[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Yeah, that's not one of my favorite narrative choices, where one person's kept outside the loop. I don't know why someone couldn't tell Reiko, other than a) it drags out the plot if she doesn't know yet, and b) typical White Knight bullshit where the men bravely protect the impossibly fragile mind of a woman.

Not only one person, but pretty much everyone else btw (dunno if a joke but drop the "white knight bs" there as I'm talking about everyone). Though I already explained, outright telling anyone Rider/Mirror stuff is not an easy task to do. No one will believe that (a cliche for unknown fantasy elements in a seemingly normal world), Yui's someone who gets labelled as a freak for telling people about the Mirror stuffs, other Riders likely wouldn't care, dunno for Shinji, Reiko has a freak experience with Shimada.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Just a joke. I thought Yui's tactic of acting pathetic around that dude was... an interesting choice? She kind-of had no move other than just going I Need Help Real Bad I Don't Know What I'm Doing until this guy gave her a stack of paperwork and begged her to lose his number. It's... I don't think Yui should be real proud of herself on this one.

From what I get before, I'd say she didn't act pathetic, she's just compassionate, like in this current episode when she saw Eri being hospitalized (keep in mind she didn't know yet that she's Ren's gf and she left roses). I guess she's planned to carry the Ejima Laboratory photo she copied and ask others if they know anyone pictured in the photo and their contact/whereabouts. But Nakamura dead-set reveals that everyone else there is already dead leaving him the sole surviving member. Reiko herself also completed other ordinary topic investigations, but still didn't get anything yet regarding Mirror stuff (disappearences) so far other than it's something not logical.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that you considered it cheap drama. Poorly worded sentence!

And, I wouldn't say conflicts are the only good moment, but they're definitely the most memorable. It's drama, you know? Conflicts are more entertaining storytelling than everyone getting along.

Sure, probably yeah conflicts are more entertaining but for Ryuki case, getting along (and no it's obviously not everyone, I also don't want everyone to just strictly get along but here's only Shinji and Tezuka among Riders, not every Riders) is such a rarity I want that to be remembered. I also made a cover about interesting parts (to me) for Tezuka and Shinji's monster fight there before.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There’s an... immediacy, I guess, that I really liked about this episode. It’s paced real well. There’s an emphasis on a core cast and a single plot, and pretty much anyone who doesn’t help further that one plot gets a token scene. Ren’s still hiding from himself in the park, Yui’s (eternally?) questioning what Shiro’s up to, and Tezuka works at the tea shop now. (To that last one, shit, why not. Auntie will put an apron on any handsome boy who wanders in, and Tezuka is there all the time anyway. It’s random, but nearly everything about how the tea shop is run is random.)

I mean that's already the policy of living in Atori established before to Shinji back then, you can live without paying, but you have to help out at the cafe's working time (Shinji's in evening). Tezuka as in the discussion before moves in there, so he "pays" by helping out there just like Shinji and Ren, especially that Shinji's at work and Ren and Yui are MIA. I'd like to see how Tezuka interacts with the customers there but we didn't get that.

Also finally Tezuka & Auntie interacts; "my prediction is always right" vs "my intiution is never wrong". Sadly Tezuka got owned this time....due to Shinji.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Asakura is a cold-blooded (Snake Motif!) psychopath. When he isn’t killing someone, he’s asking, “Why aren’t I killing someone?” He’s easily the worst person yet to get a Card Deck, which is why he’s an awesome person to get a Card Deck.

Shiro wants the Rider to kill each other, so Asakura is definitely one of the best people to pick. Shiro should look for more people like this. Oh wait that's pretty much everyone except Shinji and Tezuka, even Ren to him looks like someone that will act like that at first glance. And despite him being irredeemable, he didn't to something that Scissors or Gai do; feeding people to monsters (though murder is murder, either directly or by monsters) for the former and making snuff films for the latter. There's also something fishy about Shiro where he just glides and dodges a punch from Asakura. Asakura, Shibaura, and Sudo all didn't seem to have a wish though for now.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

We’ve been getting a steady escalation of villainous Riders since Scissors, since Shinji saw a Rider die. Kitaoka is an asshole, and would love to see other Riders get bumped off, but he’s not super into trying to do it with his own two hands. Shibaura, he’ll definitely try to get a Rider killed, but he’s okay (and maybe a little happier) maneuvering Riders into killing each other.

And now even Kitaoka gets a limit of douchery, he is sick of dealing with Shibaura, asking are there any decent people. Well yeah, if you don't treat people other than Shibaura like trash then you'll get your wish right there! And obviously Asakura. Asakura is an entertaning bastard, but he IS a bastard, so to me, it's actually satisfying to see him suffer; Kitaoka being uninterested to defend him in a court and calling him out, making Asakura livid of being denied getting what he wants (free from jail). IIRC Shibaura doesn't explicitly target Shinji or something, just to add more people in the Rider War and this new person doesn't seem disappointing like Shinji, Tezuka, and Ren for being an irredeemable bastard, Shibaura isn't disgusted at all by Asakura which means (more analysis below). Kitaoka is totally selfish but he's not an actual villain.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The supporting cast for Asakura’s story, though, that’s what makes this one really work.

Shibaura's such an ungrateful bastard, telling Asakura that the person who just saved him from jail is a Rider to get him to fight. Reiko is a reporter, ORE Journal is a news publication, cases like this are a must to publish, and you should wait for others from ORE to arrive too, Shinji has in this episode but wait for Okubo and Shimada. And soon you'll see Shinji being a hero, without Rider form. Asakura being a nationwide fugitive (yeah Asakura IS an example of fugitive, not Kitaoka like you refer him earlier!). The polices are being too merciful by not shooting Asakura in place, he's a normal human outside Rider.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

If there’s an MVP for this one, though… it hurts a little bit to say this, because I hate him so much, but it’s Shibaura.

No Rider is not about killing monsters except Shinji and Tezuka tbh, but killing monster is necessary to feed their contract monster (and an easy show of Final Vent without immediately killing another Rider). He almost killed Ren in ep. 17. Shibaura is lowkey as irreedeemable as Asakura, but he's not a violent type of person, he only sees human lives as a stress toy for him to play. But how he runs the war is a reminiscent of video games (and the death games he created) being a gamer, to watch and participate in Battle Royale like playing irl Fortnite or something. Just as a note obviously Ryuki came much earlier and it's inspired by Highlander.