Just how fallen Shinji is here. He was going through a dilemma between saving different groups of public people (one side being the civilians, the other side being other Riders) to potentially having a morally grey/black mindset pretty much every Riders except Tezuka have.. No! Don't be corrupted by bias! Well, put it into rest... Shinji also still talks about how it's wrong to harm and sacrifice others to save 1 person. And also how it's wrong for Shiro to kill the truck driver at the beginning. Ren obviously brushes it off, because he does have selfish mindset of "ultimate love", only concern yourself about what you love, and fuck everything else. He even expects Shinji to fight if it's about his best friend! No man Shinji's not someone biased like that! He cares not only for close ones, but also about civilians! Putting away the "bias for close ones" topic, I feel like Shinji's facing the dilemma SSSS gave him earlier "between 1 and 10 people, which one you would choose to save" where he did hesitate to answer that. Where 1 being Yui and 10 being the others. Also for Ren's question, Shinji did save people, like the civilians.

Obviously it's an unsatisfying ending if it's done. Because it would make Shinji a hypocrite, that his ideals are based around how all lifes are equally precious and war should be stopped because of that, but him doing exactly what a morally grey/black Rider would do for his own gain, he becomes his own antithesis. But why would you believe him to go through that? If someone abrasive like Ren struggles to kill, what for Shinji? And you've seen his reaction when he "accidentally" kills someone. Not to mention also how Yui (someone who forbids killing) would think about Shinji doing this.

Yeah, to rub salt into the wound, Shiro also does something here. Shinji didn't leap to the conclusion, Shiro manipulates him. He appeals to Shinji's concern and desperation about Yui disappearing, and convinces him to actually join the fight, kill others, and take the wish to save her because that's the solution, essentially turning Shinji into his own soldier/servant. A good strategy for Shiro to try turning the biggest obstacle of his war into someone potentially benefical to him. Obviously it's not heroism, because not just him obliterating his soul, but because this IS a straight up evil and psychopathic thing to do (I don't even think Shinji thinks about heroism here). Every Rider, except Shinji and Tezuka, are all shades of bad (anti-hero at best, pure villain at worst), why? Because they are willing to do something Shinji's presumed going to do here. And regarding soul destruction, Yui also pretends to be fine in front of Shinji here. And speaking of Atori scene... shows how helpful Okubo is, an interaction between him and Ren, helping him due to him being Shinji's friend. And poor Okubo, Sanako didn't even take off her shoes when using him as stepstool! I mean even Ren took off his boots when standing on Shinji at ep. 29!

https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...46660/step.jpg

Other than that, now as Shinji knows the true nature of the war, he gains a new suspicion about Shiro (oh well, he's already suspicious of him anyway, the only one among Riders) but it's clearer to him here. About how Shiro may deceive the Riders that even if any of them win, Shiro would still use the wish granting power for himself to save Yui anyway. Shinji should've tried to tell others that too, someone who isn't Ren, dunno if his suspicion is true or not, as likely an effective way to stop others from fighting as all their bloodshed are potentially futile.

Well, Kitaoka's got standards (like to Shibaura and Asakura), and Toujou is also someone who Kitaoka drew a line to. Kitaoka's just criticizing Toujou and his mentality that makes him an overall scum, nowhere close to a hero he's making up to be. And yeah Toujou, like I already said multiple times, your take of heroism does no benefit at all, only disasters, and you, again felt it that you have nowhere to go with no Kagawa to guide him! And those Kagawa notes!! It's like in-universe's most crucial piece of information! Don't burn it you lunatic! I'm sure the public would need those very much. Oh well then again, I always feel like the public needs everything related to Kagawa very much. For example his talent could probably be used to save people like creating card Decks (the only one other than Shiro who can!), or publicate the note about Mirror World. Unfortunately Kagawa has a single-tracked focus on Rider War only and is persistent only on that.

For the battle part (really wanted to talk about this before the previous episode is a setup but it's actually happening here), again Tiger employs his impractical Final Vent on Zolda, who simply just frees himself by shooting Destwilder (bravo long range!). If Tiger doesn't have Final Vent like that, probably he'll win numerous battles by sneak attacking others with those one-hit-kill Final Vents. But with Final Vent like that, probably Tiger can't win any battles ever, with the victim would just free themselves from the attack. And Tiger's Strike Vent can be used as a shield against Ouja's Heavy Pressure (Metalgelas) Final Vent? This is the first time we see the battle between a Rider and a purely CGI monster (commonly for huge non-humanoid creature, or flying ones, or both), and it seems that Zolda is just powerless against Venosnaker (either that or the CGI effects giving that vibe)...while other Riders have fought and killed Contract Monsters sometimes like Volcancer (yeah the weakest) or Psyco-Rogue. So would that mean Advent AP aside... the strongest (or rather, most untouchable) monsters are those purely CGI ones here? I wonder how Knight would even defeat Dragreder, back then based on this Zolda fight, yet Riders can fight humanoid Contract Monsters fine. The other wild monsters Rider fought and defeated are never those of huge non-humanoid creature and/or flying ones. I would like to see how Riders will defeat those kind of monsters.... Other than that, don't kill me, but this is also another of my favorite Ouja scenes... the bastard deservingly being in anguish after being hurt by his own monster:
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm.../take_that.png

