I also like how it's making Takumi okay with not having all the answers, with allowing him to be uncertain. It's something I really liked from Ryuki, the way the show seemed to value asking questions, and it's cool to see a version of it here.

More than that, I think it shows a real bravery for Takumi. He doesn't feel this connection to dreams that anyone else in the story does, but he's going to trust that they're being honest with him, and fight to give them a chance at seeing their dream through. Like, I think it's more heroic to have Takumi fighting for something he doesn't understand, than something he feels deeply.

I just feel like there's a read where he's, like, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. (Not out a window, but figuratively.) The freedom of no longer having a dream is... maybe not a great thing? The show makes a great case for Kaido being smothered by his old dream, but I'm not sure it's super healthy to deny yourself an outlet that you feel like you aren't great at anymore. That feels more like a surrender than personal growth.

Yeah, for sure, Takumi is definitely heroic for fighting to protect dreams even though he doesn't understand them. It's a role he needed time to warm up to since being Faiz wasn't something he just chose. But it's more about why he's doing it. I think that, in addition to generally being a good thing to do regardless of his motive, it's making him a better person. And he wants to be better.

I kind of understand your perspective, it looks like he's given up. Consider the context though. I think Kaido was content for someone else to take over his dream, since he can't pursue it anymore, at least not to his former potential. He unlocked that potential in another. Having a dream is good but it was holding him back from putting the past behind him the way Kiba had. Now he can use that freedom to find something else to strive for, something he can actually give his all. He's pretty much in a similar position to how Takumi was at the start. And as an Orphenoch, he has a new range of skills that he can use however he sees fit.

Die covered a point I would have made already in how the nature of who Takumi is saying those lines to matters. What I'd also like to call attention to is how precise Faiz's dialogue often is. The actual part where he details why dreams matter, he feels the need to qualify it with the "or so I've been told" at the end. He takes those extra words just to distance himself from what he's saying. It's defensive, and that's, again, classic Takkun. Even in the scene that forms his central motivation, he's still holding back on admitting how strongly he feels things. He never says a word about caring, just that he's going to do this. It's really not a typical big hero speech, and that's exactly why it's so memorable and closely associated with the show.

So here now Takumi softens up. Takumi is the one to go to Mari, to show it. Even if Mari blames Takumi for her failings. And I didn't expect Mari to fail that hard at first, I thought she must've had some information or a little experience of it before actually performing there. And the one that gets Takumi to understand other people's dream was watching Mari did better and get some approval right?

Team Faiz also remarks that dreams can be painful and suffering, but they do it because it makes them fired up.

I mean, Yuji and Yuka calls out Owl Orphnoch for doing that depraved thing right? Yuji and Yuka tries to make sure they're still human and doesn't descend into monstrous mindset and tries to make sure Kaido's that way too. And Yuji fighting Owl Orphnoch, probably should change your take; it's just him doing the right thing and punishing evildoers. He and Yuka are not happy that the professor did such a vile thing to their friend. And Yuji is simply called Horse Orphnoch, btw. Orphnochs only names themselves after the animal they're based off. Though yeah Yuka's confused when Kaido asks what's her opinion to humans.... but unlike Kaido who declares his hatred right away (though it may be an upfront with him mentoring others and Yuka pointing out he still likes music).

You're right that there's a lot of ways to compare Team Faiz with Team Orphnoch. Here it's the parallel of Takumi and Kaido regarding them can't grasping dreams and what it means to others. But there's also a parallel between Takumi and Yuji when they monologues to others about what they think about dreams. What's with Yuka also following Kaido to sit inside and see the first-year playing guitar in the class?

He has nothing left to do as a human with his disabled finger and remarked that he wants to surprass their limitations and got what he wanted as an Orphnoch... so I'm gonna wait to see what he's gotta do as an Orphnoch. He did shed the toxicity yeah, and he interacts closer with the other 2.

Lol yeah, even with Takumi softening up, he's still abrasive to beat up Auto Vajin right there.... and then take its handle to use as a sword like how Kuuga did it. Auto Vajin is supposed to be an assistant for Faiz, like Dragreder for Ryuki or WizarDragon for Wizard.

Well, Mari "blames" Takumi for her failings. She's just acting out because she's upset at herself, and I think Takumi of all people gets that feeling.

