I recall the first time it definitely made me excited to see the next episode for how it would follow the climax of Shun's Rider-tackling level beef. This is the first of several episodes by Sanjo Riku, head writer of Double and Drive, so I can see the correlation with increased physical comedy.

I feel like this scene is supposed to be ridiculously melodramatic. The real Shun is someone who wants to be liked and please others, so his terrible father having a tacky statue made in his "honor" traps him in a misguided sense of obligation to repay the gesture, by continuing to play the lonely puppet King. Shun's confession exposes his pitiful side that deeply wants to have fun with friends like KRC and hates the phony bully he has become at the expense of himself and others. Shun has been playing a role more than anybody else, so it seems appropriately tragic, beneath the surface level comedy, that he doesn't know how to act properly even when he's trying to let others in. It's only after finding his true place in KRC that we can see the serious real Shun doing what he was meant to do.

He's lucky exams don't require knowledge about football, which would've made it a U-!.

Maybe! It's just a weird way to do the scene, because the content of what Shun's saying is relatable and affecting, while the conclusion to this scene with the later battle is treated as rousing and cathartic. If Shun's acting ridiculous, it sort of works at cross purposes for the things he's saying and doing to not be ridiculous.

Man, you're saying that like she needs to do anything else to be the best part of an episode.

That actually does explain a lot, yeah.

To be clear, NOT A NEGATIVE, but they don't really do much in the second part to even involve her in the shenanigans. I want a fully integrated Tomoko!!!

^At least she will be in the next pair of episodes. Tomoko is easily my favorite among the KRC and she was great even before that.

If not for Miu plussing up every scene and story to which she's attached, Tomoko would be the clear winner thus far, and that's just off of scene-stealing cameos and agreeably bizarre bits of business. I'm excited to experience her spotlight eps again!

And the whatever the Japanese equivalent of a Daytime Emmy goes to... not Shun. I remembered that we basically got the equivalent of Emilio Estevez's character arc in The Breakfast Club for Shun here, but I forgot just how over the top the acting was. I know that Kamen Rider isn't exactly hiring the best young actors in Japan (except for the all the time it ends up doing that by accident), but man did Shun's actor go to town devouring the scenery in this one.

I still think it works as a good transition for the character into being part of the gang, though, and the Power Dizer handshake is fun.

...including Shun's dad, who had a minor run on Agito back in the day! Will he return in the newly-announced film to fight monsters with Psychic Dad Energy? Unknown (wink), but here's a look at him and Shouichi in happier times:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/agito/agito47b.png

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/agito/agito47c.png

Not sure about this dude, but someone who will be in the movie shows up in a few episodes.

KAMEN RIDER CLUB MEETING – QUIZ: KAMEN RIDER URBAN LEGENDS!! EPISODE 02

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/fourze/quiz02a.png

Following on from his difficult-to-parse acting choices from Episode 08, we’ve got Shun as the host this time out, and he’s kind of bad at this? Mostly in a funny way – JK is laughing when the quiz starts, and multiple actors get big laughs as they give him shit about his delivery and distraction – but also in ways that you can tell the cast just thinks he’s an unprepared himbo. He goofs around in a way where you can see how that tendency might be annoying to a group of variably-experienced actors who want their job to be fun, but would also like to nail their scenes so they can go home.

I am probably reading too much into the cast’s views on Shun, but that’s sort of the fun of this series of ancillary materials, beyond watching people genially trash-talk Showa storytelling. (Which is always welcome! These kids losing their minds at Nigou exploding a plane at the end is terrific.) There’s vague camaraderie, and some minor gripes, and a little bit of teasing, and you get the sense of how these Actual People get along over a year, beyond what they’re playing on TV. It’s neat, even if I think they all thought Shun was the worst actor.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/fourze/quiz02b.png

While what in particular I don’t remember, this mini taught me a lot about Justin Tomomori, who plays Shun (though his distinctively non Japanese name should’ve been a tip off).

Anyway, the answers to the Ichigou quiz were B, B and A (though in the case of question 3, option B was something Toei instituted with Kamen Rider (1979) after the lead actor crashed the bike into a wall, while option C was something Tsuburaya instated with the Ultra Series after Ultraman Dyna cast a man with not athletic prowess as a baseball prodigy). Now then, time for the Nigou quiz.

