Episode 6 – Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider

I have to admit, I was definitely nervous about this episode. Last week, we saw that even as a team, our heroes struggled against Spider-Man. Now, with him fully transformed, I wonder if they’re going to hurt him – and considering most of them are eager to escape, they clearly want the same thing. Even the big jokes in the scene build tension, with the heroes one by one willingly sacrificing themselves while others run away – meaning none of them actually run away and instead start lining up in front of each other. Then there is East Island.

He was the only one not interested in fighting a losing battle just to let the others escape. Despite having a real monster in front of him, he still believes he can win – never backing down is crucial to becoming the first Kamen Rider. But considering everything we’ve seen, even if he charges up his Rider Punch, we still have a feeling this could go one of two ways: 1) it’s completely ineffective, or 2) Spider-Man takes actual damage.

While both paths would work for the story in a meta sense (hence why there’s some real tension as to why this choice was made), what we get is something in the middle. Spider-Man didn’t get sent flying or vomit blood. He was literally spanked. Like the Shock Troopers before him, it felt like Spider-Man had never been in a real fight in his true form, and people weren’t intimidated by him. He didn’t expect anyone to hit him with all their adrenaline-driven strength and rabid fervor. He wasn’t hurt, or angry – more in complete shock.

Luckily, the fight ends due to too many witnesses, and we’re quickly introduced to a new cast member, Futaba. As the middle child among the Shimamura siblings, she was lucky enough to not witness her neighbor’s house burn down or her grandparents being murdered. Therefore, instead of believing that the Shockers are real and harboring a lifelong hatred for them, she is forced to face a life surrounded by her seemingly crazy siblings.

Due to their antics, she was socially isolated and had a deep-seated hatred for her brother in particular. But what’s telling is that she seems to be just as powerful as Kazuha, if not more powerful – probably because she needs to be if she wants to control him. But the biggest joke of the episode is that she’s angry not just because he comes to her job, but because he obviously has friends and she doesn’t. Interestingly, Yuriko, being the straight male of the group, is at least sane enough that she could be Futaba’s friend – if not for her current companionship.

Other than that, this episode just tied up loose ends – solidifying the “marriage” between Yukari Risu and Mitsuha, and showing us the “unKamen Rider-like” thing these two older men are willing to compromise on: a beer or two after a hard day at work.

The episode ends the story on a cliffhanger, as our shock-loving gangster Nakao also faces off against Spider-Man—although considering he was shot to death by a regular soldier in episode three, I’m not holding my breath.

grade:

Tojima wants to become a Kamen Rider Currently live broadcast
Crunchy roll.