[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The introduction of Kanzaki sets a tone for this story, that basically throws the mystery cop show element to the sidelines in favor of doubling down on the emotions, showing us a teacher who's starting to feel uncertain of his place in a changing world.

I think this was the first Kuuga story I really loved. (Maybe my favorite? There's another introspective two-parter down the line that I remember feeling a little stronger about.) I never really felt dialed-in to the pace of Kuuga as a show, but, man, this story has such a clear arc to it. The idea of Godai being there for his mentor is so profoundly sweet, especially because he's not really there for the majority of Kanzaki's story. It's all about Godai as a person, the man he's become thanks to the lessons Kanzaki taught him, and that all being filtered through the relationships he's formed. It's somehow more genuine to me that Kanzaki's redeemed more by the idea of Godai, the ways people care for him and respect him, than Godai himself giving a gigantic speech. If people who've never met Kanzaki are, like, You Did A Good Job On That Kid, that feels more rewarding than anything Godai could say.

This was a good one!