Takeshi Sasaki, who played Hayato Ichimonji, shares his name with a voice actor for a Heisei Rider’s equipment voice. But which Rider?
A) Ryuki
B) Den-O
C) Blade

Which Christian holiday was episode 39 of Kamen Rider (1971) the first episode to celebrate?
A) Easter
B) Christmas
C) Halloween

Which of these Shocker Executives is the odd one out?
A) Kolonel Zol
B) Dr. Shinigami
C) Ambassador Darkness?

Takeshi Sasaki, who played Hayato Ichimonji, shares his name with a voice actor for a Heisei Rider?s equipment voice. But which Rider?
A) Ryuki
B) Den-O
C) Blade

Which Christian holiday was episode 39 of Kamen Rider (1971) the first episode to celebrate?
A) Easter
B) Christmas
C) Halloween

Which of these Shocker Executives is the odd one out?
A) Kolonel Zol
B) Dr. Shinigami
C) Ambassador Darkness?
D) Thomas Toei, CEO of Toei

Agreed.

Hell yeah, I'm 3/3 so far for a show I haven't even watched!

Takeshi Sasaki, who played Hayato Ichimonji, shares his name with a voice actor for a Heisei Rider?s equipment voice. But which Rider?
A) Ryuki
B) Den-O
C) Blade

Which Christian holiday was episode 39 of Kamen Rider (1971) the first episode to celebrate?
A) Easter
B) Christmas
C) Halloween

Which of these Shocker Executives is the odd one out?
A) Kolonel Zol
B) Dr. Shinigami
C) Ambassador Darkness?

My logic for the second question is the holiday most likely to align with the 39th episode of a show starting in April. Definitely not Easter!

I'll always remember this question in particular a little better than most of the other ones now, because not too long after going back through these quizzes, I ended up watching a chunk of the original show which happened to include that episode, and just decided to straight up use it in the review I wrote to pay tribute:

Since then, I've forgotten enough to no longer be 100% sure myself what the answer is, and I kinda love the mystery almost as much as I love that scene of Rider #2 doing... whatever it is he does in that scene. See, the beauty of these quizzes is that all of the answers generally sound equally plausible, and once you realize that anything goes, you start to realize the beauty of Showa-era Rider.

I have not realized that, and refuse to do so!!!

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 09 - “BIRTH OF A WITCH”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze09a.png

If there’s a flaw to this series, it’s that it generally treats Making Friends like catching Pokemon or something: you do it, it’s done, you’ve added one more, you can't lose them, time to move on. Shun joins the group last episode, and here he’s just one more helper, orbiting Fourze, shaking his head at the boorishness he’s completely evolved out of in a couple of days off-screen. JK is a full-on sidekick, friendly and brave. Miu, who continues to be the best – I loved her railing against Masami by pointing out that she’s always been distracted by boys, so it’s hypocritical of her to punish one random dude for breaking up with her when her failure as a cheerleader was down to her own behavior, but then JK being like Correct, But Not The Time – is as folded into the group as anyone, with any non-KRC parts of her character reduced to affectations. There’s no real friction after Gentarou, like, finishes their side-quest.

Which sort of affected this episode for me, as we close out our initial batch of spotlight stories for the KRC recruits. Gentarou does his I Gotta Make Friends With You thing at Tomoko before the opening credits, and we’re off on our way, like a roller coaster lurching out of the loading platform. With how little space any episode has (ironic, I know) to both tell a new monster-mystery and try to give each of its recurring cast members something to do, I get that we need the KRC more or less acting in harmony – the less is Kengo, who we’ll get to – but the result, in total, makes the befriended KRC members come off not quite as compelling as when they were in the spotlight, and a little more deferential to the group instead of maintaining their uniqueness and identity. They all have an attitude that’s individual, but their goals are uniform, if that makes any sense. This was the episode where it all felt like it happened too fast, them all aligned in their teamwork.

