[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 27



I cannot believe how much of a swing this was, enjoyment-wise, from yesterday's movie. Where that was a grueling slog through a story that seemed to want to punish me for caring about the Kabuto series, this was a gift. A gift that felt like it was for me and me alone; something secret that was constructed with love, held for fourteen years plus change, left for me to find when I needed it most. If a TV show ever wanted to confess its love to me, I can't think of a better way.

I mean, GON IS BACK, which alone had my heart expanding like the goddamn Grinch as all the Whos in Whoville sang out. I honestly never thought she'd be back? With Daisuke being such a Special Guest Star these days, I didn't dare dream that we'd get another Daisuke and Gon story. But here we are, and it's great. Gon's connection to Daisuke, rekindled through the Proustian attributes of strawberry milk, sets off a heartwarming tale of Gon needing Daisuke back in her life. Not because she's scared, or abandoned, or lonely. (She actually is doing pretty well with her mom, which is nice!) It's just because she wants Daisuke back in her life.

I really love the simplicity of that, the emphasis on it not being Gon in danger from ZECT or the Worms or whatever. It's actually Daisuke in danger, which is a pretty fun way to invert that story. He's been framed for murder, and Tendou's affection for Gon allows him to put aside his absolute loathing of Daisuke to pitch in on his defense. (Although, come on, he was never going to call the cops on Daisuke. One, he doesn't really care about human justice. Two, he would've beaten up Daisuke and then handed him over in person. Tendou's just screwing with him.)

It's a very fun story, and that's not even counting the Tsurugi Is Broke subplot, which is... again, it is a gift, just for me. It's perfect, top to bottom, not least because it also incorporates Gon, who is treated in such an A-List way that I'm assuming she was the original actor for Kamen Rider V3 and y'all just never told me. (If this is true, I will truck with Showa.) She is utilized as though every minute she's not onscreen is a waste, and I get that appraisal.

But, above and beyond the killer storytelling, this thing is gorgeous, from curtain to curtain. There are about a billion things from this episode I want to shout out as being gallery-worthy, so let's get started:





This sequence of Kageyama and the Worm Widow (I've honestly forgotten her name, sorry) really sets the stage for an energetically and innovatively designed episode. The entire scene of the Worm Widow talking to Kageyama, she never moves. She stands there, threatening him, slapping him around, and she does it all stationary. Even beyond how cool an idea that is (she doesn't even need to move to whip Kageyama's ass), the episode tops it with this awesome in-camera form change. The Worm Widow is in her Worm form when she's closing her pincer on Kageyama's arm. He shakes it off (as she releases him), and then the camera spins left to see the Worm in Widow form. It's a simple trick (the actor is in Widow costume and probably has the Worm claw lowered below the lens of the camera), but in the moment it's thrilling.

And then she ends the scene by continuing her walk along the ledge, forcing Kageyama to move out of her way.




I love this dumb gag. It's Kagami suggesting that the name "Kagami Arata” on the 35-year old Masked Rider Project files was a typo, and not some indication that he and his family are central to a global conspiracy. He's so pleased with his ridiculous theory, and he's smiling like he's solved the Murder on the Orient Express. Tendou tells him, basically, that he's too simple-minded to figure this one out. And Kagami turns, smiling, still not processing how Tendou just insulted him. SMASH CUT end of scene. It's a joke that exists a little in the camerawork (the same shot holds on the two of them from Kagami's glee to Tendou's insult to Kagami's "Huh?”) and a lot in the editing. Just that brief moment of Kagami retaining his pride, right before it's dashed when his brain (eventually) catches up, and that's the end of the scene... so funny.




You. Could. Hang. This. Shot. In. A. Gallery. Look at that framing! Look at how the focus is on Gon! Look at how the focus on Daisuke never resolves, because he is absent from Gon's life! This whole sequence is great, Gon waking up from months as Yuriko, combining the happiness of a normal girl with the adventurous mentor to Daisuke, needing to find him again. But these shots are... they are so considered, so able to take a one-person scene and fill it with enough details that you are 100% clear on what's going on with Gon. Plus, just, like, aesthetically... so beautiful! This shot!



So much of this sequence is about how Goro and the Worm Widow are the same. They're not the top dogs, but they are confident in their abilities and willing to do whatever's necessary to accomplish their goals. So we start their scene with this shot of the two of them on a rooftop, same black suits, same body language. This isn't the usual bullshit where ZECT is in a dark warehouse with, like, one chair. This is bright, this is exposed. There's no fear of discovery with these two. They do what they want.




Even these little reaction shots: the same height, focused on their eyes and words. It's casual. There's no subterfuge or posturing. All of that cityscape in the background, it's reemphasizing that this is their world. They aren't monsters at the edge of humanity or a militarized organization of nebulous authority: they are the structure of this world. The time for feints, for mystery, that's over. This meeting is a flex, for both sides.







Love love love the rack focus on this shot. It's such a ballsy trick, changing the focus depth until it looks like the Worm Widow is right behind Kageyama (who has clearly already forgotten his lesson in humility from earlier this episode), and then cutting to her hand on Kageyama's shoulder, literally right behind him. It's another one of those relatively simple shots that, edited together this well, makes the Worm Widow feel suitably monstrous. (Although, punking out Kageyama, it's not the toughest feat? Always appreciated, though.)

And then Goro ends the scene by forcing Kageyama to move out of his way, just like the Worm Widow did earlier. It's a scene that's all about how similar Goro and the Worm Widow are, from start to finish. (She even quotes Goro to her underlings in the next shot!)



