[DreadBringer]

No place to put it on, but... Kagami actually dies in the Worm fight, his Rider form exploding in the similar way as the monsters, and not Kagami de-henshin first, and Hyper Kabuto's debut is to time travel and save him. This is something that I didn't say because spoilers, but about the Arata Kagami being written in the past before he was born, thinking about how in Kabuto, there are something that allows time travel like Hyper Zecter. The one where Tendou said the future is in his hand is actually using that phrase literally with the Hyper Zecter coming to his hand. And as Zecters can move around and funciton by themselves, Hyper Zecter from the future cross the time by itself to aid Tendou in present time. Also it seems that as Hyper Zecter is already formed in the future where it travels to present, Hyper Zecter can't be eliminated no matter what like Mishima's trying to do here, because if someone does, then the Hyper Zecter from the future will aid the present.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I mean, the cast doesn't know about Another Tendou yet? Tendou and Kagami sure don't. They never set on eyes on him when he's out of his iron mask. Either way, it's still not a huge Hiyori moment, at least for me.

For the other thing, I don't really have anything to say about it? I think that's a valid interpretation, it's just not one I share.

That's my point, the cast doesn't know about Souji Kusakabe yet, and the way to integrate it in story is via Hiyori's power (psychic phenomenon according to you, but I'm not sure yet). Souji Kusakabe's existence is crucial for the story, and at that point the cast doesn't know about him yet.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 34

So, just to get it out of the way: Yes, I cackled like a lunatic at all of Yaguruma’s appearances. It is such a parody of the tortured anti-hero, so committed to being Baby’s First Nihilist, that I literally can’t see any flaws in it. Art is subjective, and folks are going to have different experiences than mine, but I genuinely cannot fathom being anything less than in the bag for Yaguruma and his Yaguruminations. Literally every time that dude opens his mouth, it’s a goldmine.

You mean the nineties anti-hero type? (the over-the-top grim and gritty anti-hero characters in superhero comics of the 1990's) Yaguruma changes, but not in a good way, as pointed out by someone like Sh Ranger here. He didn't exactly learn from his mistakes, he turned into an antisocial nihilist who thinks that he is not loved and cared about by anyone or anything but "darkness", and that he prefers to stay in the darkness of Hell. He sums up why edgelords think that way, he still craves for attention despite of his current state, by doing these things to shock others in an effort to appear cool, or edgy (he's still enraged for those laughing at him, despite him claiming not being loved, “Have you laughed at me?” still exists in ep. 33). For you saying "parody of the tortured anti-hero", this is because in general an edgelord is almost parodic, but often, not intentionally so. He also shows more of negative traits from that later, but can't say it now. I hope this kind of change won't be praised (I mean being praised as right thing, not praised as entertaining story like here) or emulated (or what I said previously about 'humility').

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

That’s pretty much how it works for Renge, who finally eats something other than her Sengoku Rice or whatever, and feels a connection with Tendou. And, some of it’s that, the literal feeding of Renge, but it’s also Tendou making her feel like a person who can help. She’s not just a weapon, or a tool, she’s someone who can make a positive difference in someone else’s life. Feeding that part of her soul, creating space for her to feel heroic… it’s a very Tendou thing to do?

Renge starts to become more of what she pretend to be (being bubbly and innocent) by this treatment; beneath her innocent smile, she's fearsome and cold towards anyone until Tendou taught her on enjoying life better despite it was a part of his plan to have Renge abide with him, but Renge abiding on him isn't purely like that, to make her feel heroic, acting like what she pretended to be more genuinely, this will come in an unintended side effects later, a bit containing Yaguruma's type of change!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s here that I introduce a counter-point to that flowery view of Tendou, though. This episode does a lot to walk back Tendou’s villainy in 33, giving him opportunities to be vulnerable, and to choose to save people instead of furthering his goals. He is way less of an asshole in this one. But. There’s a broadness to some of his vulnerability that makes me think he’s manipulating Renge. Tendou needs the Hyper Zecter, and he knows Goro has it. He also knows there is absolutely no way Goro is going to trade him the Hyper Zecter for all of the other Zecters. It’s a proposal that Goro is going to laugh at, the end. But that meeting is necessary, because it allows Tendou to show how hungry he is for the Hyper Zecter, right in front of Renge. It also slowly breaks down her resistance, slowly opens the door to her having a desire outside of ZECT. Tendou becomes a kindred spirit, someone who wants her to be happy in a way that Goro doesn’t, and if he wants the Hyper Zecter… I mean, isn’t it the least she can do?

So, yeah, I think Tendou is manipulating her. He knows that she’s the only one who can grab the Zecter from under Goro’s nose; he just needs to exert enough pressure to get her to choose him over ZECT. By feeding her, literally and figuratively, he gets her to do what he wants.

(That said! He also wants her to not be Goro's lapdog because that's a horrible thing to live as! It can be two things!)

