I hope everything's okay. Taking care of yourself is definitely a priority over fifteen-year-old Japanese TV shows.

I'm really sorry to hear that... hope things go well for you! I know how things like this can also make you want to get through your anxiety as quick as possible, so please; make sure you give yourself as much time as you need

I've been there. Don't apologize. It's smart to take time to rest and regain yourself. Hope whatever's getting to you gets resolved soon.

Thanks! I mean, I really enjoy talking about Kamen Rider, it's a fun part of my day, so if anything maybe I need to dedicate more time to it?

(I cannot dedicate more time to it.)

As for getting better... I'm not sure this is a Get Better sort of thing? It's more like a Be Aware thing. I'm new at this, so here's how I'm thinking about it.

I always thought of my thoughts and emotions as a house I lived in. If something made me sad, I'd see what was making me sad and move to correct it. If something was making me happy, I'd know what it was.

Yesterday taught me that my thoughts and emotions are a house, but I live outside of it. From the outside, everything looks okay. And then, one evening, smoke just starts billowing out the windows. It's weird and scary, because I'm not sure why that's happening, since everything seems fine. Coming to terms with the fact that things aren't fine is maybe the first step?

From there, we'll see. Running a business during a pandemic when your business partner is hurt and everything takes 25% more energy than it used to and you've got reduced hours so not as much can get done and you're narrowly avoiding litigation with a former landlord to get out of a closed store's lease... yeah, boy, can't imagine where that anxiety came from!

But, yeah, something to work on going forward. I guess it's nice to have a new hobby for the pandemic? Better than doing puzzles!

I feel for you, Die. I've been dealing with anxiety since I was a teen, it's definitely not something that "gets better" as much as you get better at managing it. Anxiety can be difficult to deal with under normal circumstances, but between the pandemic, all the social turmoil and personal tragedies (everyone's got them), this is a RECORD difficult time. Just know that you're not alone, Die. We don't know each other well, but if you ever need someone to talk to feel free to PM me. :thumb:

It’s okay if you’re feeling a bit down. I’ve been having similar feelings recently. Ironically, I managed to quell them by listening to what is ostensibly a sad song. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9rLuxtdPN4I

And I’m not too broken up about you missing a few days. I’ve found someone else doing something similar (though hers is more of an MST with plot) to pass the time.

Be patient. Hope everything works well for you.

Thanks, everybody! You're good people! We'll be talking about musical superheroes and the children they're raising before you know it!

I can only back up what everyone else has alread said, and add in that anxiety the worst. Take us through Hibiki on your own terms, man. It's been here 15 years already, it's not as if it's going anywhere.

So, honestly, thank you all so much. It's nice to have this kind of support from strangers on the internet! I did not think that's how strangers on the internet were supposed to behave! I have been severely misinformed!

But, and I appreciate all the folks who are cool with things slowing down, this is the part of my life that alleviates stress. Posting stuff about Kamen Rider, getting to hear from other fans, getting to talk about these shows... I know I've said it before, but this is my self-care.

When I come here and need to let you know I'm skipping a day... I mean, it's a bummer, I like doing stuff with these shows, but it's more of a Hey Heads-Up than I Am So Angry At Myself. I don't feel stress from these boards in one direction or the other. I only feel good things. Not being able to participate... it's more something I'm excited to return to, than anything else.

This place is good. It's good for me. Of all the things in my life I'd cut back on, I don't think this'll be one of them.

But thanks!

So, what you're saying is, you want images of Sabaki jobbing?

https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/...ogpics0004.jpg

Sorry if this is from an episode you haven't seen, I have legit no idea about Hibiki despite the fact I own a Hibiki figure. He just looks cool.

I am always up for the heroic efforts of Sabaki, the most successful yet overworked Oni in Japan. It's the blatant pro-Hibiki bias of this show (for literally no reason) that it only ever catches Sabaki during his rare setbacks. He's the hero we need and deserve. Thanks for the reminder!

