SHOTARO HIDARI HARDBOILED DELUSION DIARY EPISODE 6 - “WHAT IF AKIKO WAS AN IDOL?”

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Not my fave? It’s a relatively straightforward story (for a Delusion Diary – that means it’s still insane) that’s just Akiko performing briefly as an idol, and then marrying the Triceratops Dopant. There’s no real twist beyond the marriage announcement, and even the lead-in of someone following Akiko – which is the reason she goes to Shotaro in the first place – never gets resolved. It’s thin, even by the standards of a five-minute bonus feature. Cute to see Terui and Philip as super-invested fans-slash-bodyguards, but the answer to this episode’s title is pretty much She Would Be An Idol I Guess.

Honestly the Triceratops Dopant is a top tier design, so it being a marriage partner is a-ok in my book!

Honestly, I think I prefer it to Akiko's actual spouse.

About dismissing Liar as just small fry before, indeed his power is utilized in more destructive manner here, at least among the main cast, tricking W that Accel is a Dopant which makes W turn against him. Akiko tries to interfere with her dual slippers, both left and right, but got tricked by Liar as well to make her think that she's a tanuki... redirecting her into attacking a tanuki statue. I don't know about Liar deciding to trick Akiko as well, a normal human interfering in a 2 Riders fight which won't seem to be impactful, unless somehow the slipper slap will return W back to his senses. Terui realizes that the reason he thought he beat Liar was the Liar's ability as well, making Terui believed that he connected his A-Slasher and he shattered his Memory when he did neither. Liar's motivation is just to be a sadist who revels in other people's suffering and collecting their tears in washi papers.

Yukiho claims Jimmy's the one that brought joy in her depression, thus she wanted to return the favor, by asking Liar for help. I feel like this isn't enough explanation for her attraction to Jimmy and his music, she just listens and somehow being the weird one to get attached to that, I mean the scene doesn't seem to play it in parodic ways, so I'd want a proper explanation in this, I feel that, bringing joy in people isn't limited to music. She somehow doesn't see anything wrong in this, even if she admits that it's for selfish desire (her sake) before, and that there are other people than loved ones who got the short stick from this, Jimmy undeservingly winning insults all the other competitors who worked hard as well. She gets lecture from Shotaro to not toy with Jimmy's feelings.

Yukiho's action being painted as in the wrong does display of him feeling betrayed by his only fan, his "achievements" coming from a big lie, though Shotaro still hides the truth of Sokichi to Akiko. Though, Shotaro points out that the big lie is caused by Jimmy himself, shifting blames and running away from truth despite knowing how bad he is, though he still has passion about music despite being bad. This'd show that admitting mistake isn't enough by its own, you'd have to do self-evaluation as well instead of just blaming others, like for this case. Jimmy should take into account of the booing audience as well other than Yukiho and check if there's something wrong (all of them) in his singing. Shotaro convinces Jimmy to make his own decisions as well, which is what his mentor taught him.

And for the show.... while Jimmy shows up at Fuuuuuutic Idol, to dedicate a song for Yukiho, the show doesn't let the audience hear his singing lol, but instead the show plays Cyclone Effect while showing W and Accel's battle against Liar. The reason Cyclone Effect was played instead is because Jimmy's still terrible, as the judge speaks the truth now without the influence of Liar, but they admit that he's passionate and encourages him. Yukiho notes that it's a love song, and Shotaro reports that Jimmy now works in the same recycling plant as her. Is this supposed to be a message of focusing on those who love you and forget the ones who don't?

Oh I remember now that Wakana got to play a part in the main cast, or rather indirectly due to her popularity. Sawada is a fan of Wakana's radio show, which Philip figures out due to him using phrases from Wakana's radio show, and it got aired after Phillip calls her, and that she'd plan to meet and interview Radiowave Clown. I've been wondering about Wakana's behavior to non-Phillip folks, other than being playful to her sister for bonding with Isaka or helping Kirihiko. She's apparently waving at her fans, but I still can't figure out if it's sincere or putting up an act now... eh this is what fascinates Phillip about her. And true, they exploit Philip's pretty boy traits to have him crossdress as Wakana, devastating Akiko.

She's not called the Taboo Dopant for nothing.... yeah it's rather creepy with Isaka admiring Saeko's body as Taboo Dopant, with Isaka explaining this as him being doctor specializing in Dopant body. Isaka hypes up Saeko as someone who can beat Terror Dopant and become the head of Museum as well which he'd help her out in that... nah, it's about your abilities, not about how your body looked/felt like, this is like those who downplay Kamen Rider final form's power due to looking worse than lesser forms. Despite the creepy approach, Saeko takes an interest in Isaka that he affects her like no man did in her life.

The Liar arc is as far as I made it the last time I tried rewatching W. I got distracted by something else; not really sure what. Definitely one of the stories that sticks in my head the most, especially realizing that the scene where Isaka pervs over Taboo was in it. Some amazing humor in here between Jimmy's awful singing and the plot to catch the Dopant. I'm not watching the TVN subs again, but I definitely remember the episode 24 sub ending with an inserted bit of their editor just staring at the screen in confusion.

Have now caught up again, and while I was going to talk about how much I liked the Liar two-parter, seeing that you liked it as well means that I am instead contractually obligated to say that both episodes were dumb and stupid and dumb and that no one should like them. So there.

I mean, I think it's just that Yukiho fell in love with Jimmy, partially because of his confidence, and wanted his dreams to come true. We support the people we love, and Yukiho just took it (way, way) too far. She knew his music was bad, but she still wanted him to be appreciated.

It is, uh... a memorable scene, for sure.

You got to give the people what they want!

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 25 - “P’S GAME - THE STICKY FINGERED DOLL”

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Like, that’s almost the entire post, that screenshot.

It’s hard to say anything except It’s The Doll Episode, you know? The visual is such a winner that this episode is almost entirely that, and only a little around the edges with which to compete. (Saeko and Doctor Slenderman, plus a very brief scene of Wakana being compelled to submit her Driver for augmentation. It’s incredibly tangential, and all set-up for upcoming stories, as the Sonozaki stuff has generally been of late.) The concept of a killer doll on a murder spree… like, what the hell else is there to say? The doll brawls with a middle-aged woman and shoves her out a window; the doll causes a car accident by trying murder the driver; the doll knocks out both Makura and Jinno, because we’re still in a phase of the show where Shotaro and Philip’s identity is sort of a secret; the doll SOMEHOW GETS A KNIFE; the doll almost single-handedly defeats Accel and Double in a fight; the doll grabs Double’s gun and blasts both Riders; the doll gets a Memory Break to the face. Like, again, what the hell else is there to say?

