[DreadBringer]

I'm reviewing the episode 50 first, I don't give a fuck if it's too late!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I mean, it's hard to argue with turning a Contract Monster into a bike. Both Survives do it, and Alternative does it at one point. It's incredibly cool. I'll be honest, I still think I like Knight's Survive bike better. I think it's Knight's cape? Capes on bikes are totally impractical, which makes them awesome. It's like one better than a scarf, which is the minimum required neck attire for a motorcyclist.

It probably stems from your bias to Ryuki Survive to like Knight Survive's bike better.... I have to say I like Dragranzer better. His transformation is just more interesting where Dragranzer folds himself, somehow gaining a shape plausible for a bulky bike. Rather than Darkraider which motorcycle is just it's whole wingspan, with the back side of the wing/bike heightened a bit. Forgot to say this before, but Dragranzer's bike is based off on Honda X4. The only thing I truly hate for Ryuki Survive is the "whiskers", his body suit is also probably worse than base Ryuki's but it's not much of a big deal to me.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Goro's revealed as Zolda, fighting Ouja in Kitaoka's place. Goro has to fight, because Kitaoka has died, unable to finish the last piece of business he had in the Rider Battles. He felt responsible for making Asakura a Rider, and wanted to end that rivalry for good. But he's dead, lain to rest on his couch, holding a white rose.

The same type of white rose that's on the table in the restaurant where Reiko waits for Kitaoka, a snowstorm outside. She waits, and notices that one of Kitaoka's knives is askew. He'd hate that. So she turns it, straightens it, makes it perfect for him. A small gesture. He'd never know she did it. But she thought of him, and fixed it.

Yeah, this is the moment I talked about when I'm talking about how 13 Riders' use of handing Decks to others are consistent to the series, but I obviously didn't spoil to you about Goro doing it... (other than that, there's also Odin using many different puppets to henshin and fight for Shiro) so it still did surprise you right? Kitaoka's definitely responsible in ep. 28 in the war reset, and he wasn't only failed to finish Ouja, but also failed to date Reiko.

Talking about the battles, Zolda gets completely finished there, with both Goro and Magnugiga being killed. I guess Ouja's kick also matters even if the main attack is Genocider's vortex. And I guess being rammed by 510kg robot can kill you even if you're a Rider. And if you don't know, there's 1 card that Kitaoka never used in the series. Even if Goro is a good hand-to-hand combatant, he still didn't use that, probably so that he doesn't take away the deception. Some sources outside said that Goro lost to Ouja because he's not that experienced as Rider unlike Kitaoka, but he's a good fighter right? And Rider only gives you super powers alongside your fighting (also Zolda was shown better at direct hand-to-hand in this fight).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s something Shiro finally realizes, as he watches the sacrifices of all of the Riders, the catastrophic damage the Rider Battles have wrought, and realizes that it doesn’t matter.

Odin throwing Knight Survive around like usual, with him finally using 2 swords (did he summon one of them without cards?!). Odin already scans his Final Vent before Shiro forfeits the Rider War. Goldphoenix was never even used or seen before this part. And as you see here, Ren still wants to fight to cure Eri, not fighting against Shiro. There's also a debate if Ren died or not when he's at hospital. Though probably he is, he thinks about his friends before going to the hospital, accepting that even if he dies, he would reunite with his friends. He only wants Eri to be alive, not necessarily be together with her.

Regarding the Rider War, now ORE Journal finally made a publication about the Rider War and Mirror Monsters, though they do it in their usual way of publishing it, just adding more infos. I feel bad that ORE Journal would likely be dismissed again via this news (and Shinji also has died). Continuing from before, there's also Okubo stating that “In this battle, there is no justice.”, “All that’s left is a genuine wish.”, “Those who question whether it was right or wrong…” like how he gets people before. But still... unfortunately for ORE Journal.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The first third worked like gangbusters for me.

A collection of death by irony here!

• Goro fakes his death when he becomes a fake Zolda (pretending). Here, he dies for real, if he becomes Zolda for real.
• Kitaoka becomes a Rider because of his illness. He also had to stop being a Rider because of his illness.
• Ouja finally got what he wanted since the start of the war: To fight and beat Zolda. Unfortunately, he killed Gorou, and not Kitaoka. Sickened and maddened by dissatisfaction, he purposely walks into a police ambush and dies without a fight - Also Ouja apparently surviving explosion and getting killed by usual gunshot... if the police show no mercy from the beginning, Asakura would likely be ended much faster.
• Having discovered that he already killed people long ago and having lost his truest friend, Knight finally throws away his hesitancy to fight and kill... And dies right before he can see Eri again.
• Odin's created for only 1 purpose, winning the Rider War and manipulating its outcome, but Odin self-destructs when the Rider War is eventually pointless at the end, giving Odin no reason to exist anymore.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Shiro’s power and pain isn’t something you can defeat.

