This one was okay! Which makes it about 1000% better than Episode 5!

It works by sticking to a basic formula: Ikki and Vice try to solve a mystery. That’s it. There’s a little bit of the Evil/Daiji/Kagerou stuff around the edges, but nothing that detracts from the simple pleasures of a funny team overcoming the odds to deliver justice for simple folks in need. The main plot is grounded in the same ways last episode’s Fenix plot wasn’t: we get to see how low-level folks are warped by demonic pacts in order to shortcut obstacles and feed their appetites at any cost, while the community looks to Happy Spa to make sense of otherworldly phenomenon. It centers not just Ikki, but the entire Igarashi family as the protector of the downtrodden, so that even a couple legal scumbags being taken down feels like a monumental triumph.

The Evil stuff around the edges… it’s okay? I mean, kinda hilarious to see Dark Daiji walking into the Giffamilia lair, painted fingernails and unconvincing bad-guy posture, like he’s cosplaying as Tobey Maguire from Spider-Man 3. That’s corny enough to be funny, just like in that classic Spider-Man flick, but I am not certain that’s what the producers were aiming for? Maybe?

It’s not a huge surprise that Daiji’s inner demon has possessed him, and is now wreaking havoc as the newest Kamen Rider. The last episode was pushing so hard in his boss’s direction that it was almost inevitable that Daiji’s mysteriously troubled sleep was an indicator of demonic shenanigans. There were only two real suspects, and the show spent an episode going ISN’T THIS GUY SUSPICIOUS at Hiromi, so here’s where we ended up. It’s an okay reveal, even if not a ton is done with it beyond revealing it. The idea of Daiji’s repression and envy creating room for George to see what would happen if a demon had a human host, there’s definite potential in that story. (I mean, I don’t love that Fenix is like Let’s Gather Data about the whole thing; that shit’s such a lazy part of Act 1 Kamen Rider storytelling that it feels like it should’ve come out of the Phase 2 Heisei Vistamp.) Daiji’s greatest flaw is that his reach exceeds his grasp, and he can’t recalibrate his desires in a healthy way. A version of himself that’s instantly successful at both becoming a Kamen Rider and kicking the crap out of Ikki? That’s a neat idea to explore.

But, y’know, not what this episode’s doing, thankfully. The lawyer plot manages to wrap in Daiji’s worldview – hard work sometimes doesn’t get you where you want to go, so it feels justified to take drastic steps – without losing its agreeably small scale and stakes. It’s just one guy that’s currently getting screwed over, and the show never really tries to grow the threat beyond that. We get to go on a frequently goofy plot with clever reversals, good use of the supporting cast, and a clean win for our heroes. It’s not a massive upheaval of the status quo, despite the appearance of Kagerou and Kamen Rider Evil. It’s a solid episode built around fun character work that makes the world of Revice seem a little more relatable. I’m gonna call that a win!