[Switchblade]

Yeah, this one was definitely weird. I liked it, but it feels really out of place. The show just went in hard on its lore in the last few episodes with the Natives, the Red Shoe System, and some big reveals about Hiyori. And the follow up is something that feels like a complete throwaway Monster of the Fortnight story. There are some attempts at nodding to the larger story, but it feels like a major halt in the show's momentum. Even the first appearance of Hyper Kabuto's sword doesn't feel like a big event since it just appears out of nowhere with no explanation, Kiva style.

It is really fun, though. In some ways it feels very Showa with the whole school haunted by monsters and the Riders investigating it. There are some really nice shots that help build the horror element, including that great bit at the beginning with the baseball team. Keiko's a really engaging guest character, too, and I like how the show develops her character.

It's a really funny episode, too. Tsurugi's presence is incredibly forced and nonsensical, even by his own standards, but goddamn if he doesn't continue to be hilarious. I'm not sure what part I liked the most: the running gag of Jiiya getting dragged out of the classroom, the absurd response to the math question, or Tsurugi's delightful misinterpretation of his punishment as some kind of reward. So many good comedic bits in this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I mean, it’s not unique to Kabuto to have the kids in crisis be teens. Fourze made their bones on teens in trouble

So, small piece of trivia I discovered when looking up the cast for this episode: Keiko's actress also appeared on Fourze as one of its teens in trouble, too. She was the photographer who didn't want to graduate because she liked high school so much.