[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

Kurogane is a common surname, but Spanner? Yeah, ain't buying that. The writers might as well make his fate ends like Kusaka's, who became a Rider out of hubris to test his physical limit, and ended up dying because it turned out each transformation brought him closer to death.

My gut tells me that Houtarou-Rinne-Spanner's dynamic will probably be similar to Takumi-Mari-Kusaka's one, while Renge-Sabimaru's dynamic will be similar to Keitarou-Kaido's typical manzai one.

His name reads as "black metal spanner", so his surname is either conveniently fitting, or he changed that as well to fit his given name. Who knows?

I think Renge is the Kaido with her attempts at bargaining, while Sabimaru is the Keitarou with his "rotten people allergy". I wonder who'd be the Kiba and Yuka in this comparison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

At first, I thought many of the RCC's only function as power ups/weapons/armor modifiers, like the majority of Drive's Shift Cars or Fourze's Astroswitches. But I was wrong. The existence of the Blank RCC means that the level 10 cards can be used in tandem with the Blank RCC to access a new form, very probably a super form of each category, like Build's Rabbit Tank Sparkle form. Level 10 RCC + Blank/level 0 RCC = 10. It still adheres to the original rule of 10. So, it's actually even worse now, because if level 10 RCC's do work that way, and if there are other RCC's beside the original 101 ones, which I'm 90% sure, then it means that there will be more than 50 forms. Gulp!

So far, I predict there will be:
= (9 ordinary RCC's per category x 10 categories) + (1 level 10 RCC's per category x 10 categories)
= (90 ordinary RCC pairs that grant ordinary forms) + (10 level 10 RCC pairs that grant super forms when each card is fused with the Blank RCC)
= 45 forms + 10 forms
= 55 forms!

If there is one final form for Gotchard, then Gotchard will end up with 56 forms. And that still doesn't include Spanner's Rider forms or the third Rider's (most likely Minato) forms, who'll transform with different driver(s).

The Level 10s for astrology and mythology are also known to somehow be a pair, even though they don't add up to 10. So that's at least 46 forms for the group of 101, in addition to 3 forms for power-up cards and the Final Form, increasing the total to 50. If the 10+blank sounds are actually canon, then it's 58, although I'm inclined to believe those are just for merchandise play value since they don't make a face in the Driver and "adding" 0 feels like a cheat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

The sheer number of forms a Rider uses also negatively affects his characterization. To me, the more forms a Rider has, up to a point, the less competent he is in my eyes. I'd rather have a clumsy Shinji Kido that can fight and win in just one form for 33 episodes than a genius nerd that changes forms 3 times in just one episode.

This is what makes Decade Violent Emotion so intimidating, since he looks similar to the base form but can use all the Attack Rides he wants. Guys like Ryoutarou and Sento (especially as Katsuragi) aren't the most naturally adept fighters, so yeah, they need those form changes/inventions/Imagins to compensate and even then, there's some trial and error for them figuring out what works and what doesn't, like alchemy. Houtarou has strong reflexes and dexterity though, so number of forms isn't inherently reflective of a Rider's talent. In Hibiki's case, his first form change is proof of training hard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zolda

I concur. So far, Fuga hasn't shown malicious tendencies. He very likely broke the rules not out of malice, but out of moral duty (and probably desperation as well). I think he was faced with the common moral dilemma of choosing between obeying rules (and or saving small number of people) or disobeying rules (and or saving greater number of people).

Yeah, like, I can understand why Rinne feels like it's a hypocrisy, which it is, but Fuga's high regard for the rules is probably why he had the conviction to act against them. I think he made a moral judgment based on weighing those rules against what needed to be done and that's probably what he really wanted to teach Rinne. The importance of knowing the limits and where and when it's appropriate to push them. But Rinne was only a kid at the time, so she didn't read the subtext. At least now she realizes that she doesn't truly resent him and wants him to be okay.