This article is about an episode in Kamen Rider Gavv. |
What Flavor Lies Beneath the Mask (仮面の下はどんな味, Kamen no Siita wa Don'na Aji) is the seventh episode of Kamen Rider Gavv. It features the debut of Gavv Chocodan Form, as well as the Maison Gochizo and Gavvphone.
Synopsis[]
Gavv confronts Valen, the new Kamen Rider who defeated the Granute. Unaware of each other's true identities, the two begin to probe each other.
Later, Sachika and Shoma are asked to do housework at a relative's mansion, where they meet a young artist who lives there.
Meanwhile, Hanto visits a gallery to investigate an unsolved disappearance...
Plot[]
Hanto recaps the previous episode, stating that now that he has power, he will wipe out every single Granute in revenge for taking the people he loved from him.
Hanto is still transformed on a rooftop, out of breath and still in pain from his prior battle and his surgery. Shoma as Kamen Rider managed to track him down, noticing that the man he doesn’t recognize in the costume has a Gochizō inside his weapon, though Hanto tries to hide it. In his inner thoughts, Hanto panics and worries about if Kamen Rider noticed that he took his helper and didn’t want to give the impression that he was a thief.
Shoma tries to converse with the new Rider, who just insists that he be considered his junior, which leads to Shoma asking if he was modified like he is. The Rider says he was, playing it cool, but mentally Hanto was nervous and glad he fooled Kamen Rider for now. Hanto mentally suspects that Kamen Rider is a human who received an implanted Granute organ like him based on his question to him. Shoma suspects the opposite, that the new Rider in front of him is a modified Granute hybrid like him since he has similar minions and no mouth for his Gavv on his stomach, mistaking his chocolate bar belt buckle for a Gavv.
Both stay in character as Hanto says that maybe they shouldn’t pry into each other’s business as any secrets known about each other carry risks to people that they care about. Shoma mentally agrees with the notion, knowing firsthand that being unmasked would be disastrous so both are in the same boat. But Shoma can’t help but ask if the stranger is intending on harming humans, which Hanto denies and says he is hunting the Granutes who turn humans into Dark Snacks. Shoma is mentally relieved to have someone on his side but given that the man in front of him doesn’t like the Granute he decides it is best not to let his new acquaintance know that he is connected to Stomach Inc.
With that cleared up, Shoma tells “Chocolate-kun” that he will not pry any further, but Hanto doesn’t like being called that. He mentally panics again trying to think of a name for his superhero alter ego that is not chocolate related but only comes up with “Valen”, derived from “Valentine”, which is related to chocolate so he completely failed his intended goal.
Shoma then panics about what he should call himself when he addresses himself as “Red Gavv” to Valen since he doesn’t want to be called that (mostly because his evil siblings call him that). Shoma can’t use his real name, so he just tells Valen that his name is just Gavv. Valen says that he will see “Gavv-sempai” around as he tries to leave but they bump into each other a few times before walking past each other, both suspicious and deciding to keep an eye on each other for now.
At Stomach Inc. Nyelv preps a part timer Granute named Dean for a new, special modification. Dean worries that he did something wrong to end up on the operating table, but Nyelv says that he simply wants to give him a new ability as he begins the operation.
Back on Earth, Sachika has brought Shoma to her grandaunt Masako for a job to clean her mansion. Masako’s hired handyman moved back to his hometown and she needed help, she remembered that her grandniece had a handyman business and called her to come over. Sachika thinks it must be hard for Masako to maintain such a huge house by herself, but Masako says that she isn’t by herself at the moment. She shows the two that she has rented out two rooms to a pair of aspiring young artists: a sculptor named Tamaki and a painter named Suetsugu. Neither have made a successful debut yet but Masako believes in them and their potential as a patron of the arts. Shoma asks what a patron is, with Sachika saying that a patron is someone who financially backs artists who can’t make it on their own just yet, with Suetsugu annoyed by Sachika, saying that he can’t sell his paintings at all. Shoma understands that in a way, Masako creates happiness by helping artists, which she agrees with, just like her grandniece.
Sachika is flattered but tells Shoma that they should get to work now. As the day goes by, Shoma tries to do his chores with Sachika but he goes about it wrong by using brute force and ends up breaking an antique vase while dusting, uprooting a tree in the yard while doing lawn care and incorrectly preparing eggs that he was supposed to separate the yolks from by breaking the shells simply by grabbing them too hard. Shoma’s super strength becomes such a hindrance that Sachika tells him to stop because he isn’t helping. Tamaki asks the two to come out of the kitchen for a moment to look at her sculpture, but Sachika is still busy cooking breakfast so Shoma goes with Tamaki.
