The evil Isaka is unable to comprehend the concept of goodness, where Terui is strong due to his desire to protect instead of hatred. Isaka's death of Living Connectors going out of control and devouring him is rather scary for children's show, but even Shotaro, who spares criminals, would feel that it's fitting for him. Previously, Shroud too, to think Terui has to fill himself with revenge and hatred each time to succeed. And Shroud practically ditches Terui as he's no longer as revenge-driven as before, showing that she's ruthless and see others merely as a tool for her own ends, fitting her preference of cold detached traits; ignoring an obvious proof that even if he didn't pass, doesn't change the fact that Terui drastically improved in his lap time here, compared to the previous ones' 12-13s. Progress is still important to take into account too instead of just results alone. Overall, I think it's more about the villains' view on Terui's change rather than Terui's own stuff, and I find many people being like Shroud or Isaka, viewing virtue as weakness and glorifying destructive traits.

When Isaka openly declares that he'll defeat Ryubee, as Ryubee was holding the shaving razor, I was kinda terrified for the next scene here as it can potentially have Ryubee using the razor to mutilate Isaka or something (albeit my airing will probably censor). But I guess human butchering is more scary to show to children than detonating monsters (and W had the Dopants not killed most of the time), so Ryubee just throws it away and doubts Isaka accomplishing that, turning into Terror Dopant instead to melt him. For below, I got things to say about Wakana.

Wakana finally speaks up against Saeko to express her feelings about Isaka that he's only using her, and reminds her about their family business as well as the love provided by her father, but Saeko would also confess that Ryubee never loved her unlike Wakana, and used her as untrustworthy slave, with an evil laugh. She then offers a choice if Wakana is with her or against her. Wakana views Saeko as acting strange and thus is deaf to reason.... like she's always been like this? Like her speaking up here, I'll also do it; honestly, I think since her setup in ep. 13-14, Wakana was kind of just there, mostly rolling along with what Museum does with occassional questioning, with ep. 23-24 as an exception (the other one had her experimented by Isaka). Her refusal to use Claydoll Dopant seems to instead relegate her into more minor roles, the character development she got was mostly used to tolerate Saeko more (her disdain is fully aimed at Isaka here).

A (formerly) revenge driven red secondary Rider dishing out a beatdown against a mad scientist named Isaka who was responsible behind the death of said Rider's loved ones.... where did I heard that before? For the end part, Nagi was able to smile again (and this even extends to Terui) as she explains birds again to kids, of which they thank Shotaro, but now Shotaro admits that Terui is the MVP this time as he directs the kids to him. This is the opposite for the ending of ep. 28 where Shotaro was dismissed in favor of Terui by Lily, now Shotaro directly announces Terui instead. Terui again almost utters his catchphrase of his question refusal... but he's shown to be softer against kids similar to secondary Riders before him as his softer trait (like the kid he helped from Nagi at the beginning), thus he pauses to instead tell them to not ask so many questions at once.

It's traffic light reference (before TaToBa!), it went from red to yellow first, turning him into Accel Booster, yellow version of his base form. He turns into the actual Trial Form shortly after, as the Trial Memory's light turns go. Funnily, it's (CMIIW) blatantly inaccurate that the traffic light on Trial Memory represents the color blue as 'go' instead of green, and thus Accel Trial is colored blue as well. And the slimmer design, indeed it's a drawback, he's a fragile speedster; his brute power is low with his failure against a big rock, but Shroud explains that Trial's effective tactic is making full use of his speed; attacking quickly enough to deal an impressive amount of damage by numbers even if each individual attack is minor, and use evasion to keep from being slaughtered.

I will die on this hill!

I infact, will! And on that note, I should probably talk about the Trial two-parter!

For sure liked part 2 alot better than part 1. Mainly because alot of stuff in the first part felt a bit stretched. The most blatant thing being Tsaka's' first bout.

It's a primary example of what I mean when saying that I find Isaka stupidly and boringly invincible. If trapping Double in a pillar of water and Accel in an electrical storm were things he was always capable of, why did he never do it up to now, other than that our heroes would be long dead and the show would be over?

Part 2, however, was alot more my speed. With Terui himself still trying to hold onto the fires of hatred in his heart(even assuring Shroud that he still seeks revenge), until the dream about his sister is ironically what wakes him up.

Though I will say, this conclusion to Terui's' arc definitely would've landed way stronger if not for how his introductory arc had ended: Showing that as bad as he could get, he'd never go over the edge. It makes the conclusion of these episodes feel less like a hill he overcame and more like a reassurance that there was no chance of any sort of relapse.

But you know what, none of that matters to me and my brain from half a decade ago when I first watched the show. Why? Because it has my second favorite Shroud moment in it.

https://i.imgur.com/8Ev3maI.gif

The sheer "screw this, I'm outta here" energy of this scene never ceases to put a smile on my face. I've said before that I love Shroud, and, intentional or not, find her over the top dramatic flourishes really funny. Heck, even ignoring that scene I made a gif of, part 1 features her somehow having explosives planted on every single rock of the avalanche she causes solely for when Terui inevitably screws up the training course. It's the sort of thing that's so ridiculous I can't help but love it.

So yeah, while there are some complaints, I overall had a good time with these episodes.

Oh, I got it, but it's incredibly funny to me that there's an intermediate form that currently does absolutely nothing.

