I will allow it! It honestly sounds exactly like the kind of convoluted, vaguely-insulting confidence boost that Tendou was famous for.

Oh, for sure. I don't think what they're saying about Kagami's motivations or his relationship with Tendou tracks at all with how the show went, but I don't mind them letting Kagami make use of the Kabuto Zecter for a minute. I just wish they'd figured out a different reason for it to happen?

If they ever do a Kabuto reunion special with Tendou and Kagami, I want Kagami to proudly tell the story of this episode so Tendou can get INCREDIBLY MAD at how little Kagami thinks of his own achievements. This is the sort of thing that always frustrated Tendou about Kagami! How he needed some outside validation, or for someone else to set the bar for success!

It's very fun to see so many bits of gear become useful to this story, instead of the easy/typical route of Only The New Powerup Matters. (Like, the Kabuto Zecter really only matters for defeating Another Kabuto, who is the third-most important threat that Team Zi-O is facing this episode?) The little robot helpers, the Fourze Ridewatch... yeah, fun when a show can make the older items relevant for a story.

As always, thank you for being the precise Tendou to my oblivious but well-meaning Kagami. (Or the long-suffering but supportive Jiiya to my dedicated but embarrassing Tsurugi. Or the level-headed Gon to my easily-distracted Daisuke. Or--) I'm almost sorry that you rewatched Zi-O episodes, and it was these two?

They are fun, though. This is one of those reunion stories where the more invested you are in the reunion elements, the worse it plays. The Kagami thing is such a blatant misfire that it creates this halo of What Are We Even Doing Here across the entire story. By making the big, fan-service moment feel so unearned, it makes the whole celebration of Kabuto feel misguided.

I'm probably overstating things! The Kagami part of this episode is probably going to bug me for a while (Kagami's arc is not that hard to get right! It's very simple, just like Kagami!) but: Hoppers. A planet-saving strategy that Woz hand-colored with markers, because he knows how to get Sougo's vote. Tsukasa just being like Oh I'm A Chef Here, a plot-point that never occurs in the episode. No one getting replaced by a Worm, which is super obvious and I'm glad this series avoided it. There was good stuff here! And that Den-Liner whistle to close out the episode? I am not immune to all nostalgia!

Man, you just get done calling me the precise one as though that's true, and then you deliver a more perfect defense of these episodes in one sentence than I could possibly manage in any amount of paragraphs. Like, do you realize how much I enjoyed myself going back to this two-parter? If this is supposed to be a relative low-point for this series, I feel like that alone speaks volumes about how high up Zi-O raised that bar for itself.

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 39 - “2007 - DENLINER CRASH!”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio39a.png

This episode is definitely trying to instill a sense of foreboding. The cold open is Yuuto and Deneb watching the (very cool!) new Grand Zi-O form wallop the crap out of Another Den-O, fearful of the unstoppable power that Sougo will soon wield. It’s supposed to feel like we’re at the precipice, moments before things irrevocably change for the worse.

But it’s also an episode where the DenLiner Imagin cajole a clock repairman to fix the DenLiner because it’s "basically a clock"; an episode where the main character immediately says Hey This Yuuto Guy Played Kiriya In Hibiki; and an episode where Momotaros joins Woz and Sougo to form Zi-O Trinity.

It’s… I don’t know that all of these pieces fit together tonally, and it’s the more serious parts that end up feeling incongruent.

Some of the problem with the impending arrival of Grand Zi-O is that the show can’t figure out how to worry about it, considering the huge aftermath to the arrival of Zi-O II. It’s the exact same threat as it was a dozen episodes ago: Sougo is about to activate a power that can’t be stopped, so maybe he should be stopped now. But we did that plot, with these same characters. Tsukuyomi even has this pained expression, where Yuuto’s saying the same things she said to Geiz a few months ago, but now everyone from Team Zi-O can hear how weird they sound. Sougo needs this power to stop an evil overlord in the future, not become one, and we’re way past the point of folks being conflicted about Sougo’s intentions. It’s like Yuuto time traveled from Episode 23, when this plot might’ve found a more receptive audience.

Luckily, this episode is only briefly concerned with a dimly-lit This Is Serious exploration of Sougo’s dedication to defeating Oma Zi-O. It’s mostly just a screwball comedy, and a ridiculously successful one at that.

Just… so fun, all of these Den-O characters. Yuuto and Deneb alone would’ve made this a delight, but tossing in the shockingly unchaperoned DenLiner Imagin (Not even Naomi?! For a second Hey Don’t I Know You scene?) creates exactly the right madcap energy for a Den-O homage – a Den-hOmage, if you will. (I will!) There’s a breakneck pace to the episode, which is a boon to the Legend Rider comedy elements, even if it ends up being a curse for the Grand Zi-O setup. Deconstructing a joke rarely does it any favors, so we’re going to go List Form for this episode’s many, many high points:

-Momo 100% crashing the Den-Liner for no real reason, and avoiding all blame
-Uncle assuming the Den-Liner Imagin are Sougo’s friends because Kiriya said he was an Oni, and *gestures at Momo*
-The entirety of the Kiriya/Yuuto scene, which should hang in a museum
-The return of Deneb Candy, my favorite non-watermelon thing from Kamen Rider Den-O
-Yuuto trying to leave on a tough-guy line, until Deneb does his usual clean-up act and begs everyone to ignore Yuuto's pissy attitude and Please Get Along With Yuuto
-The DenLiner Imagin being shocked that their whole ruse about the DenLiner being a big clock was actually maybe true
-MomoGeiz trying to Henshin and needing a very aggravated Tsukuyomi to explain how this show's role-play items work
-Momo ending up inside Zi-O Trinity next to a sleeping Geiz
-Geiz nearly choking Momo to death for the last two lines

It’s a stupidly entertaining episode, and its only real misstep is not landing a plot that the show can’t quite figure out to launch. The grim sense of foreboding is almost as laughable as the actual comedy. I’m sort of okay with that trade-off?

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio39b.png

I'll be honest, it's funny you think the show is framing it as like foreboding and like "a not good thing" because I did not get that feeling in it at all even with the music playing. I'm like "Oh okay, we're getting a cool sneak peak showcasing the next step of Zi-O and what we'll be getting next episode" with Yuuto and Deneb absolutely being the outliers here in their worries and them pretty much overreacting to everything because well, their time people.

