Ah, the debut of Foundation X, the evil syndicate that would go on to be a recurring menace and unifying force behind all of the Neo Heisei era shows that felt like using them. So this and Fourze, basically. And a couple of team-up movies. Still, they got fans assuming that they would be more important for most of the 2010s. They're like the number theory except I don't feel as inclined towards violence every time they get brought up.

And Minami Tsukui is here! A lot more fun watching these episodes knowing who she is and how prominent she would be during the next several years.

They are very much the early-Phase 2 SHOCKER, in that they randomly appear late in a run -slash- around the release of a film, are somehow Behind Everything, and never make a ton of narrative or thematic sense. I am not a huge fan of them!

My understanding was that Foundation X was the pet idea of W's producer and he created to be something that would unite all of the upcoming shows with a common background enemy like the Showa era's Great Leader. But then no one else wanted to deal with them and they just became this thing that only pops up when that one producer is in control of things. It's like the Kamen Rider version of "fetch."

If true, I think that exposes the main reason I never liked them: they're designed to be a generic threat, rather than something explicitly designed to work within the main metaphor of the series. They're this amorphous thing that's supposed to fit any premise or setting. They aren't part of the main Fuuto narrative of Double, so them arriving always feels like a bizarre intrusion, instead of a natural escalation. (Ryuube talking about them in Episode 37 has this weird tension of feeling like it belongs in the first five minutes of a non-canonical crossover film, not the final Act of a year-long TV show.)

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 38 - “VISITOR X - IN THE NAME OF THE MUSEUM”

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This was an episode that was largely about moving pieces around, and providing crucial character information, but I think I more appreciated how it tried to maintain a consistent theme beneath all of those revelations.

Like, I dug that everything came down to that Sokichi quote about the peril of indecision, and how not making a decision is probably worse than making a bad decision. Philip, Wakana, and Neurotaki are all characters that want to have everything, and can’t quite bring themselves to… Wait, no. I don’t– I don’t really think that theme carries across like I want it to.

Philip’s story is definitely about indecision. He doesn’t want to abandon his friends, but he can’t leave Wakana when she’s so scared and vulnerable. He needs to get off the fence, even if it means making a drastic change to his life. But the other two characters? Wakana and Neurotaki? They know exactly what they want: to escape from the danger of the Museum. They’re stymied – Neurotaki, by a Dopant assassin; Wakana, by her and Philip forgetting that cell phones are a thing – but they begin this story with a clear and actionable objective. Hell, Neurotaki actually gets what he wants, by seeing that his family got by fine without him! I wish this thing was held together by a common theme, but it really isn’t.

Without that, it’s still a solid enough character study for Philip. He’s not usually presented with a huge decision to make, generally deferring to Shotaro’s half-boiled sentimentality or Akiko’s boisterous certainty. Philip gets put in a position where he alone is responsible for deciding between Wakana and Team Double, and if his decision seems inevitably walked-back due to the show having another eleven episodes and a summer movie left to go, it’s a scenario that at least makes sense for his character. He’s already concerned about Wakana, and finding out she’s his sister just makes his desire to protect her even more compelling.

And that’s the big reveal of the episode: Philip is the son of Ryuube, and the brother to Wakana and Saeko. As I’ve watched this show before, I can’t pretend it was some bombshell, but I appreciated how it was quickly digested by the team and allowed to impact the unfolding adventure. This wasn’t some cliffhanger swerve, it was a data point that helped add weight to an immediate dilemma. I like when that happens!

The reveal of Philip’s history also comes with the added wrinkle of Wakana choosing the Museum over freedom, and this was a plot point I’ve sort of been dreading. I never liked it originally, because it felt like too big of a change for Wakana. She was minutes away from leaving forever alongside Philip, and now she’s some black-clad executioner that’s fully devoted to Ryuube’s designs. All of that changed for her in an afternoon, and it was initially hard for me to reconcile.

(I am underselling it. It actually ruined the end of the show for me.)

On a rewatch, I feel like I can be a little more generous to what the show’s doing with Wakana. Her leaving wasn’t a Kirihiko-style morality clause, where the reality of what the Museum is up to became a line he couldn’t cross. She’s running away from home because she’s scared of her dad. She’s seen what’s happening to Saeko, and feels like she’ll be next. That’s it. She’s a scared child, and she’s trying to run away from her problems. (I mean, reasonably so! Definitely feels like a good reason to leave town forever!) Once Ryuube explains her importance, and plays to her ego and need for safety, it makes sense that she’d choose to stay at home. He only needed to stop creeping her out, and she’s inevitably going to stay where it’s comfortable.

Where I have not grown more generous to what the show’s doing with Wakana is how she immediately tries to kill Philip. It’s such a gigantic change to her character from the last EVERY EPISODE that I don’t think the show can possibly come up with a reason why she wouldn’t be slightly more sensitive to Philip’s predicament. (There’s maybe a read on it where she’s angry that Philip never showed up at the train station, but neither of them ever mention it, and it’s not like she joined Ryuube out of spite.) I get that Wakana’s all in on being the main Museum heavy, but I feel like there could’ve been a bit more nuance to her change. Although, it’d arguably be out of character for this show to provide any nuance to a change in Wakana’s portrayal, so maybe I should at least be applauding their consistency.

Not an amazing episode, thanks to a preponderance of Major Developments and not quite enough work done to tie them all together thematically, but still solid for how it worked on Philip and Team Double. There’s a lot asked of Philip’s actor in this one, and he nailed all of it. Being able to buy everything Philip does… that salvaged a bunch of stuff I had harder time buying into. We’ll see how I feel as this series aims towards its finale!

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-I genuinely hated the end of this episode originally. FURIOUS at it. 37 gets me to care about Wakana’s psychology, and then this one has her go full fratricide while Philip and Shotaro are stuck in traffic. I hated the suddenness of it, and I still don’t love it.

-I cannot believe that we still need to have Jinno and Makura knocked out before anyone can Henshin, but, hey – at least we get Jinno AND Makura again!

-Seriously, why can’t Philip just call Wakana and have her wait? Or why can’t Neurotaki just tell Philip his Terrible Secret over the phone? Lazy writing!

Alright, so...

Honestly I don't mind Foundation X too much, I definitely forgot they got pushed this early (any episode before the mid-forties is early to me) into W, but overall/later on they do the job they need to and that's fine by me. Also I enjoy Saeko's current sub-plot of being on the run, and considering what's showing up soon, I'm excited to revisit this part of the show and see how it goes.

