Yeah, I think Shibaura comes off worse than, say, an actual murderer like Scissors in that he's so goddamn smug. He's got that superiority complex, and it's like he's always laughing at our heroes in a way that you definitely want Ren to murder him. Like, I feel like he's a great adversary for a story that's all about Is Ren A Killer because, man, hard to defend Shibaura in this one. Pretty much deserves a Final Vent.

They really are! I don't know that I love Raia's stingray (or whatever) design, that ponytail just doesn't work for me, but the rest are pretty great. I'm even suspending my distaste for giant pauldrons and unwieldy shoulders for Kamen Rider Poor Man's Genm, because that's sort-of his whole thing? Like, he's the Big Shoulders Rider, so they need to be ridiculously cumbersome. The Ryuki aesthetic (medieval plug suits) translates really well across the cast.

Ren and Tezuka's dialogue can be summed up as"Are you a tsundere Ren?"
https://66.media.tumblr.com/36b20504...90d4b6f70f.png
https://66.media.tumblr.com/bfdb97df...ac49a30225.png
https://66.media.tumblr.com/63ccd793...1b2afad4c5.png

"It's not like I'm trying to befriend and help him...b-baka!". And now Tezuka got punched. If trying to humanize Ren is this risky, I can't imagine how will you fare for humanizing other worse Riders... And damn even violating personal space by again "stalking" Ren in the hospital to know that he fights for Eri.

Well, the threat is worse than humiliation, it's death for Shinji (Dragreder card), and it's virus for ORE Journal computers, also death (of business) to them. Shibaura is 21 btw, he's merely younger than other Riders, but he's NOT that young. N̶o̶w̶ ̶I̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶n̶e̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶A̶u̶n̶t̶i̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶c̶l̶a̶i̶m̶s̶ ̶Y̶u̶i̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶1̶3̶.̶And let's also talk about how Shibaura gets his comeuppance here in form of one of his underestimated slave Shimada, don't underestimate her weirdness (including how she came to Atori and her dramatic preparation for making the virus), she IS the computer staff of ORE for a reason who eventually stops the non-monster threat they investigate earlier. And she collapsed for merely...typing a program fast (resembling a computer's BSOD)? Where Yui is being overly concerned that time, do you really believe that just typing really fast can send you into near death situation? Also poor lil girl who Yui babysits (what earns you a privilege to get that specific treatment at Atori like headpats?), that Shimada moment won't be safe for a child to watch!

I think the reason of why Shinji didn't try to act to Shibaura is that, he risks that this moment will happen (replace ORE card with Dragreder card).
https://oi1301.photobucket.com/album...ps0beq9vay.png
Meaning putting himself in a tug-of-war with Shibaura of Dragreder and risking tearing the card, which would lead to his death. And for bolded one even with Ren claiming Shibaura just to burn his card, he throws his sword to the card to (make Tezuka) retrieve the card. Now you really can't deny it Ren! You are a tsundere like Tezuka claims! For "superhero menaced by a child in an ill-fitting suit" though, both Shinji and Shibaura are in their human forms means Shinji isn't a superhero (and Gai in Rider form would mean he's a supervillain, on equal grounds with Ryuki), moreover we learned that a Rider will revert into Blank Form when they lose their contract card, where you know Blank Form is very weak and impotent.

Lol that's obviously usual for Toku because Toku's main stars are Riders and monsters, any unusual stuff. How about Sudo and (especially) Kitaoka there you left them out from the list for their take on the war? And for Shinji, something that comes into realization for the war, as displayed when he "accidentally" killed Zolda/Goro was that he also needs to save the Riders themselves too, not only the innocents. And most importantly (you never talked about Shinji and Tezuka's interaction), Tezuka co-operates with Shinji in this department.

Tezuka also unlike Shinji in ep. 6 to Scissors vs Knight, did try to break out Knight and Gai's fight, but dunno why I think it's hilarious he just doing like to separate unruly kids by telling them to stop and putting himself in middle of them, which would make it even worse for him that he got "double-teamed" by Knight and Gai to put himself out of their way. Get yourself a better equipment lol like using your weapon or Advent for a basically 2v1! And Knight again utilizes his weapons well (after using his rapier to free himself of Scissors' choke, realizing he has other weapon), he dual wields them here to eventually defeat Gai. Raia (at this time) must be stunned that his prediction this time went 180 degrees, with Knight defeating Gai and seemingly about to finish him.