Because like, if Yuuto and Deneb were viewing Oma Zi-O? Maybe. But Grand Zi-O doesn't really seem that bad from what it can do on what little we've seen. It certainly doesn't do enough to warrant anything foreboding and mostly serves as a "Hey that's cool thing" at least to me. Like if Grand Zi-O was causing untolds amount of damage while dealing with an Another Rider who actually feel like a threat (he doesn't)... uh, I'd believe they were going for foreboding. Not in this case no.

Anyway we had a lot of fun Den-O Shenanigans and that was great, seeing the possession stuff return and watching them get another funny joke with Zi-O Trinity. The actor joke was also just really great. Also man must they really love/only have the Mole Imagin suit because we're just also bringing that dude back huh?

So for BGM Swap stuff this time we've got the same two as last time. Not much to say on that part.


Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 40 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcijTWhBvig

Some of it's the Yuuto scene in the beginning, because he's specifically travelling back to stop this one event. That alone feels like it's the show saying that this isn't just some fun upgrade that Sougo is having a blast with.

But the other part is that, right after we are urged to Please Get Along With Yuuto, there's this tensely lit scene of Sougo and Woz wondering if Grand Zi-O is the key to stopping Oma Zi-O. The lighting is dim, despite it being the middle of the day. The scene is with the two people who are the most motivated to make an overlord out of Sougo. The emotion in the scene is Contemplative, not Exuberant. It's very much designed to make Grand Zi-O as potentially destructive as Zi-O II.

But, maybe not! Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Wouldn't be the first time!

We're Arrived! It's Episode 39!

If you think about it, if you had to crown a "King of Riders" by vote, it'd probably end up being Den-O, right? Like, kids that weren't even a thought in their parent's head when the show aired can probably sound off all the Imagin's catchphrases. You'd have to be geniunely blind to ignore the impact it had on the franchise. And like, they're always around too?! (Donbrothers meets Den-O continues the 15-year(?) streak of the Den-O gang popping up in some kind of appearance since the show's original airing too.

-Anyway, when the DenLiner crashes into town, you know it's gonna be a party! And it is! A lot of this episode is geniune non-stop fun! But like....gags aren't the only reason Den-O is such a beloved piece of work, yknow? There's a gentle sensitivity that lies in the show(mostly found in Ryotaro and certain MOTW stories) that elevates the work from a simple, fun comedy to something I can believe can make Den-O so widely loved by all. So, I was definitely laughing my ass off in this episode, but I couldn't help feel there was a certain Something missing that makes this first half of the tribute feel incomplete,,

I think it was the third or fourth inessential post-series Den-O project -- something with Kotaro, most likely -- that made me wonder why they didn't just do the obvious thing and hand the franchise over to Yuuto. Well, shit, they did the smarter thing and just handed the franchise directly to Momotaros, and it seems like it worked out pretty great for Toei. That character can Ore Sanjou in just about any other series and make it better, while Yuuto... I mean, I love him, but Deneb is still trying to clean up after that kid and it's been twelve years.

Ah yes, we’re finally at this…

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...1B05A9946.jpeg

In all honesty, I just love the amount of detail that went into each of these statuettes. And I’m even more impressed by how they turned out on the RKF figure I have (the only one that isn’t immediately recognisable is Kabuto)

Anyway, now onto the watch itself.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uCPicqpL1lg

“The Heisei Kamen Riders have passed through this era. Now their powers give way to a new future. Rejoice, for the birth of the new king, Grand Zi-O”

And the song I went with for this is Next New World, performed by one of Rider’s longest serving music contributors (which is saying something, since they don’t have a dedicated music group producing their music, like Sentai or Ultra) https://youtube.com/watch?v=B06_8KzUFyc

And I decided to steal another gimmick from Fish (I’m pretty much his Diend at this point), by doing my own attempt to translate the lyrics (ones that are already in English are italicised)

On the face of the clock is engraved,
Within our great history.
The era is changing around us, right now!

Lots of legends have fought, coming together as one.
Who will inherit their worlds?
It’s definitely gotta be me! Oh yeah!

The shadow of justice is infected with evil phantoms,
Within the dark, there is one true tear.

Uncover it, rescue it,
And paint out those ideals, yeah!

Once more, time is now!
That’s right, time is on my side!
Without making a fuss, I’ll be nothing but good.
Past, present, future,
Altogether as one.
The one who rules all, oh yeah!

Next New World!

Going over time and space,
You get the chance to crossover with history.
Legends will keep evolving,
Transcending your imagination.

Granting and believing in, dreams are important yeah!

Just like that, time is now!
As always, time is on my side!
There’s nothing to fear,
Just aim to be strong!
Errors, grievances and regrets,
Turn them all into a plus,
And become strong right now!

I think I can do this, yeah!
I’ll do it again endlessly, yeah!
Let’s go thinking positive!

Once more, time is now!
That’s right, time is on my side!
Without wasting a single moment
Past, present, future,
Altogether in this way.
Becoming the monarch of time!

Next New World
Next New World
Next New World
Next New World!

Anyway, as for anyone who thinks Sougo and co not recognising the Imagin or the Den-Liner contradicts HeiGen Forever… They saw none of them in that movie. Geiz and Tsukuyomi merely felt something pulling them along, while Sougo only say a guy change personalities as he changed form, before detransforming to reveal a guy in a suit with glasses. The other Imagin didn’t show up until after he’d left.

Also, Momo is obviously trying to set some kind of record for how many Riders he can be. He’s already been Den-O, Decade and MomoRider, but this time he becomes Geiz and Zi-O.

And I’ll mention that while I hadn’t been in the fandom for very long when his first aired, I could already tell that the Grand Zi-O watch would get a secondary Rider themed reliant for Geiz in a V-Cin.

And to close this off…

Armour Time! Sword Form! Den-O!

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...en-OArmor.webp

It's a neat suit! I'm grateful I got the chance to see it!

Aw, this was terrific! Thanks for sharing it!

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP39)

So uh, one last thought about Kabuto before I talk about this Den-O episode -- I find it hilarious that so many of us had grievances with how the arc handled Kagami's character, but not a single person until me right now even remotely questioned the idea that Yaguruma is still running around doing the exact same Life Is Pain emo shtick a decade and a half down the line from his show. I see how it is! When Kagami can't move past his issues, it's sad, but when Yaguruma can't do it, it's everything we want out of the guy! Well go ahead and laugh! We've got it good...

