[Fish Sandwich]

Okay, I've been really bad at replying to things lately, so let's see how many of these I can cover in one go.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Didn't you remark that this is only to show fear via Grongi's attacks before?

I don't think I said it was or should *only* be that, and that's why the timing that plot point with Nana is introduced... it maybe ends up feeling a little too buried by everything else happening in those episodes? And that's why it seems even weirder the way it immediately goes out of focus in the very next episode? I don't know. One of the first things I said in this thread was that I'm not very critical of Kamen Rider. I'm not upset about it or anything, but it seemed incongruous enough to be worth commenting on.

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Tsubaki's comments are rather tame

A lot of it is about context? Sakurako came to Tsubaki because she was in the middle of freaking out about the potential life-threatening danger she thinks Yuusuke is in. It's not really a great time to ask her out!

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I know that Rising Titan has 2 swords, but still wonder. How many limits of items Kuuga can transform?

This isn't very scientific, but he only has two hands, so I'm going to go with two things at once.

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Inoue's take on investigation aside, how did the Grongis get the store to sell the lighters?

Unless I'm misunderstanding something in the plot, the lighters are completely unrelated to the Grongi. The purpose of that plot point is just to throw the police (and the audience) off the trail by making them assume they must be important.

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Titan is strong in defense, but are his punches/kicks also stronger than Mighty Form too?

If you go by the official stats every Rider form always gets, Titan Form's punches are in fact a bit stronger than Mighty Form's! Although I never put too much stock in those things myself. They tend not to matter that much.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Also want to ask from a reply I neglected before, regarding "has anyone had a teacher like Kanzaki", what are your criteria for a teacher like him?

I guess I don't really know? Kanzaki's portrayal just seems pretty exaggerated in a lot of ways, but I guess (hope?) it might not be all that unrealistic for a teacher to be that invested in the development and well-being of their students beyond merely teaching them whatever rote academic material they're required to. This could probably lead to a whole, kind of off-topic discussion in its own right!

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So do Grongis purposely send the weaker member first until they're wiped out to send the stronger tribes?

Bingo.

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Yeah he doesn't care about the rules... like him defying the cops before (although to do the right thing).

Oh I know, that's part of why I wrote that! It's actually a legitimately consistent trait of Yuusuke that his sense of right and wrong doesn't have much to do with the law. It's a lot more about having a good reason to him, and that's why he's okay with taking a police bike without permission (he needs it now, and can give it back later), as well as implicitly encouraging a child to skip school (Hiraku needs this time now, and can go back later). The show does a great job giving him a fleshed-out mentality.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

So they purposely kill with the patterns, the patterns are the part of the game right?

Bingo.

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Are there any reasons there's only 1 Grongi each taking part into action before?

Another rule of the "game". Everyone gets their turn, and interfering with that is frowned upon. It's about as close as they get to being civil. On a meta level, it's also how Kuuga provided a logical reason to do the "monster of the week" concept.

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How do they figure out that a beach is going to be her substitute though?

It's just the next most logical place where crowds of people would be hanging out in the water, I'd presume.

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I want to know if Kuuga Mighty can enhance the finisher by training to give flying side kick, how about the other forms? How to distinguish the way do you a finisher attack or an ordinary attack in a non-Mighty form?

I think Mighty is kind of an exception specifically because it doesn't rely on a tool. With Pegasus, for example, it's only attack IS its finisher, and beyond not missing, I don't think there's anything to really be trained. Same deal with Dragon and Titan, whose finishing moves are just to poke the Grongi with the ends of their weapons.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

It's weird. While of the "base" forms, Titan is my favorite, when it comes to Rising, I give it to Dragon. Its debut, as well as how much the Rising variant fills out the design, it just does it for me.

Rising Dragon is really cool! I love the blades on the Dragon Rod, and the extra blue on the shoulders, but then, I also appreciate the normal Dragon's simplicity, with its black shoulders and basic stick. The point being, I still refuse to say any one form of Kuuga's is better than another.

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Originally Posted by Kurona

I have many... many criticisms of Inoue, but one thing I really have to give him is that he knows how to make something stick in your memory.

I think that's always been the strength of how "wild" Inoue likes to get, that tends to get lost in the discussion with how often he's criticized for relying on a familiar set of tropes. His stuff can be extremely creative, and while it's not always a good thing, when it works, it *works*.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There's a completeness to this story

Yeah, that's a really good way to put it. These episodes feel filled out really nicely.

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

I don't remember if this actually happens in the show, but I'd love for Rising Dragon to chuck that spear at a Grongi like a javelin.

I wouldn't mind seeing that myself!