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Yeah, by the time of Geats’ airing, people were sick of the organisations in Reiwa Kamen Rider turning out evil, and hoped that the DGP would be as genuine in their stated goal of saving the world as they presented themselves.
Anyway, this is the first episode since her debut that Lovekov doesn’t appear. A lot of people assumed it was because the actress came down with Covid… despite that happening two days before the episode went out, long after production was finished and by which point they’d probably be done with post-production. It’s more likely she was absent because a goofy snake plush that’s overall not that important to the proceedings or plot for the show would be out of place in an episode about a man dying of old age at 27. As for our guest cast, Chigusa is played by Kazusa Okuyama, better known as Tsukasa Myojin/PatrenSangou from Lupinranger VS Patranger and Tatsuhiko is Kiyotaka Uji, better known as Ultraman Victory from Ultraman Ginga S(and before that, he was the Unicorn Zodiarts in Fourze). And now, for the funnies. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...88BB31AC2.jpeg Akuma no society go curling. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...2009B4B06D.jpg George: It’s Karizaki and… Hiromi, Chigusa and Tatsuhiko: The FENIX Squad class of 2017’s… All: Stamp Navi. George: You’ve probably been waiting for this one for quite a while. But here’s today’s Vistamp. Spider! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXWzdYU1DRg Spicy! Spyware! Spiral! Spider! George: It can be said that it is the default of Demons. In addition to the function of expanding human potential to the limit, the spider's ability is equipment. You can freely manipulate the sticky special fibre "Demon String" and dominate the battlefield with a variety of battle styles such as capturing the target and fixing or moving the body in the air. Hey! Be careful. From there, it's his territory. Decide Up! Deep! (Deeply) Drop! (Fall) Danger! (Crisis) (Kamen) Rider Demons! Demons Driver: In this form, the poor fool is transformed into a demon. And that fool Karizaki’s Rider system drains the life force of Demons to function. There are no exceptions. Hiromi: (on the verge of tears) Karizaki-san, did you know this would happen to me? George: I invented the belt, you dummy. Why do you think I told you not to use it. You only have yourself to blame for using my dangerous products. Chigusa: That’s what I’ve been waiting for. (Pulls out handcuffs and places them on George) Special Police, you’re under arrest! (Gasps) where did that come from? Tatsuhiko: More actor jokes? Really? (Adopts a more serious face) Let’s go, Hikaru. (Zoom out to show that Hikaru Ushijima is in the room) Hikaru: Um ok, but I, not sure why you’re being so familiar, old man. George: We hope you enjoy the next instalment. Chigusa: Tell it to the judge. (Drags George away) |
So finally, it's shown what's the drawback of Hiromi being able to fight as a Rider all this time, despite that he was unable to henshin as Revice.
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Ikki's the one that showed his competency again with him deducing Chigusa's plot, knowing that her sentences can have different meanings or contexts. But, there goes about "believing in others" then in this part, here Ikki shows the opposite approach of that to solve the problem, being appropriately suspicious of the real traitor and interpreting her words negatively (actual). Though his faith on Vice was repaid before when he finally agreed to let Vice taste the Igarashis' foods, of which Yukimi still held some grudge for him for understandable reasons. So Yukimi did learn about what did Vice try to do, and it explains of Yukimi cheering him less enthusiastically in ep. 16 before (the one where Yukimi accidentally kicked Lovekov). Other than the comedic bits, I wonder if Genta is actually stupid to focus on his cavity, or that he purposely hid the truth of him literally having no heart. Quote:
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Hiromi's goal is to become a hero which continues from his comedic backstory telling before, and he's being a severe workaholic on that. I'd like if the show points out that heroic deeds isn't only about fighting bad guys, but it can be done via many more morally good trait and deeds in addition to ?saving people?, as a hero should be heroic not only in fighting but in daily lives as well. If Hiromi can't be a hero by fighting as Kamen Rider in his condition of his life force being devoured by the demon in Demons Driver, then the series making him doing good deeds that doesn't involve fighting. Ironically though 80-year old Hiromi resisting against Olteca would just make him even more badass. Daiji did make good points when dealing with the workaholic Hiromi, to make a point that if Hiromi is dead, he can't save anyone. Again while you gotta be ready to throw away your life, you should try to resort into other (non-pragmatic) methods to save the day than self-sacrificing, because other than succeeding that time, you'd have a chance to do more in later parts when you survived. And Daiji's way of dealing with Hiromi is relatively more harsh (but not mean-spirited) compared to Ikki's, with Daiji raising his voice more as well as also chastising Ikki too for... not being enough busybody. It's good for Ikki to do that though, to understand what Hiromi wants to do. Quote:
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Sakura's next scene with Aguilera, I guess it's expected to me that, Aguilera would react that way as she had twisted worldview. Aguilera's "care" for Sakura isn't something to be romanticized. To her, being a person she likes means you'll be used as a sacrifice for Giff. When Sakura actually provides her with an actual sensible care to try to have her live as normal human, Aguilera would just throw tantrums and cut ties with Sakura. Also Aguilera being no match for Jeanne in the fight here. Not much appearence for Olteca other than his schemes revolving Hiromi's friends, but there's another horror with him sending an unseen Giftarian to Revi and Vice, so he had claimed yet another bodycount. Quote:
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Anyway, yes! Tired of the inevitable reveal that the big military helpers are always the baddies! Thanks for the info, the comics, and the fun skit! Quote:
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I return briefly from my hiatus to basically say...
Yeah you're basically just talking about Ultraman here. You should watch Ultraman if you're looking hard to find a usual genuinely good military group in Toku. |
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one of my biggest problems with Revice is HOW horribly telegraphed half the twists are and this is the biggest example of this (at least Geats makes DPG suspicious right away)
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Secondly, I definitely don't want to make it sound like I'm looking for a good-guy military group in Revice. While I'd prefer a straight-forward group of support troops to the annual What Is The Ulterior Motive Of This Mysterious Organization Of Nebulous Authority arc, I would more prefer that Revice stay away from the non-family aspects of toku altogether. Revice's strength as a show -- the one thing it can do that no other Kamen Rider show can do -- is tell stories built around a large family. The Igarashis are a way into stories that no other Kamen Rider show could do, so it's super disappointing to see the show squander episodes on The Military Is Hiding Something nonsense that could be done by every other show, and has been. So, yeah. A complaint is that it's a plot done badly/generically. The bigger complaint is it's the show abandoning its individualism for something rote and common. Quote:
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 20 - “TERRIBLE AND TRANSIENT, THE COST OF TRANSFORMING”
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice20a.png It’s a testament to how unnecessary and disconnected this Hiromi story felt, that its most memorable scene is Revi and Vice cycling through every suit from the first 19 episodes in a bravura action sequence that also ends with Jeanne looking awesome. When your Hiromi spotlight story just ends up making every other Rider look cool… I can’t tell if that’s a total miss, or absolutely in keeping with Hiromi’s place on the show. There’s a bit I liked about it, though, somewhat despite myself. I’m never a fan of Kamen Rider stories where someone keeps using a fatal device because they’re too damn heroic to do anything less. It’s dumb, and sort of the opposite of what I think is heroic. There’s a huge difference between battling insane odds to protect justice/smiles/video games, and consigning yourself to death because you’re using cursed technology. It is not inherently unheroic to have self-preservation be a part of your decision-making during a fight, especially when you living longer could save more lives. It’s like a naked firefighter rushing into a burning building: I get the impulse, but you are not really doing anyone any good with that level of commitment. But Hiromi’s take on it… I like how much he’s acknowledging that he’s making the wrong decision, and how much Ikki is protecting his right to make the wrong decision. It’s an awareness of Hiromi’s eternal desire to die in pointless yet glorious battle, but it’s also saying That’s Our Hiromi. It’s a classic Revice story of embracing the weakness within Hiromi, forgiving it, and then finding some serenity in the aftermath. Asking Hiromi to not put on the demonic vitality-destroying henshin device and not blunder into a battle his 80-year old frame cannot possibly withstand would be asking him to deny his own nature, and that would be a fate worse than death. That’s incredibly stupid, but incredibly sweet. That’s Our Hiromi! Not much else to talk about beyond that? The astonishing action sequence in the back-half ate up a lot of screentime, and Hiromi’s steady accrual of folks laughing at him took up most of the other half. (George is very okay with telling Hiromi to his face that Fenix was totally unconcerned with when exactly the Demons Driver was going to kill him!) There’s a fun team-up between Team Igarashi and the remnants of the Giffamilia, but it’s mostly just crossing i’s (depowering Olteca) and crossing t’s (recovering the Giff Stamp). We don’t really get any big dramatic scenes that shed new light; Aguilera wants Giff to burst from his cocoon and transform the world into one big family, the usual. The actual Getting Aguilera To Team-Up part is left to the viewer’s imagination, though, and that’s about all that really happens this episode? Hiromi’s tragic Hirominess didn’t leave room for anything else! Overall, it’s a strong action episode (that very long fight scene!!!) that manages to put Hiromi’s whole Sacrifice First, Ask Questions Later approach into a slightly less regrettable light. He doesn’t exactly come off as a functioning human being who should be leading the troops of a mysterious organization of nebulous authority, but he does come off as a dude you sort of respect, even if you're shaking your head at his suicidal heroism. Progress! https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice20b.png |
It's not something you touched on at all, I imagine because it's just mostly dumb and not worth devoting any mindspace to, but a year after this episode's airing I still can't get over how stupid the traitor in this traitor plot is portrayed here. Where Chigusa alleges that Fenix is the Bigger Bad, and so links up with the Deadmans...one would think out of some misguided sense of necessity, but at the same time she's become a true believer for no reason? Like, Fenix being secretly bad doesn't mean the Deadmans are secretly good, they're very open about also being evil. She asks Olteca for his motivation and he just goes "I'm the smartest boy in the world and I deserve to rule the world!!!" and her answer is "omg your so right." It's such fucking nonsense and it makes any attempts to make her getting backstabbed or Hiromi's feelings about it land fail entirely.
This little Hiromi arc is by far my least favorite in the series and really poisoned my enjoyment of the characters within and Revice as a whole (mainly on my last rewatch). That's maybe more drastic than an episode like this deserves, but it doesn't get any better with time! |
Yeah, Hiromi is a very popular character, but it’s clear the writers have little, if any, idea of what to do with him. This episode is more of a meta commentary on his place in the show (he was almost booted out of FENIX, but kept on because the higher ups saw his potential, like how the character was devised purely to die early on, but was spared because everyone liked his performance)
Also, I don’t think two extended scenes focused on Sakura and Aguilera across two Hiromi episodes were really necessary (beyond the heroes getting the latter’s help). And sadly, that’s one reason Sakura turned out so divisive. Namely that not only will these scenes NOT be decreasing in frequency, but they’ll be increasing in screen time taken up. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...9/IMG_8877.jpg Ikki: It’s Ikki’s… Vice: And Vice’s… Both: Stamp Navi! Ikki: And today’s stamp is this one! Mogura! https://youtube.com/watch?v=GIFIdbCHHNs Pitch Black! One Track-Mind! Up Ahead! Mole! Hole Zone! Ikki: Mogura Genome allows for a strong penetration and fast spinning action. When used by Hiromi-san, it equips him with the Demon Digzon to use its ability. Vice: “Digzon”? Is that even a word? Like, in any language? George: In all honesty? No. That’s inspired by the Legend I based this on. Lockseed: Am-az-on! George: Kamen Rider Amazon, real name Daisuke Yamamoto. He crashed in the Brazilian rainforest as a baby, with his father and mother dying in the crash. He was adopted by the local tribe, eventually being entrusted with one of their two great treasures, the Gigi Armlet. He returned to Japan to use this power against Geddon and the Garanda Empire, who possessed the other armlet. Amazon: Ah-Mah-Zon! (Enter Hiromi) Hiromi: Did you say… the guy on my Vistamp… his father died? (Screams and runs out of the room) Sakura: I can’t believe he got worked up over a Legend Rider’s backstory. How immature. George: Yes, indeed. To end this segment on a lighter note, how about I mention that the other Armlet was named Gaga. Lovekov: Love! Game! Vice: Until the next instalment, Just Dance! Self-production notes: Ending on a Lady Gaga joke was NOT inspired by the Fourze quiz segments. I came up with the idea shortly before getting that far into those. But it did change what songs I referenced. |
