[Kamen Rider Die]

SERIES WRAP-UP



A week back, on the summer edition of the Net Movies, I briefly complained that we never saw a good Ankh/Date story. The two actors had great comedic chemistry in the Net Movies sketch, and it seemed like that could’ve translated in a fun way to a couple episodes of OOO. It seemed weird to me that the show never really indulged in the same kind of mix-and-match storytelling another show might've done.

But they can’t. That’s not the show. The show is Eiji/Ankh/Hina. That’s the engine that runs the most compelling and reliable season-long plot of any Kamen Rider show I’ve ever watched. Any other characters only really exist to comment on our main duo of Eiji and Ankh (Gotou/Date, Maki/Kazari), or on Hina’s desire to effect change in a world that isn’t built for her (Kougami, Lost Ankh, the other Greeed). The rhythms of this show are all about the main trio of Hina, Eiji, and Ankh. That’s it.

It makes for a show that’s addictively watchable and propulsive, especially in the final stretch. Where other shows may have a difficult time going up a gear to create something suitably apocalyptic, or lay out the stakes in a clear enough way, OOO just reminds you of the stakes that have been in place since the first episode, and lets the characters work within that conundrum. It never needs to invent another foe or alter a character’s goals, because the very first episode tells you what needs to happen at the end.

That’s my favorite thing about the show, I think – the pleasant symmetry of the ending. It all loops back to the beginning, a perfect circle of storytelling: Eiji on his own, some pocket money and tomorrow’s underwear; Shingo and Hina, living their domestic bliss; Ankh, reduced to Medals. Far from making things feel pointless, it’s like the show took the same state at the end as the beginning to make everything feel richer now that so much had transpired. It’s the lesson Ankh learns by the end, and that Eiji had forgotten at the beginning – a life needs more than just existing to be worth living. Giving all of these characters a new starting point is great, but giving them an old starting point with a new perspective is even better.

I love that choice. I love that we’re sort of back in the Ryuki mode, where the success of our heroes is all internal, and the reward is a blank slate for the future. This was a show where the main spine of the series was the evolution of a narcissistic avian asshole into a sacrificial and grateful avian asshole. Everything with the Medals, and Maki, and the Kougami Foundation… it’s all just the obstacle course that Ankh has to go through alongside Eiji, in order to understand why a life isn’t just something you get, it’s something you earn. For as much as the iconography and merchandising of the show has Eiji as the lead, and Ankh as his hilariously cruel sidekick, I don’t think that’s right? This season is Ankh’s story, with Eiji as, ironically, the angel on his shoulder. The journey of Ankh is everything this show is talking about, while Eiji’s story is the cautionary tale and example. It’s like… it’s like Hibiki. Hibiki is a show where Asamu (and other children; I don’t want to trigger anyone with a full cast list) go on a journey, while the Kamen Rider is there to struggle alongside of them, with a few lessons of their own along the way. OOO is that same thing: Ankh is the character with a finite story, and Eiji is the hero who helps him become a better person.

All of that is why this show always works, even during episodes or stories that weren’t my favorite. There were for sure some bum Yummy stories, same as any other show with their monster plots, but OOO has that Hina/Eiji/Ankh core to keep everything moving in the right direction. There was never a huge turn in the plot that felt forced or even inorganic. Everything for a year felt like a natural consequence of a car accident, an abduction, a heroic deal, and a chance to help others. You could literally watch the first episode and the last episode and you’d get the entire story of OOO. (I mean, I wouldn't recommend it, but you could do it.) Show’s just real solid in its framework.

It’s nice to come back to a show like this and feel like you didn’t unreasonably build it up in your memory. This is the best season of Kamen Rider. It's not my favorite, but it's the best.