KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 37 - "TRIANGLE: BEHEAD THE KING”

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I'm a sucker for romances. To almost the same degree I can't get on board with CGI monstrosities, I can't say no to a well-crafted romance.

And this is one! I know it's not for everyone. It's teen melodrama and love triangles and hidden identities and all of that. I know there're people who'd prefer Kamen Rider in general - and Inoue in particular - stay away from romance. But, god, not me. Not in general, and certainly not here.

A lot of it is just for how incremental the story is being moved forward, which is another way of saying that I like how deliberate the pace is. This is a romance that's so much more fleshed out and considered than I've ever seen Kamen Rider attempt. It's hitting important milestones in growing up, and it's doing it with both emotional honesty and tokusatsu metaphors.

Like, the Zanvat Sword. It's tied into Wataru's emotional development, which is pretty typical for a powerup, but it's specifically about his capacity for love. Emperor Form got unlocked when Mio was in danger. Flight Style got unlocked when Wataru was honest with himself about his feelings for Mio. Zanvat Sword is unlocked when Wataru is able to accept Mio's interest, and be honest with her about his own feelings. It's about Wataru continuing to open himself up to the world, which is a fairly standard Kamen Rider metaphor for growing up. But it's also explicitly about Wataru having the bravery to accept his feelings as valid, and allow himself to be vulnerable in a romantic relationship.

I mean, he gets beat up by a bunch of monsters, so that's him literally allowing himself to be vulnerable! It's an entire episode about Wataru figuring out how to feel worthy of Mio's love, and how that doesn't come without problems. Wataru needs to be okay with Taiga turning on him, and he has to be okay with what it means to protect the person you love. (I mean, usually it's just, like, holding someone's hair back when they puke or letting them borrow your coat when it's cold. In tokusatsu, it's a little more visceral!) It could maybe read as Wataru becoming a more selfish person, but I don't think it is. I think it's Wataru seeing love as something to be protected and nourished, even if it's his own. This show's a romance, and he's spotlighting the power of love. I am A-okay with this show giving me a story like this.

It helps that I just buy these three characters, Mio and Taiga and Wataru. There's a lot of specificity in their performances, little ways they get across their desires and conflicts.

Taiga, in particular... just a really fun take on a dude who is self-destructing as things don't go his way. It's interesting to watch him go from caring about Wataru's friendship, to punching him full in the mouth. Taiga's someone who sees something other than a love story between Mio and Wataru, and it's a neat new angle. Taiga sees in Wataru a man who is selfishly destroying another culture by interfering in Mio's life, and a man who is too weak to survive the attempt. Taiga sees in Mio a woman who is abdicating enormous power for short-sighted reasons, and a woman who is unclear on the consequences of her choices. Taiga sees himself as the one protecting both Mio and Wataru by standing in their way, and he resents both of them for making him do it.

Mio's finding some neat shades on the Damsel In Distress, even as she's getting knocked out at a rate that should've generated a hundred Emperor Forms. (It's mostly just so she can be conveniently unable to see different Henshins, but that doesn't feel like it'll be necessary after this episode!) More than anyone else in the love triangle, there are huge consequences for Mio's choices, and not just for her sake. She's aware that stepping down as Queen and loving Wataru means the old Odin Special and probably a few decades of cave-dwelling, but that's just her punishment. As far as she knows, Wataru'll likely be killed. Maybe by a vengeful Taiga, maybe just as collateral damage by the Fangires who want to take out a traitorous Queen. Leaving Taiga and the Fangires has immediate, deadly consequences for both Mio and Wataru, and you can see the weight of that on every close-up of her face. (It's a twist on the old Mari stuff she'd do, where the head drops and the eyes dart around a bit. There's a lot of internality to both characters, even if Mio's trepidation is more sympathetic.) It's Mio who'll eventually have to decide what path to choose, and I love how compelling the show has made that decision.

And Wataru! Goddamn! There's a new level of heroism from Wataru in this episode, and an amount of swagger I'd've never expected. He's empowered by his love for Mio, and that's so unique to me in Kamen Riders. So many shows are about a love for humanity, or a love for yourself. Having a massive emotional piece of the show be tied to Wataru's romantic feelings for someone... really refreshing! I adore the other types of Kamen Rider theming (Faiz's messages of self-acceptance, Ex-Aid's messages of teamwork, Ghost's messages of self-improvement via connection), but I respect Kiva's attempt to talk about things like first loves, and navigating both your feelings for others and their feelings for you.

