[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 6 - ?GIRL? A - THE PRICE OF LYING?

It?s? man, it?s cowardly. I don?t wanna play the Kuuga Woulda Done This Better card, but there are shows that understand that kids need to confront hardship sometimes if they?re ever going to become healthy and emotionally-secure adults, and then there?s whatever this was. Multiple opportunities for Shotaro or the kid?s mom to come clean and make this a teachable moment about honesty and taking solace from grief in the people around you, but they just gaslight this kid into thinking her dad simply doesn?t want to come home. Worse! So much worse!

The ending isn't all bright, other than that, the Second Fuuto Tower is still postphoned indefinitely with Miyabi quitting the council. Not all endings are wholly positive or happy. Dunno what'd be the right decision in this part, dunno what to blame for others. There are damned if you do/don't situations. While keeping hard truth is bad, hard truth also cannot be quickly delivered without regard. Delivering it when the person is ready is also something to keep on mind.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Like, I was genuinely hoping that the final moment between Asuka and Double was going to be Asuka telling Double that she knows he isn?t her dad, but it?s nice to pretend or something. Some way for the show to feel less like it?s traumatizing this kid In A Nice Way. But it never does, and just goes all in on it being a heroic idea to lie to a child about their dead dad. That?s it, that?s the lesson ? it is okay to spare kids from reality by lying to them indefinitely and assuming it?ll all work out in the future for some reason. Jesus.

And, there's a difference between what the series tells of it working, or just one character's thoughts (I mean, I'm not sure about this ending either, but not every), it's just one character, Shotaro, being optimistic that someday the truth will be delivered when she's ready or such, but Shotaro's already conflicted all over, and calls out Miyabi's BS of takes advantage of a child's innocence. AFAIK kids are sometimes told to stay away from strangers because of the fear of taking advantage of their innocence, but here, it's the parent doing it themselves to the child. Miyabi said that being hated is a part of politician, but while many hate can be irrational, sometimes there can be legitimate reason for the hate like that y'know where even Shotaro calls her out.. and they should instead work on improving themselves based on the feedback, not brushing it off.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It?s not a great Double episode ? the mystery is sort of nowhere in this one, honestly ? but it?s a decent Kamen Rider adventure. The fight between Nazca and Double is an episode highlight, with some intriguing character development for both characters. Nazca?s boundless ego runs up against Shotaro?s unpredictability, to explosive effect. It?s a neat look into how Kirihiko has some nobility to him, and how he?s also fighting for Fuuto? sort of, in a Mine All Mine way. The fight itself feels a little more dangerous and calculated than the various Dopant battles of the last few stories, which is a plus.

I like that there's a twist of how the scene is iirc usually played for next, as Miyabi and Akira got caught and entangled in a stretching limb, but it's from W LunaJoker, not from threats, while the limb also shields them from the Dopant's attack. Anomalocaris LunaTrigger is also a perfect solution for hostage situations by Anomalocaris, which can control the direction of beams fired by it, best form debut so far. Trigger Full Burst IMO seems to have little difference (it's charged yeah) to standard LunaTrigger shots.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Beyond that awesome fight, we get a few check-ins with a variety of characters (the ramen cart scene!), but it?s pretty much just a Shotaro story. Akiko?s barely in it, and Philip plays the role of rueful sidekick, without ever really interacting with anyone else in the story. Fun segments, but it never feels like anything more than a break in Shotaro?s narrative. Not? not my favorite thing for an ensemble show to do this early in the run? None of the scenes are bad, mind, but they don?t? they all feel very vestigial. You could cut just about any of them and the core Shotaro/Asuka story would still work, for better or worse.

I think there's some development for Philip. He mocks Shotaro as halfboiled for backing off from telling the truth due to the lie keeping her together. Then Philip also learns about how Daisaburo says goodbye to Asuka, and decides to make a decision that prioritizes the child's well-being for now, short-term though. Guess he learns about not only doing what's "necessary" and "logical", even if he's also misguided, but the decision is hard to be taken in this one. But it's not about working decision but their flaw on trying to make the best of the situation based on their own limitations.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

DIE-A MEMORIES

-Nazca? I don?t remember how I felt about this guy on the first go around. Not my favorite Sonozaki character, if I recall. He was okay, and the Nazca suit was great, but I?m sure I appreciated everyone else more, for reasons of, uh, story impact. This time around, I definitely like his smarmy nonsense quite a bit. He?s a guy that has smirked and flattered his way to power, but it?s power he only gained by proximity and seduction; he?s a useful idiot, rather than a brilliant mastermind. (I mean, he?s not an idiot idiot, but he definitely doesn?t have the undying respect of his in-laws.) And I like his ascot or whatever!

Shotaro has a grappling hook to save himself from falling out of building. When W puts Nazca down with a pointblank HeatTrigger shot, it KOed Philip out. Another difficulty of the Rider being 2-in-1, has to get Akiko waking up Phillip using vinegar like before so they can henshin into W again in the nick of time.