This is a post coming from someone who absolutely despises Kiriya for multiple reasons.

I actually liked these two episodes for the most part.

Because finally, Kiriya has to face consequences for his awful behavior. Finally, he's called out on it and the people doing it aren't immediately written out of the show. Finally, he has to actually humble himself and learn a lesson. Finally, he actually has an arc.

Did it 100% redeem him and make him likable? No, but it was literally all I was asking for when it came to Kiriya in the Inoue part of Hibiki proper. I can easily see how some would put these episodes under "too little too late" but for me, it did just enough to work, helped by all the wonderful carry-overs from the first part of Hibiki surrounding it. Todoroki acting more like his part 1 self but with a bit of Zanki thrown in was a great touch, for example.

There's also of course the Woz subplot which is all around wonderful. Full of great character humor for sure, but also really touching in how it's pulled off and resolves, which is a great move to pull as something for those who aren't buying into the Kiriya plot to latch onto. Although I guess if they don't like Woz then they're out of luck.

And hey, further reinforcement of HeiGen Forever with the Kuuga Ridewatch! Even if it did practically nothing just like in that movie!

In the end, this felt like a much better Hibiki tribute than the Decade two-parter did, which to me just felt all around like a hollow, half-hearted apology rather than a good story in its own right.

I actually had a hard time deciding on who my favorite character in Hibiki was, because I love almost all the characters in the first part, but in the end, I think I'll go with...


Hibiki was a rather unique beast in the franchise for alot of reasons, and the decision to go with a main character who wasn't a Kamen Rider was one of them. Even more than that, a kid's show detailing the effects child abandonment, depression, and anxiety have on children, and how community can help in coping with those issues, was really huge to me. Speaking personally, it was something I never really saw in children's media up to that point, and combining that with Asumu's' lovable personality and very human portrayal endeared me to him really fast.

Heck, how human the entire cast felt was very much something that I dug alot about the first part of Hibiki, which is part of what made the Inoue portion sting so hard; Seeing everyone, Asumu included, reduced to a flanderized, cartoon version of themselves.

Still, the first part of Hibiki is a show I'll always love, and it was cool to see how Zi-O managed to give it what felt like some proper tribute, despite the centerpiece being a character from the second part.

This was one tribute where I felt not having the original actor actually made it better. Having it being about the next generation figuring out the whole mentor thing seems very much in theme.

Another hit in the second half of tribute, imo.

I mean, you’ve basically said all I can say regarding the episode. So we’ll just move onto the regular features.

Ridewatch Playlist: Stop at 2:54 Mix

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZH07l7TOxQE

“Power of the demon, power of sound, the Rider fighting with a drum is… Hibiki”

Ongeki = from Hibiki’s “Ongekida” attacks.

And for this, I went with Hibiki Kenzan (which, in retrospect, I should’ve used for the next one, based on these visuals) https://youtube.com/watch?v=K5vGz2fvIUY

“The intensely trained demon’s power, the Ongeki’s red armour, Armed Hibiki”

Kishin Kakusei = from Armed Hibiki’s “Ongekiha: Kishin Kakusei” (Sound Attack Blade: Fierce Demon Arousal”)

And for added parallels, I went with a song that probably would’ve fit Hibiki regular better. Hajimari no Kimi e https://youtube.com/watch?v=-LBfp5ERCc4

“Fighting with a trumpet, the blue demon Rider is Ibuki”

And for him, I went with that song I shared back in the Hibiki watch thread, Fuuga Yuudan https://youtube.com/watch?v=SkZy-CeQpMA

And, here’s the list of the unreleased (no-one won the competition this time)
Kamen Rider Hibiki Kurenai
Kamen Rider Todoroki
Kamen Rider Zanki
Kamen Rider Shuki
Kamen Rider Kabuki
Kamen Rider Tohki
Kamen Rider Kirameki
Kamen Rider Nishiki
Kamen Rider Habataki
Kamen Rider Danki
Kamen Rider Sabaki
Kamen Rider Eiki
Kamen Rider Shouki
Kamen Rider Gouki
Kamen Rider Touki
Kamen Rider Banki

And as for the compare and contrast, Tsutomu contrasts with Hibiki and Asumu. Hibiki is a man constantly pushing himself to be better, and Asumu is a humble kid who gave up on being an Oni because it wasn’t what HE wanted. Tsutomu on the other hand, became a lazy bum who gave up being an Oni because he didn’t get the guy he wanted to teach him to teach him. And as for the monster elements, Todoroki mistook him for a Makamou (clearly he either didn’t notice the “Hibiki” written down his chest, or he can’t read the Latin alphabet) last episode.

Next time: For this, we get the original main writer for the OG series back.

I've said it before that I don't know who Kiriya is. But I do like seeing what he did here, and him turning into Hibiki was the cherry on top. I just like seeing a character get humbled and then in turn receive something to symbolize that transformation, and that of course is Hibiki!

Next episode: Hehehe...

Hahahahhaa.

HAHAHHAHAHAHA YEEESSSSSS!

My goat wrote for ZI-O!
https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/v...rs/2/50823.jpg

This is not the way I would have chosen to do a Hibiki tribute, but with at said, I do like how it turned out in the end. This is probably the best Kiriya story we?ve ever gotten, which is absolutely a low bar to clear. I?d have much rather had Asumu come back, but this still worked better that it should have.

There?s one small moment near the end that I love, though, and would probably say is the best tribute in all of Zi-O. One of Todoroki?s last lines is him saying that he may find his own apprentice now and that he?ll run the idea by Hinaka. Hinaka?s actress, Miyuki Kanye, died in 2008 of heart failure. I found it so sweet of Zi-O to acknowledge her and I love the implication that she still?s still alive in the world of Kamen Rider.

Yeah that was a very nice thing that they did. And I'd like to think they did that intentionally.

It's like what Hibiki said, how everybody's got their own rhythm. Kiriya can never be a better Hibiki than Hibiki, or a better version of his father, but he can always strive to be his best self, which Tsutomu needs him to be. It's the same thing Shounen learned, that being an Oni is only one way to become an independent person. Part of being independent isn't just mimicking the lifestyle of someone you admire, but using your own judgement as well.