Like, the fact that Wataru immediately dismisses Mio's feelings for him because he doesn't feel worthy of them! That tracks! I have been that guy! I have had women need to be incredibly direct with me because I never assumed we were flirting! That is a true-to-life thing, not some clumsy extension of a dramatic arc! It's an episode that's as much about Wataru acknowledging that he deserves to be loved, as it is about Wataru acknowledging his love for Mio. And to prove that love by taming a sword that may actually hate love, to turn it into a weapon to protect love? Hell yes, Kamen Rider Kiva.

(I don't 100% know what the deal is with the Kanvat Sword yet, but I like this read on it. King '86 being a dude who hates love is such an on-the-nose potential Final Boss for a show about the power of love that I'm thrilled. I dig how blatant it's being about what themes it's trying to explore.)

All this, and an absolutely insane scene of an unhinged Nago covering the IXA Knuckle in thumbtacks to humiliate Kengo? A prank that ends with Kengo socking him in the jaw again? I am loving Kiva right now, and I am willing to admit it. Wataru would be proud!

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Ah yes, the episode where we learn why Wataru’s budding career as a chef never took off (turns out people aren’t keen on liquified crayfish).

That aside, can I say how much I love the Zanbat sword. Maybe it’s the Wake Up standby music, maybe it’s the ascending/descending blade (which I’m also finding as a reason to love in Xross Saber), maybe it’s the simple but elegant nature of its design, but I think it might be my favourite final form weapon.

And a final twist: Kiva, Saga and the Pearshell Fangire all come out as Wataru, Taiga and Mio. That’s going to make things interesting, I assure you.

I have to throw out my love for the Zanbat sword here too, it's... beyond cool, man! The way he slides the Zanbat up the blade to power up has such a feeling of power to it, the thing in general just looks cool... and one of my favourite parts is that narratively, it fulfils the purpose a new form usually would! I can't think of many other instances in Kamen Rider where that's the case; where a new weapon gets to carry this kind of importance to it without a new form attached to it? All that comes to mind is Necrom's gangun catcher, and maybe Kabuto's hyper sword and something you'll be seeing later in 01... but god, this is just so sick. I love it

My Yuri's outfit of choice is the goth-like one, that she wears when first appearing on ep. 1. I know Yuri takes her anger on monsters here which is benefical, but I don't want for "hiding one's emotions except anger" to be glorified due to it making them "cooler" or "tougher" (you did praise the Aso family's rejection to IXA in ep. 20, but you start with a reminder of 'the crying isn't being a weak woman, unable to fight', implying that the norm means crying is those 2 which is misconception). Those who resort into unhealthy coping mechanisms (ex: shifting the blame to others, projecting their issues to others, escapism) to cope with problems shouldn't be ignored and have people pretend as if it’s perfectly okay, while display of emotions (except anger) gets hate. Audiences shouldn't put display of emotions below behaviors like shifting the blame to someone else, lashing out in anger, “tuning out”, etc. Those 'hardcore' behaviors can be as severe as emotions, or even be more unhelpful and unproductive. I guess you had a take that didn't resonate with you well for Kengo's portrayal in ep. 36 so...

I thought Nago had developed before, likely started after going to 1986 and knowing that Wataru is Kiva, but here his old self-righteous traits resurface again. His moral code also comes from the sense of self-regard though? He does his moral code by treating himself as God enforcer, sees himself as the rightful sinner punisher, forcing his father to commit suicide for his 'sin', to believe that all Fangires deserve to be slain including those who are peaceful, with his catchphrase insisting the Fangire to return their life to God. Even his Rider form IXA sports a heavy Paladin/Holy Knight motif. Comedic parts aside here... Nago should realize that he's another human and thus, he's obviously another sinner too, including his methods to fight crimes.

For the take regarding monumental creep part, so you do have limits about creating conflicts like if it's done for conflict's sake here (anything comedic gets free pass? due to character changes like this can happen to create comedic scenes). Though I have seen you pretend this kind of scene never happened before, like for example, Hibiki's Kenji Matsuda (so Zanki not Jiro) when he was written by Yonemura. Here Kengo is horrifying due to his treatment to a woman, but what will it take for Kengo to earn that reputation for his treatment to other men? Though even Kengo's previous approach before when he was Wataru's friend, he still rubbed Mio in the wrong way, due to him basically saying he focuses more on himself then Mio, painting him as selfish in her eyes. I get your other view less because I didn't think that Kengo had any thoughts for romance drama before, other than acting like Megumi to push Wataru with Mio, and would likely open a room to handwave someone's terrible actions.

