There actually a neat bit of foreshadowing in that the early episodes establish that Keitaro has an allergic reaction torwards dusts. So when he near an Orphnoch he starts sneezing. And in Episode 4 he does exactly that when he by Takumi.

(Also a bit of unreleated thing I have a pic that happening but I don't know how to add pictures on here)

Huh! I think the show (if memory serves) established it more like Keitaro was allergic to, like, evil. He'd sneeze around Orphnoch attacks, since Orphnochs were doing evil. I took that sneeze around Takumi as a joke about how shitty Takumi was being at that point in the series. Still! Maybe not!

I have been waiting basically since you made that first thread for Ghost to get to this moment. Like you said, there's only so much you can say after just a cliffhanger, but, man, I am so here for this. And also very happy you managed to make it to this point without anyone spilling the beans!

And don't pay too much attention to Switchblade, by the way. Mihara's a cool dude. Actually, I heard he's so cool, I was thinking of him the whole time we were making all these Delta jokes!

But, uh, no pressure?

It's times like this that I feel good about only watching an episode a day. It's tough, to not just watch the next episode. I didn't know I had this kind of resolve? It's like those parents that somehow are able to lift cars off of their children, but in this case it's me not watching the next episode of a Japanese kids show designed to sell toys. I mean, I watched Ryuki, I know that heroism is subjective!

Anyway, I like giving this episode some space in my brain. It would feel rude, almost, to just find out what happens next. You know? They pulled out a cliffhanger that redefines the previous 70% of the show. That... it deserves some consideration!

I really do like that the show never felt built around this reveal. It's structured so well that it doesn't feel like it needs a reveal. I feel like that makes it twice as good, it being great when it didn't even need to exist.

God, yeah, fun-ass twist on this one.

I'm also happy to see your character development is sticking! :p

It might make me a more predictable character, but at least there won't be as many folks upset at me for potentially undermining my arc. I never want people to feel like I don't respect canon! Or Kanon!

Just a couple episodes ago there was also a scene transition away from Takumi to someone else that was punctuated by a wolf howl. It's real subtle, but if you know what's coming it totally sticks out.

Crazy!

Honestly, I'm mostly thinking more about all of the stuff about how Takumi feels about Orphnochs.

I don't want to spin this around too much in my head. There's a lot of explanations left to come, I'd hope. (I don't want to assume on this show. They could just as easily never have anyone address it!) But, man, there is so much of this show that's given over to Takumi having complicated feelings about Orphnochs, and, no shit!

Like, man, even two episodes ago, he's telling Yuuji that he can't judge Takumi for letting Mari get hurt since Yuuji's an Orphnoch. Orphnochs hurt people. It's what they are. And Takumi's an Orphnoch!!!! And he's hurt his friend! Takumi thinks all he does is hurt people!

WHHHAAAAAATTTTT IS THIS SHOW?!

I can't... I can't stop thinking about this.

If Takumi's been an Orphnoch all this time, all of the Team Faiz and Team Orphnoch stuff, the duality of the show, snaps into focus. It's not two different groups grappling with how to navigate a world that codifies different types of people as Good or Bad. It's six other characters acting as a prism, showcasing all of Takumi's hopes and fears. Everyone else, they're an example of what he wants, or what he fears, or what he fears wanting. It's those things I liked about that earlier Yuka story, her inability to articulate her own identity, but that's what the whole show has been about.

THIS SHOW! It was pretty great, and now I find out it's secretly been exceptional!

Kamen Rider is a franchise that's all about using darkness to fight darkness, to harness our flaws to fight for freedom. What Faiz is doing is saying What If You Are The Darkness You Have To Fight, and I'm fascinated by that. How do we live with ourselves? How we decide what of us is worth protecting, and what isn't? What of us is heroic, and what is monstrous? It's all of the stuff that's normally an external concern, but it's all made personal, internal.

God. God.