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By this Hiromi obviously needs to learn from something too, like how he witnesses Ikki becoming dependable instead of viewing himself as dependable but actually overbearing. Like Daiji said, you can't save anyone when you're dead, I think for heroism you should try to preserve yourself so you're sure you'd be there for others in future, without doing morally questionable shit (like sacrificing the unlucky few) and still ready to throw your life if the situation demands it of course, but likely Hiromi should think up of other good deeds he can do without henshin as Demons for example. Being heroic is about being good part (as heroes mean good guys), not about the suffering part (even though it can enhance in certain circumstances). The suffering alone brought nothing noble in someone. Tojo in Ryuki was a case when someone only has suffering, without doing anything good, and he's still a depraved villain. Albeit him letting himself got hit by Volcano Rex's finisher is quite a smart move from him to preserve himself that I can appreciate. Other than that, seems expected, he's shown to be merciful towards Chigusa's betrayal and would seek best case scenario. Quote:
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Regarding George, now it seems that his goal is to create the Ultimate Kamen Rider, but it does further confirms my thoughts of him only value the chaos and violence that can present in KR shows instead of acknowledging why KR can be admirable via the heroism value they (not all) display, even openly mocking Hiromi for his heroism. There's also more of his unpleasant and sleazy attitude here of him showing no regards towards Hiromi being his lab rat (typical mad scientist attitude), where even if Hiromi would make the choice to use Demons, oh wait, George guilt-tripped him into becoming Demons at the first place (blaming him for Kagerou), so he does set up this for Hiromi, so it'd not be Hiromi's reckless fault here. His goal of creating Ultimate Kamen Rider also doesn't seem to be a good/benefical one here, likely just want to test his limits of how much he can create, but it'd depend on what he do next to achieve it for his villain status (or allowing that Ultimate Kamen Rider to spread chaos to show off his "brilliance" of what power he can create). But George isn't only scientifically brilliant, he's street smart and has people skills as well despite usually interacting in odd way (probably him interacting to Ikki at the hospital is also about this), which'd just make him more of a threat, like how Hiromi can fought as Demons for quite long time without anyone surrounding them knowing the true schemes until Hiromi almost died. For his true colors, at the very least Hiromi now knows George was his bully, and now only holds him in contempt. The scene that I didn't like in this episode was Tamaki and Sakura's conversation, which is just lazy and repetitive to repeat the same dialogue from previous episodes. Actually I'd like for more types of interaction between them y'know (...probably more than Sakura with Aguilera), of which Tamaki had interacted with Sakura before to inflitrate, but he now isn't, while Sakura now has been more accepting of Tamaki too. While Tamaki and Aguilera temporarily worked together with the Igarashi brothers against Aguilera, it's blatantly stated that Aguilera wants to retrieve the Giff stamp. Aguilera hasn't changed, at all, she still has the same goal from the beginning here. And the parallel too of Aguilera and Olteca basically having the same goal to forcibly evolve humanity via Giff. It's another case of evil vs evil like Metsuboujinrai.net vs ZAIA, albeit Olteca has grown to be really more despicable with his petty sadism, evil is not one big happy family. And again, Aguilera would abuse Tamaki here for telling Sakura, she's normally unpleasant except when certain crisis comes (Tamaki losing Yosuke). Tamaki himself too is loyal to Aguilera, which'd mean he's liable to take whatever side she ends up falling on. Quote:
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Chigusa was by far the dumbest part of a dumb story, yes, agreed. Quote:
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 21 - “LAYING DOWN MY LIFE, TO ENTRUST MY HOPES”
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice21a.png *sigh* I don’t, generally speaking, care about villainous plots in Kamen Rider. They’re rarely a thing I remember fondly, if I even remember them at all. I remember characters, and I care about stories drawn from their decisions. I can lose myself in conflicts that spill out of disagreements between heroes, or impossible dilemmas faced by virtuous weirdos; stuff that feels like the manifestation of a character arc. I mostly don’t give a shit about machinations, or the shadowy organizations that set them in motion. So here we are, with easily my least-favorite episode of Revice yet. It’s all the thin nonsense of Fenix, with an added level of incomprehensible Weekend. I almost just want to wave my hand at this episode and go NO MORE OF THAT, THANK YOU, and just post the second screencap for this post. There’s literally one thing I liked in this episode: When Dad Ushijima theatrically introduces Weekend, and Sakura jokingly clarifies that it’s actually a weekday. That’s it, and I almost dislike that joke for its proximity to the most unnecessary collection of Cultists With Gamer Chairs that I’ve ever had the misfortune to think about. There’s literally no point to Weekend in this episode – everyone already knows that Fenix is bad – and they can’t even spend a single scene looking benevolent to recruit Sakura effectively. And, by “effectively”, I mean “in a way that doesn’t make her look like the biggest rube this side of everyone who works at Fenix”. Weekend is just FENIX BAD, but in a way that’s even less trustworthy than Fenix. I don’t know why Sakura doesn’t tell Ikki about them, so we can get another character to tell her that this is a horrible group to throw your lot in with. (I assume Lovekov was cut from this episode because she’d’ve never fallen for this idiocy.) I don’t know why Sakura decides to back them, rather than just stick it out with her own family of superheroes. They made her Driver, but there doesn’t seem to be anything they can offer, and their motives are the same Zero Tolerance lunacy as Fenix is preaching, but from the opposite direction. I hate them, and they make this show monumentally dumber. Maybe the only point in Weekend’s favor is that they aren’t Fenix, though? Akaishi stops preening like an especially diabolical vulture to spring Olteca (who I assume he recruited to the Deadmans way back when) and crash the Fenix helicarrier, for no tangible benefit. Fenix wasn’t in any danger from being discovered – Hiromi was going to quit, and the Igarashis were suspicious without taking action – and Akaishi was in total control of both the real Giff Stamp and Giff itself. There’s no reason to escalate things? Other than boredom, I guess? It’s, again, just villainous machinations that occur around the heroes, but never really involves them in its progression. It’s a story that they’re reacting to, not a story that’s reacting to them. It’s things blowing up, and villains that want something, but heroes that are just confused and reacting. There’s nothing in there for me to connect with. And then Hiromi dies. Well, “dies”: dude gets exploded off of a cliff and no one collects a body, so I assume we’ll be seeing him again before too long. Who knows, maybe a third group of cultists will find his body, and unconvincingly attempt to recruit him to their side! BOY, WOULDN’T THAT BE KEEN. https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice21b.png |
Yeah, Weekend aren’t a particularly popular part of the show. They weren’t before this (in a popularity poll that came out around the time this episode premiered, Hikaru came last in a popularity poll. And that was because someone remembered he existed. If it wasn’t for that person and someone else remembering Buu-san, Sakura would’ve been dead last.) and certain later events don’t endear them to the audience. Part of the reason Hiromi got written out was to focus on them, and… well, you’ll see how that went.
