Possible. :lolol

Well, I’m finally back in a comfort zone, from a connection standpoint. Since Fish Sandwich has done the memes thing, I’m just going to skip it his time and get on with the monsters.

Bio Plant

An immortal creature that is the ancestor of all but one type of plant. Category 7 of Hearts. Has control over vines, which it can use for attacks.

Rouse Card details.

- Suit: Heart
- Category: 7
- Effect Name: BIO
- Card Name: Bio Plant (バイオ・プラント Baio Puranto)
- Consumption Points: FP 1600

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20121110144453

Thunder Deer

The ancestor of the Deer, who has electrical powers. Categorised as the Six of Spades.

Rouse Card details.

* Suit: Spade
* Number: 6
* Effect name: THUNDER
* Card Name: Thunder Deer (サンダー・ディアー Sandā Diā)
* Consumption points: FP 1200


https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20121110111216

Reflect Moth

The ancestor of the moth, it possesses a highly flammable powder which it uses to create destruction. It can also repel attacks directed at it. Categorised as the 8 of Hearts.

Rouse Card details.

* Suit: Heart.
* Number: 8
* Effect name: REFLECT.
* Card name: Reflect Moth (リフレクト・モス Rifurekuto Mosu)
* Consumption Points: FP 1800


https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20121110144526

Edit: not really part of my usually scheduled spiel for this thread, but two things worth mentioning.

1. The password in episode 3 is DOUBLEJOKER, which is ironic in ways you both do and do not understand.

2. If I could suggest one reason that Blade wasn’t a success, it’d be the fact the first two episodes are the best-rated of the show. After that, they just drop and despite its best efforts, Hibiki fails to recapture the lost viewers until major changes are made.

Thank you! This... raises far more questions? Like, Deer were originally bipedal? And had electrical powers? But they devolved into what we see now? Were they, like, domesticated? Did Thunder Deer have some really weird sex that resulted in what we might recognize as a deer?

I mean, this is the stuff I want Kotaro investigating!

He does comissions for various people who need writings done on the web forums. It's not much, but it's honest work.

FTFY

OK, though I also want to hear more of this from those that spend more time studying plot part of stories (not you, but others). I often hear from some series (not KR btw), that, character is only used as fifty-fifty compensation for the plot part; like the remark "the plot is not that expectional and generic, luckily the good characters can compensate for it" as a short review on a series.

No silly I mean the car's real name, not the in-universe nickname given. Also I was judging the house from the size that I called it nice house but thanks for the explanation there then.

Takkun being an Orphnoch = Takkun being a Faiz. It answers the mystery of why Mari and Keitaro can't transform. And for "normally", would you also refer to neo Heisei ones? Probably the part where the cast learns the new information, then it being spent here, it has a purpose compared to the ones that is learned at the beginning of the episode as a cliffhanger or sort?

From what I know, not being able to read a character easily is a good hook for them or the story? It's considered better if you can't predict on what's going on, and what actually happen surprises you. So it's revealed here that Tachibana was only doing the usual Kamen Rider job of eliminating monsters but failed to do so with a bit of it surviving and wreak havoc, and Tachibana was saving Karasuma by knocking him out and carrying him away. And that BOARD released Undead via mistake (though Hirose's dad implies it might not a case) but wants to use the Rider's power to atone for that. With also a potentially hazardous consequence on its wielder as Tachibana and soon-to-be Kenzaki experienced. What if the vulnerability is also probably from BOARD using others to be Riders so they can recycle the Rider's tool and let others use it when the current wielder perishes (Tachibana condition), that it seems like his thought of naivety, him being dragged into something miserable that he doesn't need to because it's BOARD's fault and their responsibility, not his?

Though Kenzaki is also going through something just like Hirose, but this reminds me of you saying Kenzaki/Kotaro being like Sento/Banjou, and the latter for Banjou. And for Hirose calling him out for his belief in Tachibana clouded the fact, he also does the same to Hirose for her belief in Karasuma also clouding the fact. Both probably just mirror each other on this one (both of them smacking the table simultaneously!), and the important part is the actual truth that happened that is not clouded by their respective "idols". This part, Kenzaki channels Banjou instead of only wants to focus on his problems and being inconsiderate about the others. And previously, this is the part where I refer to Kenzaki being more aloof and antisocial than traditional KR leads. What would you describe if Kenzaki's self-doubt becomes self-pity (as others also have said about Kenzaki's trait being that which is refreshing)?

These heroic men? Was Hirose being skeptical about Tachibana? It paints to me here that it's primarily Karasuma (and her being one sided on Karasuma regarding Kenzaki above). So it's all about fear of death? Should learn from something from previous Rider serieses.... if that existed in-universe :p (but in inverse, Faiz had something that lacked here; It was just "Takkun! An Orphnoch!" and Takumi miraculously knows the place, but here they got an Undead radar). The proof was from Hirose scolding Kenzaki for a possibility of him quitting to her asking Kenzaki to stop bearing responsibility to eliminate Undeads? And for the last part, so it's not actually about characters or plot, but theme (just that it seems that theme is more easily obtainable on characters part)?

Previously was on BOARD, now Chalice also exploits Kenzaki for his own needs. An effective tactic to keep yourself away from harm.

The Alleged Car is a thing of beauty and deserves to be admired. From a safe distance. That in no way involves physical contact with its interior. :lol

Either way, it's more important to me to see how that characters deal with information, than for me to learn information as a viewer. I don't give a shit about BOARD or the Undead, but I give a shit about what those things mean to the cast of Blade.

I don't think that's necessarily true? You need to know something about a character, so you can understand if they're doing something that they'd normally do or not. If you don't know anything about a character's motivations, everything's a surprise, which means nothing's a surprise.

Imagine a brand-new character coming in, shooting Hajime, and then leaving. It's a surprise! But it's totally unfulfilling because you don't know who the new character is, why they'd shoot Hajime, and what they might do next. There needs to be some expectations set for a character if you want that character's actions to be surprising to an audience.

KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 05

This time on Kamen Rider Blade: A trip to the Whispering Cave puts Amane in the hospital! A Centipede Monster is her only hope of survival! But can she survive being treated in the exact same room that Mari from Faiz died in?!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade05a.png

This is an episode that didn't really do anything wrong, but never really dazzled me. It's got some tense action sequences, and it's great to see all of the Riders involved in the same story for once, but it... I don't know, it never rose above Entertaining for me. I was still entertained, though!

Thematically, I really liked what this episode was talking about. I'm not sure if it's just where we're at in the story, or if it's something the series is going to be about, but I'm liking the prolonged discussion of how we process mortality. It's an interesting idea for a Kamen Rider show to be about. Most Rider shows have an element of How Do We Live, an emphasis on struggle and goals and appreciating what you've got. Blade seems to be spending more time on Death Is A Natural Part Of Existence.

It's all over this episode, what with the trip to the Whispering Cave. It's a location that's all about the ways we can't let go of people, how we can let grief push us into making dangerous decisions. It's something that dovetails well with Hirose's continuing crisis, as she starts to suspect that her dad might've been integral in freeing the Undead in order to save her mother. (Just in case that parallel was unclear, the show puts Hirose's emotional struggle directly after the scene of Amane declaring she desperately wants to talk to her dad no matter the cost. They are not being terribly subtle with their themes!) And that's on top of Kenzaki giving his But Why Heroism speech, which mostly spells out what was a pretty easy guess. Kenzaki feels guilty about not being able to save his family, so he wants to keep trying to save others. He's another character that can't seem to let go of the dead.

But then you've got someone like Tachibana, who can't let go of his own mortality. He instantly deduces that CHAIRMAN of the BOARD faked his death using magnesium and a hologram and... what?! So, CHAIRMAN got up off that table, snuck out, left behind a hologram, and then burned that hologram to ashes? Ashes made from a hologram?! It's an absolutely bonkers resolution to last episode's cliffhanger, and it's both insultingly/hilariously convoluted and serves to push Tachibana's quest for answers a little further down the road. It's fun to keep seeing Tachibana vacillate between determined badass (he's almost respectable in parts of this episode!) and self-centered coward (he really really doesn't want to die!), and while he's maybe not showing any new sides to his character in this outing, I like how extreme he is in trying to accomplish his (ridiculous) goals.

Mostly, this is a story that pushes Kenzaki and Hajime a little closer together, and that's the most interesting plotline for me right now.

They, first of all, do not get along. Kenzaki tries to politely invite Hajime to come with them to the Whispering Cave, and when he gives a brooding denial, Kenzaki's like Aw Shucks GOTTAGOBYE. Like, he can't get away from this grumpy jerk fast enough. It's a unique relationship for this show, where proximity keeps these characters in each other's lives more than any friendship or rivalry.

But then they sort-of have both in the end? The easiest way to get Riders to work together is to place a child in danger, so Amane's injury and poisoning at the mandibles of Centipede Monster rallies Chalice and Blade to get the antibodies necessary for Amane's survival. It's just, Garren would very much like to kill that monster because he's really going through a lot don't you have any care for his pain why are you being so mean to him. That leads to a solid final fight in the episode, with Blade trying to keep Garren at bay long enough for Chalice to figure out how to get the antibodies out of the monster.

It's a solid enough dilemma, even if it's a little rote. Everyone's doing what you'd expect their characters to do, but nothing more than that. It's fun to see Kenzaki start to put the pieces together on Hajime/Chalice, but the rest of their interaction is just Heroism, and it's a little predictable. (Best part was Kotaro accidentally humansplaining the Undead to Hajime.) Of course Chalice is going to try and save Amane. Of course Blade is going to defer if someone else has an idea on how to save someone. (He's a real good follower, Blade is.) Of course Garren is going to think only of himself. It's competently executed, as a climax to an episode, but it's not very surprising.

So, yeah, a fun enough story with some interesting thematic threading that never really makes enough turns to be worth raving about. Still fun, though!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade05b.png

Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: Hirose needs help from her friends! Blade is captured! And nobody understands Tachibana's pain!

Well, Die, given what I now know about you and memes, I'm sure what I have to say next will really do a lot to enhance your enjoyment of this episode.

Learning Ondul the Easy WEEEEEEI! (#3)

https://i.imgur.com/jcDcByFl.png

Today's lesson is an easily quotable moment, Garren telling Chalice to back off in episode 5. Another classic example of Tachibana being WAY too tense, with the first part of the line in particular, more directly translated as "What are you saying?!" (nani itten da?! -> naniitenda!), being jokingly applied to other contexts often. Once again, the actual mispronunciation here is quite minor. I was even under the impression the second part of the line is another instance of him saying fujakeruna!, but from what I can find, it doesn't seem to be universally agreed upon whether or not he's pronouncing fuzakeru na improperly there. Either way, it tends to go hand in hand with the first part of the line.

In general, it seems this one comes with quite a few variations. Sometimes the third part of the line, soitsu wa ore ga!, is even written as toisuto-ri-ga!, but while the idea of Dadi yelling at Hajime about Toy Story apropos of nothing is hilarious, it's just not as applicable as the first two thirds of this surprisingly layered bit of dialogue.

I appreciate your service!

Hey, don't call me out like this! I enjoy seeing Riders working together! I just think it's neat! Especially when there's Tachibana-san being a dork in the background.

I will say that I remember kind of enjoying this episode specifically because it's about as basic as early Blade gets. Which is weird to say, when even this episode couldn't resit doing that completely insane hologram ashes thing, but you know, it's got all the Riders doing stuff, and it's got a relatively elevator pitchable premise about saving a child, which is as tokusatsu as tokusatsu gets. It's not doing anything amazing, but it's got a good, varied set of things it's all executing solidly enough.

Tachibana would rather they all work together on something that truly matters, namely saving him.

First off, I love how you're able to take what should be a negative (okay episode is just okay) and try and make it a positive (okay episode is super okay). Like, I expected it, but I still enjoyed you saying it. How meta!

But, yeah, it's a real right-down-the-middle episode. I sort-of appreciate the smaller scope, the way the story grows pretty organically out of the characters, the way it all supports the themes of the series so far. It's like, it's a Blade monster-of-the-week story, and that does some pretty specific things.

The word "try" makes it sound like this kind of thing is a conscious effort on my part, Die. :p

TOEI: We're sorry to report that several tokusatsu series we've released over the last decade have been proven to kill brain cells in lab mice.

FISH SANDWICH: Toei's done a great job in heightening the tension that comes with watching tokusatsu!

Sorry, but I’m currently watching the series specifically for the second half.

Anyway, here’s today’s monster.

Shuffle Centipede.


A chain wielding Undead that appeared in the Echoing Cave, attacking those who enter and infecting them with his fever-induced poison. The ancestor of the centipede who belongs to the 10 of Hearts category. He can also replenish the energies of expended Rouse cards.

Rouse Card details.

* Suit: Heart
* Number: 10
* Effect name: SHUFFLE
* Card name: Shuffle Centipede (シャッフル・センチピード Shaffuru Senchipīdo)
* Consumption Points: FP 2200


https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20121110144637

The more or less self-contained MOTW basic story in this episode is one that I like to return to occasionally for something relaxing. Partly because it feels representative of early Blade overall, which for me has positive associations, and also partly because I don't feel like I have to pay close attention to it. (I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, haha)

Kenzaki and Hajime's interactions are absolutely my favorite part of the episode, though

As a side note about the music - Chalice has three or four versions of that guitar-heavy theme song, all of which are part of the giant music box set (plus a set of the ace cards if you bought the physical CDs in 2004!) available on Spotify for some inexplicable reason. And by inexplicable, I mean that Spotify has pointed out every year since I got an account that the Blade soundtrack is one of my most-listened-to albums :lol

Neat! Thanks!

For a middle-of-the-road episode, they also manage to keep both Kenzaki and Hajime relatable, despite a) the enormous stakes at the end of the episode, and b) they just 1000% do not like each other. Hajime doesn't think humanity has much to recommend it, outside some adorable children (and his guilt?), and Kenzaki thinks this brooding creep is totally hiding something. That all gets way more pertinent as they have to somehow work together despite still feeling their feelings. It makes for a very fun dynamic at the end, with Hajime willing to endure Kenzaki's presence to save Amane, and Kenzaki starting to fill in enough blanks on what Hajime's hiding to trust that he can save Amane.

They're a pretty interesting pair of Riders, so far!

God only knows how judgmental Apple Music is going to be for me listening to the Phase 2 Heisei opening themes so often this year. It's a lot of BE THE ONE and SURPRISE DRIVE! No regrets, though!

It’s okay, we all make mistakes.

If there’s one thing I think Blade handled really poorly it’s the implementation of the card powers. The whole point system is never explained in the show and is never really even a factor since you rarely see cards used for anything but the finisher. I don’t remember Shuffle ever getting used on the show.

Yeah, I feel like they wanted to make it a thing but ended up not using it or just forgot about it as production moved forward.

I feel like it was likely more of a budget thing, especially considering how crazy some combos would end up being.

Like, there's one card Garren gets later that he absolutely should use immediately in every single fight but obviously doesn't likely because it'd cost more on the episode budget. Good to see it used in the HBV though.

So what fuels Kenzaki to do what he does is his family's death, in a similar vein of the previous protagonist where for Yusuke, it was Mika father's death, and for Shinji, it was a death of little girl's mother. But, Kenzaki's issues within people? It also come from that moment too. I think dealing with deaths and mortality happens a bunch of times within Rider series, but for Blade it seems that it consistently happened for every single cast, what consistency.

Karasuma wants to disappear, which is done by him using a decoy of his body to escape the room unnoticed. Now his agenda is questioned more. Tachibana wants payback to BOARD and Karasuma for putting him into this situation, which is, well, so far from what's known, their fault, they're responsible of their mistakes, but they're putting it into someone that doesn't need to be dragged into their situation.

Amane's brattiness is displayed more clearly here with her being blatantly rebellious to Kotaro (as usual), but also anyone in her care like Kenzaki and Haruka. She won't learn from this catastrophic moment she experienced (which would be even worse if others won't tell, this is actually freaking important for teaching a brat a lesson). Isn't Kenzaki and Hajime the usual, Rider bickering? (I didn't hear much about that part regarding Blade, probably because it's not talked much). And for Garren, it's explicitly explained, he wants to find ways to cure himself, like how Riders want to cure Amane. But the escalation is neat with Blade now practically fighting Garren for real just because he wants to stop him.

It definitely feels like what this show wants to talk about right now!

That is... that is maybe underselling how absurd the deception is? It involves timed incineration and holograms that are indistinguishable from real live humans. It also needs there to be ashes left over from the holograms, which... that is not how holograms work!

She misses her dad! She's reckless, sure, but she's a kid who wants to hear her dad one more time. I don't think she'd've been so keen on exploring the cave if she thought there was a monster in there. I mean, even Kenzaki and Kotaro just thought it was, like, maybe not the safest place to be. They were okay poking around for a few minutes.

They really don't seem to want to be in scenes together, which feels slightly new to me. Some of it is in how quick Kenzaki is to yell at Hajime, and how dismissive Hajime is of Kenzaki. But, yeah, it's also just two Riders not getting on.

To be fair, Tachibana does specifically call out what's left over from the fire as being magnesium, so I guess the idea is that there was a fake Karasuma, and flames that were real that ironically look glaringly more fake than the body because this isn't Kuuga.

Oh, I thought he was saying that what triggered the fire was magnesium, not that that's what remained after the fire. Sorry!

I mean, I don't know, you're probably right about that. I guess my main point is there was definitely supposed to be something real that was actually burning to a crisp in that room.

It's all in Tachibana-san's mind as a symptom of his body falling apart, duh.

The weird thing is, I can't even remember reacting to this twist. I think I'm seen so much dumb stuff in Rider, I just let it wash over me.

Fair point!

I just imagine Tachibana surveying the scene and thinking, "Magnesium and a hologram... of course! It's so obvious! That bastard used the oldest trick in the book!"

Just to illustrate to people the degree to which early Blade (and specifically Tachibana) is a meme in Japan, the promo post for the latest SHODO candy toy set dropped today. 16 years on, this is what they chose to put on it. Not a cool action shot. Not any of the other figures in the release (of which there are, like, 12). This.

https://cdn.image.st-hatena.com/imag...0717141950.jpg

I mean, when the CSM Garren Belt was announced, they added in a siren feature specifically so you could stand behind walls and have people ask you if you're betraying them, so no surprise there, haha.

I'm just writing up Episode 06 now, and Garren is my everything. I love how ridiculous he is, and how much of a disaster he is. I'm not sure if his Change card has a picture of a Dumpster Fire on it or what, but I think my love for him grows in an inverse proportion to his usefulness as a person.

Note to self - make up a Simpsons "Do It For Him" board but it's just photos of Tachibana, the meme-ier the better.

I wasn't told sooner feelsbadman

He does use the fire element...

KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 06

This time on Kamen Rider Blade: Amane recovers, thanks to Hajime! Hirose learns to channel her guilt into saving lives, thanks to Kenzaki! And Tachibana discovers that the only thing he has to fear is Tachibana himself!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade06a.png

Is Tachibana the best character on Blade? I'm sincerely asking. I've really connected with Kenzaki, Kotaro, Hirose, and even taciturn/threatening Hajime, but... Tachibana! He's such an amazing wreck of a man!

With the previous episode's Undead dispatched fairly quickly (Hajime, who has clearly never played a video game, took a few seconds less than forever to realize that the additional appendage was the weakspot/target on the Centipede Monster), the bulk of this episode is given over to character relationships and folks dealing with their baggage.

