[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER OOO EPISODE 46 - “GREEED EIJI, DOUBLE BIRTHS, AND ANKH’S DESIRE”

This show’s yearlong focus on their complex relationship continues to captivate in its endgame, where the vague machinations of Maki’s insanity and the other Greeed’s dwindling numbers feel like minor details of some previous storyline compared to the massive weight and significance of the Eiji/Ankh conflict. There’s for sure clear and compelling stakes – The End Of The World, for one prominent and oft-referenced example – but those things are academic and barely hold attention, when there’s all of the emotional stuff between Ankh and Eiji coming to the surface.

About Maki being said as going insane here, I don't know if this is something recent for you, as even back then when you thought Kazari was smart about working with Maki and getting ahead compared to the other Greeeds, I already knew/guessed that working with Maki would be a bad idea, of which Kazari's demise was in Maki's hands, because Maki's irredeemable monster who has no positive traits and evil vs evil can happen. And here too, Maki was attempting to throw Gamel under the bus. And Date never realized that the only reason they beat full-powered Gamel was because Maki already damaged his Cores. I wished that Date would be informed that the Greeeds now have obtained their full power. One thing is also that, Date learns about the benefits of self-sacrifice, something he objected about Eiji before, to agree with Goto's suicide tactics.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Just like last time, it’s the Ankh portion that feels the most heartbreaking and frustrating. After episodes of dancing around the main point of contention for his friends, Ankh flat out asks Hina to let him keep Shingo’s body. It’s easily the most vulnerable Ankh’s ever been, and that vulnerability makes it even harder for Hina to tell him no. She has to, obviously – giving Shingo’s body over to Ankh is consigning Shingo to death. But telling Ankh no is also consigning Ankh to, at best, a shadow of a dream of an existence. It’s telling Ankh he doesn’t deserve the life he’s stumbled upon, because someone else deserves it more. Hina has a chance to save Ankh, to end the battle that’s destroying Eiji, but she can’t do it at the cost of her brother. The impossible position she’s put in is one of the best story decisions this show has ever made. Where another series would keep things laser-focused on Eiji and Ankh, this smarter, better show opens things up to let Hina face the same grueling, despairing decisions that the boys are facing. She’s in this, too, and the show never lets you forget it.

Maybe those "lesser" shows would also often have companions, like Hina here, who display sadness over the bad things that happen in their circle. Because other people (depending on the people or the shows), or perhaps you, would dismiss that, doesn't mean that this thing about the companion facing the same grueling things doesn't happen. Like if the character isn't for them, or if they aren't impactful enough for them (I don't know if they're objectively bad, though yeah there are types who would be generally disliked by fandom), yeah people may not care at all about what's going on for them, but doesn't mean that it's not done. Otherwise, Hina gets her answer on what Ankh really wants, when reasoning with him in ep. 44 before.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The Eiji side of things is great, if a little less grandiose and emotional for its continued inability to get Eiji out of the self-destructive rut the show has been highlighting over the last few episodes. But if it's (slightly) lesser than Ankh's story, it's still thrilling and touching in its own right. Having Eiji thank Ankh, mid-battle, for giving him a year to help people as Kamen Rider OOO is one of the best Eiji moments in a series replete with exceptional moments for that character. Even as Eiji is trying to save the world from the Greeed, even as he’s in a brawl with Ankh to regain the OOO Driver he needs to end Gamel’s rampage, he still empathizes with Ankh’s desperation to live. Having Eiji struggle with his Greeed identity in alternating scenes with Ankh’s acceptance of his need to live like the common people do, it’s another super smart thing this show does. The obvious symbolism is the Greeed arms they both share; the fun thematic stuff is in their criss-crossing levels of humanity.

Guess it does get brought up, not to Ankh though, when Eiji talked with Kitamura (the creepy possessive school friend), about why he needs Ankh. Otherwise, Eiji still ends up becoming a Greeed, despite now Eiji has declared his true desire, wanting power to protect others. Though this is my first time watching OOO, and that I've read elsewhere that it's said that Eiji finally found his true desire of wanting power to protect others, it still doesn't count as one to nullify the Greeed effects on Eiji eh? And guess just like the other Greeeds, Ankh's Shingo body is his human disguise like what the likes of Uva, Gamel, etc. used, with Ankh being able to access the previously Lost Ankh body now, to fight the Greeed Eiji, after previously fighting in both human forms with one monster arm.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

No, not without debating. Debating is the important part! If a complaint cannot stand up to challenge, then it will fall apart, so I will confront and debate to get closer to the truth of the argument, no matter which way that may lead. No such thing as a credible point that hasn't been challenged first. Another important part is that even if I acknowledge a flaw, it doesn't necessarily diminish my own enjoyment. Subjective experience is unique for each person after all.

By this, I don't know how to differentiate between the complaint actually still being able to stand up to said debate or challenge, or if one is just being a contrarian, too stubborn to accept loss, too biased to be objective, just wanting to win the debate, grasping on straws to fight the losing battles with those defenses. Obviously, the latter means anything coming from that person's mouth is just invalid, and often the solution others give is just to never engage in debates or just leave things be, practicing the art of not giving a fuck.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I mean, not for this example, as I find the non-Ankh Greeeds to be mostly unsympathetic. But I generally prefer villains who feel like actual people with personal goals and motivations, instead of like, Unidentified Lifeforms from Kuuga. A big part of Faiz's appeal for me is how Orphenochs are people first, which allows the narrative to explore the meaning of humanity, in the opposite way that Ryuki explored the concept of Kamen Riders who are monsters.

So it doesn't take something like the Stomachs from Gavv who already have massive bodycounts including the main Riders' loved ones (of which the fandom generally seems to agree that they're the worst people ever, even more than Banno) to be unsympathetic to you. I thought, except for perhaps Kazari, the Greeeds, other than Maki, are the type who people won't feel that they crossed the lines too much to be beyond redemption or adding sympathetic traits (without those feeling offensive to them). Their villainy are rather like the type such as Jabel or the Dark Sisters, the type whose redemption wouldn't be complained about by the fanbase - with also like what you said above about being someone's hero, the likes of Mezool and Gamel can seem to fit as the heroes for the group, with Gamel being the hero to Mezool (something that people can use to justify a villain as just a good guy in another perspective). Being unsympathetic for many people can be those who they feel are too evil to get one, but I guess for you it can be also about being generic doomsday type.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Oh, I remember this quote. I think it was from a Geats thread?

Nah, it was from Controversial Rider opinions thread, of which, yeah, the one on the quote was what you said. I'm obviously using that to prove to Die about what I'm talking about. And yeah, what we think about not glorifying sacrifice would be the minority, with OOO being something that mostly vilifying desire as obviously what the fanbase supports.