Perfect episode!

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-Oh, okay, I won’t leave it that short.

-I really liked that this episode decides to tell an Akiko/Terui amidst easily its least-serious physical threat to date (those sound effects!), because I’ve always found Terui And The Chief to be a remarkably unserious romantic pairing in the past. It felt like the show just decided in the late run that they were a couple, and decided in the post-series film that they were getting married. I don’t remember ever feeling like they made any sense as a romantic couple, between Terui’s lack of outward emotion and Akiko’s *gestures to 94% of Akiko performances across fourteen years of work*. It was like he was married to an actual middle-schooler, and it was sort of embarrassing to watch.

-Now, though… I don’t know, man, I sort of get it. She’s ridiculous, but it’s hard not to find her insanity charming in an opposite way to how Terui acknowledges Shotaro’s prowess while bemoaning his demeanor. Akiko’s dopey as hell, but I can sort of see how Terui would be all in on that sort of lady. He’s not humorless, he’s just wry. I think he digs her high-energy pseudo-competence, not least because Shotaro sincerely does not. (Sometimes relationships start as a way to spite a third party! It’s not the weirdest reason to start dating someone!) Maybe it’s just a factor of me finding Akiko so much more enjoyable this go-around, but I can sort of see the chemistry between them two now.

-I especially love that Terui is the only one to believe Akiko’s story – I think a big part of Shotaro’s lack of belief was that it was happening to Akiko – while also immediately undercutting her appreciation by pointing out that it was mostly based on evidence, not on blind faith. It’s a start?

-Terui’s idea of police investigation is going up to the father of a dead child and loudly proclaiming in public that the father never loved his dead child at all, just to see if a murder doll comes out from the interaction. Somehow, thanks to his debut episodes, not the worst bout of police work we’ve seen out of Fuuto P.D.’s hotshot detective…

I don't know if they're intending to make this one a pseudo-horror story, or these are intentional so this 2-parter won't be too scary, that the doll's attacks in silly manners, as well as comical sound effects around those. Similar to ep. 11, the doll tries to weaponize a car by ramming Accel as he avoids (well, not that it will be deadly to KR, deadly to humans though), but not only that, the doll dismantled the car and throw its remains into Accel. The doll puts further fight by ordinary means.. spraying Accel with a water hose then tangling him with it. Akiko threatening the doll can be important as a distraction for Accel to use electric variant of Engine to zap it. It reminds me of Kuuga, where someone else did a move that is ineffective at first glance, but turns out to be effective as distraction (in Kuuga's case, cops shooting Grongi with a gun). No Memory ejected from the doll after its defeat, which means the doll wasn't the Dopant, but controlled by a Dopant. Still somehow the doll is able to withstand multiple KR attacks unscathed.

Akiko didn't live up to her words before for forbidding Shotaro to waste money in hard-boiled detective books, unless she meant that what she 'wastes' in The Girl and Her Doll's Home is nowhere compared to Shotaro's. Though Akiko's infamous for slipper, this'd be what I think her meanest moment, by pushing Shotaro down the upper level ground (though Shotaro tugs her hand to save Rika), due to him not playing with dolls, but also shilling Terui again as the reliable one to help. About Shotaro complaining to Jinno about Akiko clinging to Terui, despite that he still keeps his unpleasant behavior, what is Shotaro thinking? Jinno shills Terui as well. Obviously Jinno dismisses Shotaro as being jealous.

Now Akiko's the one really got the bad luck, that she's accused of murdering Karakita, getting cornered by the main cop cast (Shotaro, Terui, Jinno, Makura). It'd be harder for Akiko's denial to sound sensible here (about her explaining that the doll killed Karakita and is cursed), that she's already weird from the first place. But still, this is a (albeit tech-involved) supernatural world, so other than this being a case of the weirdo being right, this should sound much more sensible compared to real world talk. Shotaro also denies her explanation as cursed doll sounding ridiculous (and too old playing with dolls... well that'd mean Shotaro sees Akiko in her actual age at least), though this can also be Shotaro rubbing it off on her for her annoying antics before. Makura's being a jerk again here, to abuse his authority here by excusing "obstruction of justice" (though resisting arrest is a misdemeanor) but also mocking Shotaro who stops him.

While I praise Sanjo's experience in drama and occasional comedy, I think a common flaw with his works is his mediocrity in romance plots, yet he writes them anyway. In the case of Akiko/Terui though, I don't mind. The ship doesn't get the amount of focus it needs to warrant viewer investment, but the instant mutual respect between them is enough to make it believable for me at least. Terui's the way he is cause he's on a serious quest for revenge for the murder of his entire family, which would probably make anybody in his position a little screwed up. So he's lucky to have cheerful Akiko to bring out his softer side.

The folly artists on this show were obviously having a field day with this one and I'm glad they got the chance to just go ham on the wacky sound effects.

So I completely forgot that this storyline existed. There is not a single piece of it that made it into my longterm memory and nothing about it sparked any recollections, either. It's like I'm watching it again for the first time. I wasn't entirely excited at first because, even though I'm more fond of her with 14 years of hindsight and nostalgia, Akiko at full Akiko is A. LOT. Thankfully, that calmed down pretty quickly and the episode as a whole was a lot of fun. I will never get tired of the weird doll just pulling a knife out of nowhere.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't include this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIQNVl1oanY

The producers are definitely having fun here. Beyond trying to fake out the audience (and characters) with a story about a possessed doll, we're in the mid-20s of a modern Kamen Rider show, so it's about time for things to get Extra Wacky.

I mean, Terui doesn't exactly get lighter with his vengeance a decade in the rearview, (and he for sure doesn't like questions any better!), so I think this is just how that dude is wired. He's not, like, demonstrative, so I think his tiny appreciations of Akiko -- coming to her rescue, always calling her Chief -- amount to what in any other series would be a romance arc. He's doing the best he can with his personality!

When we got five minutes into this episode, and it was all Akiko before the credits, I was like Is This The Episode That Punishes Me For Thinking Akiko Was Fun. Except, no! No punishment! I loved it, I loved her part in it, and I feel like I'm going to enjoy this series more because of it.

