What are your thoughts on Kamen Rider Zeztz 08?

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VIDEO

Kamen Rider Zeztz Episode 8 Review – “Serve” Serves Style, Shock, and Souped-Up Storytelling

By MJ Muñoz – Rider Tears | Henshin Inspection

Kamen Rider Zeztz Episode 8 is titled Serve, and that’s doing a lot of work. We’re talking serving food… and also, y’know, serving up biological weapons—like you do.

Credits First: Writers and Directors Doing Work

Written by Yuya Takahashi, the episode was directed by Kazuya Kamihoriuchi—a name I’ve seen across tokusatsu. I could’ve sworn he worked on Ultraman, but he’s definitely been involved with Super Sentai and a bunch of Kamen Rider seasons. Here’s a quick rundown:

• Ex-Aid
• Build
• Zi-O (a little)
• Zero-One (3 episodes)
• Saber (6)
• Revice (10—didn’t watch that one)
• Geats (2 episodes)
• Gotchard (4)
• Zeztz (5 episodes so far, including this one and the next, “Poison”)

He’s prolific, and I liked his direction in this episode. Smooth, slick, and confident. Whether it’s slice-of-life scenes or action, the tone and transitions are well balanced.

A Cozy Kitchen… Until It Isn’t

The episode kicks off with a very cozy vibe. Lots of beautiful food shots—the kind of food cinematography that makes you hungry. The kitchen action was tight. What stood out to me most? Almost no dialogue for the first three minutes. Aside from the voiceover recap, it was just visual storytelling, and it totally worked.

Then—boom. Shinomi collapses and dies from a biological poison. What a perfectly disarming twist. They lured us in with warm vibes and tasty dishes, then pulled the rug. That’s good storytelling. Sharp setup and payoff.

Best Fight and Best Monster?

Combat-wise, this was fun. Stream got a tactical spotlight—used like a shield to protect Zeztz (Baku) from the monster’s poison. That thing? Called Poison Nightmare, but I kept seeing it as some kind of vegetable monster. The suit design had a bit of femininity, even though the suit actor is male. The voice sounded feminine. Whatever the case, the design was killer—maybe the best so far other than the Crow.

The fight used more of those dreamlike warped transitions. Not quite smash cuts. More like elastic jumps in logic that keep you wondering what’s real. I love this stuff.

Nem’s Dream Roles Get More Active

Nem continues to play multiple roles in the dream world, but something’s changing. She’s casting herself now. First she shows up as an EMT right after Shinomi gets poisoned. Then later, she reappears as a farm girl delivering vegetables. The transitions are subtle, not flashy, but give the dream segments a surreal consistency that really works.

We also get more long-tail story elements. Nox hints at something new. And Nem hands Baku a Recovery capsule, which ties in nicely.

There’s a cool sequence where Nem enters Baku’s dream-code HQ and chats with Agent Zero. She jokes about the robot, learns it’s remote-controlled, and gets some spy-tech exposition. Zero even talks to her in English! She admits she only understood about half of it—but she got the message: the scanner-badge detects poison and unlocks doors. Very spy gadget vibes. There’s a funny moment where she scares Zero walking in right behind him. He admits it and plays it cool.

The Big Moment: Baku Dies!?

Yeah. Baku dies at the end—poisoned by the monster. Obviously, he’ll be back. I don’t think this is the big power-up moment yet—just a Recovery capsule kind of deal. It’s not acting fast, though. Suspenseful.

Also? Wing saves the day. Literally wings his way across the battlefield to shield Nem. It looked awesome. I love birds. Go check my older Zeztz reviews for more bird-lore love.

And… That Food Though

One last note: venison en croute. That was the signature dish. Super red, rare meat in puff pastry. It looked delicious. This episode made me hungry, no joke.

Final Thoughts

I’m still loving Zeztz. The dream logic, the balance of cozy and creepy, the strong direction—Episode 8 served in every sense of the word.

Until next time, folks. Take care, be well, and check out my book trailer if you want more from me. I’ve got side projects cooking for Rider, Ultraman, and Sentai fans. More soon.

I didn’t forget my lunch—but I do need to go.

This is MJ with Rider Tears and Henshin Inspection, signing out.

Thanks for joining me. What say you, fellow traveler? Drop a comment below or if you’re on Twitter, tag me @MJ_Scribe. 

If you’re looking for something with magical creatures, high stakes, and a whole lot of heart, check out Mockwing Mayhem. Learn more at grobugs.com.

You can find more of my reviews, book reflections, and stories with spine at mjmunoz.com.