Lage9 is able to handle any of Shoma and Hanto’s attacks. Shoma goes Cake, but it still is no match for Lage9’s skills and power. Shoma just can’t believe this guy is not on their side.
They soon realize the Granute has left. Just then, Nyelv arrives and commends Lage9 on doing very well so far. He decides to give Lage9 the “human” name of Kamen Rider Vram. Nyelv explains that this is a combat system he devised based on his studies of akaGavv.
Hanto asks if Nyelv is another Stomach boss. Nyelv is impressed that he seems to be quite knowledgeable. Anyway, Nyelv and Lage9 leave.
Hanto says Granutes will be even tougher to battle now that they have powers like theirs. Shoma wonders if it is Nyelv-niisan’s turn to come after him, especially after he took down Siita.
Hanto asks how Shoma knew Nyelv’s name and if he’s after him too. Shoma nods yes and Hanto takes this as confirmation that he really is keeping stuff from him.
Hanto says Shoma doesn’t need to worry so much about him since unlike Sachika, he’s got powers that can take on the Granutes. He asks what Stomach Inc actually is anyway.
Shoma explains that it is a family business in the Granute world that manufactures and sells Dark Treats. Or so he’s heard. The family includes the five siblings Lango, Glotta, Nyelv, Siita and Jiip who oversee day to day operations.
Hanto remembers battling Glotta and says he understands now that Shoma was trying to protect him from the powerful siblings when he stopped him from infiltrating the company. He also believes Shoma prioritizes minimizing victims instead of going after the Stomachs because of how powerful they can be.
Shoma decides he has no choice but to just go along with Hanto’s conclusions.
Hanto asks Shoma if he was there in person when the Stomachs took his mother considering he knows what they look like. He commends Shoma for being able to escape even against such powerful foes.
Shoma says he doesn’t remember it that well. Hanto says the brain can dump traumatic memories as a way of protecting itself. He apologizes for bringing up a sensitive subject.
Meanwhile, Nyelv brings Lage9 to introduce him and the Vram System to Suga-san. He calls it his masterpiece.
Lage9 is annoyed by Kenzo’s oogling him. Kenzo is intrigued since this is the first time he’s seen a Granute up close without any danger.
Kenzo lifts Lage9’s shirt and grabs the Mimic Key from his stomach mouth to reveal his Granute form. He puts it back in and then pokes his cheek, further annoying Lage9.
Later before going their separate ways again, Nyelv tells Lage9 to keep up the good work. Lage9 asks if he is free to finish off akaGavv and Valen. Nyelv says to go ahead if he is capable.
Back downtown, the Granute is having trouble finding new targets. And that is because Shoma and Hanto posted Hanto’s drawing of the woman with the red scarf on Twitter with a warning to stay away from the potential kidnapper.
As she learns more, Sachika realizes she almost got kidnapped yesterday too. But she now wonders if Takeshi-kun might have been taken away like that as well.
On a rooftop, the Granute is annoyed that no one is taking the bait. Lage9 asks if Dark Treats are really to die for. The Granute is surprised Lage9 has never had one and goes on to explain its high-inducing deliciousness.
Lage9 flashes back to a moment where he is trying to help someone having Dark Treats withdrawal and trying to convince them not to do anything horrible for them.
The Granute decides on a new strategy. She flies in the air and begins manipulating the wind in order to get people to just drop in front of her. Shoma and Hanto quickly arrive after Sachika had come across a Twitter video of this mass Pressing.
Shoma and Hanto also get caught up in the wind, Shoma realizes they should just ride the wind until they reach where the Granute is.
The Granute boasts that she has a bodyguard now. But Lage9 says she is getting a bit ahead of herself.
Lage9 says it sucks to have to keep doing all this, so he wants to finish this now as well. The three henshin.
They battle. Hanto tells Shoma to take care of the Granute while he stays and keeps Lage9 busy
Shoma goes marshmallow and then chips. The Granute tries to fly away. But Shoma goes Cake and shoots frosting at the Granute, causing her to drop down to the ground
Shoma delivers a whip Caking finisher, finishing off the Granute and releasing the Pressed people. Shoma realizes Takeshi is not in the Presses though and wonders if he’s been sent to the factory already
Meanwhile, Lage9 and Hanto are still battling. Lage9 however gets the upper hand. Hanto asks if Lage9 is one of the Stomachs. This takes Lage9 by surprise, leaving him open to Hanto’s punch.