Random thing unrelated to Hibiki: Did y'all talk about that time Kenzaki just smashed the giant card that spawns when he transformers into someone? I've yet to watch blade, but seeing a gif of that really made me smile.

Edit: Also related to Hibiki: Sabaki has a very pronounced butt in the pic AkibaSilver posted.

I want to say it came up? I'm a big fan of people interacting with Henshins, so I'd be shocked if it never got called out. It's great!

EDIT: You're goddamn right he does! And he earned it through being the hardest-working Oni in Japan, not by sitting around in a restaurant all day, like some other Oni.

Well, for this one case, at least for Todoroki, it's necessary for him to learn taiko drums, whenever he likes it or not. But, as a counter against a flawed motivational word/guidance, if you just try something but you don't and never click with something, you better just stop, and search another thing to try on, instead of just wasting time to futilely continuing it, better to give up midway than regret it at the end.

Yeah, the direction here is superb, with all the parallels of Asumu and Todoroki, and the smooth transition between the dialogues. And now, I guess Asumu now had 1 thing in common with Hibiki, he can be his apprentice for... drumming!

Talking about Todoroki's depression over being unable to learn taiko drums, Hinaka of course would just push him to continue further within it. If not for about how it's necessary for Todoroki to practice drumming against a specialized Makamou, would take that as an unpopular wrong move for motivating, like if it's about daily life, the advice to me, should be just quit drumming and focus on what you do the best like guitar.

Oh come on, in that position I also would've figured it out in that situation that Todoroki struggles to do something he's forced to do :p ; when I watched this part I already predicted about Kasumi guessing Todoroki depressed about failed training, word by word, and with it actually happened in story my reaction was straight-faced about already knowing what happened next. Would take Kasumi's explanation more to Hinaka's in any day, that's what I'm looking if I'm struggling about something and others had to help, actually knowing more about the subject.

Now, other than your idol being imperfect, Asumu learned another thing that people didn't get all good in a sudden, where the band leader pointed out that he joined up late. Though as a perfectionist, I still would be heavily disappointed if I experienced what Asumu did there by failing alone, even knowing that others had progresses....

I think this is just outright toxic take tbh regarding Asumu (and an unfair male judging in general, especially from the females). Sorry, for incoming rant (likely again). And from how you give free pass to women's brattiness and insolence, no offense but from here once it seems like double standard to boys; boys are always wrong.

Like anything the guy who is always expected to come first. Starting from matters of carrying things, matters of fixing furniture to matters of feelings. Everything has to be a guy who took the initiative to get ahead first. If the guy is passive, people like you will rant. Actually people don't know what we have in mind, boys. It's not that we're oblivious. But because we can't read other's minds, that's why in our minds a lot of thoughts collide before making decisions that still you say you are appropriate (yeah, as for right now you'd say him being gormless, if a wrong decision is taken then probably he'll still be mocked).

One of the dilemmas felt by men, when faced with a situation where he saw a girl who was trying hard. Don't think he's an oblivious guy who usually just looks at it. In fact, in his mind there were all kinds of turmoil going on. He thought hard, want to help or not. If you help, you think he is attention-seeking and just looking to save face. But if you don't help, then he will be thought as insensitive. The situation is awry by that.

Guys are also required to be sensitive to girls' feelings before deciding whether to make moves or not. If a guy miscalculated, you could completely fail your plans to get him. When they really like girls, but he still doesn't want to date, that's a big dilemma. I want to say but don't make moves yet, it will be mistaken for giving false hopes. But if you don't make move, the girl will think that there's no sense between the two of you. Well, in this situation a guy should really think 1000 times in every detail before deciding whether to shoot or not.

Boys often face awkward situations. In this case, sometimes a slight miscalculation can be fatal. Those of you who are focused on arranging the future must also pay attention to the position of your partner. When she needs attention and when she can be left behind are things that you must know correctly. Wrong, your relationship can fail because you are considered insensitive to him. Even though your intention is to focus on work as well for the future of both, but miscalculations can also interfere with your relationship. It's hard, huh.

