[VoidinToku]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xtreme RX

Despite what others are saying, I thought this episode was pretty solid.

It's very much focused on Hibiki, and I like that. In that sense, it's as dedicated to the show it is trying to pay tribute to as the Agito episodes. There are a lot of references and elements that pay homage and it's mostly successful. I think, for most people, the reason this episode isn't working out for them is because the main returning legend happens to be one of the most hated characters in the franchise.

But I like what they are doing with Kiriya. He's not being idolized. The writers show that they get the character. He's cocky, he's a bit of a jerk, and moreover, he's pathetic. He calls himself "Hibiki" and challenges Sougo and Geiz to be worthy enough to inherit the RideWatch, all the while putting them down when they talk about their dreams. And as we learn from Todoroki, he is lying about being Hibiki. But I think it shows growth too - when he pulls out the photos of him with Hibiki-san and with his own pupil, I feel that implies regret. He couldn't finish his training with Hibiki and he was unable to train a pupil of his. So while this two-parter may start with a familiar, asshole Kiriya, it is seemingly leading to a redemption arc where he realizes his flaws and is able to move forward. I think it's a great parallel to Asumu - 14 years ago, Asumu found a new passion and abandoned the path of becoming an Oni. But Kiriya is stuck in an endless cycle of training and failing himself and others and protects his pupil most likely to atone for that. If that is the case, I'm happy we got Kiriya.

Moreover, I think it's great that they remade his Transformed Oni form for this two-parter. It shows the creative team put a lot of care into these tributes to make them as authentic as possible and took the extra step when they could have simply had Kiriya not even transform at all to save budget.

Todoroki gets a much smaller role but I really like what they did with him. He almost beats Another Hibiki single-handedly without breaking a sweat not once, but twice. That's badass and shows a great respect towards him as a returning legend. Seeing the henshin was incredible and I loved how they incorporated the kanji into it. Plus, I always love hearing that guitar solo. Seeing him camping out waiting for Makamou brought back memories too. It's also just good to have a character talk crap about Kiriya and Todoroki's the perfect member of the cast to do it. He was young and brash at one point too, but his experiences made him a better person. His arc in the Hibiki show was about surpassing his master, so he knows first-hand how deep Kiriya's failures lie. I am a little disappointed that they forgot about the Oni dehenshin leaving the user naked though.

Action was great, Another Hibiki is an incredible suit and seeing Kuuga Armour was exciting. I love the pun Sougo made about it too. I couldn't help but realize that Kuuga and Hibiki shared a producer (Takatera) and Wizard shared a writer (Kida). I wonder if this was intentional. Was nice to see Zi-O Ex-Aid Armour again too after so long.

I personally found Woz's antics to be hilarious. I get it might be way too heavy-handed for a lot of fans but I'm a sucker for this kind of over-the-top humour. I laughed-out-loud during the cold opening when he tried to get Sougo's uncle to keep quiet and during the Taiko training scene.

It seems like the original Hibiki suit is returning next week, but who is it gonna be? I feel like Toei is deliberately misleading us here. Initially, we all thought they would make Kiriya transform into Hibiki based on the previews and cast materials but it turns out that was a red herring and the reveal that he is in fact not Hibiki at all is treated as a twist in this episode. So following that trend, episode 34 could have some surprises as well. I'm cautiously excited.

Overall, a good episode to close out the Heisei era.

Either hibiki will be back in suit or kiriha graduate in to hibiki becayse they can't afford the real one. It seem naomi, yuto, and garu from kiva won't be playing their most iconic roles. Grease probably will be grease in the next return to avoid confusion.