It's so weird how you misspelled "Peko"!

It's honestly just so fun to hang out with these three characters again. And the problem is so specifically Keitaro (a child is mad at clean clothes) that I was immediately on board with this super low stakes story. I'm almost a little mad that there's an Orphnoch at the end?

Yeah, I feel like it's the sort of thing that Inoue just doesn't think is that important? Most of the time, I'm right there with him. I don't need two scenes of Yuuji deciding to go hit a few dingers, and then he runs into Takumi. Just, like, give me that sweet sweet Takumi/Yuuji goodness and I'll forgive your shortcut.

The problem is, when you're taking shortcuts to do things that are either a) totally nonsensical, or b) not that interesting, I'm going to wonder why you couldn't spend another minute closing that plothole.

Like, if the meal at a restaurant is delicious, I'm probably not going to be too long-term grumpy at poor service. But if the meal's just okay, I'm going to remember the inattentive server a lot more.

Hell Bent is also the episode where the big long series mystery is resolved with a "*shrug* Who really cares?", so don't worry, he's also doing that there too.

We all know the most consequential character is Kouta's permanently off-screen parents.

Takumi's situation is relatable. He doesn't want to open up to people about his problems, he wants to solve them. Mari and Keitarou may have his best interests at heart but their attempt to force it out of him isn't helpful and just makes him feel even worse. Sometimes, introverts just need their space to process these difficult dilemmata. Kiba respects Takumi's feelings enough to not harass him and let him open up on his own. It's one of the major differences between Kiba and Keitarou, their approach to helping others. Keitarou is a chronic hero, he wants to solve other people's problems. Kiba wants to help people solve their own problems. Kiba is unable to solve his own problem as his murder of Chie has resulted in her brother throwing away his humanity in his crusade for vengeance. It's the perfect setup for Takumi to get out of his funk by seeing for himself why Faiz is still necessary and his purpose is still worth owning.

Despite being the conclusion of the Kaixa arc, it's not about him. He was the catalyst but this arc is really about how the accumulation of his actions affected Takumi. After a losing streak, this climactic fight establishes that Faiz is back! Team Faiz has revived as well with Mari and Keitarou visibly happy to have Takumi back to normal. Kusaka going on a road trip was just what Takumi needed to regain his confidence. It's definitely an awesome fight, Faiz solo against a tag team of Orphenochs, with Justifaiz playing in the background for the first time. I haven't even mentioned Justifaiz until now! It's one of my favorites for sure and ISSA will eventually portray an important character similar to Matsuoka Mitsuru.

Oh no! Don't let out of universe people like you also hooked up with Kusaka! Sure, Kusaka got some points right there, but grade-s-douchebags or villains can get a point occassionally while not being a righteous person. And even if Kusaka points out that Orphnochs are murderous and that Takumi's reluctance is dangerous, he also stated that he only fought to test his own skills, not for anyone, so why should Takumi actually fight in his point of view if no concern for greater good?

Yeah, blown off again the chance there. Mari and Keitaro still have some affection for him as shown here, that previously Sh Ranger thinks there's no chance to explain anymore, but here he does because they both recognize that the problem is that Takumi doesn't want to fight Orphnochs, and that this is the reason he attacked Kusaka. Though this one's finally actually solved. And Yuji being combo'ed with Takumi? Oh well, this actually just get started. Kusaka may be the secondary Rider, but Yuji is the deuteragonist of this series, like Ankh of OOO. Takumi/Yuji is just expected of that. Yuji talked about how there's something you should talk, but can't because they won't fix anything, but I think for this time, it can because Takumi's friends are concerned and not hostile again, though you think it's for their feelings.

As Justifaiz plays here (though it's the 2nd chorus).... Dilemma wa owaranai! (The dilemma that wouldn't end) It's written on the song! I didn't think much of Morishita knowing about Yuji being the killer because of his Orphnoch qualities, but here actually I gave it more thoughts because, obviously, him getting Orphnoch powers. That way, he'd be an actual adversary to Yuji! Now it's shown about someone gaining Orphnoch powers without being in danger? (like Yuji and Yuka).

Faiz being maximum badass here to defeat 2 Orphnochs at once. And Sparkle Cut, the sword finisher, the wave.... explodes the car it hits (I've seen this scene before going to the series). So Takumi didn't have to talk about it to his friends, because he's just going back into fighting Orphnochs. It's a shame that Cucksaka didn't have a chance to witness this (though he wouldn't change). Well yeah, I forgot to state this before but, I do think the same as you, I wouldn't necessarily want for gruff and unpleasant character to undergo a major and total change after development like Takumi here, but the opposite goes true as well to me, I also don't want a personable characters to be changed into grumpy douchebags just because those are the ones viewers enjoy; fanservice (like, if they don't want the unpleasant character to change only because they like watching jerks and want more of them to change the "wimpy" personable character too). Doesn't mean don't want any development to either type, though I just think that it's not that easy to change 180 degrees.

Yeah, Takumi's introversion is probably always going to make things difficult with Mari's bullheadedness (which worked great on Kaido) and Keitaro's clinginess (which worked great on Yuka). The fact that these three are still friends after eighteen episodes is maybe the most heroic thing of all!

Also, "dilemmata"? Nice work! That is definitely a new word I learned today. Thought it was a typo at first, but, nope, plural of dilemma. Kudos!

It's really growing on me. I mean, I liked it to start, but now I'm really liking it. Except, since Switchblade and Akiba Silver got me thinking more about Gaim, I can't get Just Live More out of my head.

I guess it's the difference between someone being right, and someone having a point. Kusaka's zero-tolerance policy for Orphnochs, along with his I Just Like Beating Things motivation, he's not right. But he still has a point when he tells Takumi that refusing to fight because things are complicated isn't a great solution.

Sure, there's definitely a difference between Yuuji's problem (he murdered someone) and Takumi's problem (he can't murder anyone). But the larger point the show is making, I think, is that you can't be frozen by an unsolvable problem. Sometimes sharing would help, and sometimes it wouldn't, but you've got to find a way forward regardless.

So, not sure if you mean him becoming an Orphnoch, or him turning into an Orphnoch for the first time, so I'll take a run at both.

For him becoming an Orphnoch, there's a gap in time between when Merderman attacks Morishita's car, and when Yuuji, Takumi, and Keitaro find him. I assume that Morishita's heart was burned up just before Yuuji found him.

For him turning into an Orphnoch, it's the same emotional stress that triggered Yuuji and Yuka's transformations.

KAMEN RIDER 555 EPISODE 19

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz19a.png

--1--

Aw, what a sweet episode.

I feel like I’m going to bring this one up a bunch if I ever see people declare Faiz to be the Mean Kamen Rider series. There’s such a sweetness to this story, to Keiko’s arc, and it’s all based in Faiz storytelling. It’s just, like, tuned to Aw instead of Yikes.

