[Kamen Rider Die]

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 14 - “CA VA? RESCUE OPERATION”



After last episode’s quirky exploration of the individual relationships between the Busters and their Buddyroids, this one… mostly isn’t that. We pivot pretty quickly from a comedic goof-off into a tense and dramatic thriller, one that’s more about the brotherly protectiveness Ryuji and Hiromu feel towards Yoko, as well as Yoko’s strengths as a little sister.

Like, a ton of what made this one work for me was the rescue operation (like in the title!) that has Hiromu and Ryuji stealthily taking out the Bugglars, vaulting onto ledges, hiding out on doorframes, and eventually using a bit of Enter-adjacent subterfuge to fake out the Tubaroid enough to power-up Yoko. (Also, uh… first episode with no actual Enter appearances? I think?) It’s nominally about how the mission of rescuing a teammate overlaps with the need to protect a little sister, but the pure action of it all is so goddamn fun that I sort of don’t care a lot about what it’s trying to tell me about the characters. And I like what it’s telling me about the characters! I like that Ryuji gets very wistful about Yoko becoming her own woman! I like that Hiromu has grown enough as a person to at least recognize that he shit all over Yoko’s hard work, and now regrets it! But the rescue portion of the episode includes the Busters flinging a chocolate wafer directly into Yoko’s mouth, at which point she springs up like a Popeye cartoon to dropkick the Tubaroid, and you can’t create an emotional context that is cooler than that!

It all ends up being not just a rousing conclusion to last episode’s battle and this episode’s capture, but a very sweet look at Yoko’s unique sentimentality within the Buster trio. Fittingly, for the Buster who not only remembered Hiromu’s promise but also silently resented him for 13 years because of it, Yoko is the one Buster who cares enough about the Buddyroids to make them feel as human as the rest of the team. She gives them a birthday of their own, and then works hard to make the celebration matter. (As we all expected, Hiromu’s suggestion of Nick’s perfect day is both hilariously half-assed, and also maybe technically perfect? Unclear!) She’s the emotional component that helps make the six of them feel less like accidental co-workers and more like a family, which is a nice thing for this two-parter to eventually be about.



IT’S TIME FOR Beet Buster!

Buuuuuuut I imagine the thing most people took away from this episode is the debut of Beet Buster, yet another Sentai guy I vaguely remember from a random Taisen film. (The Ex-Aid one? For a scene?) He’s a beetle-themed Buster, and he and his Buddyroid partner definitely seem to have escaped from hyperspace. I imagine we’ll be learning a lot more about the two of them shortly, but on first glance I’m looking forward to their integration into the cast. Beet has a slightly flippant demeanor, which is unique for the team (Ryuji, but way less), and I like the wacky friction between him and his Buddyroid. I don’t love the helmet, if only because Beet Buster looks like about 15 different Kamen Riders, and that ain’t what I’m here for!