[Kamen Rider Die]

MASKED RIDER AGITO EPISODE 38

God, it's just firing on all cylinders, isn't it?

It's very difficult for me to not just post a few dozen screencaps to demonstrate how excellent this episode was, how much the dialogue feels evocative and still informative, how the performances make every joke pop, how the idea to keep Shouichi on ice for this episode does wonders to align everyone against Kino in organic ways, how there's just no fat on this thing, how it's lean and clean and so goddamn good.

Okay, I said some words, let's go to the tape!





I love this sequence. It's great to see trusting, hero-worshiping, deferential Hikawa start to figure out that maybe he trusted the wrong guy, but only after that guy cracks him in the face and tells him to stay down. Like, it's so in-character for Hikawa to be so far past the point where something's obvious, and he's still like I Don't Know, A Lot Of People Are Making A Lot Of Good Points. My dude. Come on.

But it's... I don't know, it's sort-of adorable how naive and trusting Hikawa is. As Ozawa has pointed out before, those are attributes that are probably terrible for a detective, but it's appropriate for a Kamen Rider. And, hey, he's thick as shit, but he does realize after getting punched in the face that maybe he got it wrong on Kino, so, okay, he got there in the end.






This is it, the best scene in the episode, and maybe one of my all-time favorite Agito scenes. Houjou and Ozawa are easily my favorite characters in the show, and this scene is why. Houjou's got proof (I mean, "proof") that Shouichi is Agito. Getting that proof was alternately ridiculous and thrilling, which: Houjou. But now he's got it, and the first thing he does is track down Ozawa to hang it over her head. (I think it's great how Houjou needs to so blatantly show off to Team G3-X. It's so needy and pathetic, and totally transparent. God bless him for being so jealous of their bond.) But, it's Ozawa, so she immediately guesses it's Shouichi that's Agito. Of course she does. She's the only one on the show with a brain! Which, that's great, she's awesome, but then Houjou is crushed. He wanted to gloat, and she robbed him of that. His whole body language changes, the smug confidence transformed into moping defeat. It's like he shouted Henshin and became Kamen Rider Just The Saddest Man. It's a great, great scene. I will never get tired of scenes where Houjou comes in a braggart and Ozawa completely owns him. Never.




And, god, the easy bond between Ozawa and Shoucihi. I wonder if she's ever looking at Shoucihi and thinking, "So this is what it would be like if Hikawa didn't suck." Like, she believes in Hikawa, but she trusts in Shouichi to save the day. At a point in the series where trust is in short supply, the way Ozawa instinctively knows Shouichi is Agito, is a good person, can help her friend... it's the perfect capper to this episode.

Everything about this one sparkled, with the right amounts of warmth, danger, action, humor, and Houjou getting kneed in the gut. A+ episode.