the word you're looking for is Backpfeifengesicht, which is wonderfully descriptive and generally applicable every time Kai asks that question. Tho I do find him pretty fun, so I don't mind it quite so much :D

I think there's also definitely an element of... it's been a while since our major antagonistic force hasn't been a Rider? With the exception of Hibiki, every season since Ryuki has had another Rider be a major antagonistic force in some sense, so Kai despite his weirdness feels far more 'traditional' than Kaixa or Dark Kabuto.

I just love the idea of Ryotaro, who is not great at showing emotion, having an opposite number who can't tell what emotion he's showing. I love that twist so much.

But, yeah, Den-Parado is a dude who feels like a legitimate culmination of this story, even if it's not exactly the direction the show seemed like it was going in. (The idea of someone being in charge of the Imagin literally never comes up once until Kai appears! It's not even really teased except possibly for Ryutaros's debut, if memory serves.) He's saying things about emotional stability, about consequences, about memory, and he's doing it all with a physical presence that can both threaten and be threatened. I like what he's adding to this show!

...unless what he's adding is the new version of the theme song, which I hate.

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 40 - “CHANGE IMAGIN WORLD”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/deno/den40a.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/deno/den40b.png

Kai! Kai.

A serious villain could never work on Den-O, but a Kamen Rider finale needs a serious villain. The contradiction of that, finding a resolution to it… maybe the best idea Kobayashi has ever had.

Kai is a hilarious villain who thinks he’s serious, doing horrible things in the most lackadaisical way. He’s ruthless in pursuing his goals, but willing to have a conversation about why he’s pursuing them. He’s cunning in his strategies but generous in allowing opposition. (That look on his face when Deneb scans him for a ticket! And Kai just lets him!) He’s a villain that, on a long enough timeline, you could absolutely see joining the cast as a hero. He’s got the same limitless charisma that Ryotaro’s actor has, but calibrated differently.

It’s his weird sense of camaraderie. Kai, Ryotaro, Yuuto, they’re just a group of guys caught up in this weird scenario, no different than someone you’d sit next to on a long train ride, or a co-worker. In fact, Kai totally treats Ryotaro like a co-worker in this episode. Their scenes together, the energy in them, you’ll recognize it if you’ve ever hung out after work with folks, gotten a drink or something to eat. The shittalking, the shared boredom, the gossiping. Kai’s whole pitch to Ryotaro is what every late-night after-work bitch session revolves around: Let’s Laugh At How Stupid Our Job Is. He’s a villain that thinks this is all pointless, all subjective, all irrelevant. The idea of caring about what happened to Yuuto is baffling to him, hilarious. He’s trying to prove a point to Ryotaro that caring about any of this, trying to save people or mourn them or prevent Kai’s plan, it’s stupid. It’s a villain who is attacking self-determination and empathy with moral relativism and apathy. Kai is the absolute best villain this show could have.

And Ryotaro rises to the challenge in this incredibly weird episode. Like, the show is not subtle with its thesis statement here. The new timeline is objectively better without Yuuto being in it. Literally everyone is living a happier life. (Well, probably not those two women with Ozaki. I don’t know them, but they can do better!) Every single person is better off… but that would mean giving up on Yuuto, and Ryotaro can’t abide by that. The idea of trading lives is abhorrent to him, inconceivable. Yuuto did exist, he is remembered, and Ryotaro will work to save him. That’s it. It’s an argument grounded entirely in faith, in the belief that no one deserves to be forgotten. The suggestion that the world is better without someone in it has at its core a flaw that Ryotaro can’t overlook: what about the person being forgotten? How would they feel? As long as the argument assumes that’s not worthy of consideration, you’ve lost Ryotaro’s support. He’s meeting Kai’s What Aboutisms with certainty, conviction. Yuuto lived, and he deserves to be remembered.

It makes for an episode that’s largely just that dilemma, and Ryotaro’s feelings about it. It’s nothing that needs him to work at solving it. The timeline ends up reasserting itself, putting everything back where it was an episode ago. There are no real consequences to Yuuto getting killed, since Yuuto just pops back up. It’s a weirdly circular episode, for how it’s Kai going Memories Are Dumb and Ryotaro going Memories Are Actually Great and that’s sort of it. Really great performances, and some well-shot action, but it all works more as a thought experiment than a dynamically plotted episode of tokusatsu. Clever, but maybe too clever? I don’t know. Kai’s great in this, Ryotaro is an awesome Den-O, that’s plenty for one episode.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/deno/den40c.png

THE BAGGAGE CAR

-Hey, you’re right, I didn’t talk about Zeronos’s new Cosmic Rust Form! Beautifully designed sequence, and probably a crucial piece of this story’s puzzle… except, AS PER GODDAMN USUAL, I’m not sure exactly what happened in this Yuuto development. He’s burning up a new memory to power up Zeronos, but I can’t tell from this montage if he’s burning up his memory of Airi, Airi’s memory of him, or both of their memories of each other. That matters! It matters a whole lot! I wish this episode nailed it down more, but I feel like it’ll get elaborated on next time. (That is basically how every major Yuuto storyline works.) Meanwhile, I thought it was really pretty? I just don’t know what it means yet.

