Recap: Kamen Rider Gotchard, Episode 42 – Let’s Investigate! The 102nd and Brother’s Feelings

While Gigist and Gaelijah snipe at each other over the stone, Gurion appears and flaunts him having fused with Germain. Gaelijah is amused Gurion has been seduced by the power of the abyss, but he says his endgame is still a golden world. He shades them by saying they couldn’t possibly understand such a goal.

Gigist says as a mere doll, Gurion has no right to talk back to them. But Gurion remarks that they will become his dolls in the future.

Over at the Academy, Rinne brings her father’s book of forbidden alchemy to Minato. Though reluctant, they know they need to do whatever it takes to destroy Gurion.

While Renge and Sabimaru are arguing, Renge sees a strange drawing. Sabimaru quickly tries to grab it from here. But they end up bumping into Houtarou who spills his frozen-in-place formula on Rinne.

Supana arrives with a video sent by Kyoka-san of what appears to be a 102nd Chemy in the wild. This seems to be impossible considering creating new Chemies was outlawed 10 years ago. They believe Gurion might be involved.

Recognizing the area, Sabimaru says he must find out more and will look into it. Houtarou says he will accompany him and Minato suggests Supana join them as well. Rinne wishes she could come too, but she’s frozen on the floor at the moment.

Houtarou is impressed that Sabimaru seems so energetic today. But Supana suddenly trips on something and falls on his butt.

They see a Chemy running away, so they chase after it. Sabimaru, however, warns them not to go there. But it’s too late as Houtarou and Supana run into some kind of invisible wall.

A man appears and it turns out to be Sabimaru’s older brother Keiichi. Sabimaru apologizes for bring outsiders here and says they should be gone soon.

Houtarou and Supana are taken aback when Keiichi uses alchemy to reveal Kongou Laboratories, a large campus where Sabimaru says he grew up.

They head inside and meet Kongou Mami, the director of Kongou Laboratories. Keiichi is the research head of the institute. Supana says he’s heard of this place before and Houtarou asks what they are working on.

Director Mami says they are researching alchemical transmutation of a complete soul beyond temporary life in order to create new Chemies. Supana points out how that is forbidden and breaking Union Law. Director Mami says that is when the Union was working under Gurion. Now, they wish to preserve the purity of alchemy and prevent it from being used by evil. That’s why they cut ties with the Union and protected this campus by making it invisible to the world.

They ask if the mysterious Chemy came from the lab. But Director Mami says that is impossible since they have not yet been successful in creating a Chemy yet. Houtarou asks if they can look around because they worry Gurion might be up to something.

Director Mami is shocked to hear that he is alive. Suddenly, her and Keiichi’s expressions turn dark. She excuses herself and tells them to make themselves at home here. Keiichi glares at Sabimaru before leaving as well.

Supana thinks something feels off here.

Sabimaru brings them around the campus and they arrive in a large library where children are studying alchemy. Sabimaru says he grew up coming to this library. They go up to a wall of Chemy drawings by the children. And Sabimaru says he went to the Academy because he wanted to learn about Chemies.

A little girl named Arumi approaches them with her own Isaac tablet. Keiichi comes over to explain that Isaacs are created using artificial intelligence infused with the data learned from the study of soul transmutation. Houtarou is amazed to see A.I. and alchemy work together. Keiichi says with this technology, they can create the ultimate communication device that will allow humans to communicate with Chemies.

Houtarou is excited as that can go a long way in fostering his dream Gotcha of peaceful human-Chemy relations. Sabimaru says his brother has been researching soul transmutation from his own perspective. But Keiichi suddenly scolds Sabimaru for interrupting and tells him to hurry up and do what they came here to do so they can leave.

Houtarou asks why Keiichi is so cold to him. Sabimaru says he wasn’t always like this. Anyway, they decide to return to their Chemy search.

As they leave, Arumi via Isaac approaches Supana and says she can show him the secrets of this place. Intrigued, Supana follows. But instead she plays guessing games along the way and does not hesitate to one up Supana in the process.

Meanwhile, Director Mami is back in her lab. She remembers caressing a pod and happy to see the “child” inside. Back in the present, she looks at a photo of her team on her desk which includes Gurion.

Director Mami starts to hallucinate Gurion coming up behind her and saying he came back just for her. She tells him to get away from her and vows to protect this place no matter what. Suddenly, darkness emerges from her person.

While walking through the campus, Houtarou and Sabimaru hear an explosion and they hurry out to find a Malgam rampaging. They assume it is the new Chemy. Supana arrives and henshins.

