#bugsters

WHY did I just see a “top 10 most powerful bugsters” video and Parado ISN’T ON THE LIST? What the heck? VERNIER BUGSTER WAS TOP 10 AND. I DON’T EVEN THINK THAT WAS A PLOT-SIGNIFICANT BUGSTER.

Position(s): Kamen Rider Poppy, Medic Team Dispatcher, KRDN Hospital Nurse

Species: Bugster

Gender: Agender

Pronouns: She/Her They/Them

Sexuality: Fraysexual

Romantic Attraction: Aromantic

Relationship Status: Single

What would you like people to know?

Something I find funny about the bugsters is that...

Often, you’ll find characters in anime or something that looks like a child but is like, thousands of years old. That’s like, a rather common trope

Meanwhile Ex-Aid has a guy who is 5 years old and looks like this

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Episode 2- Two Geniuses? No Thank You! Live Reaction.

Warning! This will contain spoilers!

First off, the theme song...I admit not my favorite Rider theme. It's not BAD, mind you, just not my favorite. I think it's just the style. The VISUALS however are definitely cool.

We then see the man from the Ministry of Health from the last episode (I think) thanking a man for giving them the Drivers to fight back. We also find that...sigh...A masquerade is in effect. No mind wiping, thankfully, but media interference. I mean okay, saying 'there's a plague that turns people into rampaging monsters' might cause a bit of a panic, but the masquerade always feels like it's just keeping people ignorant of threats rather than protecting them. This one isn't the worst one though, but you'd think they'd at least claim a NORMAL disease is being spread and give instructions on the symptoms so people will come to them.

Anyway, Emu is just as confused about Asuna jumping into a video game and changing her personality completely as we are and asks what the heck she is. But Kagami enters and naturally begins asking what the heck he's doing in their secret lab...until Asuna informs him Emu's working here now, at which point he instantly shifts into a more energetic persona and welcomes him...kay.

Kagami explains Asuna is a 'navigator' the Ministry of Health assigned them. Guess that means she tells them were the monster is. She promptly comes out of the computer and gives Emu something to alert him when he's needed. I find it interesting Asuna was assigned to them, but nice twist of expectations.

However, the more comedic stuff stops when another character, Hiiro Kagami (let's go with Hiiro) enters. The guy is...well, a foil to everyone else in the room: dead serious and stern with a kinda cultured leitmotif. And also, he's Kagami's son. He's not happy about there being TWO Riders, as it turns he himself has a Driver as well and feels they only need one.

Meanwhile, Graphite seems to be spreading the virus while the mystery man is playing a game nearby, comparing fate to a puzzle game. We find out that the guy's name is Pallad, and he comments perhaps he should go and say hi.

Okay, interesting.

We then cut back to Hiiro performing a surgery and find out he's a genius surgeon. This fact makes Emu question if he really IS needed here. I like this, as both are super good at one half of what it seems this job entails: Hiiro is a genius surgeon, while Emu is a genius GAMER...unless Hiiro turns out to also be good at games, but I'm kinda doubting that given Emu's M monicker seems to be a big deal. Before that can continue, however, the alarm goes off.  

The group arrive at a person who's been infected with the Bugster virus, but before Emu can do anything further, Hiiro arrives with a pair of nurses and forces his way in...and has his nurses prepare him for transformation like he's performing an operation...which, okay, he is.

His game is “Taddle Quest”, a fantasy RPG.

Before he can transform, however, the Bugster takes control of his host and says “You think you stand a chance against my mana, fool?!” Mana...guessing he's also from a fantasy game.

Anyway, he goes giant monster (he looks like one of the Injectors from Steven Universe honestly) and Hiiro transforms into Kamen Rider Brave, who has a knight motif to him. His weapons in Level 1 are a sword and shield, though his sword seems more like a historical sword than a Rider Weapon.

Also, one of the monster's attacks is to form a castle wall and shoot energy arrows over it.

Asuna tells Emu to henshin, causing him to go into 'M' mode and do so. He skips directly to Level 2...and Asuna promptly undoes it because that's NOT how it works: they CAN'T skip to Level 2 because Level 1 is the one that can separate the Bugster from its host.

Okay, so got it: Level 1 is for giant monster busting while Level 2 is for the second phase. Neat mechanic.

Gamu's got it now though, and joins in...and tells Hiiro that he didn't even try to open his chests to get power ups...which is because Hiiro sincerely doesn't know the video game aspect of this.

Also, Brave's power ups are in chests. I like that: each Rider having a unique power up container because they're from different games.

The two arguing about this fact causes them to get thrown away, but Brave is able to separate the Bugster from its host...but does so by hurling it high into the air, so Gamu has to use his jumping ability to save him.

The Bugster separates and reveals him to be a red, armored monster.

