http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/KamenRiderReviceEp22SlamBangingActionAnAttackOnKukiKaidan
Slam-Banging Action... An Attack on Kūki Kaidan!?
Original Airdate: February 13, 2022
Written by: Hanta Kinoshita
Directed by: Takayuki Shibasaki
Summary
Everyone continues to grieve for Hiromi, but time is not infinite and thus they must move on. Attempting to distract himself from his feelings, Ikki continues working at Happy Spa, desperate to move forward. Then for the first time in a long while, he receives a request from Masashi Nishikawa, the CEO of an entertainment agency, and Mayu Tominaga, his manager. Most recently, there has been a Deadman attack relating to one of their shows, Kūki Kaidan ("Atmosphere Stairway"), and it is now on the verge of being canceled. Ikki and Vice go undercover as the comedy duo "Happy Spa" to investigate. Just what is exactly happening behind-the-scenes of this show...?
Tropes
- As Himself: Famous comedy duo Kūki Kaidan appear as themselves.
- Breather Episode: Downplayed, for the most part, this is the case, as it returns to a traditional Monster of the Week formula after an endless string of plot-important episodes. It also involves comedy, something that is needed after the previous episode. Though, at the end, it reveals a new form, and like some of the other Mid Season Upgrades that previous Riders got, it comes with a dark stipulation.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Kagero briefly returns at the start of the episode, after being last seen in #14.
- The Neo Batta Vistamp from Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations in way of ontological paradox with the present time George creating a 2022 version, ~50 years before the older version of himself from the Bad Future of 2071 created the one used in the movie.
- Clark Kenting: Sakura takes Tamaki in to stay at Happy Spa, with him disguising himself simply with Nerd Glasses and a cleaned-up hairstyle under the alias Tamaki Orifu.
- Demonic Possession: The Rolling Vistamp performs this by way of Body Swap. Vice is now in control of Ikki's body, if not replacing him, while Ikki is in an intangible, ghostly form.
- Didn't See That Coming: A Fenix soldier delivers the new Rolling Vistamp to Ikki, claiming that George had invented it to cure Vice of his headaches from resonating with Giff. Turns out not only does the Vistamp allow Vice to take over Ikki, but George did not make that Vistamp.
George:
WHAT IS THAT STAMP!? Whoever you are, you better not get ahead of yourself!
- Two Lines, No Waiting: The A-plot concerns Ikki and Vice investigating Deadman attacks on the comedy duo Kūki Kaidan, while the B-plot concerns Sakura taking in Tamaki after Aguilera abandons him, intent on allying with Olteca again.
- Wham Shot: Vice cancels his transformation...only to show that only Vice remains, with Ikki nowhere to be found and later revealed to be in an intangible, astral body, not unlike Vice only moments ago. Even worse? Vice starts laughing.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Downplayed. Aguilera fires Tamaki from his position as her bodyguard, pointing out that he's useless to her if he can't transform to fight.
