Well on to the next episode.

Yeah, I'll probably go into it more when we get to the next episode or two, but there's some narrative decision making that goes into this last arc that I have never been a fan of (although, to be fair, there is some really good stuff, too). Mio's death is definitely one of those cheap pathos moments that Inoue really loves and it not only feels really forced, but it's also going to be the catalyst for some stuff that I always found to be really dumb. Not the worst waste of Yuria Haga that I've ever seen, though.

And I guess Shima died? Did not remember that happening. Dude definitely got his tragic death thunder stolen.

First Hiyori's and now you laugh at Mio's tragic death. SMH.

I don't think any explanation can make me understand your perspective here, but I do have a theory about the lack of audience for the wedding. Bishop may have claimed that it was supposed to be a uniting moment for the Fangires, but that's just his vision. I mean, how many Fangires have actually expressed excitement or approval of this wedding? We've seen way more against them than for them. Bishop considers himself above people, so there's no way he could understand how they think.

Taiga's blue blood is strange though. We've seen Fangires, even a Queen like Maya, bleed red, so why is Taiga's blue? Is that something specific to Kings? I know there's a metaphor about that, but this is a little too literal.

Shima and Buruman have an established relationship?!

Mio's heroic sacrifice wasn't just about her love though. It was to protect the familial love between Wataru and Taiga. She loved Wataru. And Wataru loved Taiga. So her wanting to kill Taiga was ignoring the effect that would have on Wataru. When Taiga forgave her for manipulating his feelings and trying to kill him, she realized how wrong she was. The end doesn't justify the means. She didn't sacrifice herself to protect Taiga. She sacrificed herself to protect Wataru from the guilt of killing his own brother.

It's such a weirdly-paced two-parter. 75% of it is about Shima, and then they just kill him off halfway through 43, and we are immediately onto a Wataru/Taiga/Mio story. Really diminishes whatever they were trying to say with Shima.

These are interesting reads, and very flattering to the show, but boy do I not think there's much on-screen to support them.

For the importance of the Fangire royal wedding, we have both Bishop and Taiga in support of it. We don't really have anyone against it, because the show hasn't gone to any great lengths to define Fangire society. With that being the case - there's really nothing I can point to that says Fangires are ambivalent about their rulers - I have to assume that the information the show presents is accurate.

The Mio situation is really the same thing. We haven't had, to my memory, a single conversation between Mio and either Wataru or Taiga about what that brotherly bond means to either of them. When Mio's suggested that Wataru murder Taiga, it mostly reads like Wataru is against cold-blooded murder, because that's pretty firmly established. Taiga talks about Wataru as a friend and a lieutenant, but rarely (to Mio) as a brother. Most of her experience with Wataru and Taiga is them battling each other? The idea that Mio wants to protect their familial bond is something I can see the show deciding, but not one I can see Mio deciding. She's way too outside that dynamic to have such a sudden shift in her priorities.

(That, and her flashbacks right before she gets involved seem entirely focused on Taiga, and his attempt to protect her from blame/punishment. Having her decision be rooted in protecting Wataru seems like the complete opposite of what the show is giving us in the moment.)

He's known that dog for 22 years! They've shared probably a hundred scenes! What the hell is Wataru in comparison?

I’m gonna say my reading of this episode was more in line with Shi’s than Die’s.

I got something of a laugh out of how goth the Fangire wedding came across as (a black dress, drinking blood: tell me thats not goth) to the point I described the whole shebang as “wild”. Someone responded by pointing out that W had an arguably wilder wedding where the groom was buck naked. And then I reposted the original post with images of Mio’s dream wedding captioned “I’m not crying, you are.”

As for the lack of guests, that’s not unusual for Tokusatsu. Whenever a wedding is depicted on screen, the only characters who are present are the main characters. And how many of this shows’ mains would logically be invited to Taiga’s wedding?

I don't want me criticizing this take to seem like it's the biggest problem I had with this episode. It isn't even in the top five problems I had with this episode.

My problems with the wedding being something that Mio and Taiga did in secret (Bishop wasn't even invited?!) are that I feel like an officiant is helpful to assure people that this thing actually happened (especially if the groom ends up dead), and that the show made it clear multiple times that this wedding was important to the Fangire race, and for Taiga's ability to lead said race. Having the big wedding the show has made intrinsic to Taiga's character happen in secret is... it definitely feels like the show forgot how they've been describing this event.

While the really great subtle lead-in of the first 20 seconds goes unused in this particular episode, where it's the score for Taiga and Shima's fateful showdown, Wataru's Truth is another one of my endless favorites from the soundtrack. It's definitely a piece of music that could sell you on the idea of whatever it accompanies being something grand and important.

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

And, while this is maybe a little Cheesy AMV of me, it's also time for some more TETRA-FANG, because I really want to talk about Mind Garden at some point, and Wataru's current state of immense sorrow and suffering makes this a pretty natural place to fit it in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eySH2bWUv0w

...Because that's basically what the song is all about! Just a really angsty jam about Wataru being totally lost in life, incapable of finding so much as a general direction to head in. Based on the rest of the lyrics, I assume the "garden" part of the title comes from the image of a hedge maze? There's not that much I can really say about this one beyond that I like it, and its whole mournful and mysterious (yet still rocking) vibe.

I also don't have a whole lot to say about this episode, either, which is a huge bummer for me, because you just know I'd be eager to jump to its defense given the chance. After all, I still think the complicated emotions of Tendou's shocking decision to cover Tsurugi's travel expenses made for a compelling and open-ended narrative back in Kabuto!

Here though, I mean, I already mentioned the 2008 love triangle was a little on the draining side for me back when I first watched Kiva, so I can't tell you I was on the edge of my seat the whole time here. I can be a sucker for tragic deaths, though, so this is certainly a turn in the plot I remembered very well, for what it's worth. If anything, it might've pulled me back into the story after I started to lose some interest in it? Looking back, there are certainly some nice touches to maximize how heart-rending it is, from putting a spotlight on that ring Wataru picked out for Mio WAY the heck back when she was introduced (that I'm pretty sure she's been wearing ever since?), a reminder of just how much Wataru's affection and support meant to her; to the completely silent black version of the usual chains at the end, which close out the episode in a disconcerting stillness.

It's tough, because, again, "kinda tacky and shoddily constructed" has been such a fundamental part of how I've always perceived Kiva that I can't give this one the full-on proper apologist reading, but at any rate, it's definitely a bummer to see the show hit such a huge low for you this late in the game.

Nago refusing to punch Shima was just fantastic, though, obviously. Look at him, finally seeing the world in shades of gray after all this time! He's got a whole character arc and everything! That's our 753! :p

(I know it's probably hard to tell from that last bit, but I genuinely do think that's a great moment for Nago's character. The funnier and/or more heroic Nago is being, the more I love him.)

Fish Is Unable To Mount A Defense For Thing I Hate is, by far, the more depressing element of this whole debacle. You are kicking me when I'm down!

(And, yeah, that is the same ring Wataru gave Mio way back when. Unfortunately, it leads into yet another bizarrely funny moment, as Mio imagines her wedding to Wataru, complete with all-white tuxedo and hilariously distracting hair. Both of their performances lack any charisma or connection, and they both have all the energy of a sullen child being forced to smile for a family photo. For what should be the heartbreaking realization of a dream destroyed, everyone in this fantasy cutaway decided the key emotion that should be conveyed was politeness.)

I'm reminded a bit of the last few episodes of Faiz, where Yuuji makes a character decision that felt massively undermotivated, and it really shook me... but then the show managed to turn its weird choice into something really special at the end. I'm hoping Kiva can similarly turn this narrative straw into gold in its last few outings.

This whole scene is so perfect that it feels like it's made by completely different people. All the character motivations are spot-on, it's shot beautifully, and it comes at its resolution from a weird angle. (Shima just negs Nago on his way out the door!) It's all stuff that feels grown out of what we know of the characters, rather than bizarre choices the show has trouble justifying in the moment.