Anyway, I did call Olteca becoming a Kamen Rider before this episode, but not the exact circumstances. I thought it’d be more akin to this person’s artwork. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPY-lJ9VkAIKop5.jpg And speaking off that poll I mentioned earlier, here’s the top 4 (notably, Hiromi is the one character who got more than 10% of the vote, accruing 40%) https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...A934516C1.jpeg And now for the funny part of this post. Olteca: It’s Olteca and… Akaishi: Akaishi’s… Both: Deadmans Stamp Navi. Akaishi: Why did you bring me in to co-host this? What if this leaks and I get arrested? Olteca: (holds up the Demons Driver) I tried asking this guy if he’d help, but he just keeps repeating the same thing. Demons Driver: Get out! Get out! Olteca: So you’ll be my lovely assistant as we look at this Stamp. Scorpion! https://youtube.com/watch?v=GIFIdbCHHNs Poisonous Sting! Lock On! Scorpion! Great Turning Sting! Olteca: This Vistamp grants Kamen Rider Demons the Ridol Sting, allowing for a penetrating attack to be launched from afar. Akaishi: Ridol, eh? That boy George just can’t help but indulge in his love for those heroes. He’s like his father in that respect. Anyway, let’s discuss today’s Legend. Lockseed: X! Keisuke Jin: Set Up! Akaishi: Kamen Rider X, Keisuke Jin. He was modified by his father Professor Jin using undersea survival technology to face the Government Of Darkness, G.O.D for short. He fought using his Ridol Stick, making him the first Rider to regularly wield a weapon. Jin: Great Turning Spin! X-Rider Kick! https://www.kamen-rider-official.com...562523888.jpeg Olteca: Hey, that guy’s dressed like you. Akaishi: Don’t be ridiculous. That would by G.O.D’s top enforcer, Apollo Geist. Defeated in battle with X, he was revived by two of the greatest scientific minds, with the drawback that he required a device known as a Perfecter to absorb life force and stay alive. Kamen Rider Decade later fought a parallel world version empowered by Fangires, Super Apollo Geist. https://www.kamen-rider-official.com...85dc02415.jpeg https://www.kamen-rider-official.com...b54076104.jpeg https://www.kamen-rider-official.com...0e7c43c30.jpeg Olteca: We hope you enjoy the next instalment. Demons Driver: Must get out! Destroy that guy! |
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The dark secrets behind Fenix, so far according to Weekend it's about investigating Giff coffin despite that it's a dangerous move, but by that it seems that it's more about certain members of the Fenix being bad instead of Fenix as a whole? Albeit it's a higher up in Akaishi and George thus they'd be more influental in their schemes, but it's more like that if you remove the bad apples in Fenix then Fenix can properly function as a good organization, like removing corrupt cops in a police force for example. George too is teased as a "humans are the real monsters" by Vice, claiming that he's a human that is worse than demons (well technically a good number of humans are worse than Lovekov). He also had earned a contempt from Ikki as well for what he did to Hiromi. While he deflects the Hiromi subject from Ikki and Daiji, he's shown to be at least onboard with Akaishi's schemes and goals. Though in comparison George is better to Akaishi with a sliver of sympathy to Hiromi as he resigns, letting Hiromi punch him as well as claiming it's for the best regarding Hiromi's state (right after disposing him due to him being useless). Quote:
With Hiromi gone from Fenix, now Daiji's the major character that has affiliation to Fenix (unless Akemi's elevated into secondary heroine or such), with the story setting him up as being conflicted to Fenix. I hope this is the part where the story sets a definitive path for Daiji's character, and it being executed well of course, other than Daiji acting as mostly faithful soldier to do Fenix's tasks while helping his siblings in the process (though Daiji's never someone who's obsessively loyal to Fenix). Making the Igarashi siblings even more distinct with Sakura going on the opposing side, Daiji staying at Fenix while being conflicted, and Ikki acting more independent (but is now against Fenix) but trying to look for best case scenario. The Giff coffin is established as giving side effects to Vice, and this episode upgrades the friendship between Ikki and Vice further, with Ikki releasing Vice just to check on him, out of concern. But despite the terrible thing that happened to Vice, it turns into how benefical Vice is to deduce that the Giff ViStamp Sakura retrieved was fake as it didn't cause any effect on him. Vice also later scans on how the Demons that fought Daiji (to Sakura's confusion) was Olteca, not Hiromi. So despite how despicable Olteca is, there are no Kusaka/Micchy situation in Revice, thanks to Vice! Genta suffers from the effects of Giff coffin as well, further establishing Genta's relation to him, his big secret. The change that happened to Aguilera recently isn't redemption, just that it seems that her being put on more difficult position just makes character overall diminished. Now she's only about being obsessed with Giff (and revealing her goal previously as a parallel to Olteca, Giff related still). Previously she's established as being obsessed with Giff, but there's more on her like her persuasion and manipulating others to join Deadmans, her sinister side being covered by her childish cheery self, her warped worldview including how she views happiness, etc. Other than her lackluster battle results, I guess Sakura's criticism on her is a wake up call of the series itself to give Aguilera her multi-faceted parts back. I'd actually want to see if her development from here is to make her a more effective villain instead of redeeming her first. Tamaki's put in a more difficult position of supporting 2 girls at once (asking Sakura to take care of Aguilera... but it can be opposing like this episode), and actually unknowingly made a deal to Sakura to hand her the Giff ViStamp... and with him being powerless at this moment.... it gives a comedic bit of him using pleading gesture to Sakura instead. The series doesn't drag upon Akaishi's identity as an apparent Deadman Founder, with him clearly shown to work together with Olteca here (and shows the difference of him to other Fenix members, who just captured Olteca). Akaishi also performed a stock evil laugh at the end of episode. With him being the Deadman Founder, he's apparently the real main antagonist of the series, not Aguilera, not Olteca too. Another misleading preview a KR series had to prominently feature the Deadman trio before. What's known about Akaishi here is also that he, at least what he claims against others, share similar goals as Prof. Karizaki (George's father), to separate humans from demons, and it's a goal that didn't work out really well; certain self-awakened inner demons can actually be a nuisance or even a threat to their hosts. Olteca's scheme in this episode is simpler than I think, with him just exchanging items with Akaishi, him getting Giff ViStamp and Olteca getting Demons Driver. With Demons Driver claiming Olteca as smelling like a demon, now I wonder if Olteca actually had inner demon and that his previous Deadman form was a separate outside demon, or that the Driver refers to how evil and monstrous Olteca is. And with Olteca as Demons being strong enough to take on the 3 Igarashi siblings at once, now it just adds more mystery on the Demons Driver (other than to Hiromi), would Demons get stronger the more evil the user is (which'd make Hiromi the worst user as someone all about being heroic)? |
