[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Sometimes there are jokes! Take it easy!

It can be hard to detect sometimes, that comment sentence is read similar to just a defense to a criticism about a show part.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 22 - “BANGING ABOUT… ATMOSPHERE STAIRWAY!?”

Let’s get that part out of the way: completely insane that this show keeps Akaishi in charge of Fenix after freeing Olteca and crashing the helicarrier. I’m sure there’s some narrative handwaving that can remove him from suspicion – technically, Hiromi is the only one who saw Olteca and Akaishi team up, and he’s too Exploded Off Of A Cliff to tell anyone right now – but a) the show never even bothers with that, so thanks; b) Hiromi just “died” telling Daiji and Ikki that Fenix wasn’t to be trusted; and, most importantly, c) the audience knows Akaishi is a bad guy, so it makes every scene where Daiji can’t see how slimy and duplicitous this guy is into a scene where Daiji looks like a total mark. It’s unbelievably aggravating, as a viewer.

With the focus (misdirected) lying on mostly the comedic duo environment, the other parts are more of a setup on his episode, of Daiji starting to deal with the unpleasant aspects of Fenix, starting with his concerns regarding Hiromi being dismissed in Akaishi's eyes, and just treating Hiromi as expendable, grooming Daiji as the successor that has to live up. Kagerou shows up again, to taunt Daiji and make them switch places. I wonder what's up with Kagerou here as Ikki isn't related there, what'd he use Daiji's body for if it's regarding Daiji's worry on Hiromi (not enough dynamic shown between them..). And further it shows that how Daiji will act to someone he actually hates (Kagerou) vs someone he doesn't actually hate (Ikki, despite insecurity), that Daiji outright mad to tell him to shut up and get lost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But that’s sort of it for the dumber elements of Revice? Everything else worked for me. I liked Aguilera maybe resorting to teaming with Olteca, because she needs to feel like she has a purpose, even if it’s with an untrustworthy scumbag like Olteca. (That, or she’s setting him up for a betrayal; either or!) I liked Tamaki trying to find shelter with literally his only other friend, Sakura. I liked Kagerou using Daiji’s confusion and anger over Hiromi’s fate to try and get loose again. I liked Lovekov finally, finally being in the opening credits where a star like her belongs.

Honestly don't like that, at this time, people treat Aguilera as already been redeemed only because she was backstabbed, and thus get all confused on why she's being evil or trying to work with Olteca. It's just expected of her to try to form an alliance with Olteca again here, as she's shown to only want Giff like her at the beginning before, and that she herself pointed out that they have the same aim, as shown in their goal parallel in ep. 20 before. Regarding how she fires Tamaki for being useless here, it can be ambiguous yeah of her being tsundere-ish concerned for him (her picking him up after Revi and Vice separated him from his Demon) or her just treating him like a trash (her daily abuse to him and that she goes back to her evil schemes here). Either way, still far from her being redeemed at this stage.

With Tamaki just being dumped now there's another set up of Sakura taking Tamaki to live on Happy Spa. I wonder and kinda hope that it'd be set up as bigger thing, with Yukimi being familiar against Tamaki Orifu (no, not about Tamaki scheming against Sakura or such, now Tamaki's genuinely friendly with her) than just some comedic hijinks. As previously Tamaki is played up as comic relief again with his over the top reaction while visiting Sakura not unlike when he schemed against her at the karate dojo back then, as well as him wiping his tears with the melted ice cream he constantly holds. I'm infuriated again however with Sakura being abusive to Genta, though Genta irks me with the constant boyfriend talk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Mostly, though, I liked the Zero-One-esque story that Ikki and Vice landed in for this episode’s main plot. (The director even dressed like Aruto!) It’s mostly light fun, with Ikki accidentally leveraging his buddy comedy antics with Vice into a cover story to investigate the Deadmans attacks around a famous comedy duo, but I very much enjoyed how it was talking about the different ways partnerships can work, and maybe fall apart. We’re at a point in their arcs where Ikki and Vice share a natural, almost unspoken chemistry. They’re supportive of each other, and excited to see where their partnership can go. But they’re in a story about a partnership that’s inexplicably disintegrating as soon as it got successful, and they’re surrounded by comedy teams that are jockeying for position when they smell weakness. It’s not really getting at any specific tension within the Revice team, but it’s nicely foreshadowing that successful partnerships can end when the power differential of the partners becomes too great to ignore.