-I cannot even begin to tell you how much I hated this episode’s theme song. I guess it’s the DenLiner Imagin singing parts of it now? It’s horrible. It’s menacing and brash in a way that is antithetical to this show’s vibe, and I hope it was just some one-off goof for this alternate reality. Listening to the theme song was always a delight, and this was like nails on a chalkboard to me.

-Deneb on the DenLiner as a cook is fantastic. Deneb as, like, Den-O’s assistant manager is the best. He’s so good at his job in literally every timeline!

I'm happy you're getting so much enjoyment out of Kai, and am also still struck by how apt that fog bank metaphor you used to compare our reactions to the Zeronos stuff was:

This episode was also directed by our old friend Naoki Tamura (TV Asahi), by the way. Dude really did some great work on this franchise.

But, hey, for once, we're totally on the same page about one thing in Den-O:

...so that's something. :p

Yeah... yeah. I don't know! It felt devastating. Everything about that sequence is horrible, everything about it feels like Ryotaro is letting Yuuto down by allowing this to transpire. It's Yuuto opting for emotional turmoil, and here's a fun Deneb Gun to go along with it.

I just don't understand the stakes, and that kneecaps it for me. Someone is being lessened by this, and I don't know who yet!

Also, that new theme song is a war crime.

Airi is the oblivious type of the "harem" (... Airimirers) she got. But she's the inverse of what usually happens in media where harem had the target of interest being a guy, with them surrounded by numerous girls, and the guy mostly or never notice about their affection to him. Likely done for meta reasons as well to freely ship him with any member of the harem or freely have him interact closely with any girls without painting it as cheating.

I guess that low level Imagin is also fought in the past if Momotaros can possess Ryotaro without much problem and even getting overexcited for that. And Imagins are mostly fought in the past, that'd mean, although you finally appreciate Liner Form's motif and meaning, the Taros Imagins' struggle against Ryotaro would be negated for a good number of times. Momotaros may have a blunder here, but that's how to teach Ryotaro how to fight, by possessing his body and have Ryotaro feel directly the movements for him to be used as a hint. It seems not only Hana/Kohana, Owner also seemingly have superhuman capabilities, but both has never utilized them to save the day. And for you considering Yuuto kicking an empty bottle that it hits Ryotaro in the face, that's Ryotaro's gimmick as unlucky loser, but you only mention it now?

At best, S̶h̶o̶u̶m̶a̶ Kai operates on the end justifies the means mindset (which is one of the dark triads in personality), to only focuses on (what he thinks) the better outcome, regardless of how many victims and bodycounts that he'll eat in his scheme. But then again, it was all talk here, it was merely a lead-up to killing Yuuto and trying to trick Ryotaro into not interfering by showing him that it made for a better present. And for tolerating the women equivalent of Airi's customers instead of the Airimirers, I smell some agenda here... though this one's may be a joke too.

Well, for you to have this thought of Ryotaro having this view of Airi, to have her no longer tortured, do you accept this in his perceptive or not? Because, not that I like this trope, but the keeping the harsh truth from someone is done for that, to make that someone not feel tortured or conflicted?

Well, for the very least, there's a good reason of why Ryutaros is so scared of him, although Ryutaros is someone on protagonist side, and the failure is about him not killing Ryotaro. But for the other Imagins, well, the one who killed young Yuuto here is S̶h̶o̶u̶m̶a̶ Kai's underling.

Being far ahead of the heroes means you don't suck in the threatening part. But that'd mean suck for S̶h̶o̶u̶m̶a̶ Kai's victims (if other Imagins are this), that threatening would mean others are in danger. S̶h̶o̶u̶m̶a̶ Kai may show none-of-this-matters-to-him thing... for now, doesn't mean forever. Remember your words for what you said above for S̶h̶o̶u̶m̶a̶ Kai being seen as a pushy dick to his underlings regarding that.

I think it's the other way around: Momo can only possess Ryotaro in the present, which is where this fight is taking place. The Bunny Imagin is trying to widen this dude's Time Hole, but Den-O stops him. Ryotaro doesn't go to the past until the climax of this episode.

This time it was exceptionally funny?

So, no, I don't think Ryotaro ends up being right in this story. The idea that Yuuto's variable existence is worth everyone else's misery, I don't agree with that. (Especially since Yuuto's purging the universe of himself anyway!)

But, first, the show is making a point about the steadfastness of Ryotaro's beliefs, not whether he's always right or wrong. Second, this isn't a situation where the truth is being kept from Airi. This is a situation where Ryotaro would be (theoretically) rewriting time to depress Airi. Not a great choice for him to make!

Yeah Climax Jump Denliner form is definitely inferior to original in every way and I hate that it replaces it for pretty much the rest of show I think.

