[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 10

I think what I like most about this episode is how strongly it affirms that Kamen Rider Kabuto isn't really about Kabuto. He's important to the story, of course; when Tendou likens himself to the sun, it's hardly inaccurate. The entire world of the show legitimately does revolve around him, but that isn't where the heart of the story is most of the time. When you get down to it, Kabuto is a show all about Kagami trying to grow into some kind of superhero, and what better way to underscore that than by having Kagami become a superhero less than a quarter of the way in?

Giving him this brief stint as TheBee, it's a super interesting choice – giving Kagami that small taste of the life he longs for only for it to be inevitably torn away. I love that kind of thing in a story. The strength of a character's writing often stems from the strength of whatever desire they have, and Kagami has desire for days in this one. Right out of the gate, he's taking his newfound Rider status as a certainty. He's got everything he's ever wanted, and the thought of living out his days being a cool hero who saves people with the help of his loyal teammates in Shadow and his best buddy Kabuto fills him with barely contained glee.

But then, if Kagami is the protagonist of this story, it goes without saying he can't have that for long with dozens of episodes left to go, doesn't it? It's hard to speak from personal experience here, since I went into Kabuto knowing plenty about Kagami's overall trajectory, including that he got to be TheBee early on, but I think even without that foreknowledge, any slightly savvy viewer could figure out where this episode was going to end up, and I think that's yet another point in its favor. The fun is in that looming sense of collapse; it's in seeing what exactly is going to be the thing that forces Kagami to give up what he was lusting after back in the premiere, which naturally ends up being friction with Mr. Sun himself, Tendou.

I don't have anywhere near as much of a hard time getting behind the climax here as it seems Die did. Kagami having to choose between his friend and his power, it's a pretty obvious (if effective) note to land the story on, so I really appreciated the way the show gets a bit more clever with it. If this is an episode that makes you sit there afterwards and think intently about the meaning behind it, that kinda sounds like the exact opposite of a problem to me? Especially when it's a plot beat that's wrapped up in Tendou's own alien decision-making process, which is supposed to be enigmatic by nature.

How exactly Kagami's run as TheBee ended was one of the things I've completely forgotten over the years, so it was actually a really pleasant surprise to me how many little layers end up being at work here. It's weird I didn't recall it better when it's a confrontation that seems rather memorable, both in how its filmed (their Rider forms being reflected in the flames! So neat!) and the emotions at play. I guess I just liked Yaguruma too much or something. At any rate, this one is definitely another example of Kabuto making its melodrama work in its favor. A really good conclusion to a really good arc.

Oh, and my answer to Die's question this time is a blunt "not particularly" so uninteresting I might as well not even bother responding. Evidently the both of us could stand to take a little more inspiration from this show's obsession with preparing nice food.