Except for Kengo, of course. (I told you we’d get there!) It’s a little thing, but I really appreciated how Kengo steadfastly refused to indulge in the possibility of Magic or Witches – let’s all try and keep that viewpoint in mind when we hit the summer movie, and its special debut – in favor of the hard, verifiable science of cosmically-powered Switches, horoscope-themed masterminds, and constellation-themed high school monsters that clearly enjoyed the classic 1996 American film “The Craft”. (And just one episode after our “Breakfast Club” homage!) It’s a stock Science Vs Magic argument, and Kengo’s absolutely correct in a very quick way which is kind of dull, but I still liked that Kengo is a total dismissive jerk about his personal beliefs, and just grumpily pursues his theory while rolling his eyes at Gen specifically, and the rest of the club generally. That little bit of friction in the group is so valuable!

Like, even the new Fire States form happens too easily, with too little tension? Elec States resolved itself in a slightly confusing way for me, but at least the super form was allowed a little bit of a storyline to give it more gravitas than the half-dozen new switches that Fourze pulls out in an episode in order to show off in the most Q1 toyline way possible. Here, we’re told that the Fire Switch is powerful, and then Gen just… uses it. The end. It’s a neat new suit, but there’s nothing extra he needs to do to unlock it or control it. He just activates the Switch, and Kengo walks him through the various applications of its power. It’s cute, but it doesn’t… there’s no story to it. Perfunctory.

And that was this episode for me? I think the performances are still solid across the board, and Tomoko is delightful as a moody, lonely girl that longs for celestial consequence and human connection in equal measure, but the way that every prickly interaction and dangerous discovery before this one has now become easy and routine background radiation for this series in only eight episodes, it sort of had me less engaged. I am looking forward to the cast being complete, so that maybe we can get back to the cast being unruly teens to each other again!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze09b.png

There's been talk of Fourze's many guest stars with prior Rider credits so far, but it's worth noting that this episode actually features the debut of a guest star that would go on to have one of the more illustrious careers of a random Toei prop -- the Shield Module! Saber, Geats, Gavv... where doesn't this thing show up, at this point! Honestly surprised ZEZTZ Barrier isn't just rocking a green version of it.

Also, there is at least a little story to the Fire Switch here? In that Tomoko takes particular notice of it, and Kengo takes notice of that, so it's looped in as something that helps progress the characters in the larger narrative, even if in a small way, which is at least more of an argument than I think I could make with Shield.

I'm still hoping SHIELD PROP 15TH ANNIVERSARY: RE-ENTRY gets the greenlight from Toei this October as part of the Movie Project series!

And now for the opportunity to talk about another.

Rider-lert

Our Switcher this week is Hikari Kajiwara, who was previously resident bratty child Amane in Blade and a minor character in the Virus Dopant episodes of W. She was also apparently at one point cast as Medusa in Wizard, but for whatever reason, the role went to Erina Nakayama (this last sentence doesn?t have a source, so I?m keeping it in the grain of salt category)

As for the episode? For whatever reason, I somehow failed to consider that a Zodiarts was behind the apparent magic the goth girls were using. Admittedly, because most of my knowledge of constellations came from Kyuranger, and their use of an Altair-themed power was a pillar of fire.

Join the dark side. Give in to the standard-def visual quality. :lolol

It's really fun for me to think about Amane being the same age as the rest of the cast, but still having a wealth of Kamen Rider experience to impart to them. There's no additional analysis or anything, I just like thinking about it.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice19b.png

God, that would’ve been hilarious during the phase of the show where they don’t know who Meteor is. “Look, I’ve been through this before. You want to know who’s really a Kamen Rider? Look for the biggest hot mess you can find. I’m talking eating puzzle pieces, running away to live on a houseboat, suddenly dressing like the bad boy in an idol group, hanging out with milk drinkers, that kind of shit. You find the guy with dead parents and/or girlfriend trauma, you’ve found yourself a Kamen Rider.”

A club usually works towards a shared goal though and an important theme of Fourze is how many clashing personalities can support each other to become better. Maybe the pacing might be a little more dynamic if it was like Den-O, with an arc between each new member, but then that would require Gentarou to arbitarily not make any new friends for several fortnights at such an early point in his high school adventure, which would basically require him to not be Gentarou. There's always time to explore deeper conflict between the starting KRC members later on, after they've each had their introductions.

