[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

I totally forgot about the real estate guys after watching this the first time. Which caused some minor confusion not too far down the line.

It's a weird plot that doesn't get touched on for the rest of the episode, but I really appreciated how it illustrated the Happy Spa's (I don't think that's what it's technically called, but that's what was on Ikki's shirt all episode, so that's what I'm calling it) place in the community. Very few businesses in Kamen Rider ever feel like a permanent part of their world. Most might as well vanish into a void after the final episode, along with most of the supporting cast. But here we are in Episode 3, and the whole community rallies around Happy Spa, and fights with all their might to keep Gen from caving instantly. It's a nice scene!

And a nice Stamp skit! Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Layton13

And now, to the part that made me dislike him as a narrative tool. That was the episode where I basically was certain he was just spurting out Ikki's subconscious thoughts without any filter, and I hated it. It felt like a lot of the potential mysteries around Ikki and why he is the way he is were just immediately revealed since I can just listen to Vice, which makes Ikki seem like a very flat and boring character.

I guess I don't have a problem with Vice being a way into Ikki's secrets and inner dilemmas? As Daiji shows this episode, it's a lot harder to fix yourself than just knowing what's wrong with you.

That said... Vice is sort of a lot! He's not my favorite type of character, the one who is constantly at Full Energy all the time. Even Momo got grumpy or sleepy or other dwarfy or whatever. Vice is kind of always screaming? It's generally fine within the context of the story -- and his minimal screentime so far -- but I would not normally ask for him to be on screen.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

So even at this stage, you don't loathe Genta, the loser dad, like you did at Haima?

I don't! I think he's incredibly fun! He nicely balances being a kooky burden to his family with being a sweet, devoted presence. I like how him and Mom Igarashi collectively explain how their kids are well-meaning but a little screwed up. That household definitely feels like one where the kids had to grow up pretty fast to keep things from falling apart (and probably had to raise each other more than they'd've liked), but it was all in service of a warm, nurturing family unit.