[Fish Sandwich]

Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Saber Episode 47



I didn't make the time to rewatch the whole show for this thread, but apparently this episode is another instance where I couldn't help myself. It's not like I needed to *remember* the episode, of course. A story like this is one I'll never forget. I simply wanted to experience it again precisely because I do still vividly recall all the amazing things in Saber's finale. From the perfect imagery of the hero literally being lifted up by a story, to all the clever refrains of old dialogue given new context, to the perfectly celebratory feeling of the final villain being defeated by three friends and nearly every book we've seen in the show.

And of course, to that moment when all seems lost, and not even the hero can save the world, until it turns out what can save it is the belief all of us share in the power of storytelling.

It's going to gnaw at me the rest of my life that I didn't submit a video when they were asking for them. I only have myself to blame, for failing to imagine just how serious they were when they said those clips would be used at an important point in the final episodes. In an episode directed by Ishida, no less! But at the same time, I've never felt all that bad about missing out, really. It's not like Kamen Rider Saber needed me specifically to cheer him on, and that's what's so beautiful about this scene. It's Saber putting itself out there, practicing everything it's ever preached, and proving its point by putting faith in its viewership that they're enthusiastic enough to come together and celebrate the ways we connect with stories, simply because they were asked to. Without that meta context, this would still be an utterly incredible conclusion. With it, it's one of the most profoundly moving things I've ever seen in Kamen Rider, for sure. Possibly in general. For this show that started under such uncertain production conditions, arguably stumbling out of the gate, to be here after a year, crossing the finish line with this much grace, having built this much for itself, it just something to behold, plain and simple. Touma's thank you is as straightforward as can be, but the weight behind those words is immense.

As ever, I could go into detail about any number of other things from this episode while I'm at it, but the other thing I really feel the need to call special attention to right now is the song that's playing as the world falls apart here, Timeless Story. (It was used at the end of 45,as well.) It's essentially a "with lyrics" version of Kamen Rider Saber's usual theme, and (alongside Super Hero Senki) is maybe the reason I properly think of that music as his main theme, instead of the other track directly associated with him that most people probably think of immediately when they think of this show's music. Timeless Story is just this really good, very grand version of that theme, and the entirely English lyrics, hard as they can be to pick out, really describe Touma's whole drive as a character perfectly. I think that's what makes the use in this episode work so well, is that while it sounds like it fits the despair of what's happening, the words are all about the importance of hanging on to hope in times exactly like this. There's a pretty clear to relevance to lyrics like

Now we shall see our new story
At last it's time to keep the promise
Strongly, believe in yourself to the end

So yeah, pretty great song in my book, and thanks to this thread making me want to go listen to it a bunch, I even found out there's a video of the show's composer, Kousuke Yamashita himself, conducting a proper orchestra arrangement of it, as if it weren't a grand enough song already. Definitely worth a listen for any fan of Saber! It's not every day a toku show gets a piece that sounds like this.