[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER DOUBLE EPISODE 10 - “TREMBLING BEFORE S - THE ACE DETECTIVE’S DAUGHTER”

This is a story where Akiko feels more three-dimensional and useful to the team, while still being a complete joke of a detective and in constant need of rescue. The show’s ability to keep all of her most, uh, unpalatable character traits while further integrating her into the cast… fun trick! She’s got a boisterous, bull-headed commitment to doing what’s right, but in a way that’s still clouded by jealousy and petty resentments. It shouldn’t work – and god knows it probably doesn’t work for most viewers – but I thought this episode (and the actor) did a great job finding a sort of emotional truth to a bumbling chatterbox that mugs unendingly. Akiko’s sort of terrible at being a detective, but she’s also exactly who you want as part of your detective show.

Shotaro calls out Akiko quickly apologizes this time when Shotaro calls her out for putting the client into danger. She seemingly accepts a room of improvement that she opens up that she's jealous to Shotaro as she only vaguely remember her father. This part iirc does seem to be a start when Akiko stops throwing her chief position to other suggestions. She still can't keep it to herself that she openly reveals that she's a detective that pretends to be a maid (with Shotaro flabbergastered at this), and assumes the fat Shirotsuka as the culprit, due to her having an appetite to sweets. This is a shallow judgment to base it on appearence, as Shirotsuka herself said. Only dumb luck saves the day as Sasaki is disgusted by Akiko's pastry and wants to take revenge as Sweets Dopant against Akiko. Her moment to smash the Sweets Dopant with a chair is badass though with W seeing the projections of Sokichi in her), at the end, Shotaro acknowledges Akiko's strength and that he's the one that needs to toughen up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Let’s start with the tense world-building! While it’s incredibly funny to me that super-perceptive ace detective Shotaro can’t put two and two together to figure out why all the powerful lieutenants keep showing up to fights at the Enormously Evil Sonozaki Estate, I like that we’re still only inching toward a full confrontation between Double and the Sonozakis. (Although, shit, Kirihiko definitely figured out that Shotaro is a Kamen Rider!) The brief scene at the museum between Ryubei and Shotaro is both an excellent bit of clue-giving – Shotaro going Wait Magma And T-Rex And Anomalocaris was a nice way of spelling it out for inattentive viewers – as well as a chilling initial meeting for Shotaro and the big boss of this series. It’s conversational, and Ryubei comes off in a slightly creepy-but-genial way. It’s a good vibe!

But mostly, I’m here for Ryubei The Whimsical Dessert Lover. I like that he thinks Akiko is a pleasant distraction, and is willing to host his entire staff for dessert because something fun might happen because of it. He’s just game for anything, and that’s the best. The Sonozaki’s continued fascination with Akiko’s bizarre antics is honestly something that I wished this whole episode was about, rather than just a couple scenes. It’s way more fun to talk and think about than this two-parter’s mystery, that’s for sure.

This seems to be a positive comment for the scene, but wonder if this'd be a part when you think a main villain, actual big bad, of a Rider is good (weirder than what you said about Akiko). Typically you have a low opinion on them, and, it's not unfounded as many others agree (and me too at some points, Riders typically have more memorable secondary villains than the main ones). Ryubee being like that explains for sure that he's not the main aggressor here, though Saeko had her own plans regarding W against her father's. And yes, Shotaro also notices now that the Dopants can be traced to the Museum due to the building displaying tyrannosaurus, magma, and anomalocaris, the types of Dopant he fought before.