SHOTARO HIDARI HARDBOILED DELUSION DIARY EPISODE 6 - “WHAT IF AKIKO WAS AN IDOL?”

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Not my fave? It’s a relatively straightforward story (for a Delusion Diary – that means it’s still insane) that’s just Akiko performing briefly as an idol, and then marrying the Triceratops Dopant. There’s no real twist beyond the marriage announcement, and even the lead-in of someone following Akiko – which is the reason she goes to Shotaro in the first place – never gets resolved. It’s thin, even by the standards of a five-minute bonus feature. Cute to see Terui and Philip as super-invested fans-slash-bodyguards, but the answer to this episode’s title is pretty much She Would Be An Idol I Guess.

Honestly the Triceratops Dopant is a top tier design, so it being a marriage partner is a-ok in my book!

Honestly, I think I prefer it to Akiko's actual spouse.

About dismissing Liar as just small fry before, indeed his power is utilized in more destructive manner here, at least among the main cast, tricking W that Accel is a Dopant which makes W turn against him. Akiko tries to interfere with her dual slippers, both left and right, but got tricked by Liar as well to make her think that she's a tanuki... redirecting her into attacking a tanuki statue. I don't know about Liar deciding to trick Akiko as well, a normal human interfering in a 2 Riders fight which won't seem to be impactful, unless somehow the slipper slap will return W back to his senses. Terui realizes that the reason he thought he beat Liar was the Liar's ability as well, making Terui believed that he connected his A-Slasher and he shattered his Memory when he did neither. Liar's motivation is just to be a sadist who revels in other people's suffering and collecting their tears in washi papers.

Yukiho claims Jimmy's the one that brought joy in her depression, thus she wanted to return the favor, by asking Liar for help. I feel like this isn't enough explanation for her attraction to Jimmy and his music, she just listens and somehow being the weird one to get attached to that, I mean the scene doesn't seem to play it in parodic ways, so I'd want a proper explanation in this, I feel that, bringing joy in people isn't limited to music. She somehow doesn't see anything wrong in this, even if she admits that it's for selfish desire (her sake) before, and that there are other people than loved ones who got the short stick from this, Jimmy undeservingly winning insults all the other competitors who worked hard as well. She gets lecture from Shotaro to not toy with Jimmy's feelings.

Yukiho's action being painted as in the wrong does display of him feeling betrayed by his only fan, his "achievements" coming from a big lie, though Shotaro still hides the truth of Sokichi to Akiko. Though, Shotaro points out that the big lie is caused by Jimmy himself, shifting blames and running away from truth despite knowing how bad he is, though he still has passion about music despite being bad. This'd show that admitting mistake isn't enough by its own, you'd have to do self-evaluation as well instead of just blaming others, like for this case. Jimmy should take into account of the booing audience as well other than Yukiho and check if there's something wrong (all of them) in his singing. Shotaro convinces Jimmy to make his own decisions as well, which is what his mentor taught him.

And for the show.... while Jimmy shows up at Fuuuuuutic Idol, to dedicate a song for Yukiho, the show doesn't let the audience hear his singing lol, but instead the show plays Cyclone Effect while showing W and Accel's battle against Liar. The reason Cyclone Effect was played instead is because Jimmy's still terrible, as the judge speaks the truth now without the influence of Liar, but they admit that he's passionate and encourages him. Yukiho notes that it's a love song, and Shotaro reports that Jimmy now works in the same recycling plant as her. Is this supposed to be a message of focusing on those who love you and forget the ones who don't?

Oh I remember now that Wakana got to play a part in the main cast, or rather indirectly due to her popularity. Sawada is a fan of Wakana's radio show, which Philip figures out due to him using phrases from Wakana's radio show, and it got aired after Phillip calls her, and that she'd plan to meet and interview Radiowave Clown. I've been wondering about Wakana's behavior to non-Phillip folks, other than being playful to her sister for bonding with Isaka or helping Kirihiko. She's apparently waving at her fans, but I still can't figure out if it's sincere or putting up an act now... eh this is what fascinates Phillip about her. And true, they exploit Philip's pretty boy traits to have him crossdress as Wakana, devastating Akiko.

She's not called the Taboo Dopant for nothing.... yeah it's rather creepy with Isaka admiring Saeko's body as Taboo Dopant, with Isaka explaining this as him being doctor specializing in Dopant body. Isaka hypes up Saeko as someone who can beat Terror Dopant and become the head of Museum as well which he'd help her out in that... nah, it's about your abilities, not about how your body looked/felt like, this is like those who downplay Kamen Rider final form's power due to looking worse than lesser forms. Despite the creepy approach, Saeko takes an interest in Isaka that he affects her like no man did in her life.

The Liar arc is as far as I made it the last time I tried rewatching W. I got distracted by something else; not really sure what. Definitely one of the stories that sticks in my head the most, especially realizing that the scene where Isaka pervs over Taboo was in it. Some amazing humor in here between Jimmy's awful singing and the plot to catch the Dopant. I'm not watching the TVN subs again, but I definitely remember the episode 24 sub ending with an inserted bit of their editor just staring at the screen in confusion.

Have now caught up again, and while I was going to talk about how much I liked the Liar two-parter, seeing that you liked it as well means that I am instead contractually obligated to say that both episodes were dumb and stupid and dumb and that no one should like them. So there.

I mean, I think it's just that Yukiho fell in love with Jimmy, partially because of his confidence, and wanted his dreams to come true. We support the people we love, and Yukiho just took it (way, way) too far. She knew his music was bad, but she still wanted him to be appreciated.

It is, uh... a memorable scene, for sure.

You got to give the people what they want!

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 25 - “P’S GAME - THE STICKY FINGERED DOLL”

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Like, that’s almost the entire post, that screenshot.

