[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But, that fight song in this episode! Holy shit! So great! I’m already onboard with a great big Horsepower/Kaido/Faiz fight, but that fight song kicked it up a few levels. The fight itself was great, I love any fight outside Kamen Rider Stadium, but when that fight song kicked I might’ve leaned forward in my seat out of excitement. Really great song for a really great fight.

The fight had one crazy thing happening,... Horse Orphnoch blocking Faiz' Crimson Smash?! Well he was injured after that, but what makes Takumi also injured? I thought the intro sequence at Faiz video game where he does the same move was the unseen end of Horse Orphnoch (well, FYI, Yuji's actor has died for a long time), but it actually does happen in the series.... early part at that!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The storytelling this episode is all about dreams, a phrase that’s said a few dozen times (I was not counting) and contributes to the big Why Does Takumi Have To Be This Way scene for the episode.

Still, like I said, it’s a fun scene and an entertaining way to build out Takumi’s character. He’s so irritated by people trying to reach a goal. I like that his default state is Unhappy, and that anyone who strives to be less unhappy makes him more unhappy. He’s got a lot of really serious emotional problems! I’m not sure 43 more episodes, one movie, and a Hyper-Battle Video are going to be enough to fix him!

Keeping it as subtext? What do you expect in a work made by Inoue? Also it's shown here that Takumi still mocks Keitaro's childish dream, because it's only a story, not reality. Takumi doesn't have a goal or dream.... but as he seems to be worked up over others following a dream... does that mean he have a wish himself...? To prevent others achieving what he can't. His persistence of anti-dream mindset just shows like preventing himself from going further into their mission.... Takumi even gets physical at Keitaro at the laundry. And here Mari is the one to ask for Keitaro and Takumi to get along instead of the latter as she tries to pursue her dream.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Team Orphnoch gets to deal with dreams, too, but mostly just through Kaido.

As shown here, it's clear that Kaido is the Team Orphnoch's Takumi. His scenes just mirrors Takumi in every way, like Kaido calling Yuji who helps him annoying, similar to Takumi calling Keitaro that. Kaido is also abrasive on the other 2 of their respective teams like Takumi did for dreams above and chews them out. But man, did you forget that, Yuji and Yuka, both of them are avoidant of the idea of getting their resentments eating them up? Yuji fears about them becoming real monsters (which Kaido is ecstatic of0, and Yuka's hesitant when Smart Lady eggs her to do that. I mean even Yuji tries to talk out Kaido from revenge by retelling his own experience. For Yuka, her backstory mainly just shapes her ideal, not for revenge/rage and acceptance, it'll be seen later.

Was Kaido the one who's lonely at the top when he's mentioned as an expert in guitar, where it isolates him from other students and make them resent him? Like them trying to get back at Kaido here. And yeah with the first-year, Kaido isn't entirely heartless.... like Takumi too. Can his Orphnoch hand fixes his musical skills though?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s not impossible to predict, though. We’re still going to get a Faiz Fight at the end of the episode, and it’s against the mysterious new Owlphnoch. I really like the helmet design, how it takes the owl head and structures in a gas mask. They make some interesting choices in the body, how the pants seem puffier and there’s a bit of a backpack. Visually, it makes the Owlphnoch feel more like a guy in a suit than, say, Horsepower. But I still really liked it? I don’t know why, I guess! It just looked cool!

Nice pun for the Owl Orphnoch and that's technically right, every Orphnochs are named simply after the animal they're based off. What if Kaido knows that the Professor was an Orphnoch too?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

This was a weird one for me, where it seemed to backburner a lot of the recent revelations in favor of both a straight-up classic Monster Of The Week problem-solving story for Keitaro and his sidekick Takumi; and a character study on the newest member of Team Orphnoch. Live Action Hatsune Miku and Smart Brain barely get a scene, and there’s nothing about Mari’s dad or the origin of the belt or any of that.

It seems that Smart Lady's thigh-high boots can be used as a... pocket.