Since we're talking about Climax Jump I should mention their are a couple different variations of the song sung by the different Imagin:
Sword Form(Momotaros):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbEkZ9yJio
Rod Form(Urataros):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6jO2yfW3vg
Axe Form(Kintaros):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcwxD_aYdTg
Gun Form(Ryutaros):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgewKMpsHfY

Bonus Information
Their is a variation of Double Action sung by Naomi and Airi called Double Action Coffee Form:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYka6jJ-juI

Yeah, these timeline changes! Some of them are for the worse!

(Also, thanks for those other songs! The Airi/Naomi one is maybe my favorite version of Double Action!)

Don't forget these beautiful renditions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfiK3HWTXU8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koI277qPZBI

Glad to see people are finally on the same page as me when it comes to this show’s soundtrack being nothing but remixes.

Anyway, the first major takeaway from this episode was “Imagine if Ryotaro transformed with Deneb”*. The second involves the fact that Yuto was initially “still dead” because “Ryotaro didn’t know him at the age where he died”. That’ll be important later.

Kai’s two flunkeys for this episode are voiced by the VAs for Ura and Ryu, pulling double duty.

Despite what it looks like, the red card Yuto has to use now (I really hate this show’s habits of effectively replacing past forms with new ones) is NOT a repaint of his regular green cards. Namely, it can’t be turned around to give a different form.

* Speaking of hypothesis, remover that question you asked in the last thread? About “moments you want to disavow from canon because you hate them so much”? I’ve finally found my answer to that question.

Oh, this is basically the philosophical Trolley Problem isn't it? Kai thinks it's okay to sacrifice Yuto's life since it improves the lives of so many others? Well, that's logical, if you count lives as merely quantitative data. But I agree with Ryoutarou's perspective here. Even if it makes a hundred lives better, it's wrong to make someone else suffer for that goal. That's not what a Kamen Rider does. Life is invaluable so any attempt to justify sacrificing others for the "greater good" is placing an arbitrary value on it and contrary to the principles of being a Kamen Rider. Yuto can be an ***hole sometimes but he has the same right to exist as anybody else and a world without him, regardless of how objectively better it is, wouldn't be right.

Yeah, Zeronos memory stuff somehow finds a way to make even less sense than it already did. Yuto just keeps pulling these memories out of his a** to make the cards and now he's all rusty which I think is maybe supposed to represent sepia, the filter used for flashbacks to show that it's related to memory. It's definitely a weird way for a Rider to get a new form and it's difficult to get invested in that plot or relate to Yuto's problem when all of the stakes are so vague and confusing. But sure, at least the scene looked pretty and appropriately depressing, I guess. It does what a new form episode is supposed to do, although I still prefer his default Altair Form.

0_0

I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Sure, the Imagins aren't super talented singers but I love it anyway. I think there's a strong feeling to hearing them sing the theme so passionately which makes it awesome to me. In the full version, Ryutaros even gets his own rap solo!

Thanks. Will watch.

Yeah, the fact that Cosmic Rust Form transforms Deneb into a gun (who can't give out candy or change back right away!) pretty much precludes, like, Emotionally Scoured Vega Form, with Commiserating Shoulder Guns or whatever. There's always the hope that SIC will surprise us with a design! It would probably be hilariously tragic!

It's such a delight that, for Kai's philosophical discussion, he picked the absolute best example of how the world can be approved without someone in it (Yuuto, a person that no one but Deneb wants to get along with), but he applied that argument to literally the least receptive audience in Ryotaro. It moves the argument from Right And Wrong to Is Anyone Being Harmed. It really clarifies the difference between Yuuto's horrifying pragmatism and Ryotaro's hardfought optimism.

While I'm okay with the idea of the Imagin singing along in principle, the execution here just felt off-putting to me. The instrumentation's change to a more aggressive, Rocking arrangement pretty much soured me on the whole experience, and the goofiness of the contributing Imagin was the extra twist of the knife.

Oh man, I completely forgot that the show did a remix of the theme song. Probably a repressed memory, considering how very not good it is.

Also not a big fan of Zero form. Not as a concept; it actually leads to a good story that is the last specific plot I clearly remember from the series. I really dislike the aesthetics, though. I know it's just a red version of Altair form, but I like the green and gold version a lot more.

I honestly didn't think the second version of the song is that bad. The first version is unquestionably better, though.

Rusted to be exact but yes, a shame it was pretty much a color palette swap. It would have been great if they gave him some different threads or at the least minor extra armor. They could have given us something where he retained the Altair form head and had bits of the Vega form armor added to it. A missed opportunity indeed.

I don't really have any particular preference between Altair and Zero, but I really love how Zero Form, despite being a simple recolor at a glance, actually has a rougher texture all over the armor to make it look that much more like gross rusted metal.

And as for Climax Jump DEN-LINER form, I will say that I did grow an appreciation for it when listened to on its own; it's the very specific context of being used for the show's opening that I actively dislike it in.

And understandable considering the show probably was starting to wrap up. And I was fine with it but after seeing Switchblade's comment it got me thinking too bad the suit did not have some extra flare cause budget probably was drying up by then.

Yeah, on an aesthetic level, I prefer Altair. Agreed on that. (Vega has them both beat, but that's not this discussion.)