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 26 - “P’S GAME - AKIKO ON THE RUN”

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The way a Kamen Rider story can sometimes configure the two halves of its episodes is really a thing of… I was going to say “beauty”, but instead I'm going to go with “wonder”. Mostly in the sense that I wonder why the producers thought it would be a great idea to do a first part that’s all wacky hijinks and hilariously intrusive sound effects, and then a second part where Akiko has to rescue a doll that’s the physical manifestation of a dead girl’s hopes for her deranged and homicidal father. That– that is a swing! It’s a bit like making the first part of a series finale the HBV special, and it sort of works out just as well.

It’s not a bad episode, honestly. Nor does it make for a bad two-parter. There’s too much fun action to ignore (seems like every other episode needs to contrive a reason for Accel and Double to fight, though), the Sonozaki stuff feels like it’s hit a boiling point, and Akiko’s Narumi-given dedication to safeguarding the dreams of her client is frequently inspiring. The whole thing works, at a base level.

It’s just… sort of dull in places? There’s a lot of a little girl(‘s ghost) unhelpfully shouting LISTEN TO THE DOLLY, which grates pretty quickly. There’s an overall Less Fun tone to this half, which – while clearly intentional – just doesn’t have me as excited as I was to watch a child-sized puppet nearly murder two Kamen Riders. This is somber, as it probably should be, but the lurch of getting to this tone from last episode’s insanity… it just feels like I’m getting less than I was before. More my problem than the show’s, probably, but a problem nonetheless.

Still, I think this ended up being a cute spotlight on Akiko’s resolve and empathy, with a minor spotlight on Terui and Shotaro’s respect for her. (Shotaro is so nonplussed when Terui’s like He Knows You So Well!) I never cared about the dumb subplot of Philip building a new toy that takes up an annoying amount of space in this one, but that’s about the only part that outright misfired for me. The rest of it was well done, but tonally… not “incoherent”, but maybe “inconvenient”?

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-The scene of that kid shouting LISTEN TO THE DOLLY while Akiko tried to talk about anything else felt like it went on for several hours. I also would’ve thrown that goddamn doll to the ground! And worse!

-It’s very funny to me that we hear the Gaia Memory shout WEATHER in this episode, so we know that Isaka (learned his name!) was the one behind the Puppeteer Dopant’s rescue, but in the initial Terui two-parter we suspiciously never hear the ICE AGE Memory sound off. You know, unlike literally every other Memory on the show. The producers are big cheaters in that story, is what I’m getting at.

Honestly a rather nice Akiko focused two-parter. It hits the comedic beats so well that I wasn't expecting a genuine swerve into a sincere story about a dead girl's wishes manifesting through a doll to try and console her father. I do also like while it's maybe potentially seen by Philip as a side effect of Puppeteer, Shotaro and the way the show presents it as something very supernatural.

But yeah, this is another two-parter I remember... mostly. I remembered the first part with the wacky doll hijinks. The scene where it's cutting its way out of a box with a knife and using the Trigger Magnum are still vivid within my mind. The second part I didn't remember as much, but it was still nice to see how it all ended.

Speaking of... I completely forgot about the Wakana subplot and this suddenly makes later events make a lot more sense. Especially given that the Driver's the Sonozaki's have is to keep them from succumbing to the effects of their Gaia Memories, modifying that to make more like a direct injection isn't going to be good in the long run for Wakana. What I also completely forgot about was Claydoll being controlled by Puppeteer and the entire attack on Philip sequence in which we get to see Fang for a brief moment. It's such a sudden scene that I was legit caught off guard by what had happened.

On the mention of Fang, I do find it funny we haven't seen FangJoker in 4 episodes. Like I'm glad they aren't spamming it, but I do find it funny that the situation's haven't been dire or opportune enough to allow Philip to take the lead in transforming.

Yeah, this was the end of four more-or-less comedy episodes, where Double in general -- and Philip in particular -- isn't in any real danger until Clay Doll blasts down a few doors. (Like, Philip is barely involved in this story, and he ain't a big part of the Radiowave Clown one, either.) The other Dopants are a clown and puppeteer, so the basic Memories are more than sufficient to the task. Hell, the biggest danger Double faces over the last three stories is Accel!

Overall, there's alot of great stuff going on in this two-parter, to the point of being nearly perfect.

Let's get the big negative out of the way first: The bits with Wakana. Not only did I never like Weather Doctor as a villain, but these episodes lay the ground work for what will become the rest of Wakana's' arc, and it never sat right with me at all. I'll be sure to point out every bit as to why as we go along, but this was very much Strike One against both Weather and Wakana's' Story.

Heck, in these episodes along you just kinda have him conveniently knowing how to modify both Dopants as well as Drivers? Some dude who came out nowhere as far as the narrative so far is concerned? I don't buy it.

But, ignoring that, as I said before, this episode has alot of stuff I really dug.

First, there's the obvious Japanese folklore about how the love for an item can grant it a life of its own. It's a common story many shows have used, even multiple Kamen Rider seasons, and I tend to love them every time. W's' take on it being no exception. Just as the dad's' love for his daughter went into his book, her love for him went into Riko. I love how it's left ambiguous exactly how many of the shenanigans were the Puppeteer and how many were the doll itself.

Adding onto that is the meta commentary about author intent and how people interpret it. The idea that the critics were so sure that they 1000% knew exactly what was going on in the author's' head when he wrote the book is the exact sort of mentality you still see even onto today; The Toku fandom included. It's a nasty and presumptuous ideology to have, and can lead to accusations that are truly horrible. The most common of which being "They wrote a villain, ergo they condone said villain's' actions."

We also get introduced to the Frog Gadget, which is my favorite of the animal buddies for a very specific scene with it way down the line. Funny viewing it now though, in that it's essentially just an AI voice changer. Something tells me it'd cause a bit of a stir had this been made within the last year or two.

And lastly, well, some might've noticed(though probably not) that I haven't been harping on Akiko really at all lately, and that's because starting with the end of Act 1, the writers seem to have made the smart decision to tone her down alot, thus making her antics alot more tolerable and allowing her positive traits to shine alot more. I actually liked her all throughout these two episodes, and she even managed to get a few genuine laughs out of me. The key being that she never once goes out of her way to antagonize anyone. That's all it took. Shotaro's' line about "she'd never want anyone to cry" was a bit of a stretch though.

The only thing left to note is that I still don't agree with the Akiko and Terui pairing. Even if we keep it to these two episodes. Terui shows nothing more than bemusement and very basic empathy towards her, and on the side of Akiko, her gestures aren't really outside of her typical antics. It'd be like saying they both have a thing for Philip which, shipping from Shroud aside, I wouldn't buy either.

