[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I just, I really like how they’re playing Ren’s part in the story, as a guy who’s trying so hard to be a friendless bad-ass that he’s going to get himself killed for no good reason. It’s moody without being bleak, it’s playing around with the Dark Hero trope, and it creates a very unpredictable version of Ren

And Tezuka has actual fighting skills, at least better than those Ren picked a fight with, managing to block his punch! B̶u̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶y̶ ̶T̶e̶z̶u̶k̶a̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶ ̶R̶e̶n̶'̶s̶ ̶v̶i̶c̶t̶i̶m̶s̶, or he did but the scene got skipped. Also for bolded one:

Now (I admit this is what I'm talking about for Ren previously) as he hardens himself because of Rider stuff, I wonder what makes him that way before he becomes a Rider, as his flashbacks with Eri showed. Also payback time for Shinji where Ren is the one breaking the dish in contrast to his waiter skills (Tezuka's fault!). Another trait or Ren's character is that he always runs away from his problems in contrast to Shinji, like after that moment, pretending to not have them, which extends to fighting and picking other people (what a thug) as coping mechanism to avoid his problems. This is a recurring trait of him too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It helps that Tezuka’s a big part of Ren’s story.

Works in the same field as Ren? I mean like every Rider, good neutral or evil, all kill monsters because to feed their contract monsters. Well, a forceful insistence is actually Tezuka's thing regarding Ren. Shinji is more easily frustrated to Ren and gives up more quickly. Yui brings his better side and quells his bad deeds but this good change is temporary (like when being around her only) as his mask isn't touched. Tezuka breaks his mask by keep bringing up things he wants to be secretive of, talking about his flaws, etc. He even c̶o̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶l̶k̶e̶r̶ knows that Ren resides in Atori and he arrived there just to keep pushing Ren. Also have to say that Tezuka (well probably because he has some unarmed fighting skills) is brave enough to try to humanize a thug by constantly pushing his buttons, actually getting under Ren's skin (to an even worse degree than Shinji) and not caring about how angry Ren can get as long as he completes his objectives, risking out a big fight (and may actually happen in this episode with Ren grabbing his collar before Shinji and Yui arrive). In short Tezuka breaks his mask because he IS forceful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The main Ryuki one for this episode, though, yeah, just not feeling it.

I mean apart from Rider War, it's just that tournaments/competitions work...like that, competitors beating one after another until there's last man standing. Though Gai/Shibaura DID base his game on Rider War, so it being "This Is Just Like What’s Happening With The Masked Riders" is not a coincidence. I have to say this is one of the few non-monster related threats in the story, and the only way to stop this is to stop Shibaura, the Rider behind that. Wow the investigation for Matrix resolves much more quickly than the actual Rider War one, Shibaura being spotted at the end.

Ryuki does his biggest mistake here by drawing his card and not using it (because hesitation). It leads into Gai taking his Dragreder card, and that would lead into even worse stuffs next. Also scanning Final Vent card like Gai did , makes a very practical move with Metalgelas freeing his master (did you notice Metalgelas' horn snaps when ramming the monster?) and then performing Final Vent, performing both Advent and Final Vent at once, and makes me wonder WHY Zolda needs to use Advent card before scanning his Final Vent card in ep. 10, it makes his long start-up of his Final Vent even worse. And Gai having his card slot in his shoulder also makes one of the most practical one, Ryuki's one disables his left arm, and those with weapons have a good advantage with being armed before scanning cards, but they can be disarmed.

For minor one I have to wonder why did Shimada get jealous at Yui?
S̶h̶i̶n̶j̶i̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶j̶e̶a̶l̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶Y̶u̶i̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶s̶h̶a̶d̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶,̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶g̶o̶t̶t̶a̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶r̶e̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶p̶.̶ Also damn Reiko, having a lunch tray even more luxurious surprassing Okubo's?! And finally Shinji and Tezuka meet here, obviously Shinji being thrilled because meeting a Rider that is like him. They really should meet ASAP for a rare companion of each other. I wonder what Ren feels inside Atori, there's now 2 of them, do-gooder Riders.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I guess I don't know how much Super Lawyer Kitaoka is, like, a coping mechanism Kitaoka created. It's the old "no one thinks they're the villain of the story" aphorism, how folks can justify their own awfulness because they assume that they're good people, so their choices aren't so bad. (Like, Houjou in Agito, that's a dude who sees his actions as natural and correct, so people who disagree with him, or want to punch him in his goddamn face, are inevitably just misguided.) I feel like Kitaoka doesn't love it when a bunch of people are judging him, and while he can derive some joy in feeling superior, there's a core human being inside that maybe feels piled on at the end of that episode.

Like you said there above for Ren, Kitaoka's also like him, trying so hard to be a friendless bad-ass, turn off the part of his brain that wants to be kind, that wants to have friends, to isolate and push himself into becoming the person who can kill other Riders. As Ren tried to push that mindset into Shinji, Kitaoka also tried to push this mindset into Ren in ep. 10 (who already has this mindset, but Kitaoka wants him to push him deeper into this, that he's presumed to be friends with Shinji). He has to harden himself like that to become stronger by being selfish (like Ren to can kill people), in order to win the Rider War and saves his life (immortal), continuting to enjoy himself as Super Lawyer (what coping mechanism? he has no bad experiences in life and that's what he plans to continue after winning the War). I still think that for "a bunch of people are judging him", it probably only applies to Reiko, as he's genuinely in love with her.