KAMEN RIDER JEANNE & KAMEN RIDER AGUILERA WITH GIRLS REMIX - EPISODE 2

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/girls2a.png

Solid second episode, with an increase in Legend Riders (Kanon! SAWA!!!), action (Reika and Sakura just brutalizing a platoon of guards), and emotion.

I ended up liking this episode more than the first, mostly for how nicely the focus stayed on the fight Hana and Sakura are having. It’s both a minor error – Sakura misspoke, rather than purposefully insulted Hana – and majorly indicative of the imbalance within their relationship. Hana’s lost everything, and built her world around her girlfriend. The organization she’s in is because Sakura’s there; the goals she has are the ones Sakura taught her. Hana’s life is a testament to her love for Sakura. But Sakura… she’s got more than Hana in her life. Weekend is part of her journey to improve herself. Her family is still a huge part of her life. Even her karate training is something that’s just for her. Sakura’s got a rich, vibrant life, while Hana is mostly existing in Sakura’s orbit. It’s easy to feel like things are tenuous when you need someone more than you think they need you.

So, yeah, easy to see why Sakura’s casual mention of Hana’s “real” family would feel like a dismissal of everything Hana feels for Sakura. Hana thought Sakura was her real family, and now it sounds like Sakura’s diminishing what they mean to each other. But it’s a misunderstanding, and swiftly resolved once the two of them talk it out. This isn’t a massive arc that sprawls over a few months of a show, it’s a TTFC special: We’re only ever a couple Acts from getting closure. It’s a sweet story, though, and one that’s refreshing in its need to make Sakura tell Hana how she feels. We’d gotten plenty of Revice subplots about Hana’s feelings, so it’s nice to have one where Sakura has to make things right with her long-suffering girlfriend.

Beyond that, it was nice to see all these Legend Riders take on an enemy base? We’re not really utilizing Girls Remix as a team in any big thematic way – they’re mostly just here to be a fun sideshow – but I will never say no to Poppy internet-teleporting into a security room and leveling guards, or Izu rapidly sidestepping thugs into unconsciousness. Even Akiko gets in on the fun, refusing to let her role as leader of Girls Renix keep her on the sidelines, and immediately needing to be bailed out by the returning Kanon and Sawa. Kanon’s a fun inclusion, after her Saber tie-in stuff, but the real surprise for me is Sawa’s role. She’s the one who hired Akiko, which is a perfect way to rope in one of my favorite Build characters, and a hilariously unintentional payoff to this image:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/build/build2.png

(More appropriately, I like the deep-cut callback of Akiko wondering why Sawa looks so familiar, which is a good gag about the actor playing a different character in the Accel V-Cin.)

Yeah, this episode was a lot more fun than the last one, and I liked the last one just fine. Sakamoto does his traditional Holy Shit action stuff in several of the fights, and the overall tone of emotional vulnerability and freely-given support makes for a compelling Revice-style story. Almost exactly what I could’ve hoped for.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/girls2b.png

I mean, the most I have to ask about this is how the hell Hana still has a demon to take over her body (and desaturate the Rider suit while she’s at it), given the whole crux of her redemption was Sakura destroying her demon. Granted, you could say that she was just lying in wait to reawaken at some point, but Hiromi’s case indicates that being separated from your host involuntarily and then exploded is a pretty final end for your demon. But confusing origins aside, I love her hair. No, I don’t know why.

I definitely took it to be her being tricked by Tackle/Black Satan? Like, there's a brief shot of Tackle's hand going Electro-Wave-y, and then Hana's being confronted in her mind by an all-new character that's telling her to join the villains. Feels like it's a trick from Tackle?

Regarding the scoring for females being well-written, equality, or empowering, it's quite often to be done solely in how well they can fight, being good and badass at combat and fighting. The notion that women should never need saving, even in war and crime fiction is swings the pendulum too far in the other direction and creates the problem of only showcasing women who are physically fit, or butch, or masculine.

The “damsel in distress” trope is only harmful when that aspect of the character is all there is to the character. If the writers take into accout for their backstory, feelings, struggles, and development, that doesn't mean she’s a faceless prop just being used for male empowerment. she’s still a person who happens to not fight. People come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and ideologies.

Personally I'd rather try to not look into the character's gender, including not giving over appreciation to those fulfilling the bare minimum (e.g. fighting there), as if this kind of approval just puts different standards regarding writing females, either higher or lower.

Guess fair enough, they often don't have another woman to talk to. Though this still shows females inherently being one big happy family of instantly getting along (and thus being ok with overly affectionate to each other unlike men), even Reika who here acts like a supportive older sister. Otherwise, Izu being similar to Philip is addressed here by Akiko herself too, and it's the reason Izu is the most useful. Actually the girls here are also not allowed to use men's bathroom after Tamaki got shat for it.... And sadly, Valkyrie being voice only is another wasted chance for her to shine. And felt like some are thrown under the bus as this focuses on popularity with Reika representing Saber instead of Mei (yeah Reika's actress is Angela Mei... but still), or Rinko representing Wizard instead of Koyomi.

About Aguilera brushing off Sakura constantly, kinda felt like Jiko in Revice doing that to Ikki IMO. Didn't really understand what makes her so pissed, albeit Sakura didn't do well in defusing it, and others don't know them and their problems as well. I guessed it's because of the Sakura breaking promise thing to save her, but dunno. This special is actually where Aguilera's shown helping civilians, of which of course it's her rumored sister Yuriko.

I mean, Mei's not a Kamen Rider and Koyomi is dead, so I think they made the right choices here.

I talked about this more in the second episode's write-up, but the tension between them is that Hana views Sakura as her "real family", while Sakura's use of that term for Yuriko accidentally demeans the bond that she shares with Hana. It's an accident, but it expresses the doubts Hana has that Sakura's as dedicated to their relationship as Hana is.

The issue with "not seeing gender" is that these characters don't exist in a vacuum. How they're written, performed, and received by the audience all depend on the fact they're women, and with that comes a whole heap of both societal expectations and in-franchise ones. And in a special that is calling attention to that fact, it's not exactly out of the question to analyse it through the lens of Kamen Rider's storied history with female Kamen Riders and women allies.

Mei would've been able to resolve the problem too quickly, that's why she's not here.

KAMEN RIDER JEANNE & KAMEN RIDER AGUILERA WITH GIRLS REMIX - EPISODE 3

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/girls3a.png

Ha ha, sure, okay! EVERYONE’S INVITED!

While there’s a heartfelt story here about Hana trying to save a lost and brainwashed woman in the same way that Sakura once saved her, and it’s genuinely good, I sort of can’t care too much about it. This is 100% my failing, and not the show’s. Show’s good! Show did a good job telling a different kind of story about Hana and Sakura! It’s just… all of the fan service, you guys. Sakamoto had my goddamn number on this one.

Like, Tsukuyomi alone showing up would make this thrilling for me. Everyone’s favorite overworked Time Mom, showing up late to a team-up because most likely Geiz did something colossally dumb, was a detail I had thankfully forgotten about in the year or so since this thing debuted. I love that she doesn’t completely know what’s going on or why she’s supposed to be there, but she showed up because she probably just wants to hang out with some ladies away from her Time Kids. This is like the Kamen Rider equivalent of a book club; instead of wine, it’s monster detonations.

