[DreadBringer]

OK still, what do you think about what I said about Tendou here?

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

"Doesn't come across as The Best Dude"? wtf?!?! He's literally perfect. The speech about him ruling over everything and being chosen one isn't a hyperbole. Now with him being another asshole protagonist, and moreover, hypercompetent one, I'm afraid (and that it already happened) that it further reinforces where nice people are incompetent, scumbags are competent (where for Hibiki comparison here, you can be one and competent too, but unfortunately people may be irritated and irrationally label them as "mary sue" or "gary stu"). And well, I evaluate people more on how they would act to those that they're less likely to be nice tbh, so in this case, a stranger like Kagami. So he's an asshole; it can happen but it's less common for even those like them to be rude to family member (and in worse case, became actual villain for their sake)..

I think character's morality depends more on what they do/or will do to people less related to them, for both good and bad guys. What'll they do to, for example, civilians or strangers (taking care of them for good guys, and preying them for bad guys). I think caring only about friends and/or family won't necessarily cut it (if they would care, more apathetic, or outright cruel to others; overall). And so does for bad guys if they only brutalize primarily those that are in their target; like, in Ex-Aid, nthe one that finally made me think Masamune is more evil than Kuroto was him reprogramming Gamedeus to spread the virus to everyone (where Kuroto creates Zero Day, I think killing Lovelica as product discontinue and abusing Hiiro isn't comparable yet).

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 02

First episode with the Kabuto suit, and I think it’s a winner. I wasn’t crazy about the beetle horn (or whatever) on the helmet when I’d see it in pictures, or on figures. Not a bug guy! But in motion, with all of the bells and whistles, I think it really works.

Not a bug guy? Blasphemy! It's what shapes Kamen Rider, no matter where you personally begin! It's a source of backlash the time a Kamen Rider is made not to sport a bug motif! Jokes aside, I think it's not a big deal for Kamen Riders to be made outside bug theme, unlike for some people there. IIRC, no such thing as an inherent bug theme for Kamen Rider philosophy, it was only something like, "if there's no religion there's Kamen Rider", or "human lives are more important than justice", etc.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Okay, I talked about the suit, I hope you’re all happy, now it’s time to talk about what I cared most about from this episode… the depressed teenage girl!

Minor? Hiyori's the main heroine for this series. And people being a sucker for melodrama is a common concurence, and no offense, but unfortunately, that contributes to making the world being a harder place to live. Those who love drama is a serious issue in society; because those kind of people try to stir up drama even when drama doesn’t exist, creating a life that others envy even when they must drown everyone in drama, people thriving off car accidents, disasters, or death, gossiping and make up lies to provide story fodders, causing fights and disruptions in order to fulfill the need for more drama, etc. That aside, Hiyori's likely source of depression comes from a clear-cut source, but it's not brought about here. Probably coming from there, her demeanor is rude and quite misanthropic, with her questioning to others why she should be the one to do the job like cooking.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s just, she’s currently a pretty minor character compared to Kagami, who I’m realizing now I maybe didn’t talk that much about last time?

Kagami is someone that you'd expect getting the main character development in this series, some even think that Kagami is the true main character in Kabuto. Kagami is the everyman to Tendou's flawless human, he's idiot, rash, struggling, unlucky and naive. Kagami's the failure hero to Tendou's perfect hero. This is also reflected into something later, but I can't talk about it yet.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I love the scenes set there, and I like what it brings out of the characters, but… holy shit, another restaurant?! I know, it’s a Kamen Rider staple, but it feels so random to have it appear in this episode. The show already has the massive ZECT org to deal with, and the various machinations therein, so suddenly having this little French bistro where folks can hang out… I don’t know, it feels like it’s dropped in from a different show? It feels like it’s from a version of Kabuto where ZECT doesn’t exist.

And Kagami having this as a part-time job? He needs a part-time job at a bistro while he’s working for a highly-militarized secret organization devoted to eradicating monstrous doppelgangers who defy the laws of physics?

Well, he did work part time there, but actually, the main center of attention at Bistro La Selle is Hiyori, she's the waiter there.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And, y’know, still not super into ZECT! It’s a mysterious organization of nebulous authority (Kagami’s like Wait Do We Get To Kill People and Misaki’s like Shrug Emoji), and the only part of it I’m really invested in is Kagami.

Recruiting Tendou to boss someone around... did Tendou rub off on Kagami? ZECT is just something that provides the Kabuto Zecter for... Tendou to use, and they'll hunt Tendou for being outsider who uses their tool without permission. That also shows about Tendou's apathy to something like rules or laws due to his ego being allowed to do anything because he's perfect and can accomplish any task, or at best, him being pragmatic to feel like someone that's capable should be the one wearing Kabuto Zecter and eliminate Worms. Tendou so far feels like having the mindset of a hero (or that he only wants to kill Worm for his narcissistic tendencies, he's another anti-hero main Rider either way) being someone that is never fail or lose; invincible (flawed take if it's the case, or he doesn't care about this), probably ZECT's true concern about the Kabuto Zecter being used by someone outside of its member is not about that, but likely about the Kabuto Zecter being misused for someone's other amusements in a horrific way (e.g. causing destruction), if someone's using that turns out to lack moral decency; regardless of how strong they are (which Tendou boasts himself as); strong person without decent morals is a thug, a strong person with decent morals but the lack of desire to use that strength to serve others may well make a great sportsman, but will be a lousy hero.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

A QUESTION

Kabuto’s suit! His full CHANGE BEETLE Henshin! I dug it. How do you feel about the debut of Kabuto’s base suit? Is that beetle crest too much? (I like how it comes up out of the chest and locks in.) Color work for you? (I think the red carapace as chest armor really pops.) What do you think is the best part of the Henshin, and why is it the alarm claxon that goes off just before Tendou inserts the Zecter?

I think Kabuto's base suit is one of my favorites among phase 1 heisei, 2nd to Kiva. The design looks sleek and tough. Other Rider designs in phase 1 had some parts that I don't really like, but so far there's none for Kabuto, talking about the base form.