[DreamSword]

Episode 10: Wait

I-DOLL is Akane Shinjo done right.

While their situations are rather similar, the main thing that makes I-DOLL work is that we got to see the actual positives of her character.

Turns out, she's actually the living embodiment of the feels shared between Jiro and Yuki, implanted into the toys they used to play together as kids. It might seem like an illogical miracle, but it's actually tied into Japanese mythology(I can thank Daimajin Kanon for teaching me that).

Half of I-DOLL represents the utter rage and despair about the two friends being torn apart, while her other persona is the embodiment of the love the two shared, whether it be platonic or romantic.

Combine that with how I-DOLL never got innocent people involved and didn't do anything especially petty or monstrous, and it's easy to grow more attached to her than to Akane from SSSS.Gridman. And I-DOLL has only a fraction of the screen time that Akane does. Not having the entire cast come up with dumb excuses for I-DOLL's' behavior also helps.

And while that's all certainly meant to be the big takeaway from the episode, there are two other aspects that really stood out to me, and thankfully the episodes starts off with them right at the forefront: KitaQman and Yabai Kamen.

Not just in terms of how they mirror eachother, but also in them showing sides of themselves previously not all that highlighted in other episodes. Turns out that KitaQman is a serious contender on par with Yabai Kamen, with the implication being that KitaQman actually would've won in a one-on-one fight. Meanwhile, Yabai Kamen gets to display something that I absolutely love in a certain style of villain that typically only Power Rangers has done right: Yabai Kamen might be an eccentric goofball, sure, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous.

So, yeah. Just really loved this one overall. Alot of laughs paired with alot of really strong character moments alongside them.