[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Wait, I did start this off trying to disagree with Die, right?

As always, thank you for being the precise Tendou to my oblivious but well-meaning Kagami. (Or the long-suffering but supportive Jiiya to my dedicated but embarrassing Tsurugi. Or the level-headed Gon to my easily-distracted Daisuke. Or--) I'm almost sorry that you rewatched Zi-O episodes, and it was these two?

They are fun, though. This is one of those reunion stories where the more invested you are in the reunion elements, the worse it plays. The Kagami thing is such a blatant misfire that it creates this halo of What Are We Even Doing Here across the entire story. By making the big, fan-service moment feel so unearned, it makes the whole celebration of Kabuto feel misguided.

I'm probably overstating things! The Kagami part of this episode is probably going to bug me for a while (Kagami's arc is not that hard to get right! It's very simple, just like Kagami!) but: Hoppers. A planet-saving strategy that Woz hand-colored with markers, because he knows how to get Sougo's vote. Tsukasa just being like Oh I'm A Chef Here, a plot-point that never occurs in the episode. No one getting replaced by a Worm, which is super obvious and I'm glad this series avoided it. There was good stuff here! And that Den-Liner whistle to close out the episode? I am not immune to all nostalgia!