The Hopper Dopant is such a weird suit. Just when I feel like I figure out the head, it looks in a different direction and I just can't figure it out? Like the head is insanely distracting for me on an already kinda meh color palette.

As for the ending as I feel that's the biggest part aside from revelations I was already aware of because this is a rewatch... I'm kind of mixed on it. Like I knew what was coming but I forgot how we got there. I forgot Ryubei just yeets Wakana somewhere else to talk to her. I feel like we missed a step between that and her last confrontation with Philip at the end of this two-parter though.

That being said I do enjoy the bookend with her saying "behind you" and it coming across in two different tones during both episodes. The phone stuff was also cute and chilling in both instances.

But uh... I don't really get why the killing part was necessary? I legit was shocked by this because I was under the impression that her attacking Philip at the end, from what I remembered, was her trying to capture and bring him back. I feel like that would've been the better scenario to write but that's just me.

I never liked this two parter, really. And even now I still don't.

Like, I'm slightly more lenient on it than I was originally, because I can kinda see what the show is going for, but it doesn't really save it.

Sure, there are a handful of good scenes in here, but unfortunately the main source of those good scenes is also what ends up killing the entire experience. And that's Wakana.

Her turn really doesn't make a whole lot of sense whether you're looking at the plot or her as a character. Her reasoning of "I finally learned what my role is!" is so weird because, unless I missed something, she's never really had any sort of crisis of that sort, and later episodes that try to expand on what exactly she meant really don't help much of anything, if memory serves.

Meanwhile the whole "Raito is Terror Dad's' son" thing, like... I was so confused as to why that's treated as a twist when I first saw it, because I myself had put two-and-two together on that way beforehand and I just kinda figured the other characters had too the second that Saeko dropped his name. But apparently not.

This episode is also the primary source for why alot of us remember certain plot points being dropped way later than they actually are, I think. Because ideally, atleast for alot of people, around this time, this episode, where we get scenes like Akiko calling the agency a family and Wakana and Philip learning who Philip really is? It just makes alot more sense for scenes like Philip declaring Akiko and Shotaro to be his family from the casino episodes and Saeko revealing that Philip's' name is Raito to be happening at this point rather than during act 1 as they do. The huge break inbetween those episodes and now does not help things, is what I'm saying.

The episodes are basically prioritizing an emotional high over all else, and while I'm sure that worked great for some, for me it was a total miss.

I forgot to touch on it, but the part of 37/38 I was most into was that Saeko has YET AGAIN found herself in a storyline where she's dependent on -slash- trying to manipulate a powerful man that is not a fan of her dad. Say what you will about Wakana's arc/"arc" through W, but this show 100% nails all of Saeko's psychology and development.

It feels liker the easier fix? Just have Wakana be dedicated to the Museum and try and convince Philip to join her? Instead, the show made her an unrepentant villain, and it's both mystifying and unsatisfying.

I wish I remembered how I found that part of the story originally, but my memories of 38 are all about how toxic I found the ending. (Seriously! Ruined the next ten episodes for me!) In retrospect, it seemed obvious from that Saeko scene way back when, but I think there's room to interpret that as Saeko trying to reclaim a test subject through persuasion instead of threats. It's not some huge shock, but I can't remember how early it clicked for me.

So I’ve been waiting for this episode to be done to comment, so I could bring back the fact they made an IRL Wakana’s Healing Princess series of shorts starting with episode 4. Namely, that they concluded in real life the week this episode airs, which is a clever bit of synergy.

And I was called upon to do this, so here it is…

Rider-lert!

As unsubtle hinted, the Inago woman is played by Minami Tsukui, later to be known as Kamen Rider Malika from Gaim. She also had supporting villain roles in two Sentai movies. Notably, she’s also a trained stuntwoman, meaning she’s the rare Toku actor allowed to do their own suit acting (which hasn’t been done in Rider since Fujioka played Ichigou for the first ten episodes, a practice that quickly ended when he dislocated his leg doing a stunt).

Also Foundation X debuts. I can only guess no one was sick of them at that point (unless they have really low patience)

It's definitely hard to be sick of them when they haven't done anything yet, but I would not say I'm a fan of their integration into the series as someone the Museum answers to.

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 39 - “THE LIKELIHOOD OF G - BAD CINEMA PARADISE”

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You know a plot decision is going well when it requires an entire two-parter to add both context and consequence, but still manages to feel like wasted energy.

Basically, I have officially stopped caring about Wakana, and I now zone out whenever the plot focuses on her, or tries to redeem her. She has pretty much ceased feeling like a person, and exists solely as a character that behaves in whatever way is required by the current scene. There’s an attempt in this one to say that Wakana’s completely new character is down to her mind being warped by excessive Memory usage, but it’s a hard explanation to accept. For one, Wakana barely used the Clay Doll Memory recently, so it’s difficult to say that she’s suddenly deranged or malevolent. For another, she was fine in one scene in 38, and then immediately ready to kill Philip. It’s not… I don’t think it’s ever been like a switch got flipped, right? It’s been more of a process to be corrupted by a Memory. (You could maybe point at Isaka’s experimentation on her Driver, but again: she never really used it, and she was fine for multiple episodes.) With Wakana, the show clearly didn’t feel like it needed to do the work to flip her, and I don’t enjoy their attempts to do so now.

So, yeah, a story largely about whether the Gene Dopant can be redeemed from his Memory addiction – and, therefore, whether Wakana can – is one that is fine when it focuses on its small stakes love story -slash- self-actualization, less so when I consider it in terms of Wakana’s story.

The Dopant story is a good one, though. I like how it’s using this weird couple to talk about the necessity of communication in any relationship, and how you’re allowed to be critical of people you care about. Philip’s in this weird place where he’s written off Wakana in much the same way I have, but he’s clearly feeling betrayed by her in a more personal way, while also not that ready to cut her out of his life. Akiko’s here to remind him that you need to be honest with yourself when you’ve been hurt, but you also need to help the people who’ve hurt you try to improve. It’s a sweet little lesson for Philip, wrapped up in a pleasingly absurd adventure.

