[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 38

This time on Kamen Rider Blade: Undad's plan for Kenzaki is revealed! Tachibana feels the familiar, possibly-comforting sting of betrayal! And Mutsuki... is in this one, too!



Boy, thought this was going to be a regular write-up. Thought the quick hit thing was just a one-off. Then, immediately, there were a bunch of little things I wanted to call out, so here we are. (I am writing this concurrent with watching the episode, if that helps to put this style of post in a context for you. Usually I'll watch a full episode and then write it up.)

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It's funny to me that, in the V2 opening, when every Rider is screaming at the camera, Mutsuki is the only one who isn't. Mutsuki, the Rider who is possessed by a spider monster from eternity. It's so specific that it has to be on purpose. I like to think it signifies how much Mutsuki accepts his role, while everyone else feels frustrated or conflicted about theirs. I mean, maybe not Kenzaki. He's definitely got some inner rage, he's a bit of a hot-head, but he's more mad at injustice. Hajime and Tachibana, uh... probably mad at things about themselves!

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It's such a small touch, but I love how Kenzaki smiles just before he passes out. He's so happy that Hajime is okay! Even though his ass just got knocked out! He risked everything to save his friend, and it worked, and he got to see it. That's very sweet, and he's a very sweet boy.

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It is crazy to me that this is maybe the first time someone's brought up to Undad's face that this is all his fault? It's great that, as soon as Kenzaki meets him, he's yelling at him for faking his death and unsealing the Undead. No shit! It's so very Tachibana for him to be slightly surprised at this very sensible reaction from Kenzaki. I guess as someone who's constantly disappointing his friends and battling them For Their Own Good, it makes sense for Tachibana to just assume Undad has a good reason for being enormously sketchy and to have blood up to his elbows. I'd love to see the gears turning in Tachibana's head while Kenzaki blows up at Undad, him trying to figure out why letting loose a plague of monsters and emotionally devastating the people closest to you would, like, be upsetting to others.

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Also, god bless tokusatsu, because BOARD had an Unseal Undead machine?! Just shove a bunch of cards into an ultrasound machine (?) and 53 monsters pop out? With zero safeguards? Amazing. Sure. Okay.

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And, I don't mean to keep stopping this episode every other line to comment on it, but OF COURSE Tachibana's like Hey Sure He Unsealed Monsters From Eternity But Who Among Us Is Without Sin. !!!!!!!!! Tachibana! You absolutely can judge this dude for letting loose apocalyptic monsters because he missed his wife! I know that you lack any sense of perspective, but have some goddamn perspective my dude.

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So, our central dilemma. With the power Kenzaki has to defeat the Undead, he risks becoming another Joker. DOUBLEJOKER, indeed. I don't feel like it's that big of a deal? Like, Kenzaki, as a character, is almost defined by his lack of interest in the powers of a Rider. He's too salt-of-the-earth to take any comfort in amassing power, and most of the time it's been completely by accident. He just gave away his Rouse Absorber to Mutsuki because saving Hajime was way more important than having cool powers. So, having the existential danger be If Kenzaki Keeps Using His Powers Etc Etc, it's just not that keyed into Kenzaki's character to me? It's like telling someone who's going to McDonalds that they have to go to Burger King instead. Doesn't seem like it's going to tear them up inside, you know? I mean, I'm sure there's going to be threats that force Kenzaki to need King Form's abilities, that's how these shows go, but right now it doesn't seem like a loss that's going to have him stressing out.

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It must be so easy to be Undad. You can be the sketchiest, least-trustworthy dude in existence, and you can still easily trick dopes like Tachibana and Mutsuki. (Also, does Tachibana think you analyze blood by watching it slowly spin? Like, does he think if he stares hard enough he'll see a platelet or a DNA strand or something? I'm beginning to see why Karasuma moved him from research to field agent!) Like, just tell Tachibana that only he can prevent whatever, and he'll betray his friends with zero follow-up. Tell Mutsuki that something will make him stronger, and he'll do whatever you say. These guys have one button, and it is lit up like a Christmas tree.

I'm not saying that Undad needs to be better at covering up his manipulative nature, but... no, that's exactly what I'm saying. There have been precisely no moments of his time on the show where I've thought he was a good guy. Every single scene has been his same banal villainy and obvious cruelty. I get that Tachibana's always going to make the wrong decision and Mutsuki's a dumb kid, but for god's sake does the show have to make it this obvious that they're getting played? It is not tense or dramatic! They both look like idiots, and they deserve to be made fools of! I really don't like Undad as a storytelling tool!

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I don't... I wish the show put more effort into explaining why Kenzaki would take up King Form after just being told of the horrific consequences. I get that it needs to happen plot-wise, but it feels very poorly justified. He's doing it because he's being threatened by Mutsuki? That's enough for him to risk becoming a second world-destroying monster? I just don't see that as a decision Kenzaki would make, not after 37 episodes of this show. This is someone who'd sacrifice anything to save anyone. I don't think for a second he'd put the world in danger to save his own life. Plus, like... Jack Form! It's got wings! You could fly away faster than Leangle can float! Using King Form, now, it just feels like a totally out-of-character choice. I don't buy it, and it makes the final part of this episode ring pretty hollow to me.

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There's some big-picture stuff I like, though. I like having this episode end with Hajime trying to save Kenzaki from becoming a rampaging monster, a nice inversion of the previous storyline. And, come on, Wild Chalice knocking out Leangle, the strongest Rider, with one punch?! A+.

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Okay, that final bit with Chalice talking Blade down... I do like it. I like the idea of losing yourself to the Joker's power being a thing you can overcome, not an inevitable consequence. I like that the idea generated from Hajime realizing he could reach Kenzaki because Kenzaki was able to reach him. I like that it all came about because of Kenzaki's empathy. I like that afterwards Kenzaki realizes that King Form can be harnessed for good. I still 100% do not like Kenzaki voluntarily using King Form to fight Leangle, but it ended in a good enough place for me to sort-of forgive it. Sloppy setup, good resolution.

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Finally... ugh. It was never Undad, it was U.N.D.A.D. He's a robot that thinks he's Undad, which maybe makes his whole character even more pointless to me? It's a dumb twist. It's a character that already didn't really make sense being revealed to be impossibly convoluted. At least if he was a crazy man, there'd be something to talk about. Instead he was programmed to think he was a deceased crazy man? Why? What possible reason would you need to do any of this? I'm not sure if I want an explanation, or if an explanation is just going to make me madder.

And, cherry on top of an idiotic sundae, they close it with Hirose going about her day while U.N.D.A.D. feels very strong emotions for his not-daughter, the same not-daughter he's been strenuously avoiding for... months? Years? And now it's all Cat's In The Cradle, and I as a viewer am supposed to be heartbroken? Who in the hell was hoping that Hirose would ever be within one city block of this lunatic?! What connection do they expect the audience to have with the least-charismatic, most-frustrating character on the show?! Baffling. Almost captivating in how colossally misguided it is. Did Tachibana plot this storyline out?



Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: oh no it's way way more u.n.d.a.d.