[Kamen Rider Die]

MASKED RIDER AGITO SPECIAL: A NEW TRANSFORMATION



As movie advertisements go, this one was pretty painless!

Getting the G3-X/G3-Mild/G??? stuff out of the way, it's an okay plotline. I like that the basis behind it is that the cops are hilariously/troublingly bad at anticipating or preventing Unknown attacks, nearly nine months into the Unknown rampage. It's good to bring up. Like, "hopefully stall a murderous creature long enough for a superhero to finish it off", this is... is this a status quo that anyone should feel good about? Beyond proving that the Unknown target blood relatives, and that mutant powers might be what they're targeting, the police have zero leads on how to stop the Unknown for good. Having a story built around mass-producing G3 tech to create, uh, more speed bumps (?) for the Unknown, I can see where they're coming from. I don't know that a bunch of weaker G3's, just after you had to drastically upgrade to G3-X, that doesn't feel like a logical progression to me, though. It's a thread without a lot of tension, but it's forgivable in that it gives a small, pathetic spotlight to Omuro, The Other One. Just outright telling him (and bragging to Houjou!) that he's the perfect G3-Mild because he's so relentlessly plain and average, god bless this special. There's heroism to this story, though, and a chance for Omuro to show his quality. It's literally just patting Hikawa on the back (by installing a fresh battery), but it's a nice enough moment. Omuro doesn't get too punked out, which is maybe the best he could hope for in his own spotlight episode.

Well, it's maybe Omuro's spotlight, but it's still Shouichi's story. (Gills, in a very Gills way, doesn't show up until halfway through the story, gets one amazing scene of knocking Houjou on his ass, then is basically irrelevant for the remainder of the story.) We're introduced to Shouichi's post-amnesia psychologist, Kunieda, and he allows the story to get some insight into Agito's new Burning Form. (R.I.P. "S.I.C. Agito") Agito's Burning Form, with a little more room to explore it, is a neat idea. Even the suit works a little better for me here, with a larger weight to it than BADASS. I like the idea of all of the rage and anger Shouichi won't let himself express bursting out as this new Agito form, the Hulk to his normal Bruce Banner demeanor. It's not more powerful, it's power untethered from control. Accidentally lashing out at Kunieda after a monster fight, Shouichi runs away (AGAIN) in fear of Agito hurting anyone else. He's unable to see Agito as a force for good, necessitating a deeper analysis of how Shouichi feels about power and his emotions.

It's a storyline that I don't think there's a lot of in Kamen Rider that I've seen, an exploration of what these form changes mean to the Rider. We'll see Riders grapple with a lack of power, or the negative physical effects of henshins, but the idea of being afraid of what these powers can do, of this version of themselves that loses their humanity, I think it's really fertile ground, narratively. This special doesn't do a ton with it, largely using Shouichi's trepidation to talk about the need to control your feelings rather than ignore them, but I'm glad they addressed it at all. I'm also glad they used the storyline to make Buring Form into more of a chrysalis for the gorgeous Shining Form.

I usually forget to talk about new suits, but since the second-most important reason for this special is a new form (PROJECT G-4, NOW IN THEATERS), let me sing the praises of our shiny new savior. It's so pretty, you guys. I love the silver in the design, the way the engraving on the torso provides some texture without being overpowering, the use of red as an accent color on the shoulders and helmet, it's all so goddamn pretty. It's a pretty suit! And, yeah, I like that it's something Shouichi earns by harnessing his emotions instead of hiding from them or ignoring them. I like how it's a more powerful Agito thanks to a more centered and emotionally honest Shouichi. I like that Shining Form was a reward for his journey, not the goal. It's a good story that resulted in a great suit.