Tezuka is low-key Kiriya's expy of Ex-Aid, being the one to retrieve main Rider's power after being stolen (Dragreder card from Gai, Mighty Action X gashat from Snipe), being the most heroic Rider after main character (at least before Poppy comes for Ex-Aid), ultimately ending up on the same page as the hero after a misunderstanding at first. Can we also talk about poor Shinji who gets backhanded by Ren when he tried to stop the fight?

Anyone named Gai is coincidentally hate-able I suppose, be it from Ryuki, or from Zero-One. And Shibaura is also a murderer btw with his death games. The victims from previous episode may be some video game addict assholes, but the death games are solely made by him (not the whole Matrix), and he plans to spread it country-wide here. And for Die didn't you say you like how Gai's scanner is in his shoulder? Also his shoulder can be folded so it won't restrict your movements.

Just a heads up; using photobucket isn't a great idea as they plaster the logo all over the images now. Nt sure if its just on my end or if its a universal thing. Also I keep getting confused, who is Quarter? I don't remember anyone by that name in ryuki

Why, he's one of the best characters in Kamen Rider! Right up there with Nijou and Buildad!

...he's also Die's pet name for Raia, based on Tezuka's coin-based fortune telling.

Shimada is a smart lady.

Okay, sure, but it's not so much the threat we're seeing in this episode, but the demands. And the demands are public humiliation. It's nothing but using the bullhorn of Ore Journal to deify this dink. And Shinji... sure, he could be killed if Shibaura destroys his card. But he doesn't really act like he's in mortal peril. He acts like he's frustrated and pissed off. The show's not really trying to sell the stakes of this one as much more than I Wish Someone Would Punch This Kid Already.

I was also very into Shimada's Henshin pose, the little way she psyched herself up for some heroic coding.

But, like, Shinji's still a grown-ass man. I can't think he'd have a hard time beating up some nerd programmer.

So, for the other two Riders, they weren't in that scene so it didn't feel pertinent to bring them up. I imagine should Kitaoka get a chance to interact with Shibaura (!) or Tezuka (!!!!), it'll be a great place to contrast their motivations and views.

Shinji's thing... he really doesn't want people to die. It doesn't matter if they're innocent people being menaced by monsters, or people who've framed him for kidnapping and also shot a million missiles in his face. I don't think his desire to stop unnecessary conflict reaches the same Defining Trait that Tezuka's does. Shinji doesn't want to fight other Riders, and he doesn't want other Riders to fight each other, but he's not, like, shadowing Ren every minute of the day to make sure he doesn't Final Vent a person.

I guess I just find Shinji/Tezuka interactions not that memorable? I think it's cool to see them cooperate, but... the flavors are too similar. They're both different shades of Earnest Empathetic Heroes. I need contrasts, you know? Them two gotta be in different pairings for me.

I guess I'm viewing Scissors' actual homicide as a little worse than plotting to spread a nationwide murder game over the internet. It's a sense of scale, to me. Scissors got his hands dirty, personally murdered people, so he needs to get monster-eaten. Shibaura orchestrated a situation where people murdered each other, so... less bad to me? I don't know.

The shoulder driver thing is very cool! I like how weird Ryuki gets with its role-play elements. This is a show that feels very toyetic to me, especially compared to the last couple. I gotta assume the merchandise sales were through the roof.

Honestly? Shinji seems like the kind of guy who would try to throw a punch, and then somehow manage to fall flat on his face in the process without anyone even touching him. Strangely enough, fighting horrific monsters seems to be one of the few scenarios in which he doesn't become a flustered mess. Or at least that's how Inoue writes him.

There are people who can probably pull numbers on this stuff, but as far as I know, Ryuki's "boatloads of Riders and trading cards" approach legitimately was a big hit on the merchandising front. It's maybe worth mentioning Agito apparently had the highest viewing figures in the franchise's history though? This isn't something I'm too familiar with, so hopefully someone can jump in to fill in the details, but as I understand it, Ryuki was actually brushing up against cancellation at at least one point? This will be somewhat more relevant when you get to the movie.