My big problem is the same one that I have with 99% of tokusatsu weddings: the priest isn't actually Tendou Souji hijacking the occasion to talk up how awesome he is.

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 44 - "PUNK: BACK TO FATHER”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva44a.png

ha ha ha ha INOUE FOREVER.

You guys.

Of all the ways I thought this episode could go, based on how the last one ended, it didn't even cross my mind that Wataru would use Castle Doran's way-more-of-a-problem-solving-option-than-when-Jiro-first-described-it-to-Nago Time Door to travel to 1986 and pull a reverse Back To The Future to prevent his parents from getting together. It is simultaneously absurd and poignant, which is what makes Inoue one of my favorite tokusatsu storytellers.

Like, this plan of Wataru's is stupid from the jump, but also exactly the sort of thing he'd try. He's distraught over Mio's death, and his role in it, so he does what he always does when the world seems too much: he tries to disappear. But this isn't brandishing a sword at Megumi or shoving Nago. Mio is dead, and hiding away isn't going to cut it. Wataru's pain requires him to eliminate his existence, so he's going to make sure his parents don't "fall in love”. (I really enjoy the G-rated explanation of where babies come from.) So he dresses up in costumes to dissuade Otoyoa, and then he straight-up tells Yuri to go get her man back. It's a plan with a hundred down-sides and no path to success. (It also, like the entirety of this story, requires you to ignore the summer movie.) It's sweet and earnest in all the ways Wataru is famous for, while also being heartbreakingly self-loathing; which, y'know, Wataru is also famous for.

It ignores a whole bunch of collateral damage (Megumi and her brother would completely cease to exist, so I guess we know how little non-Mio people matter to Wataru; pretty sure Wataru has directly or indirectly saved a ton of lives, which are now Fangire food), but this thing never even gets off the blocks. See, Wataru showed up a couple days/weeks (?) too late, since Yuri is breaking up with Otoya.

Probably goes without saying, but this was one of my favorite developments in all of Kiva. The emotional maturity of Yuri to be thankful for the good times she had with Otoya, acknowledge the end of them, and choose to move on? Fantastic. And she stomps on Otoya's foot as she goes, just to let him know that he handled this less maturely than she deserved? HELL YES. It's a template for how to break up with someone, and of all the lessons a tokusatsu show can teach impressionable children, this is one of the most useful. Don't cling to a situation that is deteriorating. Understand the difference between a relationship that can be repaired, and one that needs to end. Be grateful for the positive times you shared with someone. Realize that you are allowed to still care for someone you've broken up with. For a show that has dramatized a relationship with more detail and complexity than I've ever seen a Kamen Rider series attempt, this was such a beautiful coda to a messy, fascinating couple.

Having Wataru's whole Please Don't Bone time-travel plan show up in the midst of such a grown-up plotline made both of them so much better. It's that Inoue thing of combining the most ludicrous tokusatsu insanity (Kivat and Tatsulot just pop out of a wormhole when it's time to Henshin!) with straight-ahead human-scale drama that is an addictive combination for me. It spotlights how childish and ill-considered Wataru's self-negating journey is without ever really saying it out loud, and it gives weight to Yuri and Otoya's conclusion by not having Wataru's schemes amount to anything. It's totally unexpected and entirely welcome.

Most of the 2008 part of this episode was devoted to Nago's new role as Replacement Shima, and that was very cute. (There's another bit where Taiga swears vengeance on Wataru for killing the lady who leapt in front of a finisher, but No Thanks.) It's a quiet little moment of Nago trying to be the boss Shima was (Nago spent half the series shitting all over Megumi, so he's well-qualified), and it's a testament to Nago's growth both dramatically and comedically that this doesn't feel like an imminently doomed promotion. (It's also a total mystery as to whether Nago was promoted by anyone, or if he's just calling dibs or whatever. Is there someone else in W.A.K.E.U.P. to handle the chain of succession?) Nago trying to hold this group together by lowering his body fat and drinking coffee is... perfect. It's just perfect.

The Taiga scenes aside (No Thanks), this was a perfect episode. It's goofy and airy, but also poignant and bittersweet. It's an episode where a boy traveled back in time, dressed up as a fortune teller, and tried to persuade his father to abandon his mother so that he couldn't accidentally kill his girlfriend in the future. It's an episode where a supernaturally-gorgeous former supernatural executioner finds hope in love. It's an episode where a misguided, heartbroken young man enacts a foolhardy plan that fails, but may have given an idea to an all-powerful villain. It's utterly ridiculous and emotionally honest. It's characters giving rise to plots, instead of plots grinding down characters. It's an unbeatable episode of Kamen Rider Kiva.

INOUE FOREVER.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva44b.png

Inoue seems to pull really bad episode followed by astounding episode a lot don't he?

These past two nights of updates were enjoyable to read.

I have no real voice to add to this discussion but... just know that I was waiting for you to get to 43 and 44 ever since you started this thread. And man, did these writings on them really make it worth the wait.

Mostly because like, I feel like these two episodes are the real tipping point of Kiva. Just from... well their everything. Especially 44 with well, Wataru's entire plan to, when you boil it down to basics, just well abort himself out of existence.

Really feels like during the last two dozen episodes, you keeping going back and forth between finding all new highs and all new lows with this show. It's pretty amazing.

I remember distinctly that I dismissed most of this episode from the get-go because, yeah, it is incredibly stupid and yet still meant to be somewhat serious, and I had been trying to ignore the fact that Castle Doran had a convenient time travel door after the last time they used it for Nago. I guess looking back at it now, I can maybe look past that and just appreciate the pathos of a bunch of people meeting their future son in a dramatic moment, and the image if Kiva and 1986 IXA fighting side-by-side is neat. Obviously not as iconic as the movie's version, but still.

Also an episode late to discuss, but I felt like saying now that I thiiink the triangle between Mio, Taiga and Wataru was the most interested I was in any character dynamics in this show. I do think Maya is cool, and she and Otoya getting closer is surprisingly engaging, but I never quite bought Yuri's stake in it so all the waiting around for that stuff to move along was kinda boring, but every second of the 08 love triangle was just so tinged with bloodthirsty and awkward tension in every direction that it got me kinda hooked!?

Of course, then Mio jumped in front of Wataru's spiky feet and I was like "oh, that's it, huh...". Like, I don't know what conclusion I was ultimately hoping for, but I'm pretty sure I was dreading (yet perhaps also sadly expecting) that the woman of this dynamic would just get abruptly offed for angst's sake, and sure enough...! Enjoy France, Mio...

He's not a halfway guy, you know? Very rarely do I watch an Inoue episode for any show and say That Was Fine. (It happens, just not a lot.) He's pretty much either going to kill it or shank it, but that's part of the fun!

Ha ha, thanks! These were some wild episodes, for better and for worse. (Too soon, Taiga?) It's such a bizarre show, Kiva, and it's amazing how almost thrillingly uneven it can be this late in its run. Most shows figure themselves out by this point, often to their detriment, but Kiva keeps getting more unpredictable. Rarely a dull moment with ol' Inoue.

Like Otoya, this show refuses to be pinned down and easily-defined. It's a free spirit!

So fun to have a plot start with Crazy Uncle Jiro sending Wataru back in time to get advice from his dad, only for Wataru to realize that a Time Door is the perfect solution for a kid who wished he'd never been born.

But, yeah, this episode gives the Wataru/Otoya/Maya stuff a little bit more room to breathe than the movie. I liked how long (relatively) it took for Otoya to get on board with being a dad. He never fully embraces it, and he also doesn't love his kid telling him how to live his life. He's going to be an awesome dad someday!

