Gotchard using the Level-X's to fail as Germain reveals he wants to eat all poor Nijigon just to evolve and help all of humanity evolve into Malgams, yeah the anger in Houtaro's voice was handled really well, and it was nice to see our Double Riders could defeat the Golem, and nice they used Phoenix like in the Hyper Battle Dvd.

Clotho manhandling Spanner and activating the Black Flames only to attract Gigist offering to train him definitely has interesting prospects for a future storyline. But props to Gigist, he actually finds a way to negotiate by testing Spanner's ability and bravo by defeating Germain, since he gets his powers back. Even Spanner notices that beating Germain only helps them in the short run since that gives Gigist what he wants, so why not get the extra training...which is a valid argument.

But it's touching to see as he considers it, Lachesis ends up tugging behind him to get him back to his senses, a tender moment without a need for speaking. I like it, it's sweet, and we get the Three Kings and Wind in the opening.

Yup, Nijigon being hurt by Spanner's claims was spot on. Though Nijigon definitely is to blame for running off instead of talking to his friends about how he was feeling, as Hopper1 definitely did, Spanner deserved to get some talking to.

But Nijigon ended up meeting, Mai...a dancer who's essentially a popular idol, and is part of a trio along with Hina and Koyomi: there's a character named Mai in Gaim very similar to that description. The season before then was Wizard...and the female lead there was named Koyomi. And the season before Wizard was Fourze, and before Fourze was OOOs. The main female character from OOO's name? Hina.

That's...a very on the noise but cute callback to past Kamen Rider girls, partially because their actors are played by girls from the Kamen Rider Girls, who apparently haven't been back in the series since Build, it's been about six years? Really?

Heck they only have three members currently. Hitomi Isaka, Chisato Akita, and Tomomi Giena Sumi, who represent OOO, Wizard, and Gaim. Each of the members were supposed to represent a season and were given a belt for each one, but because of licensing issues they had to remove it; which is weird since they almost always make Kamen Rider music and seem to have a good partnership with Toei.

But it's nice Nijigon tried to cheer up Mai, but he actually tried helping out other people. According to the production notes, Nijigon would've became a salesman at a factory and another where he would run for office! Not to say that's a shot in the dark (jokes aside political assassinations are not okay regardless of if the candidate's kinda scummy....but) it's cool they compromised by having him help out two couriers played by two Metal Heroes in Masaru Yamashita, doffing their hard hats similar to how the characters in their show do theirs. Wish I watched it, but it's cool when these shows do stuff like that.
Also in the green room IRISE+Girls has posters from the Harp+y4 band and the Weather Heats band Win from Geats was in, love how they make Kamen Rider an interconnected verse.

So did the IRISE+Girls and like everyone else in the idol performance got their memories erased? Because they could easily frame it as a talking AI or computer program as a show gimmick. There's been times where it's been unclear if their memories did get reset, but in this case, it doesn't matter too much depending on who recorded.

Speaking of the concert, Nijigon helping out: yeah Kajiki even debates the alien invader or new species with genetic engineering before getting promptly kicked out by security even though he didn't do anything wrong yet?

Though they finally acknowledge Kajiki has a nasty habit of showing up everywhere.

As for Mai, kinda wish we saw her watching the performance, then have her join them halfway and do the routine with them, then apologize backstage. Plus there's a sweet meta commentary as the last "survivors" of the Kamen Rider Girls being a sole trio, though it's nice they get to do a proper song too, one of the three insert songs we get back to back.

Wish We Are Girls got to continue because the music syncs well when the group go to fight Germain: and Spanner joins his allies, commanding them to go out was cool, but it doesn't quite work when 1/3 of the Riders are girls.

But then we get What's Your Fire starting the Koichi Sakamoto part of the episode: the fight scene: everyone flipping, flying around, explosions going galore, the non transformed and transformed Alchemists dodging and enduring Germain's attacks, Majade using Minato's counter as an opening and fighting back for Atropos' promise, Valvarad's promise to fight to help and project coming in for the save, though it sucks Rinne doesn't get any more scenes or a mode change. But glad Nijigon found his goal of cheering people on.

And that gets to lead into Sky's The Limit with SteamHopper, AntWrestler, and Gold Mechanicer getting their own Gotchard Brothers moment. Honestly, Gold could've been replaced by his other base forms earlier on that weren't used yet, and personally saving SteamHopper for the last episode would've worked, but it's still a fun fight regardless.

Between Rainbow's martial arts outspeeding and outwitting, Gold's defense and electrifying personality, Wrestler's takedowns, Steam's agility, watching Germain's voice actor and suit actor go ham with rage, ranting about human happiness get worse just makes their responses even more glorious.

We also the mother of Triple Rider Kicks of Gotchard Brothers hurling, setting, and Rider Kicking the Alchemist Rider Trio into the air for a trio of combined kicks, penetrating Germain's ego, barrier, and physical body for a brutal finish.

Though the music making things seem both harsh and sweet as Germain has enough strength to ask Atropos for help to swallow his own granddaughter, yeah, it's actually satisfying to watch this terrible piece of monstrosity being forcibly transmuted back into Geryon, with his goals even furthered from the faces that haunted his mind watching his resurrection, and rightfully, none of them are pleased.

Well Rinne believing in Atropos turned out with her getting used after all, but to revive Geryon. To be fair, they've been foreshadowing this return ever since he first got defeated with those pulsating cube, he was gonna come back eventually. Still, if Germain was defeated by anyone, Atropos probably would've used it to revive him either way. But this puts a massive wrench in Geryon's plans since he can't get the Philosopher's Stone and the heroes because Geryon knows the Alchemist Society far more than the other two who only get humans on a surface level. 

That brings up the big debate, Germain's death. He was only planned for two episodes, and used those two episodes pretty well as a final boss like antagonist, though if he lasted a few more episodes torturing their protagonist, it would've worked. Even the crew felt bad given how well the suit acting and voice actors was working.

That and his energy could've offered new opportunities since Spanner has Gigist as a rival, he felt like Houtaro's and the ladies would've duked it out, but it depends on what they do with Gaelijah so we'll see what happens next.

As for the Kamen Rider girls, We Are Girls song, you can find it on Avex's Youtube Channel, made two years ahead of time. Kinda shocked they didn't use this opportunity for the Girls Remix special, or any Revice.

And it's kinda weird Lachesis doesn't show up. Granted, keeping her away from the Three Kings is probably a good thing, Gigist probably wouldn't care, Gaelijah might given the fate of the sisters is still up in jeopardy and question, but Germain was the one who powered up Clotho. Sometimes it feels like they have this opportunity but they're not using her as effectively as they should. For now, things can change.

Still, all in all, a fun episode.