[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 39 - “YOUR BEGINNING”



"You're in the Carolinas and I'm going to New York
And I'll be much better there
Or that's what I'm hoping for
And we will never speak again"

-Waxahatchee, "Noccalula"

Oh, god, where to start?

The Todoroki part was the absolute worst. If I was ever going to quit a Kamen Rider series, that Todoroki In The Rain Scene would’ve done it. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt more defeated than I was watching that scene. But, since I got through it and am writing these words, I guess I’m living up to the episode’s theme of persevering after defeat. This episode destroyed me emotionally, shook my faith in the innate goodness of humanity, had me wondering But Why Kamen Riders… and I got through it. I won by getting back up.

That Todoroki scene is the stupid culmination of the stupidest plotline, so I guess it’s at least consistent? It’s trying to say something in the end about how Todoroki needs to stand on his own, that Zanki is pushing him away to make him stronger, except… no? No, that’s not at all their relationship? Zanki isn’t a crutch that Todoroki’s leaning on, he’s his appointed assistant. (A concept this story seems weirdly unaware of, considering Hibiki was out in the woods without Kasumi for some reason to start this all off.) Zanki isn’t holding Todoroki back, he’s following Todoroki’s lead. They literally already did the story where Todoroki stops depending on Zanki. It was the first Todoroki/Zanki story this goddamn show did. If it weren’t for the out-of-nowhere insistence from Todoroki that Zanki fight with him as an Oni (despite him retiring months ago to zero complaint from Todoroki), this plot would have nothing to build off of, which makes it abundantly clear how forced and unnatural this story is.

So, yeah, Zanki wandering up to a defeated Todoroki, Todoroki tearfully telling Zanki that he can go it alone, Zanki watching him walk away… idiotic. Stupid. Massively unearned. Totally divorced from everything these characters have ever stood for. Should’ve been laughed off of the script’s first draft.

The Akira/Ibuki stuff… not substantially better! I almost just want to say This Is A Story About Akira Where Akira Is Not Allowed To Talk and just leave it at that, but… actually, no, screw it, that’s where I’m going to leave that one.

Finally, there’s the Asumu/Hibiki plot which… y’know, it’s not the worst part of this episode. The idea that Asumu needs to have the courage to start walking down his path, it feels way more relevant to what his character is going through than the weird Clear Your Mind stuff from last episode (which does end up helping Asumu help Hibiki, so there’s that), and it’s tied into the episode’s (stupidly applied) theme of kids needing to make their own choices. It is coherent and not insulting, which is the highest praise I can give anything in this episode. It’s not exactly great, and I wish Hibiki calling Asumu by his name had happened in literally any other episode, but it’s not frustrating and disappointing like the rest of this episode.

I hated this! So much! The only thing that can ease the pain is being reminded of the only Oni out there who didn’t let me down, who could never let me down: