Kabuto's silliest pair of episodes is yet to come, and they blow this one out of the water. Actually forget that. They blow it out of the water, stomp on it a bit, set it on fire, then launch it into space for good measure. Well see if you can guess which ones I mean when you get to them.

Yeah, I feel like it's that Inoue has a kind of fascination with applying romantic metaphors to platonic relationships, because that makes a lot of the melodrama seem more reasonable? Like, I don't think he's interested (that I've seen) in telling romantic stories, so it could potentially come off as queerbaiting. I think he avoids it by treating emotions as Emotions, big and bold and unfiltered, and the characters in his stories as signifiers for different goals/personalities/motivations. Everything's a metaphor, so it's not This Boy Loves This Other Boy, it's This Concept Loves This Other Concept.

If that makes any sense? (It's been a long day.) I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's a mixture of progressive (Inoue is totally fine telling a story about the deep connections between two men and not making it a joke) and not as progressive as you'd maybe like (Inoue doesn't seem to care that folks who see themselves in these relationships might not enjoy seeing him carelessly play with these ideas).

Aww, that's sweet. Rest assured, if I had a group of bamboo shoots to share, I'd make sure you got one.

I'm excited to see which these are!

Of course there has to be varied character and I won't accept sudden changes even for this one (unless it's their intended character development), but even if it's a new Kamen Rider (the name of Kamen Rider is Drake); Daisuke represents what I fear in society (sorry about likely controversial topic), about sexism and double standard to women. I won't say Daisuke as a bad thing, Drake is likely meant to be another morally ambiguous Rider, probably can be worse than Tendou (protecting all lives vs only women), but really, I can't enjoy this at any level like you declaring it as so much yes for those 2's practices because of my intense fear regarding this topic. Daisuke is a full-on white knight. Being a womanizer is plausible (and a foregone conclusion), but this one reaches sexism level. He never treats women equally to men, he constantly believes they will each be perfect beautiful creatures that could never do wrong, and by love for women he's one-sidedly mean to men, likely dividing other men into two categories: "Rival" and "subordinate", and will likely not getting along with any other men (and that's toxic masculinity, and this mindset is even encouraged in real life for men to antagonize each other, and partly for ocmpetition to women), even shown in one of the worst conclusion of this of being apathetic and refusing to save another men (the part you said there, one of your friend's lives is on the line). This is jeopardizing for any men in life, as, well, not Daisuke yet (he fights the Worm disguising as women), but these type of person (white knight) would never ever hit a women or harm them in the slightest in any condition, will always whitewash them even if they're clearly at fault and being horrible and blame others like men. By this women can get away with anything they do, no matter how horrible, and men can be a clear scapegoat even as innocent, unfairly punished for lies spread about them for women's sake, especially that society can take white knight's side. It's chivalry on steroids.

Well, or probably Tendou is really that toxic. You probably whitewash him a bit (commonly happened in fandom regarding their favorite characters ignoring their morality or just basing on how cool they are, or want to excuse their flaws by constantly defending the characters they relate; by this they're morally imperfect and should admit it) by declaring of him as complex guy so that he can't be decided yet. But morality is purely about his behavior only, no matter if he's more than just "simple asshole" that he challenges and manipulates, if he treats others as beneath him, a narcissistic that flaunts about his god complex to other people, and is pragmatic enough to ransack authority for the sake of mission or grievously injure others in self-defense with little regard about it (these 2 are even worse than he did at this episode), then he's a clear morally ambiguous jerk (And inner warmth, every single jerks/anti-heroic Riders that are a on protagonist side has that though, so it's not like it's exclusive to Tendou, I mean it's a standard requirement so that they can aid the protagonist side, so that they can act as anti-heroes! Kusaka and Kuroto are clear exceptions; they're driven by villain infighting due to racism or revenge respectively); ang some people can mistakenly regard what Tendou did here as driving others to succeed, to improve themselves so others can acknowledge them as elite level which Tendou views himself as). And you wouldn't call them great for this one including Tendou? What Inoue can do is amping up the character's jerk levels like he did at a part in Hibiki's 2nd half, so why for this one you won't accept? (and Tendou is painted as better than Daisuke at least for not having double standard at least in fighting!). And for Kagami, loser archetype main characters are bound to have this happen "glued to others like Tendou", but for this one why didn't you tolerate like Kagami in previous episodes? Loser archetypes are constantly desperate, for this series Kagami is viewed as easy to root for by audiences because of that.

Sorry, wouldn't answer for this one, I don't want to be known as having a bias for anything, thus having anything I say ignored because of perceived as clear bias (it can happened on internet if someone has a love for something, NOT ALWAYS though, and for some occassions I do think that those that have a blind love, they can be blinded regarding that I can't take what they say regarding that something seriously from those with clear bias). And still, you said that it's the overheated nonsense you missed, but still, any shows can't be changed to be, like for example, just like Faiz, a lot of shows had qualities of their own and that's what makes them unique. Citing something as a bad because of it not being meant to appeal to that audience is the audience's problem, not the show's (it's not on that different level compared to bashing on shows that they haven't watched). And you claim you want to be fair for evaluating shows.

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 12

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../kabuto12a.png

Gotta be honest, wasn't really feeling this one.

Weirdly, I think what did work for me was all of the Tendou/Kagami stuff? There's more clarity to what's happening between them, even before you get to the ending. It's wrapped up almost entirely in Tendou's incredibly weird and specific views for how people should act, and less in Kagami's clingy obsessiveness (well, there's still a bunch of that), which is not 100% a direction I thought this story was going to go!

To conclude the They Had Sex metaphor, this episode is about how what Tendou found attractive in Kagami was his independence, so Kagami getting all We Are A Couple was a gigantic turn-off for Tendou. As soon as Kagami reasserts his independence, Tendou's ready to rekindle their partnership. (Hand to god, as soon as Kagami becomes his own man, the first thing Tendou does is invite him over for a home-cooked meal. Metaphors! Sometimes they are not subtle!)

It makes for a weird take on friendship, but one that makes sense for Tendou. (Kagami's really jumping through some hoops for this dude, but he's clearly into craving respect? I don't want to shame his needs!) Tendou views friendship as at best dependency, and at worst, capitulation. Being a friend means diminishing yourself. It means accommodating the needs of others rather than pursuing your own goals. It's the last thing he wants.

What he wants, instead, is to allow everyone to achieve their own greatness. He wants to be able to be the best Tendou there is, and he wants Kagami to be the best Kagami there is. They can't do that if they're trying to fit into someone else's life, so friendships don't work for Tendou.

What he wants is to be Friends With Benefits with Kagami.

The ideal relationship for Tendou is to have Kagami out there, living his life, and for them to work together when there's a reason to do so. To be in each other's lives only when it benefits both of them, and never just because. To work independently to achieve a greatness that can be of use to each other.

It's... I mean, it's not a great resolution for the two of them, and I really appreciate that? There's a selfishness to it from Tendou, and it's not a flattering look on him. But, Episode 12, so this is a totally acceptable new level for their friendship. I want the show to find a status quo that's not great, so that they can both move on (and stop being horrible to each other) and have a better version of this yet to come. It's a gross relationship (Kagami seems a bit like he's settling), but that just means there's room to grow.

So, that was all great. And yet, I felt like this episode was sort of dull?

It's a big step down from 11, I thought. The jokes weren't quite as sharp; the thing with Daisuke and Tendou dueling over who can get the most groupies was pretty tacky, even if it was intentionally so. (Tendou doing the whole Every Woman Is Beautiful thing was... I feel like we're still watching an episode that's equating worth to physical appearance? I don't think the show is critiquing itself as much as it thinks it is?) The scratch ticket segment was funny, but it doesn't exactly elevate the episode. And I don't feel like we learn enough about Daisuke and Gon to care about them yet?

There's a little bit of biographical detail that we're given, but there's no depth added to Daisuke in this one. He's like the make up he applies: all on the surface. It's a fun performance, and I love the Drake suit (and how much his fighting style is dance-oriented), but I don't really feel like I get this character. I don't get why he's doing what he's doing, why he's with Gon, what he wants... this episode needed to create a reason for me to care about Daisuke and Gon, and I don't feel like it did that at all, and it really dragged the episode down for me. Every scene with them just felt like a rehash from 11, and it killed a lot of my curiosity.

The Tendou/Kagami story I thought really landed, really came together, but the Daisuke stuff just bored me to tears. Wasn't really feeling that half of the episode, which is a bummer. Hopefully him and Gon will become more interesting soon!

A QUESTION

A big gag in this one is the new scratch cards that La Salle now offers, and how Tendou lumps in Daisuke's inexplicable status as a Rider with a chance lottery win to create a mental block that can only be solved with way too much French cuisine. (I mean, that's my read. It's not that Tendou always needs to win or whatever, it's that Daisuke getting a Zecter that he resents and winning a scratch lottery is just too much for Tendou to accept. The scratch card is the final straw, basically.) The scratch cards seem to be a pretty big hit, judging by the no-doubt monstrous bill Tendou ends up paying. (And Tendou doesn't even redeem his 100 yen discount!) How do you feel about lotteries? Do you ever buy scratch cards, or play the Powerball?

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../kabuto12b.png

I play the kamen rider mobile gacha game, and that's probably worse of me than spending on any lottery.

Too bad Shoothopper hasn't left too big of an impression in his own introduction episodes, but I really like the ever turbulent back-and-forth of Tendou and Kagami that you're describing. It's like if Sento and Ryuga simultaneously weren't as fond of each other but also a lot more interested in the other person's general being.

Yeah, it... I mean, there's a version of it where it's all about inspiring people to greatness, and I think that's really laudable and heroic. But there's this undercurrent of, like, Objectivist philosophy that's both problematic and sort of depressing, and I really hope it's on purpose! The show grappling with the limitations of Tendou's views on the inherent good to society within personal achievement, like: yes! I very much want the show to dig into that! That sort of behavior is maybe something the show could comment on!

Also, yeah, lemme say something nice about ShootHopper. (Drake? Nooooope.) I only briefly mentioned it, but I like how much grace there is to his fighting style? There's a fluidity, where his adversaries look like partners in some Kamen Rider Choreography. The way he ducks under and through punches, or he pivots in a slow arc, it's like he's dancing with them. It's like the act of fighting is so gauche that he'll only spar, only maneuver and shoot. That's a very compelling physicality to ShootHopper.

To be honest, I didn’t think this episode had much going on compared to the two either side of it.

And for the guest star this week, the girl who turns out to be our worm of the week is played by Erena, who is normally typecast in Tokusatsu as an older sister, a role she played in Ryuki Episode Final, Go-Onger episode 34 and OOO episodes 23 and 24, the one that gave us this combo

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cCFfsp74DvQ

OK sorry but, just asking, nothing to say regarding last reply?

Lol, you did say that you wish you have better stuff to say regarding the main duo compared to Daisuke and Gon? Aren't you getting that here? Well, considering that in previous comment I compared Tendou with a good number of people who has similar philosophy (but not Tendou's skills though... I mean he's perfect not only to Kagami he's unrelatable to audience in terms of capability), I wouldn't think of Tendou's mindset as weird; it's actually common, at least it stands out more on internet, or on other characters in other media.

Tendou pushes independence, and considering who Tendou is, he'll never fail even without any single help, while Kagami is like others of accepting companionship, though it stands out more in Yaguruma part that he praises Yaguruma and believes in Perfect Harmony. Unless you think about Kagami declaring that him and Tendou aren't friends, I won't think the term here for Tendou to respect Kagami more as independence, but his straightforward mind. I won't think of Kagami as completely independent, he helps and is helped by others, but he has unwavering determination that even if rejected by Kabuto Zecter, he never backs down on fighting off Worms. Tendou's mindset of looking down on friendship unless it benefits (and some outwardly still deny) is also something that is common among shonen rival archetypes (which several secondary Rider take role as). Many of these type of characters are aloof, asocial, prided their claimed independence, and has no patience for something such as friendship or relying on others.

And actually, Tendou doesn't live up to his words a bit? (although he probably thinks those are beneath him to make efforts, or with his narcissism, feels that he has reached success that it's an exception for him to pursue). Despite having many talents and abilities, he is usually uninterested in pursuing anything outside of his belt's activation, which is opposite of what you say he wants for others like Kagami being focused on his job. childish arrogance of where he frequently boasts about his successes saying that he never needed help from anyone and doesn't rely on anyone to succeed.

Misaki now has a clear problem in ZECT after bossing Kagami around for previous ones, that Mishima demeans her that she doesn't know anything about ZECT after learning that more Riders outside of ZECT appears other than Tendou and that she defies him a bit for that. Now Misaki and Kagami are more of equals and share problems to each other; being considered as a detriment in ZECT (but it's far more than this beneath, in reality), which plays a part for Kagami gaining Tendou's respect. Kagami's job is now trying to persuade other Riders into joining ZECT, although Daisuke is another morally ambiguous Riders that gives cold shoulder like Tendou did. As Kagami forgetting something important, was Kagami's insistence to become Tendou's friend is that severe that he neglects his objective of joining ZECT? He's always driven by his burning hatred for Worms, and he wants to beat them all, and moreover, he wants to become a cool and badass hero while doing so by transforming as a Kamen Rider.

I think I get some new things from Drake a.k.a Daisuke, that more of his mean side is revealed here (well, I only catch mean side of him here, outside of women). That his apathy to others except women is more highlighted here where he outright refused to join ZECT and that nothing will convince him otherwise. And that what I mentioned before of the toxic masculinity of antagonizing other men for the sake of women, which is Tendou again, regarding Hiyori this time (to be fair, Tendou is the one being possessive of Hiyori and forbids anyone unworthy talking with her, but Daisuke also feels that only best ladies man can ask woman out and forbids anyone else too). I feel that Daisuke is a hedonist who only wants to live his life exactly the way he wants, and the hedonist part also comes from how women is one of the main objective goals of men and he revolves around that (the other being wealth and throne) which grants him white-knight traits, and by that he only wants to satisfy himself with little regard to others; like Sh Ranger said, he has completely selective care and that makes him an anti-hero.

I don't think that lotteries are really worth it. Would only participate if there's no huge risk involved. I also play a gacha game, where while getting what I want is satisfying, not getting so can suck out my life personally for a while. And that's for using in-game currency, imagine using real life currency. I think other than that one, I wouldn't play a gacha game again. And regarding scratch cards, in my region at least, there are many products, like snacks, who offer various prizes depending on what's written inside the pack. Obviously, I, always got unlucky word from the packs I buy for that, that fuels how I think lotteries are not worth it more, but of course my motivation of buying those foods aren't for the prizes (those that has that will buy enormous amount of that snack to ensure that they get the prize), but just for snacking. Not to mention, people around me like my parents often talk about how the prize can be a con.

I was thinking about this episode last night and it clicked on me what it reminded me of. In 2013 Toshiki Inoue teamed up with the creator of Garo, Keita Amemiya (who it now occurs to me is my own answer to the "what creator do you always trust" question) on a comedy action show called Shougeki Gouraigan. It was... weird. I think weird is a good word. Weird and awkwardly horny. Anyway, it had a lot of the same kind of humor that we see in these two episodes, which kinda seems to be Inoue's style with humor: going over the top, going flashy, and prone to throwing in some really odd non-sequiturs that are more puzzling than funny. Throw a few porn actresses in and this arc would have been pretty much straight out of Shougeki Gouraigan.

So Drake. Drake's probably my least favorite Rider on the series, at least in terms of design if not as a character. I really like the asymmetrical nature of the suit, but the cold color palette makes it look really dull in comparison to the suits we've seen so far and the ones that are still upcoming. We're starting to get into the weird Masked Forms, too, with the superfluous gas mask and hose. We'll get weirder, but I'm not really a fan.

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

This is a thought that could apply to just about any episode so far, and probably many in the future, but this one gave me the perfect screencap to use, so let me just say – I sort of hate the ZECT stuff in this show, and I sort of love that I hate it? Every scene with one and/or two shady people with vague motivations discussing whatever recent developments in the literal shade is so utterly self-serious and unironic that it's just about looping back around for me into being ironically goofy and hilarious? I feel like Kagami's dad and Gorou are contributing the bare minimum to this series right now, and it makes the level of importance they carry themselves with come off as so absurd. It's not really an issue, because the show knows to keep the scenes as short as possible, but it's something worth mentioning.

And on the subject of absurd things I should hate but kinda love anyway, how about that Tendou/Daisuke plot in this one? Sure, Tendou's blatant feelings of inferiority towards his new rival are still hugely out of character, and sure Die is completely on the mark about it doing a poor job of elaborating on Daisuke himself, and, sure, this is an episode of Kamen Rider where the hero chides a supporting character for treating women like objects mere moments after saying, in Tendou's usual metaphorical manner, that all flowers (women) know they bloom in the presence of the sun (him, of course), but – and I'm preemptively sorry about this – I did find it all pretty amusing.

This is another reason why I mentioned ZECT now; it gives you context for my thought process when I say this episode achieves such insane levels of pure tackiness that I can't even be angry about it. It's riding a very, very fine line, but it comes off as tongue-in-cheek enough to be more fun than frustrating to me. Definitely going to be a "your mileage may vary" situation; I would not bother sticking up for this one at all if you told me it was crass garbage, because that is exactly what it is.

Inoue seemed to save all the genuine quality writing for the Kagami/Tendou plot, where my opinions line up with Die's pretty much perfectly. It lands on something a lot smarter than I expected from the last part, and it made me happy to see in a pair of episodes that are otherwise notably uninterested in emotional resonance or interesting character development. I will mention here that I do still love everything about Drake, though. I don't have a particularly hard tier list for Kabuto designs, but I like his color scheme, and his Zecter might just be my favorite of the series? It's really tough to say in a show where basically every Rider design is a winner.

Also, I'm trying my best to answer all of Die's questions, but all this one reminds me of is how weird it is the guy who was causally dodging knives in the premiere now can't win a simple game of chance without trying a dozen times. No wonder Tendou is so upset about it; it's like Inoue thought he was writing Shinji again or something! :lol

Sorry, it came in just as I was posting the new episode. I did read it, though! I appreciate the insights!

So, for Tendou being possessive of Hiyori.. I think it's just that he really hates Daisuke? He's maybe being protective of Hiyori here, waving off a creep who's hitting on her.

For Daisuke being a hedonist... he's, in a lot of ways, no different than any Rider: he's got a craft that he's dedicated to, a credo he believes in, and he's willing to fight to defend those things he cherishes. It's just that his approach to those three things is pretty unique, so it's harder to see how stock his character-type is right now.

I do like the way the wings are the main part of ShootHopper's torso, how it's like we're seeing the profile of a dragonfly. Very cool way to get that insect motif in without it feeling too derivative of TheBee.

My headcanon for Tendou's nearly inexplicable series of lottery losses is that Sally, owner of La Salle, is totally rigging the contest. A new customer comes in? They get the winning tickets, making sure they have fond memories of their meal and are more inclined to return. (Plus, it costs the restaurant 100 yen, which is cheap as far as customer activation goes.) If it's a frequent customer? They get the losing tickets, because you've already got their business and there's no sense giving them a discount when they'd readily pay full price. Tendou getting a winning ticket at the end is just Sally taking pity on him, and maybe trying to prevent Tendou's Death By Tuna With Spiced Vegetables.

Kabuto's designs are the sort you start appreciating more the more you look at them I find -- TheBee is essentially just the top view of a wasp (with the 'chestplate' being the abdomen and the head being, well, the head), and with Drake you can see the Dragonfly's head on one of his shoulders while the opposite arm is the tail. It's very neat!

One thing I came across in my (apparently now obligatory) reading of the Japanese Wikipedia page for the show that really fascinated me was that they wanted to come up with a way to differentiate Kabuto from the swarms of other beetle heroes already out there, and that the idea they landed on for that was to have his head be an entire beetle, rather than just the horns like your Kuugas and your Blades. It's fairly subtle on the final design, but looking at it with that concept in mind, it seems pretty clear that, for instance, the black bits on the side are representing legs.

I don't think it's a hard rule, but an entire insect for a face with another one on the body seems to be the basic Kabuto design pattern, and I love that despite emphasizing the "cool" factor so much, this show's Riders still have that same sort of whimsy to the way their motifs are incorporated that makes Rider and Sentai designs in general so endlessly fascinating. It won't be the first (or the last) time this gets said in the thread, but Kabuto really did utterly nail it when it came to aesthetics. Seeing them all in action rewatching the show is reminding me just how much I love basically all of these guys.

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 13

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../kabuto13b.png

Late-night Kabuto for me, so let’s see what we’ve got to talk about.

(Holy shit, today was like two days worth of work. Tons of packing and shipping; every in-store holiday purchase required hand-selling and one-on-one work; every goddamn computer process broke down at some point; and ordering from three distributors instead of last year’s one or two just to get in a last-minute restock before Christmas was a colossal pain in the ass. If this episode’s coverage is either way too short or way too mean, today is the culprit!)

I thought this one was… fine. I respect what it was trying to do, but it just never clicked for me?

Like, this episode’s two threads are both about the same things: unintended consequences people thought they could ignore, hidden identities, and a destructive need to avenge an earlier slight. Structurally, I can’t really kick about it. It’s just… I don’t know, maybe talking about it’ll help figure out where this one failed to live up to its potential for me.

The main thread focuses on Yaguruma (fresh off detonating his entire reputation due to his rivalry with Tendou) and Kageyama (who believes in nothing but himself now -slash- is a sneering asshole, in a nice repudiation of Tendou’s worldview), but there’s a little bit with Kagami that I loved for what it was saying and hated for how quickly it moved on from saying it.

Kageyama’s new, shittier attitude (he’s such a condescending prick to Misaki!) is because he believed in two mentors that self-destructed. Yaguruma let his rivalry with Tendou interfere with his ability to harness TheBee Zecter, putting Kagami in place to take over. But then Kagami bailed after just one day, choosing Kabuto’s friendship instead of his role as TheBee. The rest of the episode is really about how much Kageyama wants Yaguruma to suffer for failing him, but I feel like the show missed a much better story by ignoring Kagami’s responsibilities?

I mean, the big theme in this episode is Unintended Consequences People Thought They Could Ignore, and the problem is that the ZECT side of things opts to make that all about Yaguruma and Kageyama. The thing is, doing a ZECT story that doesn’t focus on Kagami is a massive miscalculation. ZECT only ever matters if their stories focus on Tendou or Kagami, and this one really doesn’t. Tendou and Kagami are in the ZECT plot, but it’s just fundamentally not about them. Having half the story be about how two supporting cast members feel about each other… no? It’s too much time to devote to them. Shunting Kagami to the side of a ZECT plot is like throwing away the beef patty of a hamburger to make more room for onions. Yaguruma is interesting because of how Kagami feels about him, or how Tendou feels about him. Same thing for Kageyama. How Kageyama and Yaguruma feel about each other, it’s just too slight to build a story on.

Worse, it misses the key way to include Kagami, namely that Shadow dissolving is all Kagami’s fault. The gap between Yaguruma losing TheBee Zecter and Kagami getting it is, like, four seconds. Shadow’s still up and running when Kagami’s in charge, and then he quits the next day. After that, yeah, Shadow’s boned! It is objectively Kagami’s resignation that dissolves Shadow! I get that Kagami’s betrayal of Kageyama is less of a deep wound than Yaguruma’s, but it would not take a lot to make this episode more about Kagami bearing some responsibility (and therefore guilt) for how he abandoned Shadow? And then I’d care more about the stakes?

(It’s worth mentioning that, with all of the twists and reveals in this episode, I’m honestly not sure what the status of Shadow actually was. ZECT is treating the deaths of Shadow operatives as a consequence of Shadow no longer existing, but then Kageyama says it was a ruse to find out who the mole is that’s… I don’t know, leaking former-Shadow identities to the Worms? But they’d only be former Shadow members if Shadow was dissolved? Which it maybe wasn’t? I honest to god have no idea what the strategy is by Kageyama, so I guess I’m also less competent than he’d hoped.)

And the stakes… I just don’t give a shit about a bunch of no-name dudes being menaced by an insane number of Worms? It’s, again, all stakes that matter to Yaguruma and (I guess?) Kageyama, which is not something I watch this show for! I watch for Kagami and Tendou, and Kagami was a sideline dude for this whole plot.

Tendou’s integral to the second thread of this story, but I wasn’t really into that one too much yet. It’s about exposing what happened seven years ago with Hiyori and The Boy In The Belt, and in this episode it’s all teases. Tendou’s being subtly evasive (him telling Juka that when he said he went back to save Hiyori, he really meant that he went back to save all of humanity, which includes Hiyori… man, Juka, come on) and Hiyori’s having a disturbingly high amount of PTSD flashbacks, so stuff is about to come to a head. Unfortunately, it takes literally the entire episode to come to a head, leaving more discussion on this topic for next episode’s post. As it is, there really wasn’t much to talk about? It’s all tension, and no release.

This episode… I know it sounds like I hated it, but I honestly just thought it was fine. I appreciated that both threads were about the same things (Hiyori’s rage at Kabuto’s failure is pretty much Kageyama’s barely-concealed rage at Yaguruma’s failure), and there were some small beats that were pretty charming. (A+ for Gon resolving the last two-parter by telling Tendou that Daisuke was acting too naive and that he deserved a beating, sort of low-level shitting on Inoue’s melodrama.) But the stakes of the story just never mattered to me, and the episode excluded the only guy in the main cast who actually cares about ZECT as an organization. Baffling choice, and one that kept this thing from ever becoming that good.

But, maybe that’ll change in the next episode, as Kagami is outed as the mole!!!!!!!even though we know he definitely isn’t

A QUESTION

Watching this episode had me wondering what the hell ZECT’s budget looks like. There’s no shortage of cool gear (they made Kabuto a new BugZapper or whatever, a nice thing to do for a guy they’ve been actively trying to murder) or dudes in armor, and yet… I mean, Kagami’s division of ZECT frequently met in an empty office, like they were squatting. This time we have Tadokoro sitting in a giant room, at a giant desk, with absolutely nothing on it. Even when Goro meets with Misaki or Kagami’s dad, the only thing in the room is a chair! They don’t even have working lights most of the time! So, my question to you is this: Is ZECT frugal, or broke? Are they keeping their employees working part-time pizza delivery gigs because Worm-hunting doesn’t need full-time employees, or are they just too cheap to hire a real workforce and provide benefits? I don’t get how this militarized organization of nebulous authority works!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../kabuto13a.png

I don’t have much to say on this, so I’ll answer the question.

On one hand, ZECT is making bikes that turn into giant horns. But on the other, they’re able to created specially shaped bullets for all their Rider systems (the ones Kabuto uses here are just one of 4). So I’d say they’re not too well off, but they aren’t strapped for cash.

Possessive literally means protective, in an extreme manner. Not only for Hiyori but it applies to Juka later as well. It just that the person spotted by Tendou happens to be someone who deserved it here. I think what you describe there for Daisuke more applies to a human in general instead of a Rider. Of course anyone can transform into a Rider and its interesting to bring out the topic regarding what a Rider could be, but franchise-wide Riders are supposed to be heroes, ray hope of light; not dumbing down or deconstructing those ideals like being alone in their beliefs in the world or treated as naive as the realities of the world don't match up to their ideals and showing that the darker take is better, like how doing only anything he wants is right if someone's strong.

Yeah, Kageyama's worldview is that, anyone who wears TheBee Zecter is a great person. By that the failures of those 2 people who became that; Yaguruma' betrayal of Perfect Harmony for the first time and Arata's self defect from being Shadow leader had tainted Shun's heart, viewing them as incompatible superior and deemed them inferior than him. Kageyama is now the leader of Shadow, and for currently become arrogant and showing his incompatibility to be TheBee user and the leader of Shadow. He couldn't able to lead his group completely and mostly taking effort which giving benefit only for his own. And the real problem for Shadow isn't them dissolving, but how ZECT wants to hunt them.

Well, you wished that, but, it won't happen, well for Tendou. Tendou has established his independency, and he wouldn't want to affiliate himself with any organization like ZECT, so he's less likely to be involved in stories like this. And Yaguruma or Kageyama are another major characters anyway. And how Shadow dissolves is not resolved yet for this episode, so can't talk yet other than apparent Kagami fault. And also, with your previous view of responsibility part, now you want characters to have responsibility issues in Kagami?

Hiyori thought that Kabuto killed her parents, seeing the belts, but the true test for faith to Tendou will happen. And with Tendou complaining about Worms who treated food badly, I hoped that they won't stamp the dropped foods further.

Goro's name already mentioned, Mishima. I can't reveal anything about ZECT here, sorry.

This show really does feel harder to talk about when it's between character introductions and interesting guest stars. It's interesting. Kabuto, like all the other Rider shows, still follows the two-episode block format in terms of production and guest cast, but it really feels more like one ongoing story. The bi-weekly elements rarely feel like they override the main character dynamics and development of Tendou, Kagami, and Hiyori's various relationships (and Juka eating, obviously). I'm actually really glad for this, because it's going to give me a lot more ammunition for something I've been looking forward to talking about when we get to Den-O.

So I guess we get Kageyama as TheBee now. I said recently that Drake is my least favorite Rider in terms of design, well Kageyama is my least favorite in terms of character. Not that he's awful, just that he's kind of a forgettable jerk. Not the first jerk Rider, but not one that's memorably douche-y like Kusaka or 75% of the Ryuki Riders. Honestly, I have a lot of trouble even remembering Kageyama's name when he's not on screen.

There's also the debut of the, um... ZECT Rider System Hot Wheels Launcher? I assume it has a name, but damned if I can remember it. This was something that was a result of Hibiki's bad toy sales: Bandai wanted to make sure that new toys got lots of focus on the show so kids would bug their parents to go out and buy them. The ZRSHWL? is one of the more egregious examples of forced toy integration. Where did it come from? Why does Tadokoro have it? What exactly does it do? Doesn't matter! 2000 yen at your local JUSCO!

It was so funny to me that FRS Kabuto included the ZECT Mizer. I mean, it's of course awesome that it's as complete as possible; really showing up SHF there and it's great to have more options, but it was hilarious to me given just how. Nothing its appearance was. I'm not sure it even shows up again after this?? I definitely don't recall it!

It... I don't think possessive and protective are synonyms? Protective has a connotation of care, of valuing someone or something, and it can be used positively. Possessive is about selfishness, and it's almost always used negatively. You can be protective of someone while still allowing them autonomy and independence, like Tendou has done with Hiyori. (I don't recall Tendou trying to box out any other potential suitors?) Being possessive... that's just not Tendou? That we've seen on this show so far, anyway. It's... it's basically the opposite of how I'd describe Tendou's views of other people?

I think you can do Tendou/ZECT stories without Tendou joining ZECT, though. I mean, the show's already done a couple! As long as Tendou has the Kabuto Zecter, there's a natural in for him on a ZECT story.

I don't 100% understand your question about responsibility issues (I don't remember what I said about them that you're referring to), but I think the show missed out (so far!) by not exploring Kagami's responsibility for abandoning Shadow. His actions were previously framed as him valuing the bond he had with Tendou over the ugly work of being TheBee, but the result for Shadow is that he left them all to twist in the wind while he cozied up to his new friend. That seems like a thing the show could reckon with for a minute!

I actually feel the opposite? It's fun to see new Riders and big-name guest stars (or Truegami), but I'm way more dialed in when the show just makes time for a Tendou/Kagami/Hiyori plot. I love thinking about those characters and watching their incremental evolutions. Stuff like Daisuke and Kageyama, it feels like an unwelcome distraction? I don't mind it if it's either super fun (Daisuke) or looped into the examination of a main character (Yaguruma's debut), but I'd almost always prefer a smaller story that exhibits something new about our core trio.

The thing I dig about him so far isn't the performance (which is pretty generic), but the backstory of his grievances. Dude has believed in people, and those people have not valued his belief! That's going to create something within someone that needs to be addressed!

As someone who came in on Ex-Aid, you are probably never going to hear me dismiss any part of Kamen Rider for being merely toyetic. I love the random new weapon, because it's so random. I don't think Tendou needed some hot new ZECToy to wipe out a few lumbering Worms, but I appreciate him at least trying out the BugZapper. (And then he just goes back to his normal gear, like nothing even happened!)

Also, let me take a moment to sing the praises of the actor playing Tadokoro. He is always one impassioned plea from Kagami or Misaki away from just shouting Look I Know This Is All Bullshit But I've Got A Mortgage So How About You Stop Busting My Balls For Like Five Goddamn Seconds And Just Do Your Jobs. He knows ZECT sucks! He gets that they're horrible people! He is fully aware of how capricious and poorly-reasoned their strategies are! What do you want him to do about it?! He's not Zachariah Zect, the founder of ZECT! He's just some middle-management dude who has an hour-long commute to make twice-daily because he can't afford to live in the city! And his dishwasher needs to be replaced! Leave him alone!

I'm a couple episodes ahead and I can confirm that it shows up at least one more time.

https://i.imgur.com/CwUR7pI.png

Due to the way this show is written, I'm pretty sure I won't get another chance to ask this question if I don't right now – what in the heck is up with the goofy TheBee tattoos!? It is such a baffling narrative decision that the series is also totally noncommittal about. Like, I'm trying to think of why this was done on a meta level before anything else, and immediately I hit a brick wall. Did they somehow think viewers wouldn't understand who was TheBee at any given time without a little extra hint? Was it some insanely overcomplicated way to remind Kagami of all that was now riding on him/letting Kagayama brag to Yaguruma? And, hey, actually, about Yaguruma! Forget about the creative motivations, because now I'm just going to ask if Yaguruma ever had one of these too. Does it go away when you stop being TheBee? Or, wait, for that matter, does every Zecter do this, or is TheBee just quirky that way? Does Tendou have one? Is the reason Daisuke is so disinterested in being a Rider because he values aesthetics and is sick of his chest randomly glowing with the blinding force of the sun at inopportune moments, completely ruining his style?

It's all so utterly weird, and yet what's even weirder to me is that the thought I kept having watching this one (you know, before Kageyama opened his shirt at least) was how glad I felt the writing was moving away from Inoue and back into the safe, capable hands of Shouji Yonemura. The hands of Yonemura. I'm generally a fan of Inoue, even! But for whatever reason, even though I liked the last two episodes, this one, start to finish, just felt so much meatier in terms of the story it was telling, and I enjoyed it a lot more as a result.

It definitely helps that, unlike Die, I will totally watch this show for Yaguruma. I have no idea why (maybe I just like his debut that much), but I have an almost embarrassing level of attachment to this dude, to the point I legitimately root for him to get his s*** together here. I'm not sure if that's even the reaction the show is hoping for, but at any rate, that means I've always had it out for Kageyama since the first time I watched this one. That kid doesn't remember his roots, man! Sure, Yaguruma had one really bad day, and clearly also some mental issues that he could probably use professional help with, but the first thing happens to everyone, and the second thing applies to at least everyone in this show. If Yaguruma had the luck of a main protagonist, he'd get a chance to overcome his faults with the support of the people around him and emerge a better person, but instead it's like everybody is just laughing at him this whole episode! Do you really want to see what Yaguruma looks like with an even bigger chip on his shoulder?

I feel like this post is getting more hard to tell where I'm serious than I intended, so getting back on track, I really did enjoy this one. As you can hopefully pull out from that impassioned rant about Yaguruma, I thought it had a lot more complex, interesting emotions going on than the previous story, even in just the little bits that don't immediately amount to much. Moments like Hiyori dropping a plate on the floor and it breaking causing stressful flashbacks to her being trapped under collapsing rubble, like, yes. I'm all over that. I don't know if there's a lot of real depth here; I feel like a lot of it is in what you're willing to read into it, but I found myself super absorbed the whole time.

...Even if I can't totally figure out the Shadow situation either. I'm pretty sure it was never dissolved, because dialogue from Yaguruma's debut makes it clear it was around before TheBee, and if the entire continued existence of this group was seriously predicated entirely on whether or not a random part-timer with no leadership experience would command them, I mean... I think that says a lot more about ZECT than it does about Kagami? Even when he was the leader, you could tell he had no clue how to manage the squad in combat. The guy's Harmony is pretty far from Perfect, after all.

The Zect Mizer also sure does exist this episode, and the sheer trouble the show had finding a reasonable excuse for Kabuto to shill it – and basically deciding no reason at all will have to do – reminds me of Die pointing out how little action Kabuto's knife gets when I brought it up a few episodes back, and that I actually completely adore how little Kabuto relies on weapons? It's a huge part of what makes this instance of marketing that much more blatant. Kabuto has one of the most instantly distinctive fighting styles of any Rider ever, and in a move that would've been shocking even back when it aired, it just doesn't leave much room for toys. Tendou's minimalist and precise approach to combat is all about reading the enemy and countering perfectly, and when he can do that, he only needs the knife as a sort of finishing move to use on mooks to keep the Rider Kick as more of a main event deal. Which also means his Rider Kick is treated with a ton of weight, which I of course also adore. Even looking beyond the obvious Clock Up stuff, there's a lot I find to love about this show's action. Although Tendou using Clock Up to save exactly one bottle of falling olive oil is certainly a great sequence.

Oh, and for the question, I'm going with Option C, "ZECT is apathetic." I've said before that every single character in this show is eccentric, so I'm pretty sure it's neither that ZECT can't or doesn't want to spend the money; it's just that the higher-ups are genuinely incapable of even registering the concept that anyone would ever not want to work this way, let alone agreeing with it. They think dark, empty rooms are cooler anyway, and probably borrowed their advice on employee benefits from BOARD.

Huh! I never brought this up because I just assumed it was going to be expounded upon later. If it's not... yeah, no idea what the point is.

I'd agree that it's maybe something the show felt like it needed to clear up any confusion about which Rider was which, since TheBee has been three different people in just a half-dozen episodes. This episode was also the second time there's been a voiceover explaining Clock Up, so it feels like someone in production wanted to make things crystal clear.

I do like Yaguruma! I just care more about his arc when it's more tied to Kagami or Tendou. The best Yaguruma scene in the episode was when he runs into Tendou at that shop. I even made sure to include the screencap of him telling Tendou that he's going to be a big deal soon, his mom says he's special, and you're all going to be sorry you laughed at him! That stuff was great!

A bunch of reviews for ZECT on Glassdoor that are like:

PROS - Lax managerial hierarchy allows for rapid skills-based advancement; flexible work hours
CONS - Poor lighting; occasional mandatory tattoos

Shoot, someone that agrees with me! At the time I really loved Yaguruma's character -- at my core I'm someone who looks for very basic things in a character, just someone who is very genuine and caring and who isn't really much of a bad person; and seeing how the series makes that interesting. It's hardly the only thing I like, but it's definitely why shows like OOO and Kuuga and Fourze resonate a lot with me and why I fell in love with Toku to begin with. So someone like Yaguruma who the show goes out of its way to frame as the most honest person ever instantly had me in love... and I'll have to stop there, otherwise I'll be spoiling his entire arc even if I say how I feel about it. Point is, I loved him here and everything that's going on with him.

It doesn't if I'm not forgetting something, anyway. I have the same memory issues with this show that Switchblade does, but I feel like the glowing bug logos having plot significance is something I'd recall at least a little?

The Clock Up narration, on the other hand, doesn't bother me at all, because I think it might be a sort of tribute to old-school Showa toku where that kind of exposition was fairly common? This was an anniversary series, after all.

I know from experience how much of a surprising feeling that can be! :lol

Yeah, I've just always found Yaguruma's characterization in these early episodes fascinating. The show loads him with all these extremely unflattering character defects, and yet never shows him as being anything less than entirely genuine about his desire to be a strong and dependable leader for the sake of the group, despite his ego playing a part in that.

He's not really characterized quite like a straight hero, but is definitely not a villain, and that's a sort of character you I don't see too often in stories that otherwise neatly file people into groups that way. If you really step back and look at it, I feel like a lot of his status as an antagonist in his debut is owed entirely to the show's choice of perspective. In a lot of other narratives, the hard-working team player would be the one the audience is meant to cheer on against the emotionally detached man seemingly relying on endless good fortune, right? Yaguruma losing his cool because of Tendou looks bad up until you consider that it's Tendou. I think the show is smart about how it plays this, because it never totally feels like it's outright condemning either side, which is presumably why even Tendou himself feels bad enough to encourage Yaguruma a bit after everything goes to crap for him.

Of the four episodes Yaguruma's been in, for the last three of them I think the only word that comes to mind to describe his character... it's not Hero or Villain or Antihero, it's Tragic. He's almost immediately revealed to be someone who self-sabotages, who'd rather risk disgrace going for an A+ than live with the indignity of an A.

He's a fascinating character when compared to Tendou, since Tendou's whole approach to encouraging others is Achieve Individually, Succeed Together, versus Yaguruma's approach of Achieve Together, Succeed Individually. There's a feeling to both that the two men want others to succeed, but Tendou preaches an enlightened self-interest that could come off as self-centered, if the show weren't intent on characterizing it as independence and self-sufficiency. Meanwhile, it's the parts of the show that start to poke holes in Yaguruma's perspective where I feel the most interested in his character, where the idea of a team effort starts to look more like a cheer squad for a man who's less altruistic than he thinks.

Yaguruma in a Tendou story is where I'm way, way more interested in his journey.

I envy you..

This is something of a trend with the Riders in this show, actually, in that most of them seem deliberately set up as rivals that mirror very particular aspects of Tendou and then go off in some wild direction with them. Yaguruma is all about perfection, and also has a massive ego; Daisuke greatly values his personal freedom and independence, while also having a massive ego; and then Kageyama... also has a massive ego, judging by this latest episode. Lots of massive egos in Kabuto, now that I think about it!

I've still got four minutes left to go in Episode 14, but hello Special Guest Star:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kabuto/TATAKAE.png

It's Shiro from Ryuki, my fourteenth favorite character from that series! Surprisingly, he is my favorite thing in the ZECT storyline from this episode, and potentially the only part of it I'm excited to talk about. And he finally figured out what to do with his hands: try to kill Kagami with them!

Man, this was a -lot- more of a 35th anniversary season than I remember...

Shirou's not even the only Very Special Guest in this episode!

I had to go to the Wiki real quick to find out who I missed, and... there was a second Takeshi Hongo? He was the dude outside the soba shop? I just assumed that was an upcoming Rider, but, no? While I start writing up Episode 14 (spoiler: I hope you like hearing about Hiyori and food), if anyone would care to explain a) why there's a second Takeshi Hongo, and b) what the hell he's doing in this episode of Kabuto, I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

Basically, he's the main character of the standard hollywood edgy reboot of a franchise (in this case, obviously, ultraseven) that came out at the same time this episode aired. It's cross-promotion.

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 14

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../kabuto14a.png

I try to watch these Kamen Rider episodes all in one go. I mean, they're barely twenty minutes, so it's not a big ask. And, for me, I've got not a great memory, so my ability to reference details from an episode when it comes to forming a picture... I can't really wait on that. I've got to watch it all, and then write it up real quick while it's fresh. I can't take breaks.

I took so many breaks during this episode. The ZECT story in this one was such a god-awful snooze. It's so boring that an appearance by Shiro, the most boring part of Ryuki, is the highlight of the plot.

I'll spend a paragraph talking about it, to feel like I'm being somewhat comprehensive in discussing the episode, and then I'm going to move on to the parts of the episode that were poignant, clever, and entertaining. This is a bone-stupid plot, one that requires the audience to either believe Kagami is a secret traitor (for half the episode), or care that Kagami's been obviously framed (for the other half). It's a plot that needs Tendou to refuse to get involved for three-quarters of the runtime, because he could resolve the mystery in about ten seconds. (And does!) It tells us absolutely nothing about anyone involved in it, and it feels like it's just killing time until its action finale. It is so bereft of anything resembling thematic weight or character insight that I found myself longing, longing, for last episode's Yaguruma/Kageyama tension. Here, it's just twists and reveals in place of brains and heart. It's a dumb story about nothing, and it was work to get through it.

But then there's the Hiyori/Tendou plot, and it's the best. It is everything I'm watching Kabuto for, and it was worth sitting through the idiotic ZECT stuff just to be able to experience it.

Hiyori is furious at Kabuto for killing her parents. (...is what she says, but I think it's more that she thinks he let them die? I'm honestly not sure what exactly she's accusing Kabuto of in this subplot. Like, I'm not trying to defend against her accusations, I'm just not sure if she's saying he let her parents die, or if she's saying he literally murdered them.) He walks off without explaining himself, and so Hiyori goes to confront Tendou, the person she suspects of being Kabuto. Tendou says she's wrong, he's not Kabuto, but he does it in such an unconvincing way that she tells him to never show his face around her again. So, of course, the next thing he does is go to La Salle for lunch. And then their story gets so, so good.

Hiyori is someone who has trouble communicating with people. It's hard for her to express her feelings, to get across what she needs from other people. She doesn't have it in her to yell at Tendou, to angrily demand that he get out. She's furious at him, but she doesn't know how to communicate that. He's betrayed her, and she needs him to know that.

So she ruins his meal. She takes a dish he loves and prepares it badly, slapping him in the face with sour flavors. It's clearly intentional, a preview of what every meal at La Salle is going to be like for him now. And then he's out the door, leaving a 1000 yen bill on the table, and vowing to never return.

Hiyori can communicate through her art, and through her cooking. It's where her honesty comes out, where she can express herself to the world. The care and concern she takes when she prepares a dish is a testament to the affection for others that she's buried deep inside. She can't tell people that she wants them to be happy, but she can make them happy through her cooking. Conversely, she can ruin a dish to tell someone that he's her enemy now, that he's ruined their friendship through disrespect and unforgivable actions.

But Tendou's the same way, really. He's generally awful to the people around him, but he loves Juka. He puts so much care and effort into making her meals. There's an expression of the depth of his devotion there, in the breakfasts and lunches that bring her such joy.

So when Hiyori goes to Tendou's house to return the money he left, an angry rebuke of any thought he might have of gaining the upper hand in their feud, she sees how Tendou cares for Juka. She tries some of the lunch he left, and she feels how much he cares. There's all of her suspicions about Tendou, her anger at Kabuto... and then there's this meal, his care, Juka's joy. It's his heart laid bare on the table, divvied up into bowls. It's more honest than he could ever be in person, more valid than any confession or denial.

After a day of finding every restaurant in Tokyo closed, Tendou returns to La Salle a broken man, desperate for a quality meal. He can't make up with Hiyori; that's not who he is. And she can't explain to him what she's learned about him; that's not who she is. But she can make him another plate of rolled cabbage, but delicious this time, and everything between them can be good again. She's accepted his true qualities, and offered her support. He's put himself at her judgment, and felt validated. And they did it all without saying a word to each other.

That is worth 100 stupid ZECT plots.

A QUESTION

It's getting to be actual winter here in Chicago, and that always gets me a little more inclined to watch Kamen Rider. I don't know why, but the summer... I just want to be out of the house more. In the winter, it feels good to settle in and watch TV shows. What about you? In what season do you most enjoy watching Kamen Rider?

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../kabuto14b.png

For today’s question, I only ever seem to get through kamen rider seasons in the summer, so the summer.

This is the version of Hongo from Kamen Rider The First, a theatrical reboot of the original series that came out at around this time. It’s very, very Inoue. You’d like it.

Well I missed my chance to talk about the guest stars (and I don’t think you care for the subtle gag where the dial tone when somebody (I forget who) calls the police is the same one from the Faiz phone. So I’ll mention this is the final acting role for Kanzaki’s actor, before he quit showbiz to run a department store. Which means that in the Ryuki reunion, our antagonist is a cloaked figure in a deep voice who has access to the Odin deck. Who could it be?

Nothing wrong with that!

Maybe I'll have to check those out in a few years. Thanks for the info!

Ha ha, I didn't catch that Faiz tone. Thanks!

Every season, all the time, I'm watching like 9 separate shows right now please god someone help me

Yeah no, it's not synonym. Never said they're synonyms (ofc not lumping together the negative equivalent, like you said there "used negatively"!), it's like the analogy where all lions are mammals, but not all mammalsare lions again. Protective doesn't mean, and isn't always possessive, but possessive is being protective in an extreme manner. Tendou's still an elitist though, he puts himself as above others, and that's one of the reasons he doesn't want to join ZECT, and he had tribalism by that concerning him, Juka, and Hiyori. Actually what I said about boxing out others from Hiyori (and Juka) comes from that part, rather than possessiveness if I had to make it clearer. Otherwise Tendou's far too intellectual and egotistical to put himself on the level of anyone else he considers below him. He expects everyone else to live up to unrealistic high standards, which is an automatic social brick wall.

I'm refering about how the responsibility part as a reason to atone (other than morally ambiguous characters realizing their mistake after so long) and make things right means sometimes to you that they can't function as a person and isn't being healtly emotionally or processing it.

That's the consequences of having a perfect main character, Tendou's only there to show that he's better than everyone, he only shows at the last minute to truly solve the problem. And he did it in 10 seconds, in comparison to the inferior beings around him who had to work around it. You of course can't take away Tendou's ability suddenly (even when he's seemingly beaten, he still had upper hand like at Yaguruma fight). It did show though, about how Kageyama couldn't able to lead his group completely and mostly taking effort which giving benefit only for his own. And what I thought about the Shiro scene here was that... I mean, he's a Shadow member, yet he acts as a Worm disguising as him in complete surprise as he's a complete civilian? Otherwise, the killing time stuff, well, that's what you get in typical toku (obviously not 100% of it), and the appeal of Kabuto towards some others are Tendou's coolness and superiority.

I have to say, I have to give you props regarding this analysis of those character (and what Fish talked regarding Hiyori, which was polar opposite of what answer I get when I talked to someone else about Hiyori), which I'd give my consolences about what real life will do to Hiyori later. And tbh, as this scene is fleshing out more about Hiyori and the Kabuto plot regarding her flashbacks, I'd expect what you talk is about that, but actually no (well, considering how most of your take regarding that part of plot is not favorable, it'd be expected too about something else).

Regarding how Hiyori though it's the person with belt letting her parents die or murdered them, I mean, we know that Tendou is Kabuto, Worm exists (some civilians are completely surprised about them disguising), and ZECT exists to combat them. But in-universe, not everyone necessarily knows about those supernatural elements! This would go to non-combative characters like Hiyori, Juka, or Takemiya so far. Hiyori just came across Kabuto and declare vengenace towards him that she saw him having the same belt as the person around her after the meteor incident. Though it got cut shortly as, the belt was located in Tendou's belt, which means Tendou being Kabuto is known quickly. Which would lead to the true test of Tendou's character by unraveling his true nature revolving around food (need more of Tendou's other field of skills though like Yusuke's 2000 skills).

How you perform depends if you're completely sapped of any passion (potentially bad and isn't representative of your talent) which or if you're devoted and high spirited, in a satisfactory mood (showing off your best). And it seems that even if Hiyori is mostly in grumpy mood, Takemiya only stated about Hiyori being mad in this episode. Regarding about how Hiyori cooks her foods, about an expression of the depth of someone's devotion to something, it's more than just about making others or certain someone happy. Other than food, Hiyori can do mistakes in job like being clumsy and zoning out while working, resulting in complaints by customers. Doing your best can come in different forms of reasons, like the joy of proving yourself or challenge, like probably Tendou if it's not regarding Juka such as him fighting off Worms (well, so far, Juka's not brought up about in his Worm fights, except at ep. 4 which is more about Juka's food supply at the cost of poor Kagami).

And for Tendou's character here, it shows that assholes don't necessarily mean malicious. Tendou, while a cold person to others except his beloved, and can make hard and seemingly cruel decisions when he feels the need to like ransacking authority to complete his mission, still had clear line, he's not an evil person. He's grey rather than black. Tendou's an anti-hero, and anti-heroes are good guys (unlike how some people misinterpret the term), they're heroes, just having more negative traits compared to traditional ones. And for him being awful to others but loving Juka, that's a standard trait possessed by most of secondary Riders, which are usually made as anti-heroes. They're not as upstanding as the usually messianic primary Riders, but they're more often than not on their side.

Hiyori rightfully clears up her suspicions about Tendou with his inner warmth, although it's for Juka that time, but unfortunately, this also can lead to boneheaded decisions in other series (and this can be about writing blunder too although people can bash the character and the type of that character instead, and it's frustrating to some other people, including me, because it delves into self-righteousness and hypocritical writing) which is why I'm disillusioned about showing goodness by only selective care (and typically, about those with guaranteed care like family or friends), where an actual bad guy (not Tendou, hence "actual") who shows a warmth towards certain someone is given free pass without consequences, and that the series expected the audience to treat them as good because of that redeeming qualities (the bad guy may also be redeemed after this but with forced writing). Whether a character is hero or antihero, he (or she) should not feel entitled to receive only praises and no criticisms for his/her moral decisions concerning the bad guy, and/or that he/she can never possibly make a morally wrong decision. If those heroes still think that they have 0% moral fault for letting the bad guys though, it's worrying. They should acknowledge that their decision to give bad guy will potentially indirectly bring harm to innocents in future.

Lol, the question is ambiguous, season can refer to nature seasons, or which series of Kamen Rider discussed about (individual series like Agito, Blade, Build, etc. are called KR seasons). To answer though, it's irrelevant for me, my country is a tropic one, so there's only 2 seasons between dry and rain, and even then it's not consistent that it can both happen simultaneously. For general though would prefer rain as it won't be too hot.

can't help you with your poor impulse control, too busy bricking myself into my bedroom with boxes of newly-purchased plastic toys, cask of amontillado-style

That said... do these Kamen Rider shows expire, and no one told me? Pretty sure any of the shows you're watching can, like, wait a month?