I am okay with this! Aguilera's story (and the Giffamilia's story in its entirety) is about the darker reflection of the Igarashis: what do we do when our family is toxic? When our definition of ourselves is our dedication to our family, what happens when that family rejects us, or is otherwise unsafe to stay with? A story beat where Giff could barely be bothered to acknowledge Aguilera, and she has nothing to do but wander off? (Stopping briefly only when Sakura calls out, naturally.) Perfect! I love it! No notes!

I had to look this up (not my fandom), but, yeah, I can sort of see it!

This isn't a story about what Vice thinks about Ikki, because we already know that. We've been told that multiple times, most recently in the previous episode when Vice pleaded with Ikki to understand that he didn't want to hurt anyone, least of all Ikki. This was a story about what Ikki thinks about Vice, and about breaking down the final barrier between them. It's important that Ikki visualizes Vice as the Vice body with Ikki's head, because that just demonstrates that Ikki still sees Vice as a separate person, albeit one that's a part of him. The destruction of Vice in Ikki's head is a symbolic destruction of the last barrier between them, a way of defeating Giff's influence by fully accepting Vice as a facet of Ikki himself.

I don't know, I think it all added up?

I didn't even dislike Aguilera too much at this point, but honestly, for her to get swallowed by Gif would've been preferable. Feels like Revice is always in a "first draft" state and all these changes are just whatever seems intriguing at the time, but don't necessarily leave enough consideration for the show to execute them in a way that makes sense.

The Gif slap is the most emotion I've ever seen from that rock though.

My problem with this is that it's basically Ikki's entire thing with Olteca, like there's nothing else going on between them other than hatred and it makes for a disappointing final confrontation between them, since neither of them are actually saying anything of value.

For comparison:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...orgivable1.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...orgivable2.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...orgivable3.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...orgivable4.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...orgivable5.png

Takeru and Ikki are both saying similar things, that Adel and Olteca have done unforgivable things. But that's where it ends for Ikki, since he wasn't around to hear the exposition about Olteca's tragic backstory. Takeru's father was murdered by Adel, a fact that Adel exploited to try and make Takeru lose sympathy for him, but even that couldn't stop Takeru from reaching out to him and wanting him to stop suffering. So, it leaves a bad taste to me that Ikki, the Ultimate Busybody, makes an exception for unforgivable people and it leaves Olteca's arc without any closure since he got swallowed by Gif.

There's also Kamen Rider Revice's declaration that, "We're not devils, we're Revice!", which sounds dumb and fallacious. The show spent a lot of time preaching how devils aren't inherently bad and can actually be beneficial for development, only for them to be like, "yeah, we're not really devils, cause we're good guys, haha". Not very convincing at all, especially since Olteca's accusation wasn't even difficult to rebut! Everything Ikki says to Olteca here rings hollow.

Overall, Episode 28 is the first episode where I realized how disappointing this show was getting to watch and the next infamous incident would seal the deal for my decision to take hiatus.

I don't... think that's what Ikki's trying to say? Ikki's not declaring Vice's (or his own) heroic attributes, he's denying Olteca's use of a delineation between Ikki and Vice. It's an episode about countering Giff's control with a bond that's bigger than Giff's role in their origins; it's Ikki removing both himself and Vice from Giff's claim over their fates by stating that Revice is more important than the people who make up Revice.

At least, that was my take on it?

I got that Olteca was comparing Revice to his own latest transformation, in that it was a human merged with a demon, and claiming that this makes them the same. But Ikki counters by essentially saying “We’re nothing alike” before beating up Olteca.

Maybe that was the intention, rejecting arbitrary toxic definitions, like Takumi sparing Kiba since he doesn't kill "humans", but the way Ikki phrases his line sounds misleading to me when he could've said something that accepts both of those traits while also establishing that hierarchy between them, like, "We may be devils, but even so, we're still Revice!"

Reminds me of what Layton mentioned about the "I admit my weaknesses, therefore I'm invincible" line. I think these characters are trying too hard to sound profound and they just end up sounding weird and contradicting themselves instead. They sure aren't on the level of epic speech masters like Takumi and Touma.

What else does he have to say? There's nothing in Ikki that feels like he can be taken advantage of by villains preying on his actions. Olteca's like WE ARE THE SAME and Ikki's response can only be NOPE. Ikki doesn't owe Olteca a debate!

It could've maybe used an additional line for clarity, but I think the producers were trying to keep some momentum for the debut of Thunder Gale. Or it could be a failing of the translators, shaving off some of the nuance for a more direct translation. Either way, it all worked for me.

KAMEN RIDER REVICE – SPECIAL EVENT

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/speciala.png

Man, did Revice somehow manage to put on the perfect Kamen Rider stage show?

I know we still have a Final Stage to cover at the end of the series, and those are usually a bit more canonical in their storytelling and menacing in their villains, but this. This is the exact level I want stage shows to work on. Shocker’s mad about their 50th anniversary being overlooked as Japan celebrates fifty years of Kamen Riders, so they trick the Igarashis into first playing a Kamen Rider trivia game, and then resurrecting Red Shadow Moon, with brawls sandwiched between them. That’s it! That’s all I need!

It works great, from the initial jokes about the anachronistic use of stamps, to the running gag of Shocker’s incredibly detailed (and largely unread) contract. The whole thing is just goofy fun, but actual good gags – the Red Light, Green Light game alone would carry a stage show for me, and it’s just one of a series of clever concepts. (The body switching! George coaching the audience through Henshin poses and absolutely nothing else! The Amazon/Amazons gag! A Shocker grunt and Vice trying to do a Remix pose!) I laughed harder at this stage show than most other stage shows combined.

And that’s all I’m looking for, y’know? Something slightly self-referential in its humor, and with a core premise that doesn’t get too convoluted or too metaphorical. Shocker wants some attention; perfect premise for a stage show.

Man, this thing killed for me. Not sure the energy of it would translate for other series (this premise with the Geats cast would probably have me throwing my computer into the street), but I very much enjoyed the Igarashis accidentally signing a cursed Shocker contract that only Lovekov’s cheerleading can save them from. Hooray!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/specialb.png

I will never stop being amused by how Shocker used to be a major force for evil dedicated to conquering the world, mostly by kidnapping scientists' children, and now they're just a collection of petty losers who are scraping the bottom of the sinister plans barrel for whatever scrap of an idea they can find.

I guess Shocker's just like anyone in their 50s: ineffectually clinging to old glory as a way to stay relevant in a world that no longer has any use for them. You either die a fearsome modified human, or live long enough to become the buffoon at a stage show in a fairly nice hotel. Classic parable!