Now, that was what we boys suffered that should be known. Being a guy can be awry. They are required to be always sensitive. But they're still humans after all, sometimes miscalculation can be done. So please understand, like trying to not do that and not just instantly judge as oblivious.

Oh right, I remember now, like in neo-Heisei Riders, there are bunch of civilians of the week that are given identities like name or their short summary, but they're also left out, never be seen again, like Shuhei in Ex-Aid.

"Hnnnng. Hibiki, I'm trying to sneak around, but I'm dummy thicc, and the clap of my asscheeks keeps alerting the Makamou."

Oh lord, now me and the friends I watched Black with have yet another butt to make jokes out of. Thank you all.

I mean, that's always been my policy, and I have not turned out super great. Team Hibiki might have the better take on this one!

I'd be a bit more excited if the show had Asumu look for whistle-guidance from Ibuki, but, well, seems unlikely at this point.

Sure, but the show hedges its bet by making the thing Todoroki wants to quit a thing that's vital to his success. He's not quitting some hobby, he's quitting a part of his job that he doesn't like.

But I think you could make the argument that he'd still be better off applying himself and overcoming his failings. Even if the skill itself is irrelevant, the perseverance is valuable.

Asumu is being called out in the text of the show for being clueless when it comes to Hitomi's feelings! Hibiki brought her up to Asumu in the last story. Hinaka is so mad at him for missing the signs in this one. And, spoiler, his own mom mentions that he's oblivious with girls in the next one. If you think it's a toxic take, okay, but it's a take that is basically just me stating what the show is doing right now.

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 26 - "PASSING DAYS"
KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 27 - "PASSING DOWN THE BOND"

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki26a.png

"You'd say 'Baby you don't know but my heart is as strong as a drummer
My heart is as strong as a drummer'"

-Allo Darlin', "My Heart Is a Drummer"

Real interesting two-parter!

There's a lot of confusion in the first part. It's disorienting. A lot of weird cuts, garish colors, extreme close-ups. Creepy images, terrified victims, horror vibes. There're hard edits between a shocking monster scene and a light character scene, like the monster plots are encroaching on safe spaces, pushing further into the narrative. There's still a safety to our cast, but it feels fleeting.

It's nice to see the monster stuff take a big step up. The mythology is still pretty light, all things considered. Black and White Clockamous, Doujis and Himes... it's not a lot, you know? It's a very slim framework to the Oni's mission. Here, there's both a little bit more specificity to what's going on with all of the seasonal monster stuff (very much appreciated), and also an increased level to the threat.

In general, the show keeps the monsters as something the Oni have to go hunting for, so a story where the monsters are both all around them and completely untouchable, it's a big change. On top of that, we've got the new Fancy-Dress Douji and Hime, having some weird connection to the White Clockamou and affecting Zanki through completely different scenes. Which, it's that disorienting feeling, where boundaries between scenes bend to the will of the enemy, and the Oni seem powerless to strike back.

Just, overall, really liked how the monster threat escalated here. It's still mysterious, but that didn't bother me at all. I kind-of love it? I love how primal the imagery is now, how frustrated Ibuki gets, how Zanki's forced into a fight he knows he'll probably lose, it's great. It is great. If any non-Kuuga show can get away with a new phase of the plot being Now The Colors Are REALLY Weird, it's Hibiki.

But that's just the garnish for the real story, which is a further escalation of Proud Dads And Uncertain Sons.

Like, definitely was not expecting to be spending so much time with Tsutomu. Thought we'd see him at some point, maybe asking Hitomi out, but not getting what amounts to a spotlight episode. But that's what we got, with Tsutomu stopping by a ridiculously crowded Team Hibiki Bar and Grill (try the Ibuki Lime Pie) to pine for the life he had to abandon.