So after failing this is somehow Toujou's crazy tactic (sacrificing his own car! uhh do you remember it's Toujou's car Asakura stole) to defeat the Riders, by exploding it while the Riders leave Mirror World via the window. And getting rid of other Riders would also truly make him closer to be a hero, as its his wish and it will be granted if you are the last Rider standing. Kitaoka and Toujou really shows their companionship here, neither wants to leave each other and risking their lives for each other. Shows Kitaoka and Goro are less of a master and servant, they're practically equals, each other's trusted friend who is loyal and caring, mostly done by Goro as his caretaker, but now Kitaoka got his chance here too. If Goro lets Megumi and Shimada follow Kitaoka, even better secretively, they would've gotten the answer of Mirror stuff with Kitaoka's henshin for the 3rd way battle.

Again, Toujou had an ironic death too. He constantly sacrifices others in order to try and become a hero, but he only actually becomes a hero after he sacrifices himself. And even after he's doing this, he still didn't know what truly makes a hero and asked Kagawa for guidance, clearly not realizing that this very act is an actual heroic act, not all your acts before which only takes the sacrificing part, but not the "for the greater good" part as he never saved everyone before this. Other than that, this also shows that, Riders don't have to die in Rider form (though I would like to see what if Tiger keeps his Rider form while saving the father & son, he would survive and look like an actual superhero!).

Right... I also feel that Mirror World stuff is to justify the battle royale, used as the root of everything happened in the series, the "small moment big impact" thing. I probably feel like your complaint is that those stuff can just be used as the series' beginning monologue that kickstarts the war right? But I think the reason this stuff is placed near the end (with some foreshadowing before) is that actually, it's not simply only the "ON button" of the series... It's necessary to keep the series going on until now, and as a show of how Shinji actually stops the Rider War.

Also regarding the Gaim ending, how do you feel about something in this series here like Ren just fighting simply to save Eri?

Yeah not trying to spoil anything (especially since you’ve actually overtaken me on the homestretch. I was planning to start it tomorrow). But if I remember some things from the three-part miniseries that aired last year (and I probably don’t remember it that well, since I only watched it once), I don’t think the final choice will be Shinji’s to even make.

I really wonder what would have happened if Shinji, while in this state, managed to find Asakura, or Toujou if he was still alive.

Even though I know some people, including myself sometimes, aren't too invested in Shinji, but this episode really only works because we've seen him for the last 46 episodes hold so steadily to his code to not take a life, even when that code seemed impossible or pointless.

Even though you know he won't actually do it, Shinji actually choosing and getting himself ready to strike Ren down is an intense moment because it's so counter to who he is.

The ending might feel like Shinji is just right back to where he started at the beginning of the episode, but I think it very solidly confirms for the last time that killing is not the answer Shinji will turn to no matter how bad things get. No matter what happens from there on, I don't think he would or should have any regrets about that at least.

That shot is great. I like how Asakura's main skill as a Rider is his resilience, his ability to take an ungodly amount of punishment. Dude gets burned up in a car, somehow escapes, and he's grinning about it the next day. Amazing!

Well, first, it's definitely Asakura's car by that point. Setting aside that Toujou abandoned it to him, there's also the matter that Asakura's been living in it for a few days. You... you don't want the car back after that.

To the real point, though, killing the other Riders wouldn't've helped Toujou be a hero. That's the whole point of the episode? Taking those steps, acting out of rage and hatred, trying to become a hero through villainy, it's never going to work. Even having a wish granted by Shiro, it's not real heroism, and it never will be. Heroism is selflessness, and wanting to be a hero is selfish.

I see what you're saying. Shinji's story is tough to tell without the constant interference of Shiro. And I don't know if the Mirror World plot would play better to me if it'd just been a title-sequence voiceover, or if they'd made the investigation into Shiro's plans more of a going concern. (Not the weird pieces of Yui's backstory, or Reiko discovering the existence of Mirror World, but a focused effort to peel back layers of Shiro's strategy.) It's just, what I got wasn't what made that part of the show work for me.

