KAMEN RIDER BLADE - SERIES WRAP-UP

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THE THEMES:

Kamen Rider Blade is a show about failure.

(Real quick note about themes in art: they're very subjective! I definitely subscribe to the Death Of The Author school of criticism, where the author's intentions are as valid as the audience's interpretations. There's what the author meant to say, and then there's what they said, and those can be two different things. Also, shows can have a lot of different themes! This is an interpretation, not the answer to a question!)

It's about failure as an inevitability, and the idea that how we respond to those failures defines us as people.

Kamen Rider Blade opens with two significant failures. Kenzaki fails in saving BOARD from Tachibana, and Tachibana fails himself by destroying BOARD. Narratively, the shock finale to the first episode of Blade is to throw us in the deep end, shake up our expectations. Thematically, it's to prepare us for a limitless number of setbacks.

Kenzaki's origin is about failure, and how that failure haunted him. He couldn't save his parents, so as an adult he tries to save everyone. Tachibana is a failure engine, constantly letting himself and his friends down. Mutsuki fails throughout the series, putting power ahead of the reason to have power, leading to the deaths of several mentors. Hajime fails… well, Hajime fails at the end, and that's the point of almost all of this failure.

Hajime can't keep the power of the Joker buried. He fails to save himself, fails to keep the people he loves safe, fails to hold off the apocalypse. But Kenzaki's there to help him, to lift him back up and give him another chance.

That's what the whole series is about, what's demonstrated over and over. (Mostly with Tachibana.) Failure isn't the end of a story. It could be the middle, like with Tachibana's various screw-ups. It could be the very beginning, like with this show. But it's not the end, as long as you're willing to get up and try again. Because life isn't scaling a mountain, where failure drops you to the ground. It's a path, and failure could just be stumbling for a moment before you start moving again.

Kenzaki represents the optimism of help, of assistance. Hajime can't really fail for good as long as Kenzaki is there to help him, to shoulder some of the burden. Hajime's failure doesn't define him, because people like Kenzaki are out there rooting for him, cheering on his happiness. (Nozomi fills the same role for Mutsuki. Dr Ladyfriend filled that role for Tachibana, and probably always will. The whole cast fills that role for Kenzaki.) It's a way of looking at failure as a learning experience, a thing to not wallow in or ignore, but acknowledge and overcome.

The Sealing Stone is the inevitability of failure. Everyone fails at something at some point. You can't destroy failure. You can't run from it. It's going to happen, eventually. All you can do is understand it when it happens, and count on your friends to help you through it. Or, if you see someone who's failed, offer to help, offer them another chance.

The various villains, the bosses, they're the ways society will pigeonhole you for your shortcomings, try to leverage those deficiencies as something only they can fix. Every boss in the show knows better, can fix what's wrong with you, or doesn't believe in you. Your failures are stains that they can scrub off, or reasons why you don't belong. Triumphing over them is owning your losses, using them to become a better version of yourself.

There's a reason why every Rider on this show is so weird and damaged. It's to show kids (and adults like Tachibana!) that it's no sin to fail. Everyone does. How we process failure, what it becomes fuel for, that's what separates villains from heroes.

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Obviously, there are a lot more themes to discuss from this series. There's Fighting Against Fate, which is by far the most prominent theme in the series. There's Power Without Morality Is Worthless, a theme that comes up around the villains, but also around Tachibana and Mutsuki. There's Grief And Mortality, which is a big theme of the first-third. All big themes! All worth discussing! Failure, though, that's the one that I thought was unique to this show. Feel free to chime in about these or any ones I've missed!

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THE GOOD:

-KENZAKI. He's an outstanding lead. I've often referred to him as A Very Sweet Boy, and like, that's his whole thing. I don't want to call him uncomplicated, because that sounds like a passive-aggressive way of saying he's uninteresting, but I think the show was smart to have Kenzaki be (relative to the rest of the cast) pretty fully-formed when the show starts. He's a hero, through and through. There's a lot that's in the writing (that whole Be The Hero The World Doesn't Have speech he gives Umi!), but the performance is so winning, so charming. It's so easy to root for Kenzaki, to invest in the things he cares about. He's a very fun character to go on a journey with, played by a great actor. Speaking of!

-CASTING. Killer, killer lineup on this show. Bit parts like Nozomi and Shima shine due to smart actors finding clever ways into stock roles. Tiger Queen brings rage and gravitas to a short arc. Kotaro and Hirose handle whatever's thrown at them in compelling, grounded ways. The core Riders are all fantastic, for different reasons. Kenzaki, as noted, a very sweet boy. Hajime, giving an edge to his performance that never obscured his innate decency. Mutsuki, frustration and self-loathing that was always watchable. And Tachibana, a mountain of memes that got sculpted into a character by some bizarre acting choices. For the heroic side of the show, they hired some smart, smart people.

-DESIGN. I really like the suits on this show. Garren and Blade have a vague Utilitarian feel to them, something it seems like an organization would design and hand out. Leangle comes off as a more regal version, a little outside and above the BOARD Riders. And Chalice! Gorgeous suit. The monsters, overall, equally impressive. Nothing on this show was my favorite of all-time, but everything looked pretty cool. I'm not asking for more than that on a Kamen Rider program, sometimes!

-THE FINALE. It's probably the first and last thing I'd use to defend Blade to folks that don't care for it. Incredibly confident writing that's comfortable with a bittersweet send-off. Not every show is! Folks've invested a year of their time, they're never going to see most of these characters ever again, you maybe want to give them some joy. Blade decides that it's as important to give them some sorrow, so that the joy feels more precious. It's the absolute right move, and it makes for a top-shelf finale.

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THE BAD:

-VILLAINS. Even if I want to ascribe some thematic importance to the villains on the show, it doesn't in any way make them more interesting. I found nearly every villain impossibly dull, with motivations that never stretched beyond Be More Powerful and Win Battle Fight. There are a couple cool one-offs that had clever performances, but the main motivations for the bosses on this series were so poorly conceived. It's fine if the show feels there's more story to be told by examining the ways the Rider cast fails, but they needed to make sure that the boss characters had enough going on to be worth the cast's attention. I never got that feeling, and it definitely drags the show down. Easily the biggest flaw on the show, and one that's too major to forgive.