Good thing Woz is the most beloved character in the show, but yeah, sucks for the minority who don't like him. Pretty sure this is the first arc where Woz takes focus over the other Time Riders. I thought it was a sweet story about how small gestures can be just as profound and special as grandiose IWAEs, as long as it comes from the heart. Todoroki was a very appropriate guy to deliver that moral, since he's all about celebration as well with the guitar purification ritual he does.

Good point. Seeing Hibiki again would've been cool, but since this arc is about Kiriya's struggle to be a good Oni and mentor, it would've diminished that if Hibiki just showed up and gave him advice. It's more meaningful that Kiriya figured it out on his own. When the Hibiki Ridewatch manifested and Kiriya became Reiwa's new Kamen Rider Hibiki, I believe Hibiki was there in spirit, cheering him on! Kiriya will be a great Oni someday.

I commend you for finding something to appreciate about this plot about a character from a non-existent part of Kamen Rider Hibiki. It's good to keep an open mind.

Regarding Hinaka, I think it's a nice consolation when an actor is survived by their character, as a way for their legacy to continue, both in universe and in meta. Like Riderman and Stronger, who are still fighting for justice in crossovers, their actors bringing hope to people even from beyond the grave. And it's reassuring that Todoroki still has that important person in his life who supports him.

It's really nice! I hope everyone's celebrating Sougo's birthday today (22 years old!) by failing at math, losing a lot at games, and generally improving the spirits of everyone around you.

I'm glad to hear it! I think this two-parter is going to be a series highlight for me, just like the Hibiki two-parter on Decade.

Yeah, I sorta love how it's all about young adults deciding whether or not to be parents? That's reminiscent of Hibiki's arc on the show, but different enough to feel like it's worth exploring.

INOUE FOREVER.

INOUE FOREVER!

That was a nice touch, for sure.

I think it's the actor who always manages to get me on Kiriya or Yuuto's side. As written, the characters are irritating as hell. But there's a thing the actor does, especially in this Kiriya two-parter, that completely wins me over. It's this flash, where Kiriya's visibly like I Don't Know Why I'm Like This. This sliver of regret and self-loathing that doesn't quite surface, but tinges the performance. It's the merest amount of self-awareness, where Kiriya can hear how off-putting and combative he is, but he can't stop those things from being his response. He doesn't... like, he doesn't want to be the guy who sucks, but he can't figure out how to be anything else.

I think that's a fascinating character to explore.

It's too bad we can't have a Rider Time: Hibiki, to find out what Kiriya's salute would be. ALAS!

I guess one thing that is done to stop measuring up to mentors and see them as perfect and can't live up to them was about how mentors also undergo same suffering as the student, though it was something that is already completed/solved previously and no longer now like Hibiki's timid nature when little. Regarding his academic success (dunno about athletic as he's inferior to Asumu in their training), in school it'd have them be teacher's pet or something, though probably his personality would be off-putting to the teachers despite his success. I guess even when he didn't ask for that or such, there are others who'd care about him in their treatment... like how he never got called out for his behaviors for starters but also Asumu never being hostile to him. Which'd mean he's still blind regarding the care he has received (the part of him becoming Hibiki wasn't really seen, but he really didn't have exceptional results in his training on the series).

There's a stigma that it's probably not the child who saw the parent as unfailing beacons, but it's the society expectation or the parent itself that joined that to force themselves to view the parents that way, or else they'd be demonized as irredeemably insolent. That would be something that is rooted from the outside, but it'd have the child bearing the pressure. Don't know if that can be the one behind the stories that demonize them, but that can be something behind about how they screw up without noticing, with the ones that are more entitled with the parent role and the 'right' role/rep they had, which can make the mistakes even more unnoticeable. I don't know regarding having kids by accident, like from what I know it's more in rarity, or that it's not all public (but has more chance to be than normally marrying each other to get them), about illegitimate childs, 'bastard' childs, or other horrific causes for a child to born, regarding 'kids by accident'. But Blade displayed that, a child can turn into an adult, without an actual effort put to raise them as one (Amane never got reprimanded for anything).

I don't know about 'becoming a hero' part here, is becoming a hero something that should involve becoming a karate bugmen and beating up bad guys? Or if a reputation really decides that person, like Masamune had good reputation among the GENM employees. And being a mentor isn't even necessarily something good as well, cmiiw, but I think being a mentor is about teaching someone something that they want to pass, and it can be anything. Not Kiriya, but there are evil mentors (so it's both mentor and villain), and for closest example in Hibiki, it'd be Shuki who teaches the power of hatred to Akira.

The thing here was that, Woz has development here, at least regarding Sougo to approach him in a better way, after previously always disregarding what Sougo actually wants and wants to forcefully shape Sougo to fit his goal. But by this then, if a character turns better it'd likely reduce Woz's shenanigans that created more drama at the team and put them at the trouble though (but his hammy traits is always there).

I know there has been revisits to previous series, but I don't know about treating each of this as something canon just because it features same characters or Rider gimmicks such (like I wouldn't want to now lump Tezuka as one of the evil Ryuki Riders due to RT Ryuki or such). About Hibiki rubbing off on him and it being victory, though it'd be what's best for Kiriya's outcome, still about treating any future appearence as characters as canon or such. Usually for example, crossovers aren't something canon because obviously it's more of a fanservice to feature 2 different universes together. And sometimes the future appearence of characters can negate character developments to depict a character with the version the audience is used to (well Kiriya's one of the exception), which I feel they did that to Takumi with his foul mouth.

Oof, finals sure has been eating up my time, I haven't been able to rewatch the Hibiki arc until right now. I don't think I even processed much of these two episodes on the inital watch because I was still riding the high of the Agito arc?

Anyway it didn't begin with a musicial number and Sabaki didn't show up to get his ass kicked, 0/10 tribute. But seriously, while not the kind of tribute I personally wanted, it sure is a nice little epilogue for Kiriya. Todoroki showing up all wisened up and cool, but displaying those flashes of awkwardness was also a plus for me.

Anyway I'm so glad I managed to get the school stuff done right before the thread starts EP 35, I've think I've been anticipating this arc since the thread started?