There's a little bit with Hajime. He's saved Amane, but exposed his secret to Kenzaki. It's a fun little dialogue scene of Kenzaki fundamentally misreading Hajime. This is a dude who's fought him numerous times, and on several occasions disparaged all of humanity. He's out-loud declared Kenzaki to be his enemy, along with literally everyone and everything else in the world! I'm not sure he's suddenly ready to open up about his plans and motivations just because he saved Amane! (He also hilariously left Blade behind on the beach with a crazed Garren, and never looked back. Not your third friend, Kenzaki!)

It's reasonable that Kenzaki would hope that there's more to Hajime/Chalice than he'd thought, but just cold walking up to him and demanding answers... it's a complete misfire, but it's a very in-character move for Kenzaki. He doesn't like or trust this dude, so he's absolutely going to go in with a hot-tempered Bad Cop approach. (Well, to be fair, he gives one attempt at conversation, which Hajime completely blows off. After that, it's all antagonism. Should've taken the hint, Kenzaki!) But, like, Hajime takes it all in while probably calculating how many times he could've killed Kenzaki during that I'll Tell On You threat. Four times? Five? It's left to Hajime's fertile imagination, a fun little daydream that has him smiling as he walks away.

There's a little more for Hirose, who's just shattered after realizing that her dad might've accidentally/intentionally doomed humanity. Or, at least gotten a bunch of innocent people killed? Either way, she's spun around by it, unable to see how she can make up for something this massive.

I'll be honest, I'm not super moved by Hirose's plight here? I don't know if it's specific to the culture, or to the genre, but the idea that something her father did, that she had no prior knowledge of or ability to prevent, would be such an enormous weight on her that she can't function as a person... I don't get it? I mean, I've seen enough Kamen Rider shows, I get the motivation of I Must Atone For My Family's Misdeeds, but I can't relate to it emotionally at all. It feels unreal, alien. I don't think of my parents as an extension or a reflection of me, I think of them (well, my mom) as their own people, responsible for their own actions. The concept of Hirose being practically inconsolable and feeling personally responsible... I just don't connect with it.

Still, it makes for a solid final scene, with Kenzaki letting Hirose in on his own mechanism for dealing with guilt. (Didn't love the corny Serious piano music, but whatever.) It's not a huge surprise or anything. We've gotten to know Kenzaki pretty well by this point, and I think he'd articulated some version of this speech before. (I think just last episode? In the car with Amane, maybe?) It's a good speech, though. He lets her know that the only way forward is to take that guilt and vow to do better in the future. To learn from your mistake, internalize that guilt and shame and rage, and let the memory of those feelings inspire you to do better next time. It's a nicely Kenzaki take on heroic resolve, where it's more about not letting your mistakes keep you from trying to improve than anything else. (Kenzaki does not think a lot of himself, so it's only natural his core motivation should be about constantly atoning for mistakes!) It's a healthy outlook.

And, then, I mean, Tachibana.

Tachibana.

From his opening sequence, where he gets a glorious pot-shot in at Blade, to the middle section that's devoted to establishing that this is literally all in his head, through the finale where finding that out hasn't really changed his outlook at all, it's a hell of an episode for Tachibana.

I loved the beginning of the episode, where Kenzaki is trying everything he can to get through to Tachibana. He bows, head to the ground, to show that he still respects and admires Tachibana, begs him to do the right thing. Tachibana's so furious that Chalice took out the Undead a minute after he was going to, that he swears that he'll never forgive Kenzaki if he gets in the way again. It's a ludicrous overreaction, considering that exactly what Tachibana wanted to happen (sealing an Undead) totally happened! A minute after he wanted it to, and by not him, but it still happened! But Tachibana still is mad at the world for not recognizing the importance of his pain, so he stumbles to his bike and escapes to the safety of Dr Ladyfriend's office.