REVICE LEGACY: KAMEN RIDER VAIL - EPISODE 1

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/vail1a.png

There’s so much in this Vail series that turns me off as a viewer: dour explorations into the dehumanizing effects of violence; prequels; narratively convenient amnesia; one-note characters whose dialogue could mostly be summed up as Anguished Screaming. It’s a recipe for me checking out emotionally, and maybe literally. But, boy, I actually really liked this first Vail episode?

It helps that it’s sketching in the backstory of Yukimi and Genta/Junpei, two characters I am enormously invested in – but it weirdly helps more that it’s all so inessential. It’s not something the show desperately needed to tell me (there’s really nothing in here that we didn’t learn from the last couple episodes, aside from– well, we’ll get to that), so the pressure is less on upending my expectations or setting up some huge reveal, and more on trying to tell an emotionally coherent backstory for two integral, but largely-background cast members. It’s just this little story about Kamen Rider Vail, and the woman who fell in love with him.

Or, it will be; this episode is basically the origin of Kamen Rider Vail, and it’s bleak. Like, Showa bleak, appropriately enough. Junpei’s found dead in a ditch (for non-suspicious reasons) and Noah decides to experiment on him enough to maybe make a Kamen Rider. He loses his memories in the process, except for one traumatic event: the death of his family at the hands of an unseen devil. Now, it’s about 99.9% likely that Vail is the culprit, but that kind of doesn’t matter here. It’s more about how the absence of family has robbed Junpei of an anchor to the world. He doesn’t have the memory of a family, he has the memory of the loss of a family. He’s avenging a thing he can’t even remember, which makes his goal as hollow as his pursuit.

The bulk of the story here is the monotony of Vail’s activities, where he’s detonating devils, and then screaming out for more devils to detonate. Eventually, it makes him indistinguishable from the devils themselves, a mute weapon that endangers civilians. The cliffhanger, though, is him being trapped under rubble in the aftermath of the latest collateral damage-heavy outing, and the woman who might free him from the zero-subtext weight he’s trapped under: Yukimi!

Hopefully, the next one of these will delve more into her story, but I’ll be happy either way. I like how much Genta still works as a character, knowing who Junpei was 25 years ago. It doesn’t feel incongruent, the subhuman maniac and the vlogging papa. They’re both motivated by the desire for family, and the clarity of that across both iterations really draws this story together. That went way better than Revice Flashback About The Enormity Of Revenge And How It Poisons The Soul would’ve lead me to believe!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/vail1b.png

This was pretty much every late 80s and 90s scifi ova ever. Best thing to come out of this show. :rock:

I said that Revice got disappointing after ep. 25 and never recovered, and the good thing about it is mainly in the side contents, like Revice Legacy: Kamen Rider Vail.

Unrelated (and likely an obnoxious nitpick) but there's this oversight that can happen for shows that is meant to be set in the past as Revice prequel. As ep. 30 of Revice claims, the photo of NOAH executives (with Akaishi) are set decades ago... but one of the cars shown, the one he looked at the window as others call him devil, was 4th generation Honda Fit, which was a 2020 release. Sure the tech in KR world is far more advanced like NOAH, but this is still lacking an effort to make the past is really the past.

So Genta in the past, a.k.a Junpei, or a.k.a Subject 071, did the Demon hunting on his own instead of Vail. Vail has less significance by only a partner to talk with. And Junpei's anti-hero kind of a Rider, as he didn't do anything bad (but NOAH is just bad) by killing devils, but he only fought the devils for revenge of the death of his parents to a red devil, and him losing his soul as he fought more and more unrelated devil shows that he didn't really care about protecting others.

Junpei learns to use the ViStamp and Vail Driver quickly, while he at first goes to fight the devil in his human form, after Masumi tells him to use both devices he did it without struggling, or making use of Vail's tools afterwards. And while NOAH treats him as a captive, his fighting style is also really brutal, as if he's mindless. It even got him to destroy the bridge at his final fight and buried him under rubble, so he's a really destructive folk which have NOAH quite justified in their cruel methods of restraining him.

As Vail in the main series is shown to be able to destroy a Giftarian without a finisher, I wonder if the devil in the past was all the stronger one compared to the ones present in the main series, the general MOTW ones (not Phase 3 or above).

I think it's may be fair to expect and have Ikki try to understand Olteca, but, what if after Ikki actually tried, Olteca's proven to be irredeemable? Would having tragic backstory means they're free from any blames and it's still the only other party's fault? (e.g. Ikki is too much of an insensitive egotist thus he's complicit in being unable to redeem Olteca and keeps him going). What should Ikki do next after it's proven that he's beyond redemption? Tragic backstory to explain aside, Olteca is just like Asakura and Kitazaki in evilness - of which Shinji tried for Asakura but it's revealed that he's truly beyond redemption.

And I agree with the declaration sounding like prejudice (though he shouldn't be condemned for rubbing someone the wrong way), but, about you, didn't you think that it's only ok for someone to resort into for example, killing when they've given up their humanity such as turning themselves into monsters? I'd also think that while perhaps humans (normal, outside of KR) can be more neutralized, it should be also acknowledged that there can be human villains who are much worse than any monster, also not judging good/bad by species alone.

You said you weren't going to remember another name for Genta but you did anyway. :lol

While Yukimi is the only sane person and heart of the Igarashi family, it's here in this spin-off where we can see how much that means. The one who can turn Genta from angry revenge man to goofy vlogging man.

Revice Legacy Vail is a sweet love story for sure and something I could look forward to each week. The prequel setting gives Mouri the freedom to write however he wants to and I think he does a great job. I like the ED theme a lot as well, performed by Yukimi's 20s and 40s actresses.

BTW, Yukimi's 20s actress, Okubo Sakurako, was previously Hammie/Chamaeleon Green in Kyuranger, which shares the producer with Revice and was also written by Mouri.

Tragic backstory doesn't absolve Olteca, but that information can provide a solution for others to help him recover from the trauma, like how Reiko and Shinji tried to help Asakura after finding out about the fire and his surviving brother. Even though that ended badly, you can't know the outcome for sure unless you try. Shinji still declared to Kanzaki that protecting people includes protecting Riders and later that "nobody is better off dead", as even Asakura's life was important to Mika (those two episodes are next on my rewatch). If Ikki was willing to see potential for change in Suzu, due to her tragic backstory, then it seems OOC and disappointing that he couldn't do the same for Olteca.