Maya's scenes were more touching, which I think is the right way to go. (Otoya being someone who can't quite put anything ahead of his own impulses means that your only options are the movie's overenthusiastic Stage Dad pride, or this version's slightly wary Mom's New Boyfriend vibe.) Maya's tentative, but starts to realize how much pain her son must be in to want to erase his own existence. She's... sort of going through some similar stuff right now! She is also dealing with loss brought about by a relationship, and trying to figure out how to redefine herself in the aftermath! She's a really good mom... unless you remember that she abandoned her son to a Henshin Device while she hid in a cave.

Mio deserved better.

But I don't think you're wrong? About which was the better triangle? I love Maya (that face), but once she showed up, we were just watching Otoya and Yuri's relationship collapse in slow motion. There was really no tension to it. Otoya/Maya was such a foregone conclusion that it sapped a lot of the Violin-Making Is A Metaphor scenes of the betrayal they should've had. It ended beautifully, but the road to that ending dragged a bit.

Conversely, the 2008 triangle had so many surprising moves and motivations that I really wasn't sure where they'd go with it. Unfortunately, I never got to find out.

yaaaaaay

Ah yes, the one with the most complex suicide plan ever devised by man.

Jokes aside, we’re in the home stretch of the show, and with it, we’ve run out of new Fangires. These are the last two.

Polar Bear Fangire

True name: Commandment to the Dissipating Spices (淫蕩なる香辛料への戒め Intō naru Kōshinryō e no Imashime)

Human identity: N/A

Class: Beast

Rank: Pawn

Actor: Daisuke Egawa (voice)

And the one who isn’t a repaint of a previous one.

Bat Fangire

True name: The Dawn Sleeps, A Magnificent Story's Ending (暁が眠る、素晴らしき物語の果て Akatsuki ga Nemuru, Subarashiki Monogatari no Hate)

Human identity: N/A

Class: N/A

Rank: King

Actor: Shinya Niiro

And that’s it for my regular feature of this thread. Next time, if I’m not taking part in the reviews themselves, I’ll be either evolving my previous regular features or talking about the episode or references within the episode.

Nothing to say regarding my reply to ep. 40? Still I had a long text in the first place about ep. 41 here. Though yeah I'm currently falling behind in the episodes here, due to other matters (not talking about my Gaim cover in KR watch, but real life stuff).

The stories where characters go on 'impossible choices' I think don't always not reflecting their truths, can be opposite, and that happens because the choices presented to them won't reflect their truth if they go along any one of them, so they take another option that still solves the problem but reflects their truths. For you to find positivity (though I would not consider being true to yourself as positivity) by accident, well I'd think it depends on the audience on how they take the work... it'd not be determined by actual quality, like if someone can find much more meaning than someone elses do in a work the latter dismissed, and this would also involve someone regarding non-Inoue work that you can probably dismiss.

I mean, Shima's unpleasant side reveals more here with him becoming more harsh on Nago as well (who opts to protect Wataru), that Shima has the standard brutal view of treating feelings and emotions as weakness (well, he talks about it happening in the past, but it's still an explanation for gaining terrible traits). So I guess Shima's abysmal leadership is something canon. Firstly, treating Kengo as total failure based on one ironically will just weaken the Aozora association's force, due to losing one good worker as a whole (well, in fighting, Kengo's asshole temperament can cause problems in other ways too, but Nago has stayed there for long time and can be worse than Kengo at that time) compared to doing good work albeit not always giving wanted results (albeit it's reverting Kengo back). Secondly, there are some situations where the emotionless ones are actually missing out or failing when they could have gotten the job done more efficiently by displaying some emotions in a calculated way. They fail to do so because their emotional insecurities and emotional hurt are preventing them from displaying their emotions. Emotions managed well is a source of strength, rather than trying to let go of our emotions altogether, we should work towards managing our emotions better. For Kengo here, it's kinda unfair take that due to how enjoyable this episode is, can just forget the dismissive prick period of him, but not if it's something in other series.

I guess this is the culmination of Wataru's change from his pushover self, that he says no to Taiga who persuades him to go into the path of evil. Taiga's persuasion to treat the humans as livestocks and worthless is exactly the thing Wataru fears before for him hurting others. I guess this fits with Taiga's self, that Sagarc is a snake, a cobra one, and snakes particularly cobra is often depicted as sinister animal due to their menacing-looking hoods and venom, which is likely reflected on Taiga's attitude to Wataru to 'poison' his heart and tempt him into enjoying Fangire's luxuries. Speaking of Sagarc, this is probably the Saga's version of Castle Doran, but Kiva Emperor managed to single-handedly beat it, using new abilities of Zanvat Sword which is firing sword waves (I never see that shit in the games).... probably speaking about the power it holds.

While Otoya sees past the labels that invites xenophobic views for either human or Fangires, Maya is a woman too, so that earns instant soft spot for a (former if settled on Maya?) womanizer. I only want to know though what's the reaction if King's not such a depraved monster (but still dates Maya). Other than that, this shows King as a hypocrite that he refused to kill Maya for cheating on him with Otoya, believing that doing so would prove that he loved her and that love was a proof of weakness, but he was emotionally devastated for seeing Maya's love to Otoya. I don't know if this stance means you should be all about anti-system following what Inoue seems to think here, as system is made to prevent chaos going on (but for King and Taiga, it's to gain advantage over humans), but system would lead into bad nonsense thing of course if it's ruled by someone as rotten as King! He's a sociopath who has cruel ruling of Fangire laws, and his "love" for Maya: he initially claims that he doesn't love her, but seeing her have feelings for Otoya made him very entitled to her being his, even trying to threaten her with Taiga's life, taking her Fangire powers; sparing her from death to make her feel worse than that, and so on. It's not entirely system fault, the other Fangires need to wise up if they're not entirely malicious and overthrow King (well, previously Maya too because she kills her own beings by the love rule) and instill a reasonable one as King, especially if there's Fangires who love humans and wants to stay that way (and probably the ones who love humans propose to work together with humans). Albeit of course the problem is King's sheer strength. But I think how systems can corner or benefit is based on who's in charge (but that includes Maya as well before, but Otoya's womanizing traits and skills can get through Maya). Don't dismantle system, improve it.

I admit this'd resonate with me, but still would be hard for me to follow, "true to yourself", "don't make you anything you don't want to be", "don't let anyone make you feel less than yourself". I have this issue as well, sometimes feeling conflicted when I make replies that probably will go against the majority here, like if I'm talking about the truth about Inoue only here (his side media work and his TV work), or if I want to point out an enjoyable character's (while even backing up to others about how characters can be liked without making them immune to criticism) negative traits if I feel that people overlook them, though at least in KR fandom, characters like Kusaka is appropriately seen as villainous mostly, but this can apply to morally grey characters. But being paid attention and noticed too is what I'd want as well, and that'd mean one's presence have to be tolerated by others here, and I can feel that to achieve that, you'd have to do what would satisfy others. So there's a dliemma of me talking about what I want to convey, or talking to please others (being tolerated and paid attention is my wish as well). Though still, this is applied to Wataru who is Kamen Rider main hero, so him living as himself regardless of his being, would also uphold his morals like rejecting Taiga above, but still I'm not too faithful in the moral of being true to yourself, despite it resonating with me, as it's not exactly moral message, it can be abused by rotten people who'd reject any suggestion to better themselves, embracing their nature and insists others to mind their own business, like those who keep stealing or murdering others because they enjoy it, which is being true to yourself in horrific way.

I had a question about the Arms Monster, and it apparently consists of monsters in 1980s, even I questioned if Garuru is actually the same Jiro in 1980s. So they finally show here that, they're turned into weapons due to King's iron-fist rule of the Fangires. Otoya and the Arms Weapons finally bonded for real here, after long hostility between him and Jiro, that previously, they hesitated when ordered by King to kill Otoya.