But then we also get Kamen Rider Poppy tickling downed foes, and Kamen Rider Zero-Two artfully dodging attacks, and Kamen Rider Sabela slicing up dudes, and Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi Time Jacking a phalanx of mooks straight to Hell. We get Sawa kicking the kind of ass that only trained spies are capable of, Akiko stumbling through a successful defense, and Kanon reminding us all that her relationship with her brother Makoto has not grown even slightly more normal since the conclusion of their Saber adventure. And Lovekov finally shows up! And gets to launch a special attack with Aguilera on her back! And then the big fight with the final boss happens to Cherry-ish, the best song in all of Revice!

It’s all perfect. It’s so beautiful and perfect. I normally loathe the end of a Legend Rider event, where all the old suits get trotted out for one more Rider Kick, because it’s all empty celebration, or quantity over quality. I don’t need to be reminded of the rich history of Kamen Rider every single summer, you know? But this one… god, I don’t know if it’s sincerely different, for being a focus on characters that never get invited back for the big reunion events, or if it’s just so special to me that I can’t view it critically. I love these generally-ignored characters, and I love that they got to be in one big adventure all their own.

This ended up being as delightful as I ever could’ve hoped. I wish this had been a full series, but I will always be thankful for what little I was given. Take it from these two:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/girls3b.png

So I think we can agree, given that most of Black Satan are orphans led by an unemployed woman, that the real villain of this story is society.

There’s also some fun details with the poses everyone does during the end credits.

Sakura does Ikki’s pose.

Reika does a pose Angela Mei made up with the help of Ken Shonozaki (Ryoga) (video here https://twitter.com/saber_toei/statu...97821271470083)

Poppy does Emu’s “no continues” pose, followed by Kuroto’s Dangerous Zombie pose.

Is does the “Aruto ja naito” gesture.

Sawa starts along the same lines by doing Sento’s “laws of victory” pose, followed by Misora’s “Mii-tan pose”. She then goes meta by doing the salute from Ultraman Ginga S (the first Toku series in which the actress had a major role)

Kanon does Makoto and Alain’s transformation poses, but with the arm positions inverted.

Tsukuyomi does Sougo’s “I think I can do this” pose and Geiz’s combat pose.

And Rinko does Haruto’s “Now, it’s showtime” pose.

Talking of Tsukuyomi, I have my own tale explaining what she was up to before showing up, written a few months ago as a quick tie-in to International Woman’s Day

The Right Woman at the Right Time

As for the special… well it was fairly average, but was slightly better than the run of episodes that preceded it.

Those are very fun details that I didn't completely catch! Thanks!

https://www.tokunation.com/forums/at...1&d=1687800305

So, I mentioned that I have one gripe with this miniseries and it shows up at the very end of this episode. I actually went and double-checked it just now and it's actually more or less the post-credits scene. Out of show, I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that Girls Remix was written by someone who only worked on one episode of the show and the Mystery miniseries, not one of the show's main writers. In-show, I like to pretend it was just a case of Sakura teasing Hana and everyone else having only known them for a couple of hours. Either way, this is the one and only time that Revice plays the "sister" card on Sakura and Hana, and that frustrates me. The show was, apart from this one moment, really good at being consistently implicit with their relationship being romantic, not platonic. I think the biggest misfire of this miniseries was that it just has that one scene of queer erasure. It doesn't feel malicious, just that the writer didn't know the show or characters that well and included that bad reading on them in the script.

Yeah, it... I don't really want to invoke Death Of The Author too often when discussing the text of the show. Fair game when we're examining subtext and themes, but less so when we're disregarding scenes and lines that don't fit our perspective or desires.

But in this instance, I'll quickly and happily make an exception.

I didn't bring this scene up before because I find it almost criminally misguided and noncanonical, as though Ikki had an episode stinger where he said he hated his family, or Hiromi had an episode stinger where he succeeded at something. This writer can say they're just Kamen Rider Gals being Kamen Rider Pals, but I am happy giving that interpretation as much weight in the narrative as an Oronamin C commercial. No thanks, and we're moving on.

(If you're feeling especially charitable, you could read their specific energy as Bickering Siblings, while still observing their relationship as romantic. It's weird, but in the world of Kamen Rider, saying They're Like Siblings does not preclude long-running and semi-reciprocated romantic tension. Just ask Kanon!)

I think the best thing to come from this special that I totally didn't watch and don't intend to was the knowledge that Ohata Shieri was okay. Not sure if you were aware, but a lot of us were concerned about her at the time, since she'd been inexplicably missing from social media and people were thinking maybe something happened to her.

As Sakura has said in the episode 1, she's a nosy girl that runs in the family. And... the series only gave Ikki hard time for being that, with her and Yukimi not being given similar treatment (so far for episode 2 one), in how her being like this is what sets up the conflict and ruins Aguilera's mood. So I do think that Sakura cutting Aguilera off was something wrong, albeit small, but it does get addressed as the main problem then. Regarding Sakura having a rich, vibrant life, it's something that is a complaint to Kinoshita of his supposedly bias to her that she acts like primary Rider despite not being one, with how she seems to get much constant shilling from characters like Weekend scouting her, etc. that can lead into her being accused as mary sue (no this is just another misuse of the term).

Guess the main antagonist here, outside of the platoon of guards, are still also women, thus it doesn't invoke the 'men are natural enemies of women' sthick for this special then. Can't talk yet but Yuriko's just the usual two-faced kind of wanting to help the resurrection of Black Satan by duping Aguilera as her sibling, though the mother talk is a truth. Though in previous one Sakura does try to talk it out to Aguilera, only to get brushed off consistenly. I thought it means that trying to talk it out isn't really simple, how to get them to actually talk and not ignore you.

Regarding the talk about women being treated like shit in the franchise, these fight scene actually has given way more than male's out of suit actions, tbh, like for example Gaim's Kouta/Micchy/Zack vs the thugs. Poppy's a Bugster which explains how she's significantly tougher than normal humans to have no problem KOing grown men. Though Poppy being a pacifist would be done in a move Izu did which she didn't throw any strike to them. Surprisingly Reika using her sword doesn't leave as much of a brutal impact to the guards, despite how it's horrible of her attempting to do so to Mei (after she's supposedly a part of the main cast). It's good for Kanon to retain her fighting skill as Kamen Rider before, to not only exclusively display this in brutal, aggressive ladies, but the reason she's no longer Kamen Rider is patronizing one. Sawa's consistent as she can take out guards in Build before.

I guess the crossover has to take into account for canon stuff then (initial 'c', ok), to not take Koyomi. Because I thought crossover stuffs aren't canon with returning stuff like Ryuki characters for example.

Unfortunately, the special was filmed in February 2022, while Ohata disappeared from social media in April 2022.....

Oh gosh! I was not aware of that. I'm glad she's maybe doing okay?

I'm not sure I think of Poppy as a pacifist? Asuna, sure, she's a serious and professional nurse. But Poppy's an excitable video game mascot from a music game! I think she's okay with walloping a few dudes in a wacky way.

