[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 28

I don't even remember this teasing for Hyper Form happening.

Not that it's surprising I wouldn't, when the whole point of rewatching Kabuto is reminding myself of the countless moments and plot threads I've forgotten over the years. It's hard to see why such a jarring last minute wouldn't leave more of an impression, but then, it's also easy to see why such an unconnected last minute wouldn't.

As neat of a sequence as that is, obviously this episode really ends with Daisuke and Gon back together, all nice and content, which is as heartwarming as you'd expect. These two are an unbeatable duo who add a ton of heart to any story they're in, and that's something I've never forgotten. The way the Worm impersonating Daisuke plot is solved by Gon knowing exactly which one to give the Drake Grip to with zero explanation presented to the audience is just perfect. Because, really, are you going to question the fact that she can just tell? A detailed reasoning would only undercut the impact of seeing things finally work out for them in the end.

Speaking of working, while it's a minor thing, I have to mention my favorite gag in the episode, where Kagami and Misaki are waiting on their orders at their usual noodle shop, and as the food is being prepared offscreen, you can distinctly hear the sound of things violently shattering to pieces... which suddenly makes sense as soon as Tsurugi hands them their bowls a moment later. It's a tiny bit of sound work, but it got huge laughs out of me. It's not even acknowledged in any way by the characters, which gives the impression it wasn't something intended to be in there from the start, but implying Tsurugi destroys an entire kitchen to make two people some soba only makes it even funnier when seconds later he's begging them for cash as though they should grateful for the opportunity to donate to his relief fund. Bless his heart, he's trying; he really is.

ZECT is also trying, and failing, in their whole scheme to replace Drake with a more loyal Worm Drake. Love the way all the Riders are called in after Daisuke's "death" to go avenge him. It's like some kind of mob movie or something where all these guys who don't really get along are summoned to pull one last job as part of some unspoken code of honor, with the twist here being that none of these four guys are here for the same reason. Kagami is the only one who's directly concerned about seeing justice done; Tendou is already assuming there are layers they aren't being made aware of, and is mostly here to crack the case; Tsurugi just showed up because he heard they'd be defeating Worms, and is back to selling noodles within the same day; and Kageyama, the guy who stalks little girls at night, is naturally lying through his teeth about this entire manufactured situation.

There's a great bit when the four of them are all transforming to fight Drake where Kageyama is visibly grinning at Kagami, and I loved that so much because once again, you can tell how satisfied with himself he is for manipulating him. With the exception of licking other people's ice cream, and probably kicking puppies, nothing makes Kageyama happier than setting up an innocent man's murder, and that's the kind of thing that's earned him the title of TheWorst.

Let's talk about that fight for a bit, though. It's no wonder I only vaguely remembered the Rider-on-Rider fight by the water focused around Daisuke from episode 18, because it turns there was another one! I've probably had both of these tangled up in my head the whole time. This one is just cool in its own right, and I really can't stress enough how much I love the four Riders all rolling up in a perfect line to transform. Ordinarily, that would convey teamwork and heroism, but it's all a complete lie here, because the viewer already knows the real Daisuke is the one in their crosshairs. Just a really interesting contrast. And of course, it's hard to go wrong with an Inoue episode where a Rider narrowly escapes death by being washed away in a river.

So yeah, when you break it down, there's definitely quite a bit going on in this one, and it's still boatloads of fun with the same capable direction, but I can see what Die means about it being a bit of a struggle to say too much meaningful about. It definitely hurt not seeing Hiyori's name in the credits? But like, if we're making this sound like an underwhelming conclusion to this two-parter, allow me to reframe that last point – it's an episode of Kabuto with no Hiyori whatsoever, and I still think it's great.