[Kamen Rider Die]

Originally posted to "Kamen Rider Die watches Kamen Rider Build" on September 29th, 2019:

KAMEN RIDER BUILD MOVIE: BE THE ONE



There's a core of this movie that works so well. A narrative thread so clear, so pure, that it manages to overcome some of the dumbest story decisions this show has made during its weakest stretch. But, man, do you have to sit through some junk to get to it.

The thing that works, to get to the positive part first this time, is the second half of the film. After avoiding the maybe 300 people still alive in Touto, Build has seen Grease and Rogue captured, the country (including Misora and Sawa) turned against him, and Cross-Z possessed by the villains. He's out of options, out of friends, out of hope. Takumi is telling him that the villain is right, that Build was only created by monsters to cause harm. He's at his lowest. He can't fight back, and he doesn't have anything to fight for. But. Banjou still needs his help. Banjou, his best friend, needs to be saved from the bad guys. That's enough. That is all the reason Sento needs to find it within himself to risk everything and face the villains. There's hope that, with Banjou on his side, maybe they can still turn this thing around. It's great. It centers the story on this friendship and sells it, telling you it's bigger than all the threats aligned against them. It's beautifully done.

It is, unfortunately, possibly the only thing the movie does well.

Imagine my joy, seeing the face of Buildad as this film opens. So great to see him back for this story! He gives a laughably prophetic set of advice to Takumi that stops short of saying, "And make sure to form change into Build Genius when you fight Evolt in a field in ten years with Cross-Z, Grease, and Rogue." The idea of Better Days Buildad as a thing in the movie, I actually liked it. If I blocked out the last five episodes of his story, Sento's dad works great in this movie, as a beacon of selfless belief in humanity and its potential. It's just, if you think about the overall plot of the series for more than one second, it rings totally hollow and makes, like negative sense. It removes sense from the surrounding story elements.

Speaking of nonsensical story elements that fall apart the second you think of the TV show this movie is based on, JESUS, why in the world you'd take one-off villains from the movie (good!), tie them to Evol(t)'s story (tough, but maybe!), and then make them the secret masterminds of everything in the series, even the stuff we watched other people do, I have no earthly idea. It is far, far too late in the story to introduce a higher layer of puppet masters, and it's bonkers to try to do it in a 60-minute summer movie. It takes a story that was already too convoluted and complex, and makes it like a non-comedic version of the end of Clue. How many people were peering over Evol(t)'s shoulder the last ten years, fifty? A hundred?

But, goddamn, the last twenty minutes nearly make it all work. The friendship of Sento and Banjou is so well-established and vibrant that, once they shake off some stupid, stupid ideas, the climax of the film works great. Their friendship is solidified in one Rider that can't be beat, in a suit that I don't love but it's a movie suit and it works thematically if not aesthetically so I'm not that mad. I just hate how much of the first half doesn't work if you think about it even briefly. Worth watching for the cast and some of the gags (and that instrumental xylophone or whatever version of the theme song), hard to get past the villains and how much you need to forget Buildad and just think of Sento's flashback dad. Complicated feelings about this one!



oh also Zi-O shows up in the end but I'm not watching that series for a long while so I'm going to pretend it wasn't in this 'cause I don't want to talk about that series yet okay thanks thanks and thanks thanks

~TIME’S ALMOST UP!~



Real quick… is it weird to say I really liked that write-up? My memory’s terrible, and I’ve completely forgotten writing that up (watching the movie this time, I was like Remember To Mention The Xylophone Theme Song, and then I already tossed in a parenthetical about it last time), so I might as well be complimenting a completely different person. (Kamen Rider Die 2022 can’t really claim ownership of that one.) I don’t know, I think that piece turned out pretty well!

As such, I don’t really have a lot new to say about this movie. Almost the only thing in the entire story that works is Sento and Banjou’s bond. The Blood are terrible villains, powered by pointless retconning and nothing else. (Their Best Match bottles are “Redundant” and “Why Would You Write This Story”.) All of your favorite characters, except for Banjou and Sento, are sidelined for the majority of the film.

It’s still an okay movie to watch, though. There’s a really intelligent soundscape to this film, the way silence helps reenforce emotions and add nuance. I liked how Sento’s lowest ebb sees these overlapping effects, where rain flows into memory flows into self-doubt. It’s melodramatic, but in the good way.

Also, wow, did someone get the Build camera team a drone for their birthday or something? Because this was the movie where every other scene needed an aerial establishing shot. It absolutely provides scale for the many Build Vs Japan scenes, but, like, maybe don’t burn out on that one trick? There are wipes other than Star Wipes, you guys.

What else was in this film I wanted to talk about?



Oh! This guy!

This movie’s final scene introduces us to Kamen Rider Zi-O: a Rider with a slightly-alarming high-pitched voice, and the star of the next show I’m going to be watching. It’s mostly him being genial/cryptic, showing off his powers, and overseeing another Decennial Rider War. It definitely got me excited to start Zi-O in a couple weeks.

And - not to make this last movie write-up for the thread into a bummer - it’s a show I’ll be tackling solo.

I appreciate the folks who reached out to participate in the possible TokuNation Watches Kamen Rider Zi-O thread, but we just didn’t get enough volunteers to make a go of it. With how long Zi-O is, we’d’ve needed 20 people. (And even then, most folks would’ve needed to pull double-duty.) We got 10, and that’s just too far under the minimum to try and make it a group project.

Still, I’m enormously grateful to the people who reached out to take part. Much like the Decade participants, I am in each of your debts. Feel free to ask me to form one (1) combination Rider with you via the power of friendship, at a time and place of your choosing.

And… I mean, I say I’ll be tackling it “solo”, but that’s not even close to accurate. Much like Sento isn’t his best self without his Best Match at his side, these threads aren’t worth doing if you all aren’t here to talk back. I’m hopeful that everyone will have some fun stuff to say about Kamen Rider Zi-O when we get started on (probably!) March 10th.

In the meantime, I’ll be back in a couple days for the Thread Wrap-Up, with some bonus Legend Rider Projects thoughts!