Episode 9 is a common debut for fire elemental forms in early Heisei Phase 2 though: Latorartar Combo -> Fire States -> Flame Dragon. Since Fire is basically on par with Elec in terms of power level, it kind of makes sense that Gentarou already has the means to tame it. The Switches aren't picky like Shift Cars, where each Type has their own emotional demands of the user. Gentarou only needs to accept the Switches wholeheartedly to befriend them, which he already learned how to do. Helps that even though we've seen Fire States' debut and both settings of the Hee-Hack Gun, its full potential hasn't been shown yet. Speaking of which, it's cool how the gun lights up like a firetruck siren!

Meanwhile, the other Amane actress appears in Kamen Rider The Next, so watch out for her whenever you get to that.

Reject reality! Gracias Deadmans!

I love how Kengo is all skeptical of ESP until Tomoko starts sensing big Cosmic Energy, then he takes it seriously! :lol I guess he just needs a little more convincing to distinguish the posers from the genuine articles. Like with the Hopping Switch, I appreciate that Kengo will admit being wrong when faced with sufficient evidence.

Now I just want a version of Fourze that's all the little kids from Heisei Phase 1 as grizzled teens.

I mean, the basic problem is that the show spends two weeks on a single character's journey, and then shunts them into the larger group with a big ol' checkmark next to their name because we immediately need to focus on a new cast member. This'll all sort itself out once the KRC is done, like I said, but it makes the quick transition from CARE ABOUT SHUN to SHUN IS DONE kind of funny, and the episode a little weird for it.

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 10 - “COLLISION IN THE MOONLIGHT”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze10a.png

If Episode 9 was an installment where the flaws in the formula became too big to ignore – character arcs truncated, an ensemble too big to service, rushed development of the superhero collectibles – then Episode 10 was the one that asserted that none of that’s a problem, the show is fun, it’s all on purpose, the vibes don’t need internal conflict, stop being such a baby about things.

Like, I just love the Rabbit Hatch? I love how every episode it becomes less sterile (Kengo) and starts being more diverse and chaotic (the KRC). It’s maybe my favorite Heisei set, for how it melds the show’s sci-fi aspects with its hangout teenage premise. The point of the Rabbit Hatch is to visualize how all of these weirdos bring their own perspectives to a single place, to share their passions and idiosyncrasies with each other, and in doing so create a coherent attitude and viewpoint for the Kamen Rider Club. That scene in this one where each kid boils themselves down to their weirdest attribute and wears it like a badge of honor, that’s this whole goddamn show. It’s not about individualism as conflict or difference, it’s about individualism as what makes you worth having as a friend, and what’s worth finding in your friends.

Which is why this concluding chapter is so, so good. It’s small, in its scope if not in its setting. (Gentarou takes Tomoko to the moon! Ritsuko is going to blow up the school with a magic missile, just like Yuuki predicted! I guess we establish that Kamen Rider Stadium is next door to Amanogawa High!) Tomoko’s a girl that’s always wanted to be accepted for who she was, but when that seemed impossible, she wanted to escape instead: to the moon, or into someone else’s madness and vengeance. But people like Ritsuko never saw her, never wanted who she was. And yet on the moon, she found friendship instead of desolation and isolation, with a group of kids that wanted her to be herself, and in doing so make them all better. It’s a sweet little message – Be Yourself – that’s delivered with the appropriate level of teenage pathos to make Tomoko’s embrace of it feel like the truest victory of the story.

And that’s no shade at the actual superhero fights in this episode, which nimbly correct my criticism about last episode’s blase treatment of Fourze’s new super form by letting its ability to defeat Ritsuko coincide with Gentarou’s acceptance of Tomoko. It’s cute, and I liked how Tomoko’s ability to pick up on it quickly established her as a useful member of the Club. Everyone got to contribute during the final fight, even if the kids had to stay up late to do it. (They all had a very long day!)

I’m glad this one worked better for me. I don’t like shrugging at Fourze’s cast of misfits, or their easy charm and fought-for camaraderie. Having an episode that calls out how these kids are friends without losing their flaws and foibles, that’s a nice thing to keep front and center for this show. I am still in love with this series!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze10b.png

It's a Toei tokusatsu show -- everywhere is next to everywhere, as long as you can cut to the next shot.