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP33)
(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP34)

I have a really, really deep respect for the story this two-parter decided to tell.

This comparison maybe isn't perfect considering Shirakura's involvement in both Hibiki and Zi-O, but I mention in that old post about 34 how a lot of fans, given the chance to write a similar story, would likely resign Kiriya to some horrible offscreen death as punishment for existing, and there's a very specific place that line of thinking comes from, which is superhero comics. You've got these huge universes full of tons of characters from many different creators, eventually passing from the pens of those original writers and artists to newer ones who, seemingly more often than not, are in that line of work because of their affection for the stories of the old guard. The new creators love those characters... except when they don't. Because sometimes, they'll have it in their head for whatever reason that a certain character is lame, stupid, and/or dumb, and they don't hesitate to let that show in their work. Some forgotten D-list hero will show up in a big crossover, making their first appearance in years just to get killed within a few panels. Minor villains with silly gimmicks will be written as jokes to the point that characters in-universe literally think of them as jokes. Certain supporting characters in a book will be tossed in a bin and stop showing up entirely because that particular creative team doesn't think there's any worth in having them around. And I really don't like that attitude.

This is a dramatic way of putting it, but every fictional character out there, they're someone's child, you know? And there are few things more damaging to a child's development than when nobody is around to believe in their potential. It always feels like such a waste to me when I see something like that in a comic, because I know from countless examples of the opposite happening that, if you're willing to put in the work, even an unpopular character can blossom into one people will look at more fondly.

And if we're on the subject of problem children who need a lot of work, Kyousuke Kiriya fits that description both inside his universe, and out. A character who was already bratty and unlikable by design, who had that effect amplified for the audience by also symbolizing a very high-profile case of executive meddling. Granted, I don't know for sure how exactly fans in Japan look upon him, but I have to imagine that, in general, Kiriya was not a favorite part of Kamen Rider Hibiki for many people. To have him be the crux of Zi-O's tribute to that show, on the surface, seems like an insult. To get that actor back, and specifically have Kiriya be the character we first see him as, instead of the much more beloved one from a much more popular series, it seems like a joke.

But Zi-O decided to look at this weird kid, with all his issues, and it dared to imagine that there might be something human in there worth exploring. A story that could be full of emotion and thematic weight, that would stay true to what Hibiki was about not just in spite of Kiriya's presence, but maybe even *because* he's the one it's about.

I can't help but love that. It helps that I never actually had that much of a distaste for Kiriya to begin with, but I really think these episodes did some amazing, very considered work to elevate him into something more than he maybe was originally. I can't really praise the story itself any better than Die already did, but I can absolutely sit here talking about how beautiful I think these episodes are. Just like the first couple two-parters in this new era of Legend Rider tributes, it's a story that makes it a point to end on the hint of a brighter future ahead for the characters, and yet, part of what makes Zi-O stick with me so much is how much variety it has in what it's doing every couple of weeks. We can have something like the Agito two-parter that gives us bombastic action with characters we already love, and we can also have something like these Hibiki episodes, with strong character drama that asks us to empathize with a character a lot of us most certainly did not love. And as you can no doubt tell from how much I'm gushing right now, I think the results in both cases were pretty darn great.

I've only seen the first two episodes of Hibiki (will get around to that one eventually), so I have no context on who Kiriya is, or why he is despised.

That said, I didn't mind him here, even possibly enjoying him here? But could have definitely used a musical number or two, unless you count Woz drumming like a madman.

Anyway, these episodes were the aired at the very end of the Heisei Era (33 before, 34 after), and I did draw a commemorative Heisei art piece of the Heisei Riders (Kuuga to Zi-O), though I did that on paper so I can't throw that here. It's also funny how Zi-O uses Kuuga's armor at the end of the era.

I liked how Kiriya is a flawed teacher as opposed to Hibiki (the one from the show, sorry it's been too long), and seeing how his armor is white, as if he's incomplete or not completely worthy, but Woz's sub-plot was just a joy to watch, seeing him attempt to become a better butler, when he could just reuse his Happy Birthday from the OOO arc.

Of course, Decade's Hibiki tribute had that one scene that makes his the best Hibiki tribute. Ever.

Todoroki doesn't like him, and blames him for Tsutomu going bad, but I got the overall sense that Kiriya was still out there doing his job as an Oni. He's not As Good As Hibiki Was, which is sort of what this story is talking about, but he's probably taken out a Makamou or two.

Sabaki was unable to appear in this tribute because he was too busy taking out four other Another Oni, as well as seven Makamou, and a few dozen Grongi for good measure. YOU'RE WELCOME, JAPAN!

This will probably not surprise you, but I much prefer the Hibiki approach to the Agito approach. I like when Zi-O's willing to grapple with messy conclusions and complicated characters. Having a two-parter that's basically Shouichi Is Awesome... I mean, yeah, he is, absolutely. I love that dude! But I'd've been over the moon if it'd been a story about Hikawa's imposter syndrome, or Ozawa's struggles with male-dominated professions, or how long Ryou's indefatigable pessimism can really last, or or or. I like stories where Legends teach our cast something; I love stories where our cast teaches Legends something.

There are precious few musical numbers in the full Hibiki series! Like, that opening one, and that's sort of it? It was always weird to me that the show with Riders who use musical instruments never felt much like a Musical show.

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 35 - “2008 - FIRST LOVE, WAKE UP!”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio35a.png

We’re now in our third straight story based on an Inoue series, but this is the first one he’s written for the Zi-O series proper. With Inoue himself at the helm for this Kiva celebration, you can count on a few things:

-We are immediately going to be talking about how systems inherently fail the individual.
-We are also going to be talking about how people let down by systems invariably end up designing similarly-unhelpful replacement systems that reflect their own biases, rather than dreaming of something better.
-It’s going to be horny.

And, boy, three for three! Add in a final act that has absolutely nothing to do with our main story (the antagonist literally watches for a while and then walks off!) and you’ve got a thrillingly nonsensical episode that everyone but me probably hated.