Tamaki says she is in a rut and wants Shoma’s opinion on the statue, but his gluttony has him perceive the statue as a tasty giant marshmallow, breaking the right arm of the statue off accidentally with his strength. Shoma panics and apologizes to Tamaki, who seems angry and picks up a hammer like she is about to bash his skull in as Shoma screams in terror, only to happily exclaim that Shoma’s little accident was just what her sculpture needed and thanks “handyman-kun” for helping. She encouraged him to break the statue further and she will guide him, all the while Suetsugu is frustrated listening to them while struggling with his creativity block for his painting.
Meanwhile, the Twins check in to see if their other trafficking checkpoint is intact and are relieved that Shoma has not destroyed it yet while Agents prepare to do another delivery pickup. Jiip wants to maximize output for the deliveries at this checkpoint before Shoma finds it and attacks their staff, only to have Glotta burst in. The elder sister makes the twins nervous as she rarely visits them, with Glotta saying that she would like to file a complaint with the procurement department as their product output in manufacturing has fallen because Human Presses are in steady decline. Glotta wants to know why, with the twins nervously lying to her that the workers that they hired are not productive enough. Glotta uses her height to intimidate her shorter younger siblings and leans over looking them in the eye, but seemingly is convinced as they awkwardly smile as she promises to “give the workers a spanking” for them and leaves the room. The twins can only stress and sigh as they know they are going to get into deep trouble eventually with their elder siblings.
At the Suga residence in the basement lab, Kenzo gives Hanto a clean bill of health so far after examining him. Kenzo has more “samples” that he obtained from Gavv in a cryostorage box for Hanto to use for transforming into Valen. The scientist insists that they be used wisely since they only have a limited amount. Hanto asks Kenzo if there are other Granute researchers like him, with Kenzo saying that maybe there are but he has never met one in person and asks why. Hanto reveals that he came in contact with Kamen Rider and he confirmed that he had a modified body as well. Kenzo is surprised and asks Hanto if maybe he can convince the hero to come to his lab so he can study him and figure out a process to create Gochizo on his own so he doesn’t have to sneak around swiping Gavv’s Gochizo. Hanto doesn’t trust Kenzo and says that Gavv will not be visiting them. As he walks up the stairs, Hanto thinks that his suspicions are correct and there is another researcher out there.
At Hapipare, Shoma is impressed with Sachika and how multitalented she is as he puts their uniforms away for the day. Sachika modestly says that despite appearances, she had to study hard to be able to do this job and run her business. Shoma is eager to work tomorrow, only to be told by Sachika that he has to stay put after the mess he made and she should do proper on the job training for Shoma later so he can do the work right. She suggests for Shoma to help clean the office for her as she leaves and locks up for the evening. Shoma decides that maybe he should practice cleaning but the Zakuzaku Chip Gochizo appears to urge him to visit Dente.
Back at Masako’s mansion, Dean visits under the guise of an art gallery manager named Katsumi Iwashimizu from Kawagoe to trick Masako into letting him in.
Shoma visits his granduncle’s hideout, where he gives Dente snacks and he gets a new gadget that he developed for him, a smartphone that has a special function to use the Gochizo. Shoma tests it out with a Poppingummy Gochizo and it projects holographic footage of Valen’s previous battle with Otake. Dente explains that with that smartphone Shoma can project a memory of whatever the Gochizo has seen onto it. Dente then inhales a bag of chips and then the entire bag of snacks, observing the video of what he thinks is his grandnephew’s new brawler form, but Shoma says that wasn’t him in the footage but someone called Valen. He wonders since Dente did not modify Valen then who did, Dente ponders this and does not say anything.
The next morning, Sachika hears from Masako that Tamaki was scouted by the gallery manager yesterday and is going to Paris. She was so excited that she left for the airport before Sachika arrived. Masako says that Tamaki is always the type to try new things and Sachika is happy for her, but Suetsugu is watching and seems troubled, but snaps out of it to get back to his paintings.
