[Fish Sandwich]

Castle Doran's theme is used in this episode as Nago first takes in the scenery of 1986, and it fits so perfectly it gave me an appreciation for this one I didn't really have at first. It's a super chill track and yet has this sense of mystery to it, like some big discovery is jjjjjjjust around the corner or something.

Moving on to the episode, I'd like to thank Die for practically giftwrapping another opportunity to defend dumb things in Kamen Rider.

Even if Kiva is the one with the actual golden power this series, Rising Ixa is still a cool upgrade form in its own right. I mean, Ixa puking out a cellphone will never not be hilarious, but there's a lot of legitimate thought that went into this design – including right there, as they wanted to emphasize Ixa's technological nature by having his power up not be something that's just summoned into existence like magic, so instead they did a weird homage to Kamen Rider X. The emphasis on mechanical detail is also because the color palette is actually completely unchanged (it's just laid out differently), since it already had an emphasis on typical power-up colors like gold and silver. I mean, he already had the dramatically transforming helmet; why not complete the Kabuto homage and have him Cast Off while you're at it? (That choker was also always there, by the way.) It's really a pretty straightforward progression, taking Ixa's sun theming to the next level by having the "cloudy" white replaced by the blue of a clear sky as the sun on his chest shines with its full might.

So you can sit here and say the 80's design was way better and more iconic, Die, but 2008 is a different time, and just because an aesthetic is busier doesn't mean it's inherently worse, and I don't even see why it's a big deal that Optimus Prime has flames now why are you even saying that!

...Wait, what were we talking about again? Oh, right, Ixa! Ixa! Yeah, I'm actually not a huge fan of Rising Ixa either. But really, I think it's strictly a case of Ixa already being so perfect more than anything actually wrong with the new one. (And while I'm clearing things up, the "193" code is meant to be read as "I-ku-sa" here, because wordplay.)

Another reason I'm inclined to be soft on Rising Ixa is because I genuinely appreciate how it's integrated into the story, with Nago getting it right away and that actually being a problem, as he fails to grasp how to use it. Come to think of it, that's pretty much a Kuuga form introduction right there, so... yeah, no wonder I like it. Still as fun a subversion as ever.

Everything else about the story... I think my argument in favor of it is literally the same as yours against it? I guess we'll see if the second part of the story raises your opinion on what it's doing with that arbitrary premise any, but like Sh Ranger said, I think a cheap plot device or two can be in service of other, more legitimately interesting parts of the story. I honestly love a lot about the idea of Nago being the guy to get this quest in the past where he's there simply to prove he can do someone's job from 22 years ago better than them. He's the guy in the show with some of the least connection to '86, and probably the least investment in connections in general. The contrast between the backstory with his dad and the relationship between Wataru and Otoya highlights this. He's all about himself and his code, so the concept of him tearing through the show's entire backstory with zero appreciation for the significance of anything around him (the last frame of this one is him about to punch Otoya), entirely focused on The Mission, while getting a chance to bounce off of those characters? Definitely potential enough to be worth a sudden Time Door, if you ask me.