Ikki and Daiji already had to kill three Giftex due to their powers at the time being unable to defeat them non-lethally. Even in the Ghost example I gave, Takeru was forced to kill Adel since the Ganmaizers refused to let Adel live. Unless mercy is refused, like Desast demanding Kenzan to not hold back, then heroes should always strive to save those they can, which is the minimum Ikki did for Olteca before Gif finished him. Ikki doesn't bother to give Olteca a clear explanation for his confusing statement, only that he's crossed a line and whatever, which I'm not sure how Olteca or anybody in his position is supposed to take that in a constructive way. Being hated by his father was the reason he turned out like that, after all, so more hatred solves nothing.

Congrats on your 1100th post!

Ha ha, I'm not sure I'd go that far, but this was a fun first episode. Glad you enjoyed it, too!

I'd assume that Vail not being in full control of Junpei in the past probably limited their effectiveness in monster detonation. Vail unleashed in the present is, I'd think, significantly more dangerous than Junpei was as a Rider.

DAMN IT! They got me!

REVICE LEGACY: KAMEN RIDER VAIL - EPISODES 2 + 3

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/vail2a.png

Solid middle episodes!

There’s not really a ton worth talking about beyond the romance of Genta and Yukimi, though. The various unconscionable acts of Noah are so boilerplate as to be almost a parody of mysterious organizations of nebulous authority. They’re just trying to harness Giff’s power for some reason, but the only path to success seems to be churning through dozens and dozens of unwilling test subjects, to a degree that even Shocker would find to be wasteful and inhumane. I laughed pretty hard at the implication that Genta’s been polishing off a mounting number of devils solely because no one at Noah thought to run their human experimentation in a room more secure than a well-appointed office, leaving each successive failure to rampage out of the same goddamn office, killing a few guards on their way to freedom. I understand the management tactic of throwing bodies at difficult problems, but maybe someone somewhere should’ve told Noah that it’s just an expression.

(I also completely don’t get the timeline on Noah using a devil to kill Genta’s family in order to motivate him. How Noah’s suddenly controlling a devil feels like a reveal for a future episode, but the first episode of this run made it seem like Genta was a fluke victory for the program, and his parents were already dead. Was he experimented on, and then Noah dragged him home to watch his parents get murdered? I don’t at all get how that reveal fits into the established timeline.)

But Genta and Yukimi! Very sweet at times, weirdly toxic at others. The story is smart to reframe Yukimi’s crush on a smelly, taciturn, dismissive psychopath as her being a busybody, since it both connects back to Revice as a show, and also makes her seem less like she’s just going through the motions of the plot. Genta’s sort of impossible to see as a romantic partner in this stage of their romance, and it works a little better if she’s just trying to help a dude who’s as lost and alone as she is.

I like that Genta and Yukimi are both aching for a family to make them feel safe, and see that absence in each other, and want to build a new family together. I like that they both want the same thing. It makes this less a story about a Kamen Rider falling in love, and more a romance of equal partners, one of which happens to be a murder machine. The way these two episodes never let you forget that Yukimi has goals and desires, that she’s not just someone to be rescued or protected, is really helpful in elevating a story of fairly ridiculous extra-governmental imprisonment and execution.

This thing continues to be greater than the sum of its parts. Yukimi and Genta have always been my favorite characters on this show, and this special just reinforces that decision.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/vail2b.png

Yeah, this is every late 80s and 90s scifi ova ever. :lolol
On a side note, great to see Sakurako Okubo again since Kyuranger, aka Super Sentai Star Wars. She was the green ranger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhXrAitR9gk

As this centers outside of Noah, more of Junpei's personality is shown here in the daily talk against someone, as someone only driven by revenge and has lost his meaning of life by that, he's a lone wolf type and would show some coldness and aloofness. It's explainable with how NOAH treats him, but his vengeful side seems to be purely his own, as that time he was eager to fight the devils, instead of obeying NOAH. He's the closest to edgy asshole secondaries for Revice. Other than that, he seems to be enhanced as Vail with his wounds healing quickly. Not that it applies to his scent too however. He doesn't seem to be much superior to the NOAH soldiers that fought him, so he's probably at best slightly superhuman in physical stats at that point.

Actually Masumi's conscience kicked in earlier than I thought, I thought he felt regret as he grew older and a bit wiser, but actually he already objected as a young man here against Agariyama, who's shown to be completely ruthless in reaching his goals, experimenting on various people without blinking an eye despite that all of them except Junpei are killed. That'd mean he might've obtained more victims than Olteca with Junpei being numbered 71. He'd also capture someone innocent just because she interacts with Subject 071 and would soon consider him a failure as well, Junpei's second chance is given without freedom. While Masumi has done the experiments too, thus he's amoral too, he had limits to stop when he feels it has gone too far. This also makes him a better person compared to certain another hat + sunglasses + mask covered person, W's Shroud, that he's more well-meaning and is genuinely remorseful for the damage and chaos his research caused unlike Shroud who's completely consumed by her vengeance to manipulate others as a tool constantly including monsters like Isaka, though she eventually felt remorse but in much later time.

Now it's clearer why the NOAH captain seem to have more restrain and standards compared to the other NOAH members, because he's actually a spy from a resistance to prevent victims like Genta. This one's not a case of 'not all members from a shady organization (in this case NOAH) is fully bad'. Before he helped Genta and Yukimi escape he tried to convince Masumi, so that shows he disapproved of Agariyama. Though dunno when did he become a spy of NOAH and if he's already there when the previous 70 victims aren't saved, as it can seem as if the turnaround of the captain was forced in the middle if he's already there for quite a time, and that he did tase Genta. Masumi is also a better person compared to Agariyama, but he's still not a good person overall, then and now, with him refusing to change his ways here that he has sunk too deep despite having limits in what he did.

Actually turns out how Genta is seen as a failure was about his body rejecting Giff cells thus he can also potentially turn into devil. So it's nothing different from previous 70 subjects, but just delayed failure for Agariyama. Obviously planning to kill Yukimi is monstrous too. For the fight here, the stock "your loved ones fuel your determination" trope is used as a reason why Genta can escape (and likely keeps his human self this way)... Other than that, Revice continues to provide bodycount here, and not from Giff-related stuff in the captain firing at his squad members. Which next leads into a rare scene of Kamen Rider directly hitting humans. The soldiers aren't actually reduced into mush for obvious reason (excessive gore even if that makes sense), but likely they died too from a direct blow from Kamen Rider.