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 22 - “BANGING ABOUT… ATMOSPHERE STAIRWAY!?”
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice22a.png I don’t know how people quit these shows. I hear it a lot in these threads, that someone made it to Episode Whatever and bounced, owing to either a general lack of enthusiasm or a specific objection to a plot point/character/insert song. Despite this post’s opening sentence, I’d never say that anyone was wrong for dropping a show that they aren’t engaged with. It’s entertainment; if you aren’t being entertained, spare yourself the discomfort and aggravation. There’s nothing worse than watching a show that you can’t stand, just because you feel obligated to do so. You don’t. Quitting can be a victory for your mental health. But I don’t keep watching these shows out of obligation. I watch them out of a sense of hope. I watch them because a show can be like Revice: turning in a series-worst story in Episode 21, and then pivot before the opening credits of Episode 22 into a story about Ikki and Vice going undercover as a comedy duo to suss out a Deadmans-related mystery. The way these shows constantly change and evolve – the malleability of the production team, and their willingness to take risks – makes it so I can never drop a show after a bad episode or two. Every horrible episode is literally a scene away from winning me over. Every failure could become a success, in time. Which is not to say this episode was a home run! It was very fun, and clever about its storytelling, but it's still at least minorly bogged down by the stupidity of the recent Fenix/Weekend stuff. Let’s get that part out of the way: completely insane that this show keeps Akaishi in charge of Fenix after freeing Olteca and crashing the helicarrier. I’m sure there’s some narrative handwaving that can remove him from suspicion – technically, Hiromi is the only one who saw Olteca and Akaishi team up, and he’s too Exploded Off Of A Cliff to tell anyone right now – but a) the show never even bothers with that, so thanks; b) Hiromi just “died” telling Daiji and Ikki that Fenix wasn’t to be trusted; and, most importantly, c) the audience knows Akaishi is a bad guy, so it makes every scene where Daiji can’t see how slimy and duplicitous this guy is into a scene where Daiji looks like a total mark. It’s unbelievably aggravating, as a viewer. But that’s sort of it for the dumber elements of Revice? Everything else worked for me. I liked Aguilera maybe resorting to teaming with Olteca, because she needs to feel like she has a purpose, even if it’s with an untrustworthy scumbag like Olteca. (That, or she’s setting him up for a betrayal; either or!) I liked Tamaki trying to find shelter with literally his only other friend, Sakura. I liked Kagerou using Daiji’s confusion and anger over Hiromi’s fate to try and get loose again. I liked Lovekov finally, finally being in the opening credits where a star like her belongs. Mostly, though, I liked the Zero-One-esque story that Ikki and Vice landed in for this episode’s main plot. (The director even dressed like Aruto!) It’s mostly light fun, with Ikki accidentally leveraging his buddy comedy antics with Vice into a cover story to investigate the Deadmans attacks around a famous comedy duo, but I very much enjoyed how it was talking about the different ways partnerships can work, and maybe fall apart. We’re at a point in their arcs where Ikki and Vice share a natural, almost unspoken chemistry. They’re supportive of each other, and excited to see where their partnership can go. But they’re in a story about a partnership that’s inexplicably disintegrating as soon as it got successful, and they’re surrounded by comedy teams that are jockeying for position when they smell weakness. It’s not really getting at any specific tension within the Revice team, but it’s nicely foreshadowing that successful partnerships can end when the power differential of the partners becomes too great to ignore. Which, of course, gets exhibited in what looks to me like the Revice Berserk Form. It’s a great form, even if I assume we’ll be getting an Elemental Dragon-style finished version of the new suit in a couple episodes. It’s Vice as a solo act, more powerful with the Rolling Stamp than Revice were as a team. I’m going to assume that the stamp is letting Giff have more control/sway over Vice’s darker tendencies, but the end result currently is a gleeful Vice absolutely obliterating two Deadmans while causing a troubling amount of collateral damage. (Still, pretty sweet wrestling moves that Vice breaks out in his solitary excursion!) There’s all this fun black ink coloring the combat, representing the darkness that’s being let loose in this new form, as Ikki’s nowhere to be found. (It’s also immediately made clear that this stamp didn’t come from George, so it’s definitely not a gift for Ikki and Vice.) It’s a menacing way to end an episode that started so brightly, but it all felt like a natural development of this story and these characters. It’s such a pleasant surprise, this type of course-correction. It’s honestly not even a surprise at all. It’s why I can’t ever quit these shows – the knowledge that any episode could be better than the one before, even if they frequently aren’t in a given series. I like having my hope renewed. All it takes sometimes is for a show to remember what made it work in the first place. https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice22b.png |
I have so many questions about the Japanese comedy industry after this episode. I know that this is the cleaned up version for kids, but I assume that these kinds of acts are based at least somewhat in reality. I have no idea how much the show is either overplaying or underplaying the outfits and the way that the various shticks work but I'm really curious to know.