No offense but, I feel that you're elevating Otoya's morality way higher than he should be here. I'd think that if you talk about music, it's about his skills, which I'd not think it's related to morality, albeit yeah I'd cite Otoya redeeming Oomura as one of his most moral moments, because Oomura is a male AND a Fangire. Not Otoya, but there's many outright villainous characters who would be incredibly skilled/knowledgable at art, like Aizen from Bleach being instructor in caligraphy; traits like passion or determination isn't related to moral (there're determined villains who wouldn't give up to defeat like Masamune in Ex-Aid). About redeeming others, I don't think that you'd necessarily need good traits to achieve that, like in Ex-Aid, the one that softens.. uh... Taiga (don't be confused!) is Nico, who although developed to be better too, is someone who is spiteful, petty, selfish, obnoxious, bratty, etc. And even then Nico developing better can be applied to this as well, as Taiga's the reason for it, which is (he's used to be nice in the past, but still he's totally changed) someone selfish, arrogant, downright unpleasant and couldn't care less about any of the patients the Bugsters infected. I'd like to point out too that, Jiro and Otoya is fully friends now, but Jiro trying to kill Otoya before wasn't a one-sided conflict, it was mutual, Otoya had a bone to pick with Jiro as well before, for his behavior to women or being a rival for women's affections. To a lesser extent, he refused to help the Arms Monsters before unless it involves Yuri, though of course they're fully brothers in arms now, but taking long time for that speaks for itself to me.

Maybe the flashbacks could have been executed a little better and some foreshadowing given to clarify Mio's motivation. I think this take was what the show intended though and I appreciate what it's trying to say about these characters even if it's kind of complicated. Repentance could be another factor after understanding that Taiga doesn't deserve to die for his misguidedness. He's also a victim of his culture and he just doesn't know it yet.

The tragedy of this love triangle is how it's escalated by concerns outside of love. Like how Jirou was concerned about his race's extinction, Taiga is concerned about maintaining Fangire tradition. The moral here should be that love is not a device to solve those problems. Love should only be love's sake. So that's why I believe Mio's heroic sacrifice was out of a love deeper than what she had expressed before, as that feeling became even stronger from that understanding of the importance of love whether it's romantic, platonic, familial or unconditional.

According to Master, Wataru is the first person Buruman bonded with since Otoya, so even after knowing Shima for 22 years (which is a lot for a dog), Buruman still doesn't seem to particularly care about him the way he does for Master, Otoya and Wataru.

Yeah, when you said you lost interest in the 2008 storyline, I thought, "he's probably going to like the next few episodes".

Wataru definitely isn't thinking clearly here. This is his first time meeting Yuri though so he may not know she's the future mother of Megumi and Mitsuhide. Even without the unintentional collateral damage of trying to split up his parents, I don't agree with Wataru's means at all. Wanting to negate his own existence is just running away from his guilt and denying Mio her heroic sacrifice. Inaction may not bring detriment to others but it doesn't help people either. Abstinence from living isn't heroic. Wataru needs to accept what happened and determine the best way to move on from that in the present, which is what Jirou intended when he sent him to the past to learn from Otoya. If Wataru doesn't use this opportunity to make amends with Taiga, then Mio's heroic sacrifice will be for nothing.

For sure, this is another awesome moment for Yuri! I actually agree with what you said before, about needing to balance unconditional love with self-respect to prevent becoming obsessed with that love. This is what separates her from somebody like Kusaka, who doesn't have concept of respect. Yuri is capable of loving Otoya and the time they had together while also accepting that it's in the past now, so she can move on and find somebody who will give her the love she deserves. She's an example of what Wataru needs to do with Mio. His experience with her should be recalled fondly as strength, not something to be erased or regretted. Sadness is also a part of living.

I'm not really elevating Otoya's morality, by saying that his compassion is one of his greatest qualities. It's just that it stands out in contrast to his more frequently seen flaws. Maybe that's why Otoya and Jirou are such good friends, cause they both started out as pretty terrible people and their friendship grew out of a rivalry which came to mutual respect. They both had their own flaws to overcome as well, like Otoya's resistance to marriage and Jirou's yandere behavior. Terrible people can help each other become less terrible, like your example of (Hanaya) Taiga and Nico. But just as everybody has flaws, those terrible people aren't without merit either, they have hidden qualities and redeeming factors and those qualities I believe should have recognition. I definitely don't think Otoya is some kind of saint or anything like that. I mean, it's hard to believe that when his argument against Wataru being his son was that he couldn't have a son that tall. That has implications.

Thank you, as always, for your dedication and insight! It's always amazing to me the amount of detail that goes into things the show never even mentions.

Sorry! Wednesday was super busy, and by the time I could post anything, it was either a response or a new episode post.

Sure! We all respond to art differently!

It's something everyone struggles with, to some degree. It's not fun to be judged, or to feel like you're not connecting with people. But a lot of what Kamen Rider shows focus on is that trying to please other people at the expense of your self-respect isn't a good trade. It's better to be yourself, express your thoughts in a way that's honest without being confrontational, and let that be enough. Maybe people will like it, maybe they won't. Depending on their acceptance or praise isn't worth changing yourself.

This is why I don't quit shows!

Oh, yeah, maybe he doesn't know who Yuri is? The kind of In Media Res start to Wataru's plan has me scratching my head a little bit at what he knows about the 1986 love triangle. He clearly recognizes his mom and dad, but does he have any clue who Yuri is? I know Megumi's talked about her mom around Wataru, but maybe he hasn't put two and two together?

And, absolutely, Wataru's plan is utterly misguided. He's just trying to do his Final Form of running away, and it's so wrong-headed that no one in the cast is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Agreed! It was very smart of this episode to juxtapose Yuri's clear-eyed maturity with Wataru's childish self-negation.

I'm finding it a bit hard to find a single word to describe my thoughts on this part of Kiva. I think it's a really dumb story, but I also find it to be more amusingly stupid than irritatingly stupid. Long-time Tokunation members may recall multiple instances in the past where I've called Wataru my least favorite Kamen Rider and my rationale has always been that he spent more time sulking in his bathtub than he did being a hero. Now, I'll admit that this is the first time I've watched the show since 2009, so my memory of it is not fully accurate. That said, this storyline has always been the one that I consider to be peak Wataru in terms of being a sulky emo bath boy.

I'll admit that the episode was still kind of fun. Again, it's nice to see Otoya acting more like himself again and I'm always down for Yuri taking control of her life and what's best for herself. I'm still not past how incredibly dumb and myopic Wataru's whole "my girlfriend is dead, time to abort myself from history" plan here is, though.

It's so purposefully dumb that I think it loops back around to being brilliant. Every time Wataru makes an earnest plea for his mom and dad to break up so he'll never be born, Maya looks at him like a wounded bird, and Otoya looks like he's a second away from laughing in Wataru's face. Wataru's entire plan hinged on Otoya not having sex with a supernaturally-gorgeous former supernatural executioner, which is the most doomed plan in the history of the Kamen Rider franchise. Wataru thought he could talk Otoya - OTOYA - out of getting laid.

Hilarious. Amazing.

Back to single picks this time, with the music used for the recap in this one. It's actually a theme for Bishop, and it's got a sort of pompous sound that fits him like a glove. Only about a third of this track is actually used in the episode though, and I don't remember catching it anywhere else as I was going through the show, let alone in a scene with Bishop? Kinda sad to think anything in Kiva's soundtrack would get used so little, assuming I didn't just miss some scene somewhere, but hey, that's part of why I'm highlighting this stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DguqSgjWXQ

As for the episode...

Yeah, sounds about right.

I'm gonna say right now, I think "Wataru tries to literally erase his entire existence from history" was the maybe the most perfect possible choice as a climactic arc for Wataru? Calling it "his Final Form of running away" sums it up pretty nicely. It's like all of his worst impulses concentrated at the worst possible moment into this totally insane plan, that's also deeply depressing when you consider the implications of what Wataru must feeling inside to even entertain the concept for more than a second. The show puts Wataru's self-esteem at absolute rock bottom... and yet it also makes it hilarious? It's such a wild swing, having Wataru just walk in on Otoya and Yuri at the start impersonating a doctor less than a minute after a recap of like the most tragic thing that ever happened in the show, and it's one of those things I have to commend Inoue for, because most writers probably aren't crazy enough to try making that turn. But then like, it legitimately snaps the show right back into a more bouncy and fun tone? While still having the plot itself make a ton of sense thematically and function completely as a logical (well, "logical") next step in the story?

