[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

We’re really in Take With One Hand, Give With The Other territory with this one.

So, it’s a comedy episode. It’s so, so a comedy episode. And, man, it don’t get off to a great start. All of the stuff with Shinji dreaming of flames just to wake up and coat the ORE Journal offices (is the ORE logo supposed to remind me of the Ryuki logo? Is that on purpose?) with foam, it’s not that funny. It’s wacky and broad, and I just find that approach real dull. I’m with Reiko on this, who can’t seem to muster any enthusiasm for either Shinji’s Wacky Antics or some dumb crawfish story. The ORE stuff, it’s something I can usually find something to enjoy in the scene somewhere, but all of that stuff this time out bombed for me.

Why this one particular ORE moment is the one you disliked? Because it's too disastrous to be funny? (whole computer being sprayed with foam, slowing down the business). Well, Okubo (editor-in-chief) can't muster any enthusiasm either for Shinji, and he's probably gonna kick him out sooner or later, which will lead to...an important plot point later.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Worse, the only Yui and Ren stuff we get this time out is centered around the returning Auntie, who… you guys. She is the worst. She takes up a ton of time, she’s a laugh-track away from being the Special Guest Star on a shitty 70s sitcom, and she makes me want to see less of Ren and Yui, which, unforgivable sin.

Also, she brings up a ton of weird continuity things. First, Yui says she’s just reopening the tea house, despite strangers like Scissors being able to walk right in like it’s a functioning business. Second, Ren takes Yui to pick up Auntie from the airport? On his two-seater motorcycle? With no spare helmet? What was the plan to get the three of them back to the tea house? Finally, Yui says that Auntie is returning to open the tea house unexpectedly, as in sooner than anticipated. As of last episode, there were more-or-less no customers, and a big question mark as to whether or not the tea house was even open for business. Here, Auntie is back, and within an hour it’s a bustling business, filled to capacity. I… what is their advertising secret and can I please have it? The goddamn building looks abandoned, and twenty people including one fugitive from mobsters drop in like it’s the only business in town. That’s… that’s not how businesses work!

All of that, all of the ORE Journal and Auntie stuff, awful. Nothing of merit in those stories.

So it seems you, who doesn't hate characters like Shinji (she also quite pulls a Shinji from episode 4 to judge Ren badly), aren't immune to hating (well she has a name, but iirc wasn't mentioned yet here?) Auntie.... and you want to see not only less Yui but...also Ren?! I don't know if probably blame Inoue for the first time writing episode 7? (Ryuki's a Kobayashi series).

The bolded one was the one I asked yesterday, that you weren't able to answer.

Also btw, for one fugitive from mobsters, did you mean Sudo? It's you know, from Shinji, and he wanted to use Yui's relation to Shiro to gain an advantage in Rider War.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But, I mean, Kitaoka. This goddamn guy.

It takes a long time, a lot of boring-ass time, but as soon as Kitaoka shows off his press clippings (he keeps his own press clippings on himself at all times!) to Shinji, this thing explodes. Everything from that point on is stellar, from the shredding fight music, to Goro kicking ass, to Kitaoka’s Shoot Vent… all of it. It’s such a great last few minutes that I can basically forgive how dire the rest of this episode is.

It helps that, like, I dig Kitaoka’s whole thing. The idea of him being an ace attorney who represents scumbags but only does it to get rich off of their ill-gotten gains, leaving them broke? There’s… there’s a lot going on there, and I love every word of it. I can’t stop laughing at how, in the midst of a car chase, he’s going to insist that Shinji acknowledge how handsome he looks in his press coverage. I love that he runs away so much and so fast. I love that he’s another Kamen Rider who’s an authority figure, another Kamen Rider who’s an agent of institutional justice, who think his profession is a joke and could not care less about high-minded morality. He’s the comedic anti-hero compliment to Scissors, a guy coded as Hero who uses that to get away with whatever he can.

Yeah, Kitaoka is a scumbag narcissist, he only cares about getting perfect records for his job, regardless of his clients being guilty or not. That kinda reminds me of Hiiro from Ex-Aid who only cares about his achievements and records for his job (him being a surgeon), but Kitaoka has more chance of causing problems to society due to well, folks are being conviced by law because, well, they doing immoral things, but Kitaoka will let them continue their immoral stuff that he makes them completely free.

Kitaoka...still great even when he gets his ass kicked here?? Probably he can run away so fast because he's so tall lol. Shinji pinning him to the wall to call the others. Also him letting Shinji to ride together just to show off his achievements, I guess being a narcissistic scumbag lets you doing some good things, if only to boost yourself (like a sleazly politician trying to get publicity)....well (sarcastically) at the very least he asked him to wear a seatbelt first. Well, Kitaoka is a narcissistic scumbag, but do you think that him telling that the suit guys are from Sakaura company who beats him up because of him emblezzing money from as him being honest, or only to protect his reputation (to a guilible Shinji)? Another act of Shinji being someone righteous but immediately runs over to a situation instead of thinking it first. First he wants to punish Kitaoka for causing problems to him and the suits by pinning him and calling them, but when the suits are beating him up, Shinji helps Kitaoka instead because he thinks the beating is too severe that he may die.

Goro looks like a clear Rider material, with his fighting skills AND also a henshin pose, which kind of ruins some points of a plot later that Kitaoka's already shown as a Rider here....

Shoot Vent is like Ryuki's Strike Vent where it's a weapon that can finish monsters, but not a Final Vent. It's also a very dope weapon in games like PSX Ryuki. And for another thing, Zebraskull (the zebra monster) is the one non-Contract Monster playable in that game.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Like, yes. Kamen Rider Scumbag, hell yes. More of that, less of everything else in this episode (a whole thing about how Yui needs to smile more? Yikes!), we’re back on track.

My problem of "Yui needs to smile more?" is that it contradicts the previous episode events (...Inoue!). She already smiles most of the time like in her conversation with Shinji (like even back then at episode 2 when the very first time they talk), well, the sole exception is at episode 4 where Shinji acted like an asshole. Which also brings me to the other pet peeve, Shinji calling her smiling weird as it's first time she smiled despite already seeing her smile numerous times before?!?! Other than that she also clearly smiles widely when welcoming Sudo to Atori. But nah here she suddenly acts cold and rude behavior here like freaking Squidward.