It now centers around the buildup of his relationship with Yukimi as she helped him out from the debris and took him to the similar-as-ever-in-the-past Happy Spa. True to how "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree", Yukimi showed traits that is seen in her future children, seen in her cooking being about spicy curries like Sakura's, as well as her being a #1 busybody like Ikki's, none for Daiji's yet. I guess it makes sense now on how she was fiercely overprotective against Sakura becoming a Rider, she resembles Ikki the most at the first place. That'd make her kind and helpful...b̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶J̶u̶n̶p̶e̶i̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶R̶i̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶u̶i̶t̶, albeit with some wild and savage traits too, she's saving the day with traditionally feminine role to Genta, but Ikki's busybodiness is seen as a wrong trait in the main series, so if Yukimi's like him too she should've been given a lesson too, but I don't think it'd happen for 5-part only unless it's mentioned offscreen if Yukimi can be a main guide to her children.

Still there's something that all the children has nothing in common to their parents... so far none of the Igarashi childrens inherit Junpei's personality, while Yukimi was never strong physically unlike all her children... of which is shown in ep. 1, the difference between her and Sakura dealing with the Giff Juniors. Though she did rescue Genta by using steel rod to lift the debris.

I was worried before regarding about how the next one was probably going to sideline the deeper development of learning to live or something for just lovey-dovey romance, even though it's obviously going to happen eventually, but actually that's handled fine and better than I expect. There's some relatable traits between Genta and Yukimi to each other that probably is the one to spark the relationship. About how both lost their parents, and both feel a sense of emptiness in their life with Genta losing the meaning of his life by only taking revenge, and Yukimi seemingly accepting of her potential death as NOAH prisoner. And then Genta, with him also being far more honest than I expect, admitting that spending time with Yukimi was enjoyable and likely something that can fill the void in his life, probably Yukimi as well before of wanting to eat together with him. Many of previous talks about this seem to often portray those who are more "stereotypically" feminine as "just someone to be rescued or protected"... with desires and goals being visible in those "defying" feminity...

Other than not absolving him, it doesn't make him above/better than Asakura and Kitazaki too. Still I'd want the clear answer of what Ikki should do if Olteca's really irredeemable after he actually tried? Not that Ikki should "understand" him by letting him win and get what he wants to "ease his pain" right? Though Saber did have Touma reaching out, Isaac's final fate is also being finished off by Storious. I think while it'd be fair to expect and want Ikki to have some attempt in reaching out, but I'd think, him prioritizing Olteca's victims is good (I can think declaring unforgivable means honoring those victims), of which you also can seem to overlook nameless victims (of which this can happen in serial killer stories to focus on the culprit and have them inadvertently getting admiration instead or such), like forgetting Heaven and Hell because Sara wasn't killed, Suzu did something bad but is nowhere near as horrible as Olteca is, what about this being Ikki having limits?

Dunno why I can't keep up with others here.

Personally, I think Kyuranger is more Super Sentai Assassin's Creed, or Super Sentai Guardians of the Galaxy. But I guess it can be a little of all three.

Right, Ikki shouldn't let Olteca have his way. Ending someone's suffering only works if it doesn't bring suffering to others. If he tries and fails to help him see the error of his ways, then ultimately he should defeat him to prevent him from committing further crimes, although preferably without bringing unnecessary hatred in to it, as heroes are still supposed to be examples of the morals they preach. Pay evil unto evil isn't good enough.

Well I already admitted my mistake of forgetting about the Heaven and Hell game victims, so it's not that I've forgotten Olteca's victims either. However, I think there's an important difference between justice and self-indulgence. Ikki having limits is probably another flaw manifesting from his egotism, that he calls himself the Ultimate Busybody, but he can't live up to that title, compared to Takeru who actually surpasses him in compassion.

Yeah, I should've said space opera looking back. :lolol

REVICE LEGACY: KAMEN RIDER VAIL - EPISODE 4

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/vail4a.png

Long day! Late night! Let’s quickly talk about a single episode of this Vail special!

It’s a lot of plot business in this one, trying to lay out the bizarre NOAH-related cause and effect of Genta’s backstory, and it sort of mostly works? I always got the impression that his death and resurrection was what lead to his memory loss, but somehow he retained those memories enough to know who his parents were, which is why NOAH had them murdered by Vail: to give Genta a thing to avenge. It’s just… it’s a little weird, timing-wise. If Genta lost his memories before/during his experimentation, which makes the most sense, why would he even know his parents enough to understand who was being murdered in front of him? And if he lost his memories afterwards… what does he only remember just enough details from his Narratively Convenient Amnesia to be traumatized by his parents’ murder? And why does he lose his memories at all? It’s a very, very weird plot point, and I don’t think this episode completely squares that circle.

What it does do, however, is reveal that Vail was the killer in question, and that part is really well done. It’s not surprising, but it doesn’t really have to be. It just needs to both expose Genta’s addiction to using vengeance as a way of excusing his propensity for violence, and it needs to give Genta nowhere to hide from his monstrous nature. Vail acts as a more malevolent Vice; there’s a sense of both companionship and liberation in his cruelty, and he genuinely seems to want to give Genta the life he secretly desires. Vail’s the thing in Genta that fears domestication, and longs for the self-obliteration of life as Kamen Rider Vail. It’s ugly, but it definitely comes from someplace in Genta.

The Vail stuff, along with the cute Genta/Yukimi scene, really worked for me this time out. NOAH, meanwhile, continues to be the perfect prequel organization for Revice: just the most relentlessly incompetent sociopaths, assuming that myriad failures – ranging from homicide to genocide – will eventually result in something that will validate their jobs. (Also, “Nest Of Anti-Human”? YIKES. Terrible!) All these mysterious organizations of nebulous authority are such a drag, but the character-based storytelling continues to impress. Excited for the finale!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/vail4b.png

Yukimi displays more of her considerate trait here, other than staying to look after Genta which means she's not "stuck" there, to not only thank Irabu for his help but also be concerned of his newfound fugitive status. And she here still acknowledged the other NOAH soldiers as still human, in an attempt to prevent Genta becoming similar to a devil. And ong ago that she took a stray dog, of which the dog was named Genta and it was where the name came from. Which as Junpei noted, Yukimi basically saw Junpei as a stray dog. I wonder if Yukimi had done more of taking in living beings like this, there'd be an army of Genta (but more importantly, the gender of the living beings she helped). The "busybody" part of her staying to look after Genta also shows that it's not only the fighter that looks after others despite that they're the one that can save others due to their power.