It's completely insane, and I kinda love it. It was another plot I knew happened before I even watched the show (along with Mio's death; I've seen Wataru get made fun of for this absurd overcorrection a lot), and I remember being surprised how agreeable it all felt. Like, Jirou just throws him in the magic time portal and Wataru's broken heart takes over from there – he's going to make some bad decisions!

(And going back to the episode, "2人がラブラブになっちゃったら、僕が生まれちゃうんです" is maybe one of the funniest sentences I've ever heard in my life? It's Wataru's explanation of why he can't allow Otoya and Maya to be together, since I know I'm not making that obvious, but that because it's very specifically the exact wording choices in Japanese that make it so funny to me. It's like every single part of that sentence was precisely crafted to sound both as silly and as pathetic as possible, and it's how you know Inoue was in on the joke with this plot.)

Another thing I vividly remember from this episode for some reason is Wataru's transformation when he's protecting Maya? Right down to that swing set being there? I think it was probably because it was the first time you get to see Kiva Form in a few episodes, and it was also the scene where I recall registering how much I really liked Emperor Form's BGM... which explains why I didn't realize it was Emperor Form's BGM for so long. Funnily enough, I believe this is also the last time you see Wataru turn into Kiva Form at all in the show, so I guess I'm glad I savored it while I could!

...Oh, and about that defense I failed to mount earlier?

Well, yeah, she absolutely did, and that's kinda the whole point of that story? Mio was a character who, arguably more than anyone else in the show, was torn between the two worlds Wataru and Taiga represent. She had a normal life she wanted to live alongside the cute boy she liked on one hand, and the burden of a fate she never asked for on the other. That unwanted duty of being the Fangire Queen ate away at Mio constantly, even pushing her thinking into some pretty dark places as she attempted to find some way to make peace with the idea, but she was never able to firmly commit to either side, and ultimately she becomes a victim of the show's cruel and uncaring systems – caught in the crossfire of Kiva and Saga as they battle in the ever-escalating war between human and Fangire. (Which is how the Shima plotline factors in, as the episode very specifically highlights their clashing ideologies as their reason for fighting.) Mio's death serves as sort of the ultimate reminder of the tragic price of the vicious cycle the cast is currently caught up in.

I know there's sort of a loaded nature to her death that's inherently going to be tricky for you to overlook, and I respect that, but I honestly think Mio dying when and how she does has an absolutely critical, justified place in the plot and overall themes of Kiva, and it's sort of hard for me to imagine it going any other way than it did.

The part I liked best in Wataru's story is that he doesn't let a little thing like going back in time to obliterate his own existence make him impolite, or morose. He's very upbeat about his request to negate his own history? He couches his requests in clear language and earnestness. Just because he doesn't think he should've ever lived doesn't mean he has to be a jerk about it, you know?

This scene sort of threw me. It's one of the few times we see Wataru Henshin without catching Kivat, so the transformation here is just Kivat descending below Wataru's waist, and then a Henshin.

...

...where exactly did Kivat chomp him?

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva15b.png

For me, the problem is twofold.

First, the loaded nature of her death... pretty big deal! I'm not exactly upset about the fact that Mio died (I'd've been shocked if she didn't die, at least briefly, over the course of the show), but I'm furious about how the show justified her death. It wanted a sacrifice, but it didn't do the work to make that sacrifice something that grew out of her character. It's the sort of thing that works better in metaphor than in narrative, and that's always going to bug me. (I would like both! I don't enjoy unmotivated character actions that exist to serve the story's themes!) That's just The Writer's Hand, and I don't love it.

Second, even without the specifics of Mio's death, I dislike where it puts Wataru and Taiga in the aftermath. It flattens their conflict for me. They were previously having a complicated fight about familial obligation, and cultural identity, and how to protect a sibling, and a dozen different things. Now their fight is about Their Woman, and that's significantly less interesting to me as a concept. Can the show find some fun angles on that trope? It's Inoue; I know not to bet against him. But it's the sort of story choice where he's going to need to expend a ton of energy just to get me to stop hating it, and that's... I would prefer he not have handicapped himself like that.

That's the scene after the one I was talking about, where he's with Otoya and right back to using Emperor, but yeah, now that you mention it, I guess that's pretty memorable in its own right. :lol

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 45 - "WITH YOU: THE LAST TRANSFORMATION”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva45a.png

I really liked the Yuri/Wataru scene! The rest of the episode was weirdly only adequate!

I'm going to have a tough time explaining why the rest of the episode wasn't anything too exciting for me. I mean, it's full of big things: Bishop tells Taiga that he was the one who killed Mio. Bishop decides to overthrow Taiga, because systems can't tolerate what they can't control. King vows to kill Taiga if Maya stays with Otoya. Otoya becomes Dark Kiva twice, and probably dies from the attempt. Wataru gets punched in the gut by his dad. It's a big episode!

It's also a somber episode, and a ton of it feels... preordained? Inevitable? There's a fatalism to it, exemplified by Otoya's insistence on killing himself for Maya/Taiga/himself. (The previous episode, where Wataru was trying to negate his own existence, managed to be a fun lark by comparison.) Otoya's always been devoted to his own whims, to the exclusion of common sense or basic decorum, but here it comes off as frustratingly obstinate. Otoya is going to become Dark Kiva to save Taiga, even though a) it'll kill him, b) it won't even defeat King, c) Wataru is more than willing to pitch in to defeat King and keep Otoya alive. It's a suicidal plan that won't even succeed, but the show treats it as laudably heroic, a testament to Otoya's belief in self-determination.

It tries to make it seem bittersweet, what with the hushed Maya/Otoya scene, where he asks her to be strong enough to let him sacrifice himself. Both actors imbue the scene with so much love and sadness that it's easy to forget, for just that one scene, how unnecessary it all is. But for the rest of the episode, it's just this grim march towards Otoya's fate, and it's maybe a dumber, less-fun version of his own son's rush to destroy himself. It doesn't feel like a hero accepting the cost of his love for people. It feels like an egotist throwing himself headlong into a dangerous situation, when there's a more powerful hero willing to join the fight.

Speaking of that hero, it's a great episode for Wataru. I love the way the show gives the big hero speech in the middle to Yuri, to tie her ability to see the good in a break-up to Mio's desire for Wataru to live. It's a fun way of getting at how we project our guilt onto other people - letting their memories judge us harshly - when it's easy to forget how they might forgive us. Wataru's been too caught up in his own guilt to remember that Mio wouldn't've wanted him to have never existed, wouldn't've wanted to have never been able to meet him. It's the same way Yuri doesn't regret dating Otoya, even though it didn't last. Big-hearted optimism from Yuri (her only scene in this episode!) will always be worth savoring.

The rest of this one, though... hmm. Briskly-told, and with some great action (this was one of the few CG finales I really enjoyed?), but I just wasn't feeling how on-rails the Otoya story came off. It's not out of character, but it either needed another gear to it, or for the rest of the cast to call him out on his weird death wish. As it is, it's an episode where everyone's like I Guess It's Time For Otoya To Die, and that really took the wind out of my sails.

It's like, I will grudgingly allow this episode its plot, but I can't exactly praise it. That Yuri/Wataru scene, though! That part was aces.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva45b.png

Well since Otoya has his one equivalent to Emperor Form, it’s only fitting that he gets the song to go with it.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9yij-gFIYyo

My one thing with this episode: Bishop is an idiot.

Yeah, still, that's how I don't think that "be yourself" is inherently positive or moral... like you said there, being confrontational... if someone enjoys being confrontational, like to relieve stress, they can use "be yourself" to ignore other's advice or suggestion to not being confrontational, insisting them to mind their own business, and keep enjoying being true to themselves by being a confrontational folk.