Everything with the cinema, the Gene Dopant, the cow-puppet hand, and the filmmaking… so good. Such a great low-stakes conflict after the last few bigger, more epic scenarios. This one’s full of terrific details (Toru’s movie is over seven hours long and no one knows why, including him) and cute performances (the Gene Dopant 100% does not know what to do in a fight) that are a perfect distraction from a Museum/Foundation X plot that does not really do it for me.

Except for Saeko, that is. Her desperate mission to regain some small amount of control over her fortunes is, once again, the Sonozaki story I’m most invested in. Her need to show everyone that she’s better than them, no matter what risky thing she has to do (sneaking into Digal by dressing up like a custodian!), is exactly the sort of character-based plotting that Wakana now lacks. The Saeko stuff feels like an effect from a previous cause, instead of a bizarre plot-dictated reality we all have to live with. Saeko’s still fun to watch! Because she’s a red Nazca now!

Despite the lingering Wakana cloud, I liked the majority of this episode. The quickest way to get me back on this show’s side is to have Shotaro and Akiko take off on a ridiculous investigation, and at least Saeko’s still fun to watch on the villain side of things. I don’t hate this show! I just hate some of its decisions!

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-I love the callback of Shotaro and Akiko’s samurai TV show obsession from 29/30. Can you imagine, getting to see a version of your favorite action-adventure show on the big screen? What a lovely summer dream!

-Do… Terui and Makura not have actual police jobs they should be doing at this point? (Watcherman is very busy, but at least notes it Akiko.) Or is Jinno covering for both of them while they’re off filming a 90-minute amateur film?

So I'm not the only one regarding what I said here: "honestly, I think since her setup in ep. 13-14, Wakana was kind of just there, mostly rolling along with what the Museum does with occasional questioning, with ep. 23-24 as an exception (the other one had her experimented by Isaka). Her refusal to use Claydoll Dopant seems to instead relegate her into more minor roles, the character development she got was mostly used to tolerate Saeko more (her disdain is fully aimed at Isaka here)." But characters being turned like this doesn't necessarily make them outright bad characters/written? Generally from what I see, characters being underdeveloped/lacking presences are labeled as that, and if it's a female, then it's used to paint a whole franchise (Toei) or the media being 'sexist' (I mean it depends, but any slight of this occurrence can lead to this even if it's irrational).

They keep talking through their phone after seeing face-to-face. That's something I mostly see in phone credit commercials, due to the credit being so utterly cheap, I hope they're using that kind of credit to keep "unnecessarily" phoning (and wasn't deceived by the commercials or such). Wakana's reason to call Phillip is to ask for advice of what should she do as she's assigned to take over her sister's work, which means she'd quit her radio show. Philip realizes that she refers to Saeko, the girl who called him Raito and the Dopant who killed Sokichi, and Philip is straightfoward here to ask if Wakana's work would be distributing Gaia Memories. Phillip suggests Wakana to being true to herself, and Wakana suggests for them to leave everything the city together for their own little world... and Philip sort of agrees with that. About the last one, this'd just be an upcoming bad news though.

As Terui notes that Ryubee has been under suspicion a few times, but the evidence was conveniently lacking, which means that Ryubee could've been manipulating all forms of media and information, even the Gaia Library. In the Museum, Smilodon arrives to give Taboo Memory, it does confirm to nearby Wakana that both Mick and Grasshopper Woman are Museum's executioners. Saeko's treachery got herself hunted. I only wonder why Saeko didn't immediately transform until she got shot in the leg though. Despite Saeko's abuse, Wakana shows concern for her, pleading to explain, despite accusing Wakana as hunting her, and later confronting Ryubee over this. Though indeed her development in ep. 13-14 due to Philip isn't erased like this and her helping Kirihiko, just that in those dozen episodes lately I can't determine her alignment due to her lack of presence. Yamashiro is a target as well, confirming his fear that the Museum will kill him if they find him.

Philip uses Gaia Library to search for Museum, but instead gets booted out, with the Library going haywire (the background turning magenta, the books exploding). Equivalent of this?
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...aLRrw&usqp=CAU
But otherwise lol, museum is also a general keyword, not specific name such as Million Colosseo for certain casino, what if they want to search about regular museum instead of the main opposing force of W. Hopper's a Dopant that resorts to underhanded tactics by using Yamashiro as hostage. If only the other Memories aren't finisher exclusive (for Xtreme), Luna can get around this like at ep. 6, LunaTrigger's debut. Hopper claims Yamashiro erases Phillip's memory as well. As detached as Philip was, he's still not devoid of emotional side) outraged, confronting Yamashiro over this.

Grasshopper Woman's portrayed by Minami Tsukui, later portrayed Yoko in Gaim (and before was in Saraba Den-O). There's the standard Minami Tsukui flick where she beats up Watcherman by kicks, threatening to shock him with a taser on her boots, later trampling him as Terui arrives. Is the Living Connector on her thigh an intentional fanservice? There's also a coincidental thing that Gaim sort of redid when Smilodon easily dispatches Saeko and sending her into a water nearby, the older sibling getting knocked over the edge to the water, in the same location.

He could've, but it's probably a combination of the Fuuto PD not really knowing what they're looking for (it's likely not easy to compile evidence on a USB drug metaphor syndicate) and Ryuube being rich and powerful enough to quash investigations.

I remember having a very visceral reaction to this two-parter back when it first aired, but I cannot remember if it was positive or negative. I suspect the latter because all of the movie stuff is very goofy and I usually appreciate it when these shows get goofy while still telling a serious story (it may not surprise you to learn that one of my favorite comic books of all time is the original 80s run of Justice League International). I'll need to see part two for a full reminder, but I am having fun with this already.

Couple of stray observations:

- An aggressively introverted character who can only communicate with others via writing in W feels super weird to watch while Gotchard is airing.

- I cannot stress how much I love that the hero of Tooru's movie only has one line that she just says over and over.

- At the time this aired, I had always assumed that Ryubee did something to brainwash Wakana into going full villain. I don't remember if that was the case or not now.

Ha ha, the Giffen/DeMatteis JL stuff was my way into that franchise, so every time DC's like We Have To Take This Team Seriously, I'm like But Why. (If you're not reading it, I'd highly recommend the recently-concluded "Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville" mini-series. Total JLI vibes, to death.)