But, narratively... I like that they're doing very different things? The green and gold has a more soothing feel to it, where Zerenos's appearance in a fight feels like a saving grace. Zero Form (yes?) definitely has the opposite effect; things feel more chaotic, more reckless, This Just Got Personal but as clothes.

That's always my preference for at least one Rider's power-up, having it feel both more powerful and intensely regrettable. Build Hazard is (and always will be) the high watermark for an enhanced form that represents a philosophical failure in the user. So the way Zero uses its red, uses the iconography of corruption and instability, I like that a lot.

I just think the green and gold is prettier. Not rushing out to buy a Zero Form figure!

I actually really like Zero form, love The whole rust theme.

Also despite never getting to these episodes the debut of Zero managed to burn its way into my memory, which I suppose is appropriate, via a YouTube clip.

That's hilarious! And, yeah, pretty apt!

Plus it probably is easier to get an Altair form figure and then after coating the green parts with super glue sprinkle actual rust powder and voila. :lolol

Just gonna get a non-Seihou Altair for cheap and leave it on my back deck for the summer, create the world's longest Zero Form form change.

Well there ya go, of course I won't talk about this much yet before, but this is the main reason for Ryotaro acting that way, he would rewrite the time doing that way. And Airi herself also had her part on this, not only others like Ryotaro, as a part of her traditional Japanese feminine aspects.

Wait, before you talk about how Kai's strength point is about him only working to finish the job, not monologuing or expositioning, and he shrugs off everything others need to know, but this talk seems the opposite about him having a conversation about his goals. Also, here, about how Kai has total apathy and moral relativism, and treating everything as subjective and pointless, this kind of villain is commonly seen and those trait Kai have is their glaring flaw that also can lead to their downfall; they cannot understand the concept of goodness or generosity because there is no guaranteed return on that investment, as in general, evil always assumes that virtue makes you weak, and also assuming ulterior motive in the heroes' "so-called" heroic acts. And by that, those villains fail to anticipate the heroes' selfless actions that makes them lose. And for Kai having apathy and pointless view of mindset, this seems like a nihilist trait, though he acts childishly upbeat instead of being cynical, but this trait is one of the common people who has the inability to comprehend good altruistic behavior.

For him baffling at Ryotaro mourning Yuuto, self-centeredness makes it nearly impossible for a villain to understand or embrace the necessary demands of friendship and love, as they find such concepts, like you said here, laughable and/or distractions. They tend to believe in self-preservation and individualism above all things, act in their own self-interest, believe competition makes them more successful, and assume heroes "enslave" people to an arbitrary system of rules and dogma. Pride is by nature competitive, pitting the arrogant villain against everyone, they simply can't understand cooperation advantages, which is a form of love, placing it beyond the realm of their understanding. Plus, while the villain may be surrounded by countless lackeys whom he keeps them in line via threats or outright violence, and can lead into infightings that can put them into disadvantage, the hero has numerous companions who are willing to help them even in dire situations and enable them to defeat the baddies.

Jokes aside (if this one is it), like from before, the "better" timeline here is only a lead-up to killing Yuuto and trying to trick Ryotaro into not interfering to Kai's plans by showing him that it made for a better present. Better outcome aside, this isn't actually a genuine working towards a better time, this is like, for example, someone telling others half-truth to benefit him and cause strife towards the subjects. By that this isn't about Kamen Riders Should Not Do This To Achieve Greater Good, because this by itself isn't an actual greater good except Kai's trick to Ryotaro, which doesn't work for someone who still wants to try giving every party good outcome (like in Blade, Kenzaki trying to please both Hajime and whole humanity). I guess this is also a testament of Ryotaro's development from the beginning of him being shy and timid, to someone who holds his belief strongly? W̶h̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶O̶z̶a̶k̶i̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶s̶l̶i̶m̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶l̶i̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶M̶i̶u̶r̶a̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶g̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶e̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶f̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶d̶a̶u̶g̶h̶t̶e̶r̶.̶

Zero Form is Zeronos' final form yeah, and it was seemingly obtained by regaining memories, seemingly about Airi here. I guess about the memories, this has happened in some others like Yuuto coming back to life from others' memories here like Yuuto gaining Airi's memories again to him. Zero Form goes from Altair Form's short range into the long range with outright gatling gun.

Not sounding appealing to me either, but I guess the theme sound change is to show the change of Den-O's situation from more lighthearted and goofy before to be more disastrous and distressing right now, with the threat of Kai or something.

I think people are forgetting how insanely popular the Imagin were during Den O's run as the 2nd act of the show felt like it was at time focusing more on them then the actual main character Ryotaro. So it makes sense with their large popularity they would for the last few episodes change the opening to a cover of it sung by the "real" heroes of the show

Hard to think that would be the reasoning if they wouldn't even remove Hana from the opening, let alone add in Kai or any of the potential darker/menacing villains. Also, I mean... I don't think Kai's energy really screams More Aggressive Theme Music? He's a snarky coworker, not, like, Gaoh.