(Also, I only just went to check this, but Kagami bringing up the Hell Brothers name in 37 was actually the first time anybody in-fiction ever used it, so speaking of the fan-service getting away from the writer, it's really weird, in terms of the canon, for Kagami to act like anyone was calling them that all the time back in the day. Chalk it up to that messy space-time continuum, I guess.)

Anyways, Den-O episodes! Not really much to say that Die didn't already (this is a real fun time!), so I guess I'll just elaborate a bit on two points I made in my original post.

- I don't know if my hangup with Zeronos using Altair Form in stuff set after the series needs explaining to anyone who's seen Den-O, but without going into details, Yuuto's powers worked in a very specific way, and unless those rules got changed offscreen, my understanding was that he literally can't have access to those cards anymore. But you know, obviously on a meta level, it's even weirder for Zeronos to show up in stuff not looking like Zeronos, so I get it. I had also completely forgotten when I wrote that post that Altair Form showed up in Episode Red as well as Climax Deka, so it's not like the post-series Den-O movies were even as consistent about those rules as I make them out to be. Also, crucially, again, literally none of this matters to a fun episode of Zi-O where Yuuto and Deneb show up for comedy antics. And those antics, again, are a great time!

- Also worth noting is that, yeah, there was a week off for golf between this episode and the second part. Especially considering the DX Grand Zi-O Ride Watch was released to coincide with this first half airing, I'd imagine something about that is what motivated the somewhat unusual structure for a final form debut? Maybe? I might just be overthinking it, given Woz's established habit of reading too far ahead from that book of his.

Wow, I'm actually surprised to see someone besides me trying to make this case for once! I feel like it often goes understated just how much of an emotional range Den-O actually had as a show, and I definitely agree that's key to what gives these characters their immense staying power, even if people don't consciously think of it that way. It's kind of especially fascinating now that we have Zi-O, another Rider show that makes time a central concept, yet takes a completely different approach when it comes to the themes it uses that to explore.

Man, I'm Tendou and Tsukasa? And to think, I always had myself pegged as a Shinji! :p

Grand Zi-O is the best suit in the entire season. fite me.

Grand Zi-O. That's it.

That suit is the most ornate, detailed, majestic, and magnificent Final Form ever, and blows Decade complete out of the water for being such an ornamental smorgasbord of Rider memorabilia. Grand is the only best word that can describe it, and I would love to gush more about it, but I'll wait for the next episode for that.

As far as the Den-O shenanigans are concerned, there was no question on whether I'd enjoy this purely for its cast and made even better how Sougo even draws the connection between Yuuto and Kiriya, who are played by the same actor (it was someone else who thought Grease was some guy in Kiva).

And big shout out to Androzani (in case I didn't mention this before) for showing off so much of the collectibles and fun facts about Zi-O and the Heisei Riders integration in the shows! And once more, Den-O's Armor Time, which is one of my favorite Armor Times, even though much like Kabuto, it looks more like Zi-O slapped Den-O on him and called it a day, but I find that it works better here? Maybe it's because they're both time-themed (clever Zi-O waiting to do a Den-O tribute this late in the game), or maybe I just love Den-O's design and the Denliner being the shoulders, I don't know.

Oh, right. This is the episode where we got Zi-O's knock-off version of King Form. It's not objectively terrible, but it basically just take's Blade's final form and turns the dials up to 11 in a way that is as excessive as it sounds. I never loved it, but I'll take it over Decade Complete any day of the week.

As for the episode itself, I think this one was pretty uneven for me. More Momotaros and Yuuto/Deneb is always welcome and I really liked how the show used them. The other Taros, though... I think this is maybe the first time that I really keenly felt that the other Imagin were really only here because they're a package deal with Momotaros. I remember feeling like they were pretty badly wasted in the subplot with Sougo's uncle.

Deneb Candy is probably responsible for a gigantic stack of memories that Yuuto can now burn off. Just, like, twelve years of people who once Got Along With Yuuto.

It is a little weird to lead off with Grand Zi-O instead of, y'know, the huge group of guest stars they teased at the end of the previous episode, but I think it works well dramatically. A lot of the emphasis for this story is the imminent arrival of Grand Zi-O and its unstoppable might, so it helps the audience to actually see what Yuuto is so terrified of.

It's a very neat suit! I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable wearing my collection around like that, but I respect Sougo's pride in his hard work.

I loved that this show both leaned into the fact that they brought the same actor back for two different roles within months of each other, and bothered to concoct a flimsy Timelines Amirite explanation if you don't want them getting too meta. They are cognizant of their many types of fans!

With Momo being Full-Time Den-O, it makes sense that he'd hog more of the spotlight for this episode. I thought the stuff with Uncle was pretty fun, but, yeah, there's nothing really for the three of them to do but be wacky sidekicks.

"Package deal" is right, though: I don't think you could ever get away with just having Momo in a story. Even his role in Super Duper Hero Taisen required Ura (at a minimum) to provide some context for Momo's weirdness. It's not really Den-O if there's only one Imagin.

Nothing sticks with me more about this two-parter than Junchiro's "If it works like a clock, I'm your guy!" That's it, that's all I needed to take away from Zi-O.

The worry is resolved with Zi-O II before (as much as it was sloppy in Tsukuyomi's case), Zi-O II already was something that gives clearer indication that Sougo has a potential to become Ohma Zi-O, with the time manipulating powers it has, but others has come to terms around it (not Woz, he'd be delighted at accomplishing his goal more ofc) that they now are more accepting of the risk of Ohma Zi-O, and it's inevitable Sougo would get more power that is one step closer to Ohma Zi-O like Grand Zi-O. But Yuuto acting like that totally makes sense though, he's not someone that has known the cast for long time like Geiz, and he's generally an asshole like Geiz, so Yuuto as someone who doesn't know Sougo at all would react in similar way to Geiz at the beginning of the series.