--2--

Like, Keiko’s whole motivation and attitude, it’s no different than arcs we’ve gotten with Yuka or Takumi. She’s lost something important in her life, and being reminded of it makes her lash out. She ruins clean white clothes because clean white clothes used to make her happy, and now she can’t have them. She pushes people away because she’s been abandoned by her amnesiac mother, and she doesn’t want to be abandoned again. This… this is all very Faiz!

It’s fun to see this stuff play out with a child, though, because it makes some of the more extreme pieces of acting out seem more realistic. Not that I’ve got a problem with extreme behavior with the cast of Faiz! It’s just, Keiko racing out of Team Orphnoch HQ because she’s having a tough time emotionally is a little easier to understand than, say, Kaido constantly racing out of Team Orphnoch HQ while Yuka yells after him.

They’re all children, is maybe what I’m saying, and Keiko’s story is no different than any of theirs. She just gets to have a happy ending, while they’re still mired in their own neuroses.

--3--

Boy, pretty fun to see all six members of the classic cast, though, right? If last time I was complaining (“complaining”) about how often folks just run into each other, this episode is the reason why I’m not mad about that storytelling choice. I love how intertwined the two casts are, how easily Mari can just be at Team Orphnoch HQ, or how Team Faiz will call Team Orphnoch to let them know how Keiko’s doing. That shit never gets old with me.

And, in general, it’s cool to see Keiko float between the two groups, to see how each side deals with her. Team Orphnoch doesn’t really get a lot of time around her, but it’s nice to see that they welcome her maybe a little quicker than Team Faiz. Yuka sees a hurt little girl and immediately feels protective; Kaido sees a chance to preen; and Yuuji feels sympathy for someone lacking a family. It’s, again, not a lot (they really only get one scene together), but it makes total sense how they’d all react to Keiko.

--4--

The return of Fungus The Clown makes a little less sense, if I’m being honest. It’s a part of this story that never really connects, thematically or plot-wise. He’s just a monster clown who scares a little girl, but he’s not really relevant to the story.

For Keiko, it's not like this monster is some nemesis who's responsible for her mom's accident or anything. Her problems aren't even Orphnoch adjacent! (I mean, there's almost definitely some Smart Brain stuff at play, but it's incidental at this point in her story.) She's a girl who's had a tough go of it, and it's all about reaching her emotionally. Having an Orphnoch show up moves the spotlight off of Keiko, the character who this whole story centers on.

The Orphnoch ends up being a thing that makes Keitaro scared, and Keitaro then has to overcome that fear to protect Keiko. But, like, this story isn’t about Keitaro being scared, it’s about Keitaro trying to help a little girl feel better about her tragic existence, as well as maybe trying to fix that tragic existence. Like, Keiko wasn’t mad at him because an Orphnoch attacked and he didn’t fight it, she’s mad because he blew up at her and told her to go away. Him fighting an Orphnoch is a) not smart, and b) not what she was upset about.

Even for Keitaro’s arc, again, he wasn’t beating himself up about being a coward for the first part of this story, so having him physically protect Keiko doesn’t really solve his story. His story resolution is about reaffirming his desire to improve Keiko’s life, and he does that by being Keitaro, which is to say by doing a ton of laundry. Having that clown keep showing up, it feels perfunctory, irrelevant, a distraction. There’s a story they’re telling about someone protecting people’s smiles, and then a random monster shows up randomly. It’s my least favorite way of using a monster in a Kamen Rider story, and it’s structurally the only real problem this episode has.

--5--

The fight against Fungus The Clown isn’t even the memorable fight from the episode! Faiz’s fight against Horsepower was pretty great (with Horsepower going to Four-Legged Drive mode), but the final Faiz Fight against Mr. J had one of the coolest finishes this show has had yet.

Mr. J shows up after Fungus has been destroyed, and it goes back and forth for a minute. Faiz goes for his kick finisher, but Mr. J blocks it. But then Faiz boosts off of Mr. J’s block, puts on his duster in mid-air, and then brings it down with an Exceed Charge to finish off Mr. J.

Holy shit. It was so impressive, and it’s the kind of thing I love to see a show do. It’s fairly typically for a tough enemy to be finished off with the hero just, like, trying harder, and that’s fine. Or maybe an ally helps out, and that’s usually neat. But when the hero has to fight smarter, when they have to combine the tools they’ve already got to beat someone that’s previously had their number (I mean, both of Mr. J’s other defeats are at Kaixa’s hands), it’s my favorite thing to see in a Kamen Rider fight.

So, yeah, great fight for a surprisingly sweet episode!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz19b.png

Ah, poor Mr. J. So long, puddin'.

The important thing is that Chaco will be okay. In a lot of older tokusatsu from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, dogs were often killed off to show how scary and mean the monsters are. It's nice to see Chaco moving on to a good home, albeit one where the family is way too amused by their own laundry.

I’d say that the Shitten’Ou of Orphnochs that was Lucky Clover is broken, but as TV Tropes points out in its entry for this show under “Elite Four”, they were never a real example anyway.

Especially with Kusaka trying his best to make everybody hate Takumi. You're right that Mari's and Keitarou's methods have proven effective before, but only with people who are receptive to those methods. Square peg, round hole.

Thanks! I like words. If you're interested, Wikipedia has a list of ata suffix plurals:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Categ...ending_in_"-a"

Damn, I don't even like Just Live More and yet the chorus gets stuck in my head if I think about Gaim too much. When that happens, I usually just recall Be The One (Be The One! Alright!) until that song gets stuck instead.

Yeah, it's implied that Yoshimasa's heart was destroyed/mutated which makes him the same type as Kaido. This type is more common than Original and likely applies to most MOTWs, although not Flyingfish.

I think this is a good arc for Keitarou, even if his hesitance to fight is secondary to Keiko's story. This guy was originally planning to fight the Orphenochs as Faiz before he found out he couldn't so it makes sense that he would want to overcome this challenge and be more heroic as a human. Keitarou seldom gets as much focus as the other characters and that's why I like that this arc gives him as much focus as possible and while it's not immediately important, that development is going to stick with him as the show progresses. The part where Keitarou snaps at Keiko is also important. He feels bad about it but it shows that while Keitarou can be a pushover, even he has a limit.

I remember you saying that Faiz Shot was boring compared to Faiz Pointer and usually I'd agree, but yeah, the Faiz Pointer Shot Combo Smash Impact Finisher is a very memorable Faiz moment. It's like Pointer is the main course and Shot is the dessert and it wouldn't have been right to finish a tank like Mr. J with anything less. I love how adaptable Rider Gears are, how all it takes to jump from one finisher to the next is to move the Mission Memory to another device and press a button.

It's a shame Mr. J had to die since his interaction with Keiko showed he still had some good in him, which confirms what Takumi was thinking about Orphenochs in the previous arc. He just wanted to provide a good life for Chaco and he was forced in to his position by Murakami's threats. At least his death was honorable and Chaco got a new home. It's the worst part of being a Kamen Rider that Takumi understands now, having to kill potentially good people to stop them from killing other people.

