[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Look at that. Look at it. In the aftermath of There Was No Way Ren Was Going To Kill Shibaura, we’ve got this beautiful shot. Look at how happy Shinji is, that he was right about his friend, that Ren’s not really a killer, that they can work together to destroy monsters without fighting other Riders.

Now there's 2 win count for Gai...only because both of those Riders doesn't want to kill others. Tezuka's prediction still all completely right so far, and that correlates into Ren not being a psychopath. I have to ask why Gai activated his Strike Vent again?? He already scanned that used that throughout his fight with Knight, AFAIK cards cannot be used twice. And this is the last thing that Ren wants....his weakness (of not being a killer) being known to others especially Shinji, and him wanting to accompany him even more. So much that he's even more childish here by throwing a tantrum. And now he's even worse in keeping people away from him, even Yui isn't safe from this. I assume you mean dooming himself and Eri in a way that he wouldn't be able to win the Rider War and save her?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

(Yui’s investigations into Shiro’s Secret Science Society, formerly a Club but there’s just too much Secrecy, that’s still happening. I really wish the show could find a way to loop Reiko in on this one. It seems way more in her wheelhouse than Yui, considering Yui’s thing is just badgering some traumatized dude until he gives her info so she’ll shut up. Yui and Reiko, Secret Science Society investigators! It needs to happen!)

And 2 episodes earlier you have Yui in the same boat as Reiko (ORE Journal part-timer)... I think the main difference is that Yui already knows about Riders and Mirror stuffs and the tragedies it caused and seeks to get in touch about the one instigating it, her brother Shiro, as her way (being a non-fighter unlike Shinji and Tezuka) to stop the conflict, while Reiko is like regular citizen, knowing nothing about them, except there are people disappearing and wants to know what causes the disappearences, to have it published as a news publication, thus alerting people (likely death of reflective surface, covering everything in newspapers). And the main hindrance of this is that for some reason no one other than Riders or Yui are allowed to know about Riders and Mirror stuff and they can't tell others (probably because Shiro will retaliate). Oh wait...Yui did, as a child, no one believes her and that gets her being labeled as a freak and bullied by others. Probably either Shinji or Yui should try making others see the truth by touching their bodies with a Rider Deck (dunno if that's ethical/optimal but that's one way I think to make them believe), and Yui should've tried to ask Tezuka too (like she did to Shinji in ep. 1-2) about Shiro.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s mostly Shinji/Tezuka stuff, and it works better than I’d thought it would. Shinji’s bafflement that Ren’s decision to not murder someone would cause an existential crisis gets him to bounce off of Tezuka organically, exploring their differences in clever ways. There’s some great points about how Shinji’s tendency to charge in, to not consider consequences, that’s the antithesis of how Tezuka views the world. Tezuka believes in fate, and he’s sometimes haunted by his decision-making. He’s not choosing to do something, he’s choosing to not do every other option. It’s paralyzing for him, the weight of those choices. Shinji is… not haunted by his decision-making. Shinji throws himself in and hopes for the best. It’s brave and generous and heroic and honestly pretty stupid. (Tezuka even brings up the fact that Shinji sacrificing his life to a Mirror Dragon was maybe something he could've mulled over!) Shinji can’t understand why Tezuka has to make an easy decision difficult, and Tezuka can’t understand why Shinji doesn’t need to think things through. It’s that friction I was looking for between them, the thing where Shinji’s dismissal of the power of fate makes Tezuka start to lose his shit. It’s that shot of Ren and Shinji transposed over Shinji and Tezuka, one event with two reactions. I love it. I love how Ren’s crisis starts to ripple out through the whole episode, infecting other people, other relationships. Just some super smart writing.

Shinji's tendency to charge is also seen in the fight before where he immediately runs into Ren when Shibaura's going to finish him in the fight, he runs to wrong situations without hesitation, without thinking. Now finally you cover about it, but well again it's about contrasts AND they being in a feud about it (probably it's not memorable previously, but I want to let people notice the rarity about specific Riders being in peace even when you pointed out about their difference in stopping the conflict, not all feuds all the time). I now can't add anything here other than that Tezuka believes in fate yeah, but he tries to change it too, change other's fate, like his psychotherapy against Ren is an attempt of that. In this situation I lean towards Tezuka learning from Shinji to finish the misunderstanding. But I can't help to give this remark (and a jokey one too); Dude Shinji, you got the one Rider who agrees, supports, and is willing to cooperate with you, why would you still pick a fight with him?? You are in a risk of losing your golden chance!

And now Tezuka also, lives in Atori, all 3 Riders (can't) sleeping together (wow). Yui wasn't aggravated again by this (especially after witnessing that Shinji and Tezuka are screwed-up in their own ways after Ren)? It seems that he merely sleeps there but he goes to his usual place at noon, I wonder what's his house like normally before? Shinji was kicked out in his apartment. Tezuka can't be broke despite his fortune-telling job, he wears a tuxedo and his bike is a damn Honda CB400 SF.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Hmm. Shibaura’s in lockup, pending Kitaoka (!) swinging by after he visits another prisoner in jail, presumably next episode. Hmm.

Oh! One other minor thing I remember liking from this episode. I like that Quarter’s got a Copy Vent,

Shibaura is forced to acknowledge Tezuka's expertise in fortune-telling. Also didn't you notice that Raia used Copy Vent against Knight before? He seems to prefer picking other Rider's weapons with it instead of using his own weapon for some reason.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And Shinji... sure, he could be killed if Shibaura destroys his card. But he doesn't really act like he's in mortal peril. He acts like he's frustrated and pissed off. The show's not really trying to sell the stakes of this one as much more than I Wish Someone Would Punch This Kid Already.

He's frustrated because he can't do anything to retaliate and save his own life. Shibaura doesn't care about that as long as he follows his orders (and probably it's a joy to see him in this state).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I was also very into Shimada's Henshin pose, the little way she psyched herself up for some heroic coding.

T̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶R̶i̶d̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶e̶r̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶G̶o̶r̶o̶ ̶(̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶u̶n̶d̶e̶r̶s̶t̶a̶n̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶n̶j̶i̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶e̶p̶.̶ ̶1̶3̶-̶1̶4̶)̶.̶

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Shinji's thing... he really doesn't want people to die. Shinji doesn't want to fight other Riders, and he doesn't want other Riders to fight each other, but he's not, like, shadowing Ren every minute of the day to make sure he doesn't Final Vent a person.

I mean yeah like I've said before, Shinji's more easily frustrated against Ren and gave up quicker, Tezuka doesn't care about that even when he's grabbed by the collar or getting outright punched.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Honestly? Shinji seems like the kind of guy who would try to throw a punch, and then somehow manage to fall flat on his face in the process without anyone even touching him. Strangely enough, fighting horrific monsters seems to be one of the few scenarios in which he doesn't become a flustered mess. Or at least that's how Inoue writes him.

Lol, but he did punch Kitaoka fine before (and Ren to a lesser extent). And that, oh like your usual shonen protagonist, only good at fighting but sucks at everything daily life.