I don't believe it's a spoiler to say, but my memory is that they did not go in that direction. I'm pretty sure I'm remembering it correctly, simply because that was the single hope I was holding onto as Wakana's turn made less and less sense as the series inched towards its conclusion. If they'd gone that way, I can guarantee I wouldn't be fuming about it so many years later.

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 40 - “THE LIKELIHOOD OF G - I CAN’T FORGIVE YOU”

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So: an entire episode devoted to Wakana. Her power-up, her frustrations, her villainy, her unwavering dedication to the Museum. Imagine how much fun this was to watch!!!

Real low-point of the series, for how little I cared about what was happening in about 80% of this episode. 20% was fun, though! The amateur film stuff was cute – nice gags with our backgrounded cast, at least. Tooru’s ability to come out of his shell and be honest with people was a fine, light story to tell, and it’s application to Philip’s feigned indifference to the fate of Wakana was solid. It was good to see the series try and reframe Wakana’s ridiculous characterization as irrelevant, because the crux of the issue is that Philip believes in a version of her that no one else sees, even her, so he’s going to fight for her redemption. Him ignoring her overt villainy to argue for a version of their relationship that he wants back… that’s good. That’s something to hold onto.

Because WOW does this episode not do itself any favors by regressing us to, like Episode 2 Wakana, now with added Memory Madness.

I guess that’s what we’re landing on with Wakana’s motivation now? She’s gone Memory Mad, and that’s rendered her irredeemably evil? I never really liked it before – it’s the rationalization for a bunch of character arcs that flip from Sympathetic to They Are Crazy And Evil between scenes – and while it’s at least a comprehensible explanation for an almost brand-new version of a core character, it’s also the most boring possible explanation. It makes Wakana totally one-dimensional, as evidenced in the best scene in the episode – the Akiko Yells scene.

It’s one character cutting through frustrating character portrayals and just screaming WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU – the, like, double-boiled alternative to Shotaro’s sympathetic half-boiled approach. And she’s right to do it! They tried kid gloves with Tooru, and he just regressed further. Maybe letting him know that he won’t be coddled forever will get him to come out of his shell. And Wakana! Nothing Wakana’s doing right now makes any sense, and her response is to basically go BUT POWER THO. It’s the moment in her arc that should’ve been illustrative, if not compelling – she can tell Akiko what’s going on her head because she’s just become an all-powerful goddess/tyrant that is going to murder Akiko. But the show whiffs on yet another moment to make Wakana feel as complex as she used to, opting instead for boilerplate mania and unconvincing inhumanity.

The whole Wakana Has Memory Madness problem for me is that it makes the worst parts of previous Dopant story endings into an entire A-plot for this episode. She’s just Insane With Power, and that’s boring to think about. Why? To do what? Because of what? And then what? It’s a journey made into a goal, and it’s so empty and boring, you guys. I don’t care. I don’t care about what she’s doing at all.

Luckily (and I can’t believe how much this one character is salvaging the Sonozaki side of things for me like an MVP) Saeko is here to be both complex and coherent. She’s sacrificed almost everything for a family that threw her away, and she’s excited to show them what they thought was worthless. Her randomly showing up to heckle Wakana as a red Nazca? Perfect. Her goal is clear – humiliate her former family – and also fun to watch. It’s the best part of anything to do with the Sonozakis this episode (besides the chapel where it rains rose petals???), and the actor kills in every scene she’s in. Her “I’m going for a walk” line to Kazu… iconic. Love her, love this part of the show, almost can’t believe this one show is writing for both Sonozaki sisters.

I… man, I had to sift through a lot of dumb Wakana junk to find the gems in this one. They’re there, for sure – Philip’s declaration to Wakana at the end, Tooru’s self-actualization due to Akiko’s impatience, Saeko’s everything – but they’re nestled alongside a main villain I actively resent. I am actually more forgiving to Foundation X’s introduction, because they could fill the key villain attribute of not being Wakana.

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-Saeko… seriously, she’s having the most fun in this episode, and I sort of envy her. I wish I could enjoy hating Wakana as much as she does!

-Hey, let’s briefly talk about Terui’s story! It’s dumb (he is a very weird child when it comes to kissing, hyuk hyuk hyuk) and it all feels like a version of the character that is incongruent with the one that’s going to be marrying Akiko in, like, six months. I can sort of write it off as him being nervous about kissing on camera, but the final scene makes it seem like he just learned about kissing by watching a bunch of films, and he is going to force himself to do something he doesn’t want to do, which is kiss someone – anyone. I am okay with ace Terui, but this episode treats it like a corny joke, and the OOO crossover movie makes it completely strange. (Maybe Terui just needs health insurance, so he marries Akiko? And stays married for another twelve years?)

-I’m pretty sure Wakana’s Clay Doll Xtreme transformation takes place in the same spot as the saddest scene in all of toku (Non-Bench Edition) from Episode 47 of Drive.

Ngl, aside from the Wakana parts, I very much enjoyed this two-parter. I'd dare even say it's probably my favorite of the series for the various moments it has?

While yeah Wakana's stuff is like important for the main plot of the series, the episodes really don't feel like they're that invested in it? Mostly every scene that involves the main plot of the series is short and usually used as intermediary footage to get us different cuts of what Team W Movie Edition is doing. And man, is "Team W makes an amateur movie" such a fun plot to land on.

The return of Shotaro and Akiko's period piece obsession. The hilarious fight against the Gene Dopant in which we get "My hand is a cow". Scarecrow Terui. The conclusion to part one where the Akiko's freaking out takes center stage as the cliffhanger while everyone's getting blown up in the background. The Terui Kiss Scene. Akiko actually stepping up and delivering an honestly solid speech with Shotaro earlier on in the arc showing genuine respect for her determination.

Like there's just so much good stuff about these episodes that really hit the light and delightful tone W has been going for.

That's also not mentioning the fact that in my initial watch I think I wrote Saeko off? But there's something entertaining about this woman who's basically downgrading herself on suitable husbands while learning nothing, letting her pride basically cost her victory (especially when she could've let W finish off Claydoll in part 1), and pretty much be the literal underdog of every single faction thus far. Also Red Nazca is a really nice suit, because well, it's Nazca. I still prefer blue though.

Also to comment on the Terui stuff, I feel like it works. Dude signed up to be a scarecrow, not to do something big like kiss a stranger on camera that'll likely get shown at least city-wide. Of course despair is waiting at his goal. I also figured that the ending was less about forcing and more about him studying up because he wants to act professionally and make up for running off and is so embroiled in wanting to do so, that he basically drags Team W into it.

