Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Episode 12 Live Reaction

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Episode 12 – Christmas Special: Targeting the Silver X-mas Live Reaction

The episode begins with Emu meeting up with Kujo and apologizing for not trusting him...and asks about his other 'lie' about losing his friend, which he tells him and explains THAT is why he's investigating this: so his friend didn't die in vain. And Emu trusts him.

I like this because it not only confirms for a fact his friend's death was the reason Kujo became a pathological liar, but shows Emu is willing to dig a bit deeper to see if Kujo WAS telling at least partial truths in other places.

Shuuhei is brought over by Asuna and Kujo tells Emu he has to do HIS job while he does his as a medical examiner.

Back at the base, the others tell Kougami and the Ministry about Kuroto's betrayal. Turns out the guy went missing after outing himself. Meanwhile, Emu talks with Shuuhei's mother about why he turned down cakes, and she reveals she and his father run a cake shop and he generally makes a fuss during Christmas due to the work load. His injury was a broken leg after he fell from a tree near their house, which Emu investigates and finds something...

Meanwhile, Kujo meets with someone currently in prison: Masamune Dan, Kuroto's predecessor as head of Genm, to ask how he ended up in prison...

While not said, I'm assuming he's Kuroto's father.

Emu meets up with Shuuhei again and explains he used to spend a lot of time alone as well, and games were his escape. Including making up ideas for his OWN games. It made it more bearable, so he asks if tree climbing is the same for the boy...and that he climbed the one he himself did. At which point he reacts, the Bugster is on the move.

I like this scene because it again, shows what makes Emu such a likeable protagonist to me. He acts as a children's doctor SHOULD and wants to connect to the people he's helping on a personal level. Unlike what Hiiro says, this IS how Emu's own specific branch of being a doctor SHOULD behave.

Meanwhile, Salty is attacking Shuuhei's mother to try and raise his stress...by killing her. Yeah, Bugsters are pretty dang evil, but this guy IS a video game villain come to life.

Emu arrives with Asune and Shuuhei in tow (I think Emu probably has a plan here), and transforms to deal with Salty...and uses the Gashat he just stole from Genmu: Shakariki Sports as his Level 3. Oh the irony.

The reason soon becomes apparent: while not as physically strong as his other Level 3, it's much FASTER and more AGILE allowing him to jump over Salty and rescue Shuuhei's mother. Again, we see that Emu is a gaming genius. Particularly since we never saw GENMU use that aspect of the powers.

Brave shows up in his Level 3 to help fight and in the battle gets one of the power ups, which contains a Christmas power up (which Emu calls an 'event item')...Hehe, I LOVE those little touches! Obtaining it turns him into his Level 1 with a Christmas theme (or splits him and the bike which is also now Christmas themed) and causes it to snow...which makes Shuuhei actually SMILE...

And then we have his mom run over and rind out WHAT was in that tree: a homemade present for his parents he was making in secret and fell trying to get. He explains the reason he hates Christmas and cakes is because they keep him from his parents...and his mom apologizes and made him a special cake to make up for it...

And this is why Emu did this to begin with: he kept his promise to make Shuuhei smile again.

This scene is great, I love it because it serves as a reminder that while the holidays are BUSY, the WORST thing you could do is let them DIVIDE your family rather than bring them together, and this family having to be REMINDED of that.

Also, Salty isn't happy he's being ignored for the touching scene and attacks...and it turns out that Emu's Christmas upgrade isn't just for show and the Santa sack of toys he got is an effective melee weapon. Asuna gets in on the action and gets herself a Christmas power up and gives one to Brave...who turns out to now have a Christmas track on his Level 3. Which he promptly uses to help Emu kick Salty's butt and kill him while Asuna distracts the minions with a dance number.

That was both hilarious AND epic at the same time! I love that the Christmas power up does more than just dress them

However, Pallad meanwhile uses the Bugvisor to absorb SOMETHING from Salty upon his demise.

Asuna forgot to stop dancing, which without the buttkicking kinda annoyed Shuuhei, which she's upset about having done. Hiiro comments she's 'causing stress like Bugster'...and guess what? She IS!

Yeah, Asuna reveals she's a Bugster from DoReMiFa Beat. I know it sounds like I'm being causal but...THEY'RE causal about it. In fact Emu and Hiiro ALREADY FIGURED IT OUT because her alter ego is the mascot of the game and ANY gamer apparently knows her. That and her name, Karino Asuna, is wordplay for 'provisional nurse', which is how Hiiro figured it out.