Here, in the middle, we see the heart of Tachibana's conflict, and it is impeccably stupid. It is thematically on-point, and yet also so goddamn pathetic that it loops around into being the best goddamn story in this episode.

CHAIRMAN runs up to Dr Ladyfriend's car to let her know the truth about Tachibana's condition. Namely, he doesn't really have a condition. The belt malfunctions when the user is afraid, and feeds that fear back into the Rider, along with terrifying images of their own destruction. (And yet, CHAIRMAN declares the Driver "isn't imperfect", which... so "can drive a scared user insane with fear" is Working As Intended? Sounds pretty imperfect to me, but I'm not a philanthropist/apocalyptic cult leader, so what do I know.) Tachibana isn't going to explode in a green mist due to a broken Driver, he's having an anxiety attack.

(And, look, I am not trying to trivialize anxiety attacks or anyone who suffers from anxiety. But there is a definite difference between people trying to cope with mental and emotional issues, and thinking you are going to actual explode unless you kill enough monsters. I mean, I got this comic available if Tachibana wants it, but he seems a little more mortally terrified than a comic can help with.)

It's fantastic, as a reveal. Thematically, it doesn't really matter if Tachibana was in real or imagined danger, since the point of his story is his inability to accept death with grace and nobility. His reaction to the information was what his story has been about, not the validity of that information. Dramatically, it's one thousand times better if everything he's done has been because he was freaking out over nothing. It's perfect. Perfect. It highlights the futility of his decisions, robs him of what little justification he had to act so selfishly. He was just scared. That's it.

And then everyone gets captured by army mans.

Sort-of an abrupt turn in the story? The army mans are connected to the new Undead (?) that's communicating-with-slash-taunting Chalice, but they mostly just jump Garren and Blade at the end, To Be Continued. (My favorite part in the scene where the army mans jump Team Blade is that Hirose puts herself between the army mans and Kotaro. He's useless in a fight, and everyone knows it!) It's something that I'm sure will be what the next episode will be about, but it didn't really feel too connected to the story being told in this episode. Still, it happened, and it was not bad.

Real solid episode of character moments in this Blade. Not a five-star episode maybe (the Hirose stuff is a little pat, and I've got no idea how they ended up finding her on a goddamn pier), but the Hajime character is really becoming a spotlight, and god bless the wreckage that is Tachibana. I hope he never gets better as a man, because he's already perfect as a character.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade06b.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/blade/blade06c.png

Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: Kenzaki is a prisoner! Hirose looks at a screen! And I definitely started typing "Next time on Tachibana" before I realized what I was doing!

Oh hey, you got to the best cold opening in all of Kamen Rider; perhaps of broadcast television!

It's such an amazing dick move. It's like, the secret to Tachibana: he's good at being a Rider, but awful at being a man. He's a hilarious pile of neuroses and selfish cowardice, but he's still got a couple ways to kick Blade's ass!

I'm already running out of ideas to segue into these, but...

Learning Ondul the Easy WEEEEEEI! (#4)

https://i.imgur.com/W9oyNDhl.png

Today's lesson is on Hajime's crowning contribution to Ondul. His threat to Kenzaki in the sixth episode is a perfect blend of hilarious facial expression and slurred speech (ore wa kisama wo bukkorosu! -> oreakusamawomukkorosu!), with the already rather thuggish word choice coming off that much more improper. Thanks to that heavy visual element, "Mukkorosu!" is a meme even English-speaking fans might recognize to some extent, as well as they should, because it's truly a masterpiece of the language. It's iconic to the point that "Mukkoro" tends to be used as a nickname for Hajime himself.

This is what I was referring to a couple episodes ago. I really liked the twist that Tachibana's belt killing him was largely psychosomatic. It's another place where the show draws a clear line between itself and Faiz. Not that Faiz did these things badly, but I like that the next show immediately differentiated itself in how it approached some of the same story points.

As far as the belts being imperfect or not goes, that's not 100% the issue. One of the main story points that the show is beginning to address here is that the Category Ace cards that Kenzaki and Tachibana are using aren't just laminated bits of paper.