Dunno where the next episode goes, but it’s looking like Jirou’s all we’re going to get for the Legend appearance in this story, give or take the Arms Monster suits. (Very cool to see them all again!) Even Mal d’Amour got redecorated, which made for a funny scene. But it means that we’re really doing a Kiva-influenced tribute, instead of Zi-O’s more straightforward Celebrity Guest-Star arcs.

With that in mind, I thought this episode was pretty much in the Kiva wheelhouse? Yuko’s 100% the kind of character Wataru would become smitten with, especially if he could fondly reminisce about a formative crush. Kiva was always about love as a Big Feeling, and it makes sense to honor that by having Sougo get suddenly and irrevocably horny. Just turned on from the jump, with his loathed-by-Geiz flashback crush and his tacky pie-as-sexual-awakening metaphor.

Yuko’s an interesting foil for Sougo in this one, because it sort of interrogates the usual Daddy Issues orphan-angle stuff of Kamen Rider by having Sougo crush on a woman ten years older than him. There’s something seriously Oedipal in Sougo’s attraction to Yuko – his flashback story is all about her maternally caring for him, soothing his fear, etc. It’s… I don’t want to say It’s Weird, because sexual attraction as a teenager can be a messy web to disentangle, and it’s not helpful to shame a fictional character for trying to understand how his psychology informs his sexuality. But it’s a little weird!

Besides the Mommy Issues aspect, Yuko’s also a woman who wants to be a queen, so we’ve got that obvious opposition to deal with. She’s significantly less conflicted about her power than Sougo is about his; she looks at Ora as merely the delivery-person for her power, not anyone to thank or respect. She’s sort of the product of an unjust system (maybe?), but she’s also someone who assumes that the universe isn’t just until it operates according to her sense of justice. It’s not Sougo’s sense of fair play, where everyone should get to feel like they’ve got a shot at happiness. It’s just selfishness, where the world working for Yuko means the world must work for everyone.

(Nowhere for it but this parenthetical: I love Yuko’s whole Evil Ace Attorney thing, where she goes YOU’RE GUILTY and does that Phoenix Wright sideways finger-gun pose. It’s shot so perfectly.)

Geiz is suitably annoyed at Sougo’s lusty confidence in an escaped convict’s string of attacks on the same legal profession he was all I Salute Your Service about earlier, which shows that this episode understands the swing it’s taking. The Time Orphans in particular are a good audience surrogate in this one, rolling their eyes at how Sougo’s empathy now seems to generate exclusively from his Ziku Driver Area. But Inoue’s all about big swings, and I’m interested in how he’s going to square up the obvious pitfalls of this premise.

Also, the entire story stops dead so Kamen Rider Ginga can appear in Kamen Rider Quarry, kick three Riders worth of crap out of Zi-O Trinity, and then go to a cliffhanger. I don’t– I don’t really feel like talking about this part? The direction was super fun, but even for Inoue this was some tonal incoherence. We’re in the middle of a story about Sougo falling for a femme fatale, and then suddenly Team Zi-O, Heure, and Ora are watching some flying saucer-themed Rider (nice Saga reference; I see you, Inoue!) walk out of a meteor and start blowing everything up? What? Why was this happening at all, let alone in the last four minutes of a Kiva tribute?

But, man, even that didn’t keep me from enjoying this episode. It’s overheated, and light on Legends, and heavy on incongruent superheroics, but I still thought it was a total blast. Just a delight to watch.

Inoue Forever!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio35b.png

Wake up! It's Episode 35!

-We're back in Inoueland!

-Unlike most of the other tributes, I had no idea what I wanted out of a Kiva tribute(To me, the show itself was mostly a total mess with the occasional fleck of gold inside), so I'm glad this is a tribute where where the returning stuff is pretty light? That being said, sure is a shame we couldn't either Taiga's or Wataru's actors for this, with the whole King thing n all.....

-I can't believe we've been letting Die call Sougo Kamen Rider Puppy Dog, when he's been a cat this entire time?!

-Lots of good gags this episode. Uncle's eyebags, the manhole, everyone spending that first chunk of the episode with pie on their face! Swartz licking his ice cream Like That while staring at Yuko feels like a joke ripped from Kiva, ngl.

-Speaking of Yuko? What a delightful antagonist, straight from that wild introduction. I often forget Characters of The Week's almost immediately aside from whatever issue they had, but I think the sight of that red heel stopping that car in place with a scowl might be burned into my brain? Her actress is really killing it in this one, I suppose.

-I prefer Another Kiva in its concept art than the actual suit, something about it just feels off?

-Oh hey, it's Jiro! And he referenced the weird time door in Castle Doran! That's nice.

-Everything about Ginga is hilarious. We're buliding up Another Kiva, getting to know what's up with her, and then BOOM ALIEN RIDER DESCENDS TO START THE APOCALYPSE. Combined with the fact it's a kitbash of Mage/Fourze-Meteor Fusionstates thats looks more cute than actually threathening, and Zi-O Trinity's amusing attempts to fight back, it's just a bizzare twist that smacks you upside the head? (And hey! He's also voiced by Tomokazu Sugita, who voiced Kivat! Isn't that neat?)

Honestly, Ginga would have felt more appropriate for the next set of episodes. For the story I'm writing I plan on pushing the Fourze arc back and having Ginga as a sort of back to back arc with it. But like, everything surrounding Ginga feels like it would work later. Like they should've just switched episodes arcs. And yet... it's seriously hilarious and also just very much in Inoue's wheelhouse of not giving a crap about toy related stuff?

Cause like next episode preview basically tells you what you're getting into and us getting a fourth Future Rider suddenly absolutely means this is somehow related to a Woz adjacent toy. I also seem to remember them playing this arc up with a bit more fanfare than usual? Like I recall special elongated episode previews and stuff and well... the Ginga stuff is honestly hilarious in the grand scheme of things. That bit with Geiz wanting to do the thing, and Sougo not knowing what said thing is while Woz calls Geiz out on being vague is like peak Trinity Form for me. Complete with Tsukuyomi calling it out as a mess.

