[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 10 - “A REASON TO FIGHT”

In a fun bit of trivia, Rika's picture here was drawn by Mitsuru Karahashi, who Sentai fans will probably most know for being a particularly cool antagonist in Shinkenger, and who Die definitely most knows for playing Kaidou in Kamen Rider Faiz. (Like, he probably still hears that name the way Yuuji says it every time he reads it) When he's not in front of the camera, though, it turns out he's actually a pretty dang talented illustrator with a particular kind of delicate style that Toei occasionally makes use of for situations like this.

As for the episode at hand, it's probably not too surprising that it's a favorite of mine, in part because I'm a sucker for Red Buster, but also because it made Rika into a character I've always found really interesting. There's a sort of realism to her fears, the way she just wants to completely shut out anything that brings to mind the tragedy 13 years ago, and how she dislikes Nick mostly because of that association and all that... it's the kind of story where, especially depending on the kind of viewer you are, there's that risk of it coming off like some buzzkill showing up to tell the hero to stop doing cool hero things, but Go-Busters being Go-Busters, the writing has the necessary nuance to avoid that trap. Really, I think the episode gets more interesting the more you think about it from her perspective.

In the sense that I believe she has a lot to add to the series' narrative, I agree with Die that it'd be even better if Rika had more of a consistent presence prior to this episode, but on the other hand, I love how complete this one is just on its own merits, while also touching on so much of what makes Go-Busters the show it is.