-FAILURE AS A THEME IS MAYBE NOT WORTH EXPLORING. I mean, I really like Failure as a theme. I really like a story that tells you it's okay to screw up, so long as you never stop trying. But good lord does this show test your patience with how much of an absolute disaster Tachibana is, followed immediately by how much of a disaster Mutsuki is. It's a grind to watch. It's salvaged (for me) by a few good speeches, and some pretty compelling acting, but I can't get mad at anyone who found one-half of the Riders to be a waste of their time. Fifty percent! That's an awful lot of the story to be pissed off at!

-WHITHER HIROSE AND KOTARO. Jesus Christ, does this show just forget about Hirose and Kotaro. Despite being very fun actors who knock out of the park whatever speeches they're given (Hirose getting Kenzaki back on track to finish off that Category King!), the show basically gives them nothing to do in the back-third, and only a few things before that. Hirose gets a couple episodes to react to U.N.D.A.D., but she's pretty much under house arrest alongside Kotaro. They're both there to exposit, to react, to look worried while the Undead Scanner triangulates. It's nothing, it's drama-less. They don't even really get any final scenes with Kenzaki before the finale, nothing to sum up their relationship. For what were, at one point, his only two friends, the show 100% pivoted to Kenzaki/Hajime as the core emotional stakes of the story, and... I mean, we got that finale, but at what cost?

-THAT GODDAMN BIKE CHASE IN THAT STUPID RACE TRACK EPISODE. Worst sequence in the worst episode of Kamen Rider I've ever seen. Even if they'd made a dozen more episodes like the finale, this thing existing is a crime. Someone should have gone to jail for this one.

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I had a good time watching Kamen Rider Blade. It's not my favorite show, by far, but it is fun. Kenzaki is an all-time great lead hero. Hajime's arc is nuanced and emotional. Tachibana and Mutsuki are varying levels of ridiculous and inspiring. But the series as a whole gets dragged down by repetition and dull villains, as well as the unnecessary exclusion of a big chunk of its (very good!) cast. It's imperfect, but it's got enough to recommend it.

I really like this structure you got for the wrap-up. It's like I'm reading reviews on blogspot or something again. Anyhow, I like the theme you took from the show. Obviously the thing about fighting fate is the one big thing that the show intended to be about, but it goes hand in hand with the idea that any misstep or failure doesn't ever have to be the end or your defining point (even if it did kinda became Tachibana's, huh).

I feel like chiming in on the villains. I excuse the Unknown and big god man from Agito being 'simple' as villains because to me, their role is just to be a force that antagonise the heroes and little else. While I could say that about the various antagonist characters in Blade (and like, I do say that for the Sealing Stone because that's what it is), it's a lot harder to forgive how there's absolutely nothing interesting about Peacock, Trial, or Cerberus, especially with how much time the show spends on them gloating about their evil plans. King and Scissors/Giraffe were way more interesting despite their relatively limited appearances and simple personalities even.

Regardless of all that, I love how personal the conflict in the final episodes are. Nothing wrong with having a bad guy you wanna see get blown up, but it's nice to mix it up with something more unique every now and then.

Even before the show was ever clearly about anything, it was at least always fun and even quirky to watch (hence all those memes). But it was nice to see that the show's managed to deliver the big emotions as it got going. I hope you think of Kenzaki every time you walk past a bench...

Yeah, I'm not sure I'd've dialed into Failure or The Need For Second Chances as big themes if it weren't for trying to figure out what in the hell the show was doing with Tachibana for an entire year. He's a dude that is all about how you need to support people who screw up, how second (or third or eighth) chances can eventually pay off, etc.

Agito's big thing is about evolution, and change, and conflict, and how people fear or embrace new experiences and perspectives, so those forces existing to oppose the heroes is pretty much all they need to do. (That said, boy did I feel like the Akatsuki-go stuff ended up being not that cool, and Spooky Man was a letdown.)

Here, it's like, they're just a bunch of weird bosses? And they all want exactly the same things? Tennouji, for me, is the biggest offender, because his character only makes sense if BOARD stays relevant for the entire series, and it totally doesn't. He feels parachuted in from a version of the show where Team Blade stays tied to BOARD, working out of their offices the whole time, so Tennouji revealing he's only ever needed the Riders to wipe out his competition and procure him test subjects, that's a huge betrayal! Instead, he's just some guy who looks down on them, and it's not nearly as interesting as it could've been.

The character stuff was the total highlight of the series. Kenzaki's charm, Nozomi and Mutsuki's teenage romance, Tachibana's utter weirdness... it's a fun cast to spend a year with, honestly. A pretty fun hang-out show.

First off, congrats on finishing Blade, Die! You seemed to overall have a good ride with it, and I'm glad you managed to find some positives where I didn't.

However, the opposite also goes with me. Nothing too major mind you, but like, for example, I seem to be one of the few who liked the Black Fang episodes, haha. Look, sometimes all you need is for cool stuff to happen, alright? And bikes are cool!

But yeah, glad you overall had a good time, and it'll be interesting to see what everyone has to say about Hibiki when the times comes. Especially since we all know Switchblade might as well be your co-writer there, haha.

As for the rest of this post, anyone reading can now feel free to ignore me! But just remember, Die quite literally asked for this:

And while I did already give a couple reasons as to why I feel this way in some previous posts, there's a bit more to it than what I've said. But for those who don't remember and care to know, here are the reasons I've already given, again. And in slightly more detail.

First and foremost is the handling of characters. Not just Tachibana and Mutsuki(though Mutsuki certainly doesn't help), but the villains and the Undead as well. I actually felt that, honestly, Blade wasn't a show that needed a Big Bad. I felt that it would've been way stronger in terms of narrative and character had the story simply been about just that, the characters, all dealing with the current situation(the return of the Battle Fight) in their own ways.

It really didn't help that Evil Executive isn't compelling or entertaining in the slightest, and the inclusion of such things really only lead to other characters making the same mistakes over and over(Tachibana). I really did feel like the kick-off of the plot the show gave us, that of a man who, in a moment of desperation, accidentally let loose the Undead/Sealing Stone and started the Battle Fight all over again, was more than enough, and made for a great backdrop. The plot in and of itself not being all that great or complex really doesn't help my feelings on the matter.

Meanwhile, like I said earlier, I really liked Tachibana's' arc during the first two acts of the story, but once the third act kicks in, his character outright regresses and he does basically the same thing all over again, only with a very lessened impact as a result. I would've really preferred that his arc fully wrap up, and he become a supporting/mentor character from then on. I actually liked the idea of him being a mentor to Mutsuki! It really seemed like the idea was to show that Tachibana had learned from his mistakes, and thus wanted his experiences to serve as a warning for others. But no, he just falls down the rabbit hole again. It's a waste.