Anyways, really happy to see the show immediately obliterating your attempts to be negative about it.

I also love the Rabbit Hutch, even if I always want to spell its name wrong? (like, it only makes any sense with the "u", but also, apparently there's a character in Kamen Rider officially called Gord Drive, so what do I know) I can't think of many equivalent main hangout sets in Rider that evolve throughout the show as much as this one does? It feels so alive, and the show gets to leverage that at some key points to really sell the story it's telling through its visuals.

Which reminds me! I've always loved that beat where Tomoko rubs mud on her face because she's so desperate not to be seen without her makeup? Because like, the whole point of the story is how she's terrified of being seen, in a larger sense, and you'd still get that from everything else going on, but that moment in particular really encapsulates the whole conflict in a way that doesn't need words. It's always really stuck with me from way back in the day.

And that's by the standard of an episode pair that really stuck with me in general! I was deadset on Tomoko being my favorite before the show even started, simply because she's the one named after Amazon, and thus already clearly the best just from that, but the actual character genuinely was the easiest of the bunch to connect to for me. Getting to hang out with the Kamen Rider Club every week meant a ton to me in 2011, and through Tomoko, I think this episode in particular kinda tells you a lot about why.

I know, I know, but after being so complimentary to the show about its use of the geography of Amanogawa High in the first couple of episodes, I thought I owed them a little snark for how this story does multiple fights in the stadium parking lot.

(And, yeah, it's obviously a Rabbit Hutch -- that's where rabbits live!!! -- but the subs so strenuously call it Rabbit Hatch, and the Wiki uses that spelling, that I've given up on fighting it, and will call it whatever proper noun is shoved in front of me.)

In which Gentaro’s lessons in self-confidence derails Kengo’s drive for the future of scientific research.

I did like the goth girl telling Sonoda that the latter could’ve actually helped her be better than she is now. It’s an unusual moment of depth for the standard card carrying villain of the week.

This was a neat moment, both to humanize an otherwise one-note villain, and to give Sonoda something with a little more meat on it than the usual "observe from a distance, and endure Ohsugi" scenes.

As far as monster attacks go, wielding a pair of teenage girls as telekinetic cudgels is pretty goddamn hilarious. That's some peak Kamen Rider right there.

I still think saving Tomoko for last (-ish; we'll come back to this next time) is an odd choice but she's here now and that's awesome. I like the idea behind Gentarou's talk to her on the moon (minus the kidnapping and shoving her into a spacesuit part): "you don't have to change who you are if you don't want to" is a good message. Pointing at the Earth and saying "Look, the Earth never changes" is maybe not the best supporting example he could have come up with, though.

Gentarou was studying Earth Sciences in the last two-parter, and he only got a 50, so you'd understand why his very emotional and not terribly scientific appeal to Tomoko forgets things like continental drift or erosion or climate change.

Also, man, you don't think Yuuki is going crazy yet? She almost joins a witch cult in this story!!!

Oh, you'll know it when we get there.

ain't that the name of that one batman villain

I mean, it's a spectrum with that girl, not a binary state! We're already getting some troubling signs along the way!

Egghead?

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 11 - “THE LUNAR GATE DISAPPEARS”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze11a.png

It’s a more plot-focused episode of Fourze this time out, as the club members themselves are at risk, rather than a soon-to-be-friend or one-off guest star. Like, Makise is just a creepy incel weirdo, and so we don’t need to go through any story beats where we learn his tragic backstory or try to understand his motivation. He’s a creep, and he’s a creep to Yuuki, so we can just focus on what the threat means to the KRC.

As much as I’d’ve loved if we had followed Gentarou, JK, and Tomoko along on a trip to introduce Miu to ramen in what promised to be a thrilling homage to one of the best-ever Kabuto stories, we instead pivot into a story anchored by Gen and Yuuki on one end, and Kengo on the other end. We’re nominally in a story that’s about the Rabbit Hatch – its origin, and the specifics of its localization – but we’re really in a story that’s about Kengo realizing that he is, in fact, a part of the Kamen Rider Club… along with his friends.