If R̶o̶n̶ Rena Akiyama had returned as Mana before, yeah dunno why can't easily have her as Naomi too here, probably also add up the actor resemblance other than Kiriya and Yuuto (I like it if accurate memes are acknowledged in canon like that, also what RT Ryuki did with Ron Akiyama and Geiz before). Junichiro being able to fix even DenLiner here, is something that outright beyond normal human capability now, and now really cements him as the greatest repairman (previously it was fixing ordinary stuff, clock or non-clock), I wonder if Junichiro really puts his mind on it (ofc he only wants to fix clock so yeah won't, but now it'd be wasted if he can't live his dream of being a clock maker abroad) he can contribute as much as scientist characters like Akari? It's a wasted potential though, at least here, to not have Momotaros reference the Climax form that worked similarly to Trinity, cmiiw.

Other than that, I see some parallels between Deneb and Junichiro, to Yuuto and Sougo respectively ofc, that Junichiro also previously didn't scold Sougo when needed, until ep. 27, of which it unwittingly played a part in creating Ohma Zi-O too. Deneb is unfailingly nice to anyone, but him ignoring Yuuto's behavior should probably give problems too, especially that Yuuto has more psychological problems similar to Geiz (his role is similar to Geiz at the beginning here, and like the world White Woz envisioned).

Uncle is at his most engaged in this episode, fixing a giant train that is somehow also a giant clock. I love the part where he just pulls a gigantic gear out of a hatch, like: clocks! Everything's clocks!

Oh, for sure. Yuuto went to the future, saw a dude named Tokiwa Sougo ruling over the Misery Fields of 2068, and went back to prevent it. The way causality works... like, of course he'd not take Sougo at his word.

It DOES give Yuuto problems!

HAVE YOU MET YUUTO!

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 40 - “2017 - GRAND CLIMAX!”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio40a.png

This is an episode that I liked pretty well, without it really connecting with me.

It’s not a bad episode, by any stretch. The Legend Rider aspects went over great. The Takuya storyline has an earned sense of melancholy, and does a great job of looping in Den-O’s pervasive feeling of regret to create an affecting story of grief. Grand Zi-O’s nearly half-episode long debut is suitably epic; a movie finale in miniature. Tsukuyomi even gets a couple lines!

(Bound to happen when a guest cast is this massive, but, boy, they really downgraded Tsukuyomi in this episode. Why doesn’t she get to go back to 2017 and help out? I guess they needed someone to help Uncle fix clocks this week?)

It’s just… I don’t know, nothing really hit me emotionally, despite the overall quality being more than sufficient. I think it’s that the various elements of the story never seemed to have much particular buy-in from Team Zi-O. They’re committed to helping Yukihiro, and obtaining the Den-O Ridewatch, but the big emotional beats of this story don’t really involve our heroes. They’re present, but they’re not participating, if that makes any sense. This wasn’t a problem that taught Sougo anything about himself, or tested Geiz’z resolve, or troubled Woz’z confidence, or remembered to include Tsukuyomi. It was a Den-O problem, and they all got to play-act as the Den-Liner crew for a fortnight.

I did like it all, though. The actor who plays Takuya really nails the sort of grief that could motivate someone to go on a temporal rampage, but crumble in the face of a sibling’s graceful final wish. It’s a neat story, how we find it easier to blame someone than accept that tragedies occur. That’s a story that overlaps pretty smoothly with both Den-O and Zi-O. The pacts with Imagin and the candidates for Another Ridewatches: it’s all just people who want to avoid some element of their fate, and can’t accept the things they can’t change. Thematically, I don’t think this episode had anything to apologize for.

But why am I talking about Themes and Character Development when we’ve got Grand Zi-O to salivate over?

It’s a hell of a debut. Probably one of the most stunning and grandiose upgrade debuts I’ve ever seen. Much like the impossibly shiny suit, it’s a clean debut, for better or worse. There’s no sinister darkness to Sougo’s new power, nor is there a catharsis to his achievement. He just, like, collected them all. Den-O’s Ridewatch was a little tricky, but it wasn’t an insurmountable hurdle. While it’s fun to have a debut that we can all just enjoy, no strings attached, it felt a bit hollow to me. Zi-O II came about because Sougo acknowledged his capacity for evil, all the better to overcome it. Geiz Revive was an arrival that heralded a duel between Geiz and his friend, a duel neither of them wanted. Grand Zi-O, though… it’s just, like, time for it? No pun intended? It overwhelms with spectacle, but I found myself wanting there to be more weight to it all.

That spectacle, though! The cleverness of Zi-O plucking Heisei Riders from their historical finishes to inflict them on his target, freezing them in mid-air to line up the perfect cascade of devastation, and getting coached by his own tiny idol? Amazing. The show promised a lot with the tease of the Grand Zi-O suit, and this episode's entire act devoted to it did not disappoint.

And, yeah, I’m not disappointed. I wish this episode hit me harder emotionally, but I had a blast just sitting back and enjoying the party of it. In every way, this story was a climax, from start to finish.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio40b.png

Hahaha that hollowness huh? Interesting to hear you say that. Also man, Grand Zi-O, such a cool debut for a Final Form, and there's so much potential to it too! I know things you don't and I cannot wait for you to get through the rest of Zi-O so I can fully explain and elaborate my feelings on Grand Zi-O.

Anyway, the Den-O stuff was pretty fun. Momotaros possessing Woz, who manages to kick Momotaros out. Momotaros malding over the fact that he couldn't transform anymore to kick butt. Even though you know, he has a sword. But him getting saved by the depressed version of himself from that one episode and just possessing himself to be Den-O was really clever. I like how Yuuto is like "I don't trust you but I respect you at least" when talking to Sougo. Also Deneb in his doctor disguise, very quaint.

This episode also made me realize, man Geiz Revive has been putting in a lot of work since its debut huh? Like it's just been fairly consistent in its use and I feel like Geiz has gotten a lot of mileage out of it.

Anyway for this time with BGM Swaps we've got the deep pitched Zi-O Theme (ew), Toki no Ouja, and Decade's preview BGM. I feel like it's obvious as to the choice I made for what I prefer.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 41 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsbIhDfrGGo

KUUGA, AGITO, RYUKI, FAIZ, AND BLAAAAAADDE!

HIBIKI, KABUTO, DEN-O, KIVA, DECAAAADDE!

DOUBLE, OOO, AND FOURZE

WIZARD -- OH, GAIM! AND DRIVE TOO!

THERE'S GHOST, (OH!) EX-AID, (OHH!) AND BUILD! (OOOOHHH!)

BEHOLD!

KAMEN RIDERRRRRR!

GRAND KING ZI-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUHqPPCe1xI

40 episodes, and like, twenty years of television roughly! Doesn't feel like it, huh?!

