[Fish Sandwich]

You know Die, the way you started off that last episode post gave me intense déjÃ* vu I was having trouble pegging for a bit, but then I realized it was because it was reminding me of how that series wrap-up post I did for Kabuto started. Like I'll honestly be shocked if you tell you weren't taking some degree of inspiration from my now well-documented love of Hiyori there, as you use the visuals of the opening as a springboard to talk about the importance of the female lead in this Kamen Rider show.

Actually, on the subject of Den-O's opening – this is a perfect chance to mention I love those visuals just as much as Kabuto's? They share a lot of the same heavily stylish touches, which is maybe not a surprise since, while this is another case where the series doesn't specifically credit anyone for the OP, I have heard before that the first episode's director usually handles that kind of thing (hence why exceptions like Kabuto have the separate credit?), and for Den-O, that's Ryuuta Tasaki. So yeah, between his talents and yours, it's definitely not surprising to see you able to pull so much meaning out of just a few quick shots there.

And you know what? While you're a little too bummed out to deal with this episode right now, and since I happen to be feeling nostalgia for the Kabuto thread, how about another one of these for old times' sake?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 31 - “AI NEED YU�

Okay, so, first of all, easily my favorite Den-O episode title. Maybe it's just because it's such a delightfully obvious bit of wordplay? Maybe it's just because it reminds me of End of Evangelion? Or maybe it's because, unlike Die, I'm actually a pretty huge fan of the soap opera style dramatic arc concerning Airi and Sakurai, so episodes of this show that focus in on that tend to be favorites of mine.

If I had to knock the episode for one thing, it'd probably end up being the direction. 31/32 are handled by Osamu Kaneda, his second set for the show after Ryutaros' debut in 13/14, and his work is ~maybe~ not as remarkable as the other directors on the show? I'm not sure if I even want to criticize it all that much, as I honestly think the very straightforward approach he tends to take lends itself well to Den-O's particular atmosphere, especially in a more mellow episode like this. But it's hard to say it's doing anything to really elevate the material, either, and there's not a ton of action in this first part for him to show off the more elaborate and impressive stunts that often mark episodes he worked on.

The material he's working with is thankfully pretty good to begin with then? "Not exceptional" is a fair evaluation, but there's a lot here to love. The ridiculous nature of the setup, I mean, I can't even pretend that bothers me. Den-O is a show all about dumb things happening on the surface, so an episode that uses an even more ridiculous than usual episodic premise to slide into a much bigger picture capital P Plot episode... I sort of think it's brilliant?

The thing about Den-O is the plots basically never matter, because it's all just an excuse to do things with the characters, and while I can't speak that well for how this fits into the bigger picture, not having seen the series in a while, this episode does some great things with these characters.

The cold open meets my criteria for a great cold open, quickly putting the mystery of the Zeronos cards in the spotlight and making it clear that answers are coming sooner rather than later. Yuuto fades just a bit into the background of the first part, but I love the brief glimpses you get into all the emotional baggage he refuses to let anyone know he's carrying. It's nice that his inability to be upfront is rooted in his character, and on that same token, there was a conversation he has with Ryoutarou that I found did something pretty interesting with him, too – having him start to admit to himself the reason he hasn't tried telling Airi the truth is probably because he's scared more than anything. Again, only a brief moment, but between that, and the way the script also slips in a reminder of his refusal to properly see Yuuto as being Sakurai's past self, they're moments with proper weight that do a ton to inform you about why the characters behave the way they do.

That kind of attention to characterization is what defines Kobyashi's writing, and it extends to every facet of this episode, from Airi going out of her way to turn down Slimy Bank Dude's "proposal" without a second thought, after misleading the audience to think that the drama is that she might accept, to the very end, where the excuse to keep Den-O from getting out of a pinch with the power of Climax Form is that Ryutaros is too childishly proud to admit he can't win by himself with Gun Form. Even the action cliffhanger is about the characters first and foremost.

So yeah, I don't know. Maybe not the best episode ever, but certainly far from the worst, in my book. Hopefully the second opinion is appreciated!