I'm not sure if we'll get more with Tsutomu, present-day or from his backstory, but I'm pretty happy with what we got here. I like that his reason for washing out as an Oni was that his parents said no. It's such a weird angle to come at a story that's point is getting Asumu to figure out what he wants. I mean, they could've had Tsutomu not be good enough, or not appreciate it, or have a feud with someone, but no. This kid wanted it, and had to quit, and it clearly haunts him. He's trying to move on, but there's the way he asks if Hibiki has an apprentice that makes it clear that he wishes he could go back, make a different choice.

(The show doesn't say it here, but I'm assuming Tsutomu was apprenticing under Ibuki. Zanki already had Todoyama, Hibiki was solo, and Akira sort-of pales a bit when she sees Tsutomu. Feel like he was Ibuki's apprentice.)

It's layered in well to Asumu's story. Once again, there's no big decision to Asumu and Hibiki's relationship. Tsutomu is just another path that Asumu could end up on. Not a cautionary tale or anything, Tsutomu isn't destroyed by this, but something for Asumu to consider as he keeps defining himself. Similarly, Zanki's questioning of Hibiki gets the mentor side some screentime, with the two dads warmly joking about how awesome it is to be a dad. (Zanki's so proud of Todoroki! And he always has been! And he's so bad at hiding it!) Hibiki wants to be something more than just an Oni mentor to Asumu, in the same way that Asumu doesn't feel the need to be an Oni apprentice just to learn from Hibiki.

If Tsutomu's story is about anything, it's maybe about how forcing that relationship into a more strict definition can kill it. Letting it develop naturally, making sure both participants feel like they're getting what they want out of it, that's when it's healthy. Hibiki cutting out Asumu because he's not an official apprentice, or Asumu enlisting as Oni to keep Hibiki as a mentor... then what? Once it's codified, then what happens if Asumu doesn't work out?

I mean, I don't 100% think that's what the episode's getting at (it's way too genial for that sort of pessimism), but I like that with Tsutomu, we get to see a possible bad (or less good) ending to Asumu's story, just to have some stakes. It's more than I was expecting from a kid who hit on Hitomi at the pool!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki27b.png

I was waiting for the watermelons to show up. I knew they were coming, I just forgot which episode it was. Apart from absent-minded knife-wielding Midori, I just love the cute humor of the whole "everybody keeps bringing a watermelon." It's such a Hibiki thing to do.

So, Tsutomu is another example of the show playing with expectations. The guy gives off a vibe that, in other shows, would probably be trouble. You kind of expect him to be a dick in some way, but he's not. He's just a guy who was going to be an Oni and then didn't. He even has some valuable life advice for Asumu.

I'm not going to spoil anything, but the question of Asumu training to become an Oni himself has come up a lot lately. I don't know what the original plan was, but I've always felt that he probably wouldn't. It just doesn't seem to fit with the character. Asumu is a sweet kid, I just don't buy the idea of him breathing fire at giant CGI crabs. I've always liked that the show seems to want him to find his own path in life.

We get our first look at two new adversaries here, too: the Man (aka Japanese John Lennon) and the Woman. It's a pity that they came in so close to the production change, as we'll never really get the planned story about what they're up to. I love the scene where Ibuki is chasing them, though, and they always seem to teleport ahead of him. Like you said, it's a great horror vibe.

Finally, I cannot fail to mention the fantastic fight between Zanki and the Cat Douji/Hime. I am always down for watching Kenji Matsuda being a badass.

Oh, and as far as the "Tamaya!" thing at the end, I looked it up and the reason they shout it is

It's one of things that makes the first part so compelling, the whole dichotomy of Evil Is Gaining Power mixed with Wacky Misunderstandings With Your Favs. All of the restaurant stuff is so unapologetically comedic, so light and pleasant. And then there are gruesome, ritualistic killings. And then Ibuki is being slightly put out by Kasumi referring to him as like a brother! Tonally, it should give you whiplash, but since it's all in service of making you dizzy and suspicious, it works great.