The actual worst in all this though is Mutsuki. Oh my god. I actually liked him in those early episodes, and while I respect the Shima arc ending with an ambiguous note, with Mutsuki walking off without saying a word... the end result was so not worth it. Mutsuki is an absolutely self-absorbed tool who only cares about his own self image, everyone else in his life be damned. Not only did his story drag on for way too long, he was constantly surrounded by characters far more likeable(Nozomi) and interesting(Hikaru) than he was, making me really wish that Leangle was anyone else.

Where I drew the line was when it was made clear that Shima's' sacrifice wasn't totally in vein. While that might not sound like a bad thing at first, what it ends up meaning is that Mutsuki, in his own frame of mind, with very little influence from the Spider Undead, continuously and of his own volition, proceeds to be an absolute chode while acting like he's the most tragic figure who's ever lived. This in turn removes any sort of sympathy I have for the guy; By the end I didn't want him to learn a lesson, I just wanted him to get lost. I've dealt with people just like Mutsuki in real life, and word of advice: Guys like that? They are not at all worth your time. Avoid at all costs.

Lastly, and this is the one I imagine I'll lose alot of you on is, well, the style. See, one of the reasons I really dug Early Blade is because, atleast for me, it surrounds you in this atmosphere, this world of just total craziness and uncomfortableness. The mixed pacing, the random camera filters, the acting... in a totally weird way it really did make me wanna know more about what what was going on and the characters involved in it. With Late Blade though, things become more standard, more "normal," which made things way less interesting. My issues with how the characters were handled only made it worse.

That's not to say it was all bad though. There are infact three things that I feel Late Blade did really well! As should be obvious, the first is the ending. I would change literally nothing about the final episode. It's that good. Few other Rider shows share that honor with me, and it's what made me overall like Blade more than Faiz, despite me having somewhat similar feelings in terms of the two seasons(I'm in the camp that hates Faiz's' ending).

And the other two things are actually just my favorite aspects to Blade in general: Hajime, and especially Kenzaki. Both of these characters were really, really well done. And for me, stories are all about characters. Characters are the main thing that drive me to continue going. If you give me a good reason to like or care about a specific character, then I in turn care about the things that happen both to and surrounding them.

Hajime is just an all around solid package, so I don't have much to specifically point out about him, but Kenzaki? Oh MAN did I dig him as a protagonist! He's kind, he's strong, his actor makes him extremely likeable, and most importantly, he encompasses a lesson that I wish more stories in general would showcase in terms of their main characters who are meant to be someone to look up to. That lesson being "Be kind, but don't be a pushover." See, I believe I mentioned it before, but the aspect of Kenzaki I love most is that, even though he is a hero and he always tries to do the right thing, he also doesn't take anyone's' crap(most of the time). The scene that always sticks out to me being one early on, where Hajime, in a bit of an aggressive tone, tells Kenzaki "I don't like people." Kenzaki's' response(not literally, but basically)? "Yeah alright, whatever dude." And he just leaves, not even dealing with that crap. I loved the guy ever since. You go, Kenzaki!

So yeah, hopefully I explained myself well enough here. But, I wouldn't blame anyone for feeling different. If you got a better ride than I did, awesome. Overall, I do like the show, I just have issues with it.

Been on an extremely busy stuff lately due to working on project at late start (unfair), but probably my reply here will still be the same; by each episode, or... dunno.

It wasn't humanity winning, it was an Undead, in shape of human, the Human Undead. Though he let Joker as Chalice seal him... in this world, humanity was based on the winner of the battle royale, the Human Undead. And yeah, there should be a scene of Human Undead beating other monsters, especially the likes of Joker. Even with his Undead status, he's considered as lowly, just like human. And yeah, Tiger Undead got her huge villainous breakdown within the revelation of the battle royale being fake in present time. And what makes you tolerate each of the Undeads being mere pawns here? And the fact is Tennoji is the only main antagonist of the Blade, but obviously won't talk about that until getting to this point, he's the type of big spoiler twist type, so (regardless of how you feel towards him) don't even put Trial B on the same role as Tennoji (like, previous main antagonist that gets succeeded. big no, it's all Tennoji, and he's well, the one reprogramming Trial B like this).

There's also the part where Kanai warned Hikaru about the state of the battle royale in present day, complete with Hikaru again bashing her sneakers at Kanai for a short while. And for Tennoji, forgot to post this before, but my small meme.
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Yeah and not only Ex-Aid, the monsters in later Phase 1 and then Phase 2 are given more characterization than just the enemies. Though still, the one that is usually given individual character role are those higher ups in the antagonist groups (those with goals, are all Royal Club Undeads, starting with Isaka). And "have personalities", still the fact is there's nothing such as "no personality".

Dogged perseverance can be liked and tolerated.... until something bad, especially fatal happen to them. Bashing for them ensues. Is this the dogged perseverance you tolerate, because you didn't seem to do so for Tachibana, against Trial B (talking about Tachibana here, so don't derail into Trial B rant). Well, Nozomi gets beaten up sometimes by that Mutsuki tbf, though Mutsuki can retake control of his humane self from his feelings to her.

Wait up, you say Mutsuki has many flaws, then you proceed to describe him as a nice boy who likes a nice girl? Seems contradictory right there. Mutsuki treating Tiger Undead like this feels reminiscent to Kenzaki doing the same to Hajime, the Undead experiencing human stuff and enjoying it, while being conflicted about humanity system.

That's a frustration for me too, when they whitewash other characters' motivation and agendas, neglecting the actual bad part of them. It's more frustrating with audience doing it, in an even worse way to "cool" morally bankrupt characters, and not even in the heroes way of non-lethally stopping them, but the audience want for them to be seen as pure and misguided, and blaming everyone else like the heroes for "not understanding them enough" like an excuse to make them deserve to win or rationalizing their own misdeeds within that character used as their projection. Though still, Trial B was all Tennoji, and it should be made clear to everyone in the cast.

Thinking about what Hirose does. Like, in that episode, she fought Undeads, but that time, you label her as being extension of her family via guilt. But here, she also fought Undead (same thing), but you label here one as something protecting like Kenzaki.

Trial B not giving a shit about his daughter is also obviously the reprogrammed part of him. He was reprogrammed by Tennoji to only watch the battle royale, and care about nothing else (=his daughter), completely focused. If you think something unreasonable being the original programming returning at the right time to shield Hirose, then...