Back at Hapipare, Shoma has been inspired by observing the artists, making a little house for the Gochizo out of a cardboard box, snack packaging and paper. He tells his little minions that this will be their hiding place if they are ever in any danger of being spotted. Their enjoyment of the features of the house is interrupted by Hanto arriving to look for Sachika, with the Gochizo rushing to hide inside. Shoma greets Hanto and then recognizes him from earlier when he saved all those people as Kamen Rider and Hanto defended him from the fearful crowd. He tells Hanto that Sachika is doing an errand and isn’t here right now and introduces himself as the new hire for Hapipare, Hanto introduces himself and says that he is here for his ongoing social media investigation that he hired Sachika to get information on. Upon looking up the name in the bookbinder of client requests, Shoma panics mentally about the request being to investigate monsters and his superhero alter ego and thinks he needs to be careful around this Hanto fellow. He gets nervous when Hanto asks if he knew anything about his request, stating that he’s relatively new to the company and knew nothing about it. Hanto says it’s fine and he will come back later, but Shoma inquires about why Hanto is doing this investigation. This causes Hanto to stress out mentally because he can’t reveal why now because it might risk his identity as Valen being exposed and he then becomes concerned that Sachika might snoop into his activities as Valen if she gets curious enough. Hanto then awkwardly explains to Shoma that he is a reporter and he is doing an article on the hero and the monsters attacking the city. Shoma thinks that is cool as the two awkwardly laugh and thinking in panic that they should never let the other know that they are a Kamen Rider.
Hanto leaves, telling Shoma to let Sachika know he was here and shuts the door. He thinks he should either change the specifics of his request to Sachika or cancel it next time he comes in to avoid drawing attention to himself as Valen. Shoma is relieved that Hanto is gone and tells his Gochizo that the coast is clear, only for a Poppingummy to report back from patrol to Shoma about Granute activity. Shoma races to the scene of the sighting unknowingly passing by Hanto in a park, who decides to try following any lead on unsolved missing persons cases, coming upon an article in the newspaper archives on his tablet about a painter who disappeared.
Shoma enters an art gallery and is greeted by “Katsumi”, but Shoma knows who he really is thanks to his smartphone projecting what the Poppingummy Gochizo saw and that Tamaki was manipulated and pressed by the evil Granute. Shoma gives his usual offer to give up Dark Snacks and also to release Tamaki, but Dean refuses to do so. Shoma becomes Gavv, using the unformed armor parts as projectiles to keep Dean off balance long enough to put the suit on. He soon learns that Dean can fire ranged projectiles in the form of fish which makes fighting the killer kipper more difficult in hand to hand combat.
Back at the mansion, Suetsugu tries to paint, but he can’t visualize what he wants and then goes into a raging tantrum tossing his brush and throwing things. Sachika hears this and decides to try to help him.
Hanto enters the art gallery a few moments too late, coming upon it completely trashed by Gavv and Dean, he was hoping to speak to the director but suspects what happened was either a break in or possibly a Granute attack. He finds Tamaki’s passport on the ground, only to have Glotta walk in behind him. She mistakenly believes Hanto is one of the Twins’s “worker bees” and Hanto thinks she means he is a staff member of the gallery, saying he is just a freelance reporter and tries to question her but Glotta gets annoyed by the “filth”” speaking to her and kicks him in the face with her long legs. She dismisses Hanto as just another human until he figures out that she is a Granute and that they can take on a human form, explaining why sightings of the actual monsters were scarce. Glotta then seeks to eliminate Hanto for knowing about the Granute..
Meanwhile, Shoma is still struggling against Dean until a Chocodan Gochizo forcibly removes the Poppingummy from his Gavv, killing it in the process. Shoma at first protests the forced switch but decides to just go with it since he’s cornered, becoming Chocodan form, a chocolate cowboy gunslinger. Shoma uses his new Chocodangun to counter the fish bullets of Dean, with the two chasing each other and having a shootout across the parking deck and through one of its walls.
Back at the mansion, Sachika has prepared a snack for Suetsugu since he has not eaten anything all day. She looks at his paintings and compliments them, believing that they practically say “kindness”, but Suetsugu tells her to shut up. Sachika tries to cheer him up, saying that she is certain that his paintings will find someone who appreciates them. This only makes Suetsugu more angry and he hurls a bucket of orange paint at her, saying she should just shut her mouth and that she doesn’t know anything. Sachika for a split second loses her composure and angrily demands to know what would warrant having paint thrown at her but she swiftly snaps back to normal and submissively apologizes to Suetsugu.