Yeah, I... I figure a different writer is going to take a more traditional view of this show's arcs, and they're probably going to move Asumu into a more defined apprentice role. That just seems like an obvious move for a show that gets a big new creative team two-thirds of the way through the series. Making Asumu an apprentice to Hibiki is something I'm totally not for, but I'm willing to see how a writer defends that choice. But, yeah, nothing about this sweet, dopey boy makes me think he's the next Tsutomu, let alone the next Hibiki.

Not to Um Actually you, but the Rider Wiki says it's because

Nice to see you’re back in the swing of things. Just two more episodes before the big turnover. While I’m sure Switchblade will try to convince you not to watch it with little reasons provided, I’m working on three reason why you SHOULD watch it.

Aside from that, I’ve really got nothing to say, other than what I said about Tsutomu last time. (Ie. That a novel retelling the series has him becoming an Oni named Akatsuki)

Yeah, schedule-wise, I'm trying to make up some lost time. Thursday's going to be 28/29, Friday is a look back at this phase of the show (and a nice point for Switchblade to bail for their own mental health), Saturday's the movie, Sunday is 30, etc.

Kasumi was brought along because of Ibuki, obviously! Need someone Ibuki admires to talk on with and make moves with. It's like asking why brought Hitomi, Ikuko, Hinaka with Asumu and Todoroki. And probably, exactly why he tries to fight Kappa alone, because probably he knows that Kasumi doesn't give the impression that she thinks he's cool? Then he tries to change her by doing something... reckless. "does he think she thinks he’s cool?" shouldn't be questioned, it's probably exactly there, and the driving reason for Ibuki to do that.

There's a reason, Todoroki thinks he has to catch up to Hibiki, so he's imitating him in trainings like swimmings.... though I wonder what's the purpose of bringing Asumu around, he doesn't want to become Oni (Todoroki claims we can't be beaten). Though coming from Hinaka, she's still the weird and goofy one too, as a foil to the responsible Kasumi, doing that to Todoroki?

Well, ok then, feels a bit more vaild to give more percceptives about what bad things can happen if the situation stays as it is like potentially losing a friend, though from what I said before, wrong move also, can be disastrous, like if it not working out, you can lose a friend too and likely end up worse than that. And nobody can predict the future. And the "crushing" part is still, well, an outwardly perception.

Oh right, Oni's Makamou hunting also includes whistling too to henshin or to call disc animals... how did I miss that part, very nice point.

I know, I wrote that in this case, Todoroki's training is necessary, I was leaning more towards Asumu, which the story mirrors, because that one is likely a hobby; no one would force Asumu to join and excel in band.

And you know, what I wrote there, is taken from an article to criticize girls, like those characters in the story (Hinaka, his mom, I know you lumped Hibiki together but iirc not as significant as those others) doing what you say here and what the story does, that they should take into consideration into what's going on the boys first before bashing them as oblivious or something. It just means the girls being at fault, and they should be the one given some talk sense, to not only consider their own, or just their gender's feelings. And just blindly treating everything coming from girl (like what those think) as right and those coming from boys (like ignoring their scuffles) as wrong is double standard-y. It could be that, like your previous criticism, you saying Asumu being "not-so great" being "fought over" by 2 women, but he knows that he's like what you describe towards him, and therefore doesn't feel that he's worthy to be Hitomi or Akira's partner thus he never goes further? (and I can already know that's awry at least from you, making moves you're not-so great, didn't do so and he's frustratingly oblivious :confused:)

Also, from what the show is doing, still, just because the show is doing that doesn't mean that the audience should exactly follow (I know you do but I'm still telling about how for this case you seem to be inconsiderate, and for it being toxic take... probably the story IS being unintentionally toxic, it can happen in various stories, author can't necessarily account for reader reactions).