In the finale, Tachibana jumps his bike over an army of Darkroaches. That's a cool thing to do with a bike! In the Black Fang story, two superheroes follow a monster from eternity at a slow pace, exhibiting a Safety First approach to defeating evil. That's not cool!

Your complaints about the show, I can't really disagree with. (The Blade complaints, anyway; I adore the Faiz finale. Takumi stepping through that fence and leaving Yuuji behind, trapped in his rage and resentment! Iconic!)

For the most part, I'd file them under Flaws, But Not Dealbreakers. Tachibana and Mutsuki are characters that... I mean, you need to have a really high tolerance for flawed characters. They don't engender nearly enough sympathy to get away with some of their schtick. (Mutsuki was the least problematic of the two for me, mostly down to performance and supporting actors.) I think it's a poor choice to basically do Tachibana's arc a second time with Mutsuki, despite the ways it forces Tachibana into a mentor role. For all those problems, though, I think the show does a decent job ending those plots in sensible, affecting ways. I usually felt better about them at the end than I did in the middle.

The villains are definitely not great, though!

I'm not sure how much I remember of these episodes I watched, uh, a week ago (my brain, you guys), but I'll give it a shot!

It's that I liked how it motivated Tiger Queen. Seeing her manipulated, how that took away all of her confidence and replaced it with anger, I thought that gave the twist a real spark.

Nozomi's goals feel more commendable than Tachibana's, more human and relatable. Tachibana's thing is always angering his friends in service of A Greater Good, while Nozomi is trying to save a friend from darkness. She's way easier to support than Tachibana!

I was referring to what might've been going through Tiger Queen's mind when she was sitting with Mutsuki. Mutsuki has many flaws! She doesn't know him that well!

Hard agree on the villains. As much as I love Blade overall, the villains are really bad for the most part. Like you said, Tennouji feels shoehorned in at the last minute, and on top of that he's so uninteresting anyway. Like maybe it wouldn't be as bad if he had some kind of intriguing motive or backstory, but his entire character is "generic business boss who wants power to take over the world." But even as bad as he is, I think Hirose's "dad" is even worse. His storyline is so repetitive, just constantly throwing out new versions of the Trial series, and then the reveal that he himself is a Trial...ugh. Just nothing about his whole arc worked at all for me.

All that said though, I consider Blade one of my favorite seasons, and I think I have a relatively easy time forgiving the shitty villains because at the end of the day, Blade isn't a show that revolves around heroes vs. villains. Of course it still has to have some role for villains, because, well, it's Kamen Rider...a franchise all about guys in hero costumes fighting guys in villain costumes! But it definitely feels like the villains were little more than an afterthought, especially since they could never play a major role at the very end. The final showdown between Kenzaki and Hajime was inevitable, there was no room for villains in a finale like this. They had to fulfill their narrative purpose, then be disposed of so that the show could move on to the conflict that actually matters. They're essentially just plot devices used to further new developments in the relationships and connections of the characters, rather than interesting and unique characters in and of themselves. Not that I'm using this reasoning to excuse the poor writing of the villains though, as plenty of shows can let villains serve that purpose while also establishing them as interesting and well-written characters in and of themselves. But Blade really didn't care to do that at all, and for better or worse, put all of its focus squarely on the heroes.

The villains are definitely the worst thing about Blade, but for me personally, the overall character work for the Riders clicks with me strong enough that I can forgive it without too much trouble. The Kenzaki and Hajime material in particular is something I like so much that it alone elevates the show very highly for me, regardless of anything else.

The thing that makes characters like Tennouji and U.N.D.A.D. so much more frustrating to me is how unnecessary they are, since this series didn't hurt for interesting antagonists! Tiger Queen, while eventually filling more of a mentor role, has a fascinating perspective on the Undead and Battle Fight. Scissors Undead isn't the deepest character, but he's got ten times the flair that Tennouji had. And King! A hateable villain that gives Kenzaki one of his biggest victories!

I guess what I'm saying is that the Undead were generally really fun, while the human (or "human") villains in the second half were just a great big snooze. (Trenchcoat Mastermind sort-of splits the difference. I never loved his obsession with numbers going up, but I think he adds a lot to Tachibana's story. A little dull, for sure, but a worthy antagonist.)

Honestly kinda hate how many follow ups turn Kenzaki into an edgelord literally EVERY appearance he makes other than the Ex-Aid one basically do to him what some people felt The Last Jedi did to Luke Skywalker

That's a great point actually, it's the human villains that are the major problem. I guess since Tennouji and Hirose get so much screen time between them, it's just easier to remember how awful they are compared to the generally more interesting Undead villains. Which makes me wonder what it could have been like if the Undead were the only villains, and we just scrap Tennouji and Hirose entirely. Expand the roles and characterization of the Undead instead, giving the last few of them more time and relevance. Sure they still wouldn't be likely to show up on anyone's list of favorite Rider villains ever, but it probably would have been better than Tennouji and Hirose!

I definitely have no interest in reading a story about how a very old Kenzaki hates himself and wants to die! That sounds like a bummer!

I like to think of him as always being Kenzaki, you know? Pushing his bike up a hill because it broke for no apparent reason. Needing to crash on strangers' couches because he forgot he needs money to pay rent. Amane getting a birthday card from him on different day every year, with a note about how he owes her another gift. The world having that guy running around for eternity... man, I'm tearing up again!

It's what I miss about the Phase 2 shows, now that I'm midway through Phase 1: there really aren't many mid-tier villains. It's mostly mindless beasts and a couple three gloating masterminds. Shows like Ex-Aid and Ghost and Drive and Build all had really memorable lieutenants, or even one-story monsters that had clever premises. Here, I think the reliance on Tennouji and U.N.D.A.D.... I think they'd've been better served by going with the King/Tiger Queen/Scissors Undead model of, like, four episodes to really delve into an Undead.

The downside with doing that, though, is you're basically just doing Kuuga again, and only four years after Kuuga aired. Probably would've garnered this show a completely different set of complaints.

I don’t really have a huge issue with the show’s villains because I don’t really think of any of them past Isaka as being major villains, even Tennouji. Blade’s real villain isn’t a character, it’s the situation that they’re all out in. The Battle Fight is what drives all of the show’s main physical conflicts and the show’s final struggle is about how to effectively cheat its system. Isaka worked well as an early, pre-power-up threat, but after him most high level Undead were lucky to last more than three episodes. I didn’t mind that because it still tied into the idea that the situation is the real problem.

