[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 10 - “COLLISION IN THE MOONLIGHT”



If Episode 9 was an installment where the flaws in the formula became too big to ignore – character arcs truncated, an ensemble too big to service, rushed development of the superhero collectibles – then Episode 10 was the one that asserted that none of that’s a problem, the show is fun, it’s all on purpose, the vibes don’t need internal conflict, stop being such a baby about things.

Like, I just love the Rabbit Hatch? I love how every episode it becomes less sterile (Kengo) and starts being more diverse and chaotic (the KRC). It’s maybe my favorite Heisei set, for how it melds the show’s sci-fi aspects with its hangout teenage premise. The point of the Rabbit Hatch is to visualize how all of these weirdos bring their own perspectives to a single place, to share their passions and idiosyncrasies with each other, and in doing so create a coherent attitude and viewpoint for the Kamen Rider Club. That scene in this one where each kid boils themselves down to their weirdest attribute and wears it like a badge of honor, that’s this whole goddamn show. It’s not about individualism as conflict or difference, it’s about individualism as what makes you worth having as a friend, and what’s worth finding in your friends.

Which is why this concluding chapter is so, so good. It’s small, in its scope if not in its setting. (Gentarou takes Tomoko to the moon! Ritsuko is going to blow up the school with a magic missile, just like Yuuki predicted! I guess we establish that Kamen Rider Stadium is next door to Amanogawa High!) Tomoko’s a girl that’s always wanted to be accepted for who she was, but when that seemed impossible, she wanted to escape instead: to the moon, or into someone else’s madness and vengeance. But people like Ritsuko never saw her, never wanted who she was. And yet on the moon, she found friendship instead of desolation and isolation, with a group of kids that wanted her to be herself, and in doing so make them all better. It’s a sweet little message – Be Yourself – that’s delivered with the appropriate level of teenage pathos to make Tomoko’s embrace of it feel like the truest victory of the story.

And that’s no shade at the actual superhero fights in this episode, which nimbly correct my criticism about last episode’s blase treatment of Fourze’s new super form by letting its ability to defeat Ritsuko coincide with Gentarou’s acceptance of Tomoko. It’s cute, and I liked how Tomoko’s ability to pick up on it quickly established her as a useful member of the Club. Everyone got to contribute during the final fight, even if the kids had to stay up late to do it. (They all had a very long day!)

I’m glad this one worked better for me. I don’t like shrugging at Fourze’s cast of misfits, or their easy charm and fought-for camaraderie. Having an episode that calls out how these kids are friends without losing their flaws and foibles, that’s a nice thing to keep front and center for this show. I am still in love with this series!