[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 11 - “WHY DOES THE UNBEATABLE SAKURA NEED POWER?”

The Igarashi Brothers spend an episode dynamically mopping up Deadmans with a synchronicity that borders on the superhuman, and it’s wonderful to see. Very exciting to watch Live and Revi (and Vice) get gigantic fight scenes where they use combo tactics to detonate monsters.

Though many of the Deadmans already come from villainous (anti or straight) humans who gave in to their inner demons, it seems that the series establish a major human villain Amahiko Haitani, who acts as the Deadman's "savior", helping them to promote for humans to join them and mass produce demons, and is charismatic enough that he can win over people, by bringing up about how the world is unfair. He's also the one that pulls the strings on Seiko, though Seiko still obeys her so she's not innocent, forcing her to do what he wants including making a contract with her demon. Other than wondering how he lasts if he's actually major, I'd like to see more of the public reaction to the Deadmans now, or probably what'd happen to Fenix who fights them off.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Sakura’s one of my favorite characters on Revice, mostly for how incongruently she’s fit into the narrative thus far. Much like Daiji’s great for his laundry list of psychological defects, Sakura’s teenage prickliness and barely-restrained aggression makes every one of her scenes fascinating to watch. She’s coiled at almost all times, appropriately, like a cobra. There’s a restlessness that seems natural for a girl her age, but it’s turned up a few notches too high. She doesn’t fit in this family, and I don’t mean that in an emotional way. They all love her, and she loves them. But she needs more than that, and she can’t articulate what.

Though the episode still reveals that she does have darker traits... without demon, just like Seiko herself (saving her son, but having little regard on non-families). She thinks what Seiko did for Ryou via Deadman is completely justificable (just like before approving of Masao's methods), where of course Ikki and Daiji doesn't think so. People being on hard time is a common reason for criminal acts and Seiko's is an example of that, Sakura's basically thinking that (almost) no criminal acts warrant punishment. At that time she probably has some Machiavellian traits, the end justifies the means, as long as one has noble intention, any methods matter. Her pointing out to not let Ryou die, while considerate to him, is a lesser form of selfish (only caring for herself and loved ones), in line with her objecting to Ikki fighting for other family before, that she seems to only consider what's close to her, being ok with terrorizing people she doesn't know for Ryou's sake. She calls out Fenix for their job to help people... but y'know, that'd mean they shouldn't pick favorites, like the victims of the Deadman's attack. Overall, Seiko seems to be portrayed as Sakura's shadow archetype here, when those dark traits (picking favorites, having the end justifies the means approach) outright corrupts someone and reminding her to not sink that deep, as well as Seiko fiercely brushing off any attempts from others to help (from Sakura herself too).. for some reason, except Amahiko.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s the core of her story in this episode, the belief that more power is the answer, even when she doesn’t know or understand the question. She’s someone looking desperately for a purpose, and she’s lost herself in a life that’s thus far avoided the necessary engagement to secure it. She trains, relentlessly, but that’s inherently a hollow pursuit. Training for what? Becoming stronger why? Since she was a little girl, she’s seen Being Stronger as a goal in and of itself, with a clarity that would give Ren from Saber pause. But now that she’s becoming an adult, she’s learning that strength only matters if it’s in the application of a greater cause.

The next episode tease will probably finally touch upon that demeanor more (other than Yukimi teling her that she's overstrung). Turns out that in this episode, the one that is using the Deadman power isn't Sakura, but her karate instructor Seiko. Nice twist from the previous tease that made it seem that she's the one being corrupted by Deadman, but she's not. Though in places like karate, she actually managed to not lash out at others to be "cool", including accepting a help from newbie like "Tamaki", or not being mad at her 'defeat' by Hikaru. I guess she had to learn from herself at karate on how she deals with her family. But certainly not for her defeat by Aguilera, after 2/3 times. I guess it's her psychological attack that really does her in at that case other than the defeat, or that unlike to other humans, she can't keep up with Deadmans due to her human limitations thus impossible for her to be strongest again? Though despite that it's nice for the story to point out that she's good at karate while arguing against Ikki and Daiji though. This is however probably what makes her think Kamen Rider aren't necessary before, thinking that karate skills can deal with them.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I appreciated the show treating her like a child, despite generally losing my temper with shows that treat male characters as unstoppable beacons of moral justice whose resolve and self-sacrifice are only questioned to be proven unimpeachable, while women are things (not people) to protect and patronize. Some of it is for my favorite Sakura expression – wide-eyed, stunned, paralyzed with fury – but a lot of it is for a clear division between the adult cast-members and the youngest Igarashi. They’re wrong to hold Sakura back, but it’s right for these characters to hold her back. In much the same way that Ikki struggles with being overprotective because he's always been the oldest kid, and Daiji struggles with defining himself outside his brother’s shadow because he's the middle sibling, Sakura’s frustration and desire for power spill directly out of how powerless a large family can make the youngest child feel. The way this show uses relatable family dynamics to quickly and precisely shape its cast is great, and Sakura’s stifling but well-meaning family is a perfect foil for a young woman who is determined to test her own boundaries.