So the plot's back into the MoTW format along with a civilian asking for help at Happy Spa here, a breather episode. And with a new opening of featuring the Weekend. And that relates into the duo aspects between Ikki and Vice, pitted against the other comedic duos relating the featured Kuuki Kaidan (with manager Mayu) and the opposing duos Kashiwamochis and Pavlov’s Dogs. Honestly for now, perhaps they should focus more on the other important plot aspects like Weekend after such a big set up of those and these parts can be a slog for the main plot development, but for now, I get the feeling that the ones behind the Deadman can be either (the "twist" type) Mayu with her not being used to the new situation after Kuuki Kaidan's big break and excusing herself in a call or the Kuuki Kaidan (Mogura specifically) with their weird "busy" activities.

George here is still "supporting" Ikki by giving new ViStamps such as Neo Batta Genome resembling Zero One's, fitting the current episode's comedic duo focus, but the focus now is showing the rift between them (at least in Ikki's side) with Ikki showing distrust towards George due to his lack of (outer) concern towards Hiromi, and now accusing him of using Ikki as his guinea pig too within his Revice. The parents apparently didn't really notice Ikki showing open hostility to George, different of how he interacted with George before. Apparently a random Fenix member was the one that gave Ikki the Rolling ViStamp. I'm probably can be onboard with a major player of Fenix being an ordinary soldier if he's going to be elevated (but he can just be someone ordered by other major player to give the ViStamp to Ikki), other than more specific positions like George being scientist, Akaishi being director, or Akemi being a doctor. Is that a setup too for likely some infighting inside the Fenix? Otherwise for that George.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s a great form, even if I assume we’ll be getting an Elemental Dragon-style finished version of the new suit in a couple episodes. It’s Vice as a solo act, more powerful with the Rolling Stamp than Revice were as a team. I’m going to assume that the stamp is letting Giff have more control/sway over Vice’s darker tendencies, but the end result currently is a gleeful Vice absolutely obliterating two Deadmans while causing a troubling amount of collateral damage. (Still, pretty sweet wrestling moves that Vice breaks out in his solitary excursion!) There’s all this fun black ink coloring the combat, representing the darkness that’s being let loose in this new form, as Ikki’s nowhere to be found. (It’s also immediately made clear that this stamp didn’t come from George, so it’s definitely not a gift for Ikki and Vice.) It’s a menacing way to end an episode that started so brightly, but it all felt like a natural development of this story and these characters.

It's also probably just made as a setup for Ikki and Vice to get up to fight so they can work up on Vice's complications of apparently their henshin and fight as Revice, with eventual Jack Revice debut, and again showing Ikki's growing concern for him, as well as him looking forward with more time to spend with Vice later on as a duo as Vice talked about moments that only can be enjoyed as a duo. Albeit Ikki can still get exasperated with Vice's more reckless actions (which is honestly good)... or Vice being an usual attention whore in front of camera. I'm just wondering if Vice does still have some problems as shown at their comedic duo audition of assaulting the jury (and that Ikki has to restrain him, good thing that Vice would listen to Ikki better as they're now buddies though), or that it's his version of comedy, or obviously, about Jack Revice's debut which can show Ikki's concern biting him back (apparently having Ikki act as Vice's inner demon from the previews).

The fight with Zero One, the usual stock pause in the finishing moves being named and announced, as well as Revice ja naito catchphrase play. Jack Revice looks sick though, and with the power of utilizing black liquids, giving a symbionte feeling, despite that Jack Revice looks less like Venom unlike Revice Rex Genome. Jack Revice also had one of the better finishers of the additional attacks in the black liquid's barrage and the grinder (though not sure how the grinder can enhance the Rider Kick..). Though I'd like to see the intangible aspects of demons get utilized in battle as Rider's power, like probably controlling their body to be intangible or not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

But hope can be an enemy as well. Like with Aguilera here, she was betrayed by Olteca once and now she's giving him a second chance, but Olteca hasn't even apologized for his betrayal yet and there's no reason to believe he won't do it again, so is Aguilera actually unwise to have hope? In Ryuki, Shinji had to learn the hard way that people don't always live up to the hope that they can become better. That doesn't mean hope is bad, but it's definitely a painful road of abuse that only true heroes like Shinji and Sento are willing to endure and a reason why I respect those guys for doing everything they can for the sake of love and peace, even when the world is against them.

Painful road of abuse... not liking if heroism would be measured by how much suffering too. The suffering alone brought nothing noble in someone. Tojo in Ryuki was a case when someone only has the suffering part, without doing anything good, and he's still a depraved villain. Otherwise, I'd also think that people need to separate more between kindness (taking the action of doing good to others for love and peace), with idealism (having positive belief towards people or life), or naivety (lacking knowledge on how life or people work). You can still keep doing good to people while having grounded outlook like acknowledging that there are bad people (but delivering justice as in, not giving excessive punishments, but prioritizing no one being hurt by them, either if they become better or not), or even cynicism (e.g. not viewing war or privileged position in the army as glorious)