[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 11

This time on Kamen Rider Blade: Tachibana is 100% in the pocket of Big Trenchcoat! Hajime and Jin face monsters both literal and paternal! And Blade is trying to get everyone on the same page!




Also, hello special guest star Kenzaki From Kuuga! I thought he looked familiar as someone's dad, and I thought he was the dad from Agito, but, nope. He was a father-figure to Godai on Kuuga. One of my favorite characters from that show, and it's cool to see him back on a Kamen Rider. He still has that weird energy, half-judgmental and half-supportive, but it twists up his I Only Want The Best For You vibe into something more stifling. Or maybe Jin is just lashing out? Tough to say. There's some neat levels to the story with Jin and his dad, something that doesn't feel that open-and-shut.

It's a fun story, too, the Hajime and Jin one. It's nice to see Jin more in his element. It's also nice to see Hajime being incrementally won over by humanity, their capacity for expression and their dreams for the future. I'm not sure how much of that he was seeing in a basement apartment beneath a barely-frequented restaurant (it feels like it's a million miles from any traffic), so this friendship with Jin is a real positive.

It's just a sweet story, you know? There's a monster fight, but it feels perfunctory, more a reminder that Chalice is still very into killing Undead than anything that pushes this plot forward. This one's just about Jin having a dream, and Hajime slowly getting into the idea of supporting him.

Hajime... he's a bit like Kenzaki, isn't he? Kenzaki falls into friendships too easy, and so does Hajime. He maybe wouldn't think of it like that, but when he's grown to care for the only three people he's spent any time with, it's hard to deny. He, I'm sure, wouldn't want to be someone so invested in humanity, but him and Kenzaki just can't fight their natures.

Speaking of, pretty good episode for Kenzaki! All it took was moving Tachibana more firmly into the Antagonist column.

Now that Tachibana is working directly for Trenchcoat Mastermind, the show doesn't view him with as much sympathy. He's dangerous, and, while his friends always view him as redeemable, that danger is kept in mind constantly. That means that Blade is allowed the solo Hero role, and he gets to be more present in the storyline. It's no longer Garren Is Doing One Thing And Blade Is Doing Another Thing, it's Garren Is Doing One Thing And Blade Needs To Stop Him. Blade is an active participant in Garren's story now.

Or, honestly, maybe Garren is an active participant in Blade's story now? There's way more time spent with Team Blade (and Dr Ladyfriend) than with Garren. It's a story that's all about how Team Blade is going to deal with the new threat of Garren teamed-up with Trenchcoat. I'm really into that! Kenzaki doesn't... he doesn't really have much in the way of plans or clues, but he's got determination and a Rider Kick. Heroes have gotten by with less than that.

Sort-of a light episode for discussion? I liked it, but there didn't feel like a lot to draw out of this one. The Hajime/Jin stuff was very good, but still sort-of setting up what it's about. The Blade/Garren stuff was also good, but still pretty nascent. It's a real Part 1 episode, I guess. I mean, I'm excited to see Part 2, so I guess that's okay!



Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: Garren and Blade vs an Ace! Dr Ladyfriend in danger again! Boat explosions! Just a billion Undead everywhere, and all three Kamen Riders in action!