Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Episode 3 Live Reaction

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Episode 3 –BANG, That Jerk is Coming! - Live Reaction!

Warning! Spoilers!

Opening is growing on me, but still not my favorite.

Also, I find it amusing that in universe, the Bugster virus is outright called a 'Gaming Sickness'.

The episode opens with Emu checking on a young boy named Yuuki who...decidedly does not like doctors and runs off, even when Emu tries using video games to get him to open up, at which point the boy runs off. Victim of the week?

Meanwhile Hanaya is looking at some kind of scanner when Graphite shows up and calls him a 'quack doctor'. It's instantly apparent that the two of them have some sort of history, with Hanaya recognizing him by name and both wanting to kill each other for SOMETHING that happened five years ago.

But before anything can happen, Pallad shows up stops Graphite before offering Hanaya a bet: see which Rider is strongest and who can clear the most games. Before anything more can happen, the two teleport away and Hanaya notices Emu running by chasing Yuuki.

I like this introduction, as it makes it clear there's more to Hanaya that meets the eye and making it clear more happened five years ago.

Yuuki is clearly getting sicker, but is shown to be terrified of doctors and not trust them. Emu recognizes his symptoms and does a scan, finding he is indeed infected. More so, he realizes that Yuuki has a phobia of doctors. He wisely takes off his doctor uniform and calls Asuna in hopes of calming Yuuki down...when Hanaya walks up and says he'll handle it. This makes it WORSE because the boy just gets more stressed out, particularly when Hanaya puts on his Gamer Driver and approaches the kid probably as menacing as possible...which causes the Bugster's infection to reach 'giant monster' stage.

I like this introduction, because it shows that were Hiiro might be apathetic, Hanaya is aggressive. Which adds yet another divergence between the main characters.

The Bugester's monster form is a giant revolver, which Hanaya recognizes as being from HIS game genre and begins transforming. His game is called “Bang Bang Shooting” and scatters barrels of what look like toxic waste over the area for his power up containers.

Hanaya's Rider form is Kamen Rider Snipe, who uses the Gashacon Magnum. What follows is him jumping around the area, shooting up the Bugster, before LITERALLY turning himself into a spinning energy bullet to destroy it and separate the monster from Yuuki.

Wow, he definitely is fast, even in his Level 1 form. Emu does the natural thing and rushes to Yuuki's side as Snipe elaborates on that attack: it's very powerful, but apparently hurts him as well.

Asuna arrives and explains the Rider's identity, showing shock he's HERE. Emu also realizes that Bang Bang Shooting is a game stuck in development hell...literally, he actually USES that phrase, which makes me laugh a little bit. It's a first person shooter and the Big Bad is named Commander Revol. Guess who the monster is based on?

Also, showing that once again, the Bugsters take qualities from their basis, Revol commands his mooks like a military commander.

Something I didn't mention before that's kind of unique? Each Bugster has their own set of mooks using the same base suit: Salty had book based ones, the second one had a hooded monk look, and now Revol's have a military look complete with machine guns.

I like this because it's LOGICAL: the mooks come from the same host as their leader, so it makes sense they'd take qualities from the same game. Hmm...since they're sapient viruses, does this mean the main Bugster and their minions are technically a singular entity?

Regardless, Snipe fights them off in a fight worthy of Michael Bay...which isn't as fun as one would expect for a little kid caught in the middle and freaks him out MORE, causing the Bugsters to multiply MORE. Emu transforms and tries to stop Hanaya because of this, but Snipe refuses to listen to him at all, instead saying 'to game is to beat the other players'.

Emu decides that if Snipe won't listen, the next best thing is just to get Yuuki the heck out of there! Smart move!

Apparently now that they're not endlessly respawning, Hanaya was able to wipe out the remaining mooks and soon catches up with them, showing he knows Asuna's true identity. She knows him too, and reveals his first name: Taiga. And she's not fond of him. I'm liking this build up!

Taiga noticed Emu's whole personality change when he goes into 'gamer mode' and seems to have guessed Emu's identity as M.

Asuna explains that Taiga was a Rider with CR five years ago, but clearly something happened.

Back at CR, Kagami tries to keep Emu in the dark about what happened five years ago, but as always relents when Asuna tells him to and we find out what happened five years ago: an event called Zero Day.

It was the first outbreak of the Bugster Virus during the time CR was being set up. Taiga was a radiologist selected to be a Rider.

Okay, so five years ago a huge Bugster Virus outbreak happened and was covered up...again with the freaking cover up! I mean at least let people know the SYMPTOMS!