The easier part of the story is watching the entire KRC scramble to locate the locker which houses the Lunar Gate, and it’s cute to watch the full-powered team work their sources and apply their skills to solving a problem together. It’s not super sophisticated or inspired or anything, but it’s just fun to watch these kids careen through hallways and leverage their status to try and get another detail that might save Kengo. If it doesn’t actually solve the problem, it’s still fun to see these well-meaning weirdos do their best.

The more interesting part of the story is Kengo, who finds himself trapped on the moon. A few months ago, he’d’ve probably been okay with it: time to work, in isolation, without anyone demanding his attention or recognition. But he can’t pretend he’s that guy anymore. The second he’s cut off from the rest of the KRC, the Rabbit Hutch feels as empty and lifeless as the lunar surface. It was a safe space, and now it might be his tomb. If you’re going to do a story where Kengo grudgingly realizes that he genuinely likes being in a club with Gen and the rest of them, you need to make him realize how he much he needs them – and not just to, like, actually save his life, but also simply the companionship of other people.

Writing this all out, it sounds exceptionally minor and kind of rote: some two-dimensional creep harasses the team, one member’s in danger, and the remaining kids have to pull together to save him, while he learns to appreciate everyone in their absence. But, man, something about this cast just elevates it? There’s so much specificity to every character’s actions – Kengo’s wry smile as everyone splits, Shun’s easy charm, Yuuki’s reluctant heroism in spending even a single goddamn second around Makise. (He’s repellant!!!) I kind of hate just going VIBES, because that’s like talking about food by saying It Tastes Good: true, but not really explaining anything. But it’s sort of just Vibes? The youthful energy of this show, it’s kind of my favorite version of toku. It forgives stupid plot decisions, because kids are stupid. It allows for rich melodrama, because kids are melodramatic. It gives Kengo being trapped on the moon equal emotional significance with him missing his friends, and sort of realizing that they are his friends and he does miss them, and none of it feels ridiculous or disproportionate. Show’s just real fun, because the cast is real fun, and you can stretch that to the moon and back if you want to.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze11b.png

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 12 - “DUTY AND NOBLE INTENTIONS”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze12a.png

Kengo! Jesus, what a handful this guy is.

We get to see a more serious side of Yuuki in this episode, to better convey how perilous things are for Kengo, but also to remind us that Kengo is kind of a terrible friend. He’s principled, but that makes him demanding and prickly. He’s concerned about the greater good, but in a way that disregards individuals and their feelings. He’s willing to die for his mission, but he isn’t prepared to share the burden. He’s kind of relentlessly rude, and prone to tantrums, and just a full-time project for Yuuki. It’s not that Kengo isn’t worth the hassle, but it’s also that it’s always a hassle with Kengo.

But Yuuki gets him, even if she normally indulges him. We’ve gotten 11 episodes of Yuuki gently steering Kengo to variable success, while placating his wounded ego and sweetly suggesting some new outlooks to him, but this time she needs to have a talk with Kengo. Kengo’s trapped on the moon – which is, you know, still a pretty big deal! – but he’s lashing out at the people closest to him, whether he wants to admit it or not. He’s missing how they’re not only working to rescue him, they’re working to honor him by continuing to fight the Zodiart that’s menacing the school.

And that, honestly, is the only reliable way to connect with Kengo. It’s just like the first Kengo story with him and Gentarou about using Fourze, but now widened to include the entire KRC: You don’t reach Kengo by telling him you care about him, you reach Kengo by showing him that you care about his mission. The team putting the defeat of Makise over the safety of Kengo (because Kengo wasn’t in any immediate danger, despite being moon-exiled) lets Kengo know that there are people who share his dedication, and that’s worth letting them in.

It’s a phenomenal episode, for how it makes Kengo his most intemperate so that Yuuki can be her most forthright, and in turn let Kengo be chastened enough to accept that he’s not alone. It’s very sweet, how this story took the time to make Kengo that last official member of the Kamen Rider Club.

Also! An incredibly fun episode of superhero teen dramedy!

