English Dub Review: Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider “I Was Craving a Battle With Shocker”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Ichiyo introduces Nakao to someone who seems poised to figure out what it is he’s lacking.

Our Take:
If there’s one thing I learned from the previous episodes and this one, it’s that I should never underestimate the Kamen Rider training exercises.  No joke.  Tojima and Ichiyo went from fighting each other to punching trees multiple times in the previous episode, just for the sake of getting stronger.  It’s unrealistic as hell, but there’s something about the absurdity in these training segments that makes them irresistibly charming.  This episode continues their intense training, or in this case, Nakao’s training, with him battling a Shamo chicken.  That’s right, a grown-ass man fighting a chicken in preparation for a battle against Shocker.
If you want another reason why the show is embracing the ridiculousness of grown people becoming Kamen Riders, this episode has what you’re looking for.  If that’s not the case, then you’ll likely be entertained by Nakao’s attempt to defeat the Shamo Chicken like I did, with the shocking outcome being the episode’s highlight regarding the humor.  More importantly, the episode further explores Nakao’s guilt of being too weak to protect his underlings, a fuel that drives him to match Tojima and Ichiyo’s undeniable strength.  This is another moment that underscores Nakao’s development beyond his stereotypical gangster persona, which remains one of the best parts of the recent Kamen Rider installment.  We’ll see if it’ll pay off during his actual fight against a real Shocker opponent: Thunder Raiko.