[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - HYPER BATTLE VIDEO - THE BIRTH OF GATACK HYPER FORM



I wouldn't say this is the perfect Kabuto story (there're too few cast members for it to reach that goal), but it's probably the platonic ideal of a Kabuto story. Kagami feels like he's not as good as Tendou, acts incredibly weird, learns that there's nothing wrong with being Kagami, Tendou supports him. That's... I mean, that's pretty much the last 35 episodes of Kabuto in a nutshell?

And that's really great for an HBV. It pads out a ton of its runtime with clips from the show, arranged as lessons about Why Tendou Is So Great (I mean, talk about the platonic ideal of a Kabuto story...), but it's hitting all the major things that make Kabuto such a fun show. Building a little short around Tendou and Kagami, I think that's the best thing this HBV could do.

It's mostly ridiculous, which is what I want from an HBV. The Gatack and Kabuto Zecters working together to help Kagami get a Hyper Zecter, it's very cute. I love the little eyes that get glued to the Zecter? Hibiki's HBV did the same sort of gimmick (the toys having personalities and trying to educate the POV character), and I really don't mind Kabuto's revisiting it. Just goofy fun, letting Kagami's mugging and impressions carry the bulk of the comedy, with Juka and Tendou acting as straight men.

(The one part of the short that bugged me was the 2nd lesson for Being Tendou: Be A Good Older Sibling. Man, Kagami's little brother was killed by Worms and then had his memory used to try and kill Kagami. The Zecters are kind of being enormous assholes by making a gateway to perfection Have An Alive Sibling.)

This was a lot of fun, and, despite the more comedic tone, a really solid introduction to the show. (It's honestly probably not even the wackiest Kabuto story!) I can see some kid watching this, then watching the show, and not feeling like they were misled. That may sound like faint praise, but not every HBV clears that bar!



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KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 36



I really enjoyed the subtlety to how this series approached the somewhat-routine Break-Up storyline.

Every show with a Rider team has it somewhere in their season, I think. Someone gets possessed, or gets blackmailed, or whatever. One or more hero turns bad, and the remaining heroes need to fight them. That seemed to be the territory we were in with this Tendou Vs Kagami story, where Tendou's need to protect Hiyori tips over into outright villainy, and Kagami's Very Big Feelings are crushed in the fallout. I'd've been okay with that.

But this show opted to do something smaller, more nuanced, and I really appreciate that. It went for a story about how people can disagree without dismantling their friendships, how you can be pissed off at someone and still be there for them when it matters. It also did a story about how the value of friendship isn't just cheering you on when you're right, it's also checking you when you're wrong.

It's the rare Kabuto episode that ends with Tendou apologizing for making a mistake. (Kagami even mentions how weird it is!) But Tendou does apologize to Kagami at the end of this one, and commits to returning the various Zecters. He's seen what can happen if he's the only Rider left, and it is not good. The Zecters want to destroy Worms, full stop. While a Rider can harness the Zecters, they can't exactly control them, which means the Rider doesn't get to make allowances for The Good Ones like Hiyori. If Tendou doesn't have anyone watching his back, Hiyori could be the next Worm killed. Tendou's realized that he needs a support system if he's going to create a world where Hiyori's safe.

(I don't... I'm not sure I 100% believe Kagami Outrageous's explanation to Tendou about the Zecters being all Pro Ice killers of Worms. Literally the only time we see a Zecter go psychotic is in this episode, and it's against a Native who could previously summon the Zecter. It doesn't completely hold up as a piece of information. I'm not sure if it's a total lie on Outrageous's part, or if there's some new evolution of the Kabuto Zecter we haven't been clued in on, but the behavior of the Zecter here feels different. I wouldn't be surprised if the belt or the Zecter had been tampered with in some way, to get Kabuto to try and kill Tachikawa. It doesn't feel like what Outrageous would want, what with ZECT being ordered to protect Tachikawa, but I don't have any clue what that dude's endgame is. Anyway, long story short, I'm operating under the idea that Outrageous is telling the truth, while acknowledging that it's probably a lie.)

I like the way this episode approaches friendships, where it doesn't settle for letting unwavering support be just telling people They Can Do It or whatever. It sometimes means hanging around and telling people that they are screwing up big time. It's not about Kagami abandoning his friendship with Tendou because they disagree, it's about Kagami telling Tendou he disagrees with him, repeatedly, because he's Tendou's friend. That shit can get strained (as much as they're working together this episode to further their search for Hiyori, they ain't exactly palling around), but true friendship means sometimes fighting with your friends to keep them from making mistakes. I really love how minor the show made the argument at the heart of this Break-Up story, how much the bond of these two was able to withstand a disagreement.

And then there's Kageyama and Yaguruma, who are back on their bullshit.

It's basically the Episode 7 versions of them in unconvincing Street Toughs cosplay. They look like they're auditioning for a musical version of Johnny Mnemonic. They look like they shopped in the Kingdom Hearts clearance section. They look like their dad dropped them off at the mall. Kageyama's sneer is... I mean, easily the funniest thing in this episode. Everything about them is so performatively Bad that it's... *chef's kiss*. Seeing them walk in a room is like the non-terrifying version of seeing a group of clowns get out of a tiny car. Never not funny.

And then immediately they're acting like old times, where it's Kageyama telling Yaguruma how great he is and Yaguruma telling Kageyama that, no, they're great, in a vaguely-condescending way that only egotists can manage. Their dynamic is, like, 1966 Batman But Goth, where Yaguruma might as well say We All Die Alone, Chum. There's a real connection between these two that is both horrifyingly unhealthy, and totally inevitable. They keep finding each other, you know? There's something to that.

Anyway, yeah, fun episode about how real friends aren't afraid to tell you that you're blowing up your life, as portrayed by one group who's about saving you, and one group who's about hastening your destruction. I like these two teams being on the show, you guys!

A QUESTION

Tsurugi has another insane interaction with food, here delightling to the flavor of two burned potatoes. I've had plenty of spuds in my life, but that's not one I'd look forward to. What's your favorite preparation for potatoes?