[Kurona]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

That whole sequence, of Shinji just losing his sense of self when he thinks he killed Zolda,

Whaheyyyyy, he finally graduated from Scumbag to His Actual Name! Celebratory cheer!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

So great to have Kitaoka back, though, and I love how his plan is yet again Maybe Shinji Will Get Eaten By His Monster. It’s kind-of a thing running through this episode, that these dudes who like to paint themselves as killers, ready to go all pro ice on another Rider, they maybe don’t actually have the stomach for it. Kitaoka keeps trying to get Dragreder to finish Shinji off, and Quarter (not in this one a lot!) sort-of has Ren’s number re: probably not a killer. Like, Ren has that cool exterior, the motorcycle and the black leather and the scowl, and he’s constantly telling people It’s Kill Or Be Killed, but, y’know, sort-of hasn’t walked that walk yet. Seems like a lot of big talk, thus far. Even Scissors, who’s the only Rider yet to get killed onscreen, his contract monster is really the one who finishes him off. Ren puts Scissors in that position, arguably, but he doesn’t actually kill him. Could Ren really kill someone? I like that the show leaves that question hanging. It’s cool to have Ren’s version of himself be challenged by Yui and Shinji’s version of him, their belief maybe overcoming his self-deception.

On one hand, I love that I'm yet again finding more good things to say about Ryuki. On the other hand, man, this is gonna be a long month or two of Fish basically taunting me with the same message over and over, huh?


Either way, yes: what I love about this is that somehow the creative team perfectly creates this sense of a ruthless, everyone-for-himself killing game with no holding back... and yet simultaneously are able to perfectly portray the characters as not quite up for it as you said. Usually in cases like this one of those would work really well, and I'd congratulate the writers on it; but then sadly have to say that it unfortunately contradicts the other and they really should have just gone with one or the other. But Ryuki nails them both! It's so strange yet so fantastic and I just have to commend it.