[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

In theory at least, I think if you spend the episode focusing on portraying Yuuki in the same positive light someone like Gentarou puts her in, you'd sort of have a one-dimensional story (or one with no moves on it, as you might say), where it's just a guest character clearly being wrong about something the audience already knows the entire time. I'd imagine the intent of emphasizing how she IS genuinely sort of gratingly energetic at times and IS this flawed human who isn't always above feeling overwhelmed, on top of showing the understandable aspects of the guest character's view so the clash of perspectives is less one-sided, is also kinda like, you know, Yuuki doesn't really need to "prove" anything, here, exactly? Because that probably isn't the point the story is trying to make, as much as it is that Yuuki already proves herself enough all the time to not really owe it to someone who barely knows her to justify her whole existence.

I see your point, and I don't disagree that the theoretical Yuuki Is Awesome And Is Judged Unfairly By A New Girl story would be grating in entirely different ways (I don't need some guest star telling me I'm wrong to like a regular cast member!), but I still feel like this story doesn't do enough to make Gentarou's typically boisterous defense of his friend feel grounded in the reality of Erin's interactions with Yuuki, or the viewer's experience with this episode. Like, yeah, I imagine Gentarou has seen a wholly different side of a girl that Erin's only known in a high-pressure situation for several partially sleep-deprived days! That tracks! I got way better memories of her than how she's been doing here, too! But the episode they chose to give Gentarou this big-hearted speech about Yuuki's power and spirit -- how it's the same drive Erin has -- is, like, Yuuki at her absolute most hapless and defeated. I get why Gentarou has to explain all this to Erin, because Yuuki has demonstrated essentially none of it in this story, give or take her gaslighting her science team under bizarre orders from the testers. (I really hate that reveal! It's not a good one!) I could for sure put together a list of scenes from Fourze of Yuuki powering through adversity in a way that rallies her friends, but I don't think any of them would be from this story. I could've used maybe a single non-sabotage scene of Yuuki acting like she could win this contest through her own pluck and drive!