Such a great shot to emphasize how isolated Daisuke is without Gon, how hollow things are by himself. It's beautiful, but no one's happy. I love it.



I can't do it justice in this screencap, but this shot of Jiiya collapsing from exhaustion and his feet shoot straight up in the air... it's cartoonish, and I mean that as a total compliment. The Tsurugi/Jiiya plot in this one is the most insane yet (more insane than when Tsurugi thought ramen was a French dish called La Men, so understand how bonkers this is going to get), and the show needs to calibrate our expectations early. Jiiya fainting like he's in a Looney Tunes short, yes, perfectly applied to this story.



Look at the intro this dude gets! He is in about two minutes of this episode! He exists to be a potential rival, and is murdered by the Worms to frame Daisuke! And they give him this over-the-top-even-for-Kabuto intro! It's funny, yes, absolutely, but it does serve an important purpose in the narrative. You give a guy this type of opening, I think he's a new Rider, or some recurring character. I do not think he's going to be murdered two scenes from now.








This fight! Having two make-up artists duel like they're samurai, it is fantastic. The camerawork on this one doesn't for a second treat this as anything less than a dramatic battle between two skilled warriors. It is so committed to the joke that it almost transcends being a joke. It's ludicrous until I'm like Oh Thank God Daisuke Won. I am totally in the bag for this dumb rivalry!



Oh, the look on Gon's face. It's this perfect mix of confusion and revulsion, all while Tsurugi is permanently locked-in on his I Am Killing This face. I can't believe how seamlessly Gon fits into Tsurugi's world, but maybe I shouldn't be? Her whole dynamic with Daisuke was being in charge of a man who is too weird to exist in the regular world, so her being "babysat” by Tsurugi is a decent warmup for when she reunites with Daisuke.




What can I even say about this joyous nonsense? Look at them. Look at Jiiya being soothed by Gon, Gon being "soothed” by Tsurugi, Tsurugi wearing his I Am Killing This face, and Tendou wondering if any of them will survive if he leaves. If they made a statue of this scene, I'd buy it.



And then it goes exactly where you'd expect, with Gon having to run everything. The idea of all of these bill collectors harassing a child for outstanding balances is maybe too ridiculous, even for this episode, but I’ve got to assume that the sort of vendors who are enabling Tsurugi's lifestyle by extending him credit are probably not easily shamed. You've got to be pretty goddamn weird to have an ongoing financial relationship with Jiiya and Tsurugi. (Or maybe normal business owners in Japan are good with payment in silverware?) We are probably talking about a fishmonger who won his business by outwitting a water spirit or something. These are not accredited businesses, most likely.



I just like this shot of all of the bills being dropped on a sleeping Jiiya? It's just really nice to look at.




Another great gag, where the camera holds on Tsurugi as the weight of his bankruptcy forces him to his knees. It's unbelievably dramatic, but: Tsurugi! Unbelievably dramatic is actually him toning it down from jaw-droppingly dramatic!



Everything in this premise is brilliant. Tsurugi needs a job, so he becomes a delivery man. He keeps Daisuke's change (oh, Daisuke, a fugitive from justice, orders food that Tsurugi delivers, not a bizarre development at all) because he needs to rebuild his fortune, as though that is something everyone in the world would want to happen. It's that standard Tsurugi thing, that nobility thing, where his success is something everyone in the world should feel grateful to assist. It's a nice inversion of Tendou's philosophy, where individual greatness improves the world. For Tsurugi, it's more like he's the world, and his greatness improves individuals. Anything that makes him more great, makes the world more great. So when Tsurugi realizes he'll need more money than he's keeping from Daisuke's change, he grabs Daisuke by the shoulders and demands more money. It... Tsurugi doesn't know how jobs work! How did he get hired? Who sat down with Tsurugi and said This Guy Should Be Representing My Business? Why was that interview scene not in this episode?!






Another gag that's all about keeping the camera still as the joke escalates. The cops are at the motel to arrest Daisuke. Daisuke closes his door. Tsurugi's just standing there, confused. Daisuke opens the door, pushes Tsurugi out of the way, and then closes the door again. Then the cops rush in. I don't know if it's a shot where Tsurugi's actor forgot to get out of the way so the cops could move to the doorway or what, but it's hilarious that Daisuke pushes this random delivery person out of the way so the cops have a straight shot to his door. It makes no sense? If it was a lady delivering his food, sure, absolutely. But why does he care that this dude is in the way? It feels like a blown take that someone in the edit bay was like Oh This Is The Take.





Perfect gag construction, perfect camera placement. Tsurugi's in the hallway, blissfully/typically unaware of what's happening around him as Daisuke bursts out of the hotel room. He's followed by the cops, covered in the noodles Tsurugi delivered. And the last cop stops to politely hand the empty bowl back to Tsurugi. I was dying at that last shot.






And then this really sweet scene to end things on for me. Daisuke's asking Tendou not to turn him in, and Tendou grudgingly agrees. The camera stays on Daisuke's grateful face, letting Tendou go out of frame as he chides Daisuke for being awful. Then Tendou reappears, back in focus, as he tells Daisuke that the only reason he's getting any help is because of Gon.

And just like that, the episode refocuses all of its energy on what we're all missing: Gon and Daisuke. Seeing them back together again, it's something I want so bad it's unreal. There's all this great humor in this episode, all of these funny side-stories and diversions. But then the camera focuses, and the story focuses, and the visuals and plot are working in harmony to make us feel what Daisuke feels: hope.

Gon remembers him. What a gift.

A QUESTION

So many outstanding images in this episode. What was your favorite screencap from this one?