I do not disagree with Isaka being sort of a nothing lieutenant, but if I squint I can sort of see how his tactics work. Initially, he was way more powerful than the Kamen Riders, but killing them wasn't really his objective (a nice bonus, maybe), so he played around with them a lot more. Fights were more about testing the heroes, since he knew he could kill them at any point. (Also, a few of the heroes' escapes were things that betray Isaka's lack of interest in them - Ryubei calling him in for tea, for example.) Then, as things like Xtreme tilted the balance in the Kamen Riders' favor, he started to realize that his screwing around was only getting his ass kicked. Thus, he's now hitting them with tougher attacks.

That all said, I am mostly just play Devil's Advocate here. I genuinely don't think the show did a great job creating a coherent framework for Isaka's objectives; it's a forgettable mix of Gathering Data and Team Rocket stuff.

It's been a long time since the show originally aired, so I don't remember if there was as much fan demand for Shining Accel as their was for CycloneAccel Extreme. I also don't remember if Bandai ever made one.

Nope! There's the version from the Accel movie (I think?) but not the TV version.

SHOTARO HIDARI HARDBOILED DELUSION DIARY EPISODE 9 - “WHAT IF AKIKO WAS A LITTLE SISTER?”

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It’s an episode that starts off inexplicable, even for a Delusion Diary – Akiko wants to be a little sister RIGHT NOW – and it sort of never really figures itself out. The slow roll-out of Philip as a bespectacled little brother, Terui as a stay-at-home mom, and the Weather Dopant as a possibly-abusive dad are all nicely surprising gags, but they never add up to a full concept. This one had a ton of non-Delusion content, relative to how quickly other episodes launch into Shotaro’s fantasies, and I think it’s because there was sort of no inherent logic to Akiko’s nonsense.

Still, some decent laughs to be had in this one. Akiko’s hyper-specific checklist of what she wants in a big brother was horrifyingly humorous, as was Shotaro’s dismissive vision of Philip as an overlooked little brother. (Casting Terui as a warm, maternal presence… that tracks? I can see it.) Not an idea that had a lot of meat on the bone, but I laughed a few times.

Terui dressed as a mom is a terrifyingly cursed image.

On the opposite end, I started giggling when I saw the Weather Dopant wearing a hat and tie.

They swerved from Philip being the mom, despite him being canonically the most feminine member of the team.

Philip being dressed like my friends is what killed me in this one. I will never not get a giggle out of standard nerd comedy.

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 37 - “VISITOR X - THE BRIDGE OF PROMISES”

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If I have any fondness for Wakana’s character (and I do!), it’s largely because of her scenes with Philip in this episode.

She’s been frustratingly underdeveloped these last couple, uh, dozen episodes? Her arc was hitting an intriguing point of uncertainty back before the Winter Movie, where her friendship with Philip was causing her to question her loyalty to her family. Then… nothing. Terui shows up, which takes time to deal with. Isaka shows up, which takes time to deal with. Saeko’s arc becomes the central story of the Sonozaki family, which relegates Wakana to either a pawn or an exposition prompt, there to ask other characters to explain things to the audience. She wasn’t really about anything, for a good long while.

But I instantly forgot that when she stepped into view on that bridge.

The two of them just have such compelling, natural chemistry. Philip becomes suave and emotionally present. Wakana becomes effervescent and charming. The two of them… it’s not flirting, even though it can easily (and unfortunately) be read that way. It’s more that they feel safe with each other, because they don’t need each other to be anything but themselves. There’s no pressure to fight/commit crime, or a larger family to protect. It’s just two people who care about each other, and that’s the scope of their world. They get to fantasize about a carefree life of emotional support, which they’re largely denied in the real world. (Philip less so, but Shotaro’s partnership is not the same thing as Wakana’s.) And to admit that it’s easier for them to dream when they can escape to being a voice on the phone… so great. Such a thoughtful, sentimental way to frame their bond, in a set of scenes that almost single-handedly make me care about Wakana again.

It’s an episode that does a great job of making all of the Sonozaki family interesting again, actually. Saeko being on the run creates a wild card scenario in the city, as well as exposing Ryuube’s familial bond as being a distant second to the needs of the Museum. It creates additional pressure on Wakana, because she’s being asked to step up at exactly the moment where she’s acutely aware of what reluctance or failure will get her. The Sonozakis get to be even more of a nightmare as they better express the stakes of their story, even if their specific objective continues to be disappointingly vague.

But, hey, at least we also get some additional backstory on Philip, for a big flashing sign that might as well say We Are In Our Final Act Of The Series. The neurology professor that I briefly thought was Narutaki – Neurotaki – pops up to start to lock down details on Raito’s past, which is sure to be massively coincidental that it’s happening in a story so heavily featuring the Sonozakis and Shroud. (Hard to really “speculate” on this plot point. Sorry!) What we get here is thrillingly conveyed and kinetically supported, thanks to the Hopper Dopant assassin lurking on the fringes. It’s just enough info to feel like you’re seeing more of the picture, but not so much that it feels like homework. Neurotaki was one of a half-dozen scientists that helped design the Gaia Memories for the Museum, which included wiping Raito’s memory. Thats what we get, and it’s the perfect nugget of information in an episode that has a ton of table-setting to do.

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-Speaking of table-setting! I really love that the Ryuube won’t let a little thing like Saeko’s defection and Isaka’s recent demise keep him from enjoying a typically-ornate family dinner at a preposterously large table. Dude’s got the Habit Memory!

-Didn’t really talk about the Hopper Dopant, who mostly exists to be a cool looking gothic lolita assassin and not, like, a fully-fleshed out character. (Cool outfit and aesthetic, though!) The REAL interesting part is that this episode’s director also got to handle the Hopper Dopant actor’s later TV debut as… well, I’ll let Androzani cover that part. As trivia goes, it’s a real peach.