[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

At the risk of us creating a new rivalry for Reiwa, I'd be interested in hearing why this episode worked for you.

Why this episode worked for me? Well Die, I'm not sure how good a job I can do of that. But then, I suppose I do often make it my business to provide a contrasting opinion. You know, I think I'll even employ the old Kabuto routine here, just to get my love for this episode across as best I can. That'll take a bit more effort on my part, but I'm sure the results will be worth all the extra labor. はい！アルトじゃぁ～ナイけど！

All right, that opening paragraph got me suitably fired up, so I'd best get to it. There's only one person who can praise this episode... and it's me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 4 - "WHAT THE BUS GUIDE SAW! ANNA'S TRUTH"

Okay, so, first of all, because I'm not going to have a spot to work it in later: there's a little bit of choreography in the initial fight with Vulcan and Valkyrie where Fuwa literally grabs Yua and tosses her out of the way to get at the Magia himself, and that moment is so delightfully brilliant. Perfect example of the attention to detail Zero-One's fights have. I'm going to go ahead and assume that was Jun Watanabe's idea, since he's the action director for this show, and man is the Reiwa era ever lucky to have the guy. Even a short bit of inconsequential action like that is fast, fun, and *characterful* with him at the helm. Apparently it was Sugihara's idea to put him in that spot to begin with, and man did he ever make the right choice. Between the intensity of that brief appetizer of a fight, and the usual relaxing fun of Aruto and Izu exploring the workplace of the week, I think it's safe to say we're already off to a strong start here. But of course, the place I really want to dig into the story from is much more central to why this episode works so well.




The smartest thing this episode does by far is make the conscious decision to ground all its exposition in actual human emotion. This entire plot exists first and foremost to serve as the core of Zero-One's worldbuilding. Fundamentally, it's here to be a 20-odd minute lecture about this setting, and all the relevant backstory that will be driving the narrative for the rest of the show's run. We've had a few episodes to get a handle on the characters, and now we have one to get a handle on where they live. Exposition is one of those things that can be tricky to make more than just the necessity it is. A lot of narratives would be perfectly okay parking the real drama for a bit to explain things, but what Yuuya Takahashi does with this one's scirpt is make the questions and answers just as relevant to the characters as they are to the viewers. Fuwa and Gou are on a quest for catharsis. Aruto is trying to define for himself what it means to run his company. Even Anna feels discontent with the idea she's not doing her job to the best of her ability. And what all four of these people have in common is that, to gain what they need, they need answers, and all those answers lie in Daybreak Town.

There's a focus and intent to this story that makes it such a fantastic way to dig into Zero-One's past. Just on its own, it already is a pretty cool backstory, you know? Some big city full of androids that blew up a hair over a decade back? Lots of secrets hidden therein, and a really memorable visual of a ruined town sunken in water? Definitely a pretty sick setting for Zero-One to have up its sleeve, but I really think I only like Daybreak Town as much as I do because of how much I cared about the characters in this episode caring about it.

I mean, Anna's just amazing, isn't she? It's hard not to see in Humagears what Aruto sees after watching this episode. I think Anna's pride in being a bus guide gets right down to the very core of Zero-One's career theme. That's not really an occupation most people would typically think of as worth truly investing yourself in, but for Anna, that role is a purpose. It's a service you provide to society, the same as any other, and if she can't provide people with accurate information, then she's letting them down. This is a show that I think really wanted to convey to the viewer the idea that all kinds of different jobs all have value, and the level of immense dignity Anna carries herself with says so much about that. Not only is she the one going out of her way to tell Aruto they need to discover what truly happened at Daybreak Town, but that task means so much to her she actually resists MetsubouJinrai's hacking right up to the very end, all for the sake of letting the truth be known. Even in an episode that highlights Fuwa's stubborn tenacity to the extent it does, Anna might honestly be the one who shows the most determination of anybody here.