The fact that this is happening in the final ten episodes is what makes it so bizarre to me. They've got such a solid opening song, the show itself is a hit... why mess with success? And why do it when nothing else really changes? So weird. Would love to better understand that decision making.

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 41 - "CANDY SCANDAL”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/deno/den41a.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/deno/den41b.png

I liked this episode. I'm not really sure how to explain why, though.

I mean, it's incredibly charming. The overall story is about how to protect your friends emotionally and physically, and that's a fun storyline for a show so drenched in hilarious relationships. Mixing Ryotaro's Den-O training with Deneb's attempts to build a world of People Who Get Along With Yuuto, that makes for a well-choreographed and dynamic episode.

Spinning it all off of the devastating Zero Form two-parter is a smart move, leavening the apocalyptic trauma of the last story with quirky stagings and ridiculous exposition. (The entire Here's What Zero Form Is Doing scene, along with a broad restatement of Ryotaro's commitment to reuniting Sakurai and Airi, takes place as Yuuto and Ryotaro are enjoying the entirety of a theme park.) There's a whimsy to this story that kicks off with that slapstick street robbery of the intro and never lets up. I can't think of a single scene that isn't shot through with charm and energy.

The main thing, though... this is a Deneb story? It feels like it's going to be a Yuuto story. It feels like it has to be a Yuuto story. But then Yuuto can't be bothered to express any real feelings about the last story to anyone who cares about him. There's only so supportive that Ryotaro can be when Yuuto is going to do whatever the hell he wants, and there's only so much hand-wringing Deneb can do for a young man intent on Not Making Any Friends. So it's up to Deneb to correct the situation on his own.

The first amazing idea this story has is for Deneb to go around Japan at night and beg people to Please Get Along With Yuuto while he's in Yuuto's body. Forcing Yuuto to hand out candy to drunkards and bystanders in the hopes that one of them will remember Yuuto enough to help him persevere as Zeronos? Aces. Love it. Such a fun pivot from the heartbreaking melodrama with Airi. Taking Deneb's embarrassing attempts to create connections for Yuuto and turn it into maybe the thing that'll save Yuuto's life, to make friendship a literal lifeline... yeah, that's an episode I'm going to enjoy.

The second amazing idea is to have the IOTW plot be that some random girl got a crush on Deneb.

Like, yes. Who in the world could be a better boyfriend than Deneb? He literally shits candy. You add in the cooking, the limitless emotional support, the Reassuring Shoulder Guns, the unparalleled optimism... like, of course Shouko immediately crushed hard on him. Of course.

Shouko as a character doesn't really come across too clearly in this one, unfortunately. There's a secret in her past (a hospital stay?) that'll probably clear up some of why she's so thrilled with haircuts and new outfits and adorable late-night meet-cutes to a degree that is suspect. But even without that, she's so much fun to watch in this episode. The way her smile never seems to abate, despite something in the back of her mind that she'd rather move on from, it honestly kept me smiling whenever she ways onscreen. It's just cute, all of her stuff with Deneb. Them bowing to each other in succession because they're so excited to be having this fun moment. Adorable. Adorable for miles and miles.

Although, definitely don't think this is a story about Deneb falling in love or anything. Maybe, but it doesn't feel like it. It feels like a story where Deneb is leaning into a possible new woman who'll remember Yuuto, but probably at the (accidental) expense of that woman's feelings. Deneb is in one story (Trying To Save Yuuto) and Shouko is in another (Trying To Smooch Yuuto). This doesn't feel like one that's going to work out great for everyone.

I do love how much Shouko's into this doomed romance, though. Her reactions are big, but they're Teen Romance big. Showing up way too early for a date, screaming her excitement into a pillow, being unable to articulate a wish to an imagination monster from the end of time because she's already getting everything she ever wanted. It's all so thrilling, just going on that journey with her. I'm sure the next episode is going to be full of some hard truths and tearful send-offs, but this was an enormously pleasant episode of sweetness. Which is I guess appropriate for a Deneb spotlight story?

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/deno/den41c.png

THE BAGGAGE CAR

-There's a new opening sequence to go with the new theme music, and I also hate that? It's now replaced about two-thirds of the normal footage (all the Hana stuff, most of the Airi stuff, Zeronos) with clips from the upcoming episode. I absolutely loathe getting most of the episode shot at me in a context-free rush. Hate that experience more than I've ever loved anything on this show. Skipping the opening credits starting with the next episode.

-Not a ton for Ryotaro to do in this episode, besides interrogate Yuuto enough to dot i's and cross t's from the last story. (To recap: Yuuto's Zero Form burns up other people's memories of Yuuto in the present, as opposed to memories of Sakurai in the past. If I'm getting that right? It sounds like any memories Yuuto makes with people are now up for grabs.) Still, the training bit with the other Imagin is brilliantly choreographed, and I for sure cheered when Ryotaro caught Momo's sword strike in his hands. Typical for this episode, it was an inventively shot way to roll out a bunch of exposition regarding Sakurai.