KAMEN RIDER REVICE MOVIE SPIN-OFF NET DRAMA: BIRTH OF CHIMERA

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

Good lord, was that ever dull and nonsensical. It’s a TTFC special that’s half ludicrous exposition, and half rote and predictable origin story. Far from getting me excited for Battle Familia, it’s maybe killed most of my interest? It’s all trepidation now, you guys.

It doesn’t help that Azuma/Daimon makes almost no sense in this. He’s a different Giff acolyte from the ancient past that we’ve somehow never heard of until now, until Hiromi AND HIROMI ALONE stumbles upon him after 80 years in the jungle, at which point he goes back to civilization for basically the exact opposite reasons he left in the first place. Nothing he’s doing makes any specific sense (and he gets three costume changes in this one goddamn special!), except for the parts that just come off like a less-interesting Akaishi. I do not like this movie villain, and the movie hasn’t even started yet.

Sadly, Nozomu isn’t much better! His main laudable attribute is having his dad played by Takaiwa, and I can’t think of anything else I liked. The plot for his story is a drawn-out Aspirational Heroism > Mad Science > Collateral Damage > Revenge thing, and it did not endear me to this bland protagonist. I hope he gets his revenge against Azuma in the title sequence of Battle Familia, so I can forget about this whole episode as soon and as completely as possible.

And the Chic/George scene… ha ha, nope! You can’t make me talk about it! I’m not getting paid enough!

I wish I hadn’t watched this!

—

KAMEN RIDER REVICE THE MOVIE - BATTLE FAMILIA

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

But this? This was okay.

Don’t get me wrong, there’re a million things I could humorously complain about from this film: “Game On”; Area 666; Science Tassel; Chic; Giffamilia Reunion; whatever Nozomu’s story was supposed to be. It’s a dumb movie – relentlessly, thoroughly, astoundingly. Nearly every scene is dumber than the one before it, and the movie ends with Ikki and Azuma fist-bumping in front of an explosion. The scene-to-scene continuity is absolutely insane, and most background details invite no small amount of pity. (One of the best is the reveal of the CGI Fenix jet that is too large to enter or exit the hangar it resides in.) This is, on one scale, maybe the worst summer movie I’ve ever seen.

But it’s also maybe the best one, because it’s the one with the Igarashi family in it.

This whole movie succeeds – to the degree that anything in this pratfall of a film can be considered a success – whenever the power of the Igarashi family is on display. That’s it. That’s the one thing this movie has going for it, beyond Geats. (So glad to see Geats! Even if his appearance here doesn’t technically work in the rules laid out for the Desire Grand Prix!) The Igarashis are, collectively, the absolute perfect mix of wacky, warm, heroic, and dramatic. This movie is 100% about leaning into that brilliant dynamic.

I loved that part of it, and am happy to forget about anything that isn’t that. (So long forever, Nozomu and your vengeance!) Best part of the film is Fifty Gale, the upgrade that Yukimi maybe generates by drawing power from her desires and the DGP’s Desire Deity? (Not… super clear on this, despite cheering for it.) Like, the Revice Trinity Form is something their mom makes them do. PERFECT. I love it, and I’ll always love it. The chemistry of these five actors – alongside any number of girlfriends, Work Dads, puppets and voice actors – forgive any deficiencies in plot or premise. I just need Genta to get flirty with Yukimi, or Yukimi to tell Science Tassel that he just effed up, or the kids to support each other against a dual-language eternal executioner. The details of this movie are beyond clarification or defense; the characters are beyond reproach.

So, yeah, I think I really liked this one, by the end of it. This family works in any setting, under any restrictions. They definitely tested my patience in this one (do not like Grown-Up Lovekov!), but it all worked out okay in the end. It’s the best worst summer movie yet!

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

Oh, that is funny. Until very recently, this was by far the best piece of Revice by a country mile for me. xD

Mostly because it works.

No overexplaining, the cast isn’t annoying and no glaring issues that you can’t overlook. It’s the definition of bog standard decent. And achieving that level of standard is quite impressive for Revice, at least for me xD

So, hearing you complain about it is hilarious.

I love the Rider fandom, you can never expect what people will like ^^

The movie is a dumbsterfire though. Confused, overstuffed, with two climaxed and nothing really works together. I have no idea what they were even going for here given that Daimon seems to be written sympathetically and has 0 redeeming qualities.

The way it’s shot is also unpleasant and makes even Geats less cool, which is feat alright.

Awful, awful movie to me.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...2E8F39E0B3.png

Yeah, I thought Birth of Chimera was a fairly alright special, considering that it was written by newbie writer Shunito Nishi. The main issue is that the cast is overstuffed and, based on his other works, he’s not so good at darker tones.

As for the movie, I have a laundry list of things I liked and things I didn’t.

I’ll start by discussing what I did like about the movie:
* Azuma. The guy is basically Akaishi if he was actually threatening and competent, rather than a fairly weak character who only won because the heroes acted like morons. Though his motivations seem somewhat vague, and his eventual redemption somewhat half-baked, overall he was a notable presence.

* Daiji. Unlike the show, they actually seemed to be making an effort with him here, given that he’s the last of the three siblings to go down in the first fight and is the one who defeats the Big Bad, even if he does need help.

* The Chimera Driver. What can I say? I’m a sucker for that belt.

And now, onto the bad.
* Most of the show characters. Other than Ikki and Daiji (and arguably, Yukimi), none of them have much to do in this. Sakura spends most of the final battle beating up mooks, until the other heroes (and Olteca) show up to help.
* Olteca. He’s basically shoehorned into the movie and him wearing a Chimera Driver, something that the advertising played up, amounts to nothing in the long run.
* Apparently, Yukimi can just create a giant Bakugan Attribute/Faction emblem that can undo brainwashing and change Thunder Gale into a different Vistamp.
* The other villains. Chic basically exists purely as part of a retcon, and the movie doesnt really expand on him beyond that, beyond a generic evil plan to create an immortal army. The henchmen aren’t much better, since they exist purely to turn into generic demons and get killed off, before the first half of the movie is over.
* Kamen Rider Igarashi. It suffers from the same problem as the Legend War from Gokaiger and Ultimate Revice’s debut [namely, it gets wasted on the same generic mooks the heroes regularly take down with their base forms, or untransformed], and even more damningly, its gone after the one fight scene early on.
* Chimera. Despite how they made a whole special about him, which gets vaguely alluded to, he contributes nothing to the action one of the regulars couldn’t do and his whole arc gets dropped halfway through, leaving him doing nothing for the majority of the movie.
* The pregnant woman. She’s a bland character who’s painfully shoehorned into a movie she doesn’t offer much to. Also, all the stuff she gets put through should’ve killed that baby, long before it popped out without any obvious midwife on the bus.



So, would I recommend you watch this? If you want to watch it for the action, then yes. But if you’re here for the story of the characters, then hell no. There’s a reason I expected more enjoyment out of the Donbrothers movie, and watching this reminded me of it.

Anyway, between these opinions, the lengthy casting trivia the fact I have two skits to present. (Was really banking on you watching these separately), I’m going to present the first of the skits and end on a cliffhanger until next time.