Mio didn't only make moves here, she did before which I talked about (and not get replied), regarding her wanting to give up her Queen role by talking to Maya. I didn't really get the outcome about if Mio is still a Queen or not, though I can only say that people like Rook had shown superhuman physical prowess in his human form, but why did Mio get KOed easily in this episode against the Fangire of the week like a normal human?! (which is why I wonder if Mio's still jad Queen powers or not here), but yeah, 2 of 2 of Mio's dilemma has been addressed here, before by asking to give up her Queen role (where she doesn't feel sure committing to the role), and here, by confessing to Taiga (her arranged marriage).

For Taiga taking it better, well, I did say about before how Taiga's an anti-villain, but still, it's a stretch to call him 'good guy by comparison' (even with comparison note), he'll be still an aggrieved dipstick, but not by what he does to Mio, but by what he potentially can do to others to keep Mio's love, like how in Faiz (the TV series one, not the other media), Kusaka mostly did bad things to people like Takumi or Yuji for his love to Mari. There's also previously Jirou who was in love with Yuri, and though he acted like abusive boyfriend to Yuri, his bad thing is nearly killing Otoya due to him being in his way for Yuri's love, the suitor doesn't need to necessarily doing bad thing to the girl itself, the others around them will apply too. Taiga places Fangire's well beings above everything else, and this would be enough to drop Taiga's mask due to his friendship with Wataru compromising his aim to take care of Fangires.

Well, it's said that Taiga is the son of Maya and 1986 King, and Wataru brings up the button to Nago which he remembered it being the thing that he gave to Maya. It's an indicator of something between Taiga and Wataru... Besides, it's true that the 1986 King is like Wataru, and it's not just done via their look alone. For the Zanvat Sword (I never see it refered as Kanvat), I already knew of it being Kiva Emperor's personal weapon, but didn't expect for it to be completely separate from the Rider.

I totally agree with you here! Emperor Form already looked awesome on its own, but Zanvat Sword just completes it, you know? It has such a simple sliding mechanic, but seeing the blade glow sanguine red like Kiva's some kind of Vampire Uchuu Keiji with a Lazer Blade is so satisfying. Even better is how it debuts to a longer version of Supernova! It also has the symbolism of Wataru taking control and channeling his overflowing emotions in to something he can wield. I love it when a weapon gets to feel like it's as important as a new form. It's easily my second favorite Final Form weapon after Perfect Zecter, overall. In terms of building suspense though, Zanvat Sword definitely has a lot more excitement behind it.

I think that paragraph is actually longer than the one I wrote about Emperor Form, so Zanvat Sword must be pretty awesome!

I think most of Yuri's outfits suit her, but my personal favorite is the one she usually wears while working at Mal d'Amour. It has the right balance between fashionable, casual and friendly.

As someone who wasn't into the romance plot in the previous episode, I actually still enjoyed this one a lot. A big part of that is that it's a big jolt of momentum, ending with a whole bunch of cards laid out on the table that are going to really change the direction the story is going in. Still a little disappointed that the rest of the '08 cast is relegated to short comic relief scenes, though (not sure why Nago is bothering to sabotage the IXA Knuckle when IXA isn't even appearing on the show right now).

And, of course, we get the full debut of the Zanvat Sword. Let me say this to start: I like the Zanvat Sword. It's a cool design, especially with the crazy bat cross guard. As someone who really hates it when Rider weapons just look like big roleplay toys, I also appreciate how hefty and metallic it looks, too. That being said, I would love to have been in the room when Bandai was brainstorming how it would work. Somebody had to have realized it, right? There's a reason why this weapon had a very specific nickname among the fanbase, after all. #FapSword

But they loved the taste before they knew the ingredients! In an episode all about honesty, Wataru learns there can be such a thing as too much honesty.

I talked a little bit about how much I enjoyed the thematic relevance of the Zanvat Sword (this goddamn franchise and its many translation choices: ZanVat or ZanBat? My subs say Zanvat, but I'm seeing people use Zanbat. Help a Cubist monstrosity out, y'all), and how much time the episode devoted to its arrival, but there're a couple other more simple pleasures that I liked.

The first is how interactive the sword is. I love when Kamen Rider weapons get toyetic and tactile (I love how Drive reloads his gun by opening and closing the door), so a sword that needs to constantly be manipulated hits me right in the sweet spot. It makes it more than just a powerful device, it makes it integral to the fights scenes, and I'm a fan of that.

I also like how it starts off as a dangerous upgrade, and those are my faves. A power source that the Rider has to tame in some way, or has to abandon because power means less if it hurts you, I love those. Having the Zanvat Sword overpower Wataru and require the help of his Three Weird Uncles (I also love how much the show has built out Wataru's ridiculous family in the second half) in order to make it a viable weapon in the war against the Fangires? Yeah! Love it!

Oh, man, he definitely definitely won't! That sort of self-awareness and humility is antithetical to Nago's character! When he thinks God is punishing him, his instinct was to think that God had screwed up! Nago is not a guy who is able to take responsibility for his life falling apart! That is some Day 1 stuff from Nago!

