[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER DOUBLE EPISODE 9 - “TREMBLING BEFORE S - I SAW THE MAID DETECTIVE!”



Let’s dig into some Series Arc stuff!

There’s kind of two main things this episode’s interested in excavating for the viewer: Akiko’s relationship with her missing/deceased dad (sort of depends on who you ask in this one!), and putting the Sonozakis and Double on each other’s radars. There’s some very fun comedy around the edges, and a mystery assailant on the mansion grounds, but that’s just the frosting on this We Need To Tell You About A Couple Major Plots cake.

Both of them are necessary and organic at this point in the series, which is nice. It’s not like a switch suddenly got flipped and Akiko couldn’t stop pressing Shotaro for details on her dad – it’s sort of natural that, after a couple months of him not being around and no one talking about it, she’d feel like Shotaro was being a little less than forthcoming. Still, she doesn’t drastically alter her behavior for the sake of plot expediency or drama, she’s just, like, letting him know that she can see he’s hiding something, so he doesn’t really have the moral superiority to tell her how to do her job. It’s a nice alternative to the typical histrionics of this sort of Terrible Secret plot, to have Akiko just think that Shotaro’s being a secretive jerk, and now she can respect him a little less, so they’re even. Remarkably specific to this show’s terrifically weird dynamic!

The Sonozaki stuff is equally smooth in its deployment, where Shotaro doesn’t even realize the significance of the family he’s accidentally investigating. It allows the show to draw the two groups closer together in more oblique ways, which maintains the possibility of absurd character interactions, instead of the usual head-to-head confrontations that end in tears. Like, very fun to get Wakana geeking out over Akiko’s high-energy buffoonery! And excellent to have Kirihiko corner Shotaro just to spill his entire romantic history and goals, since he’s such a superpowered Wife Guy that he doesn’t have anyone else to share this stuff with! (It’s the best scene in the episode, Kirihiko starting off trying to be a stern influence on a wayward youth, but then he’s like Holy Shit Dude I’m Going To Be So Powerful Because Of My Awesome Wife.) Even Ryubei gets into the act, being old-guy-charming with Akiko. It’s the calm before the storm, but I like that this show opted for this kind of lead-in to a more overt Double Vs Sonozakis story.

Just a nicely understated escalation of two major plots, while still making space for a full mystery setup, dumb gags, and a neat Dopant. (He’s the incarnation of taste!) Absolutely solid W episode!

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DIE-A MEMORIES



-Are pastry chefs the most endangered culinary profession in Kamen Rider? It seems like every season has an imperiled patissier somewhere in it – sometimes as part of the cast! I assume it’s because kids love cakes and treats and the like, so it’s easier to explain why this person should be saved from a monster, but it’s seriously the most dangerous profession in Heisei.