[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 14 - "DEVOURING DOUJI"



"Want you to take me to the H
Take me to the O
Want you to take me to the S
Take me to the P
Want you to take me to the I-T-A-L
Want you to take me to the hospital"

-The Faint, "Take Me To The Hospital"

I think this was a really strong Kamen Rider episode, but maybe not a great Kamen Rider Hibiki episode.

As much stronger as the monster plots have gotten (and this one's great!), this is the episode where it felt like it was happening at the expense of the Asumu stuff, a.k.a. Everything That Makes Hibiki Hibiki.

Like, I don't enjoy chiding this show for having merely a really fun plot where two superheroes and their support staff team up to defeat a rampaging monster. That's a thing that not every Kamen Rider manages! That shit is not a gimme! But all of that emphasis on a tight, compelling monster hunt left the Asumu stuff feeling... vestigial. Like an appendix. Oh! It's a metaphor!

The Asumu plot wasn't bad, but it felt, for maybe the first time, like it wasn't worth spending time on during this episode. Even the episodes where Asumu was freaking out over his ineffectiveness at least felt like they belonged on this show. I mean, they didn't feel cohesive, but they felt like something that deserved to be on this show. The whole thing with Asumu In The Hospital, I don't know. It never felt that vital to me? Asumu got sick, and then he got better. It's got a few nice moments in it (AsuMum and Hitomi talking about Hitomi outgrowing drama club was sweet, take that, actors), but there's really no tension to anything that happens. No one really learned anything, or demonstrated some new insight to their character. God, maybe it was bad?

Or, not bad, but... unnecessary? It's something for Asumu to do, at a time where the show seems steadfast in keeping Asumu as far away from Hibiki as possible. And, okay, that's probably intentional. This is the episode where half the cast tells Hibiki to just ask Asumu to be your apprentice already, god, so having Hibiki neglect/ignore Asumu for a few episodes feeds into that plot. But the practical effect is that it feels like Asumu is in that Kamen Rider Narrative Penalty Box, where a series just backburners a character for a bunch of episodes. Normally, it's just slightly irritating (depending on how much you want to watch the women in the cast!), but here, it's the co-lead of the show. I don't need Asumu to be going on missions or anything, but I need his plots to feel as vital to the storytelling as Hibiki's. I just wasn't getting that out of his side of the story this time out.

Of course, Asumu's side of the episode had one other thing, his meet-cute with the Mysterious Patient who had a cool Guitar Theme and a Very Admirable Sense Of Rugged Compassion and probably looked like Asumu's dad and look it's Zanki. Maybe it's another Oni, but I feel confident in saying It's Definitely Zanki. He's pretty cool in this one, and I especially love how almost star-struck Asumu gets when they have their hallway conversation. Asumu really needs a dad! I grew up without a dad, too, man! I get it! You're looking for father figures everywhere! Don't be so thirsty, though, my dude! Be cool about this!

Speaking of Asumu's surrogate father, great episode for ol' Hibiki. Seeing him team up with Ibuki and Akira was very fun. They have a natural rhythm, and an almost psychic bond when it comes to coordinating their attacks. Everyone knows what to do, and they execute perfectly. Not a lot of weird turns to this one (Ichiro nails that this is an experiment that either went Super Right or Super Wrong, but there's no special thing that needs doing to defeat it), and the fact that everyone's so professional means that there's very little drama to get into, but the fights and action were engrossing. This was a super-watchable episode of monster hunting, and on that level it's a success.

But, y'know, the monster hunting is not what hooked me on Hibiki. It's great that they've fixed that side of the show, but I wish it didn't feel like it came at the expense of the Asumu moments. He's here, and he's doing things, but it isn't clicking like it used to. I'd love for this show to recapture some of that early spark and keep delivering entertaining action. I hope that isn't asking too much!