[Fish Sandwich]

So for today's fun coincidences, Ryuki and OOO both feature the hero finally moving into the designated cafe/restaurant/whatever of the series, while Den-O and OOO both feature stories about a dysfunctional couple. I'm pretty sure there's no deep meaning to any of that, but still, I might as well point it out.

Ryuki 7-8:

These episodes ruin the point of rewatching all of Kobayashi's Rider shows since they're written by good ol' Toshiki Inoue. However, this is where the secret, secondary purpose I have for doing this becomes clear. I really went off on Rider Time: Ryuki to a level I honestly feel a bit bad about in retrospect, basically saying everything relating to Ryuki Inoue touches is crap, but that ignores the huge gray area that I can't actually remember off the top of my head which episodes of the show itself he wrote. So obviously, if nothing else, they blend in pretty decently, right? I also thought he had a notably solid grasp on Blade's style and characters when I was going back through that show, so maybe that's actually the case here, too?

Eh, more or less. This is only two episodes by the guy, so as we see more I'll obviously update my opinion, but right now, I think everything I dislike about the way he writes Ryuki compared to Kobayashi is definitely there, but also inherently less irksome when it's in the context a few episodes of a much longer show compared to a big summer movie or a special where I feel like there's more expectations to be had. And to be fair, Inoue is far from the only person guilty of writing a subpar Rider movie and/or special.

Still, his idea of Ryuki, I feel, loses some of the layers. Particularly when it comes to, well, Ryuki. Shinji, whenever written by Inoue, seems to drop a few IQ points and also probably drinks way too much coffee. Note how in every single episode so far except the first, Shinji gets at least once awesome hero moment cool enough I've felt the need to comment on. Nothing like that happens here. We also don't see him ever calm down for a second and maybe show a smarter side of himself like he does in Kobayashi's episodes.

Here's the trick, though. He's just leaning into what makes Shinji different from his guys in Agito, or pretty much any Rider protagonist up to that point. Sure, Shouichi could be a goof out of the suit, but Agito was a skilled warrior driven by instinct who barely talked for most of the show. The way I see it, Inoue was trying to have fun with the show's concepts, and that's great. This is what I mean about context. It's easier for me to rationalize this arc as just being an off day for Shinji, because it's silly to think every single trait of a character needs to come up in every single episode, versus something like a movie where I feel you probably should try to put in all the elements you can. And, crucially, the episodes are fun. After the fake out with Scissors, Zolda is a Rider who's actually here to stay, and between Kitaoka and Gorou, there's a lot of stuff introduced here that'll make you sit back and ask "how was there even a show without these guys?".

The exposition here is also handled pretty creatively. Having Kitaoka brag about how good a lawyer he is to Shinji? Expected. Doing in while in the middle of a car chase? Awesome. I also always loved the scenes where they're basically going on a date. Following Kitaoka around on his high-class lifestyle really rubs in the kind of character he is perfectly, while also quickly building a dynamic between him and Shinji. It's like what I said about Ren's backstory. It's easy to take for granted, but I can't help but feel there's a version of this story in some alternate timeline where the script just called for Kitaoka to stand around in some boring hallway saying all the same dialogue, accomplishing the same goal but in a way less interesting style. And a lack of style is just not something you should be able to say about anything involving Kitaoka.

Den-O 7-8:

These episodes are rock solid. The nature of the guest character's dilemma allows the show to start digging into its themes of memory to a larger extent than it has up to this point, and all the characters are used to great effect. Ryoutarou getting hit in the face by five different kinds of balls within seconds of one another is probably the most hilarious gag in the series so far, and seeing him reduced to limping around for the entirety of the back half shows why I love the guy so much. He doesn't exactly have the kind of duality Shinji has, but despite genuinely being as meek as he looks (at first), the simple fact that the guy can even get out of bed in the morning goes to show that he's way more tough than he gets credit for.

It probably helps that he has such a great sister looking out for him. I love how absurdly calm and cheerful Airi is at all times. This arc also ends by hinting at some bigger things to come with her, which is probably the first real hint of a capital P Plot this show has actually dropped. A dude in a trench coat standing around is a little too lacking in context for me to feel comfortable counting (like, how do you even speculate on that by itself?), so I really think this is it.

OOO 7-8:

As usual, OOO is over here making those other shows look like chumps by comparison, flexing that razor sharp writing you can only get from a writer who's been around the block before... on those other shows, but still. While we're talking about protagonists, I really should stress how great Eiji is. Shinji has duality, and Ryoutarou's got depth, but Eiji has layers. The continued hinting at his backstory is great, his relationship with Ankh where he's essentially a dog on a leash pulling its owner around is great, his endearing optimism at all times is great, his surprisingly realistic worldview is great...

See, I'm doing it again. It's just one part of the show and I could go on about it forever. But I have to hold myself back, so I can find time to mention the further exploration of the central theme in the Victim of the Week plot, or finally mention Gotou already, or the creative use of all the different Medal abilities in the fight scenes. Or I could talk about how funny and awesome Chiyoko is.

There's just too dang much on offer here. Every episode of OOO comes packed with like three times the amount of Rider goodness as your average Rider show. It's nuts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurona

Fun fact: this actually isn't a coincidence. The first 5 enemy Imagin in Den-O are references to Ryuki riders; being of course Kobayashi's only other Rider work at the time.

Now that you say that, I think I have heard that before. Interesting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

Enjoy your brief glimpse at GataKiriBa.

Don't worry, the show helpfully had Kougami watching the last episode in his office just so they can get a little more mileage out of the footage. I made sure to savor it while I could.

It's fine though. I've always been more about LaToraTah anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurona

If it's any consolation, we'll all be here to commiserate with you on this when it's over.