I mean, yeah, Tennouji kinda sucks and feels more than a little pointless, but I guess I didn’t expect more from him? He was really just more of an extended distraction.

You're not wrong about the villains being beside the point... but that's also what makes them so disappointing? Like, it's not worth dwelling on individual Undead's lack of relevance to the overall plot, since they're only ever around for two episodes. But U.N.D.A.D. and Tennouji are in almost 10 episodes each. If a ten-episode character doesn't have a compelling hook or feel like a worthwhile thing for the show to focus on... that's not great!

Oh man did I show up late to this one. Alright, um... directly quoting everyone is basically out of the question if I don't want to spend several hours writing this one post... just need a good place to start then... Oh! I got it!

Perfect is definitely the only word for this finale. I'm trying to make this quick, so it's good I don't have anything I could really add. I always liked the dopey freeze frame of Kenzaki's face when they play the title card? The truncated opening is generally something I look forward to in Rider finales, and Blade having it pop up right after Kenzaki asks Kotarou to trust his plan to deal with Hajime, after running himself ragged using King Form... yeah, that's pretty much everything that needs to be established! The whole episode is an out-of-the-park spectacular finish to the show that leaves such a massive impression on people for good reason.

As for the discussion of themes, "failure" is a good one. There was a point after episode 28 (I went and checked) where you said you were having some trouble getting a handle on what the themes of Blade are, and while I didn't say anything at the time, because I like to avoid doing anything that might color your opinions, that remark hit pretty close to home for me when it comes to this show. I've seen Blade twice, and neither time did it feel like a show with a particularly cogent thematic core the way most Heisei Rider shows do to me. There's material there, for sure, but it doesn't leap out at me the same way it would in a show like Faiz, for example. I've been putting more thought into it during this thread, and the "conclusion" I've arrived at was as such:

Fighting fate, that was always the hallmark of Shou Aikawa's run as writer, and fairly specific to him. His very first episode is the very first time we hear Kenzaki say a variation on those words that would go on to become rather iconic thanks to the ending, and it always keeps popping back up in-between. For the first half of the show by Shouji Imai, I'd say the main theme, as best as I can sum it up in a single word, would be "doubt". Maybe "uncertainty"? This is reflected in the lyrics to both the opening and insert themes, and also by nearly every aspect of the plot, from how it's set up, to the struggles all three Riders face in that first arc.

Everything you said about how you see the themes, I think it ended up intersecting pretty nicely with how I feel about them, even though the exact lens and labels we're using are a bit different. Blade can be kind of a different beast compared to other Rider shows in this department, so I'm amazed they line up at all.

Also, I kind of weirdly agree with everything DreamSword said, even though I also don't at all? Well, except the bit about the Black Fang episodes. Die and I both watched that second part, posted about it, and we both agreed it was basically a total misfire. It's Bike Action without the Action. Aside from that though, yeah. Early Blade definitely has a more unique sense of atmosphere compared to the more standardized supehero antics later on, and that's one of the things that keeps me coming back to those early episodes so much. The complaints, I don't feel personally, but I wouldn't really argue most of those flaws aren't there. Some of the overarching villains are a bit of a sticking point for me, but the fun of the week-to-week Undead with human forms always overshadows that in my memories. The gamut of motivations and personalities those guys had is something I don't think many other Rider shows offer. Some of them are very atypical antagonists, to the point a guy like Shima can even just be a protagonist, no questions asked! It's totally wild and I love it.

And, before I forget to mention it for the millionth time: have we never just taken a second in this thread to sit back and appreciate how gloriously absurd the name "Battle Fight" is yet? Because that's gotta be one of my favorite terms in the entire lexicon of Kamen Rider. Might as well have called it the Combat War. :lol

Wow, surprised someone actually got what I was trying to say in that big ramble I did, haha. Glad to hear someone else can see why the inherent weirdness and style of the early episodes could be a point for drawing someone in.

And it's okay that neither of you understand the inherent coolness of Black Fang, a motorcycle made almost totally out of spikes driven around by an Undead monster. I understand, we're not all fans of metal, afterall, lol.

Not gonna lie, I just totally assumed that you all had already made fun of the label beforehand in some string of posts that I'd missed. Because yes, it is very silly, haha.

When I watched Blade for the first time a few years ago, I actually thought the term "Battle Fight" was some weird translation quirk with the subs. I just assumed it was a case of the translators getting a bit too literal resulting in a silly but technically correct name, and it probably made more sense in Japanese. Then when I started this rewatch, now that I have a lot more familiarity with the sound of the Japanese language, I realized they were actually just straight up saying "Battle Fight" and that's seriously what it's called. :lol

It's a show where it's very difficult to see what it's trying to say. The character stuff comes through clearly, and the story isn't terribly convoluted, but the thematic stuff is murky at best. I'm not sure if it's a result of the writer switch? It probably is. It's easier to make a plot line up, or to get the voice of the characters right, than to tell someone else's story. Maybe if the first writer had finished, we'd've seen something that made some of those early episodes feel more crucial. Maybe if the second writer had done the whole series, he'd've started seeding some big ideas early. As it is, it just doesn't feel like a show that had something it was trying to say as a series. It definitely had characters it wanted to tell stories with, but I feel like most thematic interpretations are going to be brought by the audience. Which I'm okay with!

Battle Fight, from the same show that referred to two completely separate characters as only "Hirose" without thinking it would be a problem, and called the well-meaning but useless sidekick whose house everyone lives in from the show after Faiz "Kotaro". It's about what I expected!

I guess if you don't remember much, I will now note what episodes I'm discussing with, in this case, episode 42.

I wonder for here, what does Hirose have in relation to the main players in this episode; Nozomi, Mutsuki, and Tennoji?

Well, even if Mutsuki wasn't a chode (and now for once, listen here about him), it was only 1 person and that probably can give a not well impression too. Or in inverse, as you've seen in a comment, Mutsuki being a waste and not worth saving for her. Both sides could've get criticism regarding that. And... Nozomi tolerates all of this Mutsuki more, than him missing their date in Kurihara household. I will stood up to the phrase of "save someone and won't let her fer stand" as pseudo-Kamen Riders (her declaring no fear is epic... but if the monster went berserk on her... nothing would save her as she's a normal human.. not talking Mutsuki because her feelings for him is what holds him apart)... but unfortunately, normies only associate with anything Rider-ish as in fighting and be a killing machine, and dismiss something like you elaborate here.