Anyway the Kiva parts were pretty great? Like I don't get why Sougo is just super horny now but hey you know what, sure why not? Like I wouldn't say this is a perfect episode and this definitely harkens back to the earlier episodes in Zi-O but this episode still works for me and I enjoy it decently. There's just a lot of fun little things in here and I really do enjoy Another Kiva and her manhole cover throwing prowess (that scene was incredible btw). Also just Sougo having for some reason, a flashback to 2008 with the classic sad Kiva violin music just playing in the background? Real good.

Anyway so for BGM stuff we continue to have the Kiva and Ginga Next Episode Preview themes as the replacements. Kamen Rider Ginga himself is voiced by the dude who voiced Kivat I believe, but for the sake of the BGM connection was also the voice of Ultraman Ginga. Needless to say many Ultraman Ginga jokes were made when this aired.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 36 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlZ_fJboUOU

This is a thing I bring up in every Inoue thread, how great he writes the monsters/victims/victim-monsters of the week, but I'm going to just plant my big dumb fan flag and say that Inoue is maybe the best MOTW writer in Heisei Rider. He has the unerring ability to quickly sketch out a compelling story that's thematically looped into the series themes, progressing the overall emotional arc for the recurring cast while still resolving the guest star's hardship. Honestly, he's maybe better at that than any other part of his job?

They even did the 86/08 transition screens!!!

I laughed the hardest at the first Sougo Has Known Love Scene. It comes totally out of the blue, which has everyone going Wait Since When Were You In Love, and then Sougo's like I Am A Grown Man, and then proceeds to tell a story about him as a small boy having a crush on a teenager he never saw again. It's this perfect swerve, with Sougo trying to rebut Tsukuyomi's claims of him being childish by telling a story from when he was an actual child.

So great.

Also!

Sougo's story about falling for Yuko was a story about PUPPY LOVE! I was right all along!

diku driver

reported to mods

We are in the first part of this arc, so of course the Inoue-isms aren't strong yet. But I like how much presence Another Kiva gives, she's a lot more different compared to the other Another Riders where she just reins in the fangires and even gets Ora mad, but maybe it's not that hard to get her mad. She even throws manholes!

And we get a bit of backstory on Sougo where he was smitten by a high school girl and that girl also happened to be this convict. Woah, Inoue. I have to agree that Inoue does best with MOTW stories, there's something about how he writes characters that makes them sing, ya know?

And then Ginga shows up. That's pretty weird, honestly. Dunno why he's here, but I'm guessing toy schedules and what not. He is very cool tho. He's voiced by Tomokazu Sugita whom is most known for Gintoki from Gintama. And for me, Dr. Roman from FGO.

Next episode umbrella-isms and Woz's final form

I feel like they're already pretty strong? No one got amnesia by being thrown into a river, but, like, the first scene is someone being ground up by an uncaring system! That's some top-shelf Inoue right there!

And, yeah, so many fun details to Yuko, which is another of Inoue's specialties. Yuko has this amazing ability to read people, similar to Sougo's, but hers is more analytical; removed. She picks up all these little clues and uses them to break people apart. Really cool villain.

Well, apparently Inoue is enough of an event that I have two of these pictures.

Armour Time! Bite! Kiva!

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...KivaArmor.webp

Finish Time! Kiva! Wake Up Time Break!

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...KivaWakeUp.jpg

And I’ll just say, you can tell right away this is a different beast to the usual fare. Not only does the Uncle actually get to fix a watch, but the usual music gets replaced with a maudlin piano track for much of the episode.

So, as has been mentioned, Ginga is a homage to Ultraman Ginga, another Tokusatsu anniversary series (though his gimmick is closer to Decade’s than Zi-O’s, in that he has to shift into an iconic monster before assuming his base form). He appears here solely because Ginga’s titular character (and also its main antagonist) share a VA with Kivat.

Anyway, enough explanations, on with the showing off of the toys, starting with a comparison between the 4 Mirai Driver variants and the corresponding Miridewatches (As one person put it, clearly the Beyondriver doesn’t care to homage the original finishers, like the Ziku Driver)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=V-riPhILsnc

And now, to contrast with GeizRevive clashing with Geiz’s digital watch theme by being an hourglass, the Ginga Miridewatch compliments the Beyondriver’s camera motif by being a reel of film, with one form for each of regular Ginga’s finishers.

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

‘The burning sun, countless planets, this faraway space is my garden. Kamen Rider Ginga’

And to complete the reference, I went with Ginga’s OP (the actual one, not the foreign DVD replacement. The only place you’ll hear this in show is on TV-N’s subs) Legend of Galaxy - Ginga no Hasha https://youtube.com/watch?v=9SzV8Vxx...53PYhmohBO-mt_

Next time: Iwae! The strongest in the galaxy, GingaFinaly (yes, that is officially how it is spelt)

I also quite enjoyed this episode, to tell you (I'd also confess that some of my favorite commercial in TV are the bizzare funny ones). This ain't something like RT Ryuki (you'd be quite mistaken for what to count for Inoue things that can inspire hate there other than 50/50 the horny one, it'd be about Inoue being overly edgy but especially about what's written in novels), and for me personally, there aren't really any OOC moments here (other than Sougo likely turning more stupid in his judgment) so that's good, including those being done for comedy; being comedy doesn't mean it's not OOC like Kaitou causing trouble by his funny actions (o̶f̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶y̶i̶,̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶q̶u̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶g̶l̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶p̶r̶a̶i̶s̶e̶ ̶T̶e̶z̶u̶k̶a̶ ̶t̶u̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶r̶a̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶a̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶p̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶p̶r̶a̶i̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶t̶o̶s̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶i̶n̶s̶,̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶l̶y̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶K̶i̶b̶a̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶). The one that can earn 'everyone hate' regarding your list is the horny one (either being seen as creepy or derogatory-memed like Kusaka having oedipus complex to Mari) though probably this one I don't hear it, probably this one's not on that extreme stuff so more tolerable. Yuko's actually is one of the more popular MOTW in Zi-O too, the other one is Rentarou (so give that one credit too... though not rewarded in proper way if RT Shinobi is like that).

