[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 30 - "PREMONITION OF TRAINING"



"And like good songs, they can always be sung
To the tune of another song"

-Roddy Woomble, "A New Day Has Begun"

I don't know what it is I'm supposed to dislike about this era. Is it in this episode? Is it yet to come? Because I thought this was pretty fantastic.

I love how the opening of this episode reimagines the opening of the first episode. Where that was Asumu on his bike, happy for another day, embraced by the world; this one is him on his bike, but in conflict, uncertain. The world has left him alone, and he's forced to defend his place in the narrative from an interloper.

Kiriya, though, right? Holy shit, I didn't expect Inoue to sign his work so quickly. Of course the brand-new character is this hilariously condescending prick, eager to show off and still let you know how bored he is at showing off. It's such a stupidly broad character, with him being the best musician/francophone/gamesman/mangaka/poolshark, as well as a rich dilettante and a spoiled brat and an abandoned child and a snotty jerk. He's a lot, and he definitely represents the volume on this show getting turned the eff up.

And, y'know, I'm okay with it. There's a subtle (and occasionally unsubtle) critique of the previous era of Hibiki here, asking through the lens of Asumu's character if things were maybe a little too nice before. Asumu sees the awesomeness of Kiriya, and the ways his horrible personality makes him interesting, and wonders if he's too bland and boring.

I really like that the show opts to ask that question at the start of its new era. I was afraid that an Inoue era of this show would suddenly pivot to All Oni All The Time, and that's just not what's here. What's here is a story about a teenage boy being challenged, and trying to understand himself better.

Kiriya massively helps flesh out Asumu's side of the story by putting some meat on the bone. Asumu's a very sweet kid, who has very sweet mentors and guardians. But what if there were some Pretty Well-Trained person his own age who sucked? Just was the worst? What would that inspire Asumu to do? What lessons would he learn from that kid?

I love how Kiriya becomes, like, Dark Hibiki, the devil on Asumu's shoulder. It's not exactly leading him down a dark path, but it's more... if Hibiki's the paragon of What Is Best In Man, Kiriya exists to question all that, to make being selfish and dismissive seem rewarding.

I'm just really into the ways Kiriya brings (hilarious) conflict into Asumu's tranquil, potentially boring existence. I get that it's a change from how nice the series was previously, but there's newfound tension to Asumu's journey that I'm very into.

And, y'know, there's still plenty of Oni action if you're into that! Well, not plenty. About as much as is normal in the first part of a Hibiki two-parter. We've dispensed (for good?) with the normal slow build-up of research and camping and lieutenants, with a new Monster Suit Makamou just showing up and murdering people. There's no feeding, or incubation, or any of the normal Makamou storytelling. What's here is your typical Kamen Rider storytelling of Rider Rolls Up On Monster, for better or worse.

Honestly, I didn't mind it. I thought this was more high-octane (Akira DIVES off of a moving motorcycle, Ibuki LAUNCHES his bike into the air to attack the Makamou), and while that's not how grounded the show usually treats the fighting, I thought it was pretty exciting. It's different, for sure, and maybe even wrong... but also fun?

And that was this whole episode to me: fun. There's a whole plotline where Hibiki has to work in the restaurant! And he pitches his new movie to patrons! How am I supposed to be mad at that?

Yeah, I... I'm sorry if you were expecting me to bemoan the many ways this series lost its insightfulness, or discarded its uniqueness. There are aesthetic changes (a few) and tonal changes (a bunch), but it still felt like a show where a teenage boy is trying to become a man, and also there are monsters. I still felt like I was watching Kamen Rider Hibiki, and I had a good time doing so.