To her not doing well at her tryout, she describes this salon as a dream job, meaning it's probably one of the most acclaimed salons in the biggest city in the country. A place like that is tough to get a job at, and it seems like the stress of her tryout might've made Mari a little more sloppy than she'd normally be. She's probably more than good enough to get a job as a beautician, but she's going to have to try harder for the job she wants. It wouldn't be a dream if it were easy!

I think what does it for Takumi (beyond every other minute of the past two episodes building to it) is seeing not the approval, but how happy trying and succeeding made Mari. Her ability to channel difficulty into a positive outcome was what I think he responded to, not anything else.

My personal rule is that if they don't use a name on the show, I'm going to give them a name. Yuuji is the man, Horsepower is his Orphnoch form. At least in this thread!

I think it's two things. First, I think she's trying to be a good friend to Kaido, take an interest in what's been troubling him. Yuuji probably would've gone with, but he was still on bedrest. Second, Yuka's supposed to be sticking to Kaido to make sure he doesn't kill a whole bunch of people, and he figures it out early enough that she doesn't need to hide from him. She's like a chaperone for Kaido in this episode.

KAMEN RIDER 555 EPISODE 09

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--1--

It's not that this wasn't a thematically-rich episode (there's a nice runner about supporting your friends by giving them independence, and the reality that large corporations generally don't have your best interests at heart), but this was an absolute corker of a plot-driven episode. Nearly every scene was either new information or Team Orphnoch running into Team Faiz. It's a big episode!

--2--

Although, I guess Team Orphnoch is Team Faiz now?! That was a hell of a final reveal, that Kaido is The Next Faiz. (Thank goodness I've been keeping my eyes open as instructed!) It's a solid story up to then, but that cliffhanger! Goddamn!

I really appreciate that the next story they decide to tell with Takumi after his But Why Heroism two-parter, the very next story is What If Someone Took The Belt Back. Super smart. He'd just accepted that he should be Faiz, and now he's free and clear to give up the burden.

Except, maybe it's not that much of a burden to Takumi? There's a quick scene with Mari and Takumi, after they give the belt back to Smart Brain, where Mari asks how Takumi feels about it. Takumi smiles and says he feels relieved. I wouldn't believe him anyway, but the fact that he smiles when he says it is just about the biggest red flag this show could go with. He's only happy when he's mad, so the fact that he smiles means he's very unhappy.

The last three Riders were very much Suffering For Our Sins types of Riders, and they each had stories about how deep and painful it is to fight as a Kamen Rider. I kind-of like the idea that Takumi feels a sense of fulfillment, of purpose as a Rider, and now that's being taken away from him. Worse, he might have to fight to get it back, which, visibly expressing a desire is maybe his kryptonite. While every other Rider has to accept a terrible burden, Takumi might want to be a Kamen Rider. It's something someone else can do, and he has to grapple with wanting it to be him instead. I really do love that, and it's typical of the way this show inverts Kamen Rider tropes for entertaining effect.

--3--

Like the way this show has the Orphnochs donating money to the disadvantaged/terrible (Yuuji! I will never get tired of Yuuji telling Takumi to be a better man!), doing each other's laundry to show they belong, and being a goddamn Kamen Rider. It's all hero stuff, top to bottom, and that's so consistently great to me. I love how much this show is making Team Orphnoch have a nobility to them.

As I sort-of suspected, Kaido's putting away of his old dream by theatrically obliterating the totem of it was... maybe something that's having a negative effect on him. He pushes away Yuuji and Yuka, and they react to it differently. Yuuji mostly just sees through Kaido's outburst and storm-off, and assumes he'll be back.

Yuka's response is interesting, because it's all about her core trauma. Yuka's so used to being blamed for everything, that she assumes that anyone's unhappiness is a) her fault, and b) her responsibility to fix. She makes sandwiches to cheer up Kaido, she badgers him for more information when he runs off, she frets about not doing enough. Yuuji's content to give a friend space, while Yuka clings to scraps of affection as though they'll be ripped out of her hands at any moment. It's a really interesting dynamic that group has.