-Only one brief Kai scene, but he still manages to express ennui while somersaulting off a landing onto some boxes. This guy!

See, back in 2007 the imagins were popular especially since the voice talents behind them were also big deals. And voice talents in Japan have somewhat of a pop idol-like status within the fandoms(emphasis on fandom since even mainstream Japan only knows a handful of voice actors such as Koichi Yamadera, Nana Mizuki, and Mamoru Miyano who have made efforts to appeal to the masses who could care less about nerd/geek stuff within Japan be it recording artists or as regulars in variety shows). Personal observation, a small chunk of Den-O's popularity relied upon that fandom and was a nice entry point for people who might like anime and games but did not know much about toku to give it a chance. Of course, the original mix is still great but the choice makes sense when considering all this.

This is a third rate episode with a fourth rate human castcast. Now then, screw the human cast, it has this guy.

Kenjiro Tsuda

Notable anime roles: Seto Kaiba in the Yu-Gi-Oh series, Spanner in Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Bruford in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood, Suoh Mikoto in K, Ryuga in Beyblade Metal Fusion, Adad in Ultraman.

Notable Tokusatsu roles: Redyue in Kamen Rider Gaim, Kasshine in Kamen Rider Zi-O

Notable dubbing roles: Percival Graves in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Hunstman in Once Upon a Time, Kylo Ren in the Star Wars series, Dave Clark in Tomorrowland, Killmonger in Black Panther, Andy Warhol in Men in Black 3, Bernard in Megamind.

It's definitely just to capitalize on Den-O's immense popularity by selling boatloads of singles. People like Climax Jump, and they like the Imagin, so why not put 'em together... right?

But, yeah, we're still very much in agreement about what's happened to the opening:

Can you imagine if they'd done that with Kabuto or something? I would've disowned the entire series on the spot. :lol

(Also, 41/42 are Ishida episodes, because of course they are. His last ones of the show, in fact!)

So we’ve finally hit this point: the last storyline I clearly remember from the show. I’ve known this one was coming for awhile, but honestly thought it happened earlier. As it turns out, I actually forgot a lot of the specific details from this one; I mostly just remember Deneb trying to get more people to know Yuuto.

It’s a really fun episode, though. There are a lot of great moments, but the highlight for me is absolutely the scene where Ryotaro and Yuuto recap the entire Sakurai plot thread while disinterestedly hanging out at an amusement park. Such a delightfully odd way to make an exposition dump more visually dynamic.

Fair point!

Oof! Disagree! Sorry this one didn't work for you!

I don't know what's more Ishida's signature: that entire theme park sequence, where it's Ryotaro arguing against the self-defeating nature of Yuuto's plan while the two of them right a kiddie coaster and Yuuto cradles a stuffed animal he won; or that Kai scene where he's bathed in orange light and doing stunts off of a scaffolding. Both of them are clearly the result of a director being handed pages of drama-free exposition (the Kai one specifically is like one of those directing exercises where the script is kept as vague as possible to get the director to formulate interesting visual scenarios) and Time Nonsense and he just decided to have as much fun as possible with it.

Which... that theme park scene is maybe the most definitive Den-O scene? It's a scene full of confusing exposition that tries to define the stakes of a major change that just occurred and the last forty episodes of a background plot while also being about the friendship that's developed between Yuuto and Ryotaro. It's serious, fraught material (Ryotaro is basically trying to logic Yuuto out of killing himself), but its sadness and melancholy is candy-coated and hilarious thanks to the direction. It's a tension, between the words and the images, that would wreck a lesser show. But this one just takes that friction and makes sparks with it. Pretty goddamn amazing.

It’s a joke on the VA. One of Seto Kaiba’s iconic quotes is “You’re a third rate Duelist with a fourth rate deck.” I also inserted a reference to to Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged in the form of the introduction being a reference to a memetic line from the first episode of that series.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=-32NGYLqwAQ

I’ll discuss what I thought of the episode next time.

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 42 - "MEMORY UPDATE”

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Please get along with Yuuto.

It's hard, I know. It's very, very hard. Yuuto is a character that is relentlessly opaque and aggressively taciturn. He suffers in a way that almost redefines suffering, and yet if you bring that up around him you've lost his interest. He longs for connection while refusing to connect. In every way that matters, he is Not Here To Make Friends.

And yet.

It's almost impossible not to befriend Yuuto, not to try to improve his emotional state. Like a lot of closed-off characters, he protests way too much. He makes a big point this episode that the reason he's refusing to make new friends and reconnect with ones who've forgotten him isn't because it'd hurt him to lose those people. No, of course it's not that; it's the damage those people would take when they forget Yuuto. So naturally the episode ends with Shouko forgetting Yuuto and then frolicking on a beach in the background while Yuuto talks about how much she's been harmed by this adventure. He's so committed to this martyr bit that it is, honestly, adorable. He is willing to sacrifice everything about himself, body and soul, but he's not willing to say that he regrets it.

And he obviously does. His new Zero Form is his anger at how much he's having to give up, but as a palette swap. He can put on a brave face and pretend like losing Airi doesn't mean anything to him, but even one day with Shouko exposes that for the lie it is. He's a sad boy who needs to have people in his life. He needs an outlet for all of this nobility, a reward for everything he's burned up in the pursuit of justice. He needs it to all be worth something.

So it's really poignant to have Shouko as the girl who is pleased to get along with Yuuto. Her whole story about the ability to change being more inspiring than the change itself is wonderfully convoluted in the most realistic way possible. It's exactly how you talk to someone you caught feelings for, where you're trying to express something deep and fundamental about yourself to them, but you're so thrilled to do so that it comes out in a jumble. For a boy who has no past and can't plan on a future, it's nice to see him paired off (even for just one story) with a girl who views the present as the most precious thing in the world.

Shouko was sick in a way that she couldn't hope for a better future, so she decided to live each day. Not, like, Live Each Day To Its Fullest or anything, but just live it. Be present for it and appreciate it. She might not have more days, so she'll try to treat this day as the one that matters the most. If she gets another one? Well, that just means that all her memories are of great days.

It's the flipside to how Yuuto has closed himself off to new experiences. Shouko thinks she could drop dead tomorrow, or Yuuto could just leave, or whatever. But Yuuto's there with her today, and they're having fun, and that's enough. It's taking the uncertainty of the future and saying That Just Makes Today Matter More. It's buoyant and beautiful and it makes Yuuto's inability to see beyond his losses that much more disappointing and heartbreaking.

As always, it's Ryotaro who's the hero of the story, because believing in people and not giving up are totally in his wheelhouse. Yuuto can't get attached because he sees those attachments burn up like a Zeronos card. But Ryotaro rides a train with the lost and forgotten, and they're only doing that because there's a chance they'll be remembered. Yuuto's okay destroying himself, or pretending he's okay with destroying himself, because he doesn't really believe in himself. But Ryotaro believes in everybody, and he knows that there's still a chance for Yuuto to be happy and remembered.

Maybe someday Yuuto'll believe it, too.

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THE BAGGAGE CAR

-Absolutely stellar episode, and a lot of that comes down to Shouko's actor. She has a gaudy amount of chemistry with Yuuto and/or Deneb, the type of chemistry that I think the show wrongly assumes that Yuuto and Airi have. (They really don't!) There's an indelible move Shouko's actor does in this one, where she's telling her story about how she motivated herself into appreciating what little time she might have, and she has this moment where she doesn't think she's explaining this right. In fairness, it is a bizarre monologue about today becoming the past in the future. But she gets this embarrassed look on her face, like she knows how dumb this all might sound to someone who is not full-time living inside her head, and it's the cutest goddamn thing. Her enthusiasm never wavered in this episode, never once, and it made her one of my favorite characters on this series.

-Like last time, not a ton for the DenLiner crew to do in this one, but I laughed pretty hard at the idea of Urataros getting called in to steer Shouko away from Yuuto, and Shouko being completely impervious to his charm. Ura's main thing is winning over women, and he never ever had a chance with Shouko. She just does not see Ryotaro/Urataros as interesting romantically, preferring the Yuuto/Deneb combo. Hilarious.

-The fight scene, also! Really fun to have Urataros turn around and there always being a truck directly behind him. Excellent editing!

-Joke of the episode was probably Kin suggesting that Shouko fell in love with Deneb, since that was what was inside Yuuto when they met, and Naomi politely suggesting that it maybe helps more if you look like a goddamn male model. I mean, Deneb's a fun imagination monster from the end of time to chat with, but have you seen Yuuto. Like, have you seen his face. All of his face.

Yeah, Den-O is one where I've forgotten most of the overarching plot (or what Den-O has instead of that), but this one I remember really enjoying. It's just great. Like Climax Jump Den-Liner Version.

In both parts, Kai is only in two scenes total, and he is very irritated by having to contribute to the plot. (His frustration at actually having to do his job continues to make him the best Kamen Rider villain of all time.) It's a great story for how it zeroes in (sorry) on contrasting Shouko's Today Is A Gift attitude with Yuuto's Today Is Just A Thing I'll Lose Tomorrow attitude, but it barely intersects with anything going on in the series arc. Sakurai is just randomly at this one hospital that Shouko was at the previous year, that's it.

Thankfully, who cares about the series arc on this one? Certainly not anyone on the production team! They designed an endgame villain who does not like having to show up and do endgame villain things!

Wish I could add some of my own insight here, but it's hard to say anything besides yes yes, that that to your thoughts on the episode. (And that catchphrase isn't even from the right series!) Easily one of my favorites of Den-O, and, as ironic as it is, by far one of the most memorable stories it told. I really like Zeronos, if that isn't clear yet.

