[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KIVA: KING OF THE CASTLE IN THE DEMON WORLD

Some of it’s just, like... look at that screencap! It’s a movie where Wataru spends time with his dad. It’s basically that simple. There’s some incredible work done in giving the audience the emotional beats that feel widescreen and epic (Megumi and Yuri both kick ass as IXA!!!), rather than a billion Riders or some massive fight scene or whatever. It’s really just a vehicle to give you some Parent/Child bonding across a toku landscape, and I’m not sure pointing out its flaws really tells the whole story.

I don't know what's the deal with Yuri handing IXA to Otoya, especially that she does that while gaining upper hand (kicking away the enemy), unlike Megumi who gets actually overwhelmed by Kamen Rider Rey (Takoto). I'd also say Yuri in 1986 when Wataru is there, by just attacking without second thought, it can be completely dangerous method to use in fighting off baddies like it being applied to Wataru here, if Wataru is killed?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

In fairness, though: there are some flaws!

As much as I love the Wataru/Otoya story here, there’s really not a lot to it. The opening parts play like a sweeter version of the recent Nago two-parter, as Otoya refuses to entertain Wataru’s claims and they brawl in a classic Heroic Misunderstanding way. Once Otoya believes it, though, it’s all weirdly played at the exact same level as the Net-Movies? Otoya loudly loves and supports his son, and Wataru unfailingly supports his dad. There’s no friction in their story once they’re both in 2008, which means there’s almost no arc to their story for about 45 minutes. It’s very sweet, and it arguably works better than having the two of them at each other’s throats for a whole movie, but it makes everything in their relationship seem too easy. A lot of what Wataru is struggling with in Kamen Rider Kiva is how he fits in with his father’s legacy, and what parts of him are passed down. So to have a movie like this dropped into the middle of the show’s run that pretty much says Daddy Loves You No Matter What… this is going to make watching some of the Wataru scenes in Kiva a little less fun, even if this movie is non-canonical. (It has to be non-canonical.)

I don't know about the other ways to improve the relationship if it's 'too easy', but I'd want for no other choice than Wataru and Otoya being completely sweet towards each other. I don't want for drama to be shoved into anything, or glorifying conflict (and potentially giving free pass to Otoya if he's being bad parent for this... remember Den-O's Kasumi) and that conflict isn't only about people on each other's throats, and that drama isn't necessarily "right" way to tell story as it can be exhausting aside from being entertaining. I'd want for It's obviously guaranteed for Wataru to be completely sweet to Otoya, but it can be not for Otoya, like if he notices about his son's 'lameness' compared to him. Though the only one I fear about this is about how Wataru unfailingly supporting his dad, I'm afraid of Wataru excusing unappropriate things he did just because it's family without regard to others. While Otoya completely loves Wataru, their early interaction shows how Otoya views men though, as a womanizer he'd hate them (directly claims it) and can be unreasonably hostile to them for the sake of women (albeit he assumes Wataru is Fangire). I'd likely want for the Otoya's legacy part to be touched upon, and I just reminded for that while reading here that Wataru is about Otoya's legacy, though I still hope that it's done without strife between those 2.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The other big thing is that, like, what the hell is even the deal with Takoto? His character only makes the slightest amount of sense if you watched the third Net-Movie, where it’s revealed that Takoto was friends with Nago back when Nago was an overly-emotional crybaby. Because in the movie? There’s no details about this dude at all. He shows up, Nago shrinks like he’s trying to will himself out of Takoto’s eyeline, and we’re never told why. And this is the big adversary for IXA! There’s nothing to key into for their rivalry or their friendship or any of it. Beyond that, he’s a guy that has a belt for some reason, and betrays them for some reason, and it’s all sort of shrugged at. (I believe the movie’s answers to both of these mysteries are “another group made a Kiva belt somehow”, like that’s just an easy thing to reproduce; and “that’s just the type of guy Takoto is”, which, what? He’s well-known for betraying people to immortal monsters who want to subjugate humanity? I thought he was the ace agent for a big monster-hunting agency? I feel like Most Likely To Betray Humanity should be a disqualifying trait!) He’s a guy that has almost zero character, zero appreciable motivation, and dies in a fight that never really made any sense.

In this movie the part where he was friends with Nago is touched upon too, with them greeting each other at present time. But I guess it's true that their relationship is touched upon a little here, other than how Nago claims he's no longer himself in the past as he defeats him. What he does is clear that he made himself into a Legendorga so he could use the artificial Rey Kivat and become a Kamen Rider, though it's unknown that if he's someone that is power hungry, or truly had an animosity towards Nago and seeks to ,ake sure to surprass him. Regardless of personal feelings, still think that there's no such thing as zero character, enjoyable or not, when spending time with the heroes, I'd describe that he seems formal and uptight, and seemingly had high standards to appreciate legendary stuff such as meeting Otoya, and badmouths his inappropriate behavior to a (Fangire) girl.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Otherwise, my gripes are fairly trivial. I don’t know why there’s a whole thing about Wataru going back to high school, since the only benefit it has (beyond some funny gags) is introducing Natsuki, and I feel like they could’ve done that some other way. Everyone knows Wataru is Kiva, but that’s probably changed to make the story flow faster. All of the 2008 stuff with the Arms Monsters, who Wataru somehow already knows. Just little stuff.

(Well… there’s also Otoya hanging out with his son in 2008, but I’d rather not wade into that plot at all if I can avoid it. It’s a minefield. I didn’t think it was nearly as problematic as describing it would make it sound, but describing it makes it sound intensely problematic, so no thanks. There is some maybe genuine bonding in it, though.)

I was afraid of Natsuki noticing Wataru's 'lameness' and likely turned enemy or something (it can happen when someone befriended a socially withdrawn person, then betraying them after knowing their 'lame' traits), especially that it's blatant with his performances at soccer and shogi. For the soccer part though, I guess this is one of the media where a shoe bottom left its mark on something above it (the keeper's face). I thought for the part of Natsuki playing violin and handing it to Wataru after, it's about her hating violin because of Wataru's deep ties to it and knowing his 'lameness', but it turns out to be animosity for her mom. I also think that Wataru opens up unexpectedly faster despite his shyness? (I know he's sweet boy but... there's shyness that goes hand to hand with sweetness like how by being shy they won't want to disappoint others, cause conflict, etc. which doubles as a form of sweetness).

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Oh! And I loved how the movie shoveled in all of the Den-O voice actors (and Naomi, I think) in cameo roles. They’re all very funny in how they tip their hand (Kin’s quote on the chalkboard, Ura and Ryuta doing their catchphrases), but the absolute best cameo was, naturally, Momo:

Terrific gag yeah, someone literally named Sanjou, so ore sanjou can be used as introductery scene for them. Other than that, in this scene, it's a showing of a cop that isn't excessive to the inmates, asking if Otoya's all right.