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Yeah, I love the Zero-One esque plot here. Though I do have some disappointment that they didn’t go further with the aesthetic for Neo-Batta.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...8/IMG_0143.jpg But in the second half, someone claiming to be Karizaki mails Ikki a new evil form, in the shape of Jack Revice. Which has the unique detail of having Revi’s eye pattern on the right eye and Vice’s on the left eye. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...0CC6197BE.jpeg Translation of third panel: Mutsuki: Now, behold my Jack Form. Tachibana: Stop it, Mutsuki! Kenzaki: That Category Ace again? Also, we have Kagerou taking over Daiji and now Vice taking over Ikki. There’s at least one absence from that list. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...AxaIAYbV_N.png Vice: It’s Vice’s Stamp Navi! Everyone, I hope you’re doing well! George: Aren’t we missing someone? Vice: Nah, we’re good as we are. Now then, let’s get talking about today’s Vistamp. Neo-Batta! https://youtube.com/watch?v=fDxldckVUuE Vow to leap! Become hope! Neo-Batta! And that’s how you know it’s Revice! Vice: Oh yeah, I remember this one. It’s the one the old fossil Kari-chan made to help me defeat Giff’s bro in that movie. It lets Revice grow super big and jump super high. George: I still say we’re missing someone. Vice: Nah man, we’re good. Just get on with talking about today’s Legend. George: Well, if you say so… Desire Driver: Zero-One! Aruto: Henshin! Rising Hopper! A jump to the sky turns to a rider kick. George: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Aruto Hiden. At the advent of the Reiwa era, he was a humble comedian who inherited his grandad’s AI robots, Humagear. He also became able to transform into Kamen Rider Zero-One to fight against the rise of the rogue AI Ark, who was obsessed with destroying everything. Aruto: And that’s how you know it’s Aruto! George: A young man becoming a Rider to fight an evil bent on destruction. Remind you of anyone? Vice: (thinking) Hmm, can’t say anyone comes to mind. George sighs and takes out Ai-chan from his pocket, placing her on the table. Ai-chan: It seems that Vice-San is missing Ikki after his disappearance, so he’s pretending not to know him to avoid facing this grief. Vice: What? No, Ikki’s here. You just can’t hear or see him and I can’t bring him out. He’s been yelling in my ear the whole time. George: Right! (Whispers) I don’t believe you. Ai-chan: And now it seems like Vice’s expression of the first stage of grief has changed to denying that Ikki has vanished. Vice: We hope you enjoy the next instalment. There, does that make you happy? (Pauses for a second) Good. |
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It's the same principle with these TV shows, right? I seldom quit, but I do take hiatus for the various reasons you mentioned, sometimes even for a small criticism. If a show dissatisfies me too much or too often, then I need time to heal my mental health before I can restore my hope. A vulnerable wound will eventually harden in to a tough scar, figuratively speaking. Even as someone who mostly enjoyed Mouri's Hiromi arc (it was nice to see Patren 3 and Unicorn Zodiart actors anyway, in morally opposite roles), I still had a vague feeling of increasing uneasiness about the future of Revice, which I'll talk about later. To my recollection though, there's only that one Sentai show I quit for good. EDIT: 1700th post, yay! |
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Also, thanks for the fun skit! Quote:
No, but seriously, I'm only speaking for my desire to see the best in these shows. No one owes a series more time than they already gave it, and Honoring A Kamen Rider Show isn't some societal good that's worth ruining your leisure time. Totally cool to put a pin in something that isn't clicking with you, maybe even for good. And congrats on 1700 posts! |
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With Tamaki just being dumped now there's another set up of Sakura taking Tamaki to live on Happy Spa. I wonder and kinda hope that it'd be set up as bigger thing, with Yukimi being familiar against Tamaki Orifu (no, not about Tamaki scheming against Sakura or such, now Tamaki's genuinely friendly with her) than just some comedic hijinks. As previously Tamaki is played up as comic relief again with his over the top reaction while visiting Sakura not unlike when he schemed against her at the karate dojo back then, as well as him wiping his tears with the melted ice cream he constantly holds. I'm infuriated again however with Sakura being abusive to Genta, though Genta irks me with the constant boyfriend talk. Quote:
George here is still "supporting" Ikki by giving new ViStamps such as Neo Batta Genome resembling Zero One's, fitting the current episode's comedic duo focus, but the focus now is showing the rift between them (at least in Ikki's side) with Ikki showing distrust towards George due to his lack of (outer) concern towards Hiromi, and now accusing him of using Ikki as his guinea pig too within his Revice. The parents apparently didn't really notice Ikki showing open hostility to George, different of how he interacted with George before. Apparently a random Fenix member was the one that gave Ikki the Rolling ViStamp. I'm probably can be onboard with a major player of Fenix being an ordinary soldier if he's going to be elevated (but he can just be someone ordered by other major player to give the ViStamp to Ikki), other than more specific positions like George being scientist, Akaishi being director, or Akemi being a doctor. Is that a setup too for likely some infighting inside the Fenix? Otherwise for that George. Quote:
The fight with Zero One, the usual stock pause in the finishing moves being named and announced, as well as Revice ja naito catchphrase play. Jack Revice looks sick though, and with the power of utilizing black liquids, giving a symbionte feeling, despite that Jack Revice looks less like Venom unlike Revice Rex Genome. Jack Revice also had one of the better finishers of the additional attacks in the black liquid's barrage and the grinder (though not sure how the grinder can enhance the Rider Kick..). Though I'd like to see the intangible aspects of demons get utilized in battle as Rider's power, like probably controlling their body to be intangible or not. Quote:
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here's a fun fact about Hiromi he was supposed to die episode 1 but due to the producers liking his actor they kept him around and gave him a bigger role than what was probably intended
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 23 - “HIJACKED BY VICE… DID HE REALLY BETRAY US!?”