I wanted to say that, surprising to myself, I think the character-of-the-fortnight story here with Takuya kinda really resonated with me. I don't know if it's just because it's in the presence of Grand Zi-O, but I found this somber revenge story quite memorable. I couldn't tell you a thing about any other of Zi-O's motw stories that wasn't just purely about a returning actor, but this one really stuck with me just on the merits of the premise and the performance of the guest actors (because the actual main cast barely get involved in this story other than blowing up the monster!).

But yeah this episode's biggest priority other than throwing in more Imagin nostalgia, is Grand Zi-O, supposedly the toy to end all toys with how much marketing hyped up, even proud of how its transformation jingle is the longest yet!

I like these toku shows for the ways they work merch into the plots. In this episode, the merch in of itself is kind of the event rather than the story surrounding it, but since it is also supposed to be symbolic of twenty year's worth of shows and DX toys, and celebrating that, I'm more fine with it than I would be otherwise. There's been a lot of debuts that play out this classic formula: New form is bust out at climax and it kicks butt to a rocking insert song, it works every single time, and it especially worked here with a powerset that's specifically engineered to be both incredibly flashy and instill immediate nostalgia and fanservice every second.

Sharing for fun but I very distinctly remember a reaction I had near the end of the episode. Its when Yuuto turns to Sougo and goes "Are you really Oma Zi-O?" and for a really brief amount of time, I was absolutely frozen with fear. I was so afraid that this was foreshadowing that here in the final stretch, the show would throw in some plot twist where it turns out Sougo isn't actually the overlord they've been fighting against this whole time, and thus ruin every single story beat the show has ever had. I know that sounds unthinkable, I thought it was too so I dismissed the thought before the next episode had aired. But wow did that one line really make me shiver and panic...

Well, we’re back with another one of these…

Ridewatch Playlist: So Many Movies Mix

https://youtube.com/watch?v=csAx8j7PYLw

“Riding the train of time, the Rider fighting with Imagin is… Den-O”

And given the massive variety of remixes and re-recordings Den-O has, I went with an original (as in, the original recording/mix) song for this one, Double Action https://youtube.com/watch?v=nVsM0dQ6Tlo

“All the Imagins’ power gathers, Den-O Climax Form”

And here, I went for a re-recording, with Climax Jump Den-Liner Form. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ueibw7AdCmI

“All of the Imagin now become one, Go, go, go! Den-O, Liner Form”

And here, I went for a remix, with Real Action https://youtube.com/watch?v=aeGfEdDy_TE

“Riding the green train, the Rider from the past is Zeronos”

And to close this off, I went with another original recording, Action Zero https://youtube.com/watch?v=kiSCNYs1I8s

And the unreleased:
Kamen Rider Den-O (Plat Form)
Kamen Rider Den-O (Rod Form)
Kamen Rider Den-O (Ax Form)
Kamen Rider Den-O (Gun Form)
Kamen Rider Den-O (Wing Form)
Kamen Rider Den-O (Super Climax Form)
Kamen Rider New Den-O (Strike Form)
Kamen Rider New Den-O (Vega Form)
Kamen Rider Zeronos (Vega Form)
Kamen Rider Zeronos (Zero Form)
Kamen Rider Gaoh
Kamen Rider Nega Den-O
Kamen Rider Yuuki (Hijack Form)
Kamen Rider Yuuki (Skull Form)
Kamen Rider G Den-O

And now, the compare and contrast, Ryotaro admires his sister’s boyfriend, while Takuya hates his. ‘Nuff said (that’s literally how the official synopsis summed it up)

And for some etymology, Takuya’s surname is “Endo”.

As for the episode, I like the detail of us seeing what episode these Riders and weapons are being summoned from, even if it quickly becomes obvious they couldn’t feasibly keep it up.

Next time: The finale arc, which is also the Decade arc, begins.

He has gotten an awful lot of casual usage from a form that we were explicitly told was killing him back when it debuted. Sort of weird?

please stop posting things from power rangers

you know i don't get those references

It's definitely a line that feels more intriguing than it's intended, which is just to have Yuuto go Hey This Kid's Okay. Like, for him to do a verbal double-take on this sweet boy using the powers of a genocidal dictator in order to help people.

But at this point in the story, knowing Yuuto came straight from the future to bump off Sougo... it lands a little bit more mysteriously than the writer probably intended. There was a minute back before Sougo first fought Oma Zi-O, where I wondered if Sougo was being framed somehow, but it's way too late in the series to pivot away from this being Sougo's destiny. It's the sort of twist that... boy, I just feel like it'd ruin the show? Maybe there's a clever story to do with it, but thematically? Basically just torpedoed your entire series arc.

The OOO one specifically was really clever. I like that it's time travel, not just the Decade thing of summoning maybe the guy, maybe a simulacrum. This show's done a great job of making sure that all the powers are rooted in Time to some degree. I appreciate it!

I think it was Shirakura-P who put up a tweet responding to a fan asking about this very topic to say "Yeah, he just got used to it, like when you get used to an exercise."

Shirakura's twitter was the hotbed for many strange things that year.

I just sort of assumed that once the Revive Ridewatch realized how much Geiz was okay with being slowly martyred by a collectible that it was like You Made It Weird and stopped murdering him.

Here there's Deneb standing up for other guy in telling that Sougo's a good guy. So someone other than Yuuto who'd deny that and insist him to not be fooled. And even Momo also tried to stop Sougo by taking away the Den-O Watch thus canceling the Grand Zi-O. Momo himself is subjected into being mistaken as a monster, not like the Decade one of Onodera Rider Kicking him but still, his design is ferocious enough with also Another Den-O rampaging. There's another Keisuke Watanabe treat of him being possessed by Momo, and it's a tactic done by Geiz to push Woz in Momo's way so he doesn't get that treatment anymore. It makes things harder though with Woz breaking free making Mole Imagin free.

I probably feel that, about how it's easier to blame someone than accept that tragedies occur like Takuya did, was kinda related to Geiz earlier on when he'd blame Sougo over everything, such as Tsukuyomi getting hurt for being involved. But the story is way past that now after Geiz warmed up to Sougo at ep. 15, or when they grew closer by the time he got Geiz Revive. Or probably someone like Yuuto who also blames Sougo, but didn't have traumatic connection with him. Otherwise here Sougo's the paragon again instead of the one to develop, which for this time they're making use of the heroic part of the major cast, and was similar to the Wizard 2 parter of dealing with past version to improve the current feud. But this one's also probably a bad timing because Hiryu would soon return, and he's the major cast needed if the MOTW story would involve someone like Takuya blaming Yukihiro for a tragedy involving Sayuri, and Hiryu was someone that lost his parents with Sougo apparently "involved".

