Kamen Rider Black RX Episodes 40-41

EPISODE 40

Dweebmader ended the previous episode vowing to oversee the next plan, and you know the results will be no different than the other Crisis numbskulls. His great plan is to make an apartment complex look like it's haunted to drive out the tenants and modify and use the apartments for the Crisisfolk they're supposed to be smuggling in. In short: Dasmader's flipping a house, while Japan needs to build a wall and have Crisis pay for it!

Reiko hears the story through the grapevine and goes to take photos, spotting General Jark. (This is a grunt of Dasmader's, who later impersonates the general in order to spy on Bossgun. Why did he blow the plan by tipping off to Reiko that Crisis was involved?) Anyway, it's sad that the show lied by acting like they were finally going to let Reiko (Sumikawa) do more, and she's basically still just treated like Jimmy Olsen: good enough to give the deets of what's happening, but being pushed to the back when the men show up.

More Crisis intelligence here, as Bossgun is under Jackie's orders to pretend like he's going along with Dasmader, but Dasmader's only using Bossgun to begin with and, oh, aren't our villains so crafty and devious and interesting? (No.) I really don't understand why Dasmader's breeding Little Shop of Horrors creatures in the apartment, but why should the show make sense now? The turd is nearly out.

Dasmader uses Bossgun's monster to lure RX into a fight where the apartment's revamped security system can study RX's powers and abilities. Later on, Dasmader uses the info he's gathered to blow out that solar panel that's on the front of RX's chest, which I believe they name for the first time here -- the Sun Busk. (I'll give you a minute to laugh.)

Once the Sun Busk is burned out, RX is laying there and looks to the sun. It's a actually nice callback to those early episodes when Koutarou would get knocked around, look at the sun and transform. But it's a little annoying that he just bounces right back and tells Dasmader that the King Stone's more important. So, Maribaron's stupidity in that episode rubbed off and he's blabbing something he shouldn't to a villain. Making the once cool Revolcane finisher useless, RX "kills" Dasmader, but the little bastard pops up again in the end.

Random notes:

1) Dasmader really is a little bastard -- it's a BIG mistake to pair Dasmader and Bossgun up. Bossgun's suit actor is known for his height. Dasmader's a tiny little kid-looking dude. It's hilarious he's supposed to be the superior and he's craning his neck up to address his subordinate. Between his height and what a lousy villain he is...again, I'll just he's basically Dark Helmet.

2) As RX is off fighting monsters, Kyoko infiltrates the apartment building and destroys all of Crisis' equipment and their Little Shop of Horrors monsterplant things with some arrows. Nothing to say here, just that it's random. I like Kyoko, but it's sad that she's been given big hero moments like this and Reiko's given nothing but expositional malarkey. It goes to show how kidcentric the show is.

3) When the apartment building has been abandoned by the frightened citizens, Joe and Reiko disguise themselves as a couple begging to be given a room so they can get Koutarou in to investigate this Crisis Complex. How do they get Koutarou in? He hides in a bag of Reiko's as Bio Rider's CGI booger form. #bioriderisgross

4) RX uses the King Stone Flash at one point. I think it might be the first time he's done so in this series, but it's just depressing in the way it reminds you of Black. Likewise with the way Dasmader survives the Revolcane and is talking of his next great plans with Crisis while that Black BGM I associate with Birugenia plays, making you remember a better villain who Dasmader wishes he was just a pinch as cool as.
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EPISODE 41

A pretty weird and inessential episode to come so late in the series. I suppose it's RX's version of "a goofy one before the finale," but it just seems so...you guessed it, random.

In this adventure, Maribaron calls for her great-aunt, the 2,000 year-old 100-Eyed Babaa to deal with RX. 100-Eyed Babaa's design is comical and hilarious (and intentionally so, I'm not being a smart-ass here) and she's a weirdo who goes off on her own side journey to absorb young women and gain more years to live. She happens upon Kyoko and becomes obsessed, with Kyoko calling out for Koutarou in desperation and he hears it, which begins his involvement.

100-Eyed Babaa eventually successfully traps Kyoko, Reiko, Joe and Koutarou within one of her many eyes. Although trapped in different eyes, each character can still communicate with one another. The show once again pulls abilities out of its ass for RX -- which it does soften -- and has him asking the others to send him energy, like he's Tinkerbell needing claps, and that allows him to transform and escape from 100-Eyed Babaa's eye and fight her, freeing the others. The highlight here is that 100-Eyed Babaa reduces herself to one floating eye and RX stabs her with the Revolcane mid-flight, so Jiro Okamoto's wired up as explosives are set off around him. I don't think Joe or Reiko are acting as they look on like "Oh, shit!"

It's funny. Even though I didn't mind this episode, I think it's lousy in terms of falling where it does -- RX doesn't have a full 50 episodes, so is there really time to waste on something like this? So despite being entertaining, it still fails!

Random notes:

1) The episode begins with Koutarou, Joe and Reiko spying on a Crisis contraption and making plans to shut it down. Of course, only Joe and Koutarou set out and get in on the action -- Reiko completely disappears until the smoke clears. Do I need to beat this horse anymore?

2) The voice actress for the 100-Eyed Babaa is hilarious, and I was certain it was Rika Matsumoto. I'm wrong, it's Kazue Ikura.

3) The episode ends with shots of the 10 Riders gathering in America, after fighting and investigating Crisis throughout the world. Wait, what? These inept bozos have been trying to take over the whole world, and not just Japan? HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

Anyway, it's lame and I hate it. I imagine the kids watching RX at the time being like "Who are these fugly lame-os?" while the adults were like "Geez, couldn't they have gotten ANY actor back? Why does Rider 1 sound like a tween?" Because the RX production won't rest until it makes everyone unhappy.