[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 25 - “I WILL SAVE THE HUMAGEARS”



Jesus, what a bizarre episode.

It’s basically a clip show, something that leverages tons of old footage (including, sadly, a bunch of content from the Reiwa First Generation movie) to recap the surprisingly complex and sprawling plot of this series, as well as the journeys of individual characters. In a lot of ways, it’s an extended, less funny version of some of those recap HBVs. There’re weird, almost non-sequitur exchanges where characters get way too introspective and verbose in their responses and analyses (why in the world does Aruto stop to ask Fuwa about his dreams???), and a whole bunch of graphics that illustrate the various power bases of the series. Two-thirds of this episode is people standing around having things explained to them, and it’s mostly just clarifications.

But then the other third of the episode is the return of Jin, in his brand-new Burning Falcon form (complete with new Driver!!!), as an “evolved” Humagear. This is an incredibly big deal! It’s a plot development that makes this episode unmissable… or, it would, if literally anything whatsoever about Jin’s return was explained. Who rebuilt him? Don’t know! Why is he “evolved”? Don’t know! Why does he have a new Progrise Key and Driver? Don’t know! Why is his outfit a snazzy slim-cut suit and unshackled chains? Don’t– actually, I do know why.

Amidst the half-dozen totally inexplicable things about Jin’s miraculous return, there’s a tiny bit of character work that, much like the new footage’s elevation of the rest of the episode’s archival stuff, actually makes the hilariously vague presence of Jin into something more evocative and thought-provoking.

Jin’s literally broken the chains of Humagear servitude, in look as well as in function. He doesn’t have to hide his identity from anyone anymore. He proudly displays his former bondage, to emphasize that it’s former. When he talks to Aruto about his future plans, it’s confident and clear: to free Humagears from humanity’s grasp. He’s going to save his people as Kamen Rider Jin. He’s not a villain, he’s a freedom fighter. His motivation is a twisted form of Aruto’s own heroism, and it’s incredibly intriguing. Horobi’s nonsense was always too smug and sinister to feel like it was a legitimate ethos, and Gai’s whole thing is about toxic egotism as a singular vision, so it’s nice to get Jin back as a sort of empathetic terrorist. Time’ll tell if he just degenerates back into a giggling psychopath, but I’m totally into this version’s point of view.

But that’s, like, one good scene! There’re some fun gags around the edges, and the Jin/Vulcan fight is five stars, but too much of the rest of this episode was background info and Wiki entries. If I watched the first two minutes and the last four minutes, I’d’ve had a terrific time with this episode. As it is, I watched the whole thing, and it’s SUPER weird.

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KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE SO-DO AI 07: KAMEN RIDER JIN - BURNING FALCON



New suit, though! That ain’t nothing.

I like the Shotriser-esque revamp of Jin’s suit. It’s got the same Angry Silver Tummy of the AIMS suits, but a more cohesive version of their animal motifs. It’s a neat twist, with this new Driver having some of that AIMS DNA while still giving it a unique outcome. The more symmetrical suit for Jin communicates that he’s in a less chaotic space, mentally. There’s a clarity of purpose to this design, which meshes well with his reintroduction to the series.

Fun figure, too. Very few stickers, despite the suit maybe requiring more of them than were provided. A few of the leg stickers stop at the halfway point, and the upper half of the suit could’ve used a bit more black to break up the molded red plastic. Easy to sticker this one, but the end result is a little under-detailed.

Good enough for a candy toy, though! He’s gonna look nice on the shelf next to the rest of the cast.