[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 28 - “THE STAR SHOWER RESUMES”



Okay, now I’m remembering why I wasn’t crazy about Ryuusei’s story in general, or Tachibana’s part in particular.

It’s the stipulation that Ryuusei has to keep everything a secret, and the way that reinforces his natural tendency towards isolationism and subterfuge. And, I get it – that’s intentional! That is an on-purpose choice to make Ryuusei’s character work harder to overcome his disinclination to let the KRC in, and to make his gradual, some might glacial rate of connecting with the rest of the cast on a deeper level into something that feels earned and valued, rather than perfunctorily tacked on to the end of a two-parter. (Ryuusei won’t even do the club handshake after these seven weirdos wagered their souls on whether a duplicitous and withholding grump would make a space crab’s tight deadline!) The more restrictions on Ryuusei – the more he has to shine brighter than the darkness surrounding him – the greater the eventual dawn for his character. You gotta let that story spread out, and take time, or it doesn’t mean anything.

That’s the intent, and I get it. What I have to deal with is the viewing experience for me, though.

I hate it, a little bit? I hate that this story could've been a natural and emotional end to this plot, and felt like more than enough, but it's somehow still going on. I hate Ryuusei still having to keep his identity as Meteor a secret, after 13 episodes now, because it feels partially insane that the crew still hasn’t put it together yet, when they crack harder and more obfuscated Switch Stories every other week. I hate that Tachibana teaches his teenage ward a lesson about friendship that required several brutal beatings at the hands/claws of a space crab that has zero compunction about killing anyone who crosses him, and also Tachibana still won’t let Ryuusei come clean with the very people who taught Ryuusei the actual lesson that Tachibana’s withholding silence very much did not. Most of all, man, I hate Meteor Storm! Too symmetrical! Gold and blue is a complete downgrade from blue and black! (The top thing… it’s dumb, but it’s the right kind of DX Toy dumb. I wouldn’t fight anyone who likes that better than the Bruce Lee moves of Meteor, even if I don’t.)

Like, this isn’t a bad episode because of all of that, but it made the Ryuusei aspects the weakest parts for me, rather than additive to the show’s original relationships. (I also think Jirou getting suddenly and inconveniently SUPER EXTRA SICK from his undefined Switch allergy is a hokey trope, but these shows sometimes gotta ratchet up the tension on their subplots somehow.) I think the KRC as a group deciding that being a friend means modeling good behavior for your friends who are a capital-p Project is a Top 5 Fourze moment, because it’s all faith and no plan. (You can tell it came from Gen!) The whole crew letting Ryuusei’s choices decide their fate – wink – is such a beautiful moment, and I completely believed that all seven of them knew it was the only way to help their friend, so they all agreed to do it, even JK, who definitely did not want to do it, and the other six made him. Then to follow that with them all whiffing so incredibly hard at entertaining Kijima, while intercutting it with Ryuusei screaming at his comatose friend about needing to see him smile again? It’s a tonal mismatch that shouldn’t work, yet totally does, because Fourze. Even when a major component of an episode does not click with me, the rest of it is so fun and perfect that I can pretty easily overlook it.

I just, man, I want this Ryuusei’s Terrible Secret Story to be over soon! I really hope we’re almost there!