Something I think makes Kenzaki's lack of focus in this stretch of the show a lot more bearable is that, even then, Blade passes the "Why is this multi-Rider show named after this one guy?" test with flying colors. The development he got in those first couple episodes was all about him learning to really step up and do his job as a Rider no matter what, and at this point in the series, he's literally the only Rider who even remotely gives a s*** about doing actual heroic things. Tachibana has been way too wrapped up in "saving" himself, and Hajime barely registers people not named Amane as more than a blip, while also having motives shrouded in mystery.

Blade doesn't have a ton going on at the moment, but I never forget why it's his show. He's essentially holding down the fort right now so the interesting drama with Garren and Chalice can happen. Kenzaki just loves to help out, you know?

Jin's bit never quite worked for me, although I did enjoy Amane just absolutely passive-aggressively (straight-up aggressively?) being absolutely terrible at him while he wasn't doing anything particularly egregious. I do find Jin-as-stand-in-for-humanity to be appropriate in this part of Hajime's arc; that his name is also a homophone for a word that means person or humanity kind of underscores that idea.

To be entirely fair, I like where Hajime's story is going with Jin! I just wasn't crazy about the journey. But you give me new appreciation for the parts that I was less happy with, so :D

I might be wrong on this, but I'm not sure the Undead Scanner has that wide of an angle once it's locked on to an Undead. Since it locked onto Zebra Monster, I'm not sure it could register a different Undead at a different location. It's like, it's focussed on the mall, so it can't see what's going on with Kenzaki and Hajime. Mostly just a theory on how the Undead Scanner works.

The shift from This Is A Very Serious Fight To The Death to Kenzaki asking for a time out is very abrupt, which cracked me up. It gives Kenzaki a more irresponsible vibe, for that moment, which I thought was funny. It also probably threw Chalice off, because I can't imagine any opponent in 10,000 years has asked for a time out. Begged for their lives, sure. But a time out? Probably a new one on him.

I am rooting for the Riders! Maybe Garren finds the strength within himself to triumph, briefly, over a more powerful opponent. Maybe he holds his own long enough for Blade to help out. Maybe the Hayabusa satellite drops from the sky, crushing Trenchcoat Mastermind, and Yuji from Fourze jumps out to give her principal a pep talk. I want to see the heroes find a way to win!

He probably would've loved to get more background from Karasuma, but Karasuma was out of there faster than you can say I Am Only A Guest Star And A Lot Of This Information Won't Be Revealed Until Later In The Series.

Someone else can maybe correct me on this, but I don't think Kotaro knew that Hajime was Chalice. I think it was just Kenzaki who was putting that together.

Sorry to... disappoint? Is that what's happening now? I'm like Hajime right now: I don't understand these emotions!

Oh, for sure. There's a... reliability, maybe, to Kenzaki on the show that allows space for Garren and Chalice to be off on their little journeys. Him going through stuff at the exact same time the other two are going through stuff would be a recipe for disaster.

I'm just a little surprised (not concerned or angry or disappointed or anything) that Blade's less prominent in the plotting this early in the series. It's usually not until the teens where we see the Primary Rider take a step back to fill in the other Riders. Here, it's like the introductory stories are all about the backstory and emotional growth of the secondary Riders. It's an interesting choice!

Yay! I can totally see why Jin might not work for some folks. He is... it is a very specific flavor of comedy that may not be to everyone's liking. I think it ends up working for (right now at least) how miserable Hajime is around him. I think that's just a very cute dynamic.

Karasuma has to go now. His planet needs him.

Be glad, because it means you have good taste.

These early episodes remind me why I was annoyed of this period of the show during my first watch many years ago. The Tachibana arc makes Kenzaki a bystander despite his titular hero status so even if he has his moments to shine it distracts the viewer because so far this show is Kamen Rider Garren pretty much for now. But hey, still love the show. :rock:

Yeah, it's tough to not feel a little put out by how much Kenzaki is playing sidekick to other people's storylines. I think what's in the show is still super solid (the Tachibana stuff has some interesting moves on it; the Chalice stuff is similarly surprising), but it all feels a little early in the run to not feature Kenzaki in a more decisive role.

KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 11

This time on Kamen Rider Blade: Tachibana is 100% in the pocket of Big Trenchcoat! Hajime and Jin face monsters both literal and paternal! And Blade is trying to get everyone on the same page!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade11a.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade11b.png

Also, hello special guest star Kenzaki From Kuuga! I thought he looked familiar as someone's dad, and I thought he was the dad from Agito, but, nope. He was a father-figure to Godai on Kuuga. One of my favorite characters from that show, and it's cool to see him back on a Kamen Rider. He still has that weird energy, half-judgmental and half-supportive, but it twists up his I Only Want The Best For You vibe into something more stifling. Or maybe Jin is just lashing out? Tough to say. There's some neat levels to the story with Jin and his dad, something that doesn't feel that open-and-shut.

