[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

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Speaking of couples! Yuka and Keitaro’s story this time out is very sweet. It’s not a lot of, like, plot or anything, but it’s a very cute little date they go on. I like how their story is mixing the drama of a long-distance relationship with the optimism of a chance encounter, except it’s only happening to two characters. It’s fun to see them growing closer together, finding some joy, but (at least Keitaro) sabotaging it mentally with the regret of hurting the person he’s unknowingly actually on a date with right now. It’s ridiculously convoluted, and it relies solely on the two of them never saying their first names to each other or trading phone numbers, but Complicated Romance is such a core trope for superhero stories that I can’t even muster up that much objection to it. It’s goofy, but played very sweetly.

A ton of that for me is how expressive Keitaro’s actor is. Yuka’s incredibly damaged, and doesn’t convey a lot of strong emotion, so it’s really on Keitaro to sell you on the way this new relationship is important to the story. And, man, he really nails it. Some of it’s the chemistry he has with Yuka, and some it’s how much innate joy he has in a Resting Frown of a show, but some of it is how hurt he is when his friends don’t give a shit about his internet girlfriend. That bit, where he comes in hot after getting a message from Yuka, and Mari and Takumi just blow him off, perfect. Team Faiz is just reflexively mean to each other. Shit like that is the heart of the show for me, and I need a little bit every episode.

The Start of a Ship (a pun on the title of Episode 1). Keitarou/Yuka and their romantic 2-person love triangle is a nice subplot that develops both characters in constructive ways. Keitarou plays an important role not just in making Takumi better but also restoring Yuka's faith in humanity, simply by being a decent human which is a novelty in Yuka's life so far. Unfortunately, Keitarou, morally the best person in the show, is convinced that their date means he's a terrible person for cheating on his pen pal, since neither of them know they're the same person they've been emailing for all this time. Yuka is also conflicted since she still has feelings for Kaido, who now has feelings for Mari. Looks like this love triangle has more than 2 people after all. Classic Inoue! It's awesome.

There's a comedic scene where Takumi and Mari are looking at the blurry school reunion picture and Mari asks Takumi who matches his type. It's funny how quickly Takumi changes his mind after realizing he picked Mari. It shows that Takumi is at least a little interested in pursuing romance, a theme which is starting to get more focus with this show entering the Kaixa arc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

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And on the topic of killer pairings, wow does Faiz get his ass beat in this episode. The Faiz Fight against Mr. J (while Chaco looks on approvingly) is great for how much punishment Faiz takes.

The flipside of the way Faiz rushes through a fight, the way he’s a burst of speed and strength, is that if he can’t get a quick win he’s probably not getting a win at all. There isn’t a lot of staying power to Faiz. Here, he gets his finisher blocked and then just gets demolished. And it looks great! He really looks like he’s going to get murdered. There’s a bit, when Mr. J gets shot by someone offscreen, that Faiz cowers a little from the gunfire. It’s a kind of vulnerability I don’t remember seeing in other Riders, a sense that he’s not great at taking punishment. I think that’s an interesting attribute for a Rider.

I really like the location where Faiz & Kaixa fight Mr. J with the rollercoaster at the theme park where the first date of Keitarou and Yuka is simultaneously happening. It makes Kaixa's real debut here even more memorable and significant with him saving Faiz from his greatest challenge yet.

Your analysis of Faiz's defeat is interesting. I mentioned how cool his fighting style is, the way he doesn't bother escalating and doesn't hold back. But maybe there's a downside to that. As a member of Lucky Clover, the elite, Mr. J isn't some average MOTW kind of Orphenoch. While Kiba proved to be an equal match for Faiz in Episode 6, this is the first time where Faiz was fighting at a disadvantage. Mr. J is a crocodile and a tank. He no-sells Faiz's attacks and strikes as soon as he sees a gap in his offensive.