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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The thing is, though, I feel like I’ve seen this dynamic before on a Rider show? It wasn’t until the sequence of Tendou enjoying the mackerel miso that Kagami covets that I figured out where I saw this type of partnership before. The egotistical prick who needs the harried everyman to achieve his goal; and the easily-distracted guy who needs the power of some narcissist that can barely stop rolling his eyes long enough to actually do his job.

It’s OOO, isn’t it? But if Ankh was the Rider.

Oh god, it totally is. I can absolutely see that.

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And then they end it with not one but TWO defining Kabuto moments. The first is that Tendou 100% leaves Kagami inside the police station, and then seems slightly amused that Kagami couldn’t escape a half-dozen cop dogpile quicker. (Which, how did Kagami get out? Is he actually that good?) It’s maybe Tendou having faith that Kagami could extricate himself on his own (and he could!), but I feel like it’s not some small part Tendou sort of forgetting to take Kagami with him? I don’t think he forgot forgot, but Is Kagami Going To Be Okay was probably pretty far down Tendou’s decision-making matrix.

I have to assume that Misaki cleared things up, assuming that the police were already in on her undercover role.

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A QUESTION

While the good/bad split setup isn’t sticking around (too confining!), I do still want to keep asking questions for these episodes. The heart of this episode, for me at least, was the mismatched buddy cop dynamic of Tendou and Kagami. There are bunches of other Rider shows with a great core duo (OOO, obviously, but also Build, W, Ryuki, and more); but we’ve also seen plenty of shows with a more ensemble cast (Ex-Aid, Fourze, Drive). My question to you is which type of setup do you prefer, all else being equal: a core duo or a broader ensemble?

I love me a good ensemble - Hibiki and Fourze leap most readily to mind - but nothing beats a good double-act in Kamen Rider. So many of my favorite character interactions come from a dynamic pairing of characters: Ichijou and Yusuke, Ren and Shinji, Kenzaki and Hajime, Tendou and Kagami, Shotaro and Philip, Eiji and Ankh, Shinnosuke and Belt-san, Sento and Banjou, etc. When these shows get a good pair of characters who can really bounce off of each other, that's when the magic happens.