It's a fun story, too, the Hajime and Jin one. It's nice to see Jin more in his element. It's also nice to see Hajime being incrementally won over by humanity, their capacity for expression and their dreams for the future. I'm not sure how much of that he was seeing in a basement apartment beneath a barely-frequented restaurant (it feels like it's a million miles from any traffic), so this friendship with Jin is a real positive.

It's just a sweet story, you know? There's a monster fight, but it feels perfunctory, more a reminder that Chalice is still very into killing Undead than anything that pushes this plot forward. This one's just about Jin having a dream, and Hajime slowly getting into the idea of supporting him.

Hajime... he's a bit like Kenzaki, isn't he? Kenzaki falls into friendships too easy, and so does Hajime. He maybe wouldn't think of it like that, but when he's grown to care for the only three people he's spent any time with, it's hard to deny. He, I'm sure, wouldn't want to be someone so invested in humanity, but him and Kenzaki just can't fight their natures.

Speaking of, pretty good episode for Kenzaki! All it took was moving Tachibana more firmly into the Antagonist column.

Now that Tachibana is working directly for Trenchcoat Mastermind, the show doesn't view him with as much sympathy. He's dangerous, and, while his friends always view him as redeemable, that danger is kept in mind constantly. That means that Blade is allowed the solo Hero role, and he gets to be more present in the storyline. It's no longer Garren Is Doing One Thing And Blade Is Doing Another Thing, it's Garren Is Doing One Thing And Blade Needs To Stop Him. Blade is an active participant in Garren's story now.

Or, honestly, maybe Garren is an active participant in Blade's story now? There's way more time spent with Team Blade (and Dr Ladyfriend) than with Garren. It's a story that's all about how Team Blade is going to deal with the new threat of Garren teamed-up with Trenchcoat. I'm really into that! Kenzaki doesn't... he doesn't really have much in the way of plans or clues, but he's got determination and a Rider Kick. Heroes have gotten by with less than that.

Sort-of a light episode for discussion? I liked it, but there didn't feel like a lot to draw out of this one. The Hajime/Jin stuff was very good, but still sort-of setting up what it's about. The Blade/Garren stuff was also good, but still pretty nascent. It's a real Part 1 episode, I guess. I mean, I'm excited to see Part 2, so I guess that's okay!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade11c.png

Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: Garren and Blade vs an Ace! Dr Ladyfriend in danger again! Boat explosions! Just a billion Undead everywhere, and all three Kamen Riders in action!

Not a fan of the Jin eating scene (the Kurihara family part) personally. Also for Kenzaki being treated like this, it's just because not everyone is dysfunctional like Tachibana or Hajime? (you even said it himself that it's embarassing for Tachibana to be told by Kotaro, something that is given to kids). Kenzaki as shown early, also was displayed about his wreck, but his morality should be used to help out people like Tachibana to be better (or restoring him back to normal).

Lol yeah, in this series, the brooding Kamen Rider was the one that gets his ass kicked all the time, so others need to stop thinking that kind of behavior as strength (and that, at least here, by shedding it, he got to win). Though it feels that Undeads are tough against Riders. Though keep in mind, as you said Kotaro knows Tachibana for thirthy minutes, so Kenzaki and Hirose's opinion on him are more plausible, they seem to think that Tachibana is back to normal. Meanwhile Sayoko takes Kotaro's approach, I mean she knew him for the longest perhaps, and Tachibana is at his best towards her.

I̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶a̶i̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶n̶j̶i̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶t̶a̶g̶o̶n̶i̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶R̶y̶u̶k̶i̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶p̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶R̶e̶n̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶u̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶g̶a̶i̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶g̶r̶a̶d̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶n̶j̶i̶ ̶d̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶"̶s̶i̶d̶e̶k̶i̶c̶k̶"̶?̶ Hajime is someone that has no clue of his motivation and questions himself constantly as his driving point. He's not human, yet he's genuinely confused of doing humane things, like Amane and probably also here of his interactions with Jin like protecting him before (he also had avoidant thing with Amane too). He questions himself on what family is, after he hears her defend him in front of her uncle. He thinks everyone is his enemy and attacks Blade because of that, but he lets him go. And what's the line between cartoonish or realistic? Because a good number of folks only prefer one while dismissing the other completely.

Yeah, it should've the Riders triumph (and this not being the case of Faiz is likely the reason the ending is considered bad by many), and have them struggle and find a way to win. I too rooting, but... it doesn't mean that suddenly turning the fight around because of plot is a plausible outcome. It's one of people's main complaint of protagonist side, the one famously called "plot armor" (though it can be used as buzzword now), where for almost no logical reason, someone made to win against others, just because of plot. Riders have many forms, and no one had that yet, and here, they're fighting basically the final boss level of an enemy. And for me, rooting aside, I also want the story to play it out consistently, someone had to win/lose based on their established power, not alignment (good shouldn't beat evil because of them being good and uplifting despite the good being weaker unless they gained something to even out, also vice-versa, evil shouldn't beat good just because evil gets you more ahead or something despite the evil being much weaker).