And Fuwa is not exactly slacking off in this one, either! I love his little team-up with Gou so much. Fuwa... he's basically a Showa Rider? Putting it that way might misrepresent the era a bit to people who don't truck with that sort of thing, but I've long felt that's the best way to sum him up. The violent, vengeful tendencies and standoffish attitude are all his own, but the intensity! The tragic origin! The passionate burning desire to take action at all times! He overlaps with how a lot of older toku heroes were written in ways Aruto doesn't, even if the reverse is probably true as well. Few plots are as Showa as a bullied kid in need of some motivation, and that makes this a great fit for a hero like Fuwa. He's got a very traditional approach to encouraging Gou, in that he mostly just tells him not to give up a bunch, but all of that is so on-point for who Fuwa is. On one hand, he's a man trapped by his past, and driven by anger he can't move on from, but on the other hand, the drive that anger gives him is, somewhat ironically, a drive to move forward, no matter what. Nothing means more to Fuwa than knowing he's in control of his own destiny, and that makes things a little less black and white. There are lots of things about Fuwa no sane and rational human being should ever emulate, and then there are parts of his personality that are every bit as genuinely admirable as a classic hero. This episode gives such a complete portrayal of Fuwa's whole crusade. It comes complete with little moments that hint at him eventually learning to soften up too, but most of all, it's about refusing to stop, no matter what life throws at you. This syncs up perfectly with Punching Kong's debut, where Fuwa stubbornly walks straight into gunfire without flinching, all to smash his problems into the ground with force. Yes, Fuwa is a wolf, and he's a Showa Rider, but at the same time, he'll always be a gorilla, for better or for worse.

Aruto gets a nice role in this episode as well, even without being in the spotlight the same way. Part of Zero-One's dramatic core is the idea of this idealistic kid suddenly being thrust into a leadership role as the head of a big corporation, and we get to see here a textbook example of how Aruto's personal ideals clash with traditional business interests. He makes several decisions that go against what's asked of him, choosing instead to follow his own heart, and that really sets the show up nicely for a lot of the drama that comes down the line. It's a pretty great hero moment for the dude when he waltzes up to Fuwa with his Driver on, determined to own up to everything him and the company that's now his responsibility have been doing. Plus, I mean, you can't go wrong with Flying Falcon, right? I consistently see quite a bit of love for this suit in particular among all of Zero-One's basic form changes, and while it's not my favorite, I totally get it. It's a pretty sweet suit! The colors are super unique, and the shapes highlight the emphasis on abstraction that comes with this show's desire to keep things simple. The armor is all vaguely bird-shaped in a way that's unmistakable, and yet it's *so* vague that it's impressive that it's recognizable at all. Everything is communicated clearly with the absolute bare-minimum amount of detail. Those pointy shoulders make you think "wings", even though the suit doesn't actually have wings, for example. Masterful design work; really puts the "Intelligence" in Hiden Intelligence.

So you've got all that goodness going on, and then the episode ties a bow on everything by anchoring it back on Gou, who Fuwa helps give the closure he himself has yet to find, by clearing his family's name, and then some. And honestly, it's just a really sweet, uplifting conclusion? There's a lot of sadness in this one, too, considering we're dealing with Fuwa's trauma, Anna's tragic destruction, and the (awesome) teases of Horobi's greater role in the series, which is why I love that at the center, with the kid who set everyone off on this whole adventure, he actually gets exactly what he wants? Heck, not only is his father not some bumbler who caused a huge tragedy, it was actually thanks to his selfless actions that the incident was as contained as it was. In an episode that's all about ruin and loss and all this other negative stuff, everyone's pursuit of a grand truth ultimately results in the vindication of a single man whose brave sacrifice went unknown to the world, and that's a heck of a way to balance things out.




So yeah, I'm a huge fan of this episode, if that isn't apparent yet. They took a designated backstory-dump plot and make it way the heck more emotional and engaging than it had any right to be. Early Zero-One just keeps rolling out the hits man, what can I say?