So at this point, it's 'siding with the angel or the devil' scenario for Genta, obviously with Yukimi for the former and a literal case with Vail for the latter. Yukimi trying to not let Genta succumb to his inner darkness, and Vail convincing Genta to give in into his vengeance. Both sides have plenty of temptation, of how both cater to Genta's wants, Genta wants to have more fulfilling life and Yukimi already showed he can have it, but Genta also wants to take revenge against his family's murderers and that hasn't been resolved, and Vail revealed himself and what NOAH, particularly Agariyama were doing, purposely instilling hatred in Genta to use him as their executioner. Now Agariyama clearly has nihilistic outlook to think only hatred can make someone kill devils, and thus ruining someone's life for that, when someone who cares about others could fit the bill, they'd want to use Riders' power for good by killing devils for protecting others by themselves alone. But for now, Vail is the winner, taking over Genta's body, and it's expected as now Genta knows the real culprit and thus can directly exact his revenge right now after tirelessly seeking for it. Genta does want a fulfilling life, but that hasn't knocked his vengeance of his top priority yet, and Vail just made it easier now.

There's already obvious speculation before of the NOAH Captain being younger Buu-san, and now the series officially introduced him as one. So he's already called that in his younger days too. Usually even without being Riders or scientists, people who have militaristic job are usually more competent and capable than average person, and thus is more 'useful', and in the main series, Buu-san was apparently just a regular at Happy Spa that got close to the Igarashis, but has excellent information gathering skills. A previous case of information gatherer in Build for Sawa was partly about how she was a child soldier of Namba (a part of her temporary betrayal too). And turns out Irabu too, was a former soldier, thus explaining how he got those skills from. And he got close to the Igarashis not from regularly visiting Happy Spa, but as said before in the series, already did before the Igarashi siblings even born, by helping Genta escape as per his resistance job.

About Vail's slaughter of the NOAH soldiers which actually shocked Yukimi, as well as Yukimi pleading Genta to stop beating up a soldier to death... so that'd mean Genta as Vail didn't actually kill the soldiers in Part 3 before? Despite the soldiers being thrown like a ragdoll from a Rider's blows. And then again Buu-san already shot several soldiers before to protect the main couple, so soldiers being killed aren't a new thing, unless it's not meant to show a similar outcome, but Vail's bloodthirsty nature instead. Actually I do have some questions about how Buu-san can actually contradict himself in his job as a spy in NOAH. Like, if it's a named major character like Masumi, Buu-san gives him a chance to remind him to redeem himself, but other nameless soldiers who are probably doing less damage than Masumi, they're killed without reasoning, but I mean talking them out first outside combat like Masumi.

Yeah true, not advocating pay evil unto evil either; it'd be not a noble thing if there are another villain who finishes off Olteca (or vice-versa), they just happen to pick a victim who had it coming. In past I thought that it'd be confusing when someone hellbent on revenge on a threat learns to let go of that, of which if it'd mean letting them have their way, thinking that them still going after that threat will make it redundant, but there's a difference between “giving up my claim for personal revenge and retribution” to “stopping them from causing further harm” or “let justice be done on those villains for their wrongdoing” even if the result may be similar at first glance (which'd be why many people advocate this kind of revenge.

Yeah, Takeru does surpass him in this regard (and perhaps Takeru's a golden standard among main Riders by this, likely the reason for him to be disliked and seen as bland, or that it's because the writing only focuses on making Takeru compassionate but neglect another aspect of his character). Though perhaps the calling himself ultimate busybody part, I can feel like it's part self-depreciation, given how it's something people complaint about him and that he has to reduce that later...

Well, there's also the fact the Buu's trying to recruit Karizaki to the resistance, so there's specific value in keeping that guy alive. The rest of the soldiers... well, it seems like they knew what they signed up for, and nothing's stopping them from following their conscience and leaving the organization that relentlessly flings bodies at problems of their own creation.

REVICE LEGACY: KAMEN RIDER VAIL - EPISODE 5

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It’s… it’s not a great ending, is it.

There’s wonderful narrative value in Genta facing off against the darkness inside himself, and Yukimi being the one to pull him back from the abyss of that conflict. This was a story about how loneliness makes us think we don’t deserve happiness, and the reward that comes from putting ourselves out there and fighting for connections. Vail’s the part of Genta that thinks self-sufficiency is the only valuable trait, so it’s nice to get a victory in the shape of Yukimi’s hugs. That whole section of things, including Genta finding the strength within himself to (essentially) defeat his own strength – great. Very fun, and a nice capper to this series.

But then we have to get these characters to exactly how we found them in Revice, and we apparently have to do it within a single scene.

If there’s a key failure to this finale, it’s that. There’s no reason why we have to go from Grim Warrior to Goofy Husband within this episode. Genta can conclude his business with Vail, and we can infer that years of being a husband and father uncorked the goofiness inside him, and he became the vlogging papa that we all know and love. Instead, it happens via yet more Narratively Convenient Amnesia, and that’s such a bummer. It’s too much, too fast, and it makes Genta’s growth seem less like the natural consequence of his decision to embrace happiness and family, and more like he got another bump on the head that turned him into a different guy.

And like… there’s a kernel of an idea in there that I like. Vail was the darkness inside Genta that steered him toward isolation and revenge, but now that weight is gone from him. Maybe he’d’ve been a dork without Vail! Sure! But not only does this all happen too fast, but it also resets all of the growth and sacrifice that Genta spent an episode fighting for. This Genta didn’t make those choices; this Genta didn’t even choose Yukimi, which is the entire point of this series. She’s just like I’m Your Wife and he’s like Oh Okay. It– it’s sort of a weird thing for Yukimi to do? They didn’t get married and he forgot; she’s deciding that they're married now. This is not technically a thing Genta consented to under any of his previous amnesias! And he might not be okay with it in any of his future amnesias! It’s a little creepy!

And that’s sort of what I’m left with, after five episodes of a largely inessential but fairly welcome flashback series. This was a too-convoluted backstory I never asked for, but the characters in the present are so fantastic that I kept finding things to enjoy. Absolutely did not stick the landing for me (those last few minutes! No thanks!), but I appreciate Revice realizing that Genta and Yukimi deserved a romantic origin. I guess I’ll take what I can get!

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I’d say some reasons why I didn’t like the whole thing partially because of this one episode, but you basically did it for me. The idea that Yukimi’s been date-raping an amnesiac for 25 years… no, just no. And also, how the hell does their fake marriage hold up to scrutiny, given there’s no wedding rings, no wedding photos, no certificate… Oh, and I don’t like how abruptly Yukimi fell in love with a guy after one day, in which she was kidnapped and nearly killed just for association with him.