Back in the parking deck, Shoma seemingly finishes off Dean with the Chocodan Finish, a Rider Shooting attack that first entraps Dean in a fudge chocolate kiss shaped cage that is then blasted by the Chocodangun. Shoma then rescues Tamaki’s Human Press in victory.
In the gallery, Hanto transforms into Valen, while an unimpressed Glotta activates her weapon, a scythe with a heavy sickle blade. Hanto aggressively charges forward as the episode ends on a cliffhanger with Glotta ready to strike the rookie Rider with her weapon.
Cast[]
- Shoma Stomach (ショウマ・ストマック, Shōma Sutomakku): Hidekazu Chinen (知念 英和, Chinen Hidekazu)
- Hanto Karakida (辛木田 絆斗, Karakida Hantō): Yusuke Hino (日野 友輔, Hino Yūsuke)
- Sachika Amane (甘根 幸果, Amane Sachika): Nozomi Miyabe (宮部 のぞみ, Miyabe Nozomi)
- Dente Stomach (デンテ・ストマック, Dente Sutomakku, Voice): Yohei Tadano (多田野 曜平, Tadano Yōhei)
- Kenzo Suga (酸賀 研造, Suga Kenzō): Shintaro Asanuma (浅沼 晋太郎, Asanuma Shintarō)
- Siita Stomach (シータ・ストマック, Shīta Sutomakku): Honoka Kawasaki (川﨑 帆々花, Kawasaki Honoka)
- Jiip Stomach (ジープ・ストマック, Jīpu Sutomakku): Ruito Koga (古賀 瑠, Koga Ruito)
- Nyelv Stomach (ニエルブ・ストマック, Nierubu Sutomakku): Ryo Takizawa (滝澤 諒, Takizawa Ryō)
- Glotta Stomach (グロッタ・ストマック, Gurotta Sutomakku): Machi Chitose (千歳 まち, Chitose Machi)
- Agents (エージェント, Ējento, Voice), Gochizo (ゴチソウ, Gochizō, Voice): Kouki Sakurai (櫻井 皓基, Sakurai Kōki), Ayu Shoji (東海林 亜祐, Shôji Ayû)
Guest Cast[]
- Masako Takarayashiki (宝屋敷 雅子, Takarayashiki Masako): Karin Yamaguchi (山口 果林, Yamaguchi Karin)
- Tamaki Tatehori (立彫 珠希, Tatehori Tamaki): Nanako Ando (安藤 奈々子, Andō Nanako)
- Suetsugu Egawa (絵川 末継, Egawa Suetsugu): Jinsuke Tsujioka (辻岡 甚佐, Tsujioka Jinsuke)
- Granute Dean (グラニュート・ディーン, Guranyūto Dīn, credited as Katsumi Iwashimizu (岩清水 克美, Iwashimizu Katsumi)): Yohei Kaneshige (金重 陽平, Kaneshige Yōhei)[1]
Suit Actors[]
- Kamen Rider Gavv: Yuya Nawata (縄田 雄哉, Nawata Yūya)
- Kamen Rider Valen: Kotaro Kaji (鍜治 洸太朗, Kaji Kōtarō)
- Dente Stomach: Jiro Okamoto (岡元 次郎, Okamoto Jirō)
- Granute Dean: Naoya Iguchi (井口 尚哉, Iguchi Naoya)
- Agents: Hyuga Ozawa (小澤 日向, Ozawa Hyūga), Suzuka Usami (宇佐見 紗風, Usami Suzuka)
Forms and Collectibles Used[]
Gochizo[]
- Gochizo Used:
- Gavv
- Poppingummy, Chocodan
- Valen
- Chocodon
- Gavv
- Form Used:
- Gavv
- Poppingummy Form, Chocodan Form
- Valen
- Chocodon Form
- Gavv
Errors[]
- to be added
Notes[]
- As part of Super Hero Time, this episode aired alongside Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger episode 33, Bakuage 33: The Procurer Won't Give In.
- Closing Screen Gochizo:
- Kamen Rider: Gavv
- Gochizo: Chocodan
- New Gochizo Created: Bubble Ramune
- The opening is updated to include Hanto as Kamen Rider Valen.
- This episode marks the first time when the titles "Kamen Rider Gavv" and "Kamen Rider Valen" are used in-universe.
- The scene in which Gavv and Dean shoot at each other through wall while running is a reference to a similar scene in the 1992 Hong Kong action movie Hard Boiled.