I don’t… like, I don’t ever want to lose sight of how ridiculous and fun this show is, even when it’s doing a very sweet and melancholy story of a boy who’s afraid to die alone. Even when we’re getting Kengo screaming at the rhyming injustice of being trapped on the moon to die, just like his father, we still have a plot where some incel piece of crap is going to telekinetically drive a bus full of high school girls off of a bridge, and the only way to stop this cosmic monstrosity is to be electric and also briefly invisible??? (Also, I love that the way the director decided to show the girls being telekinetically manipulated was to fill them walking backwards and then run it in reverse, so they're walking forward in a herky-jerky way. Super clever!) Like, this is all still a bunch of high school kids trying their best to affect a moon rescue, and it’s simultaneously earnest and hapless, which is the perfect balance for this show of weirdos saving the day. For example: I get that Yuuki’s going through a lot, and she’s willing to try anything to rescue Kengo – up to and including begging the Chairman of the school to mount an international moon mission – but shouldn’t the astronaut-in-training have been the one to tell Gentarou that Fourze can’t just fly all the way to the moon? Seems like her area of expertise!

But I’ll forgive the show that minor oversight, since everything else in it was so perfect. Kengo’s story is treated with the appropriate gravity (well, more than, considering his lunar imprisonment) while the previous episode’s all-hands youthful energy continues to carry the rest of the narrative. A two-parter befitting our newly-official Kamen Rider Club!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../fourze12b.png

I have to wonder why they gave Power Dizer a launchpad function if it can’t even help Massigler escape Earth’s orbit.

Anyway, beyond Makise and his surprise return at two separate points later on in and out of series(you’d think people would want to avoid him after this), this two-parter is one that vaguely stuck around in my memory, but didn’t leave much of an impression.

I mean, it definitely helped get Fourze and a Zodiart into low-Earth orbit before, where the cosmic energy of a detonating enemy didn't evaporate the city, so I think the launch function has displayed its utility? Plus, even setting aside the obviously hand-wave-y science of tokusatsu, I don't think the Power Dizer's anywhere near big enough to launch Fourze to the moon, without potentially.... vaporizing the city.

Free convenient access to the moon and vista of Earth is a unique selling point as well! I think Rabbit Hatch is especially fun compared to the base of the show's second SHT partner, Gobusters, which is a dull grey place that looks like it was designed by Kengo. I'd say Rabbit Hatch is one of my favorites for sure, up there with Hikari Studio and nascita (coffee must improve after the first quarter, right?).

I appreciate how that "be yourself" message isn't delivered in a trite way either, it's just Gentarou and the others opening up about their flaws to show Tomoko they're not overly creeped out by her and they (except Kengo but he'll come around soon) want to be her friend. They don't try and force her to take a linear path, but rather encourage her to decide who she is. The scene where Tomoko captures Altar's staff and gives the speech about the duality of the moon being cold and warm is a peak moment!

Well, they do have to use an airlock hatch to get in and out of the moon's low atmosphere.

I like that scene as well, although, it's not like Tomoko uses makeup as something to hide behind, as she is a goth after all. In general, wearing makeup is a common thing like wearing clothes, so I guess Tomoko is more afraid that being seen without it would make others perceive her as someone other than herself, that they wouldn't see her, hence the moral about looking beyond appearances to see the real self.

This is called saving the best for last.

I figured you would use this screencap. :lol

Miu shows once more why she's president as well, as she stopped Yuki from organizing a moon landing that would surely have compromized the secret base and mission Kengo cares about so much. And it's thanks to Tomoko's ward, which Kengo probably dismissed as frivolous, that they were able to find the real locker and ultimately rescue Kengo. It's great how all the acquaintances Kengo has been complaining about were essential to solving his problem, resulting in a fitting conclusion for the first quarter with him finally accepting them as friends and doing the handshake to officialize his recruitment to KRC!

The inevitable misfortune of Gentarou's boast to befriend everybody at school. Makise should learn that girls won't respect him until he respects them, but self-improvement is difficult for narcissists like him.

The most Kengo way possible for this story to end was Kengo declaring the KRC an official club, while six other people are all like Bro We Have Been For Three Months Now, but letting him have it because it's Kengo, and this was a small step for the Club, but a giant leap for the grumpiest sick boy at Amanogawa High.