[Kamen Rider Die]

RIDER TIME: SHINOBI EPISODE 3 - “LAST NINPOW!!! VOLUME: THE CLOSE CALL IN A DEAD-END"



Boy, resolving the action with an Everyone’s Horny For Iroha story beat is… it’s a choice! It’s definitely a real decision that this three-episode mini-series made! To have multiple adult characters lust after a 17-year old girl! And for that 17-year old girl to accidentally lust after her older brother!

I pretty much disliked this series. There’s not much here but the gags, and a TON of the gags in this episode (a full third of the series!) are built around some really uncomfortable storylines. It’s tacky, and it’s not for me.

And it’s a shame, because despite Iroha being knocked out for the bulk of this episode and used as a prize for multiple men to fight over (was not expecting a Gaim tribute in this Shinobi series), there’s some neat stuff added to Iroha’s character here? Her use of science sets her apart from the more straightforward ninja spellcasting, giving her a perspective that’s pertinent to the themes and struggles of Shinobi’s world. Her use of opposing elements to achieve a new effect is used by Shinobi to escape from a trap, but it’s also relevant to Shinobi and Hattari teaming up to save her. It’s a great use of her character.

Buuuuut then some old man says that he wants to kill Shinobi so he can abduct a teenage girl and force her into marriage, and Rentarou’s like You Only Kidnapped Her So You Can Go, and Icchy shows up later to perv on Iroha, and I’ve completely forgotten my positive feelings for this series.

Real bummer, man. I liked some of the crazy worldbuilding of this short-run series (that bonkers cliffhanger!), and the more the show leaned into Ninja Status Quo, the more I loved it, but just landing everything on dudes wanting to hook up with a 17-year old girl was… nope! No thanks! No thanks forever!