MASKED RIDER RYUKI EPISODE 17

Normally, we start things off with a screencap that's either relevant, or funny, or both. (Or neither! I don't want to assume!) They're up there, I don't really comment on them. But then there's this episode, and what it's about, and how it executes its story, and I just need to talk about this shot:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ryuki/ryuki17a.png

Look at that. Look at it. In the aftermath of There Was No Way Ren Was Going To Kill Shibaura, we've got this beautiful shot. Look at how happy Shinji is, that he was right about his friend, that Ren's not really a killer, that they can work together to destroy monsters without fighting other Riders. Look at how devastated Ren is, how certain he is that his weakness has doomed both himself and Eri, that his rage isn't quite enough to suffocate his shame. Look at how two characters view the start of this episode in diametrically opposed ways. It's an awesome idea for an episode to explore, and a gorgeous shot to sell it to an audience. So great. So smart.

A lot of really smart choices in this episode, actually. It's not a total winner, unfortunately. We're in the middle chapters of an arc here, so there's nothing really approaching a resolution of any plotlines. Ren's still a mess at the end, and nothing definitively changes for anyone else. (Yui's investigations into Shiro's Secret Science Society, formerly a Club but there's just too much Secrecy, that's still happening. I really wish the show could find a way to loop Reiko in on this one. It seems way more in her wheelhouse than Yui, considering Yui's thing is just badgering some traumatized dude until he gives her info so she'll shut up. Yui and Reiko, Secret Science Society investigators! It needs to happen!) But, you know, even if it's a linking segment, there's some very smart writing in this one.

It's mostly Shinji/Tezuka stuff, and it works better than I'd thought it would. Shinji's bafflement that Ren's decision to not murder someone would cause an existential crisis gets him to bounce off of Tezuka organically, exploring their differences in clever ways. There's some great points about how Shinji's tendency to charge in, to not consider consequences, that's the antithesis of how Tezuka views the world. Tezuka believes in fate, and he's sometimes haunted by his decision-making. He's not choosing to do something, he's choosing to not do every other option. It's paralyzing for him, the weight of those choices. Shinji is... not haunted by his decision-making. Shinji throws himself in and hopes for the best. It's brave and generous and heroic and honestly pretty stupid. (Tezuka even brings up the fact that Shinji sacrificing his life to a Mirror Dragon was maybe something he could've mulled over!) Shinji can't understand why Tezuka has to make an easy decision difficult, and Tezuka can't understand why Shinji doesn't need to think things through. It's that friction I was looking for between them, the thing where Shinji's dismissal of the power of fate makes Tezuka start to lose his shit. It's that shot of Ren and Shinji transposed over Shinji and Tezuka, one event with two reactions. I love it. I love how Ren's crisis starts to ripple out through the whole episode, infecting other people, other relationships. Just some super smart writing.

God, what else was in this one? I was mostly concentrating on the Shinji/Tezuka stuff. I talked about that Yui scene. Hmm. Shibaura's in lockup, pending Kitaoka (!) swinging by after he visits another prisoner in jail, presumably next episode. Hmm.

Oh! One other minor thing I remember liking from this episode. I like that Quarter's got a Copy Vent, that his abilities are intrinsically tied to other Riders, to their powers. He's an assist for them, a boost. (also a mirror because motifffffffs) I think that's perfect for Tezuka. Just a little way of leveraging the character work for a fun superpower in the action scenes. Clever!

A pretty tightly written episode. Very transitional, but still super satisfying to watch. I like the cage the show has built around Ren, how colossally screwed he is. I'm really really hoping the conclusion to this plot is as smart as the writing was to trap him.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ryuki/ryuki17b.png

Yeah Ryuki actually made the most money in toy sales for Phase 1 of Heisei. http://henshingrid.blogspot.com/2011...sales.html?m=1

And like you said Agito had the highest ratings but Ryuki was actually in 3rd place with only Kuuga and Agito beating it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/KamenRider/...atings_of_the/

So I don't know where the saying of Ryuki almost killing the franchise comes from. But I have heard that Ryuki was considered somewhat unpopoular with older viewers so maybe that had to do with it? I also heard the movie was made in case of the show getting cancelled hence the name of the movie and the summary of it.

