[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Incredibly fun opening for a show!

This is Faiz' final form Blaster Form..... what do you expect for it handling the deadliest Orphnoch? For me I would think the suit is what I like less about the form though, with the suit is nothing but just the same. Faiz suit that is re-coloured red (it probably makes more sense though with Faiz being the most technological one between the Riders so far), unless that you're already such a fan of Faiz suit (which is sizable) that you wish to keep it like that. And if you're already considering this one as cool af.... you're missing out! Yeah... the Faiz Blaster actually debuted in Paradise Lost, and the one in this episode is nothing compared to that. The shoulder cannons are Bloody Cannons... and the one displayed in this episode has much more impact than it does in various videogames.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

That’s pretty much what I thought about, as Kitazaki lost his shit after narrowly escaping Faiz Blaster. He’s a bored combatant, slacking off during fights because he doesn’t feel challenged. But now, now that he was whipped so soundly, He’s Going To Try.

So Kitazaki's the type who wants to be entertained, but goes apeshit at struggles and losses. Now what does he want? Eh then again he's a teenager who is exactly that, doesn't know what he wants.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

This episode, though! I mean, if you can tell by how much of this episode I just spent talking about a North American wrestler, this episode didn’t really land for me.

I'm on board with you, as you've pointed out, Sawada still did them no matter what he has gone through. I got sick of people giving others (like various villainous characters) free pass because of bad backstory, pointing out "do you understand what they're going through?", and even treating them as not actually evil, just misunderstood or something because "they're only made that way due to that backstory", and of course ignoring everything bad they've done.

Though as others've explained, this serves as a drive for Takumi to gain some confidence in himself, and that actually works for him because how horrible Sawada has been lately. Takumi sees that even some of the worst kind of Orphnoch can have a sliver (a sliver, tiny!) of humanity left inside them, then Takumi shouldn't fear himself too much of going fully monstrous. Probably yeah with how his death scene played it expects to be a tragic loss for the cast with someone (formerly) close to him, Mari, standing and mourning besides him. But this episode has answered most of my confusion with him narrating what happened to every Ryusei School alumnis that they forgot what happened.

Speaking otherwise, the one I'm actually confused was not Mari being desperate to see Sawada redeemed, but in inverse, Takumi's hopes for Sawada, just because he's a friend of friend. Mari's desperation is more understandable that she sees him as a family like every Ryusei School alumnis (they're undoubtedly, the closest to each others), while not for Takumi who, you know, tried to distance himself from Ryusei School alumnis earlier.

Anyways, for "There’s ways I’m trying to talk myself into finding something positive, but I don’t love talking myself into liking something. I didn’t like this one, you guys.", what if something you don't like feels unfair to others, and that they want to talk about that in positive sense to correct that and gives more proper insight and understanding?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Still, at least wasn’t as hilariously (hilariously) stupid as the Delta stuff with Mihara and Rina.

When Mihara's cowardice now actually is disastrous in this episode, to almost cost a dear friend's life. But yeah anyone can transform into Delta... but Delta has side effects. Some side effects include the user becoming mentally unstable and developing an addiction to using the Gear, as well as developing minor Orphnoch-like powers. Those with strong enough will or just dislike fighting in general, can use the Delta Gear without the mentioned side effects (Saya was able to use it properly but it may contributed to her illness).

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

This show is in… oof. It ain’t in a great place. There’re things that work great (all the Mari and Takumi stuff sings, the Kaido/Yuka skit at the orphanage was funny), but the show keeps adding layers to the Ryusei School story that compare unfavorably in my mind to Agito (that Rina speech is 100% the Agito theme and is totally misplaced on this show), and it keeps backgrounding strong characters (Yuuji is a no-show, there’s the one Kaido/Yuka scene, remember when Keitaro had stories about him) to clutter up with a plot that doesn’t have an emotional weight to it.

I feel like I’m watching a great concert with a killer setlist, and then two-thirds of the way through the band’s like Hey Let’s Just Jam For The Rest Of The Night. It’s real frustrating to feel like the wheels are coming off of this thing, you guys!

How did Kaido get to volunteer for that orphanage anyway? Yuka obviously assists him. Also for Keitaro, soon you'll see in few next episodes.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Some of it is also about how heroic it is to have sympathy for Sawada. Not that he deserves it, or has earned it, but that Mari and Takumi (Takumi specifically) trying to redeem him shows their character.

And, I get it if people think that that's brave of them, generous of them, but I just have a tough time applying it to someone like Sawada. Some people are suffering, and they need someone to try and help them. Sometimes, it's after they've done something horrible, something regrettable. But sometimes people show you who they are, and you need to believe them. Sawada spent a ton of time being absolutely merciless. I know that we're supposed to view his activities as the result of trauma, as the result of horrible events, but he still did them. And, man, he never really tried to atone for them. At the end, there's a kind of negation he attempts, ridding the world of Sawada, a monster. I do lament his outcome, the path his life ended up taking. But, man, he killed a ton of people.

I don't know. I think the construction of Sawada's character, and the use of him as the example of If Even He Can Find Some Good Within Himself... I just couldn't get to where the show need me to be in order to see Mari's and Takumi's decisions as reasonable.

The characters are generous to them, but doesn't mean the audience are expected to act the same because y'know, every people are different, either characters or real life person. The characters have different thoughts about that person because for example, strong bond Ryusei School students like Mari have with each other, but others wouldn't be exactly the same, like audience who are able to see things more objectively (or in inverse, tolerate them much more than you would irl) because of them being fictional characters. Though yeah with him having tragic death scene, it can certainly feel like that. But as I said I'm on board with you on this and everything's explained above.