Well, nothing much to say regarding this here, other than that this is a triumph moment for what Wataru had gone through before (but don't use this as a petition to turn characters as assholes as much as they want and keep fueling things with conflict to get this triumph). I have to say though, Wataru Kurenai's name means "crimson going over", which would refer to his gradual self-discovery as half-Fangire, that at least at this stage, he gets over the status and lives as himself (implemented well because of his morals). And as a half-Fangire, though not as severe as Mio, he's still portrayed as really weak physically before to not be able to do 6 push ups. I don't know if "lack of confidence" is a good enough excuse to make him weak enough at that time to prevent his nature as Fangire known, but Otoya possessing him as him easily beating the thugs.

This is the stage yeah, Yuri finally decides to pair up Otoya and Maya, and Yuri is acting tsundere before (for her to see him as vague nuisance but doing this, pretending to dislike outside but not inside) to dismiss Otoya for understandable reasons, but still want to let him live. I know Otoya has settled now into Maya, but as a (former) womanizer he'd hold Yuri dear too, so the hurt from Otoya would be unintentional, but there wasn't really attempt from him to address the moving love... (or probably not as he probably changed a bit, but attempt to date both albeit Yuri was the one keeping distance before as of course she would want usual 1-1 loyal relationship). Actually, I like that the feeling of love not so overpowering... in Otoya's fight against King, that he as IXA is only getting himself caught and sealed, likely sending him to certain death. It's outright suicide for Otoya to fight King (just like what Maya says regarding Yuri), regardless of his feelings to the sealed buddies.

Shima finally does fight himself as Fangire hunter like Megumi and Wataru (with weapons, as Kengo didn't), and the Fangire of the week here reminds me of Jiro's wolf form.... feeling like Shima rebeling against Jiro. Well, at least his efforts to keep his body fat low pays off. It's ironic moment that Taiga healed him with Fangire, despite Shima's hatred towards any Fangire, still not tolerating Wataru fully, that he'd be finished off if he's a Fangire instead of human. Another moment I'd like to talk about here is that, Mio again, undergoes darker change like Shizuka did on ep. 29 (with devil metaphor), but played seriously. Mio outwardly may seem nice due to her shyness, similar to Wataru, but she has hidden dark and selfish traits here that'd make her different from Wataru moral wise, either pushed to it or inherent. Knowing Wataru's Fangire nature, she has a new grand plan to make Wataru King, now committed into Queen role of executing innocent Fangires to make sure that she gets to be with Wataru. She's Wataru centric and is yandere for him, but won't show it before knowing Wataru as she had no real aim yet (waitress). In a way, she also undergoes a development by growing out of shyness like Wataru, but to turn into a dark character instead of increasing effectiveness to do good like Wataru. She essentailly does the same thing to Wataru as Taiga, persuading him to embrace Fangire side, though unknown what can happen to humanity afterwards, or Fangires too, if Mio would let them be killed by humans, only concerning herself to be together with him. She even shows manipulative side towards Taiga, to pretend to be happy and interested interacting with him here.

Ok, I'm probably wrong just that from what I know compassion is a term commonly used for yeah, the one with full Rider sensibility. Otoya and Jiro had been friends for now yeah, but I'd consider them as friends only recently in Kiva for not being at odds with each other anymore (Jiro attempts to kill but now fully hesitated too), before the reason they fought together occassionally was for Yuri. But I was just reminding that "Jiro trying to kill Otoya" is not one sided conflict. Actually, I think the recognition of those characters's "hidden qualities and redeeming factors" has always happened if the character is enjoyable (including to villains), and I can feel it's gotten out of hand, so I instead remind their terrible qualities as there can be those who think they're purely good using those redeeming factors only and forgetting/ignoring their unpleasant traits (or outright villainous ones for villains) as a whole.

Otoya becoming Dark Kiva is an event that was actually foreshadowed way back in Episode 20, when he possessed Wataru and told Kivat how he knew his father. This was in the original timeline where he never knew Wataru in his present, which means Otoya presumably did defeat King on his own, maybe possible with the help of his Arms Monster friends either alongside him or in their weapon forms but that part's just my speculation.

Even though Otoya is the least biologically compatible with Dark Kiva, I still consider him its true user. He gets the most use out of its finishers, it's symbolic as Wataru's and Kivat's fathers are teaming up and as Androzani pointed out, he has his own version of Supernova. Just like how he was destined to create Bloody Rose, I think he was destined to become Dark Kiva as well. The fact that he survived henshining twice is proof of his strength and determination as a human. He's still iconic as IXA Save Mode though.

But Otoya isn't against Wataru joining the fight, he's against being left out of the fight, against letting his son poach his destiny. Their motivations aren't comparable either. Wataru wants to be erased from history, while Otoya wants to be immortalized by it. Dark Kiva is a symbol of Otoya's pride and the apex of his strong feelings, the same way Emperor is for Wataru. That's why Maya couldn't stand in his way, since she knows this is something he has to do. Wataru sees him the same way he sees Mio, as somebody who needs to be saved. But that's wrong. Mio chose how to live. Otoya chose how to live. It's not Wataru's place to deny that, despite his good intention. You mentioned before that staying true to your identity is generally a good thing, so shouldn't Otoya's authenticity be encouraged as well?

I'm glad you enjoyed the last CGI monster fight of the show! Maybe it has something to do with the clever way Flight Style was used as transportation to get Kiva on the brainwashed Castle Doran for the Zanvat Sword finisher.

My King, it was I who killed the girl you loved. There is no need to thank me.

Well, even though it's an obvious choice since Die liked that scene so much, I've already used the heartfelt track from Yuri's conversation with Wataru that helps inspire him to move forward, so instead, here's the heartfelt track from Otoya's conversation with Wataru that helps inspire him to move forward. Lots of people trying to help Wataru out in this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjWmya-VKBA

I think that I think this is a better episode for Otoya than Die did? I mean, yeah, I get that there's an unflattering interpretation to be made for it, but while the huge ego involved highlights how much is still the same about him, I can appreciate what the episode is doing by shining a spotlight on how far Otoya has come as a character here at the end. There's a line in that initial discussion about him becoming Dark Kiva that flies by for how important I think it is. His immediate response to being informed that King is planning to kill Taiga is to flatly declare that a child of Maya's is a child of his, and like, do I even need to bother stressing how crazy it is to hear that sentiment coming from Mr. Fear of Commitment?

It's not about a simple whim, like usual, which is where I think the fatalism comes in. If Otoya was trying to treat it like his latest grand heroic stunt, something he expects to come back from to smiles and praise, it's not really illustrating the shift in his values that's happened over time, and for the exact same reason, he obviously isn't going to politely sit back and watch when he knows there's something he could be doing for the sake of the people he loves, no matter how reckless it is. I mean, you've already acknowledged that this is all in-character, so I know this isn't really the part that's in question here, but I guess what I'm saying is that this is another case where I feel those rails the plot is apparently on are maybe a good track to be heading down?

(Also, this is only barely related, but I don't know where else to fit it in this post – that Rider Punch Otoya does as Dark Kiva is totally awesome. Great to finally see some early Kiva-styled stock footage special attacks again.)

Anyway, something I really want to note about this episode is that there was quite a bit of it banished to the realm of deleted scenes, denied a true claim to being "canon", and in this case, there are some neat moments that were cut out. There's a little bonding moment between Kivat II and Otoya where the former expresses an appreciation for the latter's music, which kinda adds a tiny little bit of weight to them working as a duo later, even if it's admittedly largely irrelevant to the overall tone of the story.

More critically, there's a whole plot thread where Wataru ties up Otoya to keep him from going after King that's excised, which is a darn shame, because Otoya throws some words at his son in there that really nail what I love so much about this plotting choice for Wataru's character so much. In response to Wataru trying to talk about how what he's doing will change the future, Otoya says:

"You're wrong, Wataru. You just want to escape from the suffering you're feeling. It's wrong that you're even in this time to begin with. Do you plan on coming to the past every time you make a mistake?"