People fighting to save loved ones, I'm not against it as a motivation. It's primal and relatable. Fighting to save people who only exist as a concept, who don't get much to their character, I like that a little less. Eri is not a hugely compelling part of the show to me. Like, Ren's drive is occasionally really entertaining, but in general you could get the same effect if he was trying to save the life of a family member or even a very cute pet. Eri is just, like, the blank space where Ren's motivation lives.

Gaim, it's too much to get into here, but the way the female lead becomes literally, in-story, a prize for two men to fight over, it's insane. It's the sort of regrettable plotting that usually exists as subtext in Kamen Rider, and Gaim just did it in capital letters.

I guess we'll see!

Yeah, there's a real question mark over Shinji's quandary if he'd fought someone more evil, rather than a close friend. It's nicely open to interpretation. (I'm going with He Wouldn't Kill, because that's my belief in Shinji's goodness.)

I have a tough time with this show sometimes, where I feel like a huge change has occurred and the show has to evolve, but then things slide back, regress. I want this to be the final word on Shinji's morality, on the limits of what he'll do for a friend. I don't know if it is, and it'd maybe bum me out if it isn't, but I want to think it is. I want this ending to be definitive. Rolling it back... ugh. It'd really cheapen a super-solid episode.

Here's hoping the very next episode doesn't open with Shinji declaring 'No, I think I will start chopping off my fellow Riders' heads after all'.

"Ha ha, this is so fun! And easy! I'm glad I gave it a shot before it was too late!" Shinji adorably trips over the slain body of Ren, he gets embarrassed, Shiro and Yui laugh, roll credits.

I hate to break it to you, but Shinji's body count by the end? Bigger than Asakura's. It's actually impressive. Some of them weren't even Riders!

Oh yeah I was refering to the "wish granted by Shiro" part for Toujou killing other Riders, winning the war and gaining the hero wish, but if you think that isn't actually real heroism for him go ahead.

Yeah interferences from main antagonist to the protagonist though I also mean something else for it being put at the end. What if the pieces of backstory are actually a part of peeling the back layers of Shiro's strategy?

Stalling for time.... yep, that is how Shinji actually stops the war. The first step of that is uh, well, the event that makes Shinji almost turning evil throughout this, which is Yui's disintegration (death systems cannot refute). Shinji stalls the war long enough for that to happen. With it being known, Shiro opens up about the war's true nature to him, after this, Yui noticing others (Shinji here) trying to save her in a bloodshed way, and also because of that, with the series being so against reveals, her in that condition forces the avoidant Sanako to reveal the truth about the past here (parents are better off dead if they're like that). Otherwise, yeah eventually Shinji also breaks down over all the tragedies happened in the war.

Here Shinji and Ren's role is reversed. Shinji is the aloof friend who pushes people away from him, while Ren's the pushy friend who drags him around, away from Shereghosts. Well, it's because the trip to Mirror Mansion is a Mirror World topic right?

Okubo now becomes the latest to wear the apron and watch over Atori (oh, or others never truly watch over and only him? truly a chief everywhere), fully repaying Yui who took his place when he went away for check-up before. And the only one to be unwelcome at Atori due to Reiko, finally getting the documents but discussing it (Shiro Takami's death.. again, why go back there, you have learned "Shiro Kanzaki" right?) inside Atori where Sanako's there.

Oh the over-the-top cheerful act he pulls. Remember at the beginning when Shinji's described as someone who acts before he thinks? Now he thinks too much, full of hesitation, as he attests. Okubo doesn't really notice and Ren somehow thinks he's the same (despite being the one to take care of Shinji here). But Yui you confront Shinji about acting this way and insist him to not lie... when you also pretend to be fine in front of him before??

And Kitaoka here shows a bit of care to Shinji, where he glances at him briefly before returning to his house. He feels that there's something uneasy on Shinji, and he pays back to Ren like he insists by informing him about Shinji's condition. Kitaoka's been thinking about retiring from the war, especially in that condition (everyone in his house mourning for him!), so you actually do get through him at the end, Shinji. Also continuing from before, here Kitaoka is the one to drive Goro home. There's also a display of irony, stated by Shinji himself, where previously Shinji would insist for other Riders to not fight, where he's ignored, considered stupid, and others insist him fight for real, but now, Shinji asks to fight other Riders, but also ignored, and gets called stupid (by Ren) for this. Thankfully Shinji's rant also sunk deep into Ren for this time who also breaks down for him in this situation.

That monster was Destwilder, Tiger's Contract Monster. I mean when Tiger dies his Deck wasn't destroyed right? Yet the monster also went... well, wild. Also again Shinji Rider Kicking the monster (along with Ren).

And this also goes both ways. Like Shinji there who wants to protect smiles and can't break other's heart, stopping for her sake, regarding "it’s not heroism if Shinji obliterates his soul to save Yui", Yui also implements it here. She wants Shinji to stop for his sake too because like you said there, he'll obliterate his soul doing this. Yui doesn't want to see others suffer, especially not for her sake. Also ironically Ren is the one ceases faster, he goes on defensive immediately after she begs to stop.