Well hehe, Yuko's still shrouded in mystery in general, so I can't talk more about what about her yet, but kinda glad too that Yuko's not immediately seen as good here for her intentions (if it's "evil ace attorney"), her fun character, or how the protagonist (Sougo) views her while also being someone who knows her more compared to the others. But if she's already rightfully seen as bad here, then I gotta tell that it's still just the beginning too. Other than probably being comedic, I actually like about how Yuko's a creative fighter that makes use of everything she can around her to get upper hand? Manhole cover? It's a really effective weapon! It can be used as a shield, and it's effective enough as a bashing weapon or throwing weapon. My argument's the same as how Hibiki makes use of musical instruments as weapons. Her fighting against Time Jackers, specifically Ora, ain't about her being actually good to fight off cruel villains or being undercover as "Queen", but it's about how she has little regards to anyone for her superiority complex as a "Queen", actually is 'ungrateful' to the Time Jackers.

This shows about Geiz changing too. Preivously he'd be more similar to Yuko, that's probably still a stretch, but about him being more merciless, about how Geiz would eliminate anyone he perceives as evil like Another Rider simply for being Another Rider. But now, Geiz won't approve on extreme law enforcement (and that's only the surface of Yuko for now), speaking up against eliminating subjects. Other than that, while Sougo does have dumb and naive traits, here his love for Yuko makes him dumb in his judgment and manipulative abilities too, he shuts off his brain and believes every word she says. When usually Sougo's the one that actually gulls other people despite his outwardly silliness. Here Sougo also has a genuinely naive view (dunno if this is OOC as this probably isn't love related but the job in general) about how lawyers are inherently good due to what's expected of them alone. I'd think a person/character shouldn't be judged by their job/occupation alone, either elevating them as beacons of goodness simply due to taking jobs that are seen as heroic or being scums for not taking those jobs.

I'd say that Ginga's showing is cool though, he actually makes use of his abilities well and it fits his galaxy theme (as per the name 'Ginga'). And though for above, Sougo is the one that is ridiculous in this episode, as Zi-O Trinity, turns out that the other males are no better than Sougo too, they actually can't use Trinity right with constant arguing that even reduces their effectiveness. For this one, Tsukuyomi's the one that rolls her eyes about how incompetent her comrades are, though well, potentially infuriating that she's "useless" compared to the others as she isn't a Rider for now and she cannot come close into doing as good as bickering Zi-O Trinity towards Ginga, thus has no "right" to complain about the actual Riders.

The Kiva episodes would have been my choice if we’d done the “TN Watches” format for Zi-O. I have a deep-seated ironic love for them that comes around so full-circle that it becomes unironic. Unfortunately, I can’t really go into the nuts and bolts of that affection yet, because so much of it is based on stuff from the second half. What I can say now is that while I intensely dislike the set-up being based on Sougo’s intense love for the girl that has never once been mentioned in 34 episodes, one movie, and lots of bonus content, Yuko is still my favorite Another Rider in the entire series. It’s not even a close contest, she is streets ahead of all the others, even Amane.

I don't think that I got he was an Ultraman reference? I thought maybe they just shared a name. So thanks for clearing that up!

I think it's also that, like, Kiva is The Horny Show. Even if you don't like it as a tone, you can't really do a Kiva tribute and not have a main cast member get all hornt up.

She's really great! There's some great physicality to her character, even before she henshins into Another Kiva. She stops a car with her foot!

It's amazing to me that Yuko is so compelling and fleshed-out in one episode, but Another Zi-O had four episodes and I can't even remember that kid's name. Some real night-and-day stuff when it comes to building out a short-run adversary.

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP35)

Hey, so this episode continues to make it a point to reuse music from the earlier show it's paying tribute to, which means that I might as well take the opportunity to do this again, for old times' sake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UrczEdSezE

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

These were the two I caught skimming back through the episode, and someone at Toei clearly has very good taste to pick tracks from the second volume of Kiva's soundtrack. Lots of real good stuff on that one, but then, it's not like Tsuneyoshi Saitou's score for Kiva was ever anything but excellent.

...That being said, they unfortunately seemed to balance it out by using a lot of stock music, which, I mean, that's fine and all -- stock music exists for a reason -- but I've gotten to a point where I can usually pick that stuff out as not belonging immediately, and it takes me out of the story a bit. Totally just a me problem, though.

But yeah, as for the episode itself, it's the beginning of another really special and exciting two-parter I'm going to wait for Die to finish before really diving into my thoughts about. Before I say anything else though, I really am glad Inoue was allowed to do a couple episodes of the big final Heisei Rider show, because there's an argument to be made that it's not really Heisei Rider without the guy. Sure, okay, he stayed away from TV after Decade, but up to that point, he had written episodes for literally every Heisei show except Den-O, and with Zi-O doing this whole block of episodes spotlighting the first half of the era, you couldn't pick a better time to bring him in.

And hey, while they were at it, we even have our old pal Naoki Tamura (TV Asahi) back directing two episodes for the first time since... uh, well, two of Ex-Aid he did, apparently, but most of his Rider work was also from earlier on, including quite a few episodes of Faiz and a couple of Kiva, so that's a connection to Inoue, I guess. He's not someone I can immediately define the style of, but I have really liked the visuals in episodes by him, and since I skimmed through the episode, I can back up Die and say that Yuuko's finger-pointing is indeed pretty magnificent.

Him and Kobayashi are really the two voices I most associate with Heisei Phase 1. She was the one who wondered if you could do a show where there were a bunch of Riders who didn't all get along, and he was the one who said Yes Yes That That. Inoue brought a fun combination of emotional ambiguity and melodramatic lunacy to Kobayashi's template of curiosity and empathy. It's really not a proper Phase 1 celebration without at least one of them putting their fingerprint on it.

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 36 - “2019 - FIRST LOVE, FINALLY!”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio36a.png

Yuko’s maybe the ideal character for an Inoue Heisei tribute. She’s messy. She’s shockingly cruel. She’s contradictory. Everything she does is according to her whims, and then she constructs a flimsy justification afterwards. Her ending doesn’t make a ton of sense. But she somehow ends up being memorable both in spite of and because of her flaws.

Like, Inoue Forever.

This wasn’t the best Inoue episode, despite maybe being the definitive Inoue episode. All of the major elements land, for the most part, but this story lurches between tones with a clumsiness that makes me wonder if this wasn’t supposed to be a three-parter and got cut down. Every moment this episode veered away from Yuko it felt like Inoue was blaming us for it, and so he punished us with the Ginga subplot. The end beat for this story is trying to balance pessimism with optimism, and I’m not sure it gets the mix right?