Now there's 2 win count for Gai...only because both of those Riders doesn't want to kill others. Tezuka's prediction still all completely right so far, and that correlates into Ren not being a psychopath. I have to ask why Gai activated his Strike Vent again?? He already scanned that used that throughout his fight with Knight, AFAIK cards cannot be used twice. And this is the last thing that Ren wants....his weakness (of not being a killer) being known to others especially Shinji, and him wanting to accompany him even more. So much that he's even more childish here by throwing a tantrum. And now he's even worse in keeping people away from him, even Yui isn't safe from this. I assume you mean dooming himself and Eri in a way that he wouldn't be able to win the Rider War and save her?

And 2 episodes earlier you have Yui in the same boat as Reiko (ORE Journal part-timer)... I think the main difference is that Yui already knows about Riders and Mirror stuffs and the tragedies it caused and seeks to get in touch about the one instigating it, her brother Shiro, as her way (being a non-fighter unlike Shinji and Tezuka) to stop the conflict, while Reiko is like regular citizen, knowing nothing about them, except there are people disappearing and wants to know what causes the disappearences, to have it published as a news publication, thus alerting people (likely death of reflective surface, covering everything in newspapers). And the main hindrance of this is that for some reason no one other than Riders or Yui are allowed to know about Riders and Mirror stuff and they can't tell others (probably because Shiro will retaliate). Oh wait...Yui did, as a child, no one believes her and that gets her being labeled as a freak and bullied by others. Probably either Shinji or Yui should try making others see the truth by touching their bodies with a Rider Deck (dunno if that's ethical/optimal but that's one way I think to make them believe), and Yui should've tried to ask Tezuka too (like she did to Shinji in ep. 1-2) about Shiro.

Shinji's tendency to charge is also seen in the fight before where he immediately runs into Ren when Shibaura's going to finish him in the fight, he runs to wrong situations without hesitation, without thinking. Now finally you cover about it, but well again it's about contrasts AND they being in a feud about it (probably it's not memorable previously, but I want to let people notice the rarity about specific Riders being in peace even when you pointed out about their difference in stopping the conflict, not all feuds all the time). I now can't add anything here other than that Tezuka believes in fate yeah, but he tries to change it too, change other's fate, like his psychotherapy against Ren is an attempt of that. In this situation I lean towards Tezuka learning from Shinji to finish the misunderstanding. But I can't help to give this remark (and a jokey one too); Dude Shinji, you got the one Rider who agrees, supports, and is willing to cooperate with you, why would you still pick a fight with him?? You are in a risk of losing your golden chance!

And now Tezuka also, lives in Atori, all 3 Riders (can't) sleeping together (wow). Yui wasn't aggravated again by this (especially after witnessing that Shinji and Tezuka are screwed-up in their own ways after Ren)? It seems that he merely sleeps there but he goes to his usual place at noon, I wonder what's his house like normally before? Shinji was kicked out in his apartment. Tezuka can't be broke despite his fortune-telling job, he wears a tuxedo and his bike is a damn Honda CB400 SF.

Shibaura is forced to acknowledge Tezuka's expertise in fortune-telling. Also didn't you notice that Raia used Copy Vent against Knight before? He seems to prefer picking other Rider's weapons with it instead of using his own weapon for some reason.

He's frustrated because he can't do anything to retaliate and save his own life. Shibaura doesn't care about that as long as he follows his orders (and probably it's a joy to see him in this state).

T̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶R̶i̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶e̶r̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶G̶o̶r̶o̶ ̶(̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶n̶j̶i̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶e̶p̶.̶ ̶1̶3̶-̶1̶4̶)̶.̶

I mean yeah like I've said before, Shinji's more easily frustrated against Ren and gave up quicker, Tezuka doesn't care about that even when he's grabbed by the collar or getting outright punched.

Lol, but he did punch Kitaoka fine before (and Ren to a lesser extent). And that, oh like your usual shonen protagonist, only good at fighting but sucks at everything daily life.