[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I mean, he wasn't fine -- that's where Kagerou came from! All of this stuff was in him the whole time, and the stress of trying to be a source of stability for both his family and his job has led to a pretty major relapse.

I've talked about this long ago.... A story can make a representation of anyone else's darkest traits but not directly coming from them, like using separate entity in Kagerou who actually acts on those envy, albeit it does can end with the original person apologizing for what that entity do regardless (and as you said, there's a difference between just blaming yourself to being actually at fault). Jealousy can be a normal human thing and gets a bad rep, but there can be someone pretty well in control of it, which is admirable if anything. Daiji didn't act on those feelings (up until now), while Kagerou does. Kagerou should be considered as a separate entity, there's also a lot of other stories that involve duality and an evil half (including superpowered ones, you can make dark twist for anything too including "Rider sensibility").

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 38 - “A FATHER AND SON WEAVES! THE ULTIMATE REVICE!”

Genta’s the main one, and his story’s success is almost entirely down to the charm of the actor, and the narrative weight of the Igarashi family. Genta’s actions here are… weird. He’s looking to atone for unleashing Vail on the world, as well as passing his Giff genetics onto his kids, so he offers himself up to Weekend to extract Giff cells for use in Ikki’s new power-up. It’s a choice that almost instantly comes across as short-sighted and selfish, since both Genta and Karizaki Sr don’t see any problem with hiding from Genta’s family the fact that he’s undergoing potentially fatal surgery to empower Ikki. Like, this is weirdly selfish for Genta, right? While he plays off the seriousness of this plan to Ikki, we definitely heard Karizaki Sr say that this was an incredibly risky procedure. This is not getting your wisdom teeth out, this is extracting demonic cells that currently act as your vascular system. It’s very weird that Genta doesn’t want to talk things over with his wife, at the very least! I could write it off as Genta’s newfound guilt manifesting itself as a particularly deranged protection for his family, but we find out at the end that he’s faking his serious new attitude. He’s the same guy he was in Episode 1, who ABSOLUTELY would not subject himself to a 50/50 medical procedure without talking things over with his family. Very weird plot for this guy!

How the form was created, there's 2 families with their issues involved, fitting the episode's title of Father and Son Synthesize, featuring both Ikki and Genta, as well as George and Masumi. For the Igarashis part, it's quite nice use of Genta, using what happened in the past to try solving problems as Subject 071 that has Giff cells, and dealing with his potential demise of bidding farewell but also planning to take a bath with the rest of family when it's over. What I don't like is though, ironically despite the accusation of Sakura being Kinoshita's favorite, Genta's "farewell" to Sakura was the most objectified one, only viewing her as who she is, the little princess, instead of her actual characterization like Ikki and Daiji. Like the ad-vice for Sakura can be like, loosen up (as a high strung girl) or something.

Ikki here showed that he still prioritized his family over anything else, in how he'd rather have the world where his family is complete, to not let Genta be sacrificed, even when he's ready. Though still he's not someone who'd leave anyone other than his family to their fate in the crisis, so he's still practically someone who'd look for best outcome if possible, and he did here to almost complete the Giffard Rex ViStamp and saving Genta, practically being a 'busybody' to intervene and interrupt something that can cause bad outcome. I still would want to know what'd he do if there's less best outcome and he had to choose between family or common people's needs. It's probably a bit easy other than Ikki needing to split the ViStamp in half, but Ikki being 'busybody' here did cause the best outcome to give humanity hope against Giff and saving Genta, so this'd prove Daiji wrong, but Daiji's mind still hasn't changed yet, and that'd just mean Daiji is the one who is blinded by the reality surrounding him, that humanity actually now have hope (though Akaishi dismissed them), and Daiji can be the one to ruin things instead if he keeps mad.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Speaking of tortured absentee fathers! The second dad story this time out is George and his Daddy, and it’s fine. It’s fine. The relationship between George and his Daddy is super straightforward: Karizaki Sr abandoned his entire family for decades out of guilt, and George (rightfully) resents him for it. There’s no real sense that Karizaki Sr needed to disappear – Weekend has been woefully inept at containing Fenix’s power over the last few years, and before that? Why did this dude need to vanish for so long, accomplishing zilch? It’s a confusing story, emotionally, because the show keeps trying to portray Karizaki Sr as a guy who regrets the time he missed, but not the choices, but the choices were all dumb. That all leaves George to rightly tell this dude to eff off, but then the Emotional Music comes up, and these two scientists set aside their past to build a future for all of humanity, and I’m like Fine. Fine!

