[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 21 - ?MIRROR WORLD 2019?

And some of that?s the point! Sougo asks the Time Orphans what should be a fairly simple question: If they don?t want a future where Oma Zi-O obliterates humanity (but in a nice way), then what do they want the future to look like? They can?t just be fighting against the Misery Fields of 2068; they should have some positive goal they can articulate. Right?

But they don?t, and while that?s sweet and sad, it?s nothing this episode really explores. True to the themes of Ryuki, it?s all questions, but not much in the way of answers. What this whole Oma Day build-up is missing is more direct dialogue from Team Zi-O about what exactly the best outcome looks like for each of them. Both Wozez have been very clear about what they?re working towards. Even the Time Jackers, as dumb as their schemes are, have a clearly delineated goal. Team Zi-O?s weirdly aimless in this part of the show, preventing little tragedies but only making Serious Faces about the larger tragedies barrelling down on them. There's something poignant to that aimlessness - that the future is something you have to make happen, and if you don't, someone else will - but it still robs this episode of a sense of urgency.

I mean, other than the Time Orphans, all the time changers here are evil, as well as White Woz (of which the Japanese for "white" is "shiro"), both the straightforward and high level type too of that, no redeeming traits from them yet, albeit Heure is the least bad of them. The answer would be obvious that they're selfishly changing the future to create a new one they see fit, they aren't the well-intentioned type of making the future better or such, especially Swartz. So the ones that can be talked out with are only the Sougo and the Time Orphans (previously only Tsukuyomi can rein down Geiz, but now both of them can). But the main problem and dilemma was that White Woz's future sounds good on paper and thus it's the main one they're discussing with, better to have Geiz Revive or keeping Sougo around at the risk of Ohma Zi-O rising (as seen in ep. 16, when Sougo fights as Rider again, Ohma Zi-O returns to existence). Now I guess I understand better about your previous complaint about White Woz being handwaved, they here didn't come into the conclusion that White Woz may be untrustworthy one thus don't fuel his schemes. There's already more feud between Black Woz and the Time Orphans each before!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

(Real quick: I find the Time Jackers? fortnightly schemes to be hilarious. I don?t at all understand how some random rampaging monster is supposed to be the unquestioned King of Time, no matter how undefeatable the monster is. Last episode?s attempt with Quiz was comically inept, just some grunting monster shambling down hallways and settling dumb scores. The idea that any of these Monsters of the Week are destined for godhood is pretty pretty funny to me.)

King of Time? Is it necessary that the Time Jackers' scheme is creating a new King of Time? IIRC it's about creating another King, not King of Time, just a new King that fits into their vision of the world. Godhood isn't necessarily time-related. But the scheme also was about preventing Sougo from gaining all Rider's power btw, if they create Another Rider which erases the original Rider in the timeline, that'd make Sougo gaining all the Rider's power harder, because gaining all Rider power is what created the birth of Ohma Zi-O. And if for now Zi-O (or Geiz Revive) shows nowhere near of capabilities as Another Ryuga.... let alone Ohma Zi-O, why can't the Another Riders be worked up by the Time Jackers to reach Ohma Zi-O's level? Regarding Another Ryuga, it provides quite a new solution that it's an another Rider who is a dark self of the primary Rider before, but it'd still be related into the main Rider Ryuki/Shinji (Takamasa Suga's return! but with different hair), thus the solution is to kill the original self so the dark mirror version would also perish. Now it's Geiz's newfound sense of morality, following the other 2's footsteps that is the problem (but shouldn't change), he won't do underhanded tactics like that anymore to beat Another Riders.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

While the steadily mounting nervousness over Oma Day didn?t really do it for me, I did really enjoy how this show reoriented itself towards Ryuki?s investigative/horror framework. It?s nothing too special ? a montage of Team Zi-O pounding the pavement and/or doing a Google search, plus one Legend Non-Rider appearance in Okubo from ORE Journal ? but it felt a little more detailed than the usual strategy of running around Tokyo until they met a monster or a Rider. Like, they went to the old ORE Journal HQ! They interviewed people connected to the victims! Minimal mystery ingredients, but it?s still there, and I appreciated it.

And at the end (I know now you've watched ep. 22), there's a tease of Sougo facing his darker, more sinister mirror self. The issue is solved in Ryuki-way like Shinji with Dark Shinji, but as the premise of Zi-O is about a sweet boy that can turn into genocidal warlord much later, this is the 2nd time Sougo comes into term of his destined future as Ohma Zi-O, previously he dealt with his older self, but now, he's dealing with his inner demons, shown in his dark mirror self who is both young and sinister (while Ohma Zi-O was old), so now the viewer is given akin of Ohma Zi-O's personality in the young Sougo himself. Sougo is genuinely noble and well-meaning and it's proven more in ep. 15-16 back then, but the mirror self controntation here would lurk deeper behind Sougo's self and explaining why there's a potential of him turning into Ohma Zi-O.