[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 36 - “OUR LAST PERFORMANCE TOGETHER”



I think you could only do this story – the best Fourze story – with JK, because he’s the worst.

In any other version of this story, with literally any other KRC member (even Ohsugi, who is sorely missed, and that’s one more insane thing this story has me thinking), you’d be waiting for a twist, or a reveal. Something that says that the KRC member has been plotting something the entire time to defeat his Zodiart buddy, or undo his influence on the kids at Amanogawa; something that says the KRC member never really turned on Gentarou. With JK, it’s abundantly clear at all times that he completely gave up on the KRC in order to pursue his dream. We’re not in a densely-plotted story with additional layers, because JK is exactly as self-serving and cowardly as he appears. That’s what makes him work in this story.

It’s also what makes this all so poignant, because – much to his surprise and chagrin – he’s not as self-serving and as cowardly as he appears, even though JK himself isn't aware of that. JK’s made too many real friends to be okay throwing them aside for fame, and he’s sacrificed too much as a member of the KRC to be okay with a bunch of kids wasting away from cosmic shredding. High school is about finding out who you are, and JK discovers that he’s not Gene, because Gene was the dream of a kid who wanted fame at any cost, and was desperate to escape the reality of his limits. But that was a long time ago, and holding onto that fear and desperation, it’s JK forgetting about how he’s grown, and the reasons he wanted fame in the first place.

Naturally, it’s Gentarou who gets it, after learning who Gene really is; not the pseudonym, but what the identity of Gene really meant to JK. It was about fame, sure, but it was more about being able to express himself, and be seen for what he could be, and connect with others… which is all the things the KRC is already letting him do. He thought he needed God’s Zodiart ability to reach people and be loved, but here’s Gentarou spending a day learning the song that made JK love music, just for a chance to let JK show his authentic self to an audience. JK missed all that in the rush to become a star, hollowing himself out just like his brainwashed fans. He tossed aside the goal for the dream, but luckily his friends were there to remind him of what he really had to offer.

Again, it’s a sweet story of high school, and how easy it can be to hold onto your past when the future is pointing you in a different direction, which is sort of exactly what JK was saying last episode, just 100% reversed in its meaning. It only works if you think that JK is shallow enough to team up with a horned cosmic guitarist at the possible cost of dozens of lives, but lucky for this show, JK is the worst, and so we can see it – but even more lucky for this show, we can see that JK is capable of changing for the better, and maybe he’s been changing this whole time without us even noticing.

Beyond that, this is a pretty good episode of tokusatsu storytelling? The larger Zodiart stuff continues to feel like a series of developments happening without much build-up or foreshadowing – much like JK’s issues with his dad are brought up last episode for the first time literally ever, we get two episode of Horoscopes talking about the lost Core Switch as a big deal that no one really brought up before. (It’s… maybe this was the Horoscope stuff from this story I ended up not liking? Like the Hole in Kyoto, we get zero build-up, and then suddenly it’s all anyone can talk about. There’s got to be a more organic way to set some of these escalations up!) But the smaller Zodiart stuff still works just fine, like the battle between Meteor and Leo. I love any fight where the Rider wins through strategy over power, so I really liked Meteor attacking Leo’s literal Achilles Heel, forcing Leo to abandon a fight that Meteor definitely couldn’t’ve won. It’s also a great way to see some of those old Horoscope suits again, even if the usage here felt a little superfluous. (Leo did not seem to have much of a problem kicking Meteor’s ass in his normal form!)

Solid Kamen Rider episode, but a great Fourze episode. I am okay with that trade-off!