[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 28 - "UNENDING MALICE"
KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 29 - "SHINING BOY"



"Hoping that I have some good advice
Something you could win with, something true
Not exactly sure just what I'd do
You'd think it's rock and roll or something
And I'll want to tell you that there's money in new wave
And that I hope you know I love you
We won't have to go over it again"

-A.C. Newman, "There's Money In New Wave"

Aww.

I'd love to be able to talk about this story as a send-off to a creative team, as the final statement by a creator, as the closing of a door to a certain outlook on these characters. But since I haven't watched what's to come yet, I don't know how much these threads, these feelings, continue. Maybe a lot, maybe a little. It's not fair to make big declarations about how final this story feels.

But I'm going to, because it feels so final. It's such a definitive statement about this show's themes, and its central characters. There's a monster plot, and it's fun to watch, but it's 1000% not what this story is for.

It's to talk about Asumu, and to talk about Hibiki, and to talk about their relationship, and to talk about how to live a good life.

Asumu's in a rough place, as communicated through some flashbacks. The shoplifter from months ago came back and beat the shit out of him, bruising his face and crushing his spirit. It's a huge regression for Asumu, with him moping and withdrawn. He keeps seeing his weakness, keeps reliving his shame. He feels worthless, a failure, a burden.

Hibiki's lost one of his drumsticks, and needs to go out and carve another one. He invites Asumu along for some bonding. As much as Asumu admires Hibiki, and wants to impress him, Hibiki's the one person who can get Asumu to feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable. (As Hibiki himself says, he is a ray of sunshine.) Hibiki is so proud of the man Asumu is becoming, and he's eager to help him become stronger.

But their relationship isn't about training, about physical strength. It's about perseverance, about knowing what you want in life, and about feeling free to go for it. Hibiki wants Asumu to think of the things that have befallen him, the indignities and punishments, as something to overcome, not something to own. Bad things can happen to you, but they don't happen because of you. Asumu can feel hurt about what happened to him, but he shouldn't feel ashamed. Hibiki's had setbacks, like his broken drumstick, but he's worked hard to put the pieces back together. He didn't give in to anger and self-doubt, and neither should Asumu.

Because that message, about getting back up and trying again, it's what the whole series is about. We know it is because two different characters give more-or-less the same speech on perseverance. Hibiki gives one to Asumu, letting him know that there will be times that you'll get knocked down, and you need to figure out how not to get knocked down again. And AsuMum gives the other, where she talks about how integral it is to push through adversity if you're ever going to be an adult.

Of the two, I think I like AsuMum's better? Hibiki's is cool and comforting, but AsuMum's has the stress of being a parent in it. This feeling of wanting the best for your children, but knowing they're going to suffer at least a little in life. And her, as a mother, she's destined to always be held at a little bit of a distance from Asumu's troubles. There's a really nice beat where she mentions that she can't really talk to a teenage boy in a way that he'll listen to, and how she's made her peace with that, but it stresses her out sometimes. It's so honest of a moment, her confessing to these near-strangers that she fears for her son and hopes that he'll get through this.

And Asumu does, because he's surrounded by people who care for him. The monsters are eventually defeated (great fights, don't really want to talk about it the way I want to talk about Asumu and Hibiki) and everyone meets back up at the restaurant. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone: AsuMum and Midori and Ichiro and Hitomi and Kasumi and Hinaka and Asumu and Hibiki and Akira and Ibuki and Zanki and Todoroki. The full cast, celebrating their victory and enjoying each other's company. Asumu is happy again, confident in his ability to weather adversity.

And there's Hibiki, off to the side: a proud parent, happy in the man his son has become.

I can't imagine a better way to end this series.