And as for the overall Vail thing… yeah, I’m not sure why this was a necessary thing. Most of it is basically reiterating what was said in the show, and what wasn’t didn’t have much substance to it. And the budget clearly hampered whatever vision was behind all of this, given we only get one monster costume (aside from making Vail the Carnage to Vice’s Venom), the montage of Junpei’s suffering looks less like a montage, and more like one fight that was very sloppily edited.

Also, despite the sound mixer’s intentions, using bull noises instead of Kiai does not make the combatants seem demonic. It just kills the mood.

And on a lighter note, more casting trivia, besides Yukimi being Chameleon Green, leaving us 5 for 5 on Sentai ladies in Revice.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...509A3FD20.jpeg

The guy playing Junpei later appeared in the Futo PI stageshow as Shotaro (they’ve got a variant of the CSM Joker Memory with his dialogue coming with the DVD)

The guy playing Karizaki is Daichi, the protagonist of Ultraman X.

And the guy playing Arigiyama (a name I only remember thanks to TV Tropes labelling him the third most evil character in Revice, after Olteca and Vail, and someone on Twitter being surprised he pulled out a gun instead of a Driver) is the Douji/Black Douji/Super Douji/the Man/voice of the Hime from Hibiki, Bishop from Kiva and Legion from Wizard.

After Genta chooses to live a fulfilling live (if he survived), Vail seems to be running out of ideas on what to do, likely the first time, he just tried to persuade Genta to rule the world together with him... as if Genta ever had a wish to rule the world lmao. That's Vail's weakest manipulation yet in the series so far, but it seems that Vail also has similar views on demons against humans, to think they'd be instantly tempted by stock villainous goals.

So Genta's face was really altered, and while the reason is typical fugitive one, it makes more sense now to alter his face, so that he's harder to be tracked by NOAH, Yukimi wasn't the only one to 'change' his identity by naming him Genta. And at that time, I guess even someone as noble as Yukimi (had a bit irrational side at first, but it shines more in real tragedy), when she gets a shot at happiness after the tragedy ended (temporarily), took the opportunity to make a decision solely for herself too. The selfish decision, though it's a harmless and a deserved one, by stringing Genta along as her husband, done likely before their official marriage in credits, which'd mean technically still a lie albeit Genta would happily oblige. There are perhaps many more creepy romance writings that got overlooked due to people shipping, but... the funny or entertaining kind of these wouldn't be less creepy either.

So how Vail was defeated and came into contact with Demons Driver was answered here, Masumi used the Driver both to seal Vail while also saving Genta to atone for himself. That also revealed how Masumi decided to wear a mask all the time, as he set himself on fire while doing so. Honestly, shows even if someone had committed unforgivable sins and genuinely felt remorse, better try to atone it even if it's not enough, rather than letting yourself die like what Masumi did at the beginning. Who'd seal Vail at that time?

Agariyama met his end here as expected, but it was more brief than I thought, Agariyama just carries himself a gun to confront Vail, which predictably, had Vail just impaling him with his arm. I thought as someone in military who had several scientists (more shown here than Masumi) under his control, he'd have some trump card to deal with Vail, either supernatural devices like ViStamp or even military vehicles like tank, but no. That'd still mean Agariyama isn't a coward type to face Vail like that however, not that him being brave would reduce his wrongdoings.

It's very weird! There are romcoms that start of this way where someone learns a lesson because of it!

It's very much a problem of this tiny, barely-an-hour thing trying to move us from meeting at the end of the first episode, to married by the end of the fifth episode, but not skipping any time. If the producers wanted to show the scope of this relationship in anything approaching the reality and groundedness of the modern-day version, they probably shouldn't've tried to do the whole thing over a long afternoon, where the second half of the date was imprisonment and imminent execution.

And thanks for the casting trivia! Should've recognized that one dude from Hibiki, for sure.

Vail's very new at this in the flashback! He becomes a slightly better manipulator after a 25-year wait.

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 29 - “CRANK-IN! MEMORIES OF HIROMI!”

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Hiromi’s alive, apparently! And he has amnesia, because this is Kamen Rider Revice, a show whose sign reading It Has Been X Days Since Our Last Narratively Convenient Amnesia is constantly being reset to zero! So we’ve got to bring him back to the team the only way our heroes know how: A good old-fashioned CLIP SHOW!

It’s basically an HBV, but with a little extra epilogue for the last arc around the edges. As hard as I laughed at the many brilliant gags, the part I liked best was how it all became a goofy blow-off for the Igarashi siblings, right before they split off into slightly-siloed storylines. Daiji’s got to reform/destroy Fenix, Sakura’s got to take her next steps with Weekend, and Ikki’s got to keep Happy Spa safe for them all to come back to someday. Sure, as Ikki notes, they’ll never be too far away from each other – they’re still family, and still teammates in the fight against Giff – but this does all have that sunset-lit feeling of a completed chapter, even if this group doesn’t really strike me as readers. It’s See You Soon, rather than Goodbye, but it still conjures up a wistful feeling.

Beyond that, it’s just incredibly funny?

The basic idea, that the Igarashis and George decide to make a recap video to get Hirmoi to take up arms again, is sublime in its manic energy. (I like that they mostly pivoted away from Remind Hiromi How Cool He Is into just recapping the last 28 episodes, since there’s literally no way to edit previously-aired footage enough to make Hiromi look like a successful Kamen Rider.) The way each attempt at a video reflected the editor’s biases and failings made even dull original footage (or frustrating reminders of stuff I don’t care about) into entertaining explorations of the first half of Revice: Vice, turning his video slowly but surely into a hype video for him and Ikki; Daiji, making a somber and serious tribute to Hiromi that eventually becomes a vehicle for Daiji’s rage and resentment toward George/Fenix/Whomever; and George, mostly making a workout video so he can show off his physique and minorly flirt with Hiromi. Each segment is just recapping stuff we already knew, but the way it’s recapped kept cracking me up. It’s easily the best version of this show’s story to date.

Nothing bad to say about this one! All the old information was presented in a fun way, the “new” information (Giff at Fenix, Ikki disappearing from a photo) was either easily predicted or technically old information that just hadn’t been brought up in a while, and the use of all of this reminiscing as a way to give the Igarashis a feeling of closure was really sweet. It’s so fun, that I forgot until this sentence how angry I got at Hiromi having this show’s 11th or 12th case of amnesia! JESUS CHRIST! Everyone on this show should be wearing helmets at all times!