Mr. J and Murakami's stuff.... Murakami is presented as a irredeemable villain, but so far, it seems that Murakami (and probably other Lucky Clover) tolerates their minions/henchmen for losing 2 lives and faiing....

It's definitely not me, obviously it's a good thing to have the non-Riders having stories and plans. But unfortunately, for some people, if it's not related to the grand plot, like you know, directly influencing the main plot part (commonly something like the fate for the world or potentially foiling the villains) or something, it's considered useless sthick for people. Like if the dreams are so slice-of-life, personal, and domestic, the scenes about them pursuing the dreams can be considered as filler scenes because it bears no relation to the main plot. Once again, it's not me, I know full well that people can have daily life stuffs, and KR is a toku with that element inside, and that it's unfair to judge them if what they want is unrelated to Rider stuffs.

It's obviously in character yeah for Keitaro to be taken advantage by others because of his dream. But man... that'd mean Keitaro could make for a bad parent (cmiiw). If it's like that, Keitaro can be the kind to spoil his child to no end, which actually would make the child grow up to be terrible and likely won't happy because spoiled one would never be satisfied for ever. And Keitaro... calling out Takumi and Mari mean for not understanding Keiko's situation with dead parents.... didn't you just forget what Mari monologued to you second at ep. 12? And even then he somehow is able to buy her all the stuffs he used to spoil her like a whole new mixer, or the likely so expensive idol outfit.

With her behavior to Keitaro, I wonder how her dead parents live with her. Like did she put them through hell or something with her spoiled behavior to be given everything (which probably can also stem from her parents' upbringing to spoil her first, or if they're rich enough to actually spoil her without problem... but dunno, she seems to be doing a street beggar-like business currently). A̶n̶d̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶n̶d̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶l̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶h̶a̶v̶i̶o̶r̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶t̶o̶l̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶b̶r̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶y̶n̶a̶m̶i̶c̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶F̶a̶i̶z̶?̶ Then again for being a brat, childs are usually being made like that in various medias.

Did you talk about the Mari knowing about Soeno being a detective as a misunderstanding/melodrama? I mean, that doesn't have a real disastrious consequence yet as shown here, probably people won't refer to that one for the misunderstanding stuff, AFAIK people actually have pet peeves to the misunderstanding because of how it can make problems unecessarily escalate into catastrophic levels. And for Takumi and Yuji walking in, obviously that's plausible too, because nothing crosses in any of their mind that, Yuji may be monstrous to Takumi, or Takumi may be a Rider to Yuji. Which makes them think about the monster talk refering to Morishita's state instead of Takumi's fight against 2 Orphnoch. Also what's with Yuji thinking about Faiz being in the hand of those rebellious against Orphnochs? Obviously the trio are the non-malicious Orphnochs (even Yuka genuinely thinks Kaido as a wonderful person despite him mistreating her most of the time on the outside - albeit he cares about the 2 deep down), but does Yuji think about the other Orphnochs the same way? And that even if they refuse to play into Smart Brain's hands, the other Orphnochs aren't likely?

The 3 being still friends with all the dysfunctional thing being heroic.... sure! But don't make this as a promotion to convince people being scummy and cruel to others and give them free pass in the name of building chemistry! (more excuses for people being terrible then).

Well true. I just felt that you saying this may can be resolved as you seeing Kusaka as righteous deep down from him making a point, probably just my wrong instincts. And the fact that either douchebags or villains having a point isn't an uncommon moment.

Not even that long ago!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kuuga/kuuga09.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kuuga/kuuga10.png

That's from Kuuga, only three years earlier!

Yeah. For one thing, there are (allegedly) five of them. For another, they seem more like a social club?

I sort-of love that if you shook up the six main characters into nearly any other three-person configuration, they'd all be a lot happier. That's something I really appreciate in this show's writing.

Lifehack: I just listened to all of the Phase 2 Heisei theme songs on a drive for work today, and that pretty much reset my brain. Be The One is super great, though! My second favorite after Surprise Drive.

And he takes it so hard. It's interesting, how a character like Keitaro who's, like, a parody of empathetic heroes can still feel relatable and sympathetic. I think a lot of it is the actor, who makes some of Keitaro's absurdities (he lost his temper at a girl he'd taken into his home who destroyed his livelihood after selfishly manipulating him for a day, and he acted like he'd murdered her) still seem understandable. I'm rooting for this dope!

Yeah, I feel like Takumi's in the clear since Mr. J picked the fight. It's a pretty solid Get Out Of Guilt Free card for ol' Kamen Rider Faiz!

Ah! Can't believe I've just stumbled upon this thread! Kamen Rider Faiz is definitely one of my top favorite Rider series along with Gaim and W and I'm extremely glad that you're liking what you're watching thus far! Hope you'll give the movie a shot as well as I personally think it's one of the best standalone movies in the franchise.

As for the series itself, I can understand why it's divisive, and even agree with some of the points (most of which has to do with the plot in the latter half). Regardless of the plot, I just love these characters that are so real and grounded and it is the characters that make the series for me. Humanizing the monsters is something that Kamen Rider really doesn't do enough. Of course, the suits, action and Rider Gear are all top-notch and are among the best in the franchise.

Auto Vajin (his bike) is also my favorite Kamen Rider bike and one of my top favorite robot designs in all of fiction. Not only is the transformation really elegant, the bike functions as not only a simple mode of transport, but as a support mecha that can actively help Faiz out even during combat. That's brilliant.

He would be an incredibly bad parent!

Well, the flashbacks certainly make it seem like Keiko's just having a real tough time of it since her mom got hospitalized. In those flashbacks, she's a happy, thoughtful kid. She's having a tough time processing her mom's amnesia, and feeling abandoned, so everything she does to Team Faiz is because of that. (Even her drawings are meaner than they used to be!) Once she gets her mom back, she probably won't be as terrible to people. Probably!

Oh, I just meant that it's a little convenient for the detective to be loudly shouting Keiko's name just as Mari's around to hear it. It's a little clunky.

Hey, thanks for finding this thread! Paying all of that money to upgrade my TokuNation account really helped get some eyeballs on this thing. I'm only really budgeted for Xtreme right now, but fingers crossed I can afford bumping up to GoldXtreme next month. (Things don't really start ramping up until you get out of the free Lost level, but that's a whole other thread.)

I definitely plan on watch the movie and the HBV. I don't want to miss something cool!

How great is Team Orphnoch?! Those three could anchor a show of their own, which is something I can't really say about any other group of Kamen Rider adversaries. ("Adversaries".) I think what's makes them so strong is that you could pretty easily tell their story without Faiz. They don't really care about what he's up to. If Yuuji sees Faiz out kicking Orphnoch ass, he's going to mix it up, but Team Orphnoch isn't sitting around plotting against Faiz.

Having so much time spent on their motivations, their fears, and having it mostly be unrelated to belts and heroes and smiles and whatever, it leads to incredibly deep characters.