And yeah, at the end, finally, Tiger Undead is another Undead who redeems herself, becoming another non-malicious Undead like Shima (Shima has full Rider sensibility though, Hikaru can't compare), even working with Tachibana.

As I've told you before (and I wasn't trying to spoil, with Mutsuki having yellow glow in ep. 30-ish, he was Yami Mutsuki), Mutsuki was possessed by Spider Undead all this time until now. And Shima's sacrifice began to take effect here, with help from Hikaru's. And probably you'd be disappointed with this one (unless you'd think Mutsuki's insecurities which leads him to be possessed makes him also responsible, but still, even if those are more interesting, never treat your or anyone's headcannon as real ones), but Mutsuki is forgiven because all of his transgressions were Spider Undead's act, and, well, "I need to be stronger" is part of the reason why Spider Undead can possess him, so yeah, the villain here is always Spider Undead (and possessed Mutsuki was anti-villain with him doing bad things but none are in control/what he wants). He's not someone who would resort into doing all the bad things he did from ep. 30-ish to 42, it's all Spider Undead's doing, and as it've been said in ep. 40-41, it was Mutsuki being possessed (and it probably shows that the cast also knew what's going on with Mutsuki). And the fight... wow, it's one species fight, Spider vs Tarantula (Shima's).

also is it bad I cannot look at Tennouji in that angle in the review pic saying he "turned himself into an undead" without thinking of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvkm...nel=Santoryu90

Thanks! That helps!

Nothing to do with them as characters, just that this was a spotlight story that used its cast and time effectively. I didn't think the Hirose spotlight story with her "dad" managed it as well.

I guess I just don't see Mutsuki as blameless? The things he said and did, he meant all of them. The Spider Undead was a voice on his shoulder, not a puppeteer operating a puppet. It preyed on his feelings of insignificance, his need to feel special, his desire for strength. Having Shima and Tiger Queen on his side gave him some breathing room, enough to see that he wasn't the man he wanted to be, but he consciously made every decision up to that point.

If you don't see it that way, that's totally fine, but I can't say that I see him as being an innocent victim in all of this.

KAMEN RIDER BLADE - THREAD WRAPUP

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/end1.png

And that's it for Kamen Rider Die watches Kamen Rider Blade! Don't believe me? Well, feast your eyes on this Sweetest Rider:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/bladefig.jpg

Yep, it's my Rider Kicks SHF Blade, a figure that probably desperately needs a Seihou revamp, but works just fine for my Trophy needs. I'm happy to place him next to my Faiz figure and boxed Rider Kicks SHF Den-O, who'll be opened some time in 2021, fingers crossed.

As always, thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. Special thanks to Androzani84 and Fish Sandwich for the lessons on cards and memes, and general thanks to literally anyone who took the time to share their thoughts about Blade. I really love getting to experience these series while talking to you all, and it's a blast when people want to have a conversation.

Along those lines...

Sometimes, when I finish these threads, I'm pleased with the outcome. (Faiz, Build.) Sometimes I feel like I left too much meat on the bone. (Kuuga, Ryuki.) This one... I feel like I got everything I could out of Blade. I don't have any regrets about conveying my feelings or thoughts. It's just, was this something people wanted to talk about? It seemed like there was a lot of chatter in the beginning, but then it sort-of dropped off around the middle. I truly appreciate everyone who volunteered their thoughts, but it didn't seem like there was a lot of interest in digging into Blade. Was it the show? Was it my approach? Was it something else entirely? I'm not saying I've got a lot of different ways of doing these threads (it's pretty much all first-draft, no-filter), but... like, if this is a conversation, I don't think I'm helping things if I just shout a bunch of stuff at you that no one cares about. That would make for a pretty awkward and unsatisfying conversation, wouldn't it? So, if there's something I could do (or not do!) that'd make it more welcoming or enjoyable, I'd love to hear it. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post it here. I welcome the feedback!

(Again, and I can't stress this enough, I am so grateful for anyone who showed up to this thread and posted. I don't want this to sound like I don't value you! I do! There were just more than a few days where the discourse was a little lighter than usual, and I want to do whatever I can to make the conversation more engaging.)

This thread will stay open, so anything you've got to say about Blade, I'm still around to hear it. Hibiki will be coming up next for me, but I don't know exactly when it'll start. Doing an episode a day on this one... I like the routine, but two hours each day watching Blade and writing about Blade to generate one post, it was getting a little harder to find the time near the end. I'm going to take a couple weeks off from Kamen Rider, minimum, and then come back to do Hibiki when I'm both recharged and dealing with a slightly lighter workload. (A couple projects at work could use more of my attention than I've been giving them.) The hope is to be back for Hibiki before September's over, but I'm going to be lenient with myself. I'll get to it when I get to it!

(I will definitely be back! Just so you know how dedicated I am to doing these threads, I've already got an idea I want to do for Decade, a thread I won't get to for another nine or ten months.)

That's all I've got to say, I think. This was really lovely. I feel like I got to watch a fun Kamen Rider series with a whole bunch of friends, and I can't imagine experiencing these shows any other way. Like Kenzaki at the end of this series, you may never see me, but know that I'm smiling somewhere because of you. Thanks so much for being a part of this thread!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/end2.png

You did fine. I think the main reason people kinda petered off was moreso due to Blade not exactly being popular, even if it does have its fans. I also feel like the people who showed up early just to drop off kinda just said their piece and stood to lurking afterward. Nothing to really fret about.

Like I said before, I do read each thread, but I really only post if I feel I can bring something relatively unique to the table(or if I just really love the show in general, like in Fish's' Kuuga thread). But, your threads are always fun to read, even if I disagree with stuff said in them.

Enjoy your break, enjoy your figure, and keep enjoying Kamen Rider!

Incredibly ominous final image! I'm not too surprised that this thread was a bit more relaxed in activity from some people (including myself, hah). Ryuki and Faiz were both super big talking points in the franchise and extremely iconic for various reasons. I don't think there will ever be a season that hits the same combination of nostalgia and uh, opinions those two have on the general population, but of course every single Rider show has plenty to talk about all the same, as I'm sure you'll come to discover over and over again.

Big props for doing write-ups on this entire show, it was lovely for a lot of us as well to read you digging into this messed-up yet engaging version of Yu-Gi-Oh.