It’s hard to say anything except It’s The Doll Episode, you know? The visual is such a winner that this episode is almost entirely that, and only a little around the edges with which to compete. (Saeko and Doctor Slenderman, plus a very brief scene of Wakana being compelled to submit her Driver for augmentation. It’s incredibly tangential, and all set-up for upcoming stories, as the Sonozaki stuff has generally been of late.) The concept of a killer doll on a murder spree… like, what the hell else is there to say? The doll brawls with a middle-aged woman and shoves her out a window; the doll causes a car accident by trying murder the driver; the doll knocks out both Makura and Jinno, because we’re still in a phase of the show where Shotaro and Philip’s identity is sort of a secret; the doll SOMEHOW GETS A KNIFE; the doll almost single-handedly defeats Accel and Double in a fight; the doll grabs Double’s gun and blasts both Riders; the doll gets a Memory Break to the face. Like, again, what the hell else is there to say?

Perfect episode!

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DIE-A MEMORIES

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-Oh, okay, I won’t leave it that short.

-I really liked that this episode decides to tell an Akiko/Terui amidst easily its least-serious physical threat to date (those sound effects!), because I’ve always found Terui And The Chief to be a remarkably unserious romantic pairing in the past. It felt like the show just decided in the late run that they were a couple, and decided in the post-series film that they were getting married. I don’t remember ever feeling like they made any sense as a romantic couple, between Terui’s lack of outward emotion and Akiko’s *gestures to 94% of Akiko performances across fourteen years of work*. It was like he was married to an actual middle-schooler, and it was sort of embarrassing to watch.

-Now, though… I don’t know, man, I sort of get it. She’s ridiculous, but it’s hard not to find her insanity charming in an opposite way to how Terui acknowledges Shotaro’s prowess while bemoaning his demeanor. Akiko’s dopey as hell, but I can sort of see how Terui would be all in on that sort of lady. He’s not humorless, he’s just wry. I think he digs her high-energy pseudo-competence, not least because Shotaro sincerely does not. (Sometimes relationships start as a way to spite a third party! It’s not the weirdest reason to start dating someone!) Maybe it’s just a factor of me finding Akiko so much more enjoyable this go-around, but I can sort of see the chemistry between them two now.

-I especially love that Terui is the only one to believe Akiko’s story – I think a big part of Shotaro’s lack of belief was that it was happening to Akiko – while also immediately undercutting her appreciation by pointing out that it was mostly based on evidence, not on blind faith. It’s a start?

-Terui’s idea of police investigation is going up to the father of a dead child and loudly proclaiming in public that the father never loved his dead child at all, just to see if a murder doll comes out from the interaction. Somehow, thanks to his debut episodes, not the worst bout of police work we’ve seen out of Fuuto P.D.’s hotshot detective…

I don't know if they're intending to make this one a pseudo-horror story, or these are intentional so this 2-parter won't be too scary, that the doll's attacks in silly manners, as well as comical sound effects around those. Similar to ep. 11, the doll tries to weaponize a car by ramming Accel as he avoids (well, not that it will be deadly to KR, deadly to humans though), but not only that, the doll dismantled the car and throw its remains into Accel. The doll puts further fight by ordinary means.. spraying Accel with a water hose then tangling him with it. Akiko threatening the doll can be important as a distraction for Accel to use electric variant of Engine to zap it. It reminds me of Kuuga, where someone else did a move that is ineffective at first glance, but turns out to be effective as distraction (in Kuuga's case, cops shooting Grongi with a gun). No Memory ejected from the doll after its defeat, which means the doll wasn't the Dopant, but controlled by a Dopant. Still somehow the doll is able to withstand multiple KR attacks unscathed.

Akiko didn't live up to her words before for forbidding Shotaro to waste money in hard-boiled detective books, unless she meant that what she 'wastes' in The Girl and Her Doll's Home is nowhere compared to Shotaro's. Though Akiko's infamous for slipper, this'd be what I think her meanest moment, by pushing Shotaro down the upper level ground (though Shotaro tugs her hand to save Rika), due to him not playing with dolls, but also shilling Terui again as the reliable one to help. About Shotaro complaining to Jinno about Akiko clinging to Terui, despite that he still keeps his unpleasant behavior, what is Shotaro thinking? Jinno shills Terui as well. Obviously Jinno dismisses Shotaro as being jealous.

Now Akiko's the one really got the bad luck, that she's accused of murdering Karakita, getting cornered by the main cop cast (Shotaro, Terui, Jinno, Makura). It'd be harder for Akiko's denial to sound sensible here (about her explaining that the doll killed Karakita and is cursed), that she's already weird from the first place. But still, this is a (albeit tech-involved) supernatural world, so other than this being a case of the weirdo being right, this should sound much more sensible compared to real world talk. Shotaro also denies her explanation as cursed doll sounding ridiculous (and too old playing with dolls... well that'd mean Shotaro sees Akiko in her actual age at least), though this can also be Shotaro rubbing it off on her for her annoying antics before. Makura's being a jerk again here, to abuse his authority here by excusing "obstruction of justice" (though resisting arrest is a misdemeanor) but also mocking Shotaro who stops him.

While I praise Sanjo's experience in drama and occasional comedy, I think a common flaw with his works is his mediocrity in romance plots, yet he writes them anyway. In the case of Akiko/Terui though, I don't mind. The ship doesn't get the amount of focus it needs to warrant viewer investment, but the instant mutual respect between them is enough to make it believable for me at least. Terui's the way he is cause he's on a serious quest for revenge for the murder of his entire family, which would probably make anybody in his position a little screwed up. So he's lucky to have cheerful Akiko to bring out his softer side.