[Androzani84]

I remember this being one where I had no idea who the Zodiarts could be, since every potential suspect had an alibi.

I did like Gentaro’s enthusiasm in proving that the Hopping Seitch could be practical. To the point Hopping quickly became my favourite (that, and none of the other Switches got such memorable subplots).

And we get our last member of the club (in terms of introduction) in JK, who by process of elimination takes his name (or more precisely, his initials) from Kamen Rider X, Jin Keisuke. And he sets off my regular feature.

Sentai-lert

Sion Tsuchiya, who plays JK got his start as a child actor and he made a Sentai appearance in that capacity, as the younger version of the guy in my signature in two episodes of Hurricaneger.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

I remember this being one where I had no idea who the Zodiarts could be, since every potential suspect had an alibi.

Even though I'm pretty sure I remember who the Zodiart in this one is, I do appreciate how the episode works hard to give cover to the main suspects. Maybe Gen could solve this mystery by Bad Cop-interrogating random people who try to help!

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

help Gen (and the viewer) better understand the social hierarchy and interrelated anxieties of the students,

It'd be interesting if someone who saw Fourze meets Koichi Sakamoto at an event and ask him what school-related shows from outside of Japan did he see to prep for this show.

[Fish Sandwich]

The whole plot thread with the Hopping Switch is hands down one of the most memorable things in all of Fourze for me. Part of it is probably because it comes so early, but I just think it's a rock solid example of working with the merchandise to tell a story, that in this particular case is also just sorta the perfect tone for this particular show. There's something really charming about Kengo being all like "why does fourze have a pogo stick this is so dumb" and Gentarou being all like "HECK YEAH FOURZE HAS A POGO STICK" in part specifically to challenge Kengo's worldview.

I also love love love any scene in this show where Fourze gets to test out a Switch in that little chamber, by the way? It's a fairly unique thing to this series, I think. Takaiwa's always amazing, but this show gave him a lot of extra chances to flex his suit acting skills outside of the fights, which I think resulted in Fourze being a performance that's even more fleshed out than usual for him. (A lot like being both Den-O and Momotaros, so I kinda see where Switchblade is coming from with that assertion that either could be considered Takaiwa's best.)

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

It'd be interesting if someone who saw Fourze meets Koichi Sakamoto at an event and ask him what school-related shows from outside of Japan did he see to prep for this show.

I would also love to know this!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Part of it is probably because it comes so early, but I just think it's a rock solid example of working with the merchandise to tell a story, that in this particular case is also just sorta the perfect tone for this particular show.

I really like that the kids (Gen and Kengo, at least) play around with the Switches? It's obviously wheat the kids in the audience will end up doing with them, but it's just... I don't know, it's cute. There's all this cosmic power bound up in a mysterious vessel that's being slowly analyzed until it can power a superhero who can hopefully defeat the encroaching darkness of stellar adversaries, but also Hey Look You Can Push This Plunger Down And It Goes CLICK. I love how that's kind of this premise in a piece of 500 yen plastic, you know? It's equal parts justice-enabling ephemera, and just something goofy for anxious children to occupy themselves with.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The whole plot thread with the Hopping Switch is hands down one of the most memorable things in all of Fourze for me. Part of it is probably because it comes so early, but I just think it's a rock solid example of working with the merchandise to tell a story, that in this particular case is also just sorta the perfect tone for this particular show. There's something really charming about Kengo being all like "why does fourze have a pogo stick this is so dumb" and Gentarou being all like "HECK YEAH FOURZE HAS A POGO STICK" in part specifically to challenge Kengo's worldview.

One of my favorite fan theories about Fourze is that Kengo's dad was slowly running out of oxygen when he was designing the Astro Switches, which is why some of them ended up being really weird and borderline useless.

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 04 - “CHANGES AND SECRET MOVES”



Miu! My second-favorite KRC character.

It’s the way that this story kind of drills into her character by making her more icily defiant and self-assured, rather than softening her or making her learn a lesson or anything. The runner for this two-parter is basically Miu Did Nothing Wrong, and I sort of respect that? It’d feel phony, or at least boring, to have Miu become this big-hearted softy who was humbled and humiliated, so she learned to appreciate people. Story ends kind of exactly the opposite: a bunch of sycophants learned that she’s the real deal, and her greatness is the ideal they should be aspiring to, rather than fruitlessly trying to tear down at the cost of their own potential. (Is this a Kabuto reference for the KRC?) It’s a two-parter that burnishes the legend of the Mean Girl, and I love that choice. Miu’s not some lazy bully, she’s a hard-working diva who’s earned every bit of her fame, and god help you if you think you can cheat it out of her hands. A whole story devoted to shaming the audience for suggesting that Miu isn’t the greatest? Okay!

And, like, this one really lets the actors do something nuanced and complicated here, which is so welcome. Gen gets to try out a more subdued and heartfelt version of his normal high-energy support, taking Miu’s setback more personally than she does, which makes for some tremendous scenes between the two of them. (They got chemistry to death.) Meanwhile, Miu has to find a way of being 110% Miu that somehow still has you rooting for her, and I gotta put all of it down to the charisma of the actor. The script is real good, and that speech at the Queen Festival is perfect, but without that specific actor nailing a bunch of tricky scenes throughout this episode – bowling alley, locker room, Festival, bridge, clubhouse – I don’t think this story lands. It for sure needs Gen to do his part, but this is a Miu showcase story, and it really only works if that actor can carry you along. She does, and she does so thrillingly.

The action and humor also continue to be great, counterbalancing the teen melodrama with a collection of outrageous stunts and ridiculous bits of comedy. I have no idea if this was actually in the script, something Sakamoto suggested, or just a blown take that Takaiwa adlibbed his way out of, but I could not stop laughing at this:



If there’s a flaw to this episode, it’s maybe that immediately following the first story’s A Sidekick Chafes In The Shadow with A Sidekick Chafes In The Shadow (For Girls) is maybe a tad uninspired, but I don’t know that I’d knock too many points off, for a few reasons. First, I think the specific cocktail of Shame/Rage/Resentment/Jealousy is such a teenage thing that I imagine a whole bunch of Fourze stories are going to lean on it. Second, the story in 1-2 doesn’t really provide a ton of character drama around either Shun or Miura; it’s just some face actor for Gen and Kengo to oppose, and Shun just splits. Third, there’s so much specificity to the relationship between Tamae and Miu, especially in the conclusion, that it feels like a massive improvement over the preceding story, rather than diminished returns. Finally, I think I like the idea that the exact same thing happened to Miu and Shun in subsequent weeks, like they’re on a Couples Betrayal or something.

But that’s honestly my only minor gripe about this story? Otherwise, it’s excellent. The drama lands, the humor is welcome, the action is solid, the cast all gets little bits of business, and the conclusion is specific and memorable. (Miu makes friends with her enemy!) It’s the new highpoint of the series, befitting its irrepressible and irresistible monarch.



PROGRAMMING NOTE: The next post will be the first of the Kamen Rider Club Quiz videos, which I'll be dropping in after every fourth episode, just like the old DVDs. Get ready for a group of children and one cubist monstrosity to be baffled and alarmed by Showa!