[Kamen Rider Die]

I liked that this story got told, and told now. It's a good point in the show to do a thing on a set of Riders who don't know why they're fighting. We've seen all sorts of heroism and villainy, but the idea of futility, I don't think that's one we've spent a huge amount of time with. There's a nihilism, maybe, to Sano and Toujou's story. These guys who, even when they're fighting to achieve something or protect something, really can't articulate it any better than I can. It's like their lives are the result of an ill-informed decision, and they can't even tell you why they care.

So much of this show is about characters with clear, precise motivations, delineated and explicated. Before it's all over, it's nice to see what it means to be a directionless Rider in Shiro's game. To see that ennui and nascent self-discovery punished by heroism and villainy alike.

It's hard, maybe, to tell that kind of story well. It's a tragic end for a comedy character, and a new level of inhumanity for a killer. I can't stop thinking about it, though.