Thanks again for finding this discussion!

Oh no, there are four of them and it's very much an elite membership thing. You're going to see Mistah J's open seat being a major issue in upcoming episodes.

I mean, at their first meeting they mentioned a guy who wasn't there, so I just assumed. But, yep, the empty seat comes up in Episode 20!

KAMEN RIDER 555 EPISODE 20

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz20a.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz20b.png

--1--

Oh my god, YOU GUYS.

This episode was... it's like my wish got granted. This episode is all of my Faiz hopes and dreams, even the ones I didn't dare speak aloud, bundled together. It moved from strength to strength to delirious delight, and I almost don't want to watch another episode, because I've already touched the face of God.

--2--

When this one started, it was already making me happy in the very first scene. I love the minutiae of Team Faiz, the stuff they do between fighting to "Dead or Alive” and the next time someone shouts Orphnoch. I like the little domestic scenes of them at work. I like the admission that Keitaro is a very hard worker but probably an extremely poor businessman. (Although, he's only paying Takumi 100 yen an hour, so maybe he's smarter than he's given credit?) All that stuff is great.

Then the show ups the ante by having Yuka hang out with Mari, while Keitaro hangs out with Kaido. The stuff with the boys is incredibly cute, them exclaiming their love for Mari and Yuka, and it's so charming how romantic these two characters are. They're ruled by their passions, and it's a blast to see them bond over that trait.

The scene with the girls is one of my all-time favorite in the show, and it's such a small thing. Everything in it is so naturalistic, just two young women sharing their insecurities, gossiping about dumb boys, and enjoying each other's company. They're surrounded by men all the rest of the time, so it's nice to see them get a little time to hang out with other women. It's a little bit of a shame that the talk turns so quickly to their romances, though.

Which is the problem, and it sends this show into a higher gear, putting my brain on a very high boil. A double-date between these four characters, with Mari realizing that her new friend Yuka is in love with Kaido, who's crushing on Mari, while her old friend Keitaro is crushing on Yuka... it's the best. I could not imagine how this show could come up with something so perfectly suited to my tastes.

Until all four of them took a job at a pizza place.

I say this with absolutely no hyperbole, but if that concept existed as a separate show I would quit Faiz and start a thread on that show tomorrow. I would never look back. That idea is so flawless, that... I was so happy. I was so into that. I could watch a million hours of that idea. That's, like, the top of the mountain in entertainment.

Until all four of them got sick and asked Takumi and Yuuji to fill in for them.


!!!

!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!

When Yuka and Kaido are begging Yuuji to take over their shift, I was begging louder than they were. Takumi and Yuuji working together in a pizza place is the fanfic of my dreams, and somehow it is canon.

This... my heart. I don't know what to do with all of this joy.

--3--

I was so into the romantic comedy escapades of these idiots that I honestly wasn't super dialed in for most of the Lucky Clover stuff. I liked it, I like those characters, but it was silver to the other plot's solid gold.

Kageyama's a compelling character, but most of what she's doing in this one is bumping off nobodies. Nice to see her work, but it didn't really start to pop until she (literally!) whips Horsepower's ass. Mr. J became not that much of a threat by his third death, so it's great to see the other members keeping their heat.

And, y'know, Houjou. Speaking of my dreams given form, Houjou versus Faiz? Yes. Hell yes. He immediately knocks him out of his Henshin, stealing the belt and Faiz phone in less time than it took Mr. J to transform. He's a beast, and I'm into him being Faiz for a minute.

--4--

Which, of course Takumi and Yuuji are running for their lives in the same warehouse, and of course they both got knocked out of their superpowered forms, and of course Yuuji sees Houjou Henshin into Faiz. It's so perfectly arranged, I'm not mad at a single note of it. It's such a great cliffhanger for the show. I genuinely wouldn't be upset if the two of them go on the run together, and that's what this show is for the next 30 episodes.

--5--

This episode, you guys.

It's all overheated romantic hijinks and supporting cast subplots, and easily my favorite episode of this show. I don't give a shit that there's barely one Faiz fight at the end. I don't give a shit that Takumi is backgrounded for 80% of this episode. Just plug Four Idiots Have Romantic Misadventures Until They Get Sick And Takumi And Yuuji Need To Work Together At A Pizza Place into my veins.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz20c.png

I really forgot how funny Faiz can be. The double date with each participant having not only their own locked expression but accompanying theme music was just delightful, as were Takumi and Yuuji squirming to stay out of all this ridiculousness.

I'm really glad I decided to watch the show again with you because it's really making me re-evaluate my stance on it. Faiz has lived on in my memory for so long by its worst elements that I'd completely buried all the good. Truth be told, back when I was first watching the show I really loved it up to a point. It wasn't until someone pointed out the tendency towards poor communication that I started seeing it all over the place and my opinion of the entire series soured (not completely, mind you, there's one moment near the very end that I loved and still want to see get its own spin-off series - it involves a frying pan and it is fantastic). That's basically what Faiz has been for me in all the time since then: just a memory of its worst elements and a mental block on all the good. I'm not sure if my revised opinion will hold - I know some of the stuff that's coming up and there's definitely some moments in there - but for now I'm really happy to be seeing this show in a new light.

You see Faiz's main motif was actually a pizza all along, his helmet featuring the image of one sliced in two.

Problem with extreme behavior? When? This is probably a flawed view, but from my experience, extreme behavior is like, the one acceptable way to write a character, the only way to give a shot for an interesting and memorable character (keyword: give a shot, because this is fifty-fifty, they can also be hated for the exaggerated behavior, but...). This is also something that is more prevalent in Neo-Heisei serieses. Continuing from the acting topic before, you're talking about this episode having more realistic take of those, but people thinking of characters who doesn't behave in an extreme way as having no personality or is a bad actor, the reason they say that? Because they think non-extreme characters are robotic and not like humans at all, and thus unrealistic... (and more unfair jabs to introversions). So that'd mean, making characters not extreme is the problematic one. Anyway, Keiko's sthick of dirtying others' clothes because she can't be happy anymore... this reveals the root of her problems, that's the standard toxic behavior of "people putting others down just to make yourself feel better" coping mechanism, within the old maxim of “stand on other people’s toes to raise themselves”, commonly seen in internet trolls. This is not a healthy one and when it seemingly works they will just feed off of it. Also there's a part where she pushes people away, but about her being a spoiled brat to others like Keitaro? Where apparently she wasn't that way to her parents, but were her parents didn't teach her to behave?

Mari had visited Team Orphnoch HQ (Speaking of Team Orphnoch, I've just checked the series outside again, they're refered as The Renegades) before, more than once.... where did you think that Kaido's love sthick came from?? Also I don't think what people complained was about folks running into each other (I don't know how did you assume that's the part of "misunderstanding" or "melodrama", honestlly). Otherwise, for Mari regarding Keiko Noguchi or Kurata... this just reminds me (and probably her) back when she mistook Ichiro for Masato when looking for Kusaka... partly same name with different first/surname. Probably that's the reason why she didn't talk about it before, she (and I also thought this way) thought he was coincidentally talking about the other Keiko, right from Ichiro & Masato experience.

