[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER SABER EPISODE 41 - “TWO THOUSAND YEARS, TO WEAVE A SINGLE WISH”

I sort of hate how perfect Storious is for this show’s final villain.

I still don’t like him. I’ve found his presence over the last forty episodes to be more of a distraction than an enhancement. His new Scratchy Deep Villain Voice is maybe funnier than the voice he did for the HBV. He lacks the compelling theatricality of Isaac, substituting a grim menace that comes off pedestrian by comparison. He’s never been entertaining, and that didn’t exactly stop being the case this episode, despite it arguably being his highlight. I don’t like watching him.

But, goddamn, the idea of him as the final boss is perfect.

Storious is a man of stories, and he’s obsessed with endings. To him, a story is only worth telling if the ending resonates. The ending is why we tell stories, to his thinking. So he wants to end the world because that’s what gives the world meaning; before they die, everyone on the planet is boring, pointless. He wants to see how it all ends, so he’s going to end it. While a character like Touma might value the journey of a story – the place where we learn about others and invest in people – Storious is only here to shut it all down. The destination is all that matters to him.

It’s the best meta villain a season-long story could have, and I wish the execution were as exciting as the reveal. Storious was a lame leader of a lame group. He was frequently upstaged by the lousy CG of his headquarters, and he’s barely able to rise above the other scenes of an episode full of exposition. This show gambled big on asking an average actor playing an adequate villain to somehow level up into a final boss between episodes, and it just doesn’t happen. The show tries to get him there by providing a brilliantly thematic motivation, but the performance and presence is just… it’s just henchman level. It’s not a big boss.

And even then for Isaac, his reception also can still be mixed, he can be considered thin villain with motives that aren't explored very well. Or for better part, he is considered entertaining but his villain stint can be revealed/done earlier rather than waiting until near the end of his arc. Though I also didn't find Storious entertaining or memorable, thus I can't say many about him here other than new legion-like voice, or that he was the one who corrupted Zoous and Legeiel back in the past, but Storious can be even more disliked for following reasons later. The performance and presence may be henchman level, but typically, central antagonists primarily care about how threatening they're as a threat in battle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Let’s hit that last one first, because it’s easily the best part of this episode. Desast takes up the Sword of Ruin, henshins into Kamen Rider Falchion, and proceeds to have an epic battle against Storious. (I love that Desast has fallen into accidental heroism because he’s having too much fun to let someone destroy the entire Earth right this second. Later, maybe. But not now.) Sadly, it’s a thrilling battle that leaves Desast probably almost dead, so he’s going to have one last duel against Ren before he goes.

About you saying that it's an accidental heroism here, honestly, people should recognize more that there can be evil vs evil in media, and that someone isn't good merely just because they target bad guys (and that someone isn't heroic only because they created good outcomes, or the reverse of someone isn't bad when they accidentally created bad outcomes in a mistake). And there has been this stuff in many KR series like Gai vs Horobi.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

(The Ren stuff with Touma… it’s okay? It’s a very incremental restatement of their status quo. Didn’t super need it here, but it’s okay as a reminder.)

I do think that this is Ren sorta opening himself up to Touma, instead of being petty and hostile like he is usually (still hostile, but less so, kinda like Shindai siblings). Now Ren instead sorta asking for guidance to him instead of being on denial for Touma's capabilities or him compared to Kento.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Touma gets a much more upbeat plot, despite being told by Tassel that he’s destined to choose between Luna and his friends. It’s a feint by the show, though, because Touma’s well past the point of taking anyone’s word about what he’s destined to do: he’s going to decide how this story ends. So he’s like Why Not Both, and reiterates his goal to have all of his friends – Luna included – as part of his life. It’s a great swerve away from a more generic Touma Has To Make An Impossible Choice story, because he’s grown beyond other people limiting his choices.

Dunno if I get you here, but actually taking a 3rd option is often what happens when people like Touma who strives to be all-necompassing in his care is faced with this impossible choice. Especially in stories considered more "childish" or light-hearted, this is often criticized in how the writers lack courage to really portray the situation as something that has no any easy way out with them always successfully taking that 3rd option that gives every party good outcome. Though as you said, it's a recurring theme for Touma to ignore destiny, but it still applies on how the situation here would be written later.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I didn't watch Girls Remix due to my strong dislike of the two protagonists, but if Mei was in it, as a Rider, I would've been tempted. If it happens in a future TTFC special or something, I'll watch it.

Yeah, technically there's Mei in it as a Rider..... Angela Mei and Mei Hanakawa.