I'm not really into the Karizaki part in this episode too, the first part was decent, of showing how George trying too hard to condemn someone guilty can put himself in the wrong as well to be clouded by his judgment and not thinking rationally, but George making amends with Masumi was kinda rushed here, all it takes was Ikki giving a small pep talk, over being honest which somehow worked against lifetime daddy issues George had, of which George has been so headstrong previously like Sakura's attempt to get those 2 to make up.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There’s not a lot of meat on this one, but I just dig Hiromi showing up to be both Daiji’s Work Dad, and, like, a sponsor from a recovery program. Hiromi’s here to rescue Daiji from turning into, uh, Hiromi. It’s not an especially complicated plot: Hiromi shows up at Fenix and tells Daiji to take better care of himself before he ends up having to fight his family, and Daiji’s like I Have To Take This Call Goodbye. It’s more about establishing Hiromi’s new role on the show – Anti-Kagerou – and planting the seed for Daiji’s possible redemption. Crucially, this is only even possible because the advice is coming from outside Daiji’s family; Ikki could say the same thing and get punched in the face for it. It’s a nice way of illustrating how much Daiji’s defense mechanism is about treating Ikki as a nuisance, but viewing Fenix/Hiromi as On His Side. Again, not a lot here, but I liked the new developments.

Hiromi returns and, I'm quite glad he seems to have learned his lesson, as he said here, he acknowledged that now he can't participate in battle, but he can still perform heroics in other field. Him insisting to keep using Demons Driver was just purely being reckless, and him having self-preservance here doesn't make him any less heroic, if he's not apathetic like his Dear Gaga self. I do understand now what Hiromi embraces in Dear Gaga Part 2, but didn't think that he got a message about self-preservance, that now he does here. And as expected, he relates his previous recklessness with Daiji's now. But Daiji's different now, Hiromi's sense of justice was only endangering himself before, while Daiji turned himself into an extremist that'd bring misfortune to others. I didn't expect about Rex Deadman being brought up again now, of which turns out losing the demon was what made Hiromi even more impulsive in his decisions, that Rex Deadman was what balanced him as his demon. I'd see later if demons can re-manifest, either for Hiromi's Rex Deadman or Daiji's Kagerou though.

They're trying to flesh out Giff more here, that Akaishi claimed Giff was misunderstood due to being viewed as nothing more than a devil by humans when he sought peaceful coexistence with humankind. Which adds some tragic points on Giff and explanations of him starting his evil deeds. Of course, this can also be Akaishi's prejudiced views against humans and Giff, talking about humans being demonic ones, which can be true that some humans can be really vile. Doesn't mean Giff is faultless for 'retaliating' against humans though.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The suits themselves, great. A+ designs. I like that they’re the same; we’re no longer viewing Revi or Vice as in charge or subservient, they’re exactly the same. I like that being expressed across a suit design that says Revice more than any previous upgrade did. A thousand percent to this maybe being the Final Form for our heroes. But this story? For that suit? UGH. No. No thank you. No, the story all about dads where Ikki is the recipient of power should not be the one where Ikki and Vice get the Ultimate Friendship Suits. Nope! Absolutely not. A pair of suits like that need to be the culmination of Ikki and Vice’s friendship, or a sacrifice the two of them make for the world. It shouldn’t be a decision Genta makes, via the teamwork of George and his Daddy. That’s… boy, it honestly makes me really dislike the suits. Very disappointed in how this power-up got introduced.

Though it'd be what's expected of me, yeah I'd say the final form debut is kinda underwhelming. Before elaborating, I guess the "Giff power" Akemi talked about so far was about them multiplying into huge numbers, just like how Giff Juniors emerged. But other than that, if the theme about 2 side of the magnets (N for Revi, S for Vice), then it's underutilized other than the finisher to some extent, they are mostly just fighting with energy powered punch/kicks or AoE attacks, red for Revi and blue for Vice. There can be a lot more creative use of magnet power, like they're fighting huge hordes of Giff henchmen, the magnet ability can be used to pull a chunk of the mooks in 1 place so their numbers don't matter, they can be killed in 1 attack or such. Barid Rex's ice and fire were utilized better. The Remix Rod, other than using Ikki's soccer ability, it kinda reminds me of GaoIcarus' Icarus Dynamite. What I'd like is that the trend of final form looking exactly like base form is put on halt here with Ultimate Revi/Vice's design being different, and I would put them above Revice's design, but still not Jack Revice's.

Over Demons has no hype anymore, other than Hikaru keep using it, it's now actually beaten by Giff's hordes along with Jeanne and Aguilera. Over Demons now acted just like a regular Rider, despite it being a combination of Vail and Demons, 2 previously big threats, albeit it only had slightly higher stats than Demons. And now Jeanne claiming to be invincible turns into embarrassing joke.