[Kamen Rider Die]

MASKED RIDER RYUKI EPISODE 24





There's some stuff in here about the transformative power of grief, and some stuff about the origins of evil, and a whole bunch of Knight's new Survive form. It's a much more upbeat episode than I was expecting after the death of Tezuka, so... maybe I wasn't the only person who felt like his story could be over?

It's an interesting choice, to not really wallow in guilt after Tezuka's sacrifice. Ren's the most pragmatic, acknowledging that this was a choice Tezuka made, not something anyone should blame themselves for. (I super love the hypocrisy of Ren here, being all Why Is Everyone Feeling Guilty when that dude's whole deal was feeling immense guilt over Eri's fate until, like, yesterday.) Shinji and Yui both beat themselves up in their first scene, but they pretty quickly turn their self-loathing and recriminations into a plan of action, a way forward. (Yui gets there faster than Shinji, unexpectedly. Progress!) There's not really a Stages Of Grief to this story so much as there's a little space to react, and then a conscious decision to make sure this doesn't have to happen again. Yui throws herself back into investigating Shiro, which doesn't immediately bear fruit but might next episode. (That cliffhanger!) Shinji decides to try and stop the Rider Battles by appealing to the fighters' humanity, which... I'm not 100% clear on how it's different from what Tezuka was doing? Shinji explains his plan to Ren in that he's not trying to alter their fate as Riders, but to change their minds as people. If there's a difference there, it's so minor as to be academic. You are trying to get Riders to stop killing each other, to stop fighting. That's just what Tezuka was doing? I think a more assertive Shinji is a good move after a more introspective Shinji of the last few episodes, but I'm not real clear on how this isn't just Riders Shouldn't Fight all over again. I'd love to get some more details, some way in which this isn't just a reversion to the old Shinji.

The Asakura/Reiko storyline is intriguing, and feels fresh. There's a bit of an attempt to give Asakura a tragic backstory, a reason why he's a monster. It's good, in theory, to create a three-dimensional version of Asakura. I'm afraid the show might be sacrificing some of his impact by making him a non-zero amount of sympathetic. It's risky, humanizing him, but it's probably necessary. He needs to be more developed as a character or he'll become a punchline. I don't think it'll ever get to a redemption arc, but just trying to explore Asakura's story is exciting. That's an unpredictable dude, a character who always feels dangerous. Pairing him with Reiko, someone who feels relatively non-judgemental when it comes to investigating the truth, it's a great couple of characters to keep things surprising. Reiko doesn't seem to have any limits on searching for answers, and god knows Asakura couldn't care less about meeting expectations, so this is a story I was really enjoying. Seems like it's going to be a good one.

Oh, hey, and there're a couple fight scenes where Ren gets to show off his chase card, Survive. (I really like that the card itself has an animated background. Very cool!) It's a sweet-looking suit, Survive. The deep blue of the armor really pops, and the gold edging is crisp. It feels more colorful, more optimistic, which fits Ren's current outlook. Plus, it's got a turbine-powered bat that transforms into a motorcycle, so, A+++. It's a pretty great upgrade for Knight.

This was a nice episode. Felt a little calmer, despite the two fight scenes, than I was expecting. There wasn't this Shadow Of Tezuka hanging over the episode. Instead, folks processed their grief, made a statement of intent, and got ready to move on with their lives.

Just in time for Shiro to abruptly dissolve the contract monsters and end the Rider Battles.



WHAT.