[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

The rest of the episode is fine, but outside of Liner Form's debut, it just feels like a continuation of the same concerns over Yuuto's powers that we've had for the last few episodes already. There are some nice moments, but it's not one that really stands out for me.

I guess I dug this part of Yuuto's story a little more because it's asking Ryotaro to change his perspective. While we get to see a little bit more of Yuuto's take on heroism, we also get a challenged Ryotaro altering his stance. It's a real shift for Ryotaro, and that makes it worthwhile to me.

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

Your earlier post made me remember how amusingly similar Den-O and ToQger are! Also if there's any sentai you ever feel like tuning in just to get a taste of the franchise, well there are few that emobdy the spirit as unabashedly as the one about trains and imagination.

oh no

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

About the latest episode, I've always been just a little mixed to myself on how much I like Liner Form as a concept. Ryotaro gaining the power to fight on his own, with the Imagin's support rather than the other way around like before, certainly sounds like a natural thing to happen in the show eventually. But I feel like it takes away a little of made him special as a protagonist, that he was hero in spite of being unable to do cool superhero finishers on his own.

Yeah, that's what bugged me the most about it. It's too literal for me. Kin makes a great point in Part 1 that Ryotaro's strength is in his sense of responsibility, in his empathy, in his desire to help people. And then in Part 2, the show's like That But Also He Has A Cool Sword And Detonates Monsters. I... no? No, thank you?

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

Honestly my biggest 'complaint' (more like nitpick) is that I wish Liner Form's head was different. I understand the idea but at a glance it's too similar to Sword Form. If you ask me, the 'eyes' should have been much rounder and more reminiscent of Plat Form.

I absolutely love the Imagin-colored feathers around Liner Form's eyes. Favorite touch. The rest of it's halfway to a Drive suit, but I like Drive suits, so I'm okay with it.

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

And I’d like to point out that, contrary to the usual “last form is always the most powerful in terms of near anything”, Liner Form’s only advantage over anything else Ryotaro has is jumping ability. Thank god his first opponents using it were the Mooks of the Imagin.

Well, trains are known for jumping, so... uh.

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Originally Posted by Kurona

Always up for indulging one of the best Toku shows ever made! Glad you at least liked the episode and the suits?

Well...

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Originally Posted by Kurona

Oh, and now that we’ve gotten to it? I might as well say: I like that Climax is still important, because it’s not so much the mid-season super form as it is the imagins’ final form. Furthering that little thing about them practically being their own riders rather than simply form changes, I think it’s neat that separate final forms are given to them and Ryotarou through Climax and Liner. It’s really neat and cemented a love for them both in my mind!

Yeah, that was the thing that made me not mind Liner Form's debut being so close to Climax Form's. (There are other things I didn't like, but their proximity wasn't one of them.)

Climax's really about Momo, and about his ability to really be the Boss that everyone teases him about being. It's asking him to see some value in this various hangers-on, to view them as equal partners in Den-O's success. Climax doesn't require anything extra of Ryotaro.

Liner Form is about Ryotaro feeling like an active participant in Den-O. It's him trying to balance all of the guilt he feels when they fail with a chance to help them succeed. It's the flipside (to, I think, the episode's detriment) to Ryotaro letting go of his responsibility to stop/contain/negate Zeronos. It's Ryotaro driving the train of Den-O.

I just wish it weren't happening now! In this story! In this way!

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Originally Posted by catwhowalks

Anyhow, I don't quite agree about Liner forms debut. It could have been done a little better, but the show for a while has been building up the idea that Ryotaro's bond with the Imagin is fragile and temporary. It's falling apart and always has been. Both of these final forms are linked to the idea. First, he loses his bond with 3 of the Taros and only gains it back thanks to the one remaining one with Momotaros, but now even that is starting to fade away and they can't fight with him in the past any more.

I won't say more since the show itself will do so for me, but there's very much something at work here more than the show just making up time shenaniguns as an excuse. This continues the very plotline that introduced Climax form and seems to me to be a natural progression of that, albeit more clumsily explained than they could have done.

I guess my criticism to the comparison with Climax Form is that Climax Form's Time Nonsense debut spun specifically out of events we just saw in the movie, while Liner Form's debut is tied to events that might occur in the future. Thematically, it's all one thing, but dramatically there's a completely different level of stakes. Climax Form is all established consequences, while Liner Form is almost literally Momo's fake excuse of "sometimes these things happen".

I don't know. It's not a total error for me or anything, but I find the introduction of Liner Form a little rushed, a little early in this particular plot.