“One of them?! You think you’re funny?”:
Shoma arrives. But an upset Lage9 shoots at Hanto, forcing him to dehenshin as he collapses to the ground.
Episode Thoughts
Oh another episode with Hanto almost dying as the cliffhanger lol
But really, this was another great episode. And it seems like this season is a Mother’s Day special! Well, I’m not sure if Lage9’s loved one is his Mama. But that would be very interesting if that were the case.
Obviously, something to bond the three guys together. Even if loosely and Lage9 still going down his own path for now. But sharing that similar experience of losing their mothers, or even simply losing a loved one to the Stomachs would be a great catalyst for some nice story moving forward.
It gets me thinking about the Stomach Sibs’ own mother. And maybe they have mommy issues as well! What if Papa Bouche is really the Final Boss and everyone turns against him when he pops back up in a surprise twist. Lol
But anyway we’re getting ahead of ourselves. It’s great to get a tease about Lage9’s backstory already. And that flashback as well as the Granute being so desperate for Dark Treats is quite fascinating. The Dark Treats are obviously synonymous with drugs while Stomach Inc is essentially some kind of drug cartel hiding behind a legit(?) business? Stuff like that.
So these Granutes are willing to kill others for their drug addiction. WILD stuff for Sunday morning! Lol
But certainly a solid foundation for a story nonetheless. And you can always hand it to Toei and their talented writers to somehow tell mature, real world stories that can be suitable within the confines of Sunday morning television. Even by Japanese television standards. That’s why I’ve grown to love Sentai and Kamen Rider these last 15 years. I can enjoy watching stories delving into heavy topics, but in a family-friendly package. Hehe It’s like I’m watching a gangster movie without the gangsters. lol
Shoma’s mother, Hanto’s mother and now Lage9’s (potential) mother are great examples of how such a criminal organization can have a lot of collateral damage. Or how such a company can manipulate innocent people and consumers into buying more of their stuff. Whether it’s drugs or other addictive things (including social media!).
Having the children of those victims eventually be the ones taking down that criminal organization? That’s like the plot of an awards-bait movie or TV series. And again, having it in this Sunday morning-appropriate package is definitely my speed. Hehe.
So definitely looking forward to learning more about Lage9 and what his goals are.
Meanwhile, a great scene with Shoma and Hanto and basically piling on the guilt on Shoma which will hopefully result in a very dramatic falling out between the two of them before a triumphant reunion in the future. Hehe.
It was definitely funny though that Shoma conveniently did not use honorifics with Nyelv when Hanto was around. Especially since there wasn’t really any nuance implying he specifically catches and stops himself because Hanto was next to him. Lol
Speaking of Nyelv, good stuff from him this week. I would’ve wanted more with him and Shoma though.
Should be interesting to learn more about Nyelv and his Suga-san research partner. What kinds of other things have they worked on? I will say Kenzo invading Lage9’s personal space like that was so wrong. I would not have blamed Lage9 if he just smacked him if Nyelv didn’t stop him lol
Anyway, the scene where Shoma and Hanto discuss the Stomachs was a great way to highlight how their relationship has grown since they first met. Which wasn’t really that long ago if you think about it.
Elsewhere, great to have Sachika continuing to get involved. And also interesting that the story of her neighborhood friend continues into next episode I assume. It’s always nice to have stories that don’t just easily get resolved in the typical two episodes.
Overall, Gavv just continues moving along quite nicely. A great, fun episode with some really great character moments. Especially for our new future-friend Lage9. Hehe.