Look, we don't have to make it dirty. The Zanvat Sword is simply the manifestation of Wataru's love for Mio, and he moves the cross guard up and down its length until it becomes inflamed with his passion, leading to -- uh. Hmm. Definitely curious how intentional this weapon's design was! Any other Kamen Rider, I can maybe see it being accidental (pretty big accident, though), but an Inoue show? That's all about romantic love and steamy erotic metaphors in its second half? Not sure it's an accident!

Starting things off mellow with Wavering Heart, another one of those contemplative melancholic tracks from this show I love so much, which certainly has a fitting title for a conversation where Wataru finally works up the courage to tell Taiga he's not giving up on Mio only to end up getting backhanded for the trouble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAm2RRLsP0M

...And since I decided double features are just going to be a fairly regular thing from here out because I like the second OST that much, here's Zanvat Sword, which is... er, not at all in the episode featuring the proper debut of the Zanvat Sword! Supernova takes priority, as it turns out. Even though the show gets a ton of use out of this one anywhere but here, it does do a whole thing where it starts off sounding a bit ominous and worrying at first before blossoming into a proper heroic battle theme, which fits the sword's role in the story perfectly, so I'm putting it here anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvxCnxGclB4

Moving on to the episode...

...Gosh that suit is so pretty~ Uh, anyway, yeah, I'll join in on the crowd proclaiming the Zanvat Sword to be very awesome. It's got a really straightforward but cool and elegant design (even with the bat on it, it mostly just looks like an actual sword?), the blade is sparkly(!), and it even has a whole established backstory and thorough integration into the plot, which is more than you can say for a lot of Kiva trinkets! It also completes Kiva's evolution into being just another Kamen Rider in terms of how he fights, if you wanna get negative, but looking at Kiva as its own thing, being a sword-wielding hero in golden armor is something Wataru has really worked his way up to, you know?

And for the record, they got the broad idea for the sliding bat from the motion of pulling a bow on a violin, and nothing else! The original concept was even apparently to do an Iaijutsu thing where there would've been a scabbard, but they ended up dropping that so that all that was left was the basic concept of Kiva sharpening a sword as he cuts down his foes with it. While I still miss the elaborate stock footage from the show's early days, I have to admit the Zanvat Sword's awesome sound design is another thing that makes it clear the show hadn't totally lost that touch.

It's really the exact same thing either way, as b/v represent the same sound in Japanese, just like l/r do. The name of the sword is derived from the kanji for slicing (斬), which is your "Zan", plus "Bat" and "Sword", which I don't think I need to explain. I believe what's going on with the inconsistency is that, as discussed way back, Kiva's name is written the way it is, and we've also already got Kivat, so... it's the same way Toucon Damashii from Ghost is written that way because of Eyecons, even though it's just a Japanese word.

What I'm more confused by is where we got "Behead the King" from for the title on this one? Everywhere I look has it translated like that, even though the title is kingu GA kiru, and not wo? He's the one doing the slicing! It's about his sword! (Wait, I was supposed to be retired from this kind of thing, wasn't I...?)

On the subject of that King though, the reason he gives for chucking the Zanvat Sword in that wall is one heck of a powerful mission statement as to what his role in the series is. It's the kind of thing that's hard to imagine coming from a writer besides Inoue, because it's deeply thematically relevant while also being utterly insane in a way that's so distinctly him.

So, slightly funny story about that particular screencap.

I usually grab a whole bunch of screencaps during an episode, and then I'll sort through them to see if anything really connects with what I think the tone is going to be for the post. With this episode, there was an early chance it was going to be Megumi enjoying a coffee break and Nago bursting into Mal d'Amour to demand thumbtacks, but eventually I realized that it had to be something with the Zanvat Sword. So I had the first one, the one with Wataru dragging the sword, and I liked that one a lot. Then there's this shot of Emperor Form resting the sword on his shoulder as he stares off to the right of the screen, and I'm like Perfect. And as I go to pause the video to grab the screen cap, Kiva turns his head to stare down the lens. It was like he was posing, just to make that screencap even more beautiful.

Ha ha, maybe! Maybe this just turns Kiva into another sword-wielding Rider. For me, I feel like this is the first time Emperor Form has really made sense to me. Seeing Kiva with the sword makes the armor work better, makes the cape work better, makes the gold work better. Emperor without the Zanvat Sword is a little like half of a design, a signal that Wataru had only done half of the work to ready himself for a relationship.

King '86 looks so much like "Halt and Catch Fire" actor Kerry Bishé to me that it's seriously distracting.

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