[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER JUUGA VS KAMEN RIDER ORTECA - EPISODE 2



I guess I just don’t see a real rivalry between Juuga and Orteca, coming out of Revice?

This episode tries very hard to create one, though. God, does it ever. Between the Epic Duel at the climax of the episode, and the Frenemy song that soundtracks it, and the whole We’re Destined To Do This Forever capper, there’s an overabundance of work to make Juuga/Orteca either the next Superman/Luthor, or maybe just Daiji/Kagerou. The end of this episode really only works if you see George and Orteca as reflections of each other, fated to fight against the person who knows them best.

I just… no? No, that all seems like an invention of this two-parter, not something that is the realization of longform storytelling. Like, Orteca vs Over Demons? Sure! Best scene in this episode is Tamaki confronting Orteca at a department store, and sort of laughing at Orteca’s inability to grow or change in any interesting way. Them two having a blow-off to Orteca’s lazy villainy and Tamaki’s eventual heroism? That would be a hilarious and affecting idea for a TTFC. This is… I mean, it’s funny, but it never really got me to feel anything.

It is cute and funny, though, in a minor way. The various Drive references; the reveal that Otta’s secret girlfriend is just a perpetually needy Hiromi; Hana creating the Neo Deadmans just to humiliate Orteca; the series-long recurring gag of Daddy creating utterly preventable problems for everyone but him, and our heroes having to put a positive spin on it anyway. It’s not hysterical, but it’s reasonably fun.

Beyond that, I guess this was a failure of a TTFC special? Neither George nor Orteca became any deeper or more interesting as a result of this story, and the world of Revice didn’t gain anything from it, either. It’s a victory lap for two characters who never won anything from me, and the moments of joy were all gained by supporting cast members and Legend supporting cast members. It’s fun, but more or less in spite of the two title characters, not really because of them.

There’s nothing left for it but the catchphrase: