I'm glad to see everyone taking this ridiculous question seriously! The correct answer, of course, is that Ikki is Vice's secondary. The final episode makes that abundantly clear!

Yeah, he really didn't do it for me? Between the show vacillating between Amoral Mad Scientist and Guy Who Was Forced To Be An Amoral Scientist and Kamen Rider Daddy Issues, George was constantly giving off vibes that I don't care for. He was fine as a bit of comedy relief, but I never felt like he had an arc I was invested in or looked forward to. Did people really find him relatable? If folks have detailed thoughts on George, lemme hear 'em! Goddamn!

For Girls Remix I do like seeing returning actresses from previous ones, though I'd be happier if phase 1 Heisei stars can return, though it feels like it's solely about fighting outside of some introduction - beating up a bunch of guards. I guess you'd fixed hooked by Sakura when you already find her prickly teenager writing realistic and believable from the beginning. Though for her those who appreciate her seems to mostly going off being a Rider - how she's a female Rider who... doesn't die (All D̶a̶d̶s̶ Female Riders Are Dead), and doesn't get sidelined unlike Yua or Reika (in comparison to Ryoga), but the complaint is also about too much prominence that can feel as if the writer is just biased on her (I do feel that she sometimes gets too much shilling like from George, Aguilera, Hikaru, Weekend... as if she's so sought and fought over)

Yes I guess, though I think it's more prevalent on the beginning, albeit he never became hated either after his retcons, like what's posted on this link or this. I actually felt like a contrarian of being the one who immediately noticed his terrible traits straight from the first episode and wanting to point that out, seemingly like someone who thrives of chaos and drama and can orchestrate it, so tbh, I feel kind of relieved that this thread also recognized it. Albeit after his change later, there are those who talked about him being amoral previously for the talk that he got retconned or Chic's involvement, so I guess it's not completely overlooked (though I wondered how much evil he can reach or escalate that time).

Given Revice is all one big prequel to Geats, I feel safe calling Revi and Vice Ace's secondaries. Man is the star of the star of the stars after all.

Oh, for sure. I'd've loved to see any of the Phase 1 ladies back again, even if it's just to shove a guard or provide moral support. Luckily, I think Mari ended up in Outsiders, and you can blink and Naomi'll show up in something. I think my biggest wish is to see Kohana reappear, because now she's just Hana's age? Or older, I guess?

But Ace is Michinaga's secondary, so I don't know how the math works on that? Hopefully the upcoming Geats x Revice film will provide some clarity!

I'm 90% sure that Naomi was in the Pretty Girl Den-O special.

Last time I checked, Kohana's actress left showbiz, so odds of seeing her again probably aren't great.

I imagine a lot of folks from Phase 1 are out of acting, so I don't hold out a ton of hope for most/any people to resurface. Still, it's weird how that can change: Ren from Ryuki was nowhere until he was EVERYWHERE.

Being only invested in Genta/Junpei's story I would love to see episodes featuring Genta from the main show re-edited and collected to be in his perspective and released as Kamen Rider Vail: Aftermath or something equivalent.

Some. Not all of them may be big names like Odagiri, Handa, and Sato to name a few, but I'd say a good number of them are still active as entertainers. I occasionally spot a few when watching Japanese dramas as supporting roles both big and small. And some return after retiring and trying out other things like Yamasaki who played Hojo in Agito.

It's been a hot while, but didn't the Agito episode of Zi-O have a cameo from one of their women? Blade's episode definitely had Amane, which was very nice to see, and the Den-O episode almost certainly had Naomi, .

They did! They had Mana... who was played by the same actor as Naomi from Den-O.

This is the kind of lore I don't remember because I haven't watched Agito.

KAMEN RIDER REVICE: FINAL STAGE

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

Y’know, not bad.

I honestly find the pace of Final Stages to be a little taxing. I was stopping this thing after 15 minutes, then after 25 minutes, then after 30 minutes. It’s these really long fight scenes against mooks and grunts, and I just… I am not a child with a glow stick in a Japanese theater? I don’t find it that thrilling, honestly. It’s good for what it’s trying to do – and there’s some very inventive uses of screens and costume changes in this one – but it’s a more minimal level of storytelling than what I need to get engaged.

This one, however, had a pretty solid story? The specifics are Final Stage-level dumb (Wakabayshi’s heretofore unmentioned overseas twin brother), but I really liked the story this stage show decided to tell. It’s all about how we deal with loss, and the danger of letting memory drive us to abandon our future. It’s also a nice way of honoring Vice’s sacrifice, and not undoing it too quickly. (I imagine that’s what the Geats movie is for!) Vade and Ikki are both hurting after a family member’s death/”death”, but while Ikki tries to lead a happy life the way Vice wanted, Vade blames the world for what he’s lost. (He’s hurting, so I know he’s not acting rationally, but targeting Daiji and Hiromi specifically is a pretty big leap, revenge-wise. Fenix is gone! Commander Chameleon is dead! Akaishi, who set this all up, is dead! Giff is dead! You are grasping at some straws here, my dude!) It’s this sweet little story about how not to lose yourself in grief, and how to take that energy and try and make something new.

Like a new suit! Two new suits in this one, Shin Revice and Vade, but they’re obviously both Revice repaints. They’re okay, but nothing on the level of Tassel Dark from the Saber stage show. Light repaints, nothing too clever or unexpected.

And that’s sort of this stage show? It’s a lot of lights and smoke and action, which I get bored watching, but then a nice little emotional epilogue for Ikki tucked inside of it. Didn’t hit me super hard emotionally (not like Sakura and Hana, who were visibly tearing up as they waved goodbye at the end), but I thought this was a solid coda for the Revice TV show.

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

Yeah, I thought this was thoroughly ok more than anything. I like the retooled new Deadman monsters and the rather creative Revice Shin suit. But other than that, not much to talk about. But it is better than much of the show.

And my personal main gripe was the sound mixing during the final battle, which made the jingle for the True Rex Vistamp impossible to hear. But I did get a kick out of Sakura complaining that George never made her a power-up… before pulling out her own power-up.

Ikki: It’s Ikki’s Stamp Navi. Everyone, I hope you enjoyed our Final Stage. Because now we’re going to close it off with a look at this special Vistamp.

True Rex!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=F9uytknxEMI

Synchro Up! OK! Printing! Rex! Calling! Kamen Rider! Revi! Vice! Revice! Shin!

George: This Vistamp is Ikki’s Rex Vistamp, enhanced by the traces of Vice’s DNA left within Ikki. With this, he can transform into Kamen Rider Revice Shin, gaining 100% output with himself. This mean, he can continue to fight for (the True Rex stamp glows) world peac… (the stamp then turns back into Rex). It appears that this was just a temporary thing.

Ikki: So, I’m back to being useless by myself.

George: No, no, no! I’m going to boost your output so you’ll be able to fight the next time a threat emerges. After all, we still have that large glowing Giff-shaped hole in the sky. And who knows, maybe Olteca will try something.

(Enter Tamaki and Hikaru)

Hikaru: Sorry we’re late, the crowd at the idol live was way too big to move in.

Tamaki: But now we’re here to…

George: Too late, fools.

(Both turn and walk away, dejected)

Ikki: Everyone, thanks for supporting Kamen Rider Revice for the last year. Me and my family couldn’t have made far without your support.

Hana: Way to snub me, George, Hiromi and Hikaru. Tamaki, not so much.

Ikki: I’ll say it again. (He goes and hugs George and Hana) Me and my family.

George: Ohhh!

Hana: Well your mother did ask me if I’d like to be godmother to your new baby sibling when they’re born. Guess I have to accept now.

Ikki: Wait, wha-?

Lights go out.

Ha ha, sure, but that was a power-up she and Lovekov made together! She's right to chide George for making multiple Revice and Live/Evil upgrades, but nothing for her.

And thanks for the fun skit!

KAMEN RIDER GEATS X REVICE: MOVIE BATTLE ROYALE

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

Ah, Movie Wars. I can’t say I’ve missed them?

They’re an interesting enough remnant of Phase 2 Heisei: a transitional state from Phase 1’s non-canonical summer movies to the eventual Winter Crossover movie and Summer Double-Feature adventures. They were this tentative half-step, where the old show gets some additional closure, the new show gets a low-stakes one-off battle, and the fans get to see a brief team-up between the two title Riders. But inevitably, they turned into the more viscerally entertaining Heisei Generations events, where we got one complete story built out of two different casts and concepts. I don’t want to play the It Was Better Back In My Day card, but – Heisei Generations Final rendered Movie Wars permanently obsolete by being the best Kamen Rider movie of all time. Doing a split epilogue/team-up movie afterwards just seems limited, and wasteful.

Which is sort of how Movie Battle Royale felt for me, sadly.

I liked the individual components well enough in isolation. Revice got to tell a story about the ways families change and grow without losing their power or substance; and Geats got to tell a story about the difference between fighting for a reward, and being rewarded for fighting. Those are perfect themes for each section to explore, but they never really add up to one complete story. The Revice part just feels like a prologue for the Geats part, and the Geats part barely feels like a Revice story. They don’t… they don’t mesh, really at all. Honestly, the Geats part gets more juice out of its Very Special Legend Rider Guest Stars than it does Ikki and Vice, who are mostly treated like a MOTW victim to be saved.

Like, the Ryuki cast makes perfect sense in the back half of the film, as a way of contrasting Ace and the gang’s motivations against those of the villains from Ryuki. Ace fights to achieve a goal, while Asakura and Ryuga fight for pointless things like Power and More Fighting and Destruction. They’re destined to lose to heroes like Revi and Geats, because they inherently lack the vision of a world beyond survival and death. In the most delicious irony, Seeker is a construction-themed villain who doesn’t know how to build a better world. The thematic coherence on the latter half of this film is Geats in its goddamn zone.

(Even the Desire Royale stuff is typically smart commentary from Geats. The Desire Grand Prix represents the way culture and influence commodify our desires; how they sell us our dreams and profit off of our hopes. The Desire Royale is that concept curdled into nihilism: the way hollow, pointless entertainment tells us that hopes and dreams are ridiculous notions in a world of abject cruelty. Also, Tsumuri looks great in her redesign.)

The Revice bits, though… I just wish they felt less perfunctory, or irrelevant? The cast integration is pretty fun, but Ikki and Vice’s story only ever feels like a runner, and the circumstances of Vice’s resurrection and disintegration lack the compelling details that help make it all feel less authorial in its payoff. Vice comes back because Ikki will do anything to save his family? Fine. I get that Ikki can’t miss a partner he doesn’t remember, but it still sort of sucks that Vice’s big return has such an Any Devil In A Storm feeling to it, instead of an Ankh-esque reunion moment. But Vice leaving again because it was a limited-time miracle? And Ikki’s going to lose his memories again, despite that only ever being a thing from the last contract? It never comes off like an established turn in the story, just a contrivance to put Revice back where the movie found it. I mean, why can’t Ace’s wish be that Vice sticks around? Why vanish Vice for a second time, when you could leave Revice fans with a happy ending? It feels forced, and it’s hard for even a Revice fan like me to defend.

And, ha ha, that’s this movie! I enjoyed Revice, Geats is my favorite Kamen Rider show of all time, and this movie doesn’t really do either of them any favors. The Revice parts don’t add anything to the Geats story, and the Geats parts don’t really add anything to the Revice story. I wish this had been two movies, or, honestly, maybe just the Geats movie. (It does not help that the Revice villains are total ciphers, and don’t feel like either Revice or Geats characters. I think they’ve got a LunaTrigger and HeatMetal thing going on, which is maybe a Movie War reference? At best?) What I got didn’t exactly do justice to two shows I like a whole lot, and that’s a bummer.

At least Neon and Sakura got to hang out, though!

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

I mean, given that Revice’s whole ending was about how Ikki needed to overcome his reliance on Vice to grow up, bringing him back for good would feel like they’d were reneging on that. This movie basically has his appearance fall under “sometimes, you have to ask for help”.

As for the Geats half… I liked the part where it’s just Michinaga and Vice on the train, complaining about how dying sucks and coming back afterwards is exhausting. I also liked the implication that Ace has kept every Buckle he’s used in the past, or were used in past DGPs. (Since aside from Beat, that’s what the Buckles he’s shown to have fall under)

And now for some production stuff.

The baby playing Koshiro belonged to a production assistant. Despite spending a lot of time with the younger actors, he actually was more calm with the actors playing Genta and Yukimi. Everyone else couldn’t make him stop crying.

A lot of the Baby Devil’s dialogue (in all honestly, I have no idea how a demon born from a baby can speak fluently) was ad-libbed in post, hence why there’s little reaction to it.

During the commentary, the guy playing Ace gave away the twist that his characters longevity is due to reincarnation rather than immortality by mentioning that it was Ace Garfield that knew Shakespeare personally.

And Keiwa’s inner demon was an idea devised by the director, meant purely to hint at Keiwa going down a darker path. And yet, there are a few people expecting him to return in Geats proper, despite inner demons being a Revice-specific thing.

Tamaki: It’s Tamaki’s and…

Hana: Hana’s…

Both: Stamp Navi.

George: Wow, I’m really stuck with you two for this?

Hana: Well everyone else took off after that guy in the mask who abducted Koshiro. I’d love to have joined them, but as the commander of a peacekeeping agency, I can’t really join them and go gallivanting off.

Tamaki: But that just means you’re here to help me cover my Vistamp.

Giraffa!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dniLxwHN...r0bEYDvqqpUWpo

Dazzling fire! Dazzling fight! Giraffa!

Tamaki: After Karizaki trashed the Kuwagata Vistamp as Juuga, he built this to replace it.

Hana: And because of that, you’re still a Rider. Just with a slightly different name, colour scheme and helmet.

Delete Up! Unknown. (Unknowns) Unrest. (Confusion) Unlimited. (Exceed it) Kamen Rider Get Over Demons!

George: This Rider is the ultimate form of Demons. Taking combat date from Demons, Vail, Over Demons, the Demons Troopers and Destream allowed me to create the ultimate form of the Demons Driver. Truly wonder-

But he gets interrupted by a mask latching onto his face, before changing his clothes to a more 18th century style.

Vision Driver: Hacking On! Crack Start!

(Colus then steps forward)

Tamaki: That guy who took Koshiro.

Colus: You work for me now, Mr. Karizaki. I’d like to use your vast knowledge of Kamen Riders to provide some insight to my viewers at home.

George: Yessir. (Both he and Colus then teleport out)

Tamaki: Should we go after them?

Hana: Like I said, I’m a big shot Commander now. I have other duties to attend to (she walks off)

Tamaki: (shrugs) I guess it’s up to Ikki and the others then. (He also walks off)

Sure, you're probably right... but boy, I still don't like it a whole lot? I never really got how Family Member Vice is some crutch that Ikki needs to abandon to become his best self, while the rest of the Igarashi family is crucial to his ongoing emotional health. If Ikki had left home at the end of Revice to pursue his dream of being a football/soccer star? Then I think this all adds up to a clear and relatable ending. It's just such a weird double-standard where Vice and only Vice is concerned.

But thanks for the fun skit!

Not much I can add here.

Very meh movie, especially the Revice part. It's antagonists are aliens Giff wronged in the past, which, interesting idea, but... nothing is done with it. And the less said about the baffling Vice mechanics, the better.

I like the Geats part, but it's probably one of the weaker parts of the show still.

I get what they were going for with resurecting the movie war format hear and it's cute, but it's a relic of a bygone era. It's one of the better ones but I hope it stays a novelty.

In general, on par with Generations Final, enjoyable popcorn cinema if you don't think too much about it. A solid 6.

Next!

Since Geats isn't done yet and you've reviewed all of the Heisei and Reiwa shows up to Revice, I was wondering if you are going to wait till Geats is over or you're going to review it anyway whenever you are ready since it's ending soon anyway. If you plan on waiting for it to end to begin your review of it I was wondering how you would feel about reviewing older stuff like Kamen Rider Black.

I'd probably be okay with a 6 for Movie Battle Royale, if I scored things, but I really loved Generations Final. That montage with all of the theme songs and Final Forms! New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Hiroshi Tanahashi as one of the lieutenants! Gaim definitely, 100% being a part of the story! It's one of my faves.

We'll cover this more on Monday, when everything's been watched, but I do have a plan for these threads post-Revice. The shape and pace might be weird, but there'll be a roadmap for the next few years. (!!!)

I will say that Geats (and Gotchard etc) is way off in the future. I think doing these types of threads so close to the airdates maybe is not the right context for my approach? Distance allows for a little more evenhandedness, and the wounds of a show's mistakes become less intense with the addition of time. I got plenty of other stuff lined up, though! I hope folks are interested in what the next phase of these threads look like on Monday!

REVICE FORWARD: KAMEN RIDER LIVE & EVIL & DEMONS

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

Golly, was that not a very smart movie.

It works emotionally, at several points, but it’s such a phenomenally dumb movie at so many other points that it’s hard to say this one ended up working for me. Most of the revelations are just things we already saw the characters overcome on Revice (or Dear GaGa), and the end result is, like, a Director’s Cut of a finale to the character arcs of Daiji and Hiromi.

The one fresh thing in here is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the best thing this movie has going for it: Rumi and Hiromi’s bond. Way more than new suits (hideous) and an EP’s worth of new songs (not my thing), the addition of a niece for Hiromi is a legitimate evolution of his character, and an exciting concept to explore in a film. We’ve seen Hiromi as a son, and as a Work Dad, but what is he like with a child to protect? What does that do to his sense of responsibility? How does that interact with his new outlook on supporting others, rather than charging recklessly into battle?

Sadly, we don’t get nearly as much of this as I’d like. Rumi ends up getting yoinked for good by the villains/Kagerou (...it’s complicated) midway through the film, which gives us a huge chunk of the story where the best part is absent. But when the story slows down a bit for Rumi and Hiromi to connect, it’s ridiculously watchable. The way she calls him Uncle, because he’s old! The way he keeps trying to say he’s only 28! It’s adorable, and I wish these two had been the entire movie. They are the spark that kept me watching this movie, even during its darkest moments.

Which would be the majority of this film’s mystery/plot, which was at once blindingly obvious, and absolutely absurd.

Like, I never for a second thought Muramasa was Hiromi’s devil. For one, everything Kagerou (forever the voice of reason) points out via flashbacks: Hiromi’s devil was seen and destroyed in the first episode of Revice; while some people can generate a new devil, it’s not heart-on-their-sleeve goodies like Hiromi; we never saw it happen, so why are we taking Muramasa’s word for it. For another, the Chameleon Vistamp is right there in the opening sequence. The Chameleon Vistamp, which was integral for switching out Wakabayashi with a duplicate in Revice. It all adds up, and it’s frustrating to watch the movie insist It’s Definitely A Devil for so long when it’s obviously not. It requires no one to trust Hiromi, which is a huge thematic thing in the film, and it also requires multiple characters to be morons, which is not as much of a theme. (It’s more of a motif.) Sakura, Hana, and Tamaki watch a Hiromi that’s dressed up like a gangster change his hair and eye color while calling a wounded Hiromi a devil, and they’re all like YES KILL immediately. It’s dumb, and most of this plot is dumb.

Until it becomes absurd, like when the answer turns out to be clones?! Clones, everyone’s clones, the mystery was clones, I hate it. I get why it’s clones thematically – the point is that there’s a difference between a duplicate and a part of you, which is integral for Daiji/Kagerou’s arc. It just feels unbelievably out of left field, and nothing that necessarily feels logical to guess from earlier in the story.

The idea of a movie that’s about seeing characters like Kagerou as an aspect of Daiji, rather than an evil twin or whatever… I don’t think that was a thing we needed to learn? I feel like that’s a huge part of Daiji’s arc from Revice, and the introduction of Eviltytlive is built on the idea that Daiji now sees the value and necessity of Kagerou in his life. I don’t know why Revice Forward thought we needed to hear that lesson all over again, alongside Wakabayashi yet again becoming a Force Ghost to tell Hiromi the same lesson he learned back on the Revice TV show, but I guess it fits alongside this film’s use of so much footage from Revice.

Jesus, it’s so much archival footage. Characters couldn’t get two sentences into a story without a clip show being generated. If the producers had felt like the characters needed more of their backstory explained (I disagree, but) I wish they’d’ve found some way to make it organic to the scene, rather than making me sit through Ikki and Vice’s final battle, when Vice isn’t even in this movie. This story’s emotions did not need nearly so much explanation.

So, yeah, I don’t think this one worked, structurally. Hiromi and Rumi are fantastic, but the character arcs are retreads, the villains don’t make a lot of sense, and the new suits are garish in the wrong ways. It’s also at least ten minutes too long, for what the narrative requires. Hopefully the inevitable Revice Forward: Jeanne & Aguilera & Over Demons comes up with a plot that’s a little smarter!

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

Yeah definitely. I was curious cause I realized that you've caught up after this. :lolol

This is actually a movie I had something written up on Reddit when it came out and honestly, my opinion hasn't changed since then, so I'll be lazy, like the movie, and recycle old work I did before:



I did not like this at all.

It suffers from a lot of the same problems Revice suffers from, just condensed, its similar to Vail in that way.

It funnily enough suffers the most from the exact same problem as Vail, the relationship at the core of the story is just laughable. Vail had its "knowing you for less than a day" romance, and this has "I talked to you less than half a minute, take me to the amusement park, uncle" "father-daughter" relationship. And it just doesn't work at all, is unbelievable, and the child in question is written stilted and not like a human at all. It's bottom-tier dialog all the way through, which kills any sort of emotional investment I could have had.

Daiji is also once again pushed to the side and doesn't really get anything to do. I really related to Kagero with how done I was with Daiji being an idiot.

The entire story also only happens because everyone involved makes the dumbest moves possible. Daiji's trap is idiotic and even Kagero's plan archives almost nothing.

The cake goes to the three stooges, Hanna, Sakura, and Tamaki though. That scene feels like a parody. No, scratch that, I have seen that scene before! In Koryuger! A monster literally transforms in front of the heroes and tries to act cute and obvious, it doesn't work and is ridiculed as ridiculous. And low and behold, this movie makes them actually fall for it hook, line, and sinker... I... What an idiot plot! Worst of all, it is so in character for these numbskulls.

So, yeah... Massive dud for me.

Die's finally going to do it. He's going to truck with Showa.

Not if he can truck with Super Sentai first! or just rewatch the other Hesei Phase 2 riders

Ha ha, man, Rumi really worked for me! I thought she had great chemistry with Hiromi right off the bat, and Hiromi's undisguised happiness at getting her ramen and undisguised regret at not being able to take her to the theme park super landed with me. I like the two of them a whole lot! I definitely did not like the plot they were stuck in!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice41a.png

MONDAY!

Tsuragi *handshake* Hiiromi
Arachnid riders who couldnt take a person to a theme parks.

But for good reasons! Hiromi was framed for kidnapping and hunted by enemies and friends alike, while Tsurugi had to get back to France on short notice. Luckily, Revice Forward had an end credits sequence where Hiromi could fulfill his promise to Rumi, while Tsurugi's return was likely cut for time. It all worked out for both of them eventually!

Wow, I completely forgot this existed.

Stricken by amnesia? Boy, have you come to the right thread.

Yeah, you basically summed this movie up. It’s not the greatest in terms of storytelling and really doesn’t feel at all like a continuation of Revice, so much as half a rejected script that got repurposed, half a retread of Dear Gaga instead of giving Hiromi a new arc (though Hiromi bonding with the kid actually had some heart there, since he knew the kid beforehand)

And in terms of casting trivia, our female henchman was previously female lead Yoko in Ultraman Z, while our evil Doctor villain was previously main character Takuto in Chousei Kantai Sazer-X (a show where you’ll probably recognise some of the supporting cast if you watch it), and the voice of secondary villain Hudram in Ultraman Trigger (he even uses the latter’s catchphrase after turning into a monster).

Hiromi: It’s Hiromi’s and…

Daiji: Daiji’s…

Both: Stamp Navi.

Daiji: Why are you going first? I’m the one who took things away from this experience.

Hiromi: Because I’m the one everyone came here to see. Now then, let’s start with my new Vistamp.

Giant Spider!

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

Grand! Gigant! Giant! Spider!

Hiromi: Giant Spider is the ultimate evolution of Demons, using the combat data from Destream to create the ultimate Genomix warrior, Kamen Rider Imperial Demons.

Kagerou takes over.

K-Daiji: Move aside, old man. Let the real star of this flick show off his new Vistamp.

Mega Bat!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gXlnsAQd04s

Marvellous Up! Shining so Brightly! A Severe Darkness! Crossing Crossing! Kamen Rider Live and Evil Marvellous!

Kagerou: With this Vistamp, Daiji and I are bolstered to a level matching Giffard Rex, with the aid of the Revice Driver. Now I can really kill off my family.

Impulsively, Hiromi activates the Giant Spider Vistamp, causing its standby jingle to start playing, while Hiromi himself starts dancing to it. Kagerou stares in confusion before joining in. George then enters.

George: Hey, hey, hey! Didn’t I tell Daiji and Kagerou that they were - (he sees that everyone is dancing, shrugs, and then joins in)

I appreciate the casting trivia! And the fun skit!

KAMEN RIDER JUUGA VS KAMEN RIDER ORTECA - EPISODE 1

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/juuga1a.png

Is it seriously “Orteca”?

That feels like an insane question to ask after months of writing about Revice, and in one of the final posts for this thread, but: Seriously, it’s not “Olteca”? All of my subs have said “Olteca”, and I swear that’s what they’ve been calling that guy for episodes and episodes. Except, clear as day on the title screen for this episode, it’s “Kamen Rider Orteca”.

I honestly don’t know what to do with that. I don’t want to say it’s all I could focus on in this episode, but it pretty much was. I’m just gonna call him “Olteca”, to keep my brain from hurting quite so much. Let’s move on!

I haven’t been able to care a lot about the emotional journey of George Karizaki, and thankfully this miniseries doesn’t seem to, either. It’s very much George in his initial mode of Kamen Rider Super Fan – like, an enthusiastic fan of Kamen Riders; also, a fan of Super-1 – rather than anything too tortured or layered. He’s back to trying to make his Daddy proud via mad science, and he’s having a great time with it. It’s not… it’s not a story with any real deep insights into George’s character, so much as it’s a quick run through of his motivations and immediate goals. He wants to make Kamen Riders look cool, and a recently escaped Olteca is standing in his way.

The Olteca side of things is as surface-level as the Juuga side: Olteca’s been sprung from prison, Neo Deadmans, Demons Driver, whatever. It’s Olteca going through the motions, and it’s a shame that after all this time, no one could quite come up with a deeper look into his psychology than Smirking Sociopath. He’s a familiar face to fight Juuga, and that’s about it.

Speaking of familiar faces: Rinna and Otta from Drive!!!

It’s saying something about how flimsy and inessential this story felt that the best, most memorable part is Rinna from Drive talking about her dissolved relationship with the eternally embarrassing Otta. In a wacky episode where nothing feels especially tethered to reality (I love Olteca, an escaped prisoner on his way to commit crimes, just walking past George), Rinna cartoonishly destroying pictures of Otta is both an episode highlight and lowlight. It’s goofy fun, but it has nothing at all to do with George or Olteca, and it eats up time that’s maybe better spent on addressing the title characters.

Or not! I liked the Drive stuff a lot, and I sort of sat through the Revice stuff. Even the shock reveal of Hana/Aguilera being one of the Neo Deadmans is just an Uh Okay moment, rather than anything too mysterious or exciting. It’s a special where I don’t really care about the main characters, and the special doesn’t really seem to care about them either, so let’s just all try and have a pleasant time until the credits roll. I guess I did? Mostly?

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/juuga1b.png

Hilariously, I ended up getting the Juuga Driver in the mail the day the sub of this dropped, and I joked that I’d joined the Humans as Kamen Riders project, resulting in several jokes about UKIP and POTUS 45.

But to explain one moment of weirdness, the reason the girl coworker gets a shot of her with Wizard and the Crocodile stamp is because her actress is the Kamen Rider Girl who was associated with Wizard back when the group had that gimmick (the other two current members were associated with OOO and Gaim).

And in terms of other casting trivia, Mr. Takeda is played by the suit actor for Ryugen and Chaser, while George’s male assistant was Zyuohger’s sixth ranger, ZyuohTheWorld.

Skit and general thoughts on the special coming next time.

Wait.

Wait wait wait wait.

Kamen Rider Girls is still a thing?

I didn't quite buy that as an idea back in 201X when it started. How is it still going 10-ish years later?

They haven't recorded much as of late but they seem to still do rider-related events and promos and stuff. For example, I think they still do Kenichi Suzumura and Hiroshi Kamiya's Kamen Radiranger radio show and take turns appearing as co-hosts.

I'm gonna wait for part 2 of this to go into detail about it, but I say this much. This special is great! It finally gives these two characters some depth and likeability I never expected to see! Especially for Olteca, which, hilariously catapults him to my most liked character now xD

I did not care for him during the show, but what they do with him here is just great!

So, yeah, soooooon~

So the Geats x Revice movie is discussed here.

Hana's (adult) actress Yuriko Shiratori retired cuz of a burnout, they're pushing her too hard to make her a big thing like Takeru Sato, but she couldn't take it. And now, Kohana's actress Tamaki Matsumoto also has retired as well. Man, a Den-O talk happens here, so the reason for me to refer to Mei Hanakawa's character as Aguilera.

The Revice portion feels similar to Battle Familia where the focus is saving someone to prove a point, like the pregnant woman in the former, but Koshiro in this one - so Koshiro is more of the MOTW victim, but not a stranger for the cast. Koshiro's demon has carefree and perverse traits, but dunno what's the thematic in his personality relating to Koshiro. And of course, the Ryuki part is only mostly about them being some extra muscles to fight for both Geats and Revice cast... with even less moments of them interacting unlike Revice cast. Ren's hairstyle here is closer to the original than the RT Ryuki one though (should be like this if he'd cosplay Geiz). Perhaps more time can be used for those rather than the Baridero and Izangi fight. Otherwise, Keiwa claims that the Ryuki Riders are way too strong, but it felt like shafted (as per female Rider) when Jeanne feels weaker against Knight compared to others to have her being down (to the point that Na-Go can't rescue her in time to escape elimination) due to Guard Vent alone.

Felt that Ren and Asakura's wish are similar to Geats cast's, but in general form. Ren is "the power to destroy a̶l̶l̶ ̶K̶a̶m̶e̶n̶ ̶R̶i̶d̶e̶r̶s̶ everything" (general version of Michinaga's Kamen Rider exclusive). While Asakura's wish is "fight i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶D̶G̶P̶ until the day I die" (general version of Ace's DGP-related first wish). It also feels smart to pair Ryuga with both Keiwa and Daiji - Keiwa's actor is named Ryuga Sato, and Daiji has dark twisted version of his personality in Kagerou like Shinji's Dark Shinji. Ren turns out to only joined the war to retrieve Shinji back, but I wonder what'd Ren do if he somehow won and get said wish. Geats' lesson is that no wish are pointless though... even if you feel that at first glance - cuz as said above Ace's first wish sounds like Asakura's. And so I now understand why people think Powered Builder Buckle is on higher level like Feverslot, because Seeker is really a huge threat with it in this movie, can building off anything to control the battlefield or preventing the rip from closing, though I'd just deem Powered Builder as another Large Raise Buckle that feels OP in debut like Ninja and Monster, albeit it may be due to seeker's compartibility with that?

The given detail was that Takahashi stated Colus's purpose was to clarify Girori's standing position and the original purpose of the DGP. Here the DR is really about killing off other competitors... I thought regarding original series it's just that the Riders have more freedom to attack each other, but it's still about performing the best on the games. Kaima/Seeker got talked out by Ace to have a desire separate from his corrupt father Eiichi's obligations, but Ikki didn't take part of this as well of Kaima being about an abusive family who puts pressures on him. With the time of the movie's release, Girori is made less hidden that he said "for now" of being their allies, but is still being a concierge. Here Girori is shown to be a fighter to win a katana duel with Colus, so he's not only carried by Glare's power, though that's not enough to beat Geats, Tycoon, and Na-Go ganging up on him. George here is like the commentator among Tsumuri, but he should be like the audience members (I do feel early George vibes from both Ziin and Kekera) who aren't touched upon yet in Geats at this time iirc. No explanation yet on how George became Kamen Rider fan, because this is the helpful self from middle of the series.

Your complaint here happens in main series such as W's ending of Philip returning. It was said that Vice (and likely Vail) are still dormant inside of Ikki, though it was never stated how to bring him back, albeit this one just feels easier. N̶o̶t̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶a̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶e̶i̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶t̶a̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶m̶e̶m̶o̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶e̶i̶t̶h̶e̶r̶.̶ With Hiromi saying that Ikki's power as Revi would be halved without Vice, it feels like a missed opportunity for a reasonable excuse to downgrade a final form to base form (Geats MagnumBoost) of the current Rider honestly. About Ikki's fighting, it's shown that Ikki can fight on equal footing with Ace in both of their base forms, of which Ace has shown to punch above his weight class multiple times, though in his own series. Are Revice's Riders just stronger than Geats' in general by this, or it's explained by Ikki fighting Azuma (not Buffa, but Daimon) who also has lived for thousands of years before? Ikki also can keep up with Ace using Command Twin Form, using a Propeller and a Large Raise Buckle, unlike Michinaga did in ep. 15.

Felt like a deliberate contrast that, in Revice, Sakura had a family member who is a streamer, but in Geats, Neon is the streamer herself. Both are also tertiary Riders who are also female leads (yeah, it's not Tsumuri for Geats), but Sakura is already a capable fighter who became a Rider relatively later, while Neon is a newcomer who become a Rider right off first episode (earliest female Rider debut) and thus has to learn and grow, and Sakura has an ordinary family, but a harmonic one, with Neon having a wealthy family, but dysfunctional one. Their chase scene is a play of a cop chasing a cat burglar, and though it's something comedic, it's still not a good thing for Neon to cause some mess, albeit not unfixable one (or likely also knowing that Sakura would fix those), to slow Sakura down. Same goes for Sakura's abuse on Genta early on, or for Ryuki, what the cast did on ep. 30 for gags of stealing to sell or causing a mess respectively. Medias can play off comedies as if they didn't do anything wrong as it's just for laughs, though these aren't a recurring trait that happens constantly (other than Sakura's), unlike for example, an anime that push the narrative of someone being good and pure but is a tsundere who frequently abuses certain someone with them being viewed on the right consistently.

Gotcha!

Interesting! I can't say I had the same experience, but I'm glad he worked for you here.

I think it's just that he's a baby? It feels like it's just for comedy, not really a serious exploration of a baby's mental state.

Again, I'll get to it on episode 2 ^^

There is the majority of his character work.

KAMEN RIDER JUUGA VS KAMEN RIDER ORTECA - EPISODE 2

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/juuga2a.png

I guess I just don’t see a real rivalry between Juuga and Orteca, coming out of Revice?

This episode tries very hard to create one, though. God, does it ever. Between the Epic Duel at the climax of the episode, and the Frenemy song that soundtracks it, and the whole We’re Destined To Do This Forever capper, there’s an overabundance of work to make Juuga/Orteca either the next Superman/Luthor, or maybe just Daiji/Kagerou. The end of this episode really only works if you see George and Orteca as reflections of each other, fated to fight against the person who knows them best.

I just… no? No, that all seems like an invention of this two-parter, not something that is the realization of longform storytelling. Like, Orteca vs Over Demons? Sure! Best scene in this episode is Tamaki confronting Orteca at a department store, and sort of laughing at Orteca’s inability to grow or change in any interesting way. Them two having a blow-off to Orteca’s lazy villainy and Tamaki’s eventual heroism? That would be a hilarious and affecting idea for a TTFC. This is… I mean, it’s funny, but it never really got me to feel anything.

It is cute and funny, though, in a minor way. The various Drive references; the reveal that Otta’s secret girlfriend is just a perpetually needy Hiromi; Hana creating the Neo Deadmans just to humiliate Orteca; the series-long recurring gag of Daddy creating utterly preventable problems for everyone but him, and our heroes having to put a positive spin on it anyway. It’s not hysterical, but it’s reasonably fun.

Beyond that, I guess this was a failure of a TTFC special? Neither George nor Orteca became any deeper or more interesting as a result of this story, and the world of Revice didn’t gain anything from it, either. It’s a victory lap for two characters who never won anything from me, and the moments of joy were all gained by supporting cast members and Legend supporting cast members. It’s fun, but more or less in spite of the two title characters, not really because of them.

There’s nothing left for it but the catchphrase:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/revice/juuga2b.png