[Kamen Rider Die]

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 15 - “THE GOLDEN BUSTER AND THE SILVER BUDDY”



What a romp these two are. It’s Yuuto and Deneb from Den-O all over again, you know? We’re in a show that’s warm and goofy and occasionally maudlin, and then here comes this wacky double-act to show you how insane things can actually get within this dynamic. These two make our previous cast of uniquely surly superheroes and overly-protective robots seem like stock character types pulled from the shelf. Jin! J! What a goddamn treat!

It’s hard to talk about this episode in ways that aren’t just enjoying the comedic energy of every single Jin/J scene – J doesn’t know he isn’t the lead character! Jin swaggers like we didn’t all just see him childishly snap at J for talking over him! – but I will try. (One of my favorite gags in the episode is actually just about Jin, not even featuring him. As the team is trying to discern whether it’s the real Jin or a plot by Enter, Hiromu confidently declares it to be a fake Jin because he’s too goofy, to which Ryuji instantly goes No, That Part’s Correct.) There’s a lesson in here about perfection being boring, which is a subtle way of priming us for a Buster duo that is resolutely not the kind that’s going to slot into the hierarchy of our series to date, while also saying that it’s more fun when something has room to surprise you. Like Jin and J heisting the Enetron for themselves at the end of the episode! (I assume they’re actually using it to steal the Megazord that Messiah’s building, but we’ll likely find out for sure next time.)

Just the existence of Jin and J makes a huge impact on the rest of the cast, though, as it proves that the scientists who disappeared 13 years ago did survive in hyperspace… maybe including the Busters’ parents? It’s a step towards their goal, regardless of whatever Jin’s up to, and I appreciated that. As much as this episode is THE BEET BUSTER AND STAG BUSTER SHOW (Jin even declares this his show!!! Canonically!!!), there’s still plenty of movement on the core plotline of the series, which is a nice bonus. Ryuji’s looped in on this story through Jin, and the other Busters are looped in through Jin's backstory. It’s not just screwing around!

I mean, it’s mostly screwing around, and I’m not even a little bit mad about that. Jin and J are iconic, just on their first full appearance, and I get why they brought these dudes back in that Taisen scene I half-remember. Jin’s energy is boastful and oblivious, while J’s is theatrically serious and constantly off-center; they are the perfect buddy act. Sorry, Go-Busters! It’s Jin’s show now!



BOOST UP FOR Vacuumroid!

I loved this guy. He’s my favorite Metaroid to date, and he continues a very fun thread that started with Tubaroid last time: he’s just trying to do his job, you guys. Villains who view a run-in with the heroes as something more akin to having to take a phone call in the middle of typing a report… I think that’s the best. It’s the funniest way to approach a rote conflict, to mix it up occasionally with some bored clock-puncher of an evil robot. He’s just here to suck up Enetron, not fight a group of supersoldiers, so just let him wrap this up and he’ll be going. Best Metaroid! Elevated an already terrific episode into the stratosphere!