What I love about that is that once Saeko sees how much more powerful she is than Wakana, she doesn't want to kill Wakana -- she wants to torture her. It's the most narrative-supported way for a villain to avoid the killing stroke, and I'm super into it.

Which is fair, but I feel like the show could've made Terui's specific reluctance a little clearer. They definitely play it like he's terrified of kissing, which is a slightly different story than public embarrassment.

This is my favorite two-parter in W.

It has alot going for(alot of which En-chan beat me to mentioning), but the crux of it is this: It's just a ton of fun from start to finish.

The scenario, the character humor, the action, all of it is incredibly on point and so full of energy that it makes the less savory parts really not even matter, let alone at all stick in my brain.

It's also a prime example of what I personally love about the show. Because yes, for all the critiques I've been giving throughout the thread, I do legit like this show and feel that its positives far outweigh its negatives. And that in turn, surprisingly, mainly comes from Akiko.

Does W always handle its characters the best? As seen with Wakana, obviously not, but when the shows nails something, oh man does it ever. Here we have Akiko, a character that I used to hate, not only being incredibly likable all throughout both episodes, but delivering what might be my favorite scene in the entire show? Her speech telling both Kawai and Wakana to get over themselves was fantastic. Such a shame Wakana doesn't take it at all to heart. I would've even forgiven the sudden turn to the dark side if she had.

And then there's Terui, who is the one responsible for why I would never ever forget these episodes. And that's him running away fro the kissing scene, getting tied to a tree later, and then laying one on Shotaro later. Since Die briefly mentioned it, I suppose I'll go ahead and bring it up now rather than later like I'd planned to.

The primary reason that Akiko and Terui getting together later never sat right with me was that, in my mind, Terui was very much an ace-coded character all throughout the show. If anyone wants to claim I'm projecting, sure, fair enough, but it honestly seemed to me like the dude never had any sort of interest in romance or sex, let alone seeing Akiko in that light. And the kiss jokes in this one really only further cemented that in my eyes.

Personally, I don't mind it being played for laughs. I didn't take any offense, and asexual humor in general is often hard to find, especially any that's not mean spirited. Sure, it's more likely that the joke is that Terui is being forced to do something very forward, vulnerable, and embarrassing when he has a hard-boiled image to keep, and his determination at the end is to show he's "manned up" so to speak, but still, I take the whole thing as more of a compliment than anything, especially since I found the whole thing legit funny!

The episodes are just a fun ride from start to finish, and it's the sort of thing that I always think back on when I think of Kamen Rider W.

It's kind of amazing that a couple episodes mainly devoted to Wakana and Philip's relationship end up being a stealth Akiko spotlight. That's why she's the Chief!

My two main thoughts from this two-parter.

So, did no-one think to dispose of the Gene Memory after Toru agreed to surrender? Sure, Wakana’s upgrade would otherwise be significantly improbably, but still…

I recently realised why they specifically went with Wakana’s as the evil Phillip over Saeko. Their Memories (Cyclone and Claydoll) begin with the same letter, but embody opposite elements (Cyclone = wind, Claydoll = Earth).

And now, the regular feature…

Sentai-lert!

Naoki Kawano, the guy playing Toru, seems to be a more versatile actor than he is. He previously appeared as the Infinity Dragon Long in Juken Sentai Gekiranger, the show’s big bad. He was later in Kamen Rider Wizard as Section Zero guy Kizaki.

Man, I hope Kawano returns to the genre for any kind of role be it big or small, hero or villain. Heck, maybe the next Ultraman show since he hasn't done one iirc. Fun fact, Ray Fujita who played Kitazaki/Dragon Orphenoch in Faiz and Rei/Zero in GARO is the vocals for a band called DUSTZ and Kawano was the drummer at one point.

Philip is so upset that he stayed up all night, as Akiko wants to take photos again, but due to familial-like bond (against Philip's family issues) between the main trio, which convinces Shotaro and shortly after Phillip. Not waiting for Terui too? Akiko only sees Wakana as one of the evil Sonozakis to convince him not leaving, but Shotaro implements Sokichi's teaching about 80% of man's job is being decisive. Finally brought up again from very early part of the series in ep. 4 (Philip's freezing at 'family' word, treating Shotaro and Akiko as substitutes), Philip does treat the other 2 like a family, but it's also Wakana asking him, thus he's still indecisive... earning a slipper smack from Akiko (hope it's intended as a get a hold of yourself technique for his blabbering around), so they decide to take Philip to Fuuto Station.

Neurotaki? Is that Yamashiro? About said family, the son's name as Tsubasa and the mom's name as Yoko, but unfortunately Grasshopper Woman appears beside him. Ironically, Yoko would be the name of Grasshopper Woman's next acting in Kamen Rider. Yamashiro admits his actions and claims he erased the memory about Philip's family. Shotaro continues the question to Yamashiro regarding being forced to work, where it's actually Yamashiro being tempted to Ryubee's funding and resources. Philip just asks him again if Yamashiro knows his family, which he doesn't as he didn't touch the specifics. I guess Philip being mostly logical leads him to straightly ask the needed information instead of doing 'unnecessary' retribution to him.

Indeed, Philip is Raito and the Wakana's comforting little brother he referred as. So Phillip and Wakana being comfortable with each other isn't an incest build up... but an actual family bond build-up, even the show didn't intend to use it as shipping. With Nobody's Perfect playing once more, Phillip's decision is clear now, to be together with Wakana at the outside of the city. Shotaro only warns about his path being difficult one.

Otherwise, here's finally revealed what are the Sonozaki's (supposed to be) up to, feeling that the Museum caretakers hold a big responsibility for the world as the planet's fate rests on them, thus Wakana cannot be 'selfish' anymore. So Ryubee got a sense of being a well-intentioned extremist in his Museum control for the planet's sake, though of course it won't justify the means to achieve that. And now, Saeko had lost everything. The cold, ruthless, and manipulative villain is finally, broken by circumstance, but the audience being satisfied or not depends on their view (Saeko brought this to herself though), albeit Kazu offers a chance for her to rise back, but she's turning into his servant. Another crushing position for someone's usually dominant like using Kirihiko as her lapdog... including him taking her family surname.