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6 thoughts on “Recap: Kamen Rider Gavv, Episode 18 – Extremely Strong! The Pudding Bodyguard”
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I’m really interested in Shoma finally meeting Suga and vice versa, as shown in the preview for next time. Suga’s been wanting to meet Shoma for a while, and he seems to be equally interested in Shoma’s evolution as Gavv. Not to mention that he knows full well Shoma’s a Granute. Suspiciously though, back in episode 3 when he first encountered Shoma with Hanto, Suga seemed to figure out immediately that Shoma was a “special” organism different from a regular Granute. And the one instance he showed anger so far was when Shoma fled from him and Hanto the first time, after Suga had “finally found one.” Shoma seemed to be the one Suga REALLY wanted to work with; Hanto may have just been his “Plan B.”
Suga finally getting to meet and talk with Shoma may get the ball rolling on what his motivation is and what the end goal of his “work” is. Up till now, it hasn’t been revealed yet what Suga’s getting out of his dealings with Hanto and Nyelv and what he intends to use his research for. I have a sneaking suspicion that Suga’s going to be the Dark Rider seen on the new poster, who seems to be a darker version of Shoma’s Popping Gummy Form. That unknown Rider’s Driver may be Suga’s own “masterpiece.”
And by the way, I think the credits said that the Granute in Lage-9’s flashback was his little brother, not his mother. But I too am interested in if or when the Stomach Siblings’ own mother will make an appearance. I can think of two possibilities: 1.) She’s a hidden villain who’s been pulling the Siblings’ strings. 2.) She was the only decent member of the family, and her death or her leaving them turned the family into the dysfunctional mess it is now.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if Bouche faked his death and will turn up again later on as the Final Boss. Y’know, take a page out of Ex-Aid’s book. He could be a villain whose presence makes the Stomach Siblings more sympathetic by comparison. Especially since he wasn’t just a horrible father to Shoma. He didn’t even bother to show up to the Twins’ own birthday party! It seems the Siblings had more legitimate reasons to despise him instead of it just being about him bringing Shoma into their family. I hope that gets fleshed out more as the season goes on. Maybe we’ll get to see the other three Siblings as little kids too!
Oh! Younger brother! That would be very good too. I think any family member affected by the Stomach’s dark business would be a good “justification” for someone like Lage9 to want to seek justice. Very exciting.
And I’m sure we still have a lot to learn about the Stomach Family. I do hope the eventual Final Boss is connected to, if not come from the family itself. It would make everything more impactful I think.
Perhaps Suga has a secret identity of his own that would help to make that happen hehe
I’m still under the strong suspicion that Suga’s the Wolf Granute, and a Granute-Human hybrid like Shoma, since it’s heavily implied that Granute has a Red Gavv. If that’s the case, then that would indicate Suga has a deeper, more “personal” reason why he’s so interested in Shoma’s development and why he wants to meet him. Perhaps Suga finds it more beneficial to his plans for the time being to let Hanto and Nyelv think he’s a regular human. Pass himself off as a curious but ultimately harmless old Granute researcher. A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
Suga would have been old enough to be an adult 18 years ago while Shoma was just a little baby. But perhaps Shoma shares some of the Wolf Granute’s memories because he’s “linked” to him. Dente could have forcibly removed the Wolf Granute’s Red Gavv and used its parts in his operation on Shoma. I wouldn’t put it past Dente to have done an awful thing like that to give Shoma power. He had Nyelv’s current position at the company while they were still abducting humans; he’s done some PRETTY BAD stuff. Such a potential development would force Shoma to face the dark, twisted truth behind how he got the abilities to make minions and transform into a Kamen Rider while still finding the resolve to move forward in spite of that.
Suga may very well end up being the “Vail” of the season (without the mountain of wasted potential, of course) where a dark emotionally impactful episode reveals that he’s MUCH more important than he seemed and has ties to several characters. Maybe it’ll be the thing that catches Nyelv off guard for the first time and finally causes him to lose his cool. That would kinda be fitting, since Suga seems to be the one guy Nyelv sees as an “intellectual equal” and shares his secret projects with.
Oh that would be some great story with Nyelv and Suga if that’s the case. And also I’m sure the stuff UNcle Dente did in his previous life away from Earth will play a role in the future. Especially with his relationship with Shoma. We’re probably going to get a lot of “despair” episodes for Shoma in the future.
Kohei Shoji looks so fine omg so happy to have him here hehe
He’s awesome!