Yup, Shiro's an invincible villain. He and Odin can never be defeated (He's an intangible ghost, and Odin can be killed, but he can be continuously replaced, reviving like a Phoenix), except by himself stopping what he did. But, no, his pain IS the one you can defeat; at the end, it's revealed that he isn't any better off than his victims. What he wants is something that will always be out of his reach.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

For a climax that hinges on Shiro being okay with how things turned out, to stop forcing them to be what he needs, what does it mean if he brings everyone back? Does that choice contradict his growth? It’s a nice ending, but is it too nice?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Some of them are super-subjective, I can't lie. But overall, I was not that invested in Shiro's redemption.

Opinions on Mirror World story aside, gotta talk about what happened. I don't know and I can't talk about Shiro redeeming or not (I'm on your side of not wanting him to be let off easily), regardless of redemption or not, I just think that Shiro fully submits himself to Yui here, with him having to abide to everything she wants and wishes. Namely, by letting her die, rewinding time again, like he usually does to restart the war if the outcome isn't what he desired (Episode Final and 13 Riders are likely his previous takes of the war with the TV series as the final one), effectively revives all the Riders, and also all the other victims of the Rider War as well, and closing off the Mirror World (Shiro opened it as an adult), those being also what Yui wants as she hates and mourns for innocents suffering/get killed by the war. Lastly, eliminating Mirror Monsters for good by replacing their drawings of Mirror Monsters with what Yui suggests before, which is instead drawing pictures of various people happy and smiling (older Yui also draws Shinji and Ren).... They are not "their happiest memories", those are what they draw now, preventing Mirror Monsters' existence and making Mirror World a safe place. With Shiro letting Yui die when she was little this time, Shiro also chooses to die with her (if only to inform the "bad thing" happened to him), or specifically, existing in the Mirror World that likely isn't going to be opened again and no longer being a part of the land of the living, they’re effectively non-existent.

In short, I don't think Shiro's really redeemed, he still only cares about his sister like usual, but he shows his care in different way, from R̶e̶n̶'̶s̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶S̶h̶i̶n̶j̶i̶'̶s̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ doing what he thinks (using how scary death is what they're going through as an excuse) is best for her, to doing what truly is best for her. It's just that Yui's someone who overall wants the best for the world. If Shiro's gonna fulfill what she wants, he's gotta do something that good, regardless of his morality (to others). It's that Yui's wants that came to play, Shiro, with his vast powers, is just the means to achieve that.

Overall, the one fact every Ryuki fans seem to miss; Shinji won at the end. This is how he wins. He indirectly got what he wishes as a Rider (Tezuka as well), the war stopped, the people are safe. He manages to get the Riders to delay or even stop their fighting, delaying the war till the end of Yui's birthday, that the way they explain aside, the truth becomes forcefully uncovered, preventing Shiro from ever saving Yui at the cost of the lives of the Riders, and talking some sense into Shiro. Eventually, after many different timelines of having his idealism broken, Shinji finally wins in the end, with Shiro erasing the Rider War from existence. With Ren also getting his wish, as Eri was only hurt by Darkwing, a Mirror Monster, which no longer exists.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The idea of the reset being a better version of these characters, I can see it a little bit... but then Asakura's there, being a violent asshole?

Yeah, it's a bittersweet ending, everyone's coming back, but not all things are good with the balance of fixing the world, which would mean every kind of humans will come back (like Asakura, or those who deserved to be eaten by Contract Monsters). Other than that, people's state are also unchanged, there's Kitaoka's probably still ill and will also die (him having Goro because Goro serves him to atone Kitaoka having incurable disease). Undoing character developments are also another part of its bittersweet. Ren and Shinji not knowing each other anymore also, with all the awkwardness. But I still think with Riders/Monsters not being a thing, all criminals are just ordinary humans who can be easily stopped, compared to all shenanigans Riders can pull. There are also Riders who does their most severe evil things only because the Rider War itself, like Toujou. The ending also somehow has Megumi already working at ORE Journal.... I mean they were talking about golden crayfish and Sakaura Company...