What Tendou proclaims, the one he used to threaten Kagami would be utterly villainous if it's actually done (Killing every single living being to protect a loved one, Hiyori. A good number of villains in fiction does bad deeds motivated by a love to certain person, like Gendo from NGE and yanderes such as Yuno from Future Diary. For this franchise, example is Kusaka and Fueki), but then he realizes his plan by targeting ZECT and other Riders, which is significantly less brutal, and that damaging ZECT this way would be potentially (anti, as it's done for neutral motivation which is protecting only Hiyori) heroic, as damaging ZECT would be benefical to others like killing monsters (what you said that he wants Renge not to be Mishima's lapdog should be an indication of this, taking anyone away from Mishima's side is good), and for what he did at least in this episode, what he's done is taking away the Zecters of other Riders and likely using Renge for this too, so he's manipulative but not causing much harm, like what some pragmatic anti-heroes did. So obtaining Hyper Zecter is inherently done in manipulative ways, for any case in Kabuto (this episode and movie, where for the latter he purposefully stirs up fights between the ZECT and Neo-ZECT Riders to lure out Caucasus and take a hold of his Hyper Zecter.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And that darker aspect of feeding someone, the dependency it can cause, brings us back to Yaguruma and Kageyama. Kageyama, who… boy. Even for someone who thinks Kageyama is TheWorst, this episode was maybe too much. But Kageyama is being drawn into Yaguruma’s orbit again, and that means Too Much is the lowest setting. Yaguruma comes off like a cult leader, offering the debased and dejected Kageyama a new future as… I mean, I assume PunchHopper, but we’ll probably find out for sure in a couple days. As it is, Yaguruma’s mostly offering rain-soaked nega-affirmations, where Kageyama’s only hope for a continued existence is by giving up on whatever shreds of self-respect he’s hidden away. Fun stuff!

Your guess is completely right here for Kageyama's new future. Yaguruma sort of views Kageyama as younger brother, which is exemplified here, the only one among his former colleagues. In this episode, Yaguruma tries to drag Kageyama in the darkness, both isolating themselves there, and from what I catch, it seems that for some reason to me, Yaguruma wants to let Kageyama taste hell for a room of his development, the people becoming stronger in the face of adversity type of guidance.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s not a subtle theme, since both Renge and Tsurugi call it out at some point in the episode. It’s treated literally by Tsurugi, since his ability to understand the common people (weird shout-out to a then-11-year old Pulp song, but not the weirdest thing in this episode) is tied up in Juka offering him the Official Snack Of Kamen Rider, takoyaki. Having someone feed him, it forms a connection. It lets him know he’s not alone, that someone sees him and cares about him.

Speaking of fun stuff! Tsurugi! So fun! It’s for sure the brighter interpretation of this episode’s theme, more about connection and empathy than control and A Successories Poster But The Picture Is From The Music Video Of Johnny Cash’s Cover Of “Hurt” By Nine Inch Nails. It’s a plot where Tsurugi trades his foppish couture for the tiny clothes of a child, loses a sword fight with a flute, and nearly dies of starvation in an afternoon. It is indescribably charming, a full-throated embrace of simple pleasures and low-stakes nonsense. It’s still 100% tied into this episode’s theme, so much so that Tsurugi outright tells us what this episode was about, but it comes at it in the sweetest way. If Yaguruma is the pessimism that we’re all starving for meaning that can never be sated, Tsurugi is the optimism that we just need to share what we’ve got and no one needs to go hungry.

For this one yeah, the Tsurugi's comic relief part is lighthearted one, unlike before where it's about him inflicting inappropriate behavior to others due to ego, which I can view as dark one as he got little repercussions for it. Tsurugi was always a little disconnected from normal life from the beginning, and having lived in luxury for his whole life, Tsurugi's not so great when it comes to "common sense". This is probably a part of Tsurugi's development, where he's involved in some part of human live here, where in this part, he acknowledges the value behind other's kindness (and if you want to be seen or cared, then you should take a part in that too, in contrast to what you've done before, you did help Juka and appreciate her payback, but you still act similarly when you got caught stealing; challenging others to duel and refusing to admit it), and this experience is likely the better "how to be a good emperor" lecture! In contrast to his impossible tastes of food that he forced to be luxurious and high class, Tsurugi here considers a takoyaki from streetside as delicious (afaik, a cliche of breaking away from luxurious spoiling, get a taste of a commoner's stuff and enjoying it), and likely get to know more about commoners' suffering, like the one that he victimized previously like in his debut (causing an accident by walking in mid road and callously tells that he's above law), which is him starving here.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

A QUESTION

An easy toss-up this time: Who has the more embarrassing outfit in this episode, Yaguruma or Tsurugi?

Tsurugi's one. Yaguruma's outfit is edginess, but for those that aren't edgy, it looks intimidating, it has seen some use by thugs.