[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 18 - "QUARTET: LISTEN TO THE VOICE IN YOUR HEART”



The Hibiki vibes! They are deafening! This is a Hibiki story!

One of the big recurring things in Hibiki, especially in the second half, was the lesson that there is a difference between a job and a passion. It's basically what Akira's whole story ended up being about. You can be skilled at something, excel at something, but it isn't necessarily something that you'll find fulfillment doing. Your job is not your identity.

And so we get this story with multiple people finding fulfillment outside their jobs and societal expectations, sometimes to the detriment of their psyches. (Nago is Extra Strength Nago for this chapter.) It's a sweet episode, and still resolutely a Kiva episode, for all of its Hibiki outlines.

Like, Otoya teaches Kid Mami this very Hibiki message about following your heart -slash- keeping your beat in the most Kiva way possible: he plays her music so beautiful that she gives up on playing music. It's not about Otoya's skill, it's not even about his dedication to music. It's about his passion for music, one she doesn't share. She could train, and get better, but it still wouldn't make her capable of playing at the same level Otoya does. Worse, she'd be miserable doing it. There's a skill inside her that she'd be passionate about cultivating (Skeet shooting? Axe throwing?), she just needs to find it for herself.

Weirdly, the rewards of this aren't just shown in Adult Mami's commitment to archery, where she's the most energized and at peace when she's able to practice her craft. It's also in Nago's story, where his job at being IXA and hunting Fangires is no match for his passion: manhunting.

It's not... I don't know how happy we're supposed to be to see Nago laugh with a zeal that is equal parts contentment and psychosis? Like, he was 110% insane at the midpoint in this story, and his catharsis came at the expense of between zero and eight felonies, but he's completely happy when he gets that button. It's horrible, and maybe a point is being made here about the trauma of being too passionate for something, but it's sort of hard to see what that would be. Like, Nago lets the Fangire escape, because he's only concerned with getting his trophy. That's tied into the lesson Otoya is teaching, because IXA is Nago's job, but manhunting is his passion. It's just, Nago is the only one in the story who suffers for following his passion?

Or, shit, is he the only one? This whole story is about Wataru feeling like Kiva is some nightmare that is keeping him from his true passion of violin-making. (Although... I squinted a little bit at Wataru's declaration that he's only ever wanted to make violins. You quit to play bass! Like, a month ago! This is not some unquenchable thirst you have! You quit making violins more than you make violins!) It's only through the very Kiva message system of Things Otoya Taught Somebody that Wataru's able to realize that he shouldn't be Kiva if it's only bringing him pain. And then, typical for a superhero, his inaction causes injury, so he's stuck with the impossibility of dedicating himself to something he's grown to despise, or feeling guilty for the rest of his life for his abdication.

But then he realizes that he's only been focusing on the negative consequences of being Kiva. Sure, Wataru's role as Kiva has thrust him into a world of violence and pain, like Nago's insanity has for him. But it's also allowed him to protect people like Mami, this story's mommy (I see what they probably accidentally did there!), and that's something he is passionate about. He might view Kiva's violence as a burden, but he sincerely loves being able to help people. It's a complicated solution to his dilemma, and one that requires combining multiple truths and viewpoints.

And to symbolize that new multi-faceted worldview, we get Kiva's new Quaternity Form! Much like Agito's Trinity Form, it's Kiva wearing multiple form changes at once. I thought it was okay? Thematically, I love it. It's a toku representation of everything Wataru learned over this episode, and the three people who taught it to him. It's him wearing Nago's insanity, Mami's courage, and Otoya's wisdom. Visually... I don't love it as much! It's an okay suit, but the resulting fight is just one move set after another. It doesn't feel more clever, it just feels more powerful. I wish there'd been some added choreography to make it seem greater than the sum of its parts.

That's a minor quibble, though, considering how solid this episode was. Great cinematography (Wataru's depression, that midday sun over IXA's head during the beach fight), terrific gags (Otoya can't politely tolerate amateur musicians), and a dead-on story for Wataru's emotional development. I know it's a fill-in story, writer-wise, but this was about as definitive a Kiva story as I can recall. Really, really good couple of episodes.