[Fish Sandwich]

Faiz 47-48:

I gotta say, Kaidou is something of the MVP of this whole final arc. Everyone else is dealing with all these huge problems, but he knows how to focus on what matters. He's out there looking after orphaned children, finding a promising new line of employment, heck, he even gets to rock a suit for a while. Some of these other characters should really take some inspiration from how much he's gotten his life together.

I guess Murakami was trying that, to his credit, but all things considered, he probably could've been a bit more graceful about it. I know it's embarrassing as the CEO of a huge corporation to lose your job, but that's no excuse to hop on a heavily armed hover-bike and start shooting missiles at people. Being the best of the best means knowing how to quit while you're a head- uh, I mean ahead. Actually, on second thought, I guess dying to ensure the future of your race is a pretty classy exit.

Clearly I've still got Paradise Lost on the brain, but one thing the TV series has on the movie is Mihara, who gets up to all kinds of adventures here. He's had his belt stolen, but he shows some gumption and immediately takes it back at the first opportunity, leaping straight back into action to get in on a sweet triple Rider Kick with Faiz and Kaixa. Which isn't even the only all-star team-up he's a part of this time, since Kaidou asks him for some backup later. Most people would probably want a break after all that excitement, but then most people aren't Mihara.

では、最近休んでないファイズ翻訳ミスコーナーです～！今日の翻訳ミスはこれだ！



「折角だ……全員まとめて命もらうよ」

This is a fairly simple mix-up, but Kitazaki has just showed up with his Lucky Clover pals, looking to take out Teruo, in line with Smart Brain's current goal. He's not talking about his group being there, but rather saying that since Takumi (and Mari) are here too, they might as well just kill them all, even though they aren't the targets. They're kind of unscrupulous that way.

W 47-48:



I'm not crying, you're crying!

*sniffle*

I really love these episodes. Actually, I'm just going to come out and say upfront I consider episode 48 in particular to be a high point for this entire franchise, let alone Double. Like, everyone involved should just be extremely proud of having made it.

But I should probably wind things back for a second. This arc is another one that gets basically everything right, starting with the basic premise, that, after an entire series that never deviated from the basic format, for this final two-parter, Philip is the client this time. Which means, on top of still keeping to the format, you get that obvious extra weight of this being something personal from the start.

Once again, the partnership at the heart of the show is thrown into question, and just like every other time, the angle is totally unique and allows the show to explore its dual protagonists in new ways. While Philip drives the narrative forward, I think these episodes are ultimately a little more about Shoutarou. You get to see him at his absolute most half-boiled, in every sense of what that means, from his kindness to his coolness, as he spends the arc wrestling with indecision about transforming into Double one last time. Saying goodbye just isn't easy, after all.

This is also a farewell for Saeko and Kazu, too, and in keeping with the show's high standards, they both get very satisfactory resolutions. Kazu in particular, for someone who entered the show so late, really owns these episodes, having a bizarre sort of charisma despite his entire gimmick being an inability to properly display emotion. Also like the other main villains, you end up with a more complex impression of him by the end, too. He's also crazy tough as Utopia, especially since Double ends up beating him largely by exploiting a loophole in how his powers work, which is clever.

But, yeah, Shoutarou and Philip. This is kind of the ultimate possible story to do with them after a series, and the drama between the two here is hard not to get caught up in. There's a lot of raw emotion and nuance to it, given the nature of the thing they're arguing about. Shoutarou is upset in the first place because Philip is basically asking to die, and Philip, despite appreciating Shoutarou's concern, can't help but try to do something he needs to do. It's the kind of drama that works not only because you can see both sides, but because the characters themselves can too.

So episode 48 is riding real high already by the time Shoutarou decides to accept his responsibility, donning the hat he's finally become worthy of wearing, and single-handedly destroying Utopia's whole operation with just himself and the Memory Gadgets. It's fist-pumpingly exciting stuff, and that carries right into the actual fight with Utopia, which is short but sweet. I've always especially loved the touch of how the transformation is choreographed. Having the Xtreme Memory kind of spin up a cyclone around the two of them as they're running to preserve the dramatic impact, rather than the usual thing of sucking up Philip, which might've hurt the mood.

It's inspired, just like the entire farewell scene that comes after. The way it's shot is just brilliant. The subtle transition from the outside world to Double's usual mindspace. The decision to specifically not have Shoutarou looking at Philip. It's perfect. And so is everything else about the scene. Having the acoustic version of Cyclone Effect would've been cool anyway since it's Double's main insert theme, but the fact that the song just works so freakin' well as a ballad is a major bonus. It helps that the lyrics of the song, to begin with, avoided being about how strong and amazing Double is, like the usual fare, and were instead about how great it feels to have a great partner. This is all topped off by the actual performances of Ren Kiriyama and Masaki Suda, who really gave it their all, even more than usual. Kiriyama in particular is a master of pretending to cry, which is quite the talent to have in a scene this sad. Philip is a bit more subtle, since he's clearly trying to stay strong for Shoutarou's benefit, but by the end even he lets the facade slip a bit.

The subsequent reveal of what Philip's gift to Shoutarou was that ends the episode is really what pushes things into straight up gut-punch territory though. Or like, double gut-punch territory, I guess. Establishing it around halfway into 47, before most of the drama, and then paying it off right at the end like that makes it that much more powerful of a moment, and a great way to show that these two will always be partners.

Always.