I agree for this, where though yes as Akiko said she's one of the evil Sonozakis, this kinda feels 180 from setting her as different from others after Philip got through her like saving Kirihiko (though I also thought Wakana's keeping Philip to herself before too, to selfishly take him away regardless of others who also value him), as she's clad in an all-black outfit, and underwent a personality change, calling Phillip Raito and tried to kill him as Claydoll. Philip calls Shotaro to henshin, and due to Philip alone being there, FangJoker returns. The only explanation she gives to them is that she understands her duty and Raito should do as well. The woman in black then insists the man in white a.k.a Kazu to talk to her instead of Ryubee for business needs. Another emotionally devastating moment for Phillip, though that'd mean Philip surely stays with the main cast.

Makura throws his weight around against a powerless suspect by yelling. He's not nearly as cool as he thinks however, as Jinno sends him to buy tea. And after this, Yamashiro actually talks, where he was kidnapped in his son's 7th birthday, but he abandoned his family for research, thus now he wants to apologize but he feels he had no right to see them. So despite Jinno being a joke at times, he's still more sensible than Makura, and again, a showing about how mean and strict ways don't always work if you want to get something out of someone, contrary to the belief of how success can only succeed if they're built in strictness, meanness, harshness, etc. It can instead make others less likely to listen to you, shown in Yamashiro only talking when the yelling Makura's out of the scene. And second time Jinno got beaten up by another female "cop" (disguised Grasshopper) using kicks, and being choked with her thigh as she changes into Hopper.

Touru is basically Peter Jackson, all he needs to do is cut the 7 hour movie in to a trilogy. :lol He also reminds me of the writer Sanjo, with how his vision tries to force a romantic subplot without the necessary development. Which is, uh, ironic considering how this arc is written by Sanjo.

Furthermore, Nazca and Smilodon start with polar opposite letters, but they're both earth elemental.

How unfortunate that Jinno was the only one willing to eat the hopper, but he still gets beaten up anyway.

So, yeah, them keeping the Gene Memory around is clearly so Wakana can get her Xtreme power-up, but I like to think that Team Double kept it around because destroying the Memory just solves Tooru's problem for him, rather than having him work to overcome his addiction. If they'd known the Gene Memory was crucial to the Museum's long-term plans, they'd've probably gone ahead and destroyed it first thing.

Tooru just wants to make a movie about a cool, dark warrior! It's not because he wants to date anybody! WHY CAN'T SOMEONE CAST A CO-WORKER AS A BEAUTIFUL WARRIOR THAT'S SUPER AWESOME WITHOUT HAVING PEOPLE MAKE ASSUMPTIONS.

I think I remember why this two-parter stood out to me at the time. I think this was the point where Akiko officially won me over. Excellent showing for her; still silly and hyper, but in a way that didn't overshadow her role in the plot or feel like it was all she was doing. This might be peak Akiko.

And the debut of Claydoll Extreme! That is something I totally remembered existing and did not completely forget about since the show ended!

Wakana is later shown as an abusive boss, berating and yelling at her employees. One of the employees, the janitor who she berated turns out to be Saeko, looking for the Nazca Memory. That'd be more like Wakana reverting back to her personality pre ep. 13-14. of being a mean girl, where her father seems to be the exception of this. but I don't know if that'd help her being intimidating as a head villain, she'd be more like a brat throwing tantrums, without class, despite how Kazu notes that the Museum has grown with her. Ryubee presents her the Gaia Progressor as present, with the same glow that Wakana witnessed in W Xtreme debut, to make Wakana perfect, and they track down Gene Dopant to accomplish that. Wakana explains the reason of fighting Raito to make a break from her previous habit, which Ryubee approves, and both family members are happy with each other and Philip claims there's Gaia Memory influence in her, that feels turning her into plot device as perfect enemy (Claydoll Xtreme who can take on CycloneJokerXtreme) though.

Phillip's still sulking on the revelation, though Akiko points out that his attitude won't help either with him not saying anything regarding it. A mostly cold and logical person, now is experiencing the opposite of being pushed down by emotions (not that he had never felt emotions before though, but this one should be the most severe), which proves his human side. With Akiko pointing out the flaw in his behaviors, this can potentially reaffirm Phillip's view of emotions being weakness, with him as direct proof. But emotion can be a weakness or a strength depending on how the user manages it. Emotions managed poorly is weakness, but emotions managed well is a source of strength.

The Gene Dopant can alter genetic codes of something he touches to change it to anything he wants, including his own body, like disguising as the manager. It's frail though as some strikes from LunaJoker's stretched hand reverts him back to the human form. Ai on the movie being revealed to be Tooru changing his body to hers, thus making him one-man movie producer, and the one forcing people to watch his movie and trap them there. Aki-P's change is shortening the duration to 90 minutes, the title to Holy Warrior Jessica, adding some action, comedy, and fanservice cliches, and Shotaro remarks that the movie did improve from the changes, which makes the 7 hours length unnecessary. Akiko got the wrong idea though to think Tooru and Ai together where Tooru disagrees with Ai's portrayal as energetic heroine but can't express it, and Tooru said he still didn't like the movie. Tooru's quietness is not an ordinary one, as he outright communicates only using a notebook, extreme level of social awkwardness, something Sabi from Gotchard reminds me of.

Kazu and Saeko has a dinner, with Kazu explaining that he helped her as he apparently liked her. For those who views Kazu like how Shotaro views Jessica, Kazu's expressionless demeanor is noted in-universe too, as Saeko notes that for a confession it's so unenthusiastic. Kazu also reports that the Museum's operations have accelerated in Wakana's control, thus Saeko can't strike back anymore, with Saeko losing his cool as she vows to prove herself. Meanwhile, with no Driver, Saeko injects a Living Connector for Nazca, becoming another one to possess multiple one like Isaka (and that was his demise..). The evolved version is named R Nazca Dopant (R has "Double" meaning too; Red and Revenge), the lv. 3 power of the Memory, giving her greater speed than previously.

Though it feels common with toku, there'd be the movie version of TV shows (and for KR now, it's yearly). I did wonder before how would Shotaro react to Kaze no Saheji in front of others, I thought that he'd treat it as a guilty pleasure due to his disinterest to historical stuff otherwise, but actually no, he displays it openly, as he invites Akiko to watch it together. Akiko at first smacks Shotaro with a slipper for not focusing on the case...but of course she'd be tempted too, being the one to 'introduce' the jidaigeki series to Shotaro after all. It also had a little advantage for the case that the manager can't kick them out as they're now the customers (as Akiko says.. a payback to the unreasonable manager). The roles have reversed here, now Shotaro's the one that had attention deficit while Akiko's the 'sensible' one who tried to get him back on track, only for Shotaro's antics to unwittingly move their case forward.