I wish I had a clever poker-related quip to end off on, but I know nothing about how that game works. Turn Up! ...this thread, because it's over! Good luck dealing with September.

Thanks! I wouldn't say I was fretting about it, just curious if there was an underlying reason why this one didn't seem as worth people digging into. There was plenty of chatter overall, though! I had a good time!

Much like Hajime knew the peace and tranquility of a human life was bound to be temporary, I know that it'll only be too soon before I'm drawn back into watching Kamen Rider and discussing it with other fans, my own personal Battle Fight.

And thanks for the feedback! It's tough to tell which series are going to be more active in discussion, and I guess I got a little hyped up from all of the people excited to shout out memes. I'm glad other folks got something out of this, though!

---

I'm not going to make another post for this (really need to start downloading that Avengers game), but:

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

It's the now-obligatory KRD Watches end-of-thread word art. This was culled from the 102-page Google Doc I did all of the Episode posts in. It doesn't take into account any responses I made on the boards, or anyone else's posts. Please call out any weird combinations of words you notice!

Kamen Feel Go. Yeah, that's you watching the ending.

Battle Doing is a slightly better name than Battle Fight.

And Tachibana was cool on the inside all along...!

"Story Kenzaki More" sounds like something Die would headcanon.

Meanwhile "Undead Trenchcoat Mutsuki" isn't too far off from what actually went down, haha.

ONE EPISODE MUTSUKI is definitely something I yelled at one point!

Regardless, my laptop’s in for repairs till next week and typing on the phone is painful, so just briefly... yeah. Yeah Blade’s ending is phenomenal and there’s few Rider endings I prefer; and without it I’m really not sure how I’d feel about Blade. It’s absolutely one of those endings that really recontextualises everything you think and feel about these characters; and even knowing the twist going into it (for god’s sake, Blade’s ability on his legend rider progrise key is Joker!!!), it actually didn’t ruin anything. Oh, sure, the element of surprise is awesome; but how he got there was so much more important and really got me to tears. Kenzaki and Hajime... they’re always what I’ll take away from this show.

It’s hard to say much more because Blade was my last Heisei Rider; my 20th, so a lot of my feelings on it are lost and muddled up in it being the finale of that long ride for me. It’s difficult to even recall more than absolute highlights (good and bad), but ultimately... I still really, really liked what I got; and I’m glad to see you got something similar.

So this is the end. And it’s certainly been a ride.

I’ve enjoyed being able to do a regular feature for a change. And after doing it, I’ve decided that Garren’s cards are my favourites, due to how dumb some of the names are (Upper Frog? Rapid Pecker? Really?)

Anyway, I probably wouldn’t rank Blade as in my top series, but I still class it above my low points (Kuuga, Ryuki and OOO). As for the next show, I’m about to finish that this Sunday and I’m not sure how much of it I’ll remember by the time you get round to it, but for now, I do have some pretty strong opinions on the show. And while Switchblade won’t be giving you any reason to watch the second half, I’ll be providing you with two reason to watch it.

For my part, I'll say that I planned to stay more active, but I got hammered by the derecho that hit Iowa almost a month ago. I just got proper internet back last night and I can finally type on something that's not my damn phone.

"Tiger Made Nice Hero" is a fitting tribute to one of my favorite arcs on the show, even if "hero" is pushing it.

I think it's definitely a show that feels a little better in retrospect, which is due to that unbeatable ending. Talking about the series in its entirety afterwards, it was just like, I Only Want To Talk About The Ending. It's so good it actually got me more excited to watch Hibiki, since I'm feeling Big Emotions about the franchise right now and I just want to keep it rolling. Very good ending.

It's interesting to hear that Blade was your last Heisei Rider, since it seems like a random one to end on. Was it just a fluke? Or was it that you wanted to watch all the other ones first?

You did an amazing job breaking all of those cards down. The show mostly glossed over them (the same way it glossed over, uh, character names), so I very much appreciated getting all the details from you.

Glad to hear you've got thoughts on Hibiki! I'll try to be back with it before you've forgotten too much!

The funny thing is, at one point I was going to make Blade my first Pre-W show because some of the Undead cameo in the OOO/Fourze movie (they’re the obscured monsters Aqua was fighting in his flashback).

But yeah, I... guess my Rider journey was sort of similar to yours in how I started? I picked a series from phase 2 I was recommended and interested in (Fourze), loved it, then went back and watched W and everything onwards in order; alongside the currently airing series (which was Build, almost halfway through). After finishing I done Heisei 1 in a... sort of strange order? I done Kiva first because I’d heard bad things and I like seeing if I can find something in a show others don’t and BOY did that not go well! Only Toku I’ve ever truly hated. Then I went to Kabuto for the same reasons and... oops! Didn’t like that one either! Still, despite the bad impression I decided to go in order; and done Den-O and Decade. Then everyone told me that you should only watch Agito after Kuuga, so naturally, I watched Agito! After randomly choosing Hibiki next I just decided to do the remaining seasons in order. Kuuga, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade.


Really interested to see what you think about Hibiki. You’re a very drama-invested viewer I think and that’s what you’ve loved most in Rider, though Hibiki is an extremely laid-back series that purposefully thrives on avoiding drama at every instance until the changeover to Inoue. I can honestly see you being one of the only people to like that second part, which should be interesting to read!

"Really Need Rider" is what's jumping out here, but that's probably saying more about me than anything.

I was also happy to see that "Way(!)" was as big as it is. Kenzaki would be so proud!

Usually when you say at the end of one of these threads you're not sure if you did the best job, I think you're being way too hard on yourself. That's very much the case here -- you did great, as usual -- but I'm kind of understanding where you're coming from this time, because part of me feels I could've done a way better job with Blade?

I had a ton of fun lecturing everyone on memes, but there were so many points where I realized I didn't have anything to say about episodes beyond that, and it was kinda freaking me out. Is this all Blade is to me? Just a bunch of dumb jokes and a really good ending? Did I just blow my entire load of enthusiasm on my first post? I love this show! Why don't I have anything else to contribute!?

I'm not totally sure even now. Maybe Blade legitimately doesn't have that much going on under the surface. Maybe if it does, that's not really a problem. Or maybe a lot of us just happened to be a little too preoccupied with other things the past month and a half to contribute as much to the discussion, and none of this has anything to do with the show's quality and/or popularity.