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It’s a good thing Hiromi got amnesia after he found out the whole conspiracy with Akaishi helping Giff. Otherwise the heroes would stop him. And also, it allows for some catch-up for what’s been going on. Fittingly, it aired 11 years to the day after OOO’s own movie making episode. (And 51 years to the day of the very first Kamen Rider episode, but that probably wasn’t on anyone’s mind during filming)

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And we get an in-universe explanation for George’s sudden character shift from shady wild card to stern ally of justice. But… I’ll let this screen cap of someone’s comment sun up people’s thoughts on this.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...48EA11169.jpeg

And I’ll also reveal the IRL reason: the writer thought a fan of superheroes could never turn out evil. Evidently he never saw the wealth of movies and shows where the big bad is a fan of superheroes. It’s not even a Western only thing, as an Ultraman show with a very similar premise to Revice (the heroes are siblings, the backstory goes back hundreds of years, the gimmick items are based off past heroes, but the forms themselves aren’t, the younger sister of the three siblings forms a friendship with the main female villain) had a fanboy of Ultras as the villain Ultraman Orb Dark Black Schwarz Noir… granted, he was an obnoxious caricature of people who hate newer instalments for not being like the older ones.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...8/IMG_1343.JPG

And finally, we get two new villain costumes in the form of Giff’s true appearance and the Gifftarian (TRUE). The former isn’t very popular, being called things ranging from “a low level Shinkenger monster” to “a Giff Jr in a pimp outfit”. As for the latter… One guy I know said he preferred them to the OG Gifftarians, but I still prefer the originals, since the new colours just look gaudy.

And with no actual skit planned for this episode, I’ll sign off here (regular service will resume on Saturday)

Yeah, it definitely feels like a retcon (George was fully okay with helping Olteca because he loved doing mad science so much!), but I'm okay with it for two reasons.

The first is that I can see George reappraising his own morality in light of Daddy's reappearance. It's possible that George wouldn't necessarily have a huge, emotional reckoning with his own actions from the recent past, but maybe just wants to seem a little less horrible than his dad was at his age. It doesn't all have to be He's A Bad Guy vs He's A Good Guy; George can take incremental steps away from being a self-centered asshole without invalidating all of his past crimes.

The second reason is that there's basically nowhere in this story for a guy that's an evil mad scientist that doesn't care about the people he hurts along the way. If he hangs around with the heroes, it makes them look like oblivious dopes at best, complicit hypocrites at worst. If he defects to the villains, it's just, like, The End. This isn't a setup where George can be a rancid prick with no consequences.

That would be Faiz.

Another trait of Ikki is revealed here, that he has zero understanding of technology.... which causes him to accidentally delete the footage (of which luckily was saved). And his role goes full circle. At the beginning he's the only one that can become a Rider at that time, of which he prioritizes protecting Happy Spa thus didn't commit to the Deadman fighting and earns him an ire from Daiji for that. He finally agrees to work within Fenix until it falls apart with the rotten reveal of it like Hiromi's fate, George's behavior, Giff research, and Weekend fighting against it. The siblings now go on a different path for those new reveals with Daiji staying at Fenix to cure it and Sakura joining Weekend, thus Ikki goes back into prioritizing his family and protecting Happy Spa.

Other than his comedic bits in tons of Engrish (what's his ethnicity? Masumi had Japanese name and no English aspect at all) and aerobic video (with henshin pose training!). I guess continuing from genuine concern for the Igarashis or also his declaration to jump on Riderhood, this does further confirm that he turned good. Including explaining about his "ultimate Rider" goal or his treatment of Hiromi, that he claims he was ordered by Akaishi to supervise the Demons Driver. As shown in Daiji reminding it and Sakura threatening to Rider Kick him if he does something suspicious again, that doesn't negate that George had committed wrongdoings opposite to what Kamen Rider embodies, but he showed remorse here while wanted to atone by helping his former guinea pig Hiromi. Daiji now shares mutual predicament to George that it roots from Fenix's corrupt core. Would like to see the bond between George and Daiji for likely potential infighting at Fenix now. He also even displays less narcissism compared to Vice, only getting angry at Vice for mistakes too rather than petty reasons, as he previously displayed Kuroto-like narcissism of boasting his capabilities after reverting Ikki and Vice's position back. George previously surely doesn't act like he's forced though (except when he gave the Crow ViStamp to Kagerou), reacting with glee to use Hiromi as guinea pig and discarding him, unless he's also forced to act malicious too that time.

Said director who is claimed to force George under his order, Akaishi, seems to be set up as the main antagonist here (or at least, further confirming he's evil) along with Giff.... or that he's the main antagonist to carry the story with Giff acting as unseen superior that he recapped the previous Deadman's feats to.... Akaishi seems to at least value Olteca as a companion that he genuinely mourns his death albeit he's still feeling uplifted due to Daiji as the replacement. This seems to show that Akaishi isn't as much of a bastard as Olteca.

As usual, though he grew to become more caring towards people around him, Vice is still an attention seeker, seen in his fights after he became buddies with Ikki some episodes ago (#NiceVice), but this trait is still present until now, with him editing what's meant to be Hiromi movie into being focused on himself with the other Igarashi siblings as the side character. As Ikki noted, his editing is Kamen Rider Vice instead of Hiromi. It'd also appear later in likely what advances the plot in him and Ikki's fight against the True Giftarians, to put a new self-promoting hashtag in #NiceRevice (this'd involve Ikki too though).

Sakura's a physically tough girl (who still wants to seek more as stated here by joining Weekend) and she's also the harsh, stiff, and temperamental type though not perpetually (in reverse she's patient to Tamaki as usual after his turn), and it shines through in her stint as a director here, which'd put her above her older brothers and George, being someone controlling and mean to the crew. Though the other crews was really wacky and genuinely making it hard for them to complete the movie, so it's not fully unwarranted, albeit she's like this too to less severe mistakes like Ikki's directing.

Tamaki returns to his comic relief role, and an even bigger sobbing mess compared to before with Aguilera missing. Not to rag on Tamaki's predicament or overall life, but after previously having a more composed role, honestly, this got a bit repetitive now and that Tamaki seems to be unnecessary character/presence now, with the series likely don't know what to do with him but have to make him appear, from a previously one of the right-hand of the major villain, to assuming a role similar to Genta (pre-Vail reveal).

I'm generally not a fan of the mid-series clip shows and I have not enjoyed them spreading into Kamen Rider, which had long been the one holdout against them. An episode like this one, though, which can still be fun if you skim past the clips, can still make for an entertaining time.

Tamaki's in a transitional phase right now! He's very emotionally vulnerable, so cut him some slack!