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice23a.png There’s a wistfulness to this story that I wasn’t expecting. It’s been two episodes of this Act 1 throwback story, with the origami monsters and Vice being suspicious and a tiny mystery to solve… and then the end of it is a character who misses how things used to be, and doesn’t feel great about how the wider scope and scale of the thing she used to love is adding friction and recrimination where there used to be joy and possibility. They took this throwback story, with only a tiny amount of Weekend, and used it to give a bittersweet farewell to that era of the show. Much like the despondent and slightly deranged assistant to the now alarmingly dedicated comedy duo, I didn't love the way this show was changing. This episode was great, though, and it was great in an expanded Act 2 way. It leveraged different character relationships to tell a story about how prickly people convey emotion, and how much we all need to read optimistically into the actions of the people we love who maybe aren’t as forthcoming and direct as they should be. It’s a story they couldn’t’ve done in Act 1, so maybe I need to just keep rooting for this show. It may not be the small show I used to like, but maybe it can be a bigger show that I enjoy differently. I definitely dug the way this episode rolled out its conflicts, and how deftly it addressed multiple ongoing plots. Kagerou jumping out to save Daiji and Sakura was probably my favorite (I think I did a little involuntary fist-pump?), and probably the first time I was excited to see Kagerou back in play. (Wait, no: when they get the Giffamilia church-nightclub-spaceship location out of him. That was also great!) I like him better as a creepy jerk that’s still a part of the family, and therefore a character that everyone else has to find some way to coexist with. He’s an aspect of Daiji, no different than Vice or Lovekov. Having him grumpily intervene when Daiji’s getting his ass handed to him is exactly the space I like to see Kagerou occupy: the dickhead relative who treats his family like shit, but only he is allowed to treat them like shit; everyone else is an interloper that needs to get tooled up. I just… I like Special Guest-Star Kagerou? I like him in these small, surprising doses. Which is not to downplay how perfect the Aguilera/Sakura/Tamaki stuff was! That whole part of the episode, yes, always, forever. Aguilera showing up to a fight just to say Hi to Sakura and tell her to take good care of Tamaki!!! My heart. It’s nice that it’s part of this nested doll of We Don’t Know How To Talk About Feelings characters (see: Kagerou) that expands throughout the back half of the episode, but I’d’ve been thrilled if it was only Aguilera flirting with Sakura while Lovekov gets knocked over. I am easy sometimes! I like the fun chemistry they have (Sakura finally getting the subtext after a dozen episodes, A+ observation skills, sometimes it’s hard to know when someone’s into you) and I like Lovekov finally showing up again. Like I said, sometimes I’m easy. Only real bum note of this episode was – predictably, perennially – the Weekend investigation with George. It’s dumb because it’s George spending an episode learning something the audience has known for a few episodes, so it’s got nothing new to tell us. (It’s never fun to watch a character learn information a story already told its audience! This is why most toku shows follow up a big reveal with the other characters having been told off-screen or between episodes!) The only new information in the episode for that end of the plot is that Weekend has their own Shroud (anniversary reference…?) in “Karizaki”, which I would assume is George’s dad. Or maybe it’s his mom! Or inner demon! Or a completely different Karizaki who hates George for doing more with their shared surname! Boy, I can’t wait to find out. But that’s, honestly, barely worth complaining about. This was as solid a two-parter as this show has ever done, and a testament to how interesting the relationships in this show have become. (I didn’t even talk about Vice and Ikki! They were very fun in this episode!) When they’re given space to explore their similarities and differences, I love this bizarre extended family. An episode like this one proves that they don’t have to lose that spark to tell new, fascinating stories. https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice23b.png |
If you thought the Weekend uniforms were ridiculous, then meet Karizaki. Not only is he permanently doing a Batman voice, but he wears a hockey mask at all times, even when Snoke summons him to the throne room of the flagship to berate him and say “Take that ridiculous thing off”.
And we get an interesting perspective switch with this episode’s fight. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...2696B3A3F.jpeg And there’s a subtle gag with the two Deadman monsters, who not only have the colours of each others’ Vistamps, but the powers you’d expect the other to have (the shark has fire powers, while the elephant has water powers). Because both their contracts are to the same woman. There was a paperwork mix up. Sakura: It’s Saku and… Karizaki: Prof. Karizaki’s… Both: Stamp Navi. Sakura: Wait, don’t we normally do this with George Karizaki? Karizaki: Normally yes. However, myself and the rest of the WEEKEND hierarchy are better suited to explaining this episode’s Vistamp. Rolling! https://youtube.com/watch?v=NIC55P8jCbQ Vice Up! Firmly! Hijack! Paint it Black! Kamen Rider Revice! Vice! Vice! Vice! Karizaki: This Kamen Rider with a dangerous appearance ... It seems that Vice is coming out. The violent fighting style that exposed the devil's instinct is a measurement result that it has more specs than all the Revice forms so far ... Goddamn! Especially in the finishing blow, it seemed to be exploding the destructive power by overloading the devil. This guy is absolutely dangerous. Sakura: Well then, why did you make it? Karizaki: I was trying to imbue Vice with Ikki’s brainwaves so he wouldn’t suffer headaches from Giff’s awakening. But evidently, it’s given him full control of Ikki’s body. A mistake, but not the first I’ve ever made. (He indicates a bright red object in an opaque case) Sakura: What’s that thing? It looks a lot like the… Karizaki: I’d prefer not to talk about it. The man I gave that Driver to… the power source was too dangerous for him to safely control… in the end, he gave his life to destroy them both. There was nothing to bury after that. (Everyone starts crying) Tasuke: This segment is getting too depressing. Hikaru: Erm, hey Sakura. This guy gave you those sexist Vistamp choices. Sakura: (suddenly angry) Why you son of a… (she picks up an iron bar and begins beating Karizaki with it) Karizaki: Ow, ow. I was only trying to push you to be stron- ow! We hope you enjoy the nex- ow! Somebody stop this crazy woman! Self production notes: For future reference, the Karizaki we’vejust met will be referred to as such, while the one we've known since day 1 (more or less) will be referred to as George. |
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Other than her reason of behaving that way to Tamaki, Aguilera now also seems to have trust in Sakura as well to rely on her for taking care of Tamaki like she did to Lovekov (without someone to protect her, she acts as a weakness to interfere in the fight while can't do anything...), and not finishing her off (and it's also in-line with her characterization to be really bossy and hates being ordered), while she goes to achieve her own goals. Still Aguilera only benefitted 2 people so far, Tamaki and Sakura, and her schemes to bring forth Giff can doom others while also working with Olteca (acting bossy as usual), she picked favorites (dunno if she'd sacrifice Sakura for Giff like before) to be spared and it's only 2 so far. Though her behavior is useful in this episode to advance the plot towards solving the Kukki Kaidan incident, with Daiji figuring out that Vice is also pretending to be an ass to defend Ikki while Ikki figures it out too from both to discover the perpetrator behind Shark and Elephant Deadmen, as usual with his deductive skills. Quote:
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I should watch revice, I've been not watching much kr lately.