For some reason too, Another Den-O is quite tough enough to take the 9 finishers inflicted by Grand Zi-O. Grand Zi-O also troubled Momo at some point, but of course, he can summon the Den-O suit for him to possess (possessing himself!), easy solution. This episode's opening also makes sense that it shows Grand Zi-O can rewind and pause events, in how OOO was frozen mid-air. There's actually something sinister though, as shown in how Grand Zi-O himself is pulled by Ohma Zi-O to face him, and it shows that's probably what the Riders that are pulled by Grand Zi-O for his finisher or something feels like. It may be spectacle for the viewers, but it's something horrific for the Riders, unless they're likely eager to help, but dunno what was going in those previous Riders in their time. Here Grand Zi-O is on a receiving end of his evolved power via Ohma Zi-O, who is implied that he can pull anyone he wants at any time to his own location or time (it's 2068), adding more paranoia in Ohma Zi-O's power.

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP40)

Kinda sad to say, but I've basically forgotten most of the non-Grand Zi-O things in this episode beyond "Everyone was hanging around a hospital I think...?" It's good to be reminded it was doing some very Den-O things with its drama, even if, yeah, evidently it didn't connect with me all that much either.

It's a pretty killer debut for a final form though! Grand Zi-O has never been one of my favorites or anything, and specific to Zi-O, I ended up liking Trinity way too much, but as a design, I very strongly feel it's essentially the objective correct thing for the final Heisei Rider's ultimate form to look like? King Form *is* one of my favorites, and considering we already ripped off Climax Form, I don't see anything wrong with tapping into that same brilliance. Sougo's a king! He should totally be all gold and regal looking, and have a clock beard and statues of every Heisei Rider including himself! Everything about Grand Zi-O makes perfect sense, and on that level -- how difficult it is to find fault with -- I am pretty fond of it.

As for the episode around that debut, in that case it's Zi-O II that's already stolen my heart, but similarly, I think Mouri wrote something that was very fitting for the stretch of the show it's capping off. It's relentlessly fun, with the idea that Zi-O's growing power might not be good taking a back seat to watching him summon loads of old Riders and Imagin antics and what have you. Again, like so many of the episodes lately, it's one that just kinda leaves you with a good feeling, you know? Even that undercurrent of foreboding associated with Sougo's BGM goes away in favor of a rocking Rider Chips jam, which I would be upset about, but like, the fight is too happy for the usual motifs. That elaborate transformation and subsequent fight scene clearly had a massive amount of effort placed into them too, so I'll go ahead and mention that this episode was directed Takayuki Shibasaki, who seems to excel at putting together sequences that involve a ton of digital effects work like this one. Probably not too surprising that this is the part of the episode that stuck with me!

(Also, I can kind of think of a reason why Yuuto would ask Sougo if he's actually Sougo, but I'll just keep that thought to myself for now.)

Oh, and about Geiz Revive, since that's come up: I've never understood why the "he got used to it" explanation is so objectionable? My interpretation of what Woz said about it damaging Geiz's body was always that it basically just causes an immense physical strain to use those powers, rather than the Ride Watch like, pumping poison directly into Geiz or something, and going by that theory, the idea that he'd gradually adjust to that (exactly like the exercise comparison Shirakura made!) isn't so far-fetched, right? Keep in mind right after he got it, he was also fighting Zi-O, Another Zi-O, and Woz a whole bunch in a really short span of time, so he actually was exerting himself more than normal to begin with.

Took the words before I could say them, then again, I am going off memory and most I remember from this episode was Grand Zi-O, who is majestic.

I know I gushed about his form last episode, but now I can get to the meat of the matter, that being his glorious transformation. Every Heisei Rider's (main season) statues appear, all of their standbys play, then the main jingle plays, reciting all of them, followed by an Iwae! (I love this line so much), it's just so good! Even Woz is at a loss for words, which normally I'd be disappointed in him not giving out a speech, but here it's absolutely justified that there are no words for him to convey this form with.

And gosh diddly darn, do I love Grand Zi-O's attacks, summoning his predecessors through time to dish out attacks, sure one could argue it makes no sense since he took their powers, but in the context of this form itself imbued with the power of all the Heisei Riders, it can be said that he himself is the Riders' timeline, thus making it possible to summon them through their own respective times. I did not need to write all that, so long story short, I love Grand Zi-O, and Next New World slaps.

But I did enjoy seeing the Imagin jumping personalities with Geiz and Uncle, and I'm glad Momotaros got to shine somewhat in the fight against Another Den-O (who I'm glad to see return since it's such a good design, even though it was obvious he'd be back), just like in Decade, though at least this time he's not getting kicked in the head by an ally.

Yeah, it's not that there's no way to draw a connection from Geiz to Yuuto's mistrust or Takuya's need to assign blame, it's the story has zero interest in doing so. Geiz exists to be in a wacky story with Momo, and that's it.

It does, but... boy, we are really getting into some Filling Up On Candy territory here. I really enjoy the crazy antics of the Den-Liner crew, but I was really surprised how the episode shunted every single superhero off into their own tokusatsu show, and left the emotional stakes of the story entirely to the two-episode civilian guest cast. I will never hate that choice out of hand, but this story was maybe one too many of Team Zi-O as excitable hosts and traffic control.

The gag of Momo possessing a ripped-form-the-past Sword Form was really delightful. This episode was a lot of fun!

Accidentally forgot to watch this episode the other day, my bad.

I....don't have much to say though.This episode Sure Did Exist, that's my feelings on it personally. Which is a weird note to end our Ridewatch-collecting adventure on and a new form's debut, but hey, they can't all be cleanly good or bad. But I do hope everyone enjoyed Grand Zi-O's roughly-minute long jingle, because if I'm remembering correctly, hearing it in full is like, incredibly rare across the suit's appearances. For obvious reasons of course, even jingles that're even 1/4 as long as it get cut short for time! Such a shame, because it's so good too...