You don't just want this thing to be believable—you want it to have the characteristics it needs to have for the story to work, and in inverse of Show Don't Tell, for its difficulty to achieve that, authors sometimes, consciously or not, go "screw it. Why go through all the trouble?" and just have the narration or another character say something like, "she is brave", "this is sharp", "this is sturdy", etc. there, problem solved. But readers can conclude from what they experience for themselves, not 100% taking their word for it, whatever "it" is, like actively seeking reasons to ridicule the concepts they tell them are profound. Like like for example what you say in Kuuga thread about Man of Steel's ending being meant for triumph, but you wouldn't call it a win unlike what intended) is forced to think that way, or that someone that is constantly told as heroic by other characters because they're on protagonistic side but the audience knows that they aren't even close (Designated Heroes). It's difficult to draw the line regarding where the ratio of informed feats to actual feats becomes unfeasible, and deciding for what audience think can be taken to the extremes like altering everything for their headcannons yeah, they had to be flexible and not run totally by bias (like because an author did a mistake then every single thing they convey is flawed, only what we think is right! - full ego) too.

The fact that Zanki put up a fight against the Bakeneko Douji and Hime with a crippled body and no superpowers and only got defeated cause the Kimono Douji and Hime showed up is bad*ss though! They're lucky he's retired from active duty.

Speaking of Kimono Douji and Hime, their voices are actually not mixed up which means they must be a pretty big deal. Their appearance is a portent that the show is about to become completely different. That's the less meta reason anyway.

There's a weird hierarchy to the villains since it's not like they all live in the same base talking about their evil plans, they're very vague. It's like, you think the black and white cloaked guys seem like a big deal at first, right? But then it turns out, nope, they're just mere puppets for controlling and empowering the Makamou. You never know when someone bigger and more important is going to show up.

Or maybe he's Sabaki's former apprentice and his unfortunate resignation is another reason why Sabaki always loses whenever he's onscreen, due to loneliness? Sabaki needs more headcanons apparently.

Based on Ibuki's age, he probably would have been too young to mentor anybody before Akira. Who knows?

Regarding Tsutomu, I totally forgot he was a character until I rewatched this arc. He's still in high school according to Midori, sophomore perhaps, so I presume he must have been in middle school during his Oni training, hence the desire for approval from parents. It's interesting to see what is essentially an Oni dropout.

Fortunately, Shounen's mother seems to be very encouraging of how Shounen chooses to live, which means whether he becomes an Oni or decides he doesn't need to follow that path depends on him. His interaction with Tsutomu seems to be very sempai-kouhai and adds a new perspective to his uncertain future.

I can think of at least 2 reasons to watch. Looking forward to seeing what else you think makes it worth watching.

I intend to skip the movie due to how terrible it is but I'll explain later.

Oh, I’ll still be here to chime in with my thoughts (I have a lot to say about a specific pair of episodes). I’m just not going to watch along anymore.

You mean the arc written by Yonemura?

I had to check, but no. It’s 36 and 37, although apparently the fallout from that took longer than I remembered. It all ties into the most massive and frustrating character derailment from the Inoue era. It is the single thing I hate the most about the rework. Even more than that character.

I think it's more that Asumu and AsuMum brought Hitomi, who invited Todoroki, who mentioned it to Hinaka, who declared it a date. That's how I'm thinking it came about.

Sure, which gets to the original metaphor, which is that following through on something you don't immediately like doing, it can not only be helpful for others (Asumu's band/the other Oni), but it can also teach you the value of perseverance. The reward isn't just the skill, it's the knowledge that you can push yourself.

They're so powerful that they kicked his ass from a completely different set.

There's a thing about the villains that it's probably too early to really talk about, but it's something that occurred to me last night. The villains are getting more human, the deeper we get in the series. The Douji and Hime are largely animalistic, lower life forms. The Clockamou/Puppets are portrayed as more clever, more capable of scheming. And now the Fancy-Dress Douji and Hime are able to move about in human society, indistinguishable from their victims. There's maybe a thing in there about how evil increases with proximity to society, but, like I said, maybe a little early for that.

