[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 19




This episode... I mean, pretty fun (that sports rivalry montage!), but not one that really added up to a lot for me. The Kamishiro stuff is pretty reliably bonkers, with a Prissy Bruce Wayne take on a reflection of Tendou, but the Phantom Shadow Thief stuff just feels totally outside the main plot so far, and frankly just really weird for this show?

The Phantom Shadow Thief plot is, obviously, about exposing some Worm or something. It's basically the only place these three ZECT characters could take this setup. (It could be them trying to discover some ZECT secrets, but I just don't see that being a thing for them yet.) But it's so separate from what Tendou and Kamishiro are up to, that I'd maybe rather it just be its own plot.

Because it 100% could be. Misaki is a fantastic character, and we really don't know anything about her. Having a slow build of the PST story, where we delve a little more into her character, get to see her beyond the context of the ZECT Van, I think that would be really welcome. But this thing does the barest amount of setup, and then starts rushing through its developments. As it is, we're given a clue that Misaki might be the PST, and then immediately have it confirmed that she's the PST. The scenes of the PST doing crimes are great, this show knows its way around an action sequence by now, but... I don't know, it's like there's both too much PST plot for a Tendou story, and too much Tendou plot for a PST story. With neither plot coming together yet, it makes for a slightly overstuffed episode.

It doesn't help that the Tendou plot has to accommodate the massive ego of Kamishiro, which, again, really could've/should've been an episode of its own. Like Yaguruma, he's a pretty straightforward variation on Tendou. Kamishiro has the same bottomless ego and unshakeable sense of impending greatness as Tendou, but turned up to Inoue. Tendou does everything for his own sake, while Kamishiro feels the burden of lineage. Tendou has Juka, while Kamishiro mourns Mika. Kamishiro's as skilled as Tendou in every way (so far), but he's got a more imperious sense of his supremacy. Tendou views the rest of the world as his beloved subjects, the people he'll protect because they're helpless without him; while Kamishiro views the rest of the world as commoners, whose insignificant lives are nothing without his grace and light. Like, where Tendou is frequently rude or condescending, Kamishiro is dismissive and unmoved. Tendou wants others to succeed because greatness has inherent value, while Kamishiro views greatness as a finite resource, and thinks he's cornered the market.

It ends up being a generally charming series of conflicts between the two, even if, like Hiyori, I got bored with it pretty quick. Like, it's just the one joke, that these two are equally great? It never gets weird enough to sustain the gag, something I can't believe I'm criticizing an Inoue story for. It's cute, but it wears out its welcome real fast.

Which, honestly, is how I felt about this whole episode? It seriously tries to do too much (the PST plot with ZECT and the Kamishiro intro with Tendou), so everything feels either rushed or thin. There are scenes that end up dragging, and there are plots that just burn through themselves. Worse, it never really coheres as an episode? It's entertaining enough, but it doesn't feel like anyone figured out how or why both of these plots should be in one story.

Yeah, I don't know, I thought this one was okay! Kamishiro has some interesting looks at Tendou's basic archetype, but doesn't bring enough to the (very long dining) table to really get my interest. The PST plot is a fun diversion, but doesn't get nearly enough attention to feel as exciting and mysterious as it probably should've. Not the worst Kabuto story, but definitely one with some flaws at a conceptual level.

A QUESTION

But, obviously, the one flawless part was Juka, who is never anything less than a delight. She's typically thrilled with the massive breakfast Tendou has made for her, even if she's too rushed to finish it. How do you feel about breakfast? Is it totally skippable, or the most important meal of your day?