[DreadBringer]

I haven't covered this yet.... but I guess not even on person (Die's probably understandable for being new), Takumi and Kusaka had their birthday not so long ago, 4th June for the former, and 1st June for the latter.... it's so coincidental that the primary and secondary Rider has a very close birthday date!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Don't care! Houjou FOREVER.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I'm not sure I'm 100% getting you on this, but I'm always onboard with hearing alternate/dissenting views. If someone's super into the Ryusei School alumni, I'd love to hear why.

As for the benefit of making a rich, three-dimensional cast at every level... I mean, why wouldn't you? Some of the most memorable Kamen Rider episodes are the ones where a guest star gets a compelling arc, or a victim becomes deeper than you'd thought. I'm not sure the shows that have a forgettable set of victims or a bland monster know they're doing that, though. I think (hope?) every creative team is trying their best. It's just, sometimes it doesn't work as well as they'd hope.

Oh, I just thought that with the 4th note you wrote in the very first post in this thread.

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Fourth, EXPECT A RAMBLING, DIGRESSIVE THREAD THAT’S LARGELY ABOUT HOW I FEEL WATCHING THESE EPISODES AT THE EXPENSE OF A TIGHT RECAP OR LEGIBLE SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION. This is not a Wiki substitute. I’m not going to necessarily touch on everything in an episode. I might forget to talk about new suits or powers. I’m more concerned with the emotional impact of stories than debating plot mechanics. I’m also writing these to have fun, and I’m pretty much just going to be talking about whatever’s fun for me to talk about. I’ll make jokes, I’ll make up names, I’ll generally screw around when it’s fun to do so. I take these shows seriously, but I’m not serious about them, if that makes any sense. If it doesn’t, hey, sneak preview of what this thread is going to read like!

For bolded one, it gives me the vibe that you changed your stance that now here you can only talk about the "good parts" (the parts liked) of the series, or just agreeing with anything said, no creating heated situations like debating or something, which can be done if there's alternate/dissenting views. And as for the memorable one at every level, well, I mean it's obviously great if they can achieve making guest star with comeplling arc, or deep victim, but I probably also think that making the series all 100% like that is out of the people's capabilities (I read somewhere that western's expectations are too high), I mean even making every single recurring cast equally as deep and completed is known as an enormous task, let alone the victims and one-time people (which some also think they should balance the focus which means not giving much to the very minor ones to not ruin the major one, that they think it's ok for the minor ones to only serve as that role proportionate to their purpose).

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

God, I never even thought about how Kusaka might really feel about these idiots. I assume he likes them well enough, since they're not a threat to him. He seems to have decent relationships with folks that he feels are beneath him!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Having them around concentrates the story on the most paper-thin, annoying elements of the story. The more they show up, the worse it ends up making Mari and Kusaka’s story seem, as the actors have to abandon present-tense conflicts and motivations to try and connect with poorly-conceived material. It’s grueling to watch Kusaka try and focus these idiots, or to watch Mari plead for sanity. I just want them to follow Takumi’s advice and leave them behind.

Yeah, the thing I was looking into for Ryusei Cram School scenes, was about Kusaka being cordial to them.... I was fascinated on what's on his mind during that, though it's also helped by Kusaka's infamous reputation in the fandom for me wanting to know. I'm never into demonizing every single part of those people don't like (thankfully you didn't really do that, for now, to Kimura), like calling every Ryusei Cram Schools idiots or maniacs or something, but by this episode seems that term is completely right on them. So they're the hidden evil twist type too for being power hungry for Delta belt, and enjoying the use of the superpower Delta belt granted to them for their sinister purposes... And for your last plead to follow Takumi.... probably even like me here, Mari has always been presented as significantly more amiable and fond to her old friends at the school here, but she just witnessed their rotten traits here. And Kusaka... even he also seems the same like Mari, or even further than that, his old friends are some of the only people he's not cruel to, showing no animosity to (like above, still wondering what Kusaka thinks of them, and hope no bias; no projecting what people feel about the students to speak about what Kusaka thinks, not you), which obviously would mean Kusaka would take the Ryusei Cram School students side more compared to Takumi, and even more to Mari obviously.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Especially because, man, I really thought we’d get a lot with Team Orphnoch this time out.

Delta is my favorite, design wise, for Faiz Riders. The helmet seems to be a cross of Faiz and Kaixa's, where the upper part are diagonal lines, and the lower part is vertical line. And yeah, after Takuma being one of the biggest badasses for the first 20 episodes, his downfall began here. I wonder what makes Kaido despondent this time (it's really ridiculous and amusing to have him in completely limp state like someone being in coma or even dying!). Yuji still thinks of Takuma as Faiz right to go completely livid at his presence. And with Keitaro again finding Orphnochs and calling Takumi to fight them, but how would Takumi know Keitaro and their locations?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The stuff with Keitaro and Takumi and Kimura… eh.

Yeah, it's not really different if it just shows Takumi having usual secondary Rider personality of "asshole with gold heart", the anti-heroic persona they take ("he’s rude to people even though he’s a hero", anti-heroes are heroes with less heroic qualities like that). Actually, I was more into the idea of Takumi assuming a rare more approachable persona like he did previously with Saya (I feel uneasy for that name due to my country) due to both being nekojitas. But actually nope... Takumi reverted back to his usual self. As for Kimura's performance, I think I would bring up what I said for Yuka previously (fixing it too with my second explanation due to it not being so clear):

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I don't know if acting must be all about goofy, or over-the-top, or larger than life, or laugh out loud, or in your face and wide-angle lenses, or other kinds of that. People usually consider any actor who doesn't act like that, (or just those who doesn't portray types of characters they like), basically acting as a "normal" person, as bad acting or no personality, but it can be just the people mindset that they just throw "bad acting" or "no personality" to those they think “this person doesn’t stimulate me”, or “this person doesn’t interest me”. Also a term to say someone is not extroverted, that because they can’t figure their personality, it doesn’t exist. A rather lazy and egocentric view of other people tbh, and a very superficial judgement. And that there's no such thing as " no personality". The person refered as such may be a little hidden if they are very shy, but they have a personality.

Probably for Saya, her having no spark, is in the character, that she's meant to be a shrinking violet-type of person that is meek, shy, quiet, anxious, insecure, apologizing a lot, etc. The character type like that is obviously, doesn't stand out (because that's what they want, not wanting to stand out among the crowds).

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The one fun thing about this episode is the Sawada twist. That one, the show did good on.

There's also Mari managing to message Takumi to inform her kidnapping. I mean yeah crushing on Mari is one of the show's sthick, but to think Sawada was like that too based on the scene they were little? She described him as kind, so what if he was truly having a good side beneath his nature by realizing he was going too far on her that time and helped her out (who just fell)? I don't like dumbing down someone doing a good act as having more self-interest deep down like wanting to suck up to that person, which can also count as demonizing them IMO. Switchblade did mention that Sawada is the one that will be remembered (meaning he was right), but also yeah.... Sawada, unlike the others, is meant to be a major, or at least recurring character. BTW what makes the Lucky Clover thread is done in more relevant way here?