Sabaki has had a request in with Takeshi HQ for an apprentice for 11 months. They keep telling him there are no suitable teenagers in all of Japan. Meanwhile, at the goddamn restaurant...

I think Ibuki's old enough to have an apprentice before Akira. Tsutomu only quit the year before, potentially around when Akira started. And Ibuki's been training since he was a teenager, so he might've been active long enough to be onto a second apprentice. Also, we never see Ibuki interact with Tsutomu, so I feel like the show maybe wanted to keep them apart. Finally, Ibuki's someone who started at almost the same age as Tsutomu, so I can see that being a bond between them.

Who would you want as your oni mentor? And how do you feel when you regardless get Sabaki?

Sabaki would be an awesome mentor. He's the most accomplished Oni in all of Japan! Sure, he's had some setbacks, if that's what you want to focus on, Hibiki.

Setting Sabaki aside for the moment, I guess Ibuki? He seems like the best mix of instructor and friend. Hibiki's too much of a friend, while Zanki's too much of an instructor. Ibuki, in all ways, is just right.

Well, according to the Wiki (the most factual way to start a sentence), Tsutomu was training to be a taiko-user, so his mentor would have been a drummer.

Yup, these are Ishida episodes alright!

Major Unidentified Lifeform #0 vibes all throughout these ones. And, holding true to the pattern, this is also the most interesting I've found the monster chunk of Hibiki yet. I can't get enough of Ishida's Grongi scenes, so to see an episode of Hibiki open with like a full minute of impenetrable nonsense with two people in weird clothes, to say I loved it would be an understatement. It is aggressively Kuuga.

Although strangely enough, it's the way he films those watermelons that seems like the biggest calling card of who the director is here.

Also, I'd just like to point out that Akira is left to run the restaurant on her own again here because Asumu forgets he's on the clock, and is only saved because Hitomi happens to be a real pal that way. Akira is so overworked at this point I bet even Sabaki would find it excessive. :p

EDIT: Oh, and because I'm always forgetting things I want to mention: Midori is totally listening to that English-speaking newscaster guy on the radio that was always the background noise for ORE Journal back in Ryuki!

For sure. It's a huge break with tradition, to have the Oni feel the presence of evil. Almost every other interaction we've seen on this show has treated the monsters as something that need to be tracked down, and now we've got Ibuki and Zanki feeling it in their bones. Feels pretty Kuuga to me!

Akira's barely restrained but incredibly polite rage as she gently inquires exactly where Asumu thinks he's going is an episode highlight.

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 28 - "UNENDING MALICE"
KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 29 - "SHINING BOY"

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki28a.png

"Hoping that I have some good advice
Something you could win with, something true
Not exactly sure just what I'd do
You'd think it's rock and roll or something
And I'll want to tell you that there's money in new wave
And that I hope you know I love you
We won't have to go over it again"

-A.C. Newman, "There's Money In New Wave"

Aww.

I'd love to be able to talk about this story as a send-off to a creative team, as the final statement by a creator, as the closing of a door to a certain outlook on these characters. But since I haven't watched what's to come yet, I don't know how much these threads, these feelings, continue. Maybe a lot, maybe a little. It's not fair to make big declarations about how final this story feels.

But I'm going to, because it feels so final. It's such a definitive statement about this show's themes, and its central characters. There's a monster plot, and it's fun to watch, but it's 1000% not what this story is for.

It's to talk about Asumu, and to talk about Hibiki, and to talk about their relationship, and to talk about how to live a good life.

Asumu's in a rough place, as communicated through some flashbacks. The shoplifter from months ago came back and beat the shit out of him, bruising his face and crushing his spirit. It's a huge regression for Asumu, with him moping and withdrawn. He keeps seeing his weakness, keeps reliving his shame. He feels worthless, a failure, a burden.

Hibiki's lost one of his drumsticks, and needs to go out and carve another one. He invites Asumu along for some bonding. As much as Asumu admires Hibiki, and wants to impress him, Hibiki's the one person who can get Asumu to feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable. (As Hibiki himself says, he is a ray of sunshine.) Hibiki is so proud of the man Asumu is becoming, and he's eager to help him become stronger.