But yeah, really good stuff for the most part.

I can see it? All of the set-up scenes, before Isaka debuted, were all about how important he was to the organization. Since then, he's been revealed to be a medical professional, so... I can give them this one? He's got a vague Mad Scientist thing going on, so I don't think it's as preposterous as, like, Jinno suddenly reconfiguring the Double Driver or whatever.

Oh, for sure. In retrospect, it's easy to read into this first real Akiko/Terui story as being the foundation of their relationship, but it's not really that emphasized in the episodes. (Which is why I put it in the Die-a Memories section; that's where retrospective stuff lives!) The tone throughout the episode is, at best, Mutual Respect from Terui, and Gigantic Crush from Akiko. It's only years later that I can see romantic sparks there.

Yeah, the second part of this was way less fun than the first. Still a complete void in my memory, too. The next one, though, I definitely remember. It's impossible to forget Nao Nagasawa doing Zatanna cosplay.

There's honestly nothing in the second part that can touch the doll's rampage in the first part. I think the second part has some interesting performances, and it's nice to get a reiteration of Akiko's detective bonafides. (I honestly love that she introduces herself in her flashback as a detective, since that's not exactly how anyone watching this show would describe Akiko's role in the group.) But, yeah, first one's got a killer doll with a random knife! Hard to top that, and the second part doesn't really try.

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 27 - “D WAS WATCHING - INVISIBLE MAGICAL LADY”

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Stylishly-shot action and a leggy dame in/as peril? SAKAMOTO!

I mean, as recurring motifs go, I don’t want to kinkshame the guy or nothing. She’s a magician, so her episode-length fishnets aren’t exactly uncalled for. It helps that Lily’s a fun character for Team Double to assist, more integral to the story than the usual client that drops off a case and leaves. She’s someone that, despite her invisibility, is a constant presence in the story. She gets little moments with all of our heroes, to varying degrees of acceptance. (I really loved how much Terui INSTANTLY hated her. He’s got a type, and it’s more Akiko-shaped.) She keeps things manic and bubbly, right up until the point they turn impossibly tense.

Because this isn’t really a Dopant Mystery story at all. Lily’s for sure here for a mixture of comedy and thematic resonance, but this is 100% a story about Terui and his frequently deferred but increasingly inevitable Grim Vengeance.

As Akiko notes midway through, we are very quickly back to dealing with the debut version of Terui, not the more recently accommodating one that smirks at how much Shotaro does not want to be at a group dinner with him. (Terrific background acting.) This Terui is boiling over with unresolved grief and rage, and could care less about his duties as either a Kamen Rider or a detective. He’s here to execute a killer, and is fine with whatever that may cost him. He’s doing this for his family, after all.

Which is why it’s nice to have the tonally opposite Lily story act as a parallel to what Terui’s doing to himself. Lily became a Dopant to save her family’s legacy, because she has to bear the awful weight of surviving a tragedy that killed her parents. She did something incredibly dangerous, because she didn’t see any other way to honor the family she lost. Meanwhile, we’ve got Terui, who is ready to get himself killed in order to avenge a family that’s gone, in spite of all the living people who care about him. In each instance, their guilt at surviving a tragedy drives them to disregard their own lives.

(I mean, it’s not really a one-to-one thing. Lily’s trying to live up to her grandfather’s dreams for his family, while Terui is on a mission of violent revenge. Still, I feel like there’s enough overlap there to commend the episode’s attempt at thematic storytelling.)

The tension is exquisite in the second half, as Terui calls out Isaka for battle, and thankfully so is the action. You don’t book Sakamoto to shoot an episode of soliloquies and staring – you book him to handle the two debut fights of the newest, toughest lieutenant the Museum has to offer. The fights are clever in their staging, with the Weather Dopant laying in crisp, devastating strikes at leisure, acting as a counterpoint to Accel’s animalistic frenzy. Worse/better, the Weather Dopant is just way too powerful for either Rider to handle solo, at exactly the point in the story where Double can’t get Accel to cooperate. (Well... to be fair, every single story since Accel's debut has had the two Riders come to blows for one reason or another, so maybe Philip's hope for teamwork is less realistic than he'd like to think.) The Weather Dopant on its own would be a tough fight, but it’s even more devastating against two Riders that can’t work together.

It’s just a terrific episode of wacky Sakamoto tropes that slowly give way to self-sacrificing adults and kinetic fight scenes… the other Sakamoto trope!

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-Hey, it’s that one lady from Fourze! I think! I honestly don’t remember her being a good actor, and… my opinion hasn’t changed greatly. I don’t think I’d go as far as Akiko, but her work was… adequate?

It's nice to see Nagasawa come back to the genre every once in a while, be it reprising the role of Hurricane Blue from Hurricanger or saying hi to the fans in small roles like Lily.

Though Akiko lashes out at Horinouchi that he didn't love his child thus doesn't understand what she wants, she does not slap him with slipper though..). He won't even believe that what Rika wants is only for Akiko to get her doll back. I guess never meet your heroes then. As usual Akiko is fearless in the face of a Dopant, like ep. 3, having faith the Riders will intervene. Then Riko requests her to not make her dad cry. Now as Akiko goes after Horinouchi, he rants that he made the book so a part of Rika lives forever, but got criticized and they claim he didn't love his daughter (technically, making his kid seem to be a big deal is true, but not loving her part is false), accusing Akiko as one of them, refering to the early episode confrontation, though he didn't realize that Akiko was a fan of the book. Still Akiko's criticism of him that time is right about committing crimes in the name of his daughter, it's his problem of not being able to take criticism (Akiko one), the familial love may be true, but he takes too much pride in that he's the type to insists that non-families mind their business. Though I don't know what about Akiko's claim of the book winning awards or such, or Horinouchi only takes the negative side.

Akiko apparently did meet Rika, approached her as a stranger when Rika was crying, helping her by picking up the dropped doll. The origin of Rika insisting Akiko to listen to the doll is shown here as Akiko 'talks' with the doll before returning it to her, convincing Rika that dolls can talk, before giving Rika her introduction card so she can come to her for help (this moments is a genuinely selfless gestures as that was a non-client work, but has advantage of raising the Agency as well), which Rika did in last episode. Akiko spontaneously tells her that her dad has become Dopant. The doll she brought disappears again, but she attempts to take Rika to a police station to keep her safe. Wow, a contrast to Shotaro about how they deal with kids where he maintains the lie against Asuka while Akiko tells the truth right away here.... or not, as Rika turns "listen to the doll" thing broken record, Akiko finally confesses that she'd care more about a living being like her rather than the doll... and that she's only pretending to talk to the doll to make her smile. More like it's exactly the same as how Shotaro dealt with a kid before instead, lying for the same reason too to make them smile.