So the childhood scene does show that her goal is to be cool, becoming the strongest and beat everyone. That's a goal reminiscent of probably shonen genre where one wants to become the master, the strongest, or such. Her case is one of those that has some negative influence on her though, not that she outright attacks anyone to show off (that'd be villainy), but about how wanting to be cool leads for her to become edgy against family (except Daiji), putting up a cool front in various forms like how she feels above any "stupid" and "silly" antics in her family (and probably Daiji being the more serious and uptight one as well earns her approval), or wanting independence to the point of fiercely refusing most help from other family members like Ikki's as it'll make her "like a kid", to the point of temporarily leaving them at the end, she's quite a lucky one that Ushijima family wants to take care of her.

I guess, Sakura also has similar resentment to Ikki as Daiji's due to how Ikki takes care of her siblings? As she hates being treated "like a kid", and of course, Ikki can be overbearing on taking care of them, not giving them a room to solve their own problems. The scene of Ikki assuring Sakura to be a help seems to be played off as a joke a bit, or is it Ikki not fully learning his lesson? Now Ikki and Daiji as expected becomes a brother tag team, with Vice thriving on them (but finally got his consequence for his 4th wall breaking, being punched by Planaria Deadman), and as families... both will have catchphrases based on their Rider name. So Daiji seems to be content on both brothers fighting together or giving Ikki the ViStamp (but Ikki being primary... will have him getting more upgrades), but this episode reaffirms that Daiji is a genuinely heroic person, as he knows that one's predicament (Seiko's) isn't an excuse for them to terrorize people (even if it's to get what they want), and it applies for himself too before, where he didn't act on his jealousy on Ikki who overshadows him, unlike Kagerou, and in the next episode, it seems that Daiji calls out Sakura for endangering Ikki (the reverse of what happened in ep. 4, so Daiji's quite neutral in how he treats his siblings). Even Ikki justifies Seiko a bit before, but that influence leads for him to fight her off. And as usual, he takes his Fenix duty very seriously, and Ikki's not the only one getting called out on this, but Sakura too, of being overconfident to use only karate skills to solve those, but the supernatural threats are beyond human level, thus she's not enough, at best humans can only take on Giff Juniors, reminding her that the stakes are far bigger than what she thinks (just like how Ikki thinks fighting Deadmans can be a secondary priority to Happy Spa before, so she does have a bit of an Ikki trait too here). Albeit his move to tell her to just stay in safety is the usual stigmatizing move that can be applied to women...

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The thing that made Diend great (stay with me here) is that his actor, seemingly all by himself, decided that he and Decade were constantly flirting with each other. It’s barely on the page; it is almost entirely in the performance. It’s the same thing with Aguilera here, who brings a romantic charge to any scene that even hints at Sakura’s existence, even when it could read through dialogue as menacing or bored or jokey or whatever. Find you someone who looks at you the way Aguilera looks at Sakura. I could watch those two Fight As A Metaphor for an entire episode and never get sick of it. Aguilera’s a temptation in a lot of ways, but she’s mainly here to get Sakura to understand that her power as a human fighter is irrelevant in a world of demon-powered superheroes and Cinco de Monsters. If she wants to have her family actually hear her, she’s going to have to meet them on their level. She’s going to have to become a Kamen Rider.

While Sakura seems to be growing out of those, as well as her human limitations, though it's at the end and still not much to talk about, so far by witnessing how dangerous and high-stakes the supernatural threats are (including Revi shielding her), the consequence of Seiko's actions, and how Kamen Riders are really the necessary force that can fight them off, by her trying to henshin as Kamen Rider herself and stopping Seiko, albeit she comically fails at this time (but the next tease have her being successful as Jeanne). Apparently though, Aguilera is excited at Sakura becoming a Rider (really George's counterpart who is obviously acting the same here..)... despite that it'd be more foes for her, but dunno. Kinda hope that she's the tertiary Rider instead of Hiromi as a family set.