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 24 - “DOCTOR KARIZAKI RETURNS! OPERATION INVERSION!”
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice24a.png Sort of a boring episode, despite an emotional and warm Ikki/Vice main plot. As always, the character-based elements shine, but there’s just too much weird Series Arc stuff to address in this episode, and it distracts from a core premise that’s decently enjoyable. It’s a conclusion, of sorts, to the dilemma of Ikki and Vice switching places. The fun twist is that George has figured out how to easily and quickly reverse the process… but Vice doesn’t trust George enough to try it. I like that we’re not in a story where the solution is inherently dangerous, or difficult, or mysterious. It’s just that the solution is coming from George, and absolutely no one should trust George right now. George was responsible for Hiromi’s deteriorating condition! George jumped at the chance to do some mad science on the Demons Driver for Olteca’s possible benefit! George is probably slightly more clued-in than the rest of the cast about what Akaishi’s up to! George is a morally bankrupt mad scientist – no one should trust him! But Ikki does (for, uh, reasons; it’s never really stated or implied why Ikki trusts George, beyond there not really being any other options), and Vice trusts Ikki, so we get Ikki back. It’s a cute story about how much trust Ikki and Vice have in each other now, but it never really rises above the level of Cute. There’s nothing here we didn’t already know, and no new shades to the Ikki/Vice partnership. It’s sweet, and well-acted, but still fairly minor in its scope and accomplishment. Meanwhile, there’re what seemed like six million scenes of the overlapping Olteca/Giff/Fenix/Daiji/Weekend struggle to address, and they all felt like they were in a completely different, less compelling version of this show. It’s too much, too many moving pieces. If we only had to deal with two of those, I’d pick Daiji’s single scene of pushing back Kagerou, and maybe Olteca scheming to upgrade the Demons Driver. But we get those AND multiple scenes with Weekend AND a couple sequences about Giff (including more hints about Dad Igarishi’s connection) AND a bit with Aguilera that goes absolutely nowhere… it’s too much for two episodes, let alone this single installment. As a result, nothing feels like it moves ahead (the Demons Driver just Nopes out at the end!) and the main plot feels like it gets 75% of the space it actually needed to be great. It’s a messy episode, and an unfulfilling one as well. Wish this one landed better for me! I think most of the elements of this episode had promise, but the show needs to pare them down to just two or three at a time. At least this episode had a bunch of cute Lovekov stuff, though? https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../revice24b.png |
Yeah, there’s like too major things I remember from this. The first being Vice and Ikki finally getting in on that Imagin action (though given that all of Vice’s dialogue is unscripted, many noted that it doesn’t work quite as well dubbing wise, since it’s clear Ikki’s actor has no idea what he’s going to say next). But once again, there seems to be one instalment missing from this trilogy.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...CEC4EAA6D.jpeg And after weeks of being referred to as Mr. Demons, or Crime Steinbelt, we learn that the creepy voice in the Demons Driver is named Vail, as he returns to a Demons Driver retool. More on that next time. Ikki: It’s Ikki and… (Shifts into Vice-possessed Ikki, hereafter referred to as “V-Ikki”) V-Ikki: Vice’s Stamp Navi. Doesn’t work as well if we can’t both say it. (Shifts back into Ikki) Ikki: Well, never mind that now. Until we can fix that, today’s Vistamp is… this one! Condor! https://youtube.com/watch?v=kxWAMIG2mag Spread your wings! Dancing! Colouring! Condor! Let’s finish this, bird wild style! https://www.kamen-rider-official.com...8/rider1_image https://www.kamen-rider-official.com...8/rider2_image Ikki: Condor Genome is created primarily for aerial combat. It also possesses keen vision to sight enemies and strong hands that serve as a trump card. (Vice takes over) V-Ikki: Hey, why is this just Eagle Genome with none of the green? It’s just a load of unbroken purple and pink. George: That’s simple, this doubles up the left half of Eagle in deference to this guy doubling up the left half of W. Lockseed: Joker! Shotaro: Henshin! Joker! George: When the evil terrorist group Never attacked Futo and disabled all its Gaia Memories, Shotaro Hidari took the brand new T2 Joker Memory to fight alone with a power inherited from his mentor, Kamen Rider Skull. Shotaro: Let’s finish this, hard-boiled style! V-Ikki: So, Skull was kinda like Shotaro-sempai’s father figure, right? George: He’d have to have been better than my Daddy. Lying to me about being dead. (Ikki regains control) Ikki: Well, I know my dad is a dependable man. Nothing shady about him. (Ominous laughter can be heard from offscreen) Vail: (OS) Don’t be so sure, boy. (Everyone looks scared) George: What? Is that… the Demons Driver? Ikki: It sounds familiar… but I don’t know why. Vail: (OS) Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. And believe me, it won’t be pretty for anyone involved. |
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