GABU~!
Not to be mistaken with the OTHER Batman, in this episode, we have vampire-zombies created by Bat-Man, Kamen Rider continue kicking ass, and unlike modern Kamen Rider shows that involves a lot of drama, Ruriko’s issue with Hongo still continues… and it will end in this episode. I am serious and more 70’s cheese!
If there is one thing that I liked about this episode is probably the night fights and the amount of cheesy 70’s science. If there is one thing that is missing in most modern Riders right now is probably, an episode that happened at night and you are not sure what is going to happen, and this episode gave this kind of impression. What makes this episode more enjoyable is Bat-Man himself.
Bat-Man is one heck of a monster of the week. He has this same eerie presence like the other Batman while doing his stalking to his next prey. Also, his ability to turn humans into his slaves is something that I liked, especially when Hongo learned that the woman she hit earlier in this episode is just one of Bat-Man’s mind controlled slaves! As for his character design, it really resembles a real bat except his wings felt a bit off. But hey, it’s the 70’s! The closest thing we’ve got for an updated version of this suit is with the Bat Dopant in Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider OOO & W feat. Skull: Movie Wars Core.
In this episode, Shocker’s boss makes his red-light-stuck-in-a-eagle-wall-statue-thing appearance! Sure, it was simple but it gives an eerie presence that he is plotting something greater than having one bat monster in his plans in conquering the world. Also, that level of presence gives the viewers to wonder how he looks like behind the statue. Does he look like some metro sexual guy who wears a pink jacket or a guy with snakes on his face?
About Ruriko’s issues with Hongo being cleared up in this episode, it was something obvious that they should do after this problem is introduced in the previous episode and not let this problem be stagnant for more episodes for the sake of adding more drama like some modern Kamen Rider shows do!
Back to the main things in this episode, oh my God! They featured blood in this episode when Kamen Rider throwed a couple of creepy Shocker grunts and when he beat Bat-Man! What’s weird is that he still never uses his famed finisher, Rider Kick and instead used an illogical finisher called Rider Throw… and Bat-Man can fly and yet, he died with this finisher!
Overall, it is one fun episode to watch. Asides from more good fight scenes coming from Hiroshi Fujioka doing his stunts… at night which adds up to the epic-ness of this episode. This episode also adds up the darkness of the series in terms of its villains and Shocker’s objectives. I mean, some weird looking monster decides to stalk you at night and turn you into one of his slaves? Who would be scared with that! More on this episode, we saw more reasons why Tobei Tachibana is one good mentor that he is willing to cover for his best racer from a girl who points false accusations against him.