It mostly did. The death of Yuko is tragic, but it’s… like, the twist of Yuko not even being Sailor Girl makes the conclusion kind of difficult to parse. The episode wants to have its apple pie, eat it, and also have Yuri from Kiva come back for an unconnected guest appearance. (Which: HOLY SHIT! YURI! Such a perfect button for this episode!) We get to have Sougo lose his innocence a bit, but also have his childhood crush not be a murderer. The point isn’t really about Yuko or Yuri or whoever. It’s not really about the women, because Sougo doesn’t even know them. It’s about him loving an idea, and that idea dying… but also that idea never being gone for good?

Like, it’s a Kiva story, so it’s about Love. Sougo’s experience of love isn’t really a reciprocal one, because this isn’t that story. This one’s about him getting to feel heartbreak, to know that it can happen, and then learning that it’s not the end of his capacity for love. First heartbreak… man, that’s what it feels like! It feels like everything in you that can have faith and love in another person is wrung out, obliterated. But, you know, it isn’t. It could take a minute, or a month, or a year, or a decade. But it isn’t ever really the end of love, because that’s not how love works. It just comes back, blooming, renewed.

Yuko’s character wasn’t the point of Sougo’s story, but she was still an amazing one. A character who can justify any action by it being what they felt like at that moment? Boy, that gives you a lot of options as a storyteller. She can leave people to die, save them later, try to kill Sougo, die proclaiming his heroism, and it all plays as one person’s psychology. Nothing she did across this two episode stretch felt out of character or poorly motivated. It’s just, like, that’s Yuko. She’s a crazy lady who does whatever makes her happy. That’s pretty interesting to watch!

Less interesting was all of the Kamen Rider Ginga stuff, which: hoo boy. Dumbest subplot ever for an Inoue story? Maybe! Ginga falls out of the sky, goes on a rampage, and then gets detonated by Woz, resulting in a new powerup. It’s insultingly stupid, without even the Eff The Fans charm of someone just whipping the Ginga Miridewatch at Woz’z head. Ginga’s motivation is nowhere. Even as an entropy enthusiast, he just sort of wanders around, randomly blowing up causeways. His participation in this story is completely incoherent.

The episode can’t even keep the continuity of Ginga’s appearances coherent. There’s a bit where Woz and Swartz are fighting Ginga, and Ginga goes into some cocoon. Multiple scenes happen, clearly denoting that time is passing. Then Ginga breaks out of his cocoon, and Woz and Swartz are standing right where they were when the cocoon formed. Were– were they just standing there for a solid day?! Did the two of them go their separate ways and then rush back, just in time for Ginga to bust loose? It’s lazy writing/directing/editing/production, but so is everything else about Ginga.

But, just like last time, I kinda love how sloppy and stupid this episode could be, even as it created something singular in Sougo’s crushed crush. It’s never just Good or Bad with Inoue, and that’s so fun to experience. It’s like love, you know? It’s good, until it’s bad, but it's always worth the effort.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio36b.png

Having only seen a few episodes of Kiva, I can't speak as to whether or not the Kiva elements were done well or not in these two episodes.

What I can say though is that yes, these two episodes were very Inoue in that he almost had me, until he made a massive screwup at the end which soured practically the entire thing for me and has me come out it saying I wasn't much of a fan.

And that screw up was Another Kiva. The tale of someone screwed over by the legal system and actually being an innocent out for revenge was a great hook for an Another Rider, only for the story at the last minute going "Haha just kidding, she's actually crazy and the legal system has no flaws."

Took me completely out of it and soured the entire experience.

Add onto that how Another Kiva can just summon the retainers for no reason and Wolf Boy doesn't really give much of a reason for fighting Sogo, and then just peaces out once giving Sogo the Ridewatch, thus implying the whole conflict was pointless anyway, and I didn't get really much of anything out of these outside of the manhole cover scenes, which were funny.

I do wish Ginga had had his own two-parter too, since a villainous Future Rider is in itself an interesting premise that unfortunately has nothing behind it. Heck, as much crap as I gave Hiryu, he atleast had a reason for existing and being around outside of just handing out a new toy.

In the end, pretty much no appeal for me when it came to these two episodes.

Given the contents of next arc, you'd think they would've swapped Kiva's arc with that given that aside from Fourze, Ginga would actually mesh well with the upcoming stuff? Especially given Woz Ginga Finaly uh... it's debut is rather short and not much here.

That being said, I sorta love how out of place and silly is like just his attack names are incredibly funny too "GALACTIC GINGA!" and "DYNAMITE SUNSHINE!" being yelled out randomly was pretty great.

I also love how seemingly Kiva was Ginga's counter because Another Kiva was the only one able to touch Ginga before the triple finisher? Like was it cause of the whole moon thing Kiva has going on and Ginga having to hibernate if the sun isn't out, is that why?

Anyway, Yuko definitely is like the star of this show and absolutely the best/most memorable Another Rider purely because of how absurd she is. Not to mention how commanding of a presence she has to where like, everyone has to be subservient to even get her to consider to help against Ginga. Which was also a funny scene last episode where he just blasts her in a big explosion but like 2 minutes later she's fine and just watching casually? Also again, her having a manhole cover as a gimmick was great and I already loved Japanese fans putting up fake posters of P-Bandai Another Kiva Manhole cover.

Overall, not my favorite episodes and I feel they break the streak the other episodes had going for them. But they were definitely entertaining enough to where I could ignore the oddities surrounding them tbh.

Next time though, meteors, space, old characters coming back? Time for a double dose of BGM Swap with the Kabuto Preview BGM and Decade Preview BGM. In this case I prefer the Kabuto-centric BGM Swap.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 37 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRGq0FxcwSM

I don't... I don't think a guy that wrote a bunch of Kitaoka stories in Ryuki thinks of the legal system as a perfectly functioning machine. It's not really an Inoue thing in general, to view a system as a societal good?