Even Akiko's finally sick over the plea to listen to the doll and.. shoves the doll away. Then she learns about that doll being named Riko by Rikako as a present from her dad, after learning Terui's narrative, is the doll assuming Rikako's appearance. Akiko feels guilty over the previous doll, and goes back into the bench, but it's too late as it's taken away by a garbage truck (I mean why garbage men? The doll isn't beat up.. even after taking Rider's attacks). Akiko comes across Watcherman with a new bike which he won from an auction. Akiko is forced to "borrow" his bike to chase after the garbage truck.

Terui is baffled about Akiko's treatment of the doll, but though perhaps not fully understanding the situation, Shotaro explains how Akiko's that way; she'd not let dolls cry too. This 2-parter is Akiko-centric, giving her focus and fleshing her out more, and involves a good amount of morality, albeit to me her pushing Shotaro roughly sours it a bit (I'd say at least this Akiko empathy stuff isn't one-time thing, unlike Nico in Ex-Aid, like to Akane before). W arrives to catch her, but to Shotaro, she's being mean again of complaining of being late, something that even Accel tells her to not be upset to Shotaro, as he understands her best. Seems that it's about Terui and Shotaro making up in certain thing?

Yeah, like Die said, Wakana had good setup and establishment early on, but since Isaka, Wakana feels like pushed aside.

Though this 2 parter had her shoving Shotaro down a floor level. She also "borrows" Watcherman's bike... like Yuusuke did at early Kuuga to a police bike.

The difference in those two examples being 1) that she was only returning fire that Shotaro was already shooting, and B) it was an emergency.

Your opinion has authorised dreamcastegirl to authorise me to give you the kiss of death. Expect a horse?s head tonight.

But anyway, on with the regular feature.

Sentai-lert!

As you surmised, our guest this week later played Haruka in Fourze. But before both these shows, Nao Nagasawa was the female lead Nanami Nono/HurricaneBlue in Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger. She also had a career as an idol, which proved short lived when someone had the bright idea to tie in to her presenting an edutainment programme on speaking Spanish. She was also the eponymous character in the Ultraman Max episode ?Zetton?s Daughter? before W. After Fourze, aside from reprising the role of Nanami for anniversary reunions and crossovers, she was also the female villain in Kamen Rider Ichigou (the one who wields a sword instead of turning into a monster) and a relationship advisor in an episode of Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger.

As for the episode? I mostly remember it for the looping ?Maximum Drive? cliffhanger and the fact the Invisible Dopant?s design can be summed up by this quote by the late Douglas Adams.

?Any old fool can design a visible spaceship, but to design an invisible one? that takes craft.?

Folks are entitled to their opinions! I didn't think she was any great shakes in this one, with her outfit doing a lot of heavy lifting for the character. Most of the fun she brought to the episode was in how everyone else responded to her, not in anything in particular she did or said.

Nao wasn't just the face actress for HurricaneBlue, she was also the main suit actress. She was also one of the leads on Daimajin Kanon and a villain on one of the Garo series. If there were a Mt Rushmore for tokusatsu actors, she has definitely earned a spot on it.

She was also the protagonist of Travelers Dimension Police, starring alongside Kinoshita Ayumi who we talked about a few episodes ago and Takayama Yuko who portrayed Rinko in Wizard.

Three guesses who directed that and the first two don't count.

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 28 - “D WAS WATCHING - LIFE-OR-DEATH TWIN MAXIMUM”

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It’s the episode where Terui officially joins Team Double, and I thought it was a remarkably nuanced journey for him from Grim Executioner to Grim Executioner Who Will Also Bring You Back To Life.

No, I kid. I like how this episode took its time in moving Terui from his oft-stated desire to get vengeance for his dead family at all costs – up to and including sacrificing his own life – to someone who acknowledges his duties to the living. This was… not a small movement! Terui’s insistence on the primacy of his own pain has been one of his three character traits (alongside not asking him questions and wearing nothing but leather) since his debut, and any story that asks him to consider the effect his vendetta is having on both his friends and the people he was given power to save is going to need to do its homework.

And I felt like this one did? So much of the last episode was about reestablishing that Secondary Rider Accel hasn’t quite dropped his motivating trauma, so much as he hasn’t been in a position to remedy it. As soon as Isaka is taunting Terui with a chance at killing him, we have to start grappling with Terui’s homicidal fixation, and maybe figure out a way to explain things to him in a way that redeems his humanity and sense of duty. Centering it on Lily’s parallel sense of familial obligation is a great start, but putting Terui into the role of Apoplectic Half-Boiled Detective is the clincher. Him accidentally parroting the advice he shrugged off from Shotaro? It’s one of my favorite things from his debut story, him realizing that Shotaro’s weakness is actually a strength, and making it a part of this story feels like a worthy bookend to Terui’s emotional growth. He’s able to finally understand that sacrificing himself doesn’t please the dead, it wounds the living, and he owes it to his friends to be the man they believe in. It’s less him discovering his own sense of justice and heroism, and more him reestablishing his obligation to the people who depend on him. It’s not his But Why Heroism; it’s his Oh Right Heroism.

In an episode so (rightfully) devoted to Terui’s struggle to look past his own pain, this is not one that gives the rest of Team Double a ton to do. Both Philip and Akiko are here to try and talk/beat some sense into Terui, which is mostly a fruitless struggle. He needs to come to his own conclusions, and they’re only here to question him. And, y’know, we are all aware by now of how he feels about questions. So, as a result, it’s mostly the Terui Personal Growth Episode, guest-starring Team Double. (I mean, Shotaro’s recuperating for the majority of this episode, so he’s even more of a guest-star!) They do a good job, and the arguments they bring up are necessary, even if Terui pretty much disregards them all for half an episode. Some cute moments – Akiko’s ribbing of Terui’s inability to admit he cares what happens to Lily, Philip’s expertly-delivered receipt for Terui’s earlier punch – but it ain’t their spotlight.

This was an episode all about Terui living for the living, instead of dying for the dead, and I’m glad it was done as thoughtfully and deliberately as it was.

