[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER REVICE: FINAL STAGE



Y’know, not bad.

I honestly find the pace of Final Stages to be a little taxing. I was stopping this thing after 15 minutes, then after 25 minutes, then after 30 minutes. It’s these really long fight scenes against mooks and grunts, and I just… I am not a child with a glow stick in a Japanese theater? I don’t find it that thrilling, honestly. It’s good for what it’s trying to do – and there’s some very inventive uses of screens and costume changes in this one – but it’s a more minimal level of storytelling than what I need to get engaged.

This one, however, had a pretty solid story? The specifics are Final Stage-level dumb (Wakabayshi’s heretofore unmentioned overseas twin brother), but I really liked the story this stage show decided to tell. It’s all about how we deal with loss, and the danger of letting memory drive us to abandon our future. It’s also a nice way of honoring Vice’s sacrifice, and not undoing it too quickly. (I imagine that’s what the Geats movie is for!) Vade and Ikki are both hurting after a family member’s death/”death”, but while Ikki tries to lead a happy life the way Vice wanted, Vade blames the world for what he’s lost. (He’s hurting, so I know he’s not acting rationally, but targeting Daiji and Hiromi specifically is a pretty big leap, revenge-wise. Fenix is gone! Commander Chameleon is dead! Akaishi, who set this all up, is dead! Giff is dead! You are grasping at some straws here, my dude!) It’s this sweet little story about how not to lose yourself in grief, and how to take that energy and try and make something new.

Like a new suit! Two new suits in this one, Shin Revice and Vade, but they’re obviously both Revice repaints. They’re okay, but nothing on the level of Tassel Dark from the Saber stage show. Light repaints, nothing too clever or unexpected.

And that’s sort of this stage show? It’s a lot of lights and smoke and action, which I get bored watching, but then a nice little emotional epilogue for Ikki tucked inside of it. Didn’t hit me super hard emotionally (not like Sakura and Hana, who were visibly tearing up as they waved goodbye at the end), but I thought this was a solid coda for the Revice TV show.