George: Hey, hey, hey! Yo, George Karizaki here. With Ikki driving his parents to the airport, Daiji and the Karate Girl having been put on my blacklist and Hiromi trying to apply for government backing, I’ve called in some special guests for this edition of the Stamp Navi. First up, is the Trump Hero and the founder of the Ondulish language himself, Kamen Rider Blade Kazuma Kenzaki!

(Enter Kenzaki!)

Kenzaki: You’d better have a good reason for dragging me back to Japan. I left for a very good reason.

George: Relax. I just need you to discuss your super exciting battles for the audience at home, while I discuss the Vistamp I modelled on your wonderful Rider suit.

(Kenzaki slams George against the wall)

Kenzaki: Listen here! Being a Kamen Rider has been nothing but a curse. Nothing about it was “wonderful” or “super exciting”. (He lets him go) My Undead instincts are kicking in. Let’s get this over with before Hajime shows up. He’s already sensed my presence.

George: Alright, we’ll start with this Vistamp.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qdsqn9_V1_M

King Crab!

Latest! Near Soon! Sparking! King Crab! Category King’s Club Mark!

George: This King Crab Vistamp has access to incredible cutting power, that can pierce through anything. Now then, Kenzaki-san, it’s your turn.

Kenzaki: Ok then, I suppose this shouldn’t be too hard.

Desire Driver: Blade!

Kenzaki: Henshin!

Turn Up!

Kenzaki:(VO) I was selected as Kamen Rider Blade at the end of 2003, to test BOARD’s Rider-System-02, utilising the Category Spade Rouze Cards to seal away the Undead. However, the last Undead we hadn’t sealed would have their species take over the Earth. And that last one was the Joker Undead, embodiment of death. In order to stop him, I deliberately overloaded my own fusion rate so that I could become a second Joker and lock the Battle Fight in a stalemate. But then, I had to leave the country, fighting my Undead instincts and avoiding my friends. As you can probably tell, it’s eroded my patience and goodwill.

Karizaki: Thank you very much. This next guest was one we spared no expense in acquiring for this segment. Straight from the dissolved Special Crimes Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the creator of the Drive System, Krim Steinbelt!

(Two workers emerge with a wooden box, which George pries open to reveal Mr. Belt)

Mr. Belt: What the-? How did I get here? The last thing I remember was someone infiltrating the Drive Pit…

George: Explanations later. For now, let’s get down to talking about this.

Octopus!

Touched from the Back! Depart without Delays! Octopus! Let Me Take You Out For a Tangle!

George: The Octopus Vistamp gives the user tentacles to attack with, allowing them to attack from great distances. Now then, onto this Legend.

Desire Driver: Drive!

Mr. Belt: Ok, start your engine!

Shinnosuke: Henshin!

Mr. Belt: Drive! Type: Speed!

Mr. Belt: (VO) Kamen Rider Drive is Shinnosuke Tomari, an officer of the Metropolitan Police who’d lost his drive following the Global Freeze six months prior. However, with my guidance, he fought and defeated the Roidmudes, unlocking his true potential and regaining his glory. (Realises) Oh no. You tricked me into talking, didn’t you?

Shinnosuke: Let me take you out for a ride.

Now then, it s time for our first living guest, Kamen Rider KickHopper, ZECT’s former captain Sou Yaguruma!

(Enter Yaguruma)

Yaguruma: Have you… laughed at me?

George: No, no, no! I have my own loser to laugh at. In fact, I’m celebrating you by giving you a chance to talk about your rival, after I’ve talked about this.

Oomukade!

In the Soil! Got it! My Jaw Has Evolved! Giant Centipede! 100! Rider Kick!

George: Oomukade gives the user enhanced jumping and attacking powers with the skillset of a centipede. Now then Yaguruma, if you’d please.

Desire Driver: Kabuto!

Tendou: Cast Off!

Cast Off! Change: Beetle!

Yaguruma: That bastard… he showed up out of nowhere with his own Rider belt, and took possession of the Kabuto Zecter. I tried to neutralise him as TheBee, but I ended up losing it in my obsession. And when I tried to start again, my soldiers abandoned me and threw me into prison. From there, I embarked on the path of hell, trying to find new ways to suffer.

1, 2, 3, Rider Kick!

George: How… colourful. Not particularly relevant, but let’s move on. And finally, our last guest straight from the Ganma World is… Yurusen!

(A cat is escorted in on a leash)

Yurusen: Meow.

(Suddenly, the Toucon Boost Eyecon flies in, manifesting into Ryu Tenkuji)

Ryu: I think I’d be a better choice to talk about this last Legend. Don’t you think, Mr. Karizaki?

George: Yeah, whatever. Let’s do this.

Kurosai!

Pulverised with Horns! Long Live the World! Black Rhino! Batchiri Tsukina! (Perfect Stab)

George: Kurosai gives the user a powerful punch that can pierce through any defence. I was inspired by this Legend with this one.

Desire Driver: Ghost!

Takeru: Henshin!

Kaigan: Ore! Let’s Go, Kakugo, Go Go Go Ghost!

Ryu: My son, Takeru Tenkuji. After his unexpected death at the hands of the Ganma, he became Kamen Rider Ghost to gather the luminaries’ Eyecons and come back to life. Ironically, it was in death that Takeru was able to shine his brightest as he saved the worlds of both Humans and Ganma.

Bacchiri Miina (Watch Out)

(Cut back to the present. All except for Yaguruma are wearing harnesses)

Kenzaki: Death. If only I could experience that. No matter how many times I try, the Undead’s influence keeps me alive.

Mr. Belt: And I only persist in this state due to my own fear of my possible dem- (he has a realisation) What are these harnesses?

(The three are then electrocuted, as energy flows through wires connected to the harnesses into a machine with a bright yellow Vistamp held within.)

George: Sorry, everyone. I only brought all of you here so that I could harvest the fusion factor that all of you generate. Blade’s Jack and King forms, Drive’s Type Tridoron, Ghost’s Toucon Boost: All of these give off the energy. And with it, I can create my masterpiece.

Yaguruma: And what about me? Why did you bring me here?

George: Oh, I just needed a fourth guest to do Kabuto. (He bursts out laughing)

Yaguruma: (enraged) Oh the audacity!

(As a scuffle breaks out, the stamp begins to gain the images of familiar animals, all over its main chassis)

Rex! Megalodon! Eagle! Mammoth! Ptera! Lion! Jackal! Kong! Kamakiri! Brachio!

To be continued…

And now, we’ll end off here with Daimon’s transformation and finishers.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RuoxTiHPTWk

I think what they're trying to get at with Azuma is that his lack of a family/support system made him lose his way, while Ikki's moral center is shaped and protected by his family. Azuma's speech at the end is a lot about his loneliness, and how a separation from humanity leads to him viewing it as a failure.

The biggest disappointment to me in the movie was Tamaki being like Hey Wouldn't It Be Fun To Reform The Toxic Cult That At Least One Of Us Had An Entire Arc About Escaping? I was furious at him opening that suitcase and proudly showing off the remnants of psychosis and alienation that he saved. Huge thumbs down to making Tamaki and Hana dress up like the Giffamilia again!!!

But thanks for the fun skit!