It's so amazing to me how Yuuto's actor takes all of the weird, off-putting stuff he had to do on Hibiki to show how his character was a total asshole who thought being a total asshole would make people like you... he's weirdly still doing all of that, but it lands way more as the regrettable failure that it is? I'm not sure if it's how the show is built more to support him thematically (arguable; thought Kyosuke was a clever addition to the whole parenting theme, not a universally agreed upon view however), or how Ryotaro is more invested than Asumu in salvaging a demonstrably terrible person (Deneb adores Yuuto and is mostly beat up for it!), or how Yuuto gets to play the Deneb Possession and we all laugh at him. I don't know. But it's amazing that Yuuto seems to be a success in the exact opposite way Kyosuke pissed people off, and I feel like they're doing mostly the same stuff for slightly different reasons.

Anyway, hi, yes, Zeronos is super great, give Yuuto and Deneb the theme song while you're at it.

Well you got a point there for keeping the opening the same like Hana. Though as you said before Kai's upbeat energy makes him more menacing that way right? Kai is overall just creepy as hell.

The robbery feels like a revisit of the episode 15 and 16 about Ryotaro being the one robbed. Especially as in that 2 parter Airi was the central part of it defusing the situation in everyone, but here, Airi is the victim of the slapstick robbery. The 2 parter was likely a show of her saintly qualities, and I won't doubt that here but I also wonder how would she react to that thief when he's in distress (no, not about him being stopped by Yuuto where it should be done, but him in desperate situation) like at ep. 15-16, that this time it was her who was the target, not her little brother. But the street robbery slapstick caused harm to the other bystanders there, I sincerely hope that Ryotaro or Airi would help those harmed bystanders around them. I know this is about Sakurai talk between Yuuto and Ryotaro, but talking about someone else they know well is a common thing to happen and it's not merely an exposition right? I feel that the Sakurai talk is needed too regarding Ryotaro's views of him of well, probably you're right after all, that Ryotaro also disagrees with Sakurai's methods.

Well, lol'ed again about how Deneb is "insolent" in Yuuto's view that he again possesses Yuuto without his consent that it'll give people a false perception of Yuuto that they think he's that kind guy who gives them candies, and by that he'll just be dumbfounded of all the people's approach to him, and seeing him being set off to Deneb's antics lmao. This in some way feels like Urataros possessing Ryotaro that he gets the sudden fame with girls, that in Yuumi's episode before, Ryotaro got it full with the newfound situation with girls due to Urataros. But with Yuuto's memory problem, this act cleverly has more depth yeah which this is about Deneb trying to give Yuuto a lasting impression on people in an important agenda to keep Yuuto alive.

I know I know, Deneb is the best boyfriend material (and I'm glad of you acknowleding the beacon of kindness and generosity as the winner in that material, a̶s̶ ̶y̶'̶k̶n̶o̶w̶,̶ ̶g̶i̶r̶l̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶a̶d̶ ̶b̶o̶y̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶s̶t̶e̶a̶d̶), and you also acknowledge the limitless emotional support that Deneb has too? Well, for people being sucker to melodrama and revels in conflict, by that to entertain them, writers give therapists the short supply in many stories, due to the assumption that True Art Is Angsty, and to perpetuate the conflict for the audience. However, while it's understandable that Shouko would fall in love with Deneb by a short time, I feel uneasy on this part of her story instead that there can be people who puts a charming facade and fool her into manipulating her into doing something advantageous to him...

Now now... I feel that you have, lack of understanding about girls here, go learn to Urataros! How is it baffling for Shouko being thrilled with haircuts or new outfits?! That's commonly a girl's thing, or for what memes make out, for someone when they're starting a new day in school or college by maximizing their appearence (while the meme was after they stay long time there they no longer give a fuck about appearences). Jokes aside, I know that you've shown disapproval for high energy traits like the Airimirers, but as the appreciation of Shouko (or Deneb) here is based on her high-energy portrayal (like other parts of this episode like you said), this has been said before, but hope there won't be speaking ill of those not having loud, outspoken, or excitable demeanor (I also feel that Kai's main advantage for you to other villains is about his behavior being like this), deeming those kind of people as "lifeless" or such, treating the difference as disease and viewing them as lower scums in society. Talking about this as this is how majoirty of people view things and this is misguided and unfair. I̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶D̶e̶n̶e̶b̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶S̶h̶o̶u̶k̶o̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶e̶i̶r̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶t̶e̶g̶o̶r̶y̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶c̶r̶i̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶o̶b̶v̶i̶o̶u̶s̶l̶y̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶t̶a̶l̶k̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶e̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶e̶r̶m̶ ̶"̶w̶e̶i̶r̶d̶"̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶d̶e̶r̶o̶g̶a̶t̶o̶r̶y̶ ̶t̶e̶r̶m̶.̶

Well yeah as it'll come up more significant for this Shouko thing, regarding burning up other people's memories of Yuuto. Ryotaro catches that sword strike in his hands, but, it's not a wise thing to do in combat (albeit not for Riders' much higher durability to normal humans). If you have the reflexes to block a blade, you also have the reflexes to dodge it. Do the latter and avoid losing a good chunk of your hand. The technique of catching a sword is known in Japan as Shinken Shirahadori, as a part of Martial Arts training. But the real life technique does not actually involve blocking the sword with a bare hand, but preventing the opponent from drawing their sword.