7 Thoughts on Kamen Rider Build Episode 2: Innocent Runaway

Our hero is now a fugitive from justice!  ...Wait, that can't be right.

 1.) Well, our intros appear to be handled by both Sento and Ryuuga, so I guess that's as strong a hint as anything that they're co-main stars.

Also, seeing a guy in his 20's described as an "old man" makes me feel uncomfortable.  ...The rest of this description is pretty accurate, though.

 2.) People who can't protect their secret identities properly don't deserve to have one.

As Sentou and Ryuuga are trying to figure out how he got framed for murder (including a hilarious scene where Ryuuga tries to recount his entire life story), the reporter that Sentou saved from last week's episode sneaks in and says she thinks she can help with the case.  As the group is trying to figure out how she got into the secret hideout, the owner of the shop casually remembers "Oh, I forgot to lock the door."    So, at this point, the reporter should just go public with their location and identity because I mean...at this rate they're going to leave a literal trail of breadcrumbs from Sentou's job to their hideout anyway.

Also, how bold is this reporter?  You just assume they're good guys and will let you leave after explaining that you'd out them?   At best they could just lock you up down there forever, and you don't get to tell anything, and at worst they kill you, and you don't get to tell anything.  Remember, they're all fugitives, so letting you just run your mouth irresponsibly is going to end with them in jail anyway.   Fortunately the group is a bunch of dopes, so they just give her free stories, because threats are how a reporter does their job.

3.) While Sentou goes looking for evidence on Ryuuga's case, Ryuuga gets tied up by human power-up maker and walking cynicism machine, Misora.  Ryuuga manages to trick her into showing how her ability works, and while she's gone calls his girlfriend, who coincidentally is being shoved into what I'm going to call a SMASH bath.

The timing on this is incredible.  Did they wait until he called to toss her in there, or was she screwed anyway and they just let her take this last call?

 4.)  Of course, Ryuuga couldn't just have wanted to earn money because people like making money.  That would mean he wasn't pure enough to be a main hero on the show, even if he regretted it later.  Nope, he's got the altruistic motive of trying to earn money in order to pay for his girlfriend's surgery. 

We'll get into that later, but for now, let's look at the implications here.  If he lost a match just for that reason, then that would suggest it's the only reason he lost the match at all.  If that's the case, it means he got caught cheating off the FIRST fight he threw.  This is going to be one of those shows where I have to ignore all the coincidences 'cause the world-building and character development is so enjoyable, isn't it?

5.) The mysterious bat-man confronts Sentou this episode.  His real name is Night Rogue, and apparently this is his first time using a voice modulator because it's on thick.   He doesn't completely wreck Build, which means he was either holding back, has a power-up, or isn't our main villain.  But him hiding his identity tells us he's someone plot important.

I'm laying money on it being Sentou's boss, which is where I'm going to cry foul because that means he knows Sentou is Build.  That's believable, because we've already seen how horrible Sentou is at keeping his identity a secret--but it doesn't explain why you wouldn't just toss the fucking guy in jail.

 6.)  I was initially somewhat frustrated when they introduced the wrinkle that Ryuuga's girlfriend couldn't be changed back from a Smash without dying, but...it kinda makes sense?  She was going to die anyway, so maybe the transformation was too much and took the time she had left. 

Sentou stops her pretty easily, and Ryuuga gets to have his last moments with his girlfriend before she turns into golden mist.   Since Night Rogue did basically nothing to stop this, I have to presume now that he really enjoys watching people suffer. 

7.) Next Episode: The group tries to track down the person responsible for having Ryuuga experimented on!  And, a really cool new form appears~ 

I know for sure there's one really stupid design involving keys, but so far I've actually been impressed with Build's form changes.  They don't look nearly as stupid as some of the past few years have.