[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 18

This episode is one of those rare things from Kabuto that left a lasting emotional impact on me. Mind you, all those memories were still shattered to fragments over the years – I can't believe I ever forgot about the beautiful visual of a Clocked Up Drake putting his hand under Gon's tears of joy at being reunited with her mother, for one – but the broad strokes of it left a visceral enough impression that, when I say I have a fondness for Daisuke and Gon, it's because I'm always thinking of this specific story.

I would like to mention some of those fragments, though. The three-way showdown at that wharf or whatever with Kabuto, Drake, and eventually TheBee towards the start is a fight scene I've always vaguely remembered in particular for some reason, even though I had forgotten which episode it was attached to. Which goes to show just how scattered all these thoughts become with time, because I apparently couldn't put two and two together even knowing it was a fight where Daisuke was trying to kill Tendou. As though anything but Gon would push Daisuke that much. Beyond the part the story plays, though, it's just a super neat fight sequence in a cool location, that also makes good use of said location. It's a bit of a twist on Inoue's usual routine of dumping the main hero in a body of water, where Drake is actually smart enough to go after Kabuto, leading to Tendou having to fake his death with some clever application of his powers. It's a great scene, and you can tell by how that money shot moment of Drake diving into the water gets a dramatic repeat from a different angle how much they clearly knew it was awesome. (Major props to Drake's suit actor Yoshifumi Oshikawa for holding that pose perfectly the entire time he's falling; I'd show that twice too!)

But of course, the action, great as it is, is pretty secondary compared to what really made me love the episode.

Daisuke, he's a pretty okay guy at the end of the day, isn't he? I think that's what it came down to. There's a decency to him in this one that always struck me as a little unusual for a Kabuto character. It's not even about whether he's a good person, it's that he's a person who couldn't bring himself to be a bad one. That's a bit of subtle flavoring I like in a hero. Daisuke cares deeply about Gon, puts it all on the line for her, ultimately gives her that fairy tale ending, and then quietly accepts that he doesn't get to be a part of it. And unlike Kagami, Daisuke probably won't be going around bragging about how amazingly cool he is for doing all this. In a show full of huge egos, there's a purity to Daisuke's actions here that forever cemented him as a likable character in my eyes. In those final moments of the episode, he's a lonely hero riding a motorcycle wherever the wind takes him. In other words, Daisuke Kazama is a Kamen Rider.

Put like that, it's no wonder I'd feel a connection to him after this one. Fun fact: to this day, one of my biggest lasting connections to Kabuto is an almost reflexive inability to blank on a word or concept without hearing "sou sou, sore sore!" in my head when said blank gets filled in. And occasionally I just say it to myself for no reason when I like, happen to see something I strongly agree with. It's the silliest thing, but it's one of my favorite toku catchphrases out there in its own way.

The way this one digs into Daisuke's dynamic with Gon, only to tear it away in such a bittersweet manner, it's quality drama, no doubt about it. As established, I only vaguely remembered the specifics of how this plot played out, but while there's something to be said for how insanely well it held up on a rewatch, I think the fact that the broad emotional strokes of the story never left me kinda says it all about how first-rate an episode we're dealing with here. Kinda the opposite of Die saying it's the details that make it so special, now that I think about it, but I can't imagine any more appropriate praise for an episode all about the memories we happen to forget, and the ones that will always stick with us.