I agree with this. The Toadstool Orphnoch being heavily emphasized between these 2 episodes with Keiko as the main target and also her main source of fear.... that'd make you think it being influental in this story, but yeah, it was big time nope, unless somehow Toadstool's the one who caused the gas explosion. Because he's not related to anyone's problems here, if Keiko was just played as the victim of the week, Toadstool's sthick would play exactly the same. Regarding protecting people's smiles and a monster, it'd make a point if the monster actually attacked Keiko's mom and putting her in amnesia and hospital, thus sending Keiko into this unhappy state, right?

I also agree, while the finisher attack isn't a good one to me, the choreograph and maneuver here is superb. To have Faiz being thrown up to air after Crimson Smash only to still fight back while airborne the whole time by using Grand Impact attack. It's all smart, cool, and smooth.

This episode!

I realized, thinking more about it later, why this type of comedy landed for me. There's a thing I think a lot of people do, when they're watching a show, where they think Wouldn't It Be Hilarious If X Happened Next. And you know the show isn't going to do X next, because it's stupid and funny but it could break the reality of the show. But then the producers do it anyway, and they do it in a way that the reality of the show supports. Moreover, the reality of the show enhances the joke, leveling it up into something hilarious and poignant. That shit, where a show can validate an absurd premise, rendering it both funny and insightful... I'm not sure there's anything in storytelling that I like better.

Awesome! I'm glad Faiz is working for you. Twenty episodes in, I think it's got a ton of positives.

Bob's Burgers AU Where It's The Six Main Characters From Faiz Running A Pizza Place:

Takumi = Bob
Yuuji = Linda
Kaido = Louise
Mari = Gene
Yuka = Tina
Keitaro = Teddy

So, two things.

First, she's a kid, and I've seen real-life children act WAY worse than Keiko acts here. Children are still developing their critical faculties, their coping strategies, and all of the ways adults process their emotions. Keiko's behavior is from someone at a formative stage, and that formative stage can get messy and ugly. It's not really accurate to compare adult problems to a kid's misbehavior.

Second, she's going through a lot. She doesn't know what to do with all of this fear and anger and sadness, so it comes out in weird ways. She's not being a brat when she ruins people's clothes, she's seeing a physical manifestation of her former happiness, and she can't process its absence. It's a trigger for her, and the fact that she only dirties those clothes is maybe an incredibly mature choice.

Oh, I didn't think she made the connection back then, just that she had to be there for that exact moment so that she'd have the information later.

Hey, so, more thoughts on why that Yuka/Mari scene was so great.

A while back, I said that I don't think Yuka is really in love with Kaido or Keitaro. And, y'know, after this past episode? I still don't.

Yuka's lived an intensely traumatic life, and her views on romance have been warped by those traumas. She viewed Email Keitaro as an escape from pain, not anyone she was truly connected to. She viewed IRL Keitaro as a distraction from complicated feelings, a way that she could ignore her confusion. She views Kaido as a way to define herself, as a way to feel useful. And feeling useful is the core of Yuka's self-worth, how she knows if she's allowed to feel happy. The things she mentions to Mari in this episode about Kaido, it's about how useless she feels and how he'd like her better if she could do more for him.

All of those things, they're intensely unhealthy. These are not pure emotions, they're someone trying to paper over a lifetime of abuse. It's running from tragedy into a completely different identity, that of Someone's Girlfriend.

The thing that makes me love the Mari and Yuka scene, then, is how much that doesn't happen. How we don't see Yuka contorting herself into a shape that's more pleasing to someone else, but how she's comfortable, happy, accepted.

Yuka's probably never had a friend, let alone a friend that was a girl. Her relationships with men are all based in supplication, in deference. She follows Yuuji's lead, she accepts Kaido's judgment. With Mari, all of that is off the table. Mari doesn't make any demands on her. Mari doesn't judge her. Mari allows her a space to be open about her fears, to feel joy in her dreams. It's simple friendship, and it brings out Yuka's happiness in a way that I'm not sure anyone else ever has.

She doesn't need a man to attach herself to, she needs a friend like Mari. That's why I'm glad we got that scene.

OK, I'm sorry for a take like this that you have to do this (and sorry for the next I want to say here too). I was probably a bit irrational right there, just speaking out of my mind of something that reminds me right there. And even if anything, here you say don't compare kid's misbehavior with adult problems here, but actually, those adults I refer with the problems I mentioned before? Those are the ones that will be refered as immature, because they respond in the same way as a kid's misbehavior.

Well, not all hard workers are money oriented or a guaranteed success (depending on what busniess they do!). So being a hardworker doesn't really indicate how well you are as a businessman. Even then, being a hardworker at least indicates it's like, going through "brute force" way compared to "skill and finesse" way at work. Plus they sometimes say, work smart, not hard. Eh then again that phrase is used for those primarily money-oriented because that's what success is viewed primarily... ok enough rambling, back to Faiz, Keitaro explicitly stated he only wanted to help people, not be rich from the job, so it's not like he's a poor businessman just that he's not money oriented (which obviously, have Takumi and Mari think so for that)?

Then yeah, sooner or later of course, Keitaro will get to know Kaido better, the person who he previously deemed as unworthy of being a Faiz compared to Takumi. But how would he feel against him now? That he becomes one of the few person that Kaido gets along seemingly without any rudeness. The boys are just more open and direct compared to the girls... they just right at the bat mentioned the name of the person they fell in love with. W̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶K̶a̶i̶d̶o̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶s̶t̶i̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶K̶e̶i̶t̶a̶r̶o̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶o̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶a̶s̶t̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶l̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶i̶r̶l̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶s̶ ̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶o̶f̶.̶ Mari mentioning about someone falling in love with her... she didn't sense Kusaka likely having that too to her? Or that it's not only Kaido having that? And so it seems that Yuka truly have an interest to Kaido....what happened with Keitaro's? Also did Mari get to know Yuka's name? She thought Keitaro plays off 2 women (one named Yuka, one named Osada), if she does it could come together.

T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶c̶e̶p̶t̶ ̶e̶x̶i̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶e̶p̶a̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶w̶.̶.̶.̶?̶ ̶T̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶K̶a̶m̶e̶n̶ ̶R̶i̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶k̶u̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶c̶u̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶!̶ OK, with this being "the top of the mountain in entertainment" and "perfectly suited to my tastes", can you give a concrete definition of it here? It's currently harder to figure it simply by reading your gushes. Also I wonder about the line and toleration between "natural" (the girls) and "wacky" (the boys, and pretty much everything else) respectively that you love both here (and both traits are total opposites).