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-Ha ha, tea with the Sonozakis! I have not been loving the Isaka/Saeko stuff, which might also explain why I don’t really remember any of it. He’s weird and devious, she’s completely smitten, and the whole thing arguably has less chemistry than even the Akiko/Terui “relationship”. I loved seeing how Kirihiko navigated a nest of vipers in the most delusional way possible, to his immediate embarrassment and eventual demise, but the Isaka/Saeko plotting… I just don’t care? It would maybe help if there were some sense of what exactly the two of them were even usurping at this point; some plan or goal that they’re coopting for their own power. Instead, it’s just a nebulous power struggle percolating underneath Saeko fawning over a serial killer, and I care way less than that description would suggest.

-On the other hand, I appreciate how, perhaps in lieu of a coherent strategy or motive, the Isaka storyline with the Sonozakis is the place where the show just gets incredibly weird with its randomly included nudity and eroticism. If it’s not a monster suit getting slobbered over, it’s one of Saeko’s suitors taking their clothes off to please her dad…

Jinno narrates Frank's story that his son (intended successor) and wife died in a car accident, thus he grooms Lily to be his successor. A lost family case back-to-back after Horinouchi, and Frank doesn't seem to be maddened, unlike Horinouchi, showing that Horinouchi would be in the wrong. And yes, the camera shot shows off Lily's legs a lot. Akiko thinks she sucks for accidentally hitting confetti which means clumsy. Lily performs Frank's most famous trick, disappearing act.. like Houdini. She succeeded in performing so, though Philip, like Akiko, thinks she's not star-material yet. When Shotaro bumps into Lily, who was invisible before she materializes on top of him, Lily's abnormally cheerful as she's all wide smiles even while apologizing for that.

The Agency trio, along with Terui, are having a dinner at a fancy restaurant, due to Akiko getting 4 free tickets, which she spends the extra 1 on Terui to Shotaro's displeasure. I mean, what did Shotaro expect that she simps for Terui? And Shotaro's lucky that she wants to treat him, while the other 2, Akiko views them in high regard, albeit Akiko obviously cares about Shotaro, just not viewing him as good. The reason to invite Terui is actually a plausible one that he regularly helps them... without asking for return. This actually makes Terui realize that he can charge them, though it's a joke. Shotaro notes that Terui's able to make jokes too, with Phillip also noting that Terui has been accustomed to them. But still, for someone to point out that Terui can make jokes, Shotaro barely smiled too, albeit he has moral ground as high as most of primary Riders.

Lily's introduction to Terui doesn't go as smoothly due to Terui's comments that Lily as 'heavy', which continues the tension as she defends herself. Terui still possesses outwardly rudeness like usual without shame. As Akiko has met both, she introduces both to each other as both ask her simultaneously. Knowing that she's a Dopant, Terui accuses Shotaro of being naive and instantly arrests her on the spot. Though all of the previous Dopants have been evil which justifies this, Terui seems to display a prejudice against Dopants here, further showing that he's still not fully tamed. But it seems that this 2-parter had W's take of a good "monster", like Ghost's Cubi or Ex-Aid's Burgmon, while Isaka's the threat in this 2-parter. Though there are some teases of her 'true' nature of Lily wanting Isaka to examine her body, where Akiko thinks Lily turns out evil, but her true intention is to be in control of the Memory instead of being normal again.

A similar case of an uncontrollable Memory is seen in Wakana. What pisses off Wakana Saeko being interested in Isaka rather than Saeko's abuse, and that she had a problem with a rampant Memory, as Ryubee notes. Wakana reports that Isaka looked into her Driver, which makes Ryubee suspicious. Saeko's attracted enough to Isaka to display petty jealousy on Lily, complaining about how a failed Dopant can be more important than her and throwing a pencil holder into Lily as well. Now it's revealed that W stands for Weather, in Isaka's Memory. Isaka explains his murder that he merely kills for the sake of experiment, he's a proud and unrepentant villain, and is power hungry too, using Lily as lab rat. Terui's hunger for vengeance just makes him reckless and lashing out at the other's warnings. When W arrives, he gets attacked by Accel for getting on his way, as W insists him to work together. Shows about how individualism seen in harsh revenge-driven people is actually a hindrance.

SHOTARO HIDARI HARDBOILED DELUSION DIARY EPISODE 7 - “WHAT IF AKIKO WAS A MAGICIAN?”

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In an episode full of ridiculous concepts – Shotaro being turned into a doll, the Puppeteer Dopant being a part of a magic show that takes place in the W Cave, Terui being attracted to Lily – I think my favorite one was Akiko doing an absolutely terrible somersault to mimic Lily’s acrobatic entrances. It’s so slow and tentative, and it is perfect. It’s expert goofy physical comedy, and I liked it more than any of the wacky flights of fancy this episode had to offer.

I mean, this was still a good one! Philip and Terui are underutilized (and the audio in the introductory scene could’ve been a little better at catching dialogue), but Shotaro’s incredibly charming as Akiko’s blustery but distracted victim, and Akiko’s somersault you guys. It’s really funny!

The Invisible Arc, I don't remember it in its entirety, but it is definitely one of the ones I recall liking a lot. There's some fun clever setup with Shotaro telling Terui there's still people who care about him, leading into the fun payoff where he himself restates Shotaro's own words to Lily. I just loved that moment of realization from him where everything just finally clicks.

That being said there are two parts I remember this arc for in particular. Twin Maximum. It's such a cool and dangerous concept, and while it is reckless on Shotaro's part, it is absolutely incredible to see him stake his life for Terui despite their differences before and in this episode. Likewise what I remember from the second episode isn't the Twin Rider Maximum which you'd think I would.

No it's the part which I ended up utilizing for one of my Fanfics, and that's Accel killing Lily to eject the Invisible Memory before reviving her. It's such a clever tactic and definitely puts the Denden Sensor above the Frog Pod for me now due to how vital it ended up being in keeping Lily from being another one of Isaka's victims.

That said, let's talk Weather Dopant. One in which I forgot that Ryubei was the one who interrupted the fight, and in my hazy memory I thought that Shotaro managed to scare Weather off. But also man is the Weather Dopant a very solid design, I totally forgot he had that cool electrical whip too.

The Delusion Diary was a rather fun one this time too. Not much to say but, puppet Shotaro is hilarious and that somersault is also incredible. That being said I wasn't expecting Akiko to take advantage of this and basically shove Shotaro in a magic box complete with magic blade and both Philip and Terui noping out in order to avoid the mishap that will occur after the minisode ends.

