[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 41 - “J’S LABYRINTH - A BIZARRE VILLAINESS”

He’s a character that’s maybe been on the show less than Kirihiko, who was murdered twenty-odd episodes ago. (Even the opening of this one, the reveal that Jinno’s not with Makura and Terui because he’s in jail… like, I just assumed this was another episode where Jinno just wasn’t around.) He served a purpose back in the first Act of the show, but lost all narrative purpose once Terui took over the Fuuto P.D. side of things. He was sort of just the other cop that needed to get knocked out before someone could Henshin, but he was the least annoying one. (Makura is in rare/irritating form for this one.) To center a story on him now? It’s an interesting choice.

The dickhead Makura, who uses his supposed partner's eviction to gloat about, while ignoring Jinno's explanation that he's framed. Don't know what leads Makura to do this or what hidden beef he had against him in the past (Jinno "enslaving" him to buy him teas or such?), or he's just the type who ditches his "friends" when difficulty comes. Really, W is rife of evil women (well I guess femme fatale type of detective setting), and this even repeats the scenario of woman offering/helping one of the cast something then beats them up, which is done previously by Aya and then Grasshopper Woman, the former which is inflicted to Jinno too. Moreover, things went from bad to worse as Jinno is accused of being a jewel thief due to the woman leaving the stolen goods on him, thus gets arrested. Makura continues to mock him, but he got a deserved slipper whack from Akiko. And later Makura keeps forcing him to "confess" about his crimes, still denying about the "diamond woman's" existence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

My main problem with the story here, the one that’s nominally about Jinno’s value to both Shotaro and the TV show, is that they’ve turned Jinno into a well-meaning buffoon, and that was never his deal back in the early part of the show. He was a little lazy, and not super up on all the various superheroic goings-on in his city, but he wasn’t gullible. He was willing to investigate something, and gather clues, and use them to do his job to the best of his ability – but he was also good with letting Shotaro do all that, and just take the credit for it at the end. I don’t think it’s a great look to say this guy worked his way up the ranks by believing everything he was told, but in a way where ne’er-do-wells took pity on him? It’s pathetic, and I don’t think it’s the most fun way to bring back a character who served a legitimate role in the story at the beginning.

Shotaro would give an explanation about Jinno being awesome, that his gullible trait, to be deceived even by 'look behind you' tricks, sparks pity from others, making them feel bad to lie to him. Akiko still doesn't get it, and yeah it's not that easy to understand, but with people feeling pity, Jinno can unwittingly turn people around him to be a better person starting from the pity. Jinno also has supposed 'weakness' turning into an endearing trait, he's a counterpart to Shotaro himself, whose "half-boiled" traits are acknowledged as Shotaro's good things for others, and both are on 'unremarkable' side for Akiko but she'd defend them. But Akiko herself too can have attention deficit, and she too was guillible before when Tooru pretends to have feelings for her to pickpocket. I know this seems to be a W thing to have people stay true to themselves and use their weaknesses as advantage, but I'm not really into this, perpetuating the impression that good means incompetent. Though at the end, Jinno recounts about how Rui loved Uesugi, as well as showing her twisted mindset that the more you care about something the more you want for it to be destroyed at the end, which Jinno realizes that Uesugi's in trouble for that, and calls out Shotaro from prison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Aside from that, this one’s very much a Shotaro adventure (guest-starring Akiko), because Philip is completely sidelined by Wakana’s upgraded ability to basically haunt him. Beyond crippling him with anxiety and fear, she also takes the Gaia Library’s safety and utility from him, so it’s full-on Withdrawn Philip this episode. That leaves Shotaro to investigate a frame-job involving a femme fatale and preyed-upon models, which… I mean, yeah, that definitely reads like a Shotaro adventure to me.

As they inform Phillip, he's still in funk due to Wakana being able to visit Gaia Library, but still doesn't tell them. Should Phillip be inspired by Tooru's change too before? And Akiko did say that not talking doesn't help. It's the opposite for Kazu, who informs Saeko about Wakana's ability, thus she can get to Raito first, and Saeko's still losing even with R Nazca, but offers her a Memory that increases her chance of success. Shotaro assigns Phillip to find out about Rui's Dopant abilities, but as Phillip finds the Jewel book... Wakana takes said book, explaining that her synchronization has risen from her previous 50%, but now she can even kick him out. As his friends are obviously concerned, Phillip finally speaks up, about his sister being in the Library, thus he can't search now. Shotaro visits the police station, where Uesugi follows after him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s a decent enough adventure, even if it treats the semi-convoluted backstories of Jinno, Uesugi, Rui, and Satoru as more thrilling than they really are. Like, there are a LOT of flashbacks in this episode, and it had me resenting the schoolyard love triangle characters more than I probably should’ve. (Honestly, there are maybe just two flashbacks in this episode, but it felt like ten.) It doesn’t help that the fights between the Jewel Dopant and Double are just Double’s every attack not working. It’s nice to see Philip and Shotaro try different combinations, but the second Jewel/Double fight was a little boring, for how you knew nothing was going to work, but the characters had to go through the motions anyway.

All of the attacked women are models and are on the same club, Blue Topaz. It means Shotaro and Akiko have to deal with another unreasonable guard, once again they won't be let in, due to them in due to them not being models. Both Shotaro and Akiko tries to pose as one, which wasn't convincing. I guess Akiko's intentionally relatively 'plain' compared to other girls, if only Hikaru Yamamoto (her actress) at that time is like her present self.... (here's how she looks lately) would she be accepted? Makoto Uesugi is named after Uesugi Kenshin. Him and Rui's best friend Satoru Takeda is named after Takeda Shingen. Makoto seems to already watch previous KR series, to know that a love triangle can really cause damage, not wanting to ruin their friendship by shipping Rui who fell in love with Uesugi with Satoru. By that, Rui is hurt and acted strange, eventually turned into a monster, and ned into a jewel. For some reason, Jinno finds this hard to believe, despite his gullibility before, and that was the lead for the woman who framed you, man..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

DIE-A MEMORIES

-I would’ve bet you a giant diamond that this episode’s leggy assassin-led assault on a model-only nightclub was a Sakamoto episode, but no! Ishida, which also makes a lot of sense. He did what he could with those flashbacks, but even he couldn’t make them interesting. I enjoyed the red lighting, though. Powerful imagery.

Akiko got beat up by Rui. So despite her athleticism, Akiko's no fighter, though it's completely off guard. Rui just constantly talks about diamonds and jewels, explaining about how diamonds are beautiful and can't be harmed, and views herself (shown in Jewel Dopant) like that too. She also steps on anyone she beats up, like Akiko, Saeko, and Shotaro. Once again Saeko "loses" in a human fistfight between another evil women, though Saeko does display hand-to-hand combatant moves, faring much better than Akiko, even lasting longer than Shotaro later. Probably explains about her being the other human who uses more than 1 Living Connectors like Isaka, as well as her combat prowess as R Nazca. Akiko declares Rui as the worst woman in Fuuto.... Of the plethora of bad woman in the series, at least is someone like Saeko a joke to her? Is it because Rui personally roughed up her unlike others (though it's not the worst of what happened to Akiko)? Well doing bad things personally to you doesn't make others who didn't less bad.