[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 15



Hoo boy, is this the first part of a two-parter. I hope you like mysterious motivations and a bunch of twists, because that's what you're getting in this one. Almost impossible to talk about, because some very key things (whatever the deal is with the Worm, Tendou joining ZECT) are left for the next episode to explain and justify. What's here are some very funny gags, and a lot of Kagami. That's not bad, but it means that I can't exactly break this episode down as much as I'd like.

I really did like this episode, though, and mostly for its focus on Kagami. It's an episode that reframes the previous story as Kagami hitting a self-respect rock bottom, and asks how to best help someone who has lost all of their confidence.

Like, it treats the previous (incredibly stupid) ZECT plot as Kagami's breaking point; where the old, weak Kagami needs to figure out how to be strong enough to keep from being victimized again. It suggests that Kagami's ego is something worth protecting, that his confidence has value. He's been kicked around a lot, and his very life was just treated as a joke. He needs to find some way to prove he can cut it in the fast-paced world of monster detonation, and a solo Worm hunt might be just the way to do that.

Although, no, he's not doing it solo. It's a story that's as much about how we support our friends as it is about how we move on from failure, so we definitely need to spend some time on how the rest of the cast is assisting Kagami.

Tendou loudly and repeatedly proclaims that he will not be helping Kagami?€? so, of course, Tendou ends up shadowing Kagami the entire episode. I actually really like how subtle (for an Inoue value of Subtle) the episode is with Tendou's support. Misaki's all like Hey We All Need To Cheer Up Kagami and Tendou's like Cool So We're Just Coddling Him Like A Baby Got It. Public displays of friendship are currently not in Tendou's skillset, so it's not like he was really going to be much emotional support for Kagami. But it's more than that, I think. It's Tendou viewing Kagami's recent failure in the same light as Kagami's dad, and drawing the same conclusion: The only way Kagami gets stronger is by dealing with his failure directly, and trying harder in the future. Giving him an easy win by tagging along on his Worm hunt would just reinforce how much he feels like a pawn, a sidekick. Making him stand on his own two feet and go out and get a win by himself, that's how he starts to feel more confident. But, like, Tendou 100% cares about Kagami, and wants him to succeed, so he stays in the shadows (if you'll pardon the pun) to make sure Kagami gets his win.

Misaki, however, is coming at Kagami's crisis from the opposite angle.

She believes in Kagami, but also thinks he's biting off more than he can chew. He shouldn't have to go get a solo win, because that's not his job. His job is to work with a partner like Misaki, to be a part of a team that doesn't put themselves at risk unnecessarily. In a way, I think she takes Kagami's emotional crisis as a reflection on her, on her inability to protect him in the last story. She let him get put in danger, and she doesn't want it to happen again. He doesn't need to go out and save the world himself, he needs to trust in his team to protect him. He didn't let himself down, ZECT let him down.

(I super loved Misaki chewing out Tadokoro for him not being more livid about Kageyama using Kagami as bait. Tadokoro is clearly checked out in that scene, spending more time thinking about how his 401K is doing, and if he can put off getting that Check Engine light in his car looked at until his next paycheck, than he is his underling berating him for a lack of moral fiber. Just take it up with ZECT HR and stop giving him shit about some interoffice attempted murder, okay, god, thank you.)

So we've got this story about whether we should let our friends process their problems on their own, or try to get them to open up. Tendou is the friendship where we're left alone to get our shit together, and Misaki is the friendship where we're surrounded by people who want us to lean on them. It's a pretty interesting way of exploring Kagami as a character, the ways these two try to support him.

And then there's all of the very Inoue things in this episode: Juka's morning mukbang; Misaki's makeover in La Salle; the way Hiyori is only in it for a couple jokes; Kagami running off crying after Tendou insults him, like the world's most professionally-dressed four year-old; and the entire thing with two old men at the food cart. All great, and very fun. There's maybe some tonal whiplash (like, Kagami is wrecked, opening credits, Juka's morning mukbang), and that detracts a little bit from the stakes for Kagami's story, but it's such fun that I don't really mind it.

(Plus, I could maybe make a case for some of those things supporting Kagami's story if I really tried. Juka's morning mukbang is about how Tendou can offer guidance, but allow Juka to make her own decisions, similar to how he isn't trying to fix Kagami's life for him. Misaki's makeover is about how Tendou and Daisuke are both characters that she'd like to have help Kagami, but Tendou would rather Kagami move forward, and Daisuke is okay with him reverting to his old self. The old men at the food cart are about how difficult it is to protect people from themselves. Kagami running like a petulant child is about Inoue needing a big emotional moment to make a smaller story seem epic. There's no defense or explanation for minimizing Hiyori, though; that's just a top-shelf failure of imagination.)

It's an episode that'll probably feel a lot different after the next part, but I did like what was here. Fun, in a light way, while still feeling like it was saying something about Kagami and his friends. I even liked the scene with his dad (being driven by Goro, a chauffeur on every series he's in) and the monster suit (General Shadow reference?). Not a barn-burner, but a pretty solid episode of Kabuto.

A QUESTION

I'm not sure how probing or introspective I want these questions to get, but this episode got me thinking about friendship, and about emotional support. It's so tricky sometimes, to know the best way to help our friends out when they're having a tough time. I think both Tendou and Misaki are right about what someone might need to feel better, even if they both might not be right about what Kagami needs. So, and feel free to skip this if it's way too baring of the emotions, but how would you prefer your friends help you when you're feeling bad about yourself: by being there for you, or by leaving you alone? I'm definitely more the type to just need some time alone to reset, so maybe Tendou's distance would be what I'm looking for. I'm sure I'd regret experiencing his tough love, though!