Haven’t seen the movie, but I would imagine that the last thing anyone would ever want to do is to go back to that bowl cut.

Or it means that the integral part of her character as a rhythm game bugster - she was created for friendship and peace. Though then again tbh I dislike on how people equate sweet b̶o̶y̶ girl with being pacifistic with letting themselves being used as a punching bag.

Like Saber Trio of Deep Sins, this one establishes how someone approaching you in a two-faced way should be looked in positive light regarding the brief and fabricated "warmth" they gave to convince you that it's genuine, uhh dunno about another move of giving villains a slap in the wrist outcome here. While Mitsuko Fujimoto a.k.a Ms. Titan is the main culprit, Yuriko would still be complicit as well - and Aguilera in the main series has stated that she wants to face the consequences of her actions against Orteca's virtue signaling. Though it's clearly a tease joke, Sakura claiming that she's the big sis cuz she's taller, that's my fear in real life of having younger people mistreat me due to height. A̶n̶d̶ ̶A̶y̶a̶k̶a̶ ̶I̶m̶o̶t̶o̶,̶ ̶S̶a̶k̶u̶r̶a̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶(̶b̶o̶r̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶2̶0̶0̶3̶)̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶D̶a̶i̶j̶i̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶o̶r̶ ̶W̶a̶t̶a̶r̶u̶ ̶H̶y̶u̶g̶a̶ ̶(̶b̶o̶r̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶2̶0̶0̶4̶)̶.̶

Shieri Ohata is Tsukuyomi's actress, who disappeared from trace since April 2022, with her agency site and social media account got closed, of which the filming takes place in February, thus explaining the worry. I still don't get if Time Mom is supposed to be something of praise or mockery, considering I thought the view of female characters that aren't moms (unlike Yukimi) but has maternal qualities are bleak here. And regarding Tsukuyomi, she has shorter hair here, but you haven't followed another media that features her in-between last Zi-O time and this one.

Yeah... the reason why Kanon isn't a Rider here, though IRL reason was due to the Kanon Specter suit being disassembled and used on parts for other suits, the explanation in-series here is patronizing and misogynistic to have Makoto just being overprotective on her for an account of being girl, despite her contradicting it by showing that the guards changing into not making much difference to her (and Sawa). Zero-Two was a final form, and it's lowkey downgraded to stand on an equal footing with other base form female Riders.

It almost instantly obliterates any character growth Tamaki had. I hate that haircut!

I mean, Yuriko was as much a victim here as Hana, since she was being controlled by Miss Titan. We're in a story about how bonds can develop in weird and unexpected ways, so I think it's okay for Hana and Yuriko to find a kind of sisterhood inside this villainous scheme?

I actually enjoyed seeing the Deadmans trio back together for an encore, reminded me how much I missed them (sans haircut). I only wish it was for more than just a fight scene and they had more interaction. Like Tamaki and Olteca clearly have some beef they need to resolve. It's impressive how Tamaki had a spare outfit prepared for Aguilera as well, since she burned her original one. I have to praise his dedication to making their return as authentic as possible.

I guess the Zero Two humiliation is.... Never Over

And that's how you know it's not Aruto.

Well, enough people have commented, time for part two of my post, featuring cast trivia and the skit for the movie.

Starting off with the villains, Azuma is played by Kane Kosugi, who was previously Kenichi Kai, star of the American produced Ultra series (which ironically, was too expensive to air in America) Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero, and Jiraiya/Ninja Black of Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. With this, he was the first actor to transform in all three franchises (while two more have since attained that status, they’re still beaten out by the actress who played Sawa in Build, since she also had major roles in Ultraman and Metal Heroes, in addition to a Sentai guest spot)

Chic is voiced by Shingo Fujimori, the voice of ALMOST every belt and stamp in Revice. Which, considering he’s the demon born from the two guys who built most of the Revice Rider gear, it makes sense.

And Minami, the one female among the hired help, is played by Meiku Harukawa, one of Sakamoto’s regulars over in Ultra (she was a villain of the week in Ginga S, a supporting character in Trigger and one of the bad guys in Regulos)

In addition, to Kosugi, we have two more Kakuranger alumnus in Birth of Chimera, in the form of Teruaki Ogawa (Sasuke/Ninja Red), who plays Dr. Soutomi while he’s alive and in control (after Chic takes over, so does a new actor) and Satomi Hirose (Tsuruhime/Ninja White) as Nozomum (a joke that works best for Brits). Taikawa is also an alumnus, by technicality of having suit acted Ninja Red.

And speaking of Taikawa, his whole family appears in this. His wife Rie (who incidentally, was Ninja White’s suit actress) is one of the fleeing extras, while his son Shinta (previosuly the younger version of one of the Hell Bros from Build) is the poor sod who tries the Chimera Driver offscreen and turns into a demon.

And for the movie itself, the pregnant woman I maligned is Haruka Tateishi, who may be better known as Amu /ZyuohTiger from Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger (and considering that the Donbrothers movie also had a former White heroine and a former Ninja warrior in the cast, I may have commented on the similarity somewhere).

And now, the Movie skit.

Chic: It’s Chic and…

Azuma: (unmotivated) Azuma’s…

Both: Stamp Navi!

Azuma: Do I really have to do this?

Chic: Yes. All of these features have had two hosts, and Tony, Hakim and the other lady already turned me down. So let’s get on with the talk about this stamp. Giff! (Laughs) My voice sounds a lot like the Vistamps, don’t you think?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=m2fqMZ5x8AU

Azuma: This Vistamp is the original, containing Giff’s DNA. Centuries ago, it sealed him away and granted me immortality. It was later used as the basis for all other Vistamps.

Chic: Of course, this isn’t the real Giff Stamp. Just a copy we made with the genes we extracted from the Igarashi kids. We’re going to use it to turn more willing converts into Demons.

Azuma: I thought our plan was to create an army of immortal Kamen Riders using the Chimera Driver.

Chic: Oh don’t be silly, we need Giff’s DNA to grant people immortality.

Azuma: Yes. And we have his DNA, with the Giff Eye in the Chimera Driver. You told me it would restore my immortality.

Chic: Did I?

Azuma: Yes. In that special where I killed that Nozomu kid’s parents.

Chic: It was so long ago…

Azuma: It was last week.

(George turns the video off)

George: Well, this diversion with these two was amazing, but ultimately a waste of time. The Igarashi kids got got a new form, but barely tapped its full potential. And that Nozomu kid gave up his goal with way too much ease. Anyway, it’s time that I move ahead with the culmination of my work.

(He reveals the Chimera Driver, which he attaches a yellow screen to)

Juuga Driver!

George: Next time, I’ll show off the Ultimate Driver, one that doesn’t use the power of Demons Daddy was so proud of.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q5c7xn-zvgI

Credit to En-chan for suggesting I do the Giff stamp at this point.

Oh lord, FALCON-CHAAAAN was in this movie? Did she have more than one line of dialogue?

Hey, you're forgetting the OFFICIAL KAMEN RIDER WEBSITE STATISTICS FOR NERDS which offcially prove Kamen Rider Poppy is a final form level threat. Zero-Two should be glad to be in good company.

