[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER OUTSIDERS EPISODE 7 - “OUTSIDERS AND THE DESIRE ROYALE"



(This is because Androzani84 demanded it.)

It’s incredibly funny to me that the linking tissue of this episode, and the main narrative distinction of this series, is that absolutely no one can predict which characters will show up in it at any given time. To sculpt a first act out of YET ANOTHER brand-new character for the event mini-series – Beroba, the best, so glad to see her under literally any circumstances – randomly showing up to try and entice the Legend Assholes to actually participate in an organized attempt to avert an indifferently unfolding apocalypse (I do not think I could explain at this point exactly how Zein/Ecol/a Foundation X scientist plans on punishing all of humanity) is like they got my letters at Toei HQ. It’s a show that understands its flaws, and then leans into them for comedy, before finally giving in and delivering the exciting team-up you’ve always wanted citation needed.

What comes afterwards, when everyone gets to Kamen Rider Fields to battle for the soul of fandom, it’s pretty fun. Like any episode of Outsiders as a single unit of tokusatsu entertainment product, robbed of the ability to remember how we got here, it’s solid enough. A few characters play off of each other in fun ways – the idea of pairing up George, the variably-moral Kamen Rider fan, with Gai, the one-time malevolent prick that is trying to reform into a benevolent prick, is kind of cute. There’s not a ton of interplay beyond that, since we only have about 15 minutes and there are a dozen suits to show off -slash- very few of these actors were on the same set at the same time, but I don’t think anyone who’s made it to Episode 7 of a series that’s managed to stretch itself from its origins in Zero-One all the way to its denouement in Geats is super surprised that none of this really comes together that well. (I love that the Orphnoch King is still here! And he doesn’t do anything! And he doesn’t end up mattering at all! And Beroba completely shits all over him!!!) We’re here for a team that doesn’t talk to each other, in service of a battle they don’t really care about, in a formation that actively resists coherence or logic.

And that’s kind of great? The bit at the end with the DGP crew (my favorite part, everything should be Geats media from now on) waxing philosophical about the ways morality and action aren’t necessarily the same as cause and effect was maybe overstating things, but I do think a project like this, as misbegotten and haphazard as it was, says something insightful about how massive the concept of Kamen Rider can be. It doesn’t need its protagonists to look or behave a certain way, as long as they're there to fight against evil and protect people’s freedom. The way that gets done, and the intent behind it… that’s sort of up to the individual fan, and that’s totally fine. Outsiders was mostly fan-service bullshit to me, but maybe it wasn’t to someone else. Maybe this was everything they’ve ever wanted in a Kamen Rider series. That’s sort of great, you know? I want that. I want these shows to find their audience, even if that audience isn’t me. I like that the show full of misfits ended up fighting for misfit shows. That’s a good note to go out on.