It's an enjoyable episode, without qualification. I think the humor helps make the recapping feel like a non-chore, and I like how much it becomes out by the Igarashis getting some light shenanigans before they all go do depressing things for at least a few episodes. Hard to find fault!

DEAR GAGA - PAGE 1

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Ha ha, Hiromi has proven himself to be the most shrewd character in Revice, and maybe all of Kamen Rider: the easiest and most believable malady to fake in these shows is amnesia. Everyone gets it by walking out their front door or exhaling, so why would you question anyone’s self-diagnosis?

It’s a nice twist, that layer of this story. Hiromi’s most recent bout of superheroic adventure had his boss free a cultist and crash a helicarrier, after which Hiromi – already hollowed out like a Halloween pumpkin by Fenix’s mad science – got exploded off of a cliff and seemingly abandoned by his closest friends. (It’s a weird detail that’s never explained, that I know of. Did anyone even try looking for Hiromi after his encliffening? This special acts like he was just missing, but I feel like the previous Revice episodes made him out to be dead. Why was he hard to find, if he just went home after being cliffed?) This is a dude who has found no comfort in Fenix, or in being a Kamen Rider. Why bother remembering that version of yourself? Why not head back to your hometown, away from the expectations to be Captain Kadota or Kamen Rider Demons?

Which, of course, is how basically everyone sees him back in his hometown. WHOOPS!

It’s a more laid-back special than it is propulsive or insightful, which I sort of appreciate. It’s a space where Hiromi can just mope around a little bit, and the tensions are all in his sense of self-worth, or in his mother’s affection. Gaga’s a nicely straightforward, nurturing character, which means she almost immediately has to come down with a mysterious ailment. Most of this episode is split between her giving her son just enough pushback to keep him from wallowing in self-pity, and in her keeling over every other scene. It’s not the most clever use of a mom in this type of story, but I like how the relationship instantly comes across. She seems like a supportive mom that’s going to give Hiromi just enough of a kick in the ass to be a better man.

Honestly, it’s very cool to have a Hiromi-focused special this low-key and personal. A kid who’s a Kamen Rider fan and a strawberry thief, maybe! Everyone telling the shellshocked and despondent soldier how cool he is to be a soldier! Marriage opportunities! An old man who Hiromi’d himself into a sprained back! It’s all so sweet and pedestrian, which is a nice look for this show. Special bonus: no actual amnesia!!!

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The only thoughts I have on this special is… How old is Hiromi without the Demons Driver making him older? Since the actress playing the mother was a leading lady in a Toku in the 70s* during her early 20s, and unless she gave birth just as she was about to enter her menopause, he’d be 30-something at youngest. (For reference, the actor playing him was 27 at the start of the show, and turned 28 between the first and second quarters)

* For anyone curious, she was the ill-fated Aki Sakata in Return of Ultraman.

Well, my understanding of Hiromi's Demons diagnosis isn't that it's made Hiromi literally older -- he should still look the age he is, and be the age he is, while having the health of a man in his 80s. Like, his organs are obliterated, but his skin is nice and smooth!

But I think what you're getting at is more the 40-50 year difference between Hiromi and his Gaga, which... yeah, I honestly thought that was his grandmother at first. It's definitely possible that she had Hiromi later in life (a woman giving birth in her 40s isn't out of the question), but she visibly plays well outside the age range of Yukimi, for example. It's a little weird here, but I don't think it's a dealbreaker.

So turns out that Hiromi didn't get amnesia, but was faking it to run away from his responsibilities and avoiding Fenix. Though Hiromi has retired before from it though? Which'd mean Hiromi didn't die a hero, but lived long enough, not to become a villain, but becoming a bit jaded. Hiromi did have miserable life, like his flashback of being bullied, as well as the current event of Wakabayashi being Chameleon Deadman, George using him as guinea pig and discarding him, the reveal of Fenix having a corrupt leader, and Demons devouring his life force, but I guess he's not 100% immune to the dark side of him succumbing to some apathy here after so many crushing cards dealt to him.

A clear new path for Hiromi's character, and actually despite that I thought at the beginning Hiromi would be messed-up inside despite his outwardly heroism, this one that did it a bit with apathetic Hiromi surprised me, as Hiromi had been genuinely heroic for so long in the main series. Would see more how Hiromi would get back into track later, and I hope it wouldn't be handled too easy in a nonsensical way (which often happened when talking down outright villain, and Hiromi here is still a good person), he's still doing that despite that he received unconditional love and support from his mom Takako Kadota, to the point of snapping at one point to throw away his Fenix uniform. In general you seem to be more accepting of 'mom role' in series like Revice than previous ones for those having that traits.

I don't know when I've ever been down on a show for incorporating a mom in a sizable way? I mean, for one, there are very few 'mom role' characters over the last 23 years of Kamen Rider. For another, I'm pretty sure I frequently declared Asumu's mom from Hibiki (Asumum) as one of my favorite characters from that series? Finally, I've been annoyingly vocal about how much I loved the Build HBV for its messaging on the importance of honoring maternal guidance. I generally enjoy mom characters on these shows?

When even 'was' the last Mum to show up in Kamen Rider pre-Revice? Sophia kinda counts I guess if you want to quibble, but Aruto somehow had two versions of his dad with no mum in sight, Sougo's mum died off-screen, so I guess that leaves Sento's kinda-sorta-by-way-of-Katsuragi one off mum appearance?

You are rudely forgetting Tsukuyomi, everyone's favorite Time Mom.

Other than that... I mean, Revice probably has more Moms In Your Area than any three other Kamen Rider shows put together, and it's not even close. Let's go to the tape!

KUUGA - No
AGITO - No
RYUKI - Thankfully, no
FAIZ - No (Go Meteors)
BLADE - No
HIBIKI - YES!
KABUTO - No (unless you count a frequently-referenced but never-seen grandmother?)
DEN-O - Teeeeeeechnically yes, but not really.
KIVA - YES! SEVERAL! AND IT'S A MAIN PART OF THE STORY!
DECADE - No
DOUBLE - No
OOO - No
FOURZE - No
WIZARD - No
GAIM - No
DRIVE - Eventually, maybe, if we're counting post-show spin-offs
GHOST - No
EX-AID - Ha ha, YES! Poppy counts, sadly.
BUILD - No
ZI-O - See above!
ZERO-ONE - No
SABER - No

Hey, Ghost's finale very clearly makes Takeru's unnamed, unseen, blatantly-playing-second-fiddle-to-his-dad Mum the source of his ultimate power, the Love Bomber. I think that's worth an honorary mention. Or maybe a dishonorable one.

I was happy forgetting that, thank you.