Yeah, and it's especially nice that Shotaro's risky maneuver is all down to not wanting Terui to cry, because Shotaro doesn't want anyone in Fuuto to cry because of Dopants. Like, Terui crying is something Shotaro can't stand almost as much as Terui can't stand it!

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 29 - “NIGHTMARISH H - THE MELANCHOLY OF SLEEPING BEAUTY”

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Solid enough episode, with an absolutely killer cliffhanger, but one that felt like it didn’t do enough with the premise.

I feel like an episode that delves into the dreamscapes of both Double and Accel should illuminate something about their characters – some hidden trauma, or secret hope, or unrecognized complication. Something that lets both the audience and the character see the psychology of the hero from a different angle. Instead, we get Terui confronting the goofy wedding of his dead sister, and Double going to the Toei Edo Set for the annual historical epic. Neither one rises to the level of last story’s deconstruction of Terui’s self-negating need for vengeance, settling instead for a wacky samurai riff and not much else.

And, y’know, I guess it’s okay to aim for Humor over Drama? It’s not the worst thing in the world, letting this whole episode flit from Adorable Ditz to Colorful Professor to Jinno’s Wedding to Shotaro Gets Hooked On A Samurai Drama to Double Ends Up In A Samurai Drama. It’s significantly lower stakes than a symbolic trip through a character’s unconscious, but it’s not nothing. The Nightmare Dopant makes a fun foil, mixing elements from less horrific Dopants like Liar to become a cartoony antagonist in an unusual setting. It’s different, if nothing else.

It’s just… I don’t know, the premise could be so much more than a cross between an HBV and those Heisei summer movies where everyone goes back to the Edo period/set. It’s carte blanche to really excavate intriguing details, and it’s slightly underwhelming to feel like that’s not of any interest to the producers.

At least we got a hell of a cliffhanger, though! Isaka wandering in to find Double asleep and at his mercy, with only Akiko to defend them? That’s real good. But Philip waking up to draw Isaka’s attention away from a sleeping Shotaro, and getting a lightning bolt in the back for his trouble? That’s great. It’s a fun complication to this story’s setup, to bring in Isaka as a separate threat in the real world to the Nightmare Dopant’s attack in the dreamworld. It’s extra fun because this isn’t some villainous strategy, it’s just dumb luck. Isaka came looking for a Dopant, and just happened to find the two heroes he most wants to punish. Bad luck for Double, good luck for the viewers!

I definitely felt like this one had a good enough ending to forgive some limited ambition in the writing stage. It’s a fun episode, but I felt like it could’ve been more than that. But at least Philip got murdered?

—

DIE-A MEMORIES

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-I love that Terui’s nightmare is that his sister marries Jinno. That means that he’s more afraid of her being alive and marrying Jinno, than her being dead. Truly a fate worse than death!

-We get a tiny check-in on the Sonozakis, where Wakana is now in the full-on Drug Addicted Mood Swing phase of Isaka’s attempt to wean her off her Driver. I don’t love it? It’s fine for illustrating Isaka’s deranged view of Dopant supremacy, but it doesn’t really give anyone else on that side of the show anything to do other than look concerned and/or chemically-altered. It’s a plot that only Isaka is really participating in, which is… a bit of a letdown.

After the journey, now Terui puts his revenge quest aside, prioritizing on saving Lily, and like Philip claims, they're fighting Isaka here as a duty for a Kamen Rider instead of revenge. And by this Lily acknowledges Terui as cool despite being scary. Denden Sensor is used to detect the actually still-standing Lily so Accel can kill her by stopping her heart (but with her body intact), releasing it from her body at last, as the Memory will eject if the user is detected as dead. Like Lily herself for Dopant powers being used for daily job, Accel then uses his superpower to perform mundane (but important) task, which is restarting Lily's heart, successfully saving her and crushing the Invisible Memory in his hands. I'm a sucker for superpowers being used for mundane task, to show that there are other uses for it other than fighting, and there seems to be nothing really wrong in this case.

Terui seems moved by Shotaro's risky attempt, explaining that it's due to Terui's anguish, and as Philip said, Terui is a part of the gang now, insisting he save Lily as the city's Kamen Rider. Terui however still acts outwardly rude, claiming that Shotaro is to blame for getting in his way (and idiotic for worrying about Lily). Accel is the only one who can save Lily from her situation (Isaka's trap), but he refuses to help, putting his revenge above everything, and refuses any questions like usual. Honestly, what'd revenge accomplish if everything else is put aside, a selfish act for something rather useless? Though Shotaro was able to affect Terui in the short term, he didn't truly change for now, this episode shows his prejudice toward any Dopants too to see Lily as nothing more as a criminal due to utilizing Gaia Memory even for mundane tasks. Poor Shotaro at the end though where Lily thanks only Terui for saving her, as well as her falling in love with him. Akiko.. ships them both despite her crush on Terui as well. Terui saved her due to Shotaro's influence, this is a bit of a mean move for Lily tbh, whereas certain other Rider series like Ex-Aid teaches that behind one person that saves someone, there's teamwork as well in others contributing with other things.

As Phillip concludes that Accel's the one that only save Lily, Akiko offers him to ask Terui again. But Terui wasn't the only one that is affected negatively by a grudge, Phillip as well that he refuses to ask him for putting Shotaro in his current state (not that Phillip will succeed if he did, but reasonings matter, he's turning into a bit of Terui himself too here), which finally prompts Akiko to do it instead. Honestly yes, Akiko's the one with best chance as Terui mellowed down the most around her, even he explained Akiko's protest in a more gentle way for Riko ("only a Memory Break"). Akiko... interrogates Makura with her (dual) slipper as threatening device for Terui's information. The slipper's really a mighty weapon like the memes said as Makura submits.

Frank also points out that Terui looks grim and resembles a.. monster for that. Reminds how revenge can eventually turn someone into something as bad as their revenge target, if left unchecked, figuratively making them monstrous. Though Shotaro's influence kicks in in pivotal moments, where Terui warns Lily that she'll die if she keeps using the Memory, though Lily still insists to perform due to it being Frank's final performance, not caring if she'd die. HE also echoes Shotaro's words to him before that there are those who'd worry about her, which he realizes himself. So Terui puts a tsundere act, but still, harsh facade here causes some problem that Lily runs away for a while which likely could've been prevented if someone's straightforward against her problem.