I mean, that's up to each viewer? There's stuff I've thought of as cartoonish that someone else might call grounded. And, even individual characters can have a single trait that's cartoonish or grounded. Like, Tachibana. That's a dude whose cowardice is hilarious and over-the-top in one episode, but heartbreaking and evocative the next.

For me, it's levels. If everyone in a scene is at the same level, intense emotions and extreme reactions are fine. (Like, Kotaro and Kenzaki arguing about Kenzaki withholding the truth about Hajime.) If one person in the scene has a higher energy level than everyone else, it can come off stagey, overdone, cartoonish. Think Tachibana's tantrum when Dr Ladyfriend said his tests were negative.

It... acting is reacting, you know? Two people playing off of each other's performance, it's got a naturalism no matter what the content or tone. One actor just Acting So Hard, it's going to make for a funnier scene than was probably intended.

Yeah, but just saying This Is What Would Happen... that doesn't seem like a fun way to approach action-adventure storytelling? I want to suspend my disbelief. I want to get invested enough in the characters to want them to figure out a way to defeat the most powerful adversaries. I want the writing to surprise me with big turns and smart plans.

It's totally fine that the show didn't do that this time. They've got a plan for Garren, and it's not what I'd expected. But I want their wins to be clever and unexpected, not a foregone conclusion.

Big Post #1 Time!
 

This episode is the first of the series not to be written (or co-written) by Shoji Imai. Instead, it’s written by Jun’ichi Miyashita, who was previously the co-showrunner on Kamen Rider Black, the secondary writer on Kamen Rider Black RX and the co-writer for Shin: Kamen Rider Prologue. Outside of Kamen Rider, he was the head writer for 5 consecutive Metal Heroes shows (Tokusou Exceedraft, Janperson, Blue SWAT, Jukkou Bee Fighter and Bee Fighter Kabuto) and one Super Sentai series (Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger). He’s also the rare Tokusatsu screenwriter to also be a songwriter (list enclosed within).


Let’s Go Rider Kick https://youtu.be/C02iy00hdNw (Shotaro Ishinimori)
People Game https://youtu.be/QK836Ke9fck (Yuya Takahashi)
Kuroi Juujika Black Beet https://youtu.be/r5yUSatfIpM (Jun’ichi Miyashita)
Go Go DenziTiger https://youtu.be/euhAc5OQKuI (Shouzou Uehara)
Karrakishi https://youtu.be/X5OKhzV6dq8 (Kento Shimoyama)
Sing! Swing!! Smoky!!! https://youtu.be/9lqYQLOdDSo (Michiko Yokote)
Aoi Akuma no Hohoemi https://youtu.be/O9uq40shGzk (Naruhisa Arakawa)
Honoo no Condor https://youtu.be/nlJAbngVXeg (Toshiki Inoue)
Yorokobi no Uta https://youtu.be/PvnQx5HsE1c (Riku Sanjo)
Legends https://youtu.be/ITfqVoj3rhI (Shō Aikawa)
Flash! Goggle V https://youtu.be/Eczf8PByx90 (Hirohosa Soda)
Pop Up Night https://youtu.be/Zza1nvtSLuY (Noboru Sugiyama)
PSYMA ~Hakai no Rakuin~ https://youtu.be/WdNVeOcnEqQ (Yasuko Kobayashi)
Mahou no JUMON https://youtu.be/xL9VXKzIfZw (Atsushi Maekawa)
Akuma no Shocker https://youtu.be/VaPOQ6XqSUQ (Masaru Igami)

And now, the Undead Information Kiosk (yes, that’s the name I decided on).

Change Spider.

A Category Ace Undead who belongs to the Club-class Undead. Category Aces are smarter than Category 2-10 Undead, but lack the human forms and speech capabilities of the Royal Class Undead. While unsealed, this one can release golden spiders from itself. Sealed Aces allow for transformation with the Rider system, but improperly sealed Aces could be dangerous.

* Suit: Club
* Category: Ace
* Effect Name: CHANGE
* Card Name: Change Spider (アブソーブ・カプリコーン Chenji Supaidā)
* Consumption Points: +3 (your guess as to what that means is as good as mine)


https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20200603052236

Mach Jaguar.

A high speed Undead who mauls his victims to death.

* Suit: Spade
* Category: 9
* Effect Name: MACH
* Card Name: Mach Jaguar (マッハ・ジャガー Mahha Jagā)
* Consumption Points: FP 1600


https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20121110111426

Drill Shell.

An Undead with incredible spinning abilities.

* Suit: Heart
* Category: 5
* Effect Name: DRILL
* Card Name: Drill Shell (ドリル・シェル Doriru Sheru)
* Consumption Points: FP 1200