This one's really great for her character. Hitting Clay Doll with the slipper is a perfect moment for Akiko, at least as far as where my head is at by this point in the series.

Shotaro cares about his image, but he's also incredibly bad at looking cool. I'm sure he didn't mean to completely geek out in the lobby, but nobody's perfect.

SHOTARO HIDARI HARDBOILED DELUSION DIARY EPISODE 10 - “WHAT IF AKIKO WAS AN ASSASSIN?”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/w/hdd10.png

oh my god it’s so laaaaaaaaaaate

This was a nicely-straightforward Delusion Diary, with something nominally approaching a beginning, middle, and end. I honestly maybe liked the bookend stuff better, with Akiko trying to find her lost DVD. The assassin stuff was cute, but it’s really just a few costumes and the Gene Dopant, the end. The part where Akiko can’t find her DVD gives us Philip declining to use the Gaia Library on trivial matters, Shotaro rapidly escalating a situation, and Terui canonically enjoying the same samurai drama as Shotaro and Akiko. (I assume that Terui enjoys it in a better way than Shotaro.) It’s a fun little hangout story, and I like seeing the cast like this. Good short! Sorry this is posting so laaaaaaaaaate!

This was a fun one, purely because it's one of the few where the non-delusion part seems like an expansion of the "lore" of the Narumi Detective Agency. Compared to the others which were more Akiko gags.

That being said I did love the twist that the Shotaro we first see in the delusion was actually Gene. When he got all scary looking I was caught off guard and then suddenly, there's a Shotaro behind the desk and next thing you know, Gene! Really clever usage of the Dopant Suit this time around honestly.

Yeah, it's one of the few Delusion Diaries that actually uses the Dopant to do Dopant stuff (like Puppeteer), instead of just be an adjacent suit (Detective Bird).

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE ? - “A BOWL OF α - FAREWELL TO THE RECIPE OF LOVE”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/w/hbva.png

I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but the weirdest part of this HBV is how easily you could slot it into the regular series without making basically any alterations.

Like, I think this special is actually less weird than the last two-parter? The biggest HBV flight of fancy is the Iron Chef riff in the middle, and that’s less strange than both a seven-hour Dopant-directed fantasy film, as well as all of Team Double (and several cops!) dropping everything to make an amateur film as a form of drug rehabilitation. What’s here is, frankly, a fairly standard – if brief – W adventure. Someone in Fuuto is in trouble, Shotaro and the gang suss it out, a Dopant fight, some hope for the perp, closeout gag, credits. This thing is basically the template for all of W.

Which isn’t so bad? If it keeps from ever going as enticingly off-the-rails as the best HBVs (Faiz, Zi-O, lemme know which other ones I’ve forgotten), at least it all feels like a legit W Double adventure, that might as well be canon. It’s actually one of the stronger recent cases, because it goes back to the strength of the show’s beginning: this is small-stakes stuff that is so intrinsically Fuuto that it’s worth the time of our heroes. Shotaro’s look of determination when he vows to bring the villains behind the Fuu-Men cart’s destruction to justice? That’s as invested in a case as I’ve seen that dude in a minute.

But the heart of this thing for a lot of folks is probably the Iron Chef sequence, which is good, if maybe a little overlong. It’s trying so hard to ape that cooking competition's approach that it kind of forgets to be weird, and settles for being characterful. The three chefs are exactly how you’d expect – Akiko is clever, Terui is efficient, and Shotaro is so committed to his cosplay detective aesthetic that he forgets to make an edible meal, but in a sort of charming way. It’s a cute bit, if maybe a little too into its homage.

As a result, what might’ve been a bizarre pseudo-canonical entry for another series is a fairly on-point W mystery. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but it sure was surprising.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/w/hbvb.png

Honestly I had the same vibe when watching this. W already shines best whenver it's light and comedic, so a Hyper Battle Video kind of just ends up fitting in almost too naturally? It's really crazy!

It felt like they decided "let's make a normal case take under 17 minutes" and they succeeded. The fact that the end of the video is also a preview stylized like the usual next episode previews also helps make it feel like it just belongs as a standard episode.

I'll be honest I entirely forgot about the Iron Chef sequence. The most I remember is the Donburi Dopant who somehow has a dual Gaia Memory (Egg/Chicken). But revisiting that Iron Chef sequence was fun to witness as a foodie. I also like how Shotaro while clearly not having the best dish, still got most of it right, since the only real issue was he just somehow made eggs of freaking steel.

While I wouldn't say it's one of the best, it's definitely a solid HBV and an entertaining time that makes good use of W's aesthetic.

I see Shotaro?s obsession with being super hard boiled extends to his eggs. I imagine it?s more edible than Airi?s stews, Naomi?s coffee and Evolto?s coffee.

Also, the Master of Fumen debuts here, and goes on to make quite a few appearances throughout the franchise, as late as Heisei Generations Forever, primarily because he?s played by an assistant producer at Toei, so availability isn?t an issue.

Speaking of other appearances:

Sentai-lert!

Another voice only example with the Frog Pod, who for the purposes of this gains the voice of Shinichiro Ohta, who was the ?robot voice? for GoGo Sentai Boukenger (the one early to mid 2000s Sentai that W?s producer wasn?t involved with). He also did the fight narration for Decade?s World of Ryuki episodes and the Super Sentai Strongest Battle miniseries (which is basically the tournament from Chou Super Hero Taisen, complete with the host rigging it so the world will be destroyed, but with pure Sentai)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=kgp8gUM4...FagW2MbFJgPMH7

Looks good. Never tried pickled mustard leaves, which is apparently the cyclone side, but dried seaweed, salmon roe, salmon flakes, and radish sounds a-okay in my book for a donburi. It could use a small chunk of wasabi and a tablespoon of soy sauce, probably. And a small bowl of miso soup and a packet of natto.

