[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 38 - “2019 - THE ONE CHOSEN BY KABUTO”



One plotline aside, I felt like this was an episode where the fan service got away from the writer.

I don’t know that I buy Kagami becoming Kabuto. It’s vaguely reminiscent of the Hibiki/Kiriya thing from a few episodes back, but it lacks a lot of the weight of that story. Kiriya’s entire arc was about how basically no one wanted Kiriya to be Hibiki, so his redemption in obtaining the Hibiki Ridewatch has catharsis to it. Kagami and the Kabuto Zecter… like, no? He had his own destiny as Gatack, and he didn’t view Defeating Kabuto as some bucket list item. This two-parter doesn’t even bother to construct a motivation for Kagami to summon the Kabuto Zecter, beyond the twin possibilities of Why Not and It’s Nice To See That Suit Again. It all comes off as obligatory, rather than earned.

(That said, I love the idea of Kagami becoming Kabuto about sixteen times more if it’s just the Kabuto Zecter giving Kagami a pity henshin. Like, Kagami would be really grateful, and he’s sort of pathetic, so maybe that’s enough for a magic space beetle. If that’s where the show is leading the audience? Sure, you’ve got my vote.)

Tsukasa and Tsukuyomi – the Tsupergroup – with their trip to the Misery Suburbs of 2058… it’s the audience learning something instead of the characters, which I’m always less into. She learns that she’s from 2058 (the girl they got to play Young Tsukuyomi has the same GIGANTIC eyes, so good work from the casting department), but only the audience gets to learn that she’s maybe probably Swartz’z sister. It’s a neat concept, but one that falls apart if you think about it for more than two consecutive seconds. Like, she’s dressed the exact same way as Swartz’z sister, with the same gigantic eyes. He didn’t think that was worth thinking about prior to her busting out Time Powers? I assume there’s more to come on this, so I’m not too wound up about how ridiculous this Secret Sibling reveal is (hello Kabuto homage), but I don’t love how hard the show is going to have to work to make this twist make sense. Doesn’t seem worth the effort?

And it’s weird to see it fumbling with its own relationships, since it’s so smart in connecting the show’s dynamics with whatever series they’re homaging. To wit: did not even think about how much Yaguruma and Geiz overlapped before! Two grim Riders who have sworn to kill the person they’re closest to? And also completely can’t follow through on that because they care too much now? How did I not see it?!

The way Yaguruma’s inability to kill Kageyama exposes Geiz’z inability to deal with Zi-O is a great reminder of how much the show has evolved its cast. This episode has Geiz see himself in Yaguruma’s vow to kill Kageyama if necessary, but then it has Geiz see his real feelings in Yaguruma’s refusal to view Kageyama as a threat, no matter what. I don’t think we’re at some crisis of conscience with Geiz, though. Not any more. I think we’ve got a Geiz who realizes that he’s going to follow Sougo down whatever road he travels, even if it’s not one Geiz would’ve chosen. If there’s a beat the show wants to leave Geiz with this episode, it’s the idea of commitment, and how it can sneak up on you.

This episode… not my favorite? The action was STELLAR (that rooftop Henshin sequence!!!), but that’s the lowest bar I want one of these shows to clear. If my main praise lands on, like, the stunt team, someone did not write the best story. The Kagami plot never ended up justifying itself or its elevation of his powerset. The Tsupergroup plot was a trip that no one really needed to take after all. Only the Geiz/Yaguruma plot ended up being both surprising and relevant, and it’s maybe the third or fourth-most important plot in this episode. Fun to watch, all the way through, but not a story I’m raving about to anyone.