[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

I think he just came to Atori as a regular customer honestly, but with Shinji (someone troublesome to him) there, makes it too uncomfortable for him there and canceled himself to order in Atori (you see before Shinji pins him, he sits on a table like regular customer does). As you saying he's a fugitive I think no; as his ego shows, he generally has a good reputation to the public as the best lawyer, but only a particular group like the Sakaura suits had a problem with him.

I just think it's weird that he was running for his life a few minutes earlier, and then he's like, what, Hey New Tea Shop? Why didn't he got to his home, where his ass-kicking manservant is? Why not, I don't know, go to a better tea shop? It's just weird, narrative contrivance. He needs to run into Shinji so he just walks into where Shinji is. It's not, like, totally unbelievable, but it was straining credulity in a setting that I already was finding insane.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

This is one of the reasons why I vehemently talked about Yui's Shinji-level good deeds before, before all of this came up. Glad you noticed that she's not a morose character previously though. And for bolded one, the one that made me worked up is that she described herself as "she's just that kind of person she is", not because of Auntie situation or something. Though she IS a teenager regardless Auntie being wrong or not (19 year old). And not only for Yui, I also talked about how Shinji thinks her smiling is weird -_-

I mean, honestly? Yui's smiling has been weird before. There's a scene a couple episodes earlier where she's telling Shinji that her parents were dead and she's got this big, beaming smile on her face. It's unnerving. Yui strikes me as a character who smiles to put people at ease, not out of sincere happiness. She see monsters all the time and has since childhood. That's... that can't be good for an emotionally healthy life! It wouldn't surprise me if she has to fake it a bit in social situations, and sometimes that stuff gets mixed up.

Still, I think it's mostly Auntie. Yui had autonomy, she felt like an adult, and then this (well-meaning?) family member comes barrelling in, calling her a thirteen year-old, making decisions on her behalf, and just generally infantilizing her. Your mileage may vary, but, like, family can be grueling as an adult. I love my mom, but by the second day of a visit with her my face looks pretty permanently like Yui's. Older family can't help it, they'll always see you as a kid, but it's so frustrating.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Kitaoka is tertiary, not secondary btw, Ren is the secondary.

To my mind, any non-primary Rider, any Rider whose name isn't in the title, they're secondary Riders. I don't know that I'd rank them beyond that, since who's getting the spotlight can change a lot through the season. Like, if I was ranking them right now? Kitaoka definitely feels more integral to the show than Ren does.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Also gotta have to say something here; despite expressing some distrust for Shinji in episode 4 before (which probably should be proven true with Shinji being accused as a kidnapper), she's the only one among Shinji's group that genuinely tried to help him and made him feel better, only bringing up the good news. Ren was a dick (sorry if I'm pointing this out cockblocking the Ren's comedy dick moments here), Reiko suspects Shinji as the kidnapper and is uncaring (only thinks about it being a scoop), and Okubo is a bit better, but still suspects Shinji for kidnapping Shimada.

I mean, yeah, but a) it's not totally impossible that Shinji could be the kidnapper, considering only Ren and Yui are aware of his Rider powers, so he's got basically zero alibi when it comes to anyone else, and b) it's hilarious. I like that this show took a situation like it's hero being falsely imprisoned for kidnapping, and just went, "You guys know he didn't do it, he's definitely going to get freed soon, let's just have everyone dunk on him for a few scenes." Like, I think it's to the show's credit that no one really treats this a serious thing. It's like when Shouichi got arrested as a murder suspect in Agito. Don't insult the audience, play around with the inevitability of this going away.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Shimada doing what weebs doing with their waifu pillow, replace the waifu pillow with a stuffed doll. And her being kidnapped is a testament of Shinji's hard luck. Him being just arrested without giving a word. So this is a comedy moment you appreciate?

All of the Shimada stuff was great, yeah. ("Smooch!") I loved how the police carried her and the big stuffed doll out of the shack, like they were both victims. That's the kind of wacky I want from this show.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Speaking of philosophy, also Shinji and Kitaoka's idelology clash in place of Rider fight!

I don't know if, at this point in the show, I've seen enough between Shinji and Kitaoka to get that impression. There's been some great discussions, but it feels more mentor/apprentice than anything more conflicting. Like, I think we get a moment of Shinji saying "But, what if greed isn't good," that Kitaoka answers with "NO, SCREW YOU! GET OUT! GET OUT FOREVER!" It... you know, it lacks nuance. I feel like we'll get to a real debate in time, but so far we're really in the Kitaoka Show part of it.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

And also can we also talk about Goro being the contrast to the 2nd Kamen Rider Scumbag, after Yui to the 1st Kamen Rider Scumbag (Ren)? Kitaoka hates kids (we don't know why tho), but Goro treats the kid opposite into what Kitaoka does, also contrasting his thuggish looks.

Goro's great! That mix of thug looks, manservant presence, and asskicking skills? And he's got candy for sad children? He's fascinating in his complexity. Definitely want to know more about this dude's deal!