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 41 - “2019 - WORLD RESET”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio41a.png

Inevitably, we’ve reached the Darkest Timeline story. Pretty much expected of any series about time travel, you know? Hard to avoid the fun flip of a dystopia.

It makes sense to do it now. Some of it's because we went right from the high of Grand Zi-O’s 45-minute debut scene (rough estimate) to fighting Oma Zi-O in the Misery Fields of 2068. We had a hero who thought he was ready to claim victory, so he needs a taste of ultimate defeat. We can’t have Sougo thinking he’s wrapped everything up just because he’s collected enough roleplay items to access the endgame content, can we? We gotta humble him a bit.

The bigger reason to do it now, though, is because we need to have a final statement on Sougo’s dedication to being Kamen Rider Zi-O, and how his friendships are a part of that. We need a final But Why Heroism from him that encompasses all of Team Zi-O.

Thankfully, we’ve got Tsukasa here in his Tough Love -slash- Complete Asshole mode, to help Sougo navigate this strange new world of everyone hating him and wanting to kill him because they’re convinced he’s a world-destroying Kamen Rider. Can’t– can’t really explain why Tsukasa seems like the Legend Rider you want for this one, but I think I’ve got the gist.

There’s not a ton of stuff to dissect from this episode, since it’s a Darkest Timeline story. (It’s mostly just everyone forgetting Sougo, except for the part where they think he’s a villain.) Hiryuu’s back as Another Zi-O, and he’s just as laughably forgettable as last time. He ruined the world because he hates Sougo and can’t get over his anger, which is… I guess it’s a motivation? It lacks a sense of scale, which has always been my problem with Hiryuu. He’s mad about some accident Sougo survived from when they were both on a bus together a decade ago, and that’s all the show ever seems to come up with for him? It should read as intensely personal yet universal – the loss of both parents for reasons that are impossible to define – but there’s so little specificity to Hiryuu, so little sense of what he’s like when he’s not sneering at Sougo’s existence, that it’s difficult to feel any emotions about him besides Apathy. You might as well have a melon with a frowny-face drawn on it plunged onto the end of a broom, and had the Time Jackers make that thing Another Zi-O. Just waving some scowling melon-broom at Sougo while Woz cheers it on. Might work better for me!

I liked Tsukasa being here, though. He has a way of cutting through Sougo’s (very understandable!) self-pity and trying to get that kid to realize that his friendships can’t be taken from him by weird time magic, because he’s still the kid that made those friends. (Tsukasa is living proof of how valuable friendships can be while the universe is trying to undo your existence!) Also, boy, real sad to see him think that him losing all his friends is because he didn’t take on Oma Zi-O even more solo. Sougo! Your powers are not the Time Overlord stuff! They’re your innate empathy and boundless optimism! That is what drew these people to you in the first place! It’s the thing that Hiryuu could never replicate, because he is just a one-dimensional obstacle with a very weird headband!

This one’s a total Part 1 of ? episode, with a lot of time spent upending the status quo while backgrounding the more compelling (to me) emotional elements. But! That just means the next part can hit even harder for me. Looking forward to it!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio41b.png

Kinda thought we already had one of those, and the whole show was about making sure we don't reach that timeline!

So like, I feel a little bad because I think all I have to say about this episode are nerdy nitpicks that probably don't at all matter in the long run but I guess I can't help what I latched onto?

For one, the whole confrontation between Grand Zi-O and Oma Zi-O is weird for various small reasons. One is I don't get why this is happening. Well mean, I know narratively it is to show Sougo and the audience that the way to beat his evil future self is not just by becoming super powerful and beating him up. It would be ridiculous if that was ever going to be the actual solution. But why did the characters decide to do this here and now? I think this would have flowed better if Sougo was the one who decided to head right to 2068 himself in order to foolishly challenge his future self in an attempt to finally prove he is 'better' than what destiny says about him.

Also, then they have Oma Zi-O say "actually you lost its because we haven't had a Drive episode yet", like huh?

Also also, I really have to say I'm immediately disappointed that Grand Zi-O's summoning powers have been simplified. Obviously having him do all that 'pluck directly from original series' to the extent he did in the previous episode is unreasonable, but I figured they'd just at most have a suit do a generic move for a second before vanishing. Here, he summons them and they fight like Pokemon, just like Diend does. And while I'm at it, it bugs me that they show Oma Zi-O doing the same thing! One of the reasons I thought Grand Zi-O's powerset was so cool is how it contrasted with how Oma Zi-O fought back in episode 15. Compared to how Oma Zi-O embodied the past riders' powers into himself, Grand Zi-O celebrates their legacy by having them show off for themselves. But no, now they're both just Diend.

Anyhow, furthering making things weird is how disconnected this whole scene feels compared to right afterwards where Sougo is thrown into a changed world where Another Zi-O II rules (who can summon Another Riders to fight for him so that's three guys in this episode who are basically Diend. Four if you remember Diend himself is in this show too!). When I saw the preview for this episode, I kinda assumed there would be a cause and effect thing, like Sougo fighting with Oma Zi-O would cause some timeline hiccups that allowed Hiryu to come to power like this? But no, they seem pretty isolated and just happen one after another, which feels off to me.

Speaking of Hiryu, I always thought a simple way to give him just a liiiittle more character in this episode is to have it be that he does take Sougo's advice to leave behind the past... and so he decides he wants a future where he'll be the overlord who rules the world instead. That way, not only would he not just be repeating the exact same routine he had before, but that'd make him a little closer to being an evil mirror of Zi-O, wouldn't it?

So yeah, the episode was a lot of me going 'eh, i dunno about that' and then hoping the next episode feels better.

Final Form Rot is that you?

Yeah uh... while knocking Sougo down a peg or two is good because you know, great victory and then huge defeat is always a good shocker for people uh...

Sougo has one of the most potential broken forms in Kamen Rider and while it doesn't entirely job here... it goes from utilized 75% of it's potential in it's debut to like 10% of it's potential here. Grand Zi-O can do so much... and Sougo is not utilizing it at all and it's honestly really sad. Which is why I'm calling my shot here and just declaring Grand as the second Final Form in a row (Build Genius I glare at you) that wastes any potential it might have.

Anyway this is a neat Arc that we have here, Grand Issues aside, there's some neat stuff here. Like how we're teasing the last two Another Riders we haven't seen yet via that really bad statue that Hiryu had set up. Man that was very pathetic looking, just like Hiryu, and that's why I love him.