Houtarou asks Nijigon if he can understand what the Chemy inside is saying, but all he knows is that it wants to say something. Houtarou gives Nijigon to Sabimaru as he henshins as well.

Keiichi comes out and joins his brother as they watch the Malgam. They seem to have an idea on who this might be. Sabimaru notices the Malgam is comprised of a turtle and cannon.

Back at the classroom, Renge tries her anti-freeze formula on Rinne. But it instead freezes her too. While frozen, they talk about Sabimaru’s strange drawing could be. So Renege uses alchemy to reveal it and it is a picture of a turtle with a cannon on its back.

Supana and Houtarou are forced to dehenshin and the Malgam approaches the brothers. Keiichi tells it to stop and the Malgam downmutes and runs away.

They realize it really is the 102nd Chemy. Sabimaru says he recognizes it. They hurry back to the lab to speak with Director Mami who is at the pod again. She is sure it is the Chemy inside, the one Keiichi transmuted 10 years ago.

Director Mami says all their work originally centered around this Chemy. And if Keiichi had focused on it instead of messing around with A.I., then they would have results now.

Supana says what’s important now is that they deal with the Chemy. Putting alchemy in technology can risk spreading alchemy to the general public and continuing research into it is too dangerous. It’s no wonder the Union outlawed Chemy creation, Supana adds, since it will eventually draw Gurion’s attention.

Supana then sees the broken photo of Gurion on the table.

Keiichi is surprised to find the Chemy is not in the pod. Director Mami then suddenly screams that she won’t let anyone get in the way of her research. She goes Malgam and Houtarou and Supana quickly henshin.

They take their battle back outside. Houtarou calls on NeedleHawk for help. But the Malgam forces Saboneedle and Hawkstar back into their cards. Houtarou asks Supana if he can borrow MadWheel. And with the card, Houtarou is able to infuse rainbow into it to summon MadPirate cannons to counter the Malgam’s own.

Houtarou inserts Supana into the cannon and blows him out. That opens up a direct path for Houtarou to deliver a finisher to defeat the Malgam. He Gotchas the Kamedon Card.

Keiichi and other scientists hurry over to Director Mami who struggles to urge them to protect this place. As she loses consciousness, they take her back inside.

The Chemy Card calls to Houtarou and a black blob suddenly plops out. Kamedon is gone.

Meanwhile, Gurion is walking through a forest of destruction.

Episode Thoughts

A very interesting episode! I feel like this is a great expansion of the Gotchard world. And also of the alchemy world itself. I think the show could’ve done a lot more with the idea of exploring different factions and the like within the alchemy world. And maybe they would have been able to if they touched upon this story a bit earlier I guess.

But we’ll see where this goes. Especially as it relates specifically to Gurion and perhaps Supana’s own lingering darkness too.

It’s great to connect this big development to Sabimaru. The show has done a great job of involving everyone in various aspects of the greater story arc.

It’s too bad no sisters action this week, especially after Gurion’s return. But I guess it’s more of a budget issue and flow issue since we are meeting two new characters. No need to make the episode too cluttered. Probably one of the reasons they included the frozen gag to keep Rinne and Renge at the Academy and keep from needing them on location at the lab area. Hehe.

Anyway, I like the idea of factions breaking off of the main alchemy world. The comparison I immediately think of is like the Protestant churches splitting from the Catholic church. Like, they all basically believe in the same God I guess. But differ in most other ways. (I’m not a theologian so don’t come at me lololol)

But the different branches of alchemy could be a good story too. It’s not too late of course to still touch upon it of course. Especially if Gurion’s story and the season’s endgame center around such divisions. The Union is still working in the shadows too. So this feels like set-up and a way to illustrate those differences within this world.

As for this hidden campus, I was honestly surprised by the children library inside. Like, that honestly was kind of scary. Lol Kids locked up in a secret place inside the forest? For Chemy studies? Very strange! Lolol Unless they are alchemists’ children or something. Or if there’s this whole community of people living here. I dunno. Lol Maybe it also plays into the endgame. This group cultivating child alchemist soldiers or something! lol

I did like Supana talking about how bringing alchemy to the masses can be very dangerous. I forgot about how alchemy cannot become mainstream. Which is of course why Minato always mind-wipes people. So that point should play into Houtarou’s Gotcha dream of world peace between Chemies and humans. How can they reveal Chemies to the world without revealing alchemy? Very interesting!

Overall, a very interesting and engaging episode that really expands the season’s world and for sure helps to lay the groundwork for the endgame.