Though Akiko still tries despite Tooru insisting to use Gene, Phillip would be a cynic that he views changing Tooru as impossible task. Phillip may be someone devoid of interest human relationship for good amount of time before, but probably this time he can be just frustrated over his failed attempt to reason with Saeko before, if he'd have development for spending time with Shotaro and Akiko. It's a reversed role again, as Phillip called Akiko a genius before, but now it's Shotaro's turn to remind Akiko's capabilities to Phillip's skepticism.

I've read some that found the Wakana part (at Foundation X arc) being reminiscent of Yuka's part in Faiz, like communicating with certain person for comfort via a phone ('Kikuchi-san', though Faiz' one was texting), but I'd add up that it..well.. doubles as taking up Yuuji's part as well (regardless of it being bad) of both characters turning evil (though I find Wakana's turn much sooner than I expect, outright at the beginning of the final arc) and is symbolized by assuming a new look as well as controlling the evil organization in respective series. Not to mention both her and Yuka are under the mercy of a ruthless woman named Saeko.

Akiko got things wrong as she thinks from the old movie, Tooru views Jessica as an ideal woman, which is probably how she's still convinced that Tooru had a crush on Ai due to him assuming Ai's look for Jessica's portrayal, her focus is on getting them together. And she still has attention deficit to have Tooru trick her as liking her so he can steal the Gene Memory. He's kinda cunning there. Tooru obliges with Wakana's deal, showing he's a pushover, and without a strong moral code, leading into doing disastrous stuff like this. Which makes both him and Claydoll, a deserving one for Akiko's slipper slap, trying to remind them of their usual selves as well. Akiko doesn't know though that Wakana's nice only on camera, but in reality is a mean girl, from what she knows. Finally Ai also insists for Tooru to speak up, and in reality it's about how Ai's acting is too cheerful for Jessica, who's supposed to be a dark character. Though you can be a non-talkative person, speaking up is still important to clear things up, and you have to if it's necessary to speak, even if non-talkative person would likely only talk when necessary.

Ryubee explains to Kazu about the creation behind the Claydoll Memory; being made by people who convey their wishes to the gods, and Wakana is now the cleric of the god (known as Earth) with her mastery over it. Ryubee credits that to the data gathered from W's battles, thus it's worth letting them run around for this long. Wakana of all people got Arch Orphnoch/Sigma/Ark/Giff treatment. It's personal view, but I'd think that the excuse to let W run around as a data gathering feels more like a cop-out here, compared to the previous series I've seen on TV such as Gaim or Build, where the villain's data gathering is done more actively, with their effort and methods being more prevalent throughout the series, though there was Gaia Memory distribution too in W by Kirihiko, but I'd feel Gaim plays it off better to its theme, with Sid knowing why he'd success due to the young ones being more easily tempted with power (metaphorical drug for Lockseeds), while the Gaia Memory's distribution target more random people that happened to have it succeeding (though of course not only young ones more tempted to power).

More view on her, where as Philip tries to stop R Nazca from fighting, that she does simply to re-affirm her existence, as she's his older sister too, Saeko de-humanizes Phillip, treating him as only a 'thing' instead of family. Well, not like Saeko is good to her own family either. Wakana's sentimental teasing previously turns into full on criticizing that Saeko's outright 'obsessed' with the previous men. Saeko dismisses Wakana's words due to her being a child with a mere Claydoll talking against a grown up woman. So Saeko bringing up their Memories means she had might makes right approach, feeling entitled from her power alone. She'd also have ageism view as well, treating adults as master authority towards childs (yet won't live up her words against Ryubee).

It's quite silly-looking though ability's the real deal, I do think regular Claydoll is silly looking anyway. The Xtreme naming for Claydoll, I guess that's setting up Wakana's set up as Phillip's counterpart? If it's the case probably it comes from how both of them are only more comfortable and relaxed around each other before, and that now Wakana also can visit Gaia Library, but still don't get much what'd be the contrasting part of them other than what side they're fighting. The Xtreme name in W's case comes from how X is the letter after W though, signifying the next level (in next letter), with the katakana ekusutorimu containing 'tori', which is the word for bird, and how the Xtreme Memory is shaped, and the weapon Prism Bicker is 2-in-1 just like the Rider.

Yeah, for a show whose greatest strength (and possible greatest weakness) is that it's a hang-out show, it's sort of fitting that its HBV is just more of the same. This show don't really have a different gear, so it's cool that you just get a half-length version of the usual vibes.

I still love that the one guy they got from W from that Zi-O film was the ramen cart guy.

My palette is that of a very small child, so I can't say for sure whether anything from this special is tasty or not. I appreciate hearing what looks good to you!

I mean, that's basically it? It's just Philip against his sister, rather than a larger metaphor or concept. There's an emotional component, but it's not like the two characters were designed to contrast each other or anything.

https://i.imgur.com/O6XKJka.png

MORE PROOF FOR THE GREEN EYE!

Anywho, I'm not really sure I'm getting the same level of disparity from this as you are?

Because, from my perspective, for as crazy as they can get sometimes(like Ghost's'), nearly all of the HBVs are canon(like Ghost's'!). Heck, nowadays they're often too important to the narrative, thus making them kind of annoying(like Build's'). So one that's just fun like this? I'm down.

I did really like how the approach to this whole thing was basically a speedrun of your average W two-parter, making for not only a fun bonus episode but also a good way of advertising the show to people who might've just gotten the issue of Telebi-kun that the DVD came with on a whim. It's a smart way of appealing to both fans and "common folk" I think.

But yeah, it's not my favorite HBV, but it's a fun one.

Yeah, I guess my brain just accepted how technically it's a salmon roe donburi if you look past the decorative appearance, and rice, salmon, and seaweed are a good mixbag of flavor personally.

This one apparently is pretty much a chicken donburi with standout ingredients mainly being broccoli, ketchup, potatoes, and paprika according to my findings. Can't go wrong with this one too from the looks of it.

Nah, they should've colored the broccoli, a shame this is incomplete. :lolol
Side note, if you leave the lower diagonal pieces of the chicken but get rid of the rest (or eat it) and then flip it 180 degrees it becomes a Wild Chalice Don. :lolol

What I was more trying to get at wasn't that it's weird that this one was so straight-forward, but how strange it was that this was more straight-forward than the plot of the preceding two-parter. If you asked me to guess which was the plot of the HBV, a food-themed mystery or the entire Team making an amateur film, I don't think I'd've picked this one as the HBV.

It does look pretty good!