Next time for BGM Swap it's the same three as last time and Tsukuyomi's theme. Not much to say here.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 42 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqnjEbOWFnw

See, I get what you're saying about Hiryu being pathetic, but, and I say this in the Fishist of ways... I kinda like that about him? To have the supposed ultimate rival of the King to Time to be some whiny teen who hates Sougo for such a silly, petty reason that even he doesn't know, but by God he really hates Sougo, the odd kind of anti-charisma so powerful I don't think anyone else has defended him? Yeah, that's the perfect counter to our lovable kid who can befriend the people whose lives he will/already has ruined in 50 years time.

It's in his theme song! "All you need is Drive!" It was staring him in the face!

So this is the world of Episode 41....!

-Oma Zi-O essientally going "No Drive? Perish then." feels a bit humorous to me. In a fight where both sides are totally OP, such a reason for the power gap feels almost like 2 kids on the playground roleplaying a fight, trying to one-up each other with silly reasons why the other should lose ("Nuh-uh, You didn't get Drive on your own so it doesn't count!" or something like that)

-I kinda see what they were doing with Hiryuu in his original storyline (A bit messily exceuted, but understandable!) but this is.....a little hard to wrap the brain around. Feeling Sougo's words of advice were humilating and coming from a place that ultimately doesn't quite get his struggle..? Sure, I can understand that. I fail to see why going for a far more targeted approach that would hurt Sougo isn't a better option than just setting the world aflame? (What do I know, maybe the TJs gassed him up to thinking general destruction is the best option)

-I know we're all talking about Geiz and Tsuku and how much Sougo not having his besties around must suck, but can we talk about Woz? It'd probably hurt a lot for one of the people who actually remembers everything to just go "Yeah I don't fuck with you anymore, sorry! :-)" . It's Woz's whole thing to watch over history so jumping to the guy who'll be the next overlord seems like a logical step, sure, but not a even a crumb of fondness for your former lord? How cold.....

-It's good to Tsukasa doing his thing, dishing out advice in a way that gets you moving but also pisses you off a bit? After a series of eh-ish appearances, it's nice that this episode feels like it knows how to properly insert Tsukasa in Zi-O's narrative without being a glorifed "get to the next plotpoint" button.

To think Geiz could have solved all of this a long time ago if he'd just use Drive Armour (anyone even remember what that suit looks like? Its been a million years..) in 2068...

Every conversation I've ever seen regarding how strong Oma Zi-O is basically sounds like this, so its apt.

I thought it worked okay here? From Sougo's side of things, the last stretch of a dozen episodes was all about obtaining the power required to defeat Oma Zi-O, and now he's categorically done it (citation needed). If Oma Zi-O brought him to the future, it makes sense that he'd try and finish the dude off pretty much immediately. Sougo's a sweet kid who can see the best in everyone, but we've already established that there's a massively self-loathing part of him as well.

For Oma Zi-O... he thinks this rebellious Eff You Future Me version of himself is adorable. Of course he's going to bring that version to the future ASAP to congratulate him on taking the remaining steps towards ensuring their destiny is fulfilled!

This one also worked for me? Narratively, it's necessary to think that all of this is happening because of his failures on the Misery Fields of 2068. If he instantly figures out that the Time Jackers are screwing with him, there's really no introspection necessary. He needs to dwell a little bit on how his solo campaign against Oma Zi-O robs him of his greatest weapons: his relationships.

Also, it sort of makes sense that the Time Jackers would pull their scheme now, since they're sweating bullets over Grand Zi-O. Swartz says as much, I think. It's super convenient, storytelling-wise, but I think the show makes it believable.

It is extra lame! Just like Hiryuu! Speaking of...

I am anxiously awaiting the return of Fish's signature Lame Thing Is So Cool Because It's Lame rhetorical defense, now that we've returned to the story of Hiryuu.

And, sure, I too have loved a character who exists to be the Shitty Version of a hero. The thing about Hiryuu that bothers me is that it wouldn't take much to turn him into early-days Tsurugi, or latter-days Yaguruma: some guy who was our hero, and then became so much of our hero's neuroses and idiosyncrasies that they became a fascinating disaster. But it's either the performance or the conception of the character that keeps it from being weird enough to love, or pathetic enough to pity. It exists, for me, in this liminal space of recognition, and nothing else. I get that he's some twisted outcome of Sougo, but then it's like the show just points at that in unearned pride and goes Mission Accomplished.

It's easily the best usage of Tsukasa to date. Tsukasa's whole thing is being an aggravating/effective/aggravatingly-effective life coach for Kamen Riders. Having to rally some kid who the whole world has turned on? While all of his friends abandon him? Who wears pink in his costume? This is Tsukasa's moment.

Know what, that's really fair! It didn't linger on my mind but now I do actually really like the thought that his very recent failure to beat his future self despite all his newfound power, would make him feel especially despondent or responsible for what's going on now. It's a really Sougo way of thinking.

https://i.ibb.co/M1PXpYn/Screenshot-...8-Facebook.jpg
Episode 27
Can I say I just love this line when Black Woz tells Geiz about what Revive does to his body? It goes with the duality of Revive powers in relation to time itself and how that damages his body. I know it’s just technobabble with no real scientific basis but it thematically links with how Geiz is burdened with a guilt that threatens to tear him up from the inside up on his journey to be a terminator. Also Woz apparently bleeds pages and this only time this ever happens?!?! It’s also cool to see that Woz book can be used as a weapon which is pretty cool. I love the expression Tsukasa has on his face when he hears Swartz's little speech. It tells so much with so little. And Black Woz taking the powers was so great and his little speech man they’ve been building up in the background him and Geiz rivalry in the background so to see it in the foreground was so great in this four-parter.

But let’s get to the real meat of this episode Sougo and Uncle. The uncle's fears are the most legitimate things to come out of Kamen Rider when you adopt a kid, especially one that went though such a tragedy where is the line drawn? But then there what he’s said it tells so much about Sougo and even a bit about Ohma ZI-O that a version of Sougo who never learned empathy because he didn’t have friends by his side and this Sougo had those things and losing it just wanting to make it seem likes it fine just because he's used to it. Uncle's speech is what I think changes Sougo destiny the most outside of Geiz giving him his belt back in Episode 16.