His need to keep from disappointing Hana is greater than his need to wreak vengeance on Olteca, apparently!

I appreciated both the copious amounts of trivia, as well as the second skit! Thanks!

I know I'm late but something I DO LIKE is how they did NOT Redeem Olteca just because he had a sympathetic backstory this was a trend rider shows have been doing really bad as of late(I mean technically it started in Ghost but I Feel like Adel's backstory is the ONE THING that show other than designs did right IMO) but Ex-Aid is where it became a problem IMO Kuroto and Parado IMO DID NOT Deserve to be redeemed, and I'm told Zero One is WORSE in this regard but I do wish they just simply made Olteca the main villain because as I said when this show was airing I've never seen any show less interested in it's main villain (Giff) than this show while I DO LIKE how the 2nd half isn't just everyone getting the shit kicked out of them by the main villain unless they have a new toy to debut(BUILD) but by god did they fumble it

Guess Azuma being another giff acolyte explains how he can go toe to toe with Chimera while unmorphed. Not as flashy as Akaishi's showings in ep. 33, but he's not a normal human. What I think was that, who tf he is to have a right to judge humanity, what makes him above them to think that he's while all humans doing this are foolish. Ikki actually addressed this in the actual movie. Felt more like Azuma's grief of losing his loved ones was also shoehorned at the end of their climatic fight (though maybe it shapes his apathy towards the casualties, being lazy to take them into consideration to endanger passengers just to get Igarashis), that his conflict with Ikki was about how Azuma dismisses the casualties in the name of greater mission (m̶a̶n̶,̶ ̶d̶u̶n̶n̶o̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶t̶a̶l̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶G̶e̶a̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶R̶e̶v̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶B̶a̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶F̶a̶m̶i̶l̶i̶a̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶), while Ikki thinks every little thing like few lives or happiness is important (the right way), with the pregnant woman (portrayed by Zyuohger's Haruka Tateishi) only being done to prove this point.

I really only wanted this to explain how George can change from being a mad scientist and potential villain to someone nice and helpful to the heroes. The excuses just contradict and is made up on the fly like first was "just following orders" to Akaishi, then they retconned that by introducing Chic. Guess perhaps how Chic worked is about being mad scientist and possessing others, but still doesn't explain how George discarded this behavior in middle part of the series. And Nozomu's story doesn't have really big role either to just use him to shill the Igarashi family in comparison. The Giffamilia Reunion, though Orteca's not redeemed, this still just doesn't explain why tf Orteca would agree to help others here, though still don't want this to be used to explain that he can/should be redeemed, because villains can do good thing/not do bad thing if it's the best decision they have and benefit them - villain pragmatism.

It's brief, but something that doesn't addressed is that, franchise-wise, Ace confronts the other, earlier Azuma here. After watching Geats up until now, forgot to feel that here Ace's genuineness isn't that clear yet watching him fight here (this one's first watch though). And where as you said here regarding Igarashi family being part warm and heroic, yeah this one shows that both Genta and Yukimi are concerned with others in general like the passengers, not strictly their family, with the latter already being Japan's #1 busybody as Vail Legacy established, though the former wasn't this as Junpei - the one that is similar to most secondary Riders for this franchise, only cared about revenge but not others' well-being (not both at once) u̶n̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶N̶o̶z̶o̶m̶u̶.

Though Kamen Rider Igarashi was not used for climax, albeit it does have good showings regarding his abilities being a combined of the 3 Igarashi sibling Riders, it was only used to fight off some (albeit tougher) mooks while not involving Azuma or Chic. And dunno why the characters don't use their final form like Revi and Vice, or Live, only saving it at certain moments, I don't think there's drawbacks on final forms here. Though it was going to come back against Chic, but Chic doesn't feel as powerful as I thought, albeit it does involve Dadstream who's by default more powerful base Rider. This is quite an asspull that Yukimi also has an inner demon, even though she's not a Giff descendant unlike the others.

Man I guess jokes aside this sounds fair enough. This is a cross comparison between different series, not main series! Thus Ex-Aid Riders should be all superior to most other franchise Riders!

I'm not going to wade into any discussion about Ex-Aid villain redemption, but I will say that, yeah, it's nice that Olteca is still viewed as merely a means to an end for Team Revice, not anyone that's welcomed with open arms.

I think they just wanted to show off as many suits as possible in the movie? There's always a tendency in the movies to run through as many old suits as still exist, mostly as a thrill for fans. I think it's neat!

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 47 - “KARIZAKI’S REBELLION, THE PRICE OF TRANSFORMING”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice47a.png

We’ll probably talk about this more in the Series Wrap-Up post that’ll land… Sunday?, but this episode is kind of a perfect distillation of everything that works and doesn’t within Revice as a series. There’s an escalation in the plot that feels barely motivated and almost absurdly lurching in its tonal shift, and there’s an escalation in the character development of the Igarashis that’s heartbreaking and fascinating. The plotting fails, but the character work succeeds.

Like, the George thing. The crew of this episode does heroic work making Kamen Rider Juuga a terrifying threat, and George a tragic villain, but it barely feels tethered to the series thus far. It’s yet another random shift in George’s portrayal and goals, with only a couple episodes of C-plot to connect this version to the one that aimed for supportive heroism over a few dozen episodes. This one’s maybe had a mental break after losing his dad to a lifetime of devil-related sciencing, and seems to view the survival of the Igarashi family as a slap in the face. (Just my read, since we don’t really get a firm answer on George’s true motivations here. There’s a cover story, but it barely survives the first encounter intact, let alone when things get real serious.) But now he’s the Final Boss, and it feels as lackadaisically plotted as if Tamaki became the unstoppable threat of the last few episodes. But, whatever. George is the Final Boss we have, even if it’s not the Final Boss we might’ve wanted.

The most important part, as anything with Revice, isn’t really the details of the plot. The villains and obstacles are just ways of testing and enhancing the bond of the Igarashi family, and that shit is golden. Like, look at this shot of Sakura realizing that her and Daiji are going to have to fight on their own to save Ikki’s dwindling memories of their family:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/lights.gif

GORGEOUS. That shot is such a goddamn bullseye that it forgives any number of poorly-motivated heel turns. The world turns to darkness as Sakura considers the consequences of Ikki’s condition. It’s the perfect encapsulation of what Ikki means to the rest of his family, and vice versa. This episode manages to extract its greatness from Ikki’s polite and well-meaning obliteration of the same love and warmth he’s fighting to protect; the pyrrhic victory as endgame adversary. Juuga’s some guy in a suit, and it could basically be any guy in a suit. What will always work on this show is how the Igarashi family has to protect one another in times of crisis.

That part… so good. Every scene in Happy Spa was as tense and affecting as most other shows’ imminent destruction of the planet. I don’t give a shit about a million people in peril, but my heart breaks for a Yukimi and Genta who realize that their eldest child has forgotten them completely. It’s been a weird ass plot over the last 46 episodes, but it leveled me here. Ikki’s been sacrificing himself to protect his family, but that sacrifice is killing them emotionally. It’s putting Ikki’s gut instinct to give up his own happiness for family up against the reality that he’ll be left isolated from that same family, and breaking their hearts for that isolation. It’s impossible, and inevitable, and it’s the best possible way for this show to work towards its finale.