It seems that the Smart Brain and the Lucky Clover were really on the same page. Smart Lady drives a
(facelift) NSX, now here Kageyama driving Honda S2000.
https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...4052/s2000.png
I didn't expect that Mr. J was just on lower level that other Lucky Clovers are the one to keep up the heat. And the Takuma fight, so was the Riders' belt here isn't attached into their Rider forms they henshin to? Oh well, Faiz Riders here has a fatal weakness! To have the belt so easily pulled away from them (this fight! one of those that actually targets the very thing that made the Rider strong in the first place!). And for Yuji wondering about who's Faiz, he probably didn't have the thought of Takumi being Faiz right? I haven't seen his reaction to the revelation yet here, though probably will be done next episode. To see his suspicions just turned right that Faiz belt was in the hand of someone immoral.

To be honest, when I was younger what I heard was Faiz having a good and engaging story. I even convinced one of my friends to watch Faiz that he talked about which ones with good story (he collected KR series but only for collection, not watching them). But I didn't delve into the discussions further that what lies beneath that for people was actually the flaws like misunderstandings and melodrama. I think probably with this thread, the valid one is going back to what I heard when I was younger again. OK so apart from Faiz, what's the actual thoughts for Inoue?

So, I don't really have much to contribute to the discussion at the moment (it's hard to play contrarian when I agree with so much of what Die keeps saying, plus this was a stretch of the show I don't remember the subs having any real problems), but I do just wanna say I, I don't know, I just really like how positive the vibe this thread has going is?

I mean, Die, you've said a lot of nice things about my Kuuga thread, but I don't think you realize how much of a service you're doing to all the destitute Faiz fans out there right now. I didn't realize how much my life needed someone else gushing about how fun this wacky bunch of weirdos (and Yuuji) is until I had it.

Don't be sorry! You're entitled to your opinion! I just wanted to give some space to the notion that a kid character is maybe allowed to be awful in a way that's a lot more situational or temporary than an adult character. It's totally fine if Keiko still bugs you. She's not easy to like!

As a business owner, let me assure you that being a hard worker is not the surest path to financial success.

The point that I think Mari and Takumi were trying to make, though, is that he's a hard worker that is not going to have a business to work hard at, unless he figures out a way to make more money. It's well and good to have a high-minded mission statement, but unless Keitaro's running a nonprofit dry-cleaners/therapy office (which, it's possible!), he's going to be out of a job and homeless pretty goddamn soon.

I didn't really talk about this before, but I'm a big fan of Keitaro no longer holding a grudge against Kaido. I think another show, a worse show, would have them be rivals, antagonists. But here, there's no real animosity. They so quickly fell into a friendship, so excited about finding another hopeless romantic to hang out with.

I did! Just a little bit ago!

Hope that clears it up!

Yeah, boy, Houjou's clearly the smart one! Instead of some long battle, he's all Yoink and that's it. It's a good strategy!

I never got the feeling Yuuji suspected Takumi was Faiz. Yuuji sees Faiz as a Smart Brain enforcer, so Faiz being some young guy who works at a dry cleaners (and is a total failure of a human being, per Mari's cover story) wouldn't make his list of suspects. So, yeah, it being Houjou is exactly who he'd think Faiz would be.

Aw, thanks! I'm happy to help!

I just like watching Kamen Rider, you know? All types. It's awesome to be able to talk about these shows with people who like them, too!

Imagine liking Kamen Rider, everyone knows to be a real fan you have to hate all of it apart from your one chosen episode that the rest will never live up to. Mine is the episode of Drive where Genpachiro befriends the Decatora car, btw.

Look, honestly? Everything in this franchise is garbage except for Gremlin getting frustrated at Medusa for misidentifying Kamen Riders. I was just being polite this whole time, but I'm glad to find out that Actively Enjoying Kamen Rider is an unnecessary perspective. Phew! So much less pressure!

Still not a fan. I've seen Kiva, a show I will definitely not be re-evaluating my opinion of.

Pretty good choice! Aside from, y'know, it being rubbish due to everything being garbage aside from my chosen episode -- the Kikaider episode of Gaim!

KAMEN RIDER 555 EPISODE 21

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz21a.png

--1--

Why does the Takumi/Yuuji friendship work so well?

I've said before that their chemistry makes for one of my favorite pairings on this show, so nearly an entire episode devoted to them slowly growing closer as friends? YES. But, like, even after this episode it's hard to say why they work so well together.

--2--

In past encounters, there was more of a sense of Yuuji being above Takumi. Yuuji, sweetly, hilariously, would implore Takumi to stop his roguish ways and finally make his sister (who is not his sister) proud. Or Yuuji would be there for Takumi during a crisis, ready to lend an ear to someone who's struggling.

Here, there's more a sense of them as peers, two young men trying to survive. The pizza job is an example of their similarities, as well as their differences. They both get handed this job to help out their friends, and they both somehow grow to care for it. But the how and why are so specific to them as people.

For Yuuji, it's nice to have a human job, to care about human things again. It's not about fighting or killing, it's about applying yourself and honoring a commitment. There's a boss, and he's depending on you, and you're part of a machine that makes sense. There's not that pressure of being an outcast. He can work his job and find peace in a simple life.

For Takumi, he's reluctant and bad at his job. He'll do the bare minimum, and complain the whole time. He hates people depending on him, but he's tired of being a disappointment. At a time when he can't be Faiz, he wants to feel like there's something he's good at, so he applies himself and honors his commitment. He cares about the pizza place and wants it to succeed.

There's this great feeling of these two completely different men finding a core that's the same. Maybe that's it?

--3--

Or maybe it's the way they innately care for one another?

There's a... I don't know, a softness (?) to the relationship they have that's so different from everything else Takumi would call a friendship. Previously, they had that little scene where Yuuji's like Don't Worry About That Monster And Corpse and Takumi's like I Was Going To Say The Same Thing. It was very cute. Here, once again, Takumi wants Yuuji to feel safe, to know that it's clearly Takumi that endangered them. Meanwhile, Yuuji needs Takumi to know that, actually, it's not Takumi's fault, it's Yuuji who's endangered them.

And, look, I'm sure people could be screaming at the scenes of them talking around their secret identities, furious that they wouldn't just get their secrets out in the open. But they care too much about one another to do that. Takumi doesn't want Yuuji to be scared, and Yuuji doesn't want Takumi to be scared. It's all of the bullshit that usually gets applied to the women of the supporting cast, the coworkers and sisters and whatever, but applied to the two male leads. It's lovely.

Their whole thing, it's lovely. I don't want to make this a different kind of post, but if you asked me which pairing on the show had the best romantic chemistry, it's Yuuji and Takumi by a mile. (#takkiba) Even their bickering, running for their lives, might as well have But You Know You Love Me appended to every exchange.

It's, god, I don't know why their friendship ("friendship”) works so well for me. I think it's just the actors, taking what could/should be a heated rivalry or Agree To Disagree standoff and just going full-on Star-Crossed Romance with it. I don't give a shit about anyone else on this show falling out (untrue), but the idea of Yuuji and Takumi not being together is incredibly tense to me.