...This raises SO many questions...But nice to see good Bugsters can actually EXIST.

Emu is happy that Shuuhei is HAPPY again and enjoying himself again, and so am I. This was a nice Christmas episode...(Looks at timer and sees were only at the half way mark) This isn't going to end here, is it?

Meanwhile, Pallad meets with Kuroto and reveals he captured Salty's base code in the Bugvisor and they plan to use something with the data. Apparently the Ultimate Game Kuroto desires to make is called Kamen Rider Chronicle...I'm guessing that's going to be Ex-Aid's Super Mode.

Back at the CR, the group celebrate the holiday with a cake given to them by Shuuhei's parents as thanks. However, Emu explains the oddities about Salty and how he SKIPPED the Bugster Union phase straight to his humanoid form. Hiiro suggests that the virus is MUTATING, like how the Flur mutates over time.

This is why Salty evolved to a higher form than before as well.

Well, that's not good...

However, Kujo calls the other Riders and explains he has some important information he needs to tell them in person, including Taiga...who runs into a girl dressed up in Mighty (the character Ex-Aid is based on) merchandise. She tells him her name is Saiba Niko and she wants him to beat up M. Then says 'psyche' which I don't know if she means 'kidding' or not.

Unfortunately, Kuroto meets with Kujo first and asks about his meeting with Masamune, his father (called it)...and Kujo TELLS HIM he learned about Emu meeting Kuroto years ago and the reason for his immunity...look, Kujo, I get it, he lost his Level 3 Gashat, but you KNOW he's up to SOMETHING and has ALREADY tried to kill you! This is being overconfident.

Kuroto offers him a Gashat in exchange for his silence (the Dangerous Zombie Gashat)...dude, don't listen to him! He's CLEARLY up to something!

Kujo takes it...and promptly stabs him in the back and transforms into Laser, saying he's going to teach him a lesson..and tries to use the Gashat...which DRAINS his health bar to near zero...

Dude, I get it, you were going for irony points but you didn't NEED to do that!

Unfortunately, this is ALSO completely in Kujo's character, as the entire time he HAS been keen on rubbing things in Kuroto's face whenever he gets an advantage over him. Doesn't make it less stupid to do, but it IS in his character. Still, wonder how this would've gone if he'd just taken the Gashat and NOT used it.

Kuroto takes Dangerous Zombie back and reveals the Bugvisor is ALSO a driver, and the ONLY way to use the Gashat...and using it spawns an army of zombie like grunt Bugsters that keep the others busy...

And Kuroto transforms into his new form...which has some REALLY freaking effects! Like seriously, that transformation freaked me out a bit. That said, the form itself is freaking awesome looking and REALLY intimidating. Also, his life gauge is EMPTY.

Also, it's Level X, as is in level 10.

Kujo, despite being injured, goes to Level 3 to fight, and there's some really spooky looking effects on Genmu like something out of a horror game. Fitting, giving he's using a Survival Horror game. Also, according to Genmu's stats (which Toei made available), those aren't just for show: making the enemy see those are a LITERAL power of his.

Meanwhile, the others manage to destroy the grunts...but Laser is getting demolished. No surprise, given he's hurt and against someone three times his level. But he DOES manage to hit a finisher on Genmu, which seems to at least STAGGER him...but does nothing else, and he gets his Gashacon Sparrow stolen...

And Genm goes for his finisher, Critical End, which can best be described as a buzz saw ax kick with some REALLY creepy visual effects. In Kujo's defense, he DOES try to kick back...but isn't nearly enough and his life gauge hits zero.

Oh dear...this is the CHRISTMAS episode. Are they gonna kill someone off here?!

In Kujo's defense, he DOES try to climb up Genmu and attack him even untransformed and apparently dying...

Genmu merely leaves...and Kujo's body starts to glitch out...and even TAIGA isn't enough of a jerk to make light of this...

Kujo tells Emu that he has to save the world and stay who he is...and gives him his Gamer Driver and Gashat....

And his Driver says Game Over and he vanishes into blue particles...

Did I mention this was the CHRISTMAS EPISODE?!

Geeze!

Over all, good episode, but I admit that I found it a bit contrived to have Kujo just USE the Level X Gashat when it was unneeded and clear Kuroto was up to something, even if it IS in his character...and we got our first Rider death and dang was that emotional...Nothing else to say.