But their relationship isn't about training, about physical strength. It's about perseverance, about knowing what you want in life, and about feeling free to go for it. Hibiki wants Asumu to think of the things that have befallen him, the indignities and punishments, as something to overcome, not something to own. Bad things can happen to you, but they don't happen because of you. Asumu can feel hurt about what happened to him, but he shouldn't feel ashamed. Hibiki's had setbacks, like his broken drumstick, but he's worked hard to put the pieces back together. He didn't give in to anger and self-doubt, and neither should Asumu.

Because that message, about getting back up and trying again, it's what the whole series is about. We know it is because two different characters give more-or-less the same speech on perseverance. Hibiki gives one to Asumu, letting him know that there will be times that you'll get knocked down, and you need to figure out how not to get knocked down again. And AsuMum gives the other, where she talks about how integral it is to push through adversity if you're ever going to be an adult.

Of the two, I think I like AsuMum's better? Hibiki's is cool and comforting, but AsuMum's has the stress of being a parent in it. This feeling of wanting the best for your children, but knowing they're going to suffer at least a little in life. And her, as a mother, she's destined to always be held at a little bit of a distance from Asumu's troubles. There's a really nice beat where she mentions that she can't really talk to a teenage boy in a way that he'll listen to, and how she's made her peace with that, but it stresses her out sometimes. It's so honest of a moment, her confessing to these near-strangers that she fears for her son and hopes that he'll get through this.

And Asumu does, because he's surrounded by people who care for him. The monsters are eventually defeated (great fights, don't really want to talk about it the way I want to talk about Asumu and Hibiki) and everyone meets back up at the restaurant. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone: AsuMum and Midori and Ichiro and Hitomi and Kasumi and Hinaka and Asumu and Hibiki and Akira and Ibuki and Zanki and Todoroki. The full cast, celebrating their victory and enjoying each other's company. Asumu is happy again, confident in his ability to weather adversity.

And there's Hibiki, off to the side: a proud parent, happy in the man his son has become.

I can't imagine a better way to end this series.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki29b.png

You know episode 29 will always bring a smile in my face because of that ending. All of the characters just in the teashop and everything was all right. I seriously considered stopping right there and then. But I suppose I just wanted to be fair and see just what the 2nd half really is. All I have to say is that in this moment I loved Hibiki.

It's a really great moment. So nice of a button to the series, essentially. And they even have Hibiki-themed shaved ice! Who said this show failed at merchandising?!

Buuuut that's not really what I came here to say.

So, I said before that the monster plot wasn't what this story was about. Which is not entirely, about almost entirely inaccurate.

The monster plot is there to kinetically express the themes of soldiering on, of not letting setbacks break your spirit. Todoroki and Ibuki basically get their asses handed to them, as does Eiki, but they keep fighting, keep getting up. It's all of a piece with what's happening in the Asumu/Hibiki plot.

I just liked the Hibiki/Asumu plot more! Sorry!

I'm content with 29 as an ending. There are definitely things that aren't resolved, especially on the villain front, but it doesn't matter. The Oni have been fighting Makamou for centuries, so it was never like I expected a definitive ending to that anyway. We get to end with all the characters together, though, just having fun hanging out at Tachibana's and enjoying each other's company. It's the perfect way to remember all those characters.

Yeah, I don't want this to be a cliched Die Doesn't Give A Shit About The Monster Plots, but I seriously don't give a shit about the monster plots. While it's nice that there's movement on that front with the more articulate Mister Douji and Miss Hime, it's not that big of a deal. A more purposeful monster plot is not what I watch Hibiki for. Not that the action parts were bad or anything, but there was a part of me that, like, resented cutting away from Asumu and Hibiki's camping trip.

While there've been some fun moments in the action/monster sequences, the actual mechanics of their plots are... they are not what is memorable about this show.