--4--

Especially after what they went through in this episode!

It's got a lot of moves on it, from the workplace comedy aspects at the pizzeria, through to the humans vs Orphnoch hunting sequence.

It's a great predicament for Takumi and Yuuji to be in, with Yuuji reluctant to transform in front of Takumi, and Takumi finding himself without the Faiz belt. It reminds me a lot of the early episode of Mari and Takumi almost getting killed, and how that near-death experience gave Takumi the strength to be honest about his feelings. Here, it's doing everything he could to protect Yuuji, while Yuuji did the same for him. That little back and forth smile they give each other as they cause the Orphnochs to split up! I mean, come on. That is Big Emotions right there.

--5--

I liked the conclusion, but it's still the weakest part of the episode for me.

Faiz gets a power-up, and it looks boss. The quick run through of the enemies followed by a slowed down instant replay? Really great visual. And it's nice that Takumi's faith in Orphnochs could be rewarded, as he let's the pizza shop owner go live a life of making pizzas and being very specific as to what angle you should bow to the customer. (Forty-five degrees.) And, man, I love that Yuuji wakes up from being murdered and the first thing he says is that he couldn't save Takumi. God, yes. And of course the next person he sees is Faiz! Who he wants to murder!

The weak part, though, was all of the Kaixa stuff. Way too many unanswered questions in this one. How did Kaixa defeat Houjou? Is Houjou still alive? What was Kusaka doing in that weird warehouse? Why didn't he answer his phone? (Other than, it was Takumi and he didn't care to?) Where did he get the Accel watch? I get that this will all probably be dealt with in the next episode or two, but it's such a weird thing to skip over that the Accel stuff in the end didn't completely work for me. It was fun to watch, but the Kaixa stuff was just too mysterious to stay unaddressed this time out.

Still! Takumi and Yuuji in a whole episode that deepens their connection! Always something I'll enjoy!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz22b.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/faiz22c.png

Of all the ways Riders have received power-ups over the years, Kusaka just chucking the Faiz Axel at Takumi's head is one of the all-time greats.

As for the rest of that, I don't remember how much explanation we actually get. This is one of Inoue's biggest problems as a writer; I don't think it gets that bad on Faiz, but you can definitely consider all this missing exposition as a small teaser for Kiva.

I always knew I was really into the relationship and dynamic of these two. I sometimes forget I am more into them than even Shinji/Ren. (It's probably because it's always Kaixa they reference in all the nostalgia baiting specials in modern times.) They're the reason to watch the show for me, as they should be since their the protagonists and all!

Faiz Accel is cool, certainly. I unfortunately can only think about how I think it falls short in coolness to Accel Trial (I know Trial ripped it off but still) and his thousand kicks. Anyhow, that scene where Kusaka just chucks the watch at Takumi is probably one of the best ways to receive a power-up there is. EDIT: Wow I got sniped on that last point!

Kusaka having the Accel Watch is an artefact of an earlier version of the toyline where the item was intended for use by Kaixa. For whatever reason, they changed it when it came to design the advertising. Personally, I don’t mind the lack of explanation, since I kind of get bored when EVERY power up is treated like a religious artefact that was touched by Jesus himself.

But anyway I digress. Because they chose to give us Faiz Accel instead of Kaixa Break (that was the name they had planned, by the way), Faiz ends up as one of five KR shows where only the lead Rider gets a power up (the others are Hibiki, Kabuto, Decade and OOO[Birth Day doesn’t count]). Ironically, that practice is more at home in Super Sentai. Most of the Power-up warriors in these pictures I’m about to share? Most of them are one user at a time, or one user period.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20180928192748

https://twitter.com/4thdocactinfig/s...695607810?s=20

If someone asked me earnestly to find something good to say about Faiz; something I really liked about it; the greatest positives I could come up with for the season? I'd point to this episode.

I might not have cared too much for Takumi himself, and Yuuji's first deeds in the series always felt a little too casually tossed to the side and forgotten; but a lot of their other character traits were very intriguing and any scene they were in together had them bringing out each others' best parts. This episode exemplifies it best for me, and when they got to team up it had me cheering and when they once again fought each other due to misunderstandings, it's tragic. Just so much going on here that's great.

I agree that Mari is a good friend for Yuka and now that you bring it up, the first girl she ever bonded with. However, I must continue to disagree with your perspective of Yuka's motivations. While she is trying to find her place in the world like Takumi, she's actually a very selfless person who genuinely cares a lot about Kaido's welfare, not just her own. She may have used Keitarou (IRL) to make herself feel better but that definitely doesn't apply to Kaido. She really does just want him to be happy, even if that means she can't be with him.

I'm not sure if you were being hyperbolic when you said "she doesn't need a man to attach herself to" or just that you meant she needs more in her life but there are certain boxes that romantic partners tick which friends, as great as they are to have, don't. Friendship is wonderful for sure, but I think it's realistic for Yuka to want a boyfriend, the same way even Takumi sometimes expresses a passive interest in finding a girlfriend.

Apart from Faiz? Well I already mentioned how I consider Faiz the Jetman of Kamen Rider. Black Condor is my favorite Black Ranger in all of Super Sentai, he's such a bad*ss in every scene. I think Faiz and Jetman are Inoue at his best. They have drama, comedy, romance, action. I mean, what don't they have? Jetman also has the highest number of destroyed park benches I've ever seen! Inoue really used to have some kind of beef with park benches.

Kiva is pretty good and has a lot of what made Faiz and Jetman so enjoyable, although it has a few problems. When Die reviews it, I'll definitely have some opinions.

Agito and Hibiki are okay but inconsistent, especially Hibiki.

Just don't watch Shougeki Gouraigan! Inoue at his worst. Trust me, it's not worth it. Unless you really want to see for yourself. I don't advise it though.

I made sure to mention this in my first post in this thread. Definitely grateful to Die for facilitating discussion of this awesome show that doesn't get much attention anymore compared to recent shows. The way these characters have their own lives and problems beyond the plot makes them so much more human and relatable and that's something I think Faiz does best. Not everything has to be about fighting monsters, that's maybe the best part of superhero genre, but I still enjoy seeing these characters just doing normal human stuff. It allows you to really appreciate what's at stake when the fighting monsters part actually happens.

Looks like I'm the first to mention this but the insert theme, People With No Name, debuts here. It has a much faster pace than Dead Or Alive which is a perfect compliment for the much faster Faiz Axel form. This form is a lot less colorful than the default and definitely my least favorite of the Faiz forms but it's still okay.

I'm glad that Takumi's sympathy for Orphenochs finally paid off with him sparing Master's life knowing he hasn't lost his human soul. When Master asks why, Faiz responds indifferently "Who knows?" but of course you know Takumi was just trying to hide his feelings again. He doesn't want Master to think he cares!