Beyond that, I really don't think the point of this was to create a sympathetic victim that dies tragically as a result of her need for vengeance. I think it's a story about how Sougo's need to see people as their best selves is tested by someone who wasn't really worthy of his support, but he was still right to offer that support.

Literally the only Another Rider (to date) I would buy a figure of. And she has to have the manhole cover!!!

Finally! It's Episode 36!

-The second half of this arc is so wildly bizarre that it's hard to know where to begin! But like? Insane melodrama? Wild wedding scene? That lovely violin piece being everywhere? That sure is Kiva!

-Slightly wish we got a bit more of Jiro, especially when our two other returning cast members are playing new characters? That line of his being so damn good and reminding me of the one thing I enjoyed about Kiva(Wataru struggling to come into his own through trials and whatnot) makes up for it though.

-Got a real good laugh from Yuko beating that girl over the head with a manhole. Truly a iconic character.

-My favorite gag from the episode has to be the one where they bow to Yuko and Sougo essentially pushes Geiz's face into the concrete.

-It's hard to rank this episode. While I wouldn't call it a great arc, they sure do nail evoking Kiva's vibes, and the overall tone is so bizarre that I can't help but laugh all the way through?

Both Geiz and Ora needing to be dragged into compliance by their respective factions because they're The Contrary Ones was delightful, but my favorite gag in this episode was probably the very quick "Can I call you Sailor Girl?"/"You may not" exchange between Sougo and Yuko.

It might not be what Inoue thinks, but it is how the story itself came across to me, intentional or not.

Not even what I'm getting at. We've seen all of the Another Riders survive despite getting blown up anyway, and even if they had gone the route I wanted, her going around harming others was still very clearly in the wrong, so it's not like taking her down was at all unjustified. Her dying was not at all a requirement, Ora or no.

And it came at the cost of a hook that I found far more interesting, which is my main problem. Yes, even if that was what the story was ultimately going for, that doesn't mean that I felt it was executed in the best way. Similar to the Ryuki tribute. It's just a shame, more than anything.

I want to say about the Hibiki two-parter that I liked and still like those episodes and think they're decent and well-done. I never cared for Kiriya or most things from the second half of Hibiki, but it makes sense to me for this tribute to use the elements it did, and it resulted in a perfectly servicable MOTW plot. I go back and forth on whether I like it more than the Agito one, because 31-32 had a lot of above average action that hit all my nostalgia buttons, but 33-34 actually had, well, a story.

As for this 35-36, uh... It definitely made me think of Kiva, for sure. Between really awkward and verging on uncomfortable 'romance' tropes, and zero attempt to integrate the new toy. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Inoue wasn't intentionally trying to invoke the theme of Kiva, but rather he was just doing whatever he wanted as always, and this is the result. It rather appropriately felt similar to watching the latter parts of Rider Time Ryuki as well except more PG and with mostly OCs instead of returning characters. (I mean Sougo is basically a completely different person in this two-parter).

Just a stray thought, but I feel like if it was possible, Inoue would have had Yuri's actress take the role of Another Kiva and have the audience wondering if she was the same character, before 'tragically' revealing otherwise!

But yeah, these episodes were pointedly ridiculous. They're memorable for sure, but I'm not feeling any particular desire to like, analyse or think about them once they're done airing.

Oh yeah, and Kamen Rider Woz has a new power up! I actually don't blame Inoue at all for its nothing-debut here, but rather I blame the fact that the show is so committed to having these Legacy Rider two-parters in the first place : P Also the fact that, Inoue here is a guest writer. So like, why should he be expected to write around the new toy?

But I still can't help but be wistful a different world where we got a stretch of episodes that was actually about Woz, and Ginga, and probably brings in the other Future Riders one last time, for a new form debut that meant anything.

Ginga was pretty unpopular when the show aired for a lot of these reasons. He just shows up out of nowhere with no explanation, has no backstory, and then gets defeated. Compared to Shinobi, Quiz, and Kikai he's incredibly half-assed.

And that is why I love him.

There are two things that make me adore these episodes so much and Ginga is one of them. This is, after all, the Kiva tribute arc, and what is more Kiva than a new power-up randomly showing up with no explanation? Ginga is some Shodoran/Tatsulot-level bullshit and I am 1000% here for it. The only thing that would make this a better homage to Kiva was if Woz never used or mentioned it again after this episode.

The other thing I love is, of course, Yuko. I have no issues with the plot twist of Yuko really being an unhinged murderer. Actually, I kind of love it. I cannot hate on how committed she is to her shtick. So her boyfriend has left her for another woman and she grabs the nearest heavy, blunt object she find to kill this woman. I get it; that makes perfect logical sense. But the fact that it's a manhole cover is really funny. The fact that in the future she continues to use manhole covers as her weapon of choice is goddamn hilarious. There is something just so purely delightful about her adherence to that one specific weapon that just absolutely makes this episode for me.

Beware the woman in a red dress. There's a reason it's red.

I watched this when it aired with a straight face and leaning to the screen. And when it ended, my take away was just clapping. Bravo Inoue. Yuko was brilliant, she captures the screen every time she shows up. Her, not the Another Kiva suit. That one's a little "Eh" to me in terms of design. She is probably one of my well-liked Another Rider characters, see I said character because in terms of design Another Wizard is my favorite.

I wanna bring up a specific scene in this episode that had me rolling in laughter tho. Specifically was in the one where they talk about marriage. In the subs I watched, she says: "We will fill the world with our children." and that was just so absurd and hilarious! However, I feel as tho this episode or this entire arc basically fueled a portion of Okuno Sou's career to appear alongside older women. At least, that's what I understood looking at his Twitter with all these pics of him alongside older women! Sougo the MILF-hunter!

Next episode features Kabuto and this takes me back. I was in Japan during that week, so I was able to catch it live on a Japanese TV during the time. So, the Kabuto arc holds a special place to my heart.

Edit: on the screenshot below, the subs I also had at the time had it so that Yuko tells Sougo to "Be the umbrella of mankind." which I feels works a lot better in context to what the two were talking about. Yuko was just another stepping stone to Sougo's path to kingship, but she was a stone with lustre.

https://i.imgur.com/EhJh2Y9.jpg