So, yeah: Revice! Plots that bounce right off me, and character work that hits like a Rider Kick. I am still on the edge of my seat for this final arc, though.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice47b.png

So by this point… remember how I quoted MST3K in my thoughts on the last episode? Well by this point, several people were evoking their riffing on “The Wild World of Batwoman” (“End, EEENNNNDDDDD!”). Mostly because George going evil and the prominence of Ikki’s amnesia appealed to near enough no-one. I did know one person suggested that Juuga might have worked if they’d used him in the 30s of the show to transition George from shady to good in an organic fashion (especially since the plot with Akaishi and Gif is generally agreed to have not needed to go on for that long), rather than at the tail end of the show, after they’ve been saying he’s a paragon of heroism, which makes the idea he could be malicious come out of nowhere.

And in lieu of any opinions (tbh, all discussion I had of this episode was how much of a fanfiction OC concept Juuga was), I’ll move on to the pictures and the skit, which I planned way in advance of most of the ones from the last 30 something episodes.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...67A740270.jpeg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...CEA9F38BC.jpeg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...0E572BC46.jpeg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...E317E4E06.jpeg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...2F080D674.jpeg

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...63DFF5A39.jpeg

Ikki: It’s Ikki’s,…

Daiji: Daiji’s and…

Sakura: Saku’s…

All: Stamp Navi!

Ikki: It seems strange to be doing this without Karizaki-san, but let’s get on with this. Todays Vistamp is… this one!

Juuga!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=T92pJoUTQVk&t=442s

Ten genes! A powerful ambition! Great! Amazing! Wonderful! Kamen Rider! Over 9…

Daiji: It’s a strange stamp, to be sure. It has the likenesses of every one of Ikki-nii’s main 10 Vistamps.

Sakura: Such a power… I’ve never seen anything like it.

Ikki: I have. It was the first upgrade to the Revice System Karizaki made. This stamp is like…

(The video then gets interrupted, replaced with this)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1Tnqy8IejOg

George: Hey, hey, hey! Yo, George Karizaki here! I’m here today to give you a sneak peak at a special item. Here it is! Behold… 10 Vistamps. I’ve succeeded in combining their powers into one. This is my new invention: the Juuga Vistamp and Juuga Driver. You’re getting a special viewing of my great transformation!

Juuga Driver!

Juuga!

Rex! Megalodon! Eagle! Mammoth! Ptera! Lion! Jackal! Kong! Kamakiri! Brachio!

George: Henshin!

Scramble! Ten genes, A powerful ambition! Explode, Howl, Transcend! Kamen Rider Juuga! Go over… !

George: This is the product of the 10 Vistamps I picked especially for this! Furthermore, by scanning the Vistamps…

Brachio!

Absorb: Zi-O!

George: … I can use the Riders’ powers.

Octopus!

Absorb: Drive!

George: It’s truly wonderful!

Eagle!

Absorb: W!

George: Aamazing! And the gallant lion with the Kuugalike powers…

Lion!

Absorb: Kuuga!

George: Behold… my brilliance!

Lion Mighty Attack!

George: Yeeees! I’m incredible. This is a masterpiece! It’s truly exciting! Let’s try it together!

Self production notes: So yeah, the second half of this is basically a translation of the second video, courtesy of TV-Nihon. If the YouTube video had been privates, I’d have replaced it with a Google Drive upload of the subbed version.

Long live Kane Kosugi son of Sho Kosugi who gifted us with tokusatsu entertainment as the man who portrayed Ultraman Powered, Ninja Black Jiraiya, and Kamen Rider Daimon. So yeah, the summer movie was Kane Kosugi's toku hat trick work, hat trick being having acted three characters within the genre as a character of prominence who transforms.

And Nozomu was portrayed by Issei Mamehara, J-pop boy band member and rider geek in real life. He auditioned in a survival show and became part of the group he is in now, but the real kicker is that he auditioned with the Kamen Rider Ex-aid theme song.

This is gonna end up being a real I Was Saying Boo-Urns situation, isn't it? I can't disagree with any accusations of George's development into a series-ending foe coming off a little rushed, but I think the Ikki Amnesia stuff being the last real obstacle for the family to face is poignant and dramatic. There's an aspect of it that's as basic and primal and universal as anything -- how do we care for a family member with special needs -- but there's also the core conflict of Ikki's self-sacrifice being more damaging to his family than anything the villains might be up to. That's a series-long problem that's never been adequately addressed, and it's got so much basis in choice and decision-making that I'm really interested in how it resolves.

But I'm okay being one of the weirdos who likes how this show treats its characters! Thanks for the fun jokes and skit!

...I take back everything bad/dismissive I said about him. Best actor!!!

Wait, what? :lolol
I was just dropping trivia did not mean to sway your opinion like that. Didn't expect that. :lolol
But yeah it's true, he really did audition with that song.

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 48 - “PROOF OF RESOLVE! THIS IS JAPAN’S BIGGEST BUSYBODY!”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice48a.png

If Revice 47 succeeds over its plot by leveraging my bottomless love for the Igarashi family, Revice 48 fails by asking me to extend the same faith and goodwill to the misbegotten melodrama of the Karizaki family.

Like, the only part of this episode that worked for me, emotionally, was Ikki’s need to show George that his relationship with his father ended up being a positive for the world, and brought out the best in George. The way that it becomes Ikki’s personal responsibility, as one half of Revice, to show that Ultimate Revice is the superior technology because it was produced by father and son? That’s a fun hook for this show, and it helps make Ikki’s sacrifice more integral to the plot. It also lands a gut-punch of a climax, just off of that continuing need of Ikki’s to insert himself into any problem where he might even minimally be of use. I love that, just like the cast of this show loves it. Best part, by a mile.

I mean, mostly because the rest of this episode is devoted to mining pathos and sympathy from the Karizakis, which is as foolhardy a crusade as any Rider endgame has ever embarked upon.

Nothing in their idiotic backstory has ever even transcended I Hate It But I Can Ignore It. Karizaki abandoned his son to do mad science, but he felt so bad about it you guys. He stuck a devil inside his son to “watch over him”, despite the best case scenario circa 20 years ago being that it’d be a homicidal lunatic like Vail, and there’s literally no reason for Karizaki Sr to think that what he was doing would yield anything better. (It also, hilariously, never amounted to anything other than Chic popping out for a Summer Movie? Thanks, Daddy!) George has been motivated by his Daddy's legacy occasionally, but the show rarely seemed to make it a focal point of George’s motivation. (George’s character and motivation being a perennial moving target for this series did not help things!) Surpassing Daddy as a coping mechanism… it’s fine, but it’s Around Episode 36 Fine, not something that needs to occur over two of the last four episodes.

It’s just… I do not give a single shit if George forgives a man who was absent by choice, and regretted it on his deathbed. I think it’s healthier not to hang onto hate, but I don’t think George is harming himself by telling Ikki that one positive outcome doesn’t mean everyone needs to let parental abandonment roll off of their backs. Karizaki Sr loving the son he abandoned by choice doesn’t absolve the trauma of abandoning that son by choice.

