[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 30

Definitely not my favorite episode of Kabuto (the lack of Hiyori is a major handicap, admittedly), but I did come out of this two-parter with a newfound appreciation for its absurdist sensibilities. Not sure I have anything as insightful to say about this one as Die, though?

Comparisons to martial arts films are apt, for sure. The deliberate overabundance of as many schlocky tropes as they could fit in is something I can't hate. When a show gets to do an episode playing with ideas from some completely different genre like this, I often find it's a good time, and that's because it's often apparent how much of a good time the people making it were having just cutting loose and doing something wild. That's totally the case here, as, despite Kagami's best efforts to keep things on track, this series could not be any less interested in being a hero tokusatsu right now.

In a way, it's a characteristically run of bad luck for the guy. Kagami has to babysit Tsurugi and grapple with the complex dramatic question of how to deal with a monster who doesn't know he's a monster, and meanwhile, everybody else gets to kick back and relax being a part of this ridiculous cooking showdown plot. It's a good thing it's so fitting for Kagami's character, or else I'd feel it's more of a shame he wasn't more involved in a storyline that gave so many characters so much fun material to work with.

You get to see different sides to a lot of Kabuto's usual faces here, and the episode knocks all that out of the park. Tadokoro's secret history as part of a great lineage of soba chefs is a highlight, and is a heck of a way to give him his first scene with Tendou, to say the least. But I think Tendou himself was what really surprised me here. The comical nature of this story lets him be a lot looser with his feelings in places, lending a lot of variety to the performance you don't always get from the guy. I was very impressed by Hiro Mizushima's acting in this one, from obvious big emotional swings like his horrific realization Juka doesn't like the meal he just made, to more subtle bits like the gradual escalation of him getting fed up with his new mentor in the art of cooking. That's maybe one of the most easily commendable things about these episodes, even – just getting to see Tendou dealing with something he's openly passionate about. He's still thoroughly Tendou, all the same, so I imagine the crowd that can't stand him at all won't be won over or anything, but it's a bit of a different angle on that same personality that was fun to see.

Visually speaking, the direction is still quite good. I see what Die is saying about the aggressive nature of the way the gags are emphasized, but I'd argue it's a deliberate choice to highlight the mounting levels of wackiness at play. Like, I think the goal was to make this one so nuts that part one looks sane by comparison, and I'd say mission accomplished on that front. Ethereal glows all over the place; that same running gag with the cheap looking halos above people's heads when they eat the Dark Chef's food, but it happens like twice as many times; and yes, more sound effects than you shake a stick at. It honestly didn't even register with me until reading Die's post, because it strikes me as such a natural fit for the exaggerated style the episode aims for. Kabuto apparently made a conscious effort to inject as much humor as possible to counter its inherently grim premise and setting to begin with, so if an episode comes along that wants to be 90% kabuki sounds for the heck of it, I mean, I'm not going to question it. You go right ahead with your nonsense farce about dueling chefs, Kabuto, I won't stop you!

That's about the sum of it, at the end of the day, I suppose. This two-parter is the sort that's all about being experimental and pushing the limits of what a Kamen Rider episode can even do, and in that sense I legitimately respect it for being so outside the box. Whether or not it's any good is almost secondary at that point, but, fortunately, I can see the argument that this is a high point of sorts for the show rather than a low one. Not for everybody, and, for me at least, no wacky Inoue episode 30 will ever top Taiyaki Master from Blade (the best food-centric filler plot), but if you're open to this bizarre tale of legendary kitchen knives and epic cooking battles, it can be a rather amusing ride.