Recap

After a week off, Drive returns with a tale about that most heinous of crimes – stealing snacks.

Aqua’s Thoughts

Kamen Rider Drive returns from its week-long break with a stronger, more surprising detective story that could have some genuine long-term repercussions if the show plays its cards well. With the monster’s identity known since last episode, the show needs to find another place to hide its twist, and with a stronger focus on foreshadowing and deduction, the result is a more solid narrative than last episode’s. With the affable CEO not being the friendly man he seems and the Special Unit’s science gal Rinna getting along merrily with the public investigations department, trust and betrayal seem to be central themes in this episode, yet this ambitious undertaking gets slightly marred by Drive‘s main flaw. We still know little to nothing about the other members of the Special Unit, and Drive seems to hurry on by at such a breakneck pace that I’m starting to worry this situation won’t change. Aside from the fact that she’s quirky and good at science, we know little to nothing about Rinna, and compared to other successful ensemble comedy Kamen Rider shows like Den-O or Fourze, the characterization of the Special Unit falls significantly flat.

On the villains’ side, Chase is already starting to suffer from this as well, being demoted from unstoppable threat to a mere distraction, and the addition of evil toy Batmobiles to his arsenal isn’t going to make him look any more threatening, let alone divert our attention from the very obvious twist behind him the show will have to pull off sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, Drive manages to introduce enough entertaining elements to keep me watching. Shinnosuke’s Spider-Man-esque quips are a hoot, and the suit design remains strong as ever, with Chase’s twisted organic armor a true standout. The monsters of the week are an enjoyable bunch, evoking the best of Kyoryuger idiocy with their larger-than-life antics. With the mysterious fate of the original Drive, tensions rising amongst the police force, Shinnosuke’s naivety being put into question and Brain joining the fray, Kamen Rider Drive has enough interesting plot threads to supplement its amusing action with some actual storytelling, but I can’t be certain it will live up to this potential. After all, the show has a lot left to prove.

Random Observations

• The premise of the monster of the week stealing snacks was a glorious opportunity for referencing Kamen Rider gummies that the show completely missed. I am disappointed.
• Seeing Rio Uchida (Kiriko) being a generically perky idol in the movie advertisement is about as scary as seeing innocent Mahiro Takasugi. That kid basically ruined his career as an idol, didn’t he?
• I can only hope the Special Unit will eventually be charged with taking Drive down, but the fact that no one notices Shinnosuke very ostensibly driving the same car is starting to get just a wee bit ridiculous.

Zigg’s Thoughts

After a week off it was nice to slot back into the Kamen Rider  routine and it helped that this episode was a good step onwards from previous episodes. The show definitely felt a lot more comfortable in its own skin, and that was reflected in the demeanor of its main character. Now that he’s somewhat accustomed to his peculiar new role, Shinnosuke was far more engaging this episode, more proactive out of his suit and more quip happy inside of it. Blandness is the danger which stalks all Rider protagonists and it was creeping up on Shinnosuke, but I definitely found myself warming to him this episode and that’s a good sign. What’s also good is his burgeoning rivalry with Chase, which gives some meat to both characters. I like the idea of a villain specifically working a a spoiler and hopefully they can develop this clash and take it some interesting places.

There were also promising hints of a deeper plot emerging throughout the half hour. By far the most intriguing is the role of the mysterious public investigations department, who seem way to squeaky-clean to be true. The addition of Rinna to their ranks thickens the plot considerably and stops us jumping to the obvious conclusion that it’s a setup. It’s a cool little thread, so I hope the payoff is actually something meaningful. In the same vein, it’s a great little twist with the overly earnest company manager, and though it’s quite a basic switcheroo it’s a fresh idea for the series. I’m always appreciative when they can pull off something I don’t see coming, and that was absolutely the case here. An encouraging sign of things to come.

Random Observations

• So begins the inevitable plug train for Movie Wars Full Throttle. I will say Ryoma’s new super form looks very cool.
• Chase is also added to the credits this week.
• The company manager would have been a lot more relatable if they’d hired someone who could actually act.
• I really wnat one of those massive popcorn/doughnut/candy tubs.