At any rate, returning back from my self-indulgent rant to the point I was originally making, I know it didn't have anything to do with you, Die, so as always, enjoy your break, and when you're feeling recharged, I look forward to what you have to say about Hibiki. That's a show I'm sure a lot of people will be happy to project their opinions onto you for, but I have my own theories about it based on how you felt about other shows so far. Could be really interesting! And who knows? Maybe I'll even have actual things to say about it. :p

For what it's worth, even if you're focused on primarily generating conversation, I really do enjoy just reading your thoughts on the episodes, whether I'm able to reply at the time or not. Obviously it's best when you can discuss it with others, but even if you just wrote these as a blog-style thing where there was no interaction at all I'd still read them. You have a lot of great insights on these shows that really help me find new things to appreciate about them!

I'd intended to be more active in this thread at first because I really like Blade, but I ended up having a lot of other things going on that prevented it until recently. Hopefully I can make time to be more present in the Hibiki one!

Starting and ending your Heisei journey with one unforgettable actor is maybe the best accidental path you could've been on.

One of the things I feel like I've missed from Phase 2 (aside from the shows actually naming characters) is the humor? Not to say that these Phase 1 series aren't funny, but they're certainly less... light-hearted than I think of Phase 2 as being. (And, yes, I am referring to the series about the horrors of war as "light-hearted".) So if you're saying there's less drama in the first part because it's a more fun show, I could be into that! But, also, yes, Inoue. I'm not sure if I'm prepared to risk being booted from the boards by stanning the second part of Hibiki, but it's definitely a possibility.

To sum up your feelings with a quote from the word art, you're worried about valuing "Tachibana Over Plot"?

Jokes! But I do take your point. The memes are what people remember 15 years later, not some random detail or scene. I don't think being excited about them, even to the exclusion of deeper analysis, is a problem.

I think a big part of my feeling that there wasn't more discussion around certain parts of the series is that, frankly, they're not that memorable. If I watch an episode and immediately go to write it up, there are probably a half-dozen things I'll want to discuss from it. But if that same episode gets brought up even a week later, my feelings will be a lot more vague, and consist largely of Oh Yeah That Was Good. I cannot imagine how little I'd recall after a few years. (Most of my contribution to your Kuuga thread was the couple three things I absolutely loved or totally despised, by way of example.) It's no crime for folks to not have a list of comments or concerns for a random tokusatsu episode they watched somewhere over the last decade.

And I don't... I really don't want this all to sound like I'm dwelling on how these threads go. I'm honestly not. They're fun! While I sometimes feel proud of one (Faiz!) or less proud of another (never going to feel like I did Ryuki justice!), it is not, like, an ongoing concern. I don't feel bad about any of them. It's just a little moment at the end of the experience where I can get a little reflective, a little analytical about the process. In the moments, I'm just thinking about Kamen Rider and talking with other fans about it. The top-down view, that shit is all kept in the immediate aftermath, the brief afterglow of finishing a series. It's pretty much the only time I feel clear to ask if folks are getting what they want out of these things. I'm glad know that they are!

I appreciate the kind words! I definitely don't mind if folks feel more comfortable reading along than participating. I lurk in a bunch of threads around here! I get it!

And, yeah, I totally understand being less able to chime in With Everything That's Going On. That's... I honestly wondered if I should even ask people about their involvement, since I know how hard it can be to focus on stuff, or to lose yourself in fictional heroes. Even if it's just regular life getting in the way, it's completely reasonable to be on the boards a little less. It's nice when folks have the time, but I certainly wouldn't want people to feel guilty (or whatever) for not being around.

Now, 43. Oh I forgot something before, Kenzaki claims Mutsuki beat Spider Undead with his own power.... and ironically it's total opposite; Kenzaki just handed Mutsuki Blade King's sword!

Well, not everything is opinionated, like for this one, canon plotting, no matter which headcannon, so gotta explain. Yes, Spider Undead was a voice on his shoulder, but, that's only one of his steps to fully take control of Mutsuki. It can directly take over Mutsuki's body, but its grip is too fragile to mantain in battle for extended periods of time. So he resorts to being the voice of his shoulder and slowly takes firmer grip on his body and mind. Spider Undead is a puppeteer operating a puppet, being a voice is one of his ways to do so, and finally succeeded after Mutsuki killed Shima (but Shima's sacrifice wasn't for naught). Mutsuki himself made it easier for Spider Undead controlling him as a puppet though, with his flaws like insecurities, though his feelings for Nozomi allows him to regain control at few occassions; preventing Spider Undead for harming her.

The stakes being yet another time, a Kamen Rider (possibly more publicly known in Blade; like people like Jin knows) being seen as enemy for attacking civilians. For the cast, well, it's not unusual for them though, with Hajime going crazy as Joker, and Kenzaki briefly also went crazy, then Mutsuki being controlled by Spider Undead. Hajime is a repeat for ep. 38 for returning the favor into Kenzaki.

Well, for Tachibana... probably the viewer is also used to his acts from the early parts of the Blade as a broken man lol. And as an artist.... it stroke me when Kenzaki stabs the picture drawing with that fork! Also, Kenzaki acts normal, albeit in more hyper-energy when his friends interact... it seems that the poison isn't simply turning him evil but also giving him a sense of manipulation with him acting fine around his friends.... which almost fooled Tachibana and Mutsuki, while Hajime is unconvinced.

And it's going according to the plan for Tennoji who seemingly here wants the Riders to destroy each other. Probably as he wants the Riders to destroy each other, Trial F only poisoned the 2, while letting the other 2 fight.

Well, sure, but I don't think they mean "power" in that way. They're proud of Mutsuki overcoming the darkness within himself, and defeating the Spider Undead all on his lonesome.

...which he got a ton of help from Shima and Tiger Queen to do, but technically I don't think Kenzaki and Tachibana know that.

Yeah, man, I don't think it's that clear cut? I think there's plenty of room for interpretation in how much Mutsuki is to blame for his own actions. If you want to read it as him being a victim of the Spider Undead's schemes, that's cool! I just don't think I see it that way.

Ha ha, sure, maybe that's it! It doesn't take a lot to get me to think that Tachibana's a danger to himself and others!

So I actually got these guys back out last week, but I haven't had a chance to upload a good photo until now. We were in the heart of late series Blade so I found my old Kiwami Tamashii King Form and Wild Chalice. Felt like sharing since it seems like this line has long passed out of general awareness.

Thanks for sharing! That King Form suit just works, even in a more stylized take. I don't know enough about toys to know where those came from, though. What's the story with these?