I don't understand why Faiz Axel and Kaixa Break had to be mutually exclusive anyway. Kaixa Shot is just a repainted Faiz Shot after all so surely Smart Brain could've made another watch device compatible with Kaixa Gear. Faiz and Kaixa will both get more stuff later so I think it's weird that they ultimately decided not to give Kaixa the first power-up when it probably would've made more sense, especially with this being Kusaka's "heroic" return from his road trip to save Takumi.

I think my favorite part of Kaixa's heroic arrival at the end of the episode is that he never even gets off of his bike. He's like a grumpy parent, driving on his lunch break to his kid's school because the kid left his science project in the car. No, Kyle, I am not coming in, you need to come out to the curb and get your posterboard on the lifecycle of an earthworm. You need to take more responsibility for your things!

Yeah, golly, just some incredible chemistry with these two actors. It's like the Mari/Yuka scene from the previous episode, where there's this lightness and warmth to their friendship. It's supportive in a really healthy way.

Oh, neat! Thanks for the info!

I just keep feeling like Yuka wants a boyfriend because she's supposed to want a boyfriend, or because she thinks having a boyfriend will fix what's wrong with her. She's... I don't think Yuka has dealt with her emotional trauma at all, and her leaping into a romantic relationship seems like a bad idea for her and her partner. I think her rushing from boy to boy on this show is an indication that she wants to be a Girlfriend more than she wants to be someone's girlfriend.

And, man, the stuff with Mari just feels so much better for her than jumping into a relationship where she has to sublimate her ego. I'm not saying she should never be with a man ever, but I think this woman needs time to get her head right before she ties herself to someone.

It's a really good show that seems to have some really polarized views about it! I'm happy to give people a place to talk about it!

I'm not great at recognizing when songs are new on the show. (I think I called out Dead Or Alive around Episode 6 and Fish was like It's Been In Every Episode, Guy.) But this sounded new to me, so I'm glad I was right! It's a solid song, for sure. I like that Accel has it's own theme song?

Yeah, he even gets a little moment before this, where he tells Pizza Boss that he's not capable of killing someone. I like the idea of Takumi inadvertently becoming an Orphnoch crisis counselor.

I have to say this, talking about a character's flaws and bad traits isn't the same as being bugged or disliking them. You can like character while admitting their flaws - the best characters always do. Actually that makes real fans stand out, unlike those who defend aimlessly, like calling favorite character an asshole.

Apart from that, this also attributes to the Riders' weakness here, the belt is easily removable (it's NOT attached to the Rider form it transforms!).

Not talking about how this is your dream fanfiction of them actually working in pizza place? Besides, how were their friends got sick in the first place there? While both of them here are fine so far.

Both Takumi and Yuji are superpowered beings who are targeted and think the other ones are just ordinary people caught up in their trouble, which is plausible to blame themselves as they think the others are just poor powerless victim who can't fight back against the monstrousity like they can. While Takumi can't transform... I think there shouldn't be much problem for Yuji to fight back and transform into Horse Orphnoch, like what Yuka did, though admittedly that'd be troublesome, but not in a way that Takumi would be scared, but that it just further cements to Takumi that Orphnochs can be human with his own problem of not wanting to tell this to others. I wonder what Kamen Riders are viewed among the public here if you think this is the one makes Takumi "care" by not telling about his secret identity. Probably not the noble inspiring hero they usually considered as, because telling that can actually give hopes.

Faiz Axel, opening up the chest to reveal the core! It's power is sound level speed, but it can only be used for 10s. I thought he's known as a "fragile speedster" type, but was the speed actually also helped up his attack momentums to defeat those Orphnochs? And yeah like a certain series before, Kusaka just winning the fight without it being revealed? (I guess it's just to make it shocking with no result and Kusaka just casually walks up to Takumi) And Takuma dying? Uh... there's Takuma's beating of Takumi before.... Takumi didn't die, just taking the Faiz belt. It could be the same too for Kusaka that he only succeeded to take up the Faiz belt, but screwed up on Takuma. And Yuji thinking Faiz is Takuma.. man sure it's actually suck that this is a world where there's multiple Rider user.

And asking "Why didn’t he answer his phone?".... I suppose even you here are talking about how usually people talk and question about Faiz.

Oh well yeah, don't overlook the morality part of a character and thought each of them (except Kamen Rider protagonists) as all for themselves. I don't think I really like that much that people assumes that anyone caring to others (except Kamen Rider protagonists) as just wanting something from them like shipping or such.

Not about which series is his best or worst, but what people think of him in general. Looking by this thread, it seems that people should actually hail Inoue, but we know about his infamous reputation.

That's just like every Phase 1 not just this one. In general Phase 1 just seems fairly obscure too, not as much as showa, but to Phase 2 on the internet. In various forums there are just more posts made Phase 2 related, even someone posting a scene from Phase 1 has them be questioned it's from what material. And for the informations, let's just say common sites like wiki or TVTropes contain so little for Phase 1 compared to Phase 2. Phase 1 only contains common summary for the plot , characters, etc. while Phase 2 contains many breakdowns to little details. This even extends to those loving Phase 1, they only gave remarks about how the series is good and must-watch, without actually discussing or knowing the contents from them, unless watching those yourself. There's also obviously those that just can't stand the special effects in Phase 1....even if KR effects usually aren't perfect even in newer ones.

My point was that I thought Inoue should be given a break with actually measuring how much good or bad he gave, which seemingly, only Kiva for bad? Then for his involvement in Kiva, treat it as just a downturn for a period of time.

So Keitarou is Takumi's mother and Kusaka is the father? That's one messed up family!

Sure, I can understand that. Yuka's eagerness to jump in to a relationship might be why Yuka/Kaido isn't really working out so far. Kaido is also rushing in to relationship to fill the void left by his broken dream, so Kaido/Mari will need some work as well. These platonic friendships like Mari/Yuka and Keitarou/Kaido are a good first step to making them more likely to succeed in future relationships. I mostly wanted to emphasize that Yuka is a kind person deep down with genuine feelings, even if they're a little chaotic due to her terrible past.

Leave All Behind? :p

Oh, I mean, my dream is for this show to abandon all pretense of monster fighting and just drill down into a story about these six young people and all of their emotional issues. It being in a pizza place is as good as them working in a coffee shop, or starting a bed and breakfast, or a small paper company, or any of a billion sitcom premises.

For the rapidly spreading illness, the way these people live dangerous lives, and stay in close proximity? They are absolutely going to transmit all kinds of things within their social circle.

I think it's reasonable that Yuuji would be reluctant to have (what he thinks is) a normal person to find out he's a giant grey horse monster. People can have judgment about that stuff, and Yuuji values his friendship with Takumi.

I don't imagine the public is even dimly aware of Kamen Riders or Orphnochs in this series, and I'd think Faiz and Kaixa would be lumped together with the monsters if anyone found out. The Kamen Riders haven't really done a lot of protecting in this series. They mostly just fight and kill monsters, which I'd think would only look like black monsters fighting grey monsters to an outside observer.

I happen to think they're very progressive! Takumi's a handful, but, y'know, they're doing their best.