More of Isaka is shown here where he finishes multiple dishes for a dinner, which corresponds to his power hungry-persona for seeking more and more Memories as Ryubee notes. But from Wakana's report previously, Ryubee notes that Wakana has been upset lately (criticizing Isaka as disgusting, well she directs her annoyance to someone deserving this time) and he won't tolerate any threats to the family, being suspicious to Isaka and Saeko's plan. A bit of redeeming quality to put his family's welfare above anything it seems, contrasting Isaka who had no qualms killing an entire family only for experiment (this seems to be why Saeko is attracted to him, being horrible, unlike Kirihiko doing bad things for good cause). Isaka confirms Ryubee's assertion of him that he had many Living Connectors throughout his body, exactly 7 on his chest, as a reference for Fist of the North Star. He saves his face (which Saeko praises him again for that) by claiming his belief to the Museum by doing those to help him, even offering himself as guinea pig if needed too, earning Ryubee's approval.

I remembered bits of this one, mostly the client desuuu. I don't speak a lick of Japanese outside of a few recurring phrases that I pick up from watching these shows desuuu. As such, it can be kind of hard for me to notice things like regional accents or vocal tics desuuu. But not this time desuuu. The actress playing Himeka puts so much effort into her moe vocal tic that it was impossible not to notice desuuu. I find it incredibly annoying desuuu. Not a huge problem, but it makes me dread all of her scenes desuuu.

And hey, it's the Edo set making it's annual Kamen Rider appearance for 2010! Nothing says early 2010s Kamen Rider like over-reliance on monster/victim-of-the-fortnight plots. Toei dusting off the Edo set for an episode and/or movie comes real damn close, though.

Desuuu.

When the episode opened with Akiko dropping a very large Edo-era samurai box set into frame, I was like Oh, and when I found out we'd be heading into characters' dreams I was like Oh. As far as contrived reasons to use that set, this one is... definitely up there!

Quite a thinking that Shotaro who can't sleep decides to try using his disinterest to historical stuff that he claims will put him through sleep within minutes, by watching Kaze no Saheji. But Akiko was right all along, Shotaro actually gets hooked into the series and marathoned it for a whole night instead. Green Eggs and Ham stuff of trying new things that aren't in one's interest but turns out they like it. It should be easier to sleep (wanting to avenge Terui), when you've stayed all night.

Himeka is described as beautiful as Snow White, which plays into some part of her given name Himeka Yukimura. The Snow White play is true with her frilly outfit. The resemblance to Snow White continues where her study group consists of her and 7 boys (and Himeka depicts them as Seven Dwarves in her drawings). She' also a cuddle bug where it's said her way of being nice is calling any men who do her a favor her fated prince, not an usual "Shotaro loser to cool Terui" as she hugs them both. Naturally, Akegi would be suspected as a mad scientist who turns into Dopant for his research (at least by Akiko).

And at that dream, Nightmare declares himself to be Himeka's prince. The actual Philip is immune to Nightmare's powers (erasing or projectiles) due to him being another kind who appears in someone else's dream. A bit confused where, there'd be 2 Philips in Philipachi (who's still works like real Phillip) and actual Philip. This also confirms that the Dopant isn't Akegi as Nightmare confesses that he had put Akegi to sleep too.

Yeah, unfortunately for W, the Dopant of the week being dream based that they have to sleep to get through him means they're left in a very vulnerable state (Phillip's hole in his strategy, should sleep in a more isolated area). Isaka raining lightning as Weather directly to W wakes Philip up and leaves Shotaro alone to fight Nightmare. Still Philip's in far worse condition than Shotaro's, only having Fang to defend him against Nightmare's assault which isn't enough. eventually taking direct hit from Weather's lightning barrage, giving scorch marks all over his body, and Akiko can only cry over Phillip's unconscious body.

And this scene also plays up as if Akagi's the Dopant, as he appears by answering Terui's suspicion as well as admitting to put 6 students to sleep. Apparently, Terui still can henshin as Accel in his dream, and as expected from apparently the ruler of the dream, Nightmare can alter the dream to his liking like changing the scenery into a billiard hall, and also pranking Accel by pretending to explode after being hit by jet Engine attack. I wonder what limits of the reality manipulation he can do in the dream, but Nightmare still defeats Accel by trapping him in dreamcatcher-like net. And Jinno and Makura are incompetent to be asleep when this happened, neglecting their duties to wake him up.

For this, Ryubee displays his protectiveness of his (apparently favored) daughter, warning Isaka that he'll make him pay if something happened to Wakana, the shot being done in a hole from pile of dishes.

It's a really good shot! It's got Ryubei leaning in one end, looking impossibly dominant; and it's got Isaka on the other end, looking like he finally realizes what the stakes are in pursuing his goals within the Museum. It's a very evocative staging.

As for Wakana being Ryubei's favorite... I mean, I think it's more that Saeko's always been the focused, driven daughter, and Wakana's always been the more emotional one, flighty one. Wakana needs to be protected (especially right now!) in a way that Seako would never allow.

Playing catch-up again, and I just finished the Invisible two-parter.

When I first saw these episodes way back, I was overall fine with them, but now, on rewatch, with the power of foresight, I actually don't really like them at all.

Why is it called "D Was Watching?" Up to now every title has had to do with the Memory being focused on, and not only is there no D Memory to be found, the only thing I can think D's short for is "Denden" which is a technicality.

We're also now up to the third time the phrase "It's too dangerous to use!" has been uttered. First with the Trigger Memory, then with the Fang Memory, and now with Twin Maximum. I'm not saying the situations aren't warranted, but hearing the same thing get parroted so often gets tiring.

And that in turn brings me to clinger: Isaka. The guy is way too invincible, and boringly so. Like, I get it, you wanna make sure Terui's' overarching villain has the chops to be a legit threat. However, him getting away with alot of what he does makes no sense. The big one this time being that Terror Dad decides to step in once he's discovered Wakan's' Driver has been tampered with.

...Only to then do nothing at all about it and let the dude be. So there in turn bring ups two possibilities. Either A) Terror Dad doesn't actually care about his daughter and thus stepped in to confront Weather for no reason or 2) He does care, but he just does nothing for the sake of the plot. Combine this with what the show tries to pull with Terror Dad later on and I just find myself more annoyed than anything.

Sure, there are some nice character beats throughout with our main cast, and the stuff with Lily is solid enough, but with how much these two episodes hinge on Weather, I just couldn't find myself having much of a good time.