It’s such a shitty story to tell, even if this episode had miraculously found a way to tell it with sensitivity and nuance. (Which it did not, for me at least.) Why in the world are we supposed to care if the flip-flopping mad scientist gets over his Daddy/daddy issues with his deceased deadbeat father? Beyond serving as a way to further illuminate Ikki’s character, which was incredibly welcome, why did this particular story need to be told? Why hinge Ikki’s greatness on the most reprehensible characters? Why not create a better story for Ikki to lose everything in?

Because that ending! So good! The polite smile on Ikki’s face as he wonders why these two strangers are calling him Brother and crying! HOLY SHIT! Gangbusters finale, and it walloped me in a way that George’s histrionics resolutely did not.

Well, whatever. Hopefully this Karizaki shit can now be done with forever, because I cannot tell you how invested I am in the Igarashis’ dilemma. One of my favorite endgame storylines of all time, no joke.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice48b.png

I think that the idea of George being motivated by his relationship with his father is a good idea at its core, but the legwork to make it work just did not exist.

Also, as someone who's followed these threads from the start, it's really interesting to see you get this invested in a plot that centers around amnesia, of all things.

It's already teased before ofc, but so turns out that George does end up as the final threat if the series, which was a speculation during his early portrayal due to his really shady nature. If it turned this way, I do think that it'd be better to keep George shady throughout the series, and probably had him be the character that aids both sides like DJ Sagara or Evolt for his own ends (if it's still ultimate Kamen Rider and still Juuga), without him being temporarily turning into a better person. Even if it'd be sort of 'predictable' that George would be a final boss (and had a big bad potential before), but at least George had a fitting portrayal of being shady if it leads into this direction. Albeit probably George wouldn't have good intentions if it's the case (he feels creepy here, but doesn't feel malicious as he aims for world peace in extreme way), but perhaps his vision would be better than a sudden conflict to wrap up the series (of which Giff wasn't taken down in the last episodes).

Now George takes the anti-villainous path of accusing the demons as the root of the world's problems, thus trying to get rid all traces of Giff and demons. I do think that superpowers in real world can cause more trouble, and that he's basically removing any superpower/supernatural (other than himself as Juuga, purely human work) aspects in the world, but yeah, despite the dangers superpowers can create, eradicating anyone/anything with a trace of that supernatural aspect is extreme and bigoted in a world with superpowers.

Though, there are still bits of George's older character here, where before George can frequently act like a manchild especially in his shady portrayal, such as pettily pouting against Vice's criticism to his Jackal design despite the impending danger. And his manchild traits are something that drags on the conflict here, like how he rejects solutions like Daiji handing him the other Rider's Drivers or burying the demon's works, he simply says it's pointless if he can't beat up the demons (e.g. Igarashis). It's similar to a child making unreasonable demands out of pettiness and a lack of restraint, with how he's sidetracked by the need to spite the demons and proving his creation, putting it ahead of the 'greater good'.

Bon being the one who is brought back in this episode is either intentional or had many coincidences. For a handful of villains with noble intentions lately (Akaishi, Daiji w/o Kagerou, George), he's the first one in this series, but of course he's reformed now. And Bon was also previously a dark take of Kuuga, who wants to make people smile but takes the approach too far like entertaining his livestream viewers by unleashing the Lion Deadman to the public to attack figures he thinks deserving. After reformed, perhaps Bon would take similar path to Yusuke, with him being surrounded by kids here and later trying to entertain the kids by doing something funny, like Yusuke performing tricks at them. And now, there's George who becomes Juuga, another dark take of Kuuga (particularly Ultimate form).

Juuga's name is also a portmanteau of "juu" (十, means 10) and "Kuuga", a reference to him using the power of 10 ViStamps, and Kuuga being the 10th installment of the Kamen Rider franchise. Even George's actor Noritaka Hamao was born on November 26, 1999, a couple of months shy of Kuuga's premiere too. Juu can also mean "beast" (獣) in Japanese, and Juuga has the power of 10 beasts. Another trivia is, "kuu" part of Kuuga's name is pronounced the same way as 9 in Japanese (九), Juuga replacing "kuu" with "juu" also had hidden meaning that he's meant to be a Rider that surpasses even Kuuga. Outside of the Kuuga references, Kuuga fought for everyone's smiles, Juuga only fights for his own, which also makes Juuga resemble Another Kuuga, its evil version (Juuga also lacks the red eyes Kuuga Ultimate had, which'd also resemble black-eyed, corrupted version of it). Juu can mean "filled" (充), making Juuga's name mean "filled-self" (充我) in contrast to Kuuga meaning "clear-self" (空我).

Perhaps the more conflict was meant to wrap up Ikki and his memory problem, overall Igarashi happiness, by giving him stakes to henshin and protect his family, losing more of his memories, or letting his other family members get beaten up. Other methods had been tried, but even with Vice transforming alone, it didn't stop the memory loss, and George rejected Daiji's solution. Despite how the series was a mess at handling people's plots, I do was pleasantly surprised by Ikki forgetting even his parents, mistaking them as customers. Which'd be normally a really insolent move, but it's outwardly-influenced for Ikki, which is a turning point that Ikki's memory loss isn't meant to be taken lightly, despite that before the family vows to create a new happy memory with Ikki. For now, Ikki still doesn't forget Daiji and Sakura, but probably if he henshins next he can forget about them too, and likely lose his drive for fighting, as he'd forget the stakes Juuga gave to the Igarashis.

It's the bare minimum of what they should do with the MC, not making his presence small like Revice juggling many arcs at once before, but then again, there can be another way Ikki's stakes can be established other than creating a new, sudden conflict (and another one of new, likely half-assed arc of someone), like someone else that is already established stirring up conflict, or doing this before Akaishi or Giff is defeated instead of focusing on multiple other arcs (use Daiji and Sakura in their weaker Rider form for this stake). There's also, only 4 episodes to properly establish the very MC's arc, being finally known what's the problem of Ikki forgetting his memories (forgetting his parents here). Revice being a wasted potential had double meaning, in the series after strong start, and the titular Revice IMO, in Ikki, as his potential for both family happiness here or solving Rider sensibility problem of turning people busybodies, something not addressed often.

Yeah, there's far too much contradictory stuff in the Karizaki backstory to feel like where we landed was also how we were supposed to get here. Nothing about the Karizakis ever really landed for me, and I'd've been shocked if this one had managed it somehow.

Ha ha, it's the end of my character arc! I've learned to love the thing I started off hating! Ikki would be proud...?

Seriously, though, the thing I like about this Narratively Convenient Amnesia is that it isn't some dumb pre-show detail that'll come back to haunt our cast at the most narratively-convenient time -- maybe right before the Winter Crossover. It's the consequence of a year's worth of storytelling, robbing our hero of what he cares for the most, and making the people he loves suffer for it instead of him. The irony of that! Delicious.

I really liked Bon coming back! It's a nice quick way of refuting the opening narrative of people with devils being of no use to society. Bon can reform, and Ikki and Vice helped him do it. Nice story to come back to, near the end.

God I wish George just stayed as amoral mad scientist kamen rider fan and maybe he could've less of a dick through character development instead of whatever the fuck they did here