[Fish Sandwich]

Hey everyone, guess what time it is!



Yeah, I don't believe it either, Kagami, but congratulations, pal, because it's time once again for Zi-O to right wrongs from over a decade ago.

This episode was spectacularly fun and matched the spirit of Kabuto perfectly. Huge scope. Big spectacle. Maybe some slightly illogical plotting here or there, but you know, that's all part of the show. Nothing screams Kabuto quite like a Zecter flying in from seemingly out of nowhere just because it'd be cool for it to happen at that exact moment.

Also just like Kabuto, nothing personally hit me on any real emotional level, but even as someone who is fairly mild on that show (by my standards anyway), it's hard to deny it's great to see Kagami getting the credit he deserves. Putting aside how weird it is to crave approval from a robot beetle for a second, I like how this was less about getting a "promotion" from being Gattack and more about acknowledging the growth Kagami has had as a character. Between that and the way the Punch Hopper plot ends, there's definitely some weight to what's going on, which is good, but honestly, even if it was completely shallow, elaborate spinning transformation shots and ginormous meteors getting Rider Kicked would still be enough to leave me satisfied. Case in point, the Tsukuyomi/Tsukasa subplot. Weirdly unexciting given the gravity of what happens in it, but I can't even be bothered to be upset. Not Zi-O's absolute best, for sure, but definitely a good pair of episodes all the same.