Back with Yuuki, his mother reveals he had an operation for a serious injury and developed his fear of doctors then. To try and cheer him up, Asuna comes out in her Poppy Pipopapo form...which sadly doesn't work.

Emu shares his own personal history with the boy to try and help him...but Taiga only succeeded in making this WORSE by scaring him further.

Deciding to do something, Emu tracks Taiga down to an abandon hospital. While this is happening, Hiiro meets with our mysterious backer who sold Taiga the Driver...and asks him why he has one. Which is completely logical to ask, but Hiiro pushes after the logical answer that Taiga was suitable for the role by pointing out Taiga is no longer a doctor.

According to Hiiro, five years ago Taiga became obsessed with the power of the games...and made a huge mistake that killed a patient. Our mystery man comments that be that as it may, Taiga is still perfectly qualified...but Hiiro refuses, saying he 'took something precious from me'.

I'm liking this mystery with Taiga! It was well built and each moment surprises me! Well written.

Emu does the logical thing and tells Taiga to but out, since he's only making the situation WORSE by scaring Yuuki, thus increasing his stress and making Revol's infection speed up. Taiga replies he does what he wants and to “stop playing Doctor and enjoy the game.” Taiga reveals that he's of the belief that the one who gathers all 10 Gashats will gain the power to destroy the Bugsters permanently. Okay, I SERIOUSLY doubt it's that easy! Okay, Hiiro is much less of a jerk than this guy.

Taiga makes a bet with Emu that whoever can beat the Bugster first gets the other's Gashat. Naturally Emu isn't happy about this, but Yuuki had escaped the hospital and ran straight into Revol. To make matters worse, Revol's mooks have tracked the two of them down in hopes of exploiting Yuuki's fear of doctors to increase his stress.

While the two fight off the mooks (Taiga being a much better untransformed fighter, but Emu being good enough to hold his own), Revol brings Yuuki in to expose him to his worst fear, prompting Emu to transform into Ex-Aid Level 2. Taiga follows suit and becomes Snipe Level 2. I like Snipe, he certainly fits the First Person Shooter theme of the game he's from and the cape looks great.

Emu accepts the bet, I'm pretty sure because...well, the situation kinda needs them on the same page here.

Hiiro arrives and transforms into Brave Level 2...and instantly prepares to fight Snipe...who uses a function of the Driver: Stage Select. Which transports the battlefield to a junk yard. Okay, THAT function is VERY useful. After all, what better way to make sure civilians don't get caught in the crossfire than to move the fight somewhere uninhabited?

Brave and Snipe begin to fight each other while Ex-Aid focuses on the mooks...and then breaks the two of them out of their fight by logically pointing out that a KID'S LIFE IS FREAKING AT STAKES HERE. Brave goes along with it, likely because no matter what a jerk Hiiro is, he's not letting his patient die. He IS a perfectionist after all.

Also, we find out that Snipe's Gashacon Magnum has a rifle mode that has a 'lock on' feature to blast multiple opponents at once....but no matter how many mooks they strike down, Revol is spreading so fast his mooks just keep REVIVING. To make matters worse, the mooks start turning into clones of him!

We also find out what that gauge on the Rider's chests are: their health bar. If it hits zero, they'll DIE! Not be knocked out of henshin, DIE. Yikes...

Hiiro's too close to death and decides to transform back to normal rather than risk dying...but Emu doesn't and charges forwards, while remind Yuuki he's with him...seeing a doctor RISK HIS LIFE FOR HIM finally breaks through Yuuki's fear of doctors and calms him down.

With that out of the way (and probably stopping Revol's infinitely respawning mooks), Emu gets a power up and becomes Metal Ex-Aid!...Okay, joking, but it's basically the Metal Mario power up, making him silver and invulnerable. He uses the opening to destroy the mooks with a finisher...and because Yuuki's fear of doctors is gone, no more respawning mooks. Now wide open, Ex-Aid wipes out the last one and Revol...But it turns out the Revol he killed was one of his clones.

Snipe sees the real one and uses his Critical Finish (a super powered sniper shot with enough recoil to send Snipe skidding back), killing Revol...and winning their bet...

Hiiro is a jerk and tells Emu he got what he deserved for taking the risk...but Emu is just happy he saved Yuuki.

I...do admit that risking his transformation trinket on this, but can see WHY given they did need some back up there.

As this is happening, a mysterious man watches from a distance.

Over all, I really liked this episode! It gives Snipe a great intro with a nice unraveling mystery to it. Over all, I'm happy with this episode.

It also showed just how dedicated to his patients that Emu is, with I really appreciate, and showed some depth to Hiiro.