...And then Wataru of course brushes this off and it would presumably lead in to the scene of him and King fighting shortly thereafter. Considering Wataru didn't make the choice to come to the past, and the exact nature of his plan means he'll only have to the one time, it's maybe not the most accurate dialogue to his situation in-universe, but it's a perfect summation of what the viewer is meant to be taking away from Wataru's current struggle. He's filled with all this regret he doesn't know to live with, how to make it a part of him and move on, but because it's a toku show, when he wishes he could change history, he gets that chance literally, and it's kind of great? It's a story about Wataru deciding his life holds so little value the universe would be better without him in it, and it really tears into that entire line of thinking at every turn to make a point about how misguided it is.

He definitely miscalculates here!

Well, he's a skinny boy with self-esteem problems. I'm not surprised he can't do a bunch of push-ups, and I'm not surprised his dad was a more competent human fighter than he was.

There're just too many scenes of Otoya ditching Wataru for that to work for me. You can read those scenes as Wataru trying to interfere with Otoya, so Otoya fought back, but it comes off more as Otoya deciding to do everything himself when it wasn't strictly necessary. Again, that is totally in-character for Otoya! I have watched other episodes of this show! But it's the way Wataru and Maya treat Otoya's sacrifice as some inevitable, unpreventable thing that made this kind of a chore to get through. No one articulates any of the half-dozen valid reasons why Otoya shouldn't do this, which makes it all seem too forced, too predetermined.

Pretty good couple episodes for Wataru! He's a sweet boy.

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 46 - “FULL STOP: GOODBYE, OTOYA”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva46a.png

There’s some stuff in here with Megumi and Nago, where she’s unsure if he’s matured enough to lead W.A.K.E.U.P. There’s some stuff in here about Bishop, and how he’s unleashed the End Of Series Army on the world so that he can destroy anyone else who would lay claim to the Fangire throne. There’s some later stuff in the episode, where Wataru has found a new level of strength (physical and emotional) as a result of his most recent crisis of faith, and how his resolve to protect people has solidified. A lot of nice little storylines as we head into the final two episodes.

But this is the one where Otoya dies, and that’s all we’re going to talk about.

It’s a strong ending for him, alternately intense, funny, and sweet. It manages to encapsulate a series worth of growth into a few beautifully-done scenes, and make a contradictory free-spirit seem definable and coherent. For someone who hated being pigeon-holed, this episode makes his roles as father, friend, lover and hero undeniable.

It’s the fatherhood that comes across first, thanks to Otoya’s thrilling team-up with Wataru. Possibly besting their movie partnership, there’s so much to love about their matching costumes and mirrored stances. I ordered a Dark Kiva figure a little while ago, from site sponsor Tokullectibles. When the suit appeared in the show, I’m like, Okay, I Guess I Bought A Villain Suit. But now? Now it’s going to be my Otoya suit. (IXA was always going to be Nago. I mean, come on.) Seeing him take on the Dark Kiva power for a third and final time, because he couldn’t do anything less when the people he loved were at risk? An epic move.

It’s also his first and last lesson to his son, which is only the beginning of this show giving Otoya heartbreaking lines. Wataru spends a bunch of time over the series trying to understand his father, and in turn understand himself. But there on that shore, it all clicks into place. You fight to protect the people you love. That’s it. It’s that simple. Otoya’s a hero because he protects what he loves, and he loves people. He loves so, so many people. (Arguably too many, if you’ve been dating him!) If the people Otoya loves are in jeopardy, he will never stop trying to protect them. Doesn’t matter if it’ll kill him. He won’t let himself die until he keeps his loved ones safe.

It clarifies things for Wataru, in a way he’s able to take back with him to the future. When Shizuka and Megumi are in danger, Wataru (not Kiva, Wataru) rushes to their aid, scaring off Fangires with a look of steely determination. It all comes from his dad, imperfect though he was. He maybe only directly taught his son one lesson, but it’s maybe the most important lesson he could ever teach him. It multiplies Otoya’s sacrifice, since it averts a tragedy in 1986 and gives Wataru the courage to hopefully prevent one in 2008. Otoya never really got to raise his son, but he still managed to be a good father.

The couple scenes he spends with his friends, though, those hit me the hardest.

The one with Yuri… man. It’s a Goodbye scene, even if no one says it. Otoya wasn’t a great boyfriend, but he managed to be an okay friend to Yuri. She’s happy to have known him, happy with the person she is after their break-up. They tease each other, in the way only exes on good terms can. He wants to know how she made her only-decent omelette rice, an acknowledgement that something imperfect can have sentimental value greater than its measurable qualities. She teases him that her secret ingredient was poison, before tearfully confessing that it was love.

The whole scene is like the other half to their breakup from a couple episodes ago. That was Yuri finding strength in her ability to let Otoya go, and her happiness that he found true love. Here, it’s her letting herself grieve their relationship a little. She’s cried before at Otoya’s betrayal, but in this scene she’s mourning the loss of that time in her life. She’s also mourning Otoya, even if she isn’t consciously aware of it.

Jiro figures it out pretty fast, though. He’s seen plenty of dying people in his life. (Also, Otoya is, uh, literally vanishing, so there’s that.) Jiro and the other Arms Monsters are considering making a break for it, leaving the rampaging Castle Doran to whomever, going back to looking out for themselves. And it’s Otoya who convinces them to care about other people, both generally (living in Castle Doran would keep it from killing everyone) and personally (watching over Wataru). They started this series looking for survival and a small amount of vengeance, and they end it as Wataru’s Three Crazy Uncles who live in a dragon cathedral. The fact that it occurred because of Otoya is, frankly, stunning.

Otoya’s an almost impossibly broad caricature of a man. He’s irrepressible, if you’re feeling generous, and chaotic, if you aren’t. But he managed to live his life in a way that convinced other people to find reasons to love, and to sacrifice. He held to his principles, and fought for his convictions, and it caused evil monsters and taciturn warriors to become hopeful heroes. He didn’t do it by being a non-stop paragon of justice, or even an all-the-time good man. He did it by showing people the joy of living your life honestly, and the rewards of choosing to love openly.

Which brings us to Maya.

She’s lost so much from knowing Otoya. She watched her husband die. She lost her station, and her powers. She’ll be hounded for decades by angry Fangires. She'll end up having to give away both of her sons to protect them. All she got for all that hardship was a few short weeks with the man she loved.

It seems worth it?

The point of love isn’t quantity, it’s quality. The sacrifices both Maya and Otoya make for their love, it’s like a rebuttal to the last two episodes of Wataru’s journey to the past. Everything ends. Sometimes relationships end faster than we’d like. Sometimes we make sacrifices for love. Sometimes you get just a little bit, and you pay for it for a long time. But if it's real love, true love, having it at all is a miracle. You can't count it in days, because it'll last forever.

My mom married my dad, and three years later he died of cancer. I was 2 when he died. She kept his name. A few years later she remarried, and we changed our name. It didn’t last. They divorced. And she took my dad’s name again, instead of her maiden name. There’s this connection she had with him, something that was always going to be a testament to their love, and it was me. That sounds sappy and saccharine, but I believe it. As long as I was there, with my dad’s name, there was some part of their love that endured. It was brief, in terms of how long it’s been since he died. But a week ago, on Father’s Day, she wanted to talk about him.

So seeing Maya there with Otoya in the park, their brief but brilliant affair about to end; acknowledging that their love would go on forever, and a son would be the proof of that… man, that felt like something made just for me, some part of Kamen Rider Kiva I’ll always be able to cherish.

Inoue Forever. Otoya Forever. Love Forever.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva46b.png

Inoue Forever. Otoya Forever. Love Forever.

