[AkibaSilver]

Kamen Rider Fourze Episodes 25 & 26 - The Problem With Graduating & A Sublime Slow Dance



Things change in life. People move away, start new journeys of their own. It's not awful to hang on to the past, but you can't cling to it like a safety blanket, refusing to move on because the future is scary and what you have now is good. I mean, it probably is! But you've got to take the leap.

Shun has been hung to dry over Mio for quite a few episodes now. But Mio is still caught up over his betrayal all the way back when, and honestly doesn't need a relationship in her life right now. She's Queen of the Kamen Rider Club, why would she deign to have a boyfriend? She wants to celebrate the memory of her time at Amonagawa High School with the piece of trash. I like that Shun and Mio don't instantly get back together here, despite all his pushing. It's a basic "I want my beloved to be happy" ending, where Shun trades his own happiness for Mio's, but that's enough of a reward for him.

The plot about the returning switchers appearing to go villainous again, that's a bit weaker. Maybe if they'd shown up since, it would have more resonance, but I get what they're going for thematically. All about looking back at the past and moving on to better pastures. Interesting that two of the Switchers have connections to Tomoko and Mio, but then there's Draco, who spent his time being a generic bully to Kengo and his buddy when he quit to Magnet States, who I guess is just here because the actor is around.

Nitpicks aside though, this is a good one. Nice to focus on two characters who've been lurking in the background for a while, and the Switcher plot is very solid.