[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER OOO EPISODE 41 - “SIBLINGS, A RESCUE, AND EIJI’S DEPARTURE”



Of all the ways a show might follow up on a cliffhanger that featured the capture and possible extinguishment of the co-lead, I’m not sure that Wacky Training Montage Featuring The Exact Same Actor would’ve made even my top 50 guesses. But this is OOO: anything goes.

It’s the most bizarre pivot, and yet all this episode that’s full of the actor who plays Ankh does is reinforce how non-optional Ankh’s presence is. There’s the tactical aspect, sure – I love that the show treats Ankh’s ability to throw three Medals right on target every single time as the otherworldly skill it is; on the other hand, it’s kind of insane that Eiji has zero clue of what Medals to use in a fight on his own – but it’s more that Ankh was a friend who reached out for help, so Eiji is going to do whatever he has to in order to save Ankh. It’s not about depriving the Greeed of firepower or whatever, it’s the exact same thing he’s been doing for a year about Shingo – this guy needs help, and it’s within Eiji’s power to help him. The end.

But before that point, we get the incredibly fun problem of the Best Possible Outcome happening a single scene after a completely different Worst Possible Outcome happening. Hina and Eiji are terrified of losing Ankh, but here’s good ol’ smiling Shingo, bewigged brother, who reduces Hina to an overjoyed ONII-CHAN machine. (Jesus, I swear, if I gotta hear her say ONII-CHAN on repeat for one more goddamn scene…) It’s a great twist, creating a hugely positive moment in the aftermath of Ankh’s capture, because the show only briefly feints at the idea that this is a win that doesn’t need to be disturbed. Eiji never views Shingo’s survival as a zero-sum state with Ankh’s survival, and almost instantly leaves Hina and Shingo to their former/future domestic bliss in order to fight to save Ankh. This is a show that worked so hard to make Ankh’s existence inviolable, making him a part of the group in way that demands that Eiji reach back and save his friend. Much like last episode, Ankh deserves to be around because his friends care about him – it doesn’t need to be explained more than that.

Not an episode with a ton of room for anything else, and that’s maybe a good thing. Between an incredibly strange training montage with Shingo and the OOO/Birth assault on the Yummy at Kamen Rider Fields, everything else is just Eiji indulging in how rapidly his status quo has changed, and I’m very okay with that. (Also, I kind of think Eiji wasn’t eating because he’s become enough of a Greeed that he doesn’t require food anymore. Not good!) Everything in this one feels appropriately unbalanced and untenable, instead of the typical OOO format with a slightly altered cast. Way weirder of a continuation to last episode’s cliffhanger than I’d’ve expected, but also way more fun to watch.