[Kamen Rider Die]

DEAR GAGA - PAGE 1



Ha ha, Hiromi has proven himself to be the most shrewd character in Revice, and maybe all of Kamen Rider: the easiest and most believable malady to fake in these shows is amnesia. Everyone gets it by walking out their front door or exhaling, so why would you question anyone’s self-diagnosis?

It’s a nice twist, that layer of this story. Hiromi’s most recent bout of superheroic adventure had his boss free a cultist and crash a helicarrier, after which Hiromi – already hollowed out like a Halloween pumpkin by Fenix’s mad science – got exploded off of a cliff and seemingly abandoned by his closest friends. (It’s a weird detail that’s never explained, that I know of. Did anyone even try looking for Hiromi after his encliffening? This special acts like he was just missing, but I feel like the previous Revice episodes made him out to be dead. Why was he hard to find, if he just went home after being cliffed?) This is a dude who has found no comfort in Fenix, or in being a Kamen Rider. Why bother remembering that version of yourself? Why not head back to your hometown, away from the expectations to be Captain Kadota or Kamen Rider Demons?

Which, of course, is how basically everyone sees him back in his hometown. WHOOPS!

It’s a more laid-back special than it is propulsive or insightful, which I sort of appreciate. It’s a space where Hiromi can just mope around a little bit, and the tensions are all in his sense of self-worth, or in his mother’s affection. Gaga’s a nicely straightforward, nurturing character, which means she almost immediately has to come down with a mysterious ailment. Most of this episode is split between her giving her son just enough pushback to keep him from wallowing in self-pity, and in her keeling over every other scene. It’s not the most clever use of a mom in this type of story, but I like how the relationship instantly comes across. She seems like a supportive mom that’s going to give Hiromi just enough of a kick in the ass to be a better man.

Honestly, it’s very cool to have a Hiromi-focused special this low-key and personal. A kid who’s a Kamen Rider fan and a strawberry thief, maybe! Everyone telling the shellshocked and despondent soldier how cool he is to be a soldier! Marriage opportunities! An old man who Hiromi’d himself into a sprained back! It’s all so sweet and pedestrian, which is a nice look for this show. Special bonus: no actual amnesia!!!