Oh lol, that "lovely ending"? Are you sure it's not connected to the Shiro Time Limit with Shinji acting that way? :p

Like I said before, Shinji's not someone biased, in contrast to Ren ("So even if it's for Yui, you are against fighting?"). He doesn't give more to someone just because they're closer. So yeah, Shinji just wouldn't kill other Riders, not necessarily Ren as close friend.

MASKED RIDER RYUKI EPISODE 48

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ryuki/ryuki48a.png

It only took them forty-eight goddamn episodes, but I'm sincerely overjoyed that this show is actually spending some time on the plot point that, hey, maybe Yui should get a vote in what happens to Yui?

I've mentioned it a few times, but Heroic Men Make The Decisions To Keep Women Safe is... it's not my favorite look on Kamen Rider. I don't find any dramatic value in stories about dudes unilaterally declaring what needs to be done to protect women, and I certainly don't find it to be a heroic attribute. Maybe it's a cultural thing, maybe it's just a type of storytelling that was still the expectation of audiences in that time, but it's rough watching some of the Mirror World stuff in 2020.

Like, the show seems to get it, here in the end, that it's not just Shiro who's being an asshole to Yui. And, yeah, he's a colossal prick here, probably at his most villainous. Even when Yui's like I Would Rather Die Than Be Saved This Way, Shiro feints towards reconciling before going Ha Ha PSYCH I Need You To Live No Matter What I'm Sending You To Your Room Happy Early Birthday. There's no ambiguity to what he's doing. It's wrong, and it's so wrong that it actually starts to change the minds of Shinji and Ren.

Well, Shinji faster than Ren, since Shinji's already realized that he can't save Yui through fighting. He's able to take his lesson from last week, that seeing her friends fight because of her is destroying her faster than her Mirror Malady, and use that to try and find another way to help her. Ren sees her pain, but he's gone so far on saving Eri at the cost of his soul that he can't really consider Shinji's view that maybe, just maybe, Yui should get to decide what's a reasonable cost for her life. (To be fair, Ren's argument introduces the idea that a life contains possibilities, while a death doesn't. It's a way of suggesting that Yui could get over the enormous guilt of all her friends killing each other to keep her alive, which, I can certainly see Ren thinking that.) Shinji rides off to confront Shiro, to try and free Yui, while Ren grumpily commits himself to winning the Rider Battle. It seems like, despite some new ideas, we're back to the standard Shinji/Ren debate.

But there's a great swerve in this one, and it's because of a Kitaoka/Ren scene. I really enjoy these, and they're a rare delight in this series. There's something so simpatico about Kitaoka and Ren, the way they seem too cool for feelings but you know they're just hiding them. That their motives in the Rider Battle may be selfish, but they're growing as people, and it's largely thanks to the example of Shinji. Kitaoka asks after Shinji, leading to a quick crack that he got over his crisis so fast because he's an idiot, and just as Ren's about to defend Shinji as an idiot but a great person, Kitaoka cuts him off. Kitaoka already knows it. And, he agrees with it. The fact that Ren and Kitaoka, terrible men, have become slightly less terrible over the last year, it's because Shinji offered them another way to live. To value people, to value caring about people, to fight for noble causes and offer hope. They may not always feel like following that example, but they're starting to be aware of it as a path.

And I like that scene as nice bit of writing and acting, but I love it for how it changes Ren's mind, gets him to fight Shiro alongside Shinji. It's not that Ren doesn't think Yui should live, or that he's sworn off fighting in the Rider Battle. It's just, if Shinji believes in it, and Shinji's the best of them, maybe what Shinji fights for is worth Ren fighting for, too. I'm really into that version of Shinji's heroism, that awful people can start to gauge their decisions by how Shinji behaves. That what Ren discounts as indecisiveness, as an inability to commit to a goal, is Shinji's boundless empathy and hope, his need to never stop trying to help everyone, all the time. It's Ren viewing Shinji's flaws and seeing their benefit, and I really like that that's how the episode brings them back into partnership.

I still don't love how it took this long for Yui to assert some level of autonomy for her life. I get that we're supposed to find Shiro's goal selfish, his methods abhorrent (shit, I hope we're supposed to), but it's still a story where Yui's a pawn to such a degree that even the heroes need to have their eyes opened. It's not, y'know... it's just a frustrating construction to the story, for me. It's nice for our heroes to figure it out in the end, and I'm into the idea of Yui getting to feel integral to the conclusion of the series on an actual character level, but I wish they didn't have to take so long to figure it out.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ryuki/ryuki48b.png