However, before the two can Level Up, a new Rider shows up who is a black and purple pallet swap of Ex-Aid, complete with the same game base (Mighty Action X). This is our Dark Rider: Kamen Rider Genm...who slices Brave's sword in half.

Genm overpowers them and knocks them down, but when they get back up, both Genm and the monster are gone.

The Victim of the Week is taken back to the CR where Asuna explains what will happen if they don't kill the Bugster: the host fades away while the Bugster completely takes over their body...yikes.

We also find out Asuna's real name is Poppy Pipopapo. Naturally, Hiiro asks what the heck was up with Genm, but they have no idea who the heck he is.

While they're trying to figure out what's going on...Hiiro is disturbingly apathetic about his patient's condition, even getting himself a slice of cake (to replenish his energy, which isn't in and of itself BAD, just in context...). He reveals he DOESN'T feel concern for his patient or CARE who they are, just cares about getting the job done...which makes Emu FURIOUS, and tells him off, saying he's no doctor. And rightfully so! A Doctor DOES need a certain level of detachment, but seeing them as things to 'fix' (in so many words) is borderline sociopathic!

Emu does what a doctor SHOULD do in this situation: speak with the patient and figure out the details. The man was going to get married to his fiance when he began to experience symptoms during the planning process, causing them to cancel it. Emu comes to a conclusion foreshadowed last episode: stress seems to cause the Bugster virus to multiply at a faster rate. Asuna notes this is logical: stress can weaken the immune system. Emu promptly calms the man, Rensuke down, noting that his stress over the situation is worsening his condition.

Emu goes to check on Rensuke's wife Asami and she takes him to the church as she explains how much the two mean to each other...at which point the Bugster reappears and reveals himself to have a mage motif. He uses a binding spell to capture Asami...which makes Rensuke's condition worse. We then get an interesting line from the monster:

“I will make that bride mine, and when that man disappears, I will finally become a complete being!”

So in other words: the Bugsters are incomplete until they fully take over their host.

Emu notes that the monsters mannerisms and evil laugh are like a video game villain...which MAKES SENSE. After all, the Bugsters ARE living enemy data from video games, so OF COURSE they'd act like video game villains! Because they ARE.

Emu transforms into Ex-Aid...but the Bugster basically holds Asami hostage to prevent him from transforming into Level 2 and leaving himself vulnerable.

Thankfully, Hiiro arrives and transforms into Brave to back him up...and doesn't CARE about the hostage and transforms to Level 2. Okay, seriously, Hiiro is a jerk and I already kinda want to see someone pop that ego of his. Regardless, his Level 2 form is a pretty cool knight themed Rider.

Thankfully, before the Bugster can kill Asami, Emu snatches a power up from one of Brave's chests that gives him super jumps, allowing him to reach her. At the same time, Brave pulls a sword out of the stone his leveling up summoned, which becomes his mane weapon: the Gashacon Sword. Which is pretty cool and looks like it's on fire (though its not LITERALLY, just having a flame effect). Apparently in the game, it's a legendary sword.

Emu save Asami and Level Ups as the two take on the Bugster and his minions.

Also, I'll say this about Brave's sword: the flame effect it causes on impact is digitized...which WORKS for a video game theme.

While he's winning pretty easily, the monster reveals he has a healing spell to recover damage...prompting Brave to switch his sword to its ice mode. As it turns out, status effects are a thing and being frozen renders the Bugster unable to cast any spells. Neat!

Emu finishes off the mooks and the two both power up their finishers. In Ex-Aid's case, he uses his the Gashacon Breaker in its hammer mode for a Mighty Critical Finish while Brave switches his sword back to fire mode and does the same thing, except his is called Taddle Critical Finish after the Taddle Quest game he draws power from.

Ow...the Bugster gets smashed into the air by Emu's hammer strike then hit with a powerful sword beam from Brave's sword...overkill much?

Also, again, I like how the Rider finishing moves are basically finishers from video games.

Rensuke recovers and he and Asami uncancel their wedding. Which Emu is naturally happy about, but Hiiro couldn't care less about.

Emu also decides not to leave, as he decidedly WON'T allow someone like Hiiro to be the CR's only doctor.

Kagami decides to celebrate beating the Bugster with Apple Pie...which Hiiro cuts with just as much seriousness as he does just about anything.

Meanwhile, a man named Hanaya is meeting with the guy from the Ministry of Health had been earlier, giving him a literal pile of cash to fund a new game...in exchange for a Gammer Driver and Gashat...

Okay, so apparently you can get a Gamer Driver just by having enough money...that's not morally ambiguous at all, is it?

Over all, I liked the episode a lot, and found Hiiro's introduction fitting, as well as the genuine conflict between him and Emu, particularly that one of them is the genius surgeon and the other is the genius gamer. It means both are the biggest of one side of being a Rider...but I do admit that I want to see Hiiro get his ego popped. I just find the idea of a doctor that doesn't give a darn about his patients kind of sickening.