[Fish Sandwich]

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP37)

My original post for this episode is fun and all, but you know, it's been a few years, quite a few of these threads, and as long as Die's reviving the lyrical gimmick from his Hibiki thread, I figure I might as well go ahead and revive mine from the Kabuto thread, and give these episodes a proper rewatch and reevaluation. After all, thanks to that thread, I've actually become a way bigger fan of Kabuto than I used to be. And with that newfound appreciation, there's no doubt I'll be able to really focus in on the tribute aspects of this one, and dig deeper into them in a way I wasn't able to before!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 37 - "2006 - NEXT LEVEL KABUTO"

Man, I sure do love the cast of Kamen Rider Zi-O! Like, part of this is probably just the fact that I'm hopping back into this show in the middle for a little visit, but pretty much right away, as soon as Geiz was getting all upset about having to team up with Woz, it really felt like coming home.

I've already talked a bunch in this thread about how episode 28 marked a big turning point for the series not simply in terms of the plot, but for the overall style of the show. Right after that, we get the introduction of Trinity and the return of Blade, the latter highlighting a more actively fanservice-driven kind of tribute to the past, and the former recalibrating he dynamic between the three Riders (arguably a little too quickly) to firmly establish the one true Woz as part of that heroic trio of buddies. That should probably have felt way more incongruous than it ended up being! Woz, initially, he was clearly set up as a shady mystery man who would probably betray anyone if it advanced his own goal, which was and nominally still is furthering the ascension of an evil king who will ruin the whole world. But along comes this stretch of episodes, and suddenly, Woz is adorably trying to celebrate Sougo's birthday, and his dynamic with Geiz has become some kind of old married couple bickering where nothing about their animosity ever comes across too seriously. And I love it.

I love it because it's fun, and regardless of how well that fits with whatever predetermined path the story might've seemed "meant" to take early on, here and now (well, then, but you know what I mean), that emphasis on upbeat entertainment gels perfectly with everything else about this stretch of Zi-O. Most of the episodes in this stretch, they are just all about pure gratification for the viewer.

Tell me, who are the three characters from Kabuto you'd most want to see back in a big guest spot for this show? I have to imagine most fans would pick exactly the three they ended up getting, and that already starts this two-parter off on a good foot. Kagami in particular, he was very much the protagonist of Kabuto in the most traditional sense. He was a guy with a lot of flaws and a good heart who worked to better himself throughout the show's run, and as such it's great seeing him here, wise enough from experience to tell Sougo off for falling for a Worm's deception. Which ends up being hilarious, because Sougo actually did take some precautions when he trusted Kageyama's words, which is a level of planning Kagami himself would definitely not have displayed back in the day! And that's one great beat in an episode that's full of them. Woz Ginga Finally gets a fight scene that goes almost pointlessly over the top in how much they linger on that big explosion, but it starts making sense once it becomes a way for Kyouhei Yamaguchi to give us some shots of KickHopper surrounded by fire that do Ishida real proud.

And then while all that's happening, we've got Sougo heading out into space to stop huge rocks from hitting the Earth, because this really is just the summer blockbuster arc of Zi-O. Big stars, big plots, big action, lots of banter between big heroes... seriously, what's not to love?