[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

This is part of why I've never really liked Wataru. He's passive and reactionary in ways that make him a complete pushover for anyone with a stronger force of personality. He knows it, too, but his response is usually to sulk in his tub instead of trying to stand up for himself. I always compare him unfavorably to Ryotaro, who also had more of a weenie exterior but had a strong core of resolve and inner strength underneath it. Wataru often comes across to me as weenie all the way down. Not always, but often enough that it tends to frustrate me.

The hope is that this chapter is just to get him to a place where he's able to push back against Nago's manipulation, but, yeah. Wataru is so incredibly sweet that he's able to be strong-armed by someone as self-involved and controlling as Nago, which is as heartbreaking as it is infuriating.

A lot of it... it's that this story has no one looking out for Wataru. It should be Megumi, but she's so wrapped up in her rivalry with Nago that she can't really see how this is hurting Wataru. Again, this is a story that's probably going to land harder for kids of divorce, where the children become less important than Winning against an ex. It's part of the narrative that Wataru is being buffeted by Nago's iron grip and Megumi's hot temper.

So, I mean, I know what you're saying. I do not love seeing Wataru depressed in a bathtub! But there's an element of it feeling necessary to this story that... I don't know. I'm coming around a bit on it. It helps that I'm not experiencing it anymore, because that was rough. Definitely improves in the memory.