--4--

Yuuji didn't get a ton to do in this episode, besides (naturally) staking a claim for Team Orphnoch to be the defenders of humanity. It's nice to have that scene, of Yuuji calmly and happily telling his friends that he thinks they should save lives, while the next scene is Mari telling Takumi he's a champion of justice and Takumi's just Ugh Why Would You Say That. It is delightful. You've got the monster group fighting for humanity, and you've got the Rider group giving away their Driver and quitting when the going gets tough on a neighborhood watch. (Takumi loves quitting! It's maybe his only dream!)

Kaido showing up at the end as The Next Faiz, teaming up (effectively!) with the FaizCyKill to save Team Faiz from an Orphnoch... it's like my heart grew two sizes. It's great on so many levels. There's the visceral reveal level, where I zero percent was expecting Kaido to be given the belt by Smart Brain. There's the character level, where it's totally in keeping with Kaido's need for a new dream for him to take up the mantle of Faiz. There's the deeper character level of what exactly Kaido's getting out of this, why he'd fight to save people, why this dream. And there's the plot level, where I can't wait to find out how all of this gets untangled. If it ever does! Which I'm not really against! This show is killing it with its choices!

--5--

Just, it's really buckling down and nailing its storytelling for me. The humor's been great, the melodrama has been proportional, the characters are all so multi-faceted, and now the overall plot machinations are really popping for me. I think Murakami is a fun villain (although, this show, probably "villain”) that's not really done enough for me to get a grip on his character, but definitely has me curious. Like, this episode was great at getting me real, real invested in Smart Brain, Mari's missing adopted dad (because her birth parents died in a fire at Ore Journal, I guess, since she was rescued and brought down their back stairwell), and how those plots will alter things for Team Orphnoch and Team Faiz. Great episode!

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In my opinio, this is one of the show’s best cards: the idea that the Rider’s identity is not set by the first guy to appear in the titles. I’m slightly disappointed there aren’t many other shows that do it. (Though in one of the shows that DID do it, they released an album for all the users of one Rider gear)

Yeah, I'm not really against the trope of A Rider's Heavy Burden or whatever. I think you can tell some interesting stories with a Rider who doesn't really get the potential consequences of deciding to be a Rider (Ryuki!), or who has to persevere through all sorts of danger because no one else can handle the power but them.

That said, I really like the stories where the burden evolves beyond No One Else Can Do This But Me and starts to require a kind of continuous recommitment, where someone else could do it but the lead character chooses to do it. I came in through Ex-Aid, so I don't really have a problem with someone proving why they should be allowed to be a Kamen Rider over someone else. I like when stories have a deeper way of making a case for their hero than He Called Dibs, you know?

If they met the Smart Brain president earlier, probably Takumi would be completely free of any burden because Faiz hasn't grown up on him, or the realization about Orphnochs existing. Unfortunately for him though, they're manipulated by Smart Brain to give the belt back, like the main reason they're hunted by others. Possibly the reason he's mad, he even hesitated to return the belt until Mari convinces him otherwise.

And was Kaido's treatment of Yuka is still better to her than everyone else in her life for her not to snap?

Lol yeah, even with many ways of comparing Team Orphnoch & Faiz.... I've been bringing up this multiple times but, Kaido is Takumi. Both of them are appalled by the ally of justice concept their team pushes out to them, and... yeah Kaido becomes Faiz! I think Faiz' perks is about how the belt continually changes its wielder, apart from good monsters.

It's clear now in this episode... Yuji (possibly Yuka too) wants to protect humans with their power and doesn't want to be used by Smart Brain. And the president, Kyoji Murakami, is the real villain Orphnoch to fight.

Murakami just doing his stuff while he's in human form man! He levitates and fires a genkidama at others. But there are no visible injures to the others there? Fire at ORE Journal..... Shinji's dream turning into reality?

I think it's less that Mari convinced him, and more that he would have to tell a roomful of people that he wanted to be Faiz. I think saying that out loud at this point in the series would've caused him to burst into flames like an Orphnoch.

It's a total strength of this show that they can pick any single member of Team Faiz, and any single member of Team Orphnoch, and do a story about how they compare and contrast. You could do a Kaido/Takumi episode about how they lack fulfillment. You could do a Yuuji/Takumi scene about how they do or don't try to help strangers. You could do a Yuka/Takumi thematic thread about how they don't know how to say what they want, how to express their feelings. There's a ton of potential with this cast!