tosses Keiwa into the hole and he disappears into hell. Sara cries in agony and Kekera has no idea what to do now.

More people are falling into hell and thus being converted into power for the goddess.

Michinaga finds Ace on a rooftop and says they are all that’s left. It’s time to find out where the two of them will end up, heaven or hell.

Meanwhile, Daichi is shocked to see Archimedel allow himself to get eaten by a Jyamato and then take over the new body.

Episode Thoughts

A good episode. I think I mentioned a few weeks ago, I welcome the exposition simply because I just want to get things moving along. And this episode provided some of that information needed to do so.

The highlight though was getting to see Keiwa finally back in the spotlight in a meaningful way. This episode reminded me why he was initially my favorite character. (I say initially only because he’s been kinda boring lately while Michinaga’s become more fun.)

It was great to see Keiwa riled up and emotional. Even if he’s a bit caught in the moment this episode, I liked seeing him lurking about. I liked seeing him be frustrated. I liked seeing him finally having enough with this absurd game. It was a refreshing sight. And it’s the kind of character moment that is very welcome after weeks of being stagnant.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a DryedMangoez Geats recap without some nitpicking. And while I, again, like that we’re being told stuff that can move the story along, this episode also made me think about how Ace’s character has been a bit messy. Maybe it’s the show wanting to soften his personality a bit and not doing so in a seamless, natural way.

But when he is finally getting some of the answers he’s looking for, I kind of expect it to be a much bigger deal. He is the title character, after all. So these revelations about his past, especially his mother, should be a bit more impactful than they have been.

All part of Geats having good ideas, but iffy execution.

Anyway, I’m thankful the JGP is wrapping up finally. I certainly hope it means we’ll be getting some kind of resolution for a story or two in the coming weeks.

Though another thing this episode highlighted is how they have introduced quite a lot of ideas and concepts, but can’t seem to pick one or two to properly lay out and develop. So it all ends up requiring these kinds of expository episodes to feed the necessary details in order to get things over with and move on to the next thing.

We’ll have to wait and see what that next thing is next week. But overall, a solid episode.