If he would be actually killed uncerenimously, then yeah it'd fit for what you said here, but this part I've glanced in other that he doesn't die due to Saga there, and he'd do something at the end of the series (well, I'm late at episode watch here so of course others would already knew). I don't know if it's a late-game retcon, I mean Taiga is a late addition character, as well as the news that Wataru is a half-Fangire, so if the story would make him having ties with Shima, then Shima's character suddenly becomes a huge deal too. I guess Shima's views about Fangires is a big deal because he's practically the leader (awful as it is) of the good guys here by managing Aozora, and leader would influence its members more.

I mean, Mio undergoes a development that seems opposite to me from Wataru's, which is her becoming a yandere to kill anyone that stands in the way of her and Wataru's love, and committing to Queen role so that she can have Wataru as King (with a possible take of my thoughts for Mio protecting Taiga below). Mio outwardly may seem nice due to her shyness, similar to Wataru, but she has hidden dark and selfish traits here that'd make her different from Wataru moral wise, either pushed to it or inherent. Mio becomes similar to Taiga, at this point. She essentailly does the same thing to Wataru as Taiga, persuading him to embrace Fangire side, though unknown what can happen to humanity afterwards, or Fangires too, if Mio would let them be killed by humans, only concerning herself to be together with him. Like I said before, she even shows manipulative side towards Taiga, to pretend to be happy and interested interacting with him here. But it's shown more in this episode, that she pretends to go along with Taiga's proporsal, planning to kill Taiga at the wedding herself, because Wataru won't do it.

I'd think Taiga's main desperation is him ensuring future for Fangire, but also by hindering their 'oppositions' like humans, and that's due to them being inferior, like preventing Fangires to marry humans. His ideal life involves mainly Wataru on his side, but about him with Mio, Mio is a Queen and thus she's used as something that would ensure his command over the Fangires, which is marrying her as a Queen, and making himself King. I only want to know what would be Taiga's reaction if there would be another Queen appointed, as his main aim is to ensure future for Fangires (and what he wants is Wataru on his side), I'm not assuming for Taiga to kill Mio due to her being useless now or such by that btw as for below.

I mean why would you claim Wataru feels guilt for something not his fault? I mean Wataru of course would be devastated at the loss of Mio, potentially his love. This is just another trauma Wataru had to go through with, like his half-Fangire nature, the betrayal of Dai-chan, etc. I'd agree though Mio diving at a finishing move isn't an optimal move... but many sacrifice moves are done this way... jumping your whole body to the attack instead, though actually the question I have is if Queen dies at such quick rate like that (I forgot if there's a failed finisher before). Otherwise well, Mio's death is something that fanbase can see as KR mistreating females. It seems like a sudden last decision change for Mio to shield Taiga... I mean Mio plotted to kill Taiga herself, using the wedding as the means to do so. I guess Taiga being nice to Mio is the closest excuse for her to return the favor, that Taiga still covers for her despite her attempts to kill Taiga and letting her escape, and while Mio still won't love Taiga romantically, this probably dispells her hatred for him.

Continuing from Otoya claiming that what matters for Maya is her soul instead of her race, I don't know if Otoya would care about Maya losing her powers or not.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kiva/kiva06b.png

It's just never really a huge deal before now? Like, Shima's responsible for fighting Fangires, but it's always been Nago that was the fanatical character. Megumi was pretty quick to see Kiva as helping out humans, so it's not like Shima was indoctrinating his subordinates. If anything, Shima always seemed to think Nago was too dedicated to killing Fangires?

I feel like the answers to some of these questions are, unfortunately, See Upcoming Episodes. It's hard for me to argue a side now that we've seen that Wataru wants to obliterate his existence because he blames himself for Mio's death, and that Mio was actually killed by Bishop. We are a little late to discuss some of these very good questions!

It's not that I think he'd love her less or anything. It just makes her more vulnerable, and it's a huge sacrifice she has to make to love Otoya. It would've been nice if he had been present to witness it, is all.

Man, I had forgotten how good these last two episodes are. I still think Wataru's motivations are silly, but I had forgotten the payoff that we're getting here: a version of Wataru that's confident and determined in his actions. I really wish it hadn't taken so long to get here, because this is a version of the character that I actually do quite like.

But yeah, this latest episode is all Otoya. Even during my most anti-Kiva moods, the one thing I will always give the show is that Otoya's arc is fantastic. This man who knowingly sacrificed his life for his family, who stopped to say goodbye to the woman whose heart he broke, who earned his rivals respect enough to get a vow from him... all of this started with '80s Japanese Jean-Ralphio. It wasn't a smooth ride to get here, but we got to see him grow from a lecherous creep whose self-centeredness ruined lives, to someone who changed people for the better. He could still be the worst, but god damn it, he was the best.

Well here we are, at the end of the 86/87 segments. And seeing how their end leads into the beginning of the 08/09 segments, here’s a song by Wataru and Otoya entitled “Beginning”, the finale to the Message trilogy.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=6-52LQOB8S4

One thing I love about this episode (besides the pathos to Otoya’s eponymous goodbye) is the scene where Wataru is able to scare Fangires away just be being there. I like the idea that the hero is the thing that monsters are scared of, as opposed to them treating him like he doesn’t exists, even when he’s been thoroughly thwarting their plots for a long time.

Well here we are, at the end of the 86/87 segments. And seeing how their end leads into the beginning of the 08/09 segments, here’s a song by Wataru and Otoya entitled “Beginning”, the finale to the Message trilogy.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=6-52LQOB8S4

One thing I love about this episode (besides the pathos to Otoya’s eponymous goodbye) is the scene where Wataru is able to scare Fangires away just be being there. I like the idea that the hero is the thing that monsters are scared of, as opposed to them treating him like he doesn’t exists, even when he’s been thoroughly thwarting their plots for a long time.

It's weird how... I don't know if he grew that much? With characters like Wataru and Nago, it's easier to point to an early episode and a later episode and go They Are So Different Now. (In this episode alone, Wataru's steely determination makes Shizuka wonder if it's even the same guy, and Nago apologizes to Megumi. Those are both insane to consider from the perspective of Episode 15!) With Otoya, I feel like it's less that he changed and grew, and more that his honesty and joie de vivre wore down and won over everyone else. Like, he didn't change, he changed all of them.

But, yeah, the best. Agreed.

What I liked even better was that the monsters aren't scared of Kiva, they're scared of Wataru. There's this guy who shows up, saves someone, and stares them down. That confidence and bravery scares the stained-glass out of the Fangires, so they run away. And he didn't even need to be a Kamen Rider to do it!

One more choice that's practically gift-wrapped for me, it's Otoya's Étude, the second of two whole pieces of music genius musician Otoya plays in the show, and, as you might expect, the music that closes out this episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-a73MWqEsc

Jokes aside, he really was pretty okay in the end, wasn't he? There's not much I could add to what you said about this one. It really ties Otoya and the whole legacy he left behind together, and it becomes this thing were you can look back and understand why Wataru leans on him so much for strength in a way you never could've at the start of the show.

One thing that seriously helps a big emotional episode like this out is that, as with all three of the show's last episodes, it's directed by Ishida, who always puts a ton of care into this sort of thing. The moment during the fight with King where it suddenly becomes Wataru and Otoya for a second instead of Kiva and Dark Kiva, that's a neat trick to let the actors sell the feelings of the characters that I've seen him pull as recently as Saber. And there are other things I'd imagine were his ideas, too, like Otoya climbing up those rocks to pretend he's not in pain when saying goodbye to Wataru, that really add to the tone of the scenes here. Another favorite of mine is how the focus keeps Otoya and Jirou separated so completely at the end of their conversation.

And then there's just all the stuff in this episode that's plain awesome, like the father/son Double Kiva Rider Kick, or Nago's continuing rivalry with Bishop where he's shouting epic heroic nonsense about being the world's hope or whatever, because, as always, that's our 753. Pretty crucial episode for Kiva to get right, so I'm really glad it landed so well for you, Die.