Episode 35 picks up right where the previous one left off, and the stakes have never been higher. Isurugi Souichi, Blood Stalk and half of Evolt, is missing. Evolt has fused with its other half, trapped inside of Banjou, and the newly-whole entity wastes no time in becoming Kamen Rider Evol, Phase 2. This form, made up of the Dragon and Rider System Evol Bottles, is sleeker than its predecessor, resembling Cross-Z’s base form.
Seeing Sento stagger out of the ambulance he’d been in, tubes and machines still strapped to his body, lends a certain amount of gravity to the scene, and Evolt shows it is in full control as it melts a wall and goes right for Pandora’s Box with a briefcase full of Bottles in hand. When Sento learns the truth about Banjou’s history, it is during a fight over Pandora’s Box. The tragedy of the whole situation is felt throughout the scene, but never more so than when Sento is desperate enough to cling to Evol’s leg, a futile attempt to stop him from taking the Box.
After the battle, it is revealed that Isurugi survived, but is no longer being possessed by Evolt. He is left in the care of Misora and Kazumi, who regrets intensely his awkwardness around her. The two share a moment while they wait for Sento to wake up. When Sento comes to, his first thoughts are, fittingly, of Banjou and the others. He is deeply troubled, and asks about the things that happened before he blacked out. The pieces begin to fall into place as Bottles gather, and they find an unlikely ally in the way of Gentoku, before being joined by Evolt, still using Banjou’s body.
Evolt extends an invite to a ceremony, hits Misora with some kind of spell, and takes the three Riders to witness the opening of Pandora’s Box now that all the Bottles have been gathered. The display is spectacular, a beam of light rising from the center of Pandora’s Tower straight to the sky. The tower twists and turns as it grows, and Evolt attempts to capture the Phoenix Bottle, the only one of the Best Match bottles currently not attached to a panel of Pandora’s Box.
Nanba and Utsumi observe, and in a surprising turn, we learn that Nanba intends on using Pandora’s Box as a new kind of energy source, but does not actually want to open it. Even taking on all three other Riders, Evol easily holds his ground, and the battle becomes a game of Keep Away with the filled Panel. Kazumin, in a single move, is blasted clear of the arena, and the fight becomes two on one.
By the end of it all, only Sento and Evolt remain. Pandora’s Box has been opened and Pandora’s Tower is complete. Even Nanba and Utsumi have tried, at this point, to step in and stop Evol and failed. Evol has won, and revels in his victory as a giant tornado swirls around Pandora’s Tower.
In the preview of the next episode, we see a glimpse of a white-haired Sento and the implication of his final form emerging as we enter the home stretch.
Personally, I could easily see a way in which Build concludes before the normal 50-episode ending point has been reached. With 35 episodes complete, Build already feels as though it is well into its final story arc. Could this white-haired Sento be the beginning of the leaked final form that has been circulating around the internet since early spring?
What are your thoughts on this week’s episode? Leave a comment and let’s discuss!
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