[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Since Inoue is a pretty dramatic guy, the scene with Kusaka imagining Mari's blood on his hands could've been a reference to MacBeth.

At first, I thought that. It seemed like the show was hinting at Kusaka's foul deeds with him unable to cleanse his hands of all of the blood.

But then they're like Hey Mari Got Hurt At The Reunion And Kusaka Got Blood On His Hands And He Blames Himself For Failing Her, and... I guess that's it? It's more literal, and a lot less fun. I don't know. I definitely like it better if it's guilt, and not guilt plus a memory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

So yeah, it definitely doesn't look like Kusaka has any intention of showing his gratitude to Takumi. Kusaka is a protector of humanity and now that Takumi is a known Orphenoch, he decides that gives him carte blanche to murder him for apparently attacking him and Mari at the reunion. He won't hesitate to destroy an Orphenoch even if it's a comrade. Whether or not it was actually Takumi is irrelevant to him, it's just another excuse to do his job.

I think there are a couple other wrinkles. First, Mari still believes in Takumi, so killing him eliminates a competitor for Mari's attention. Second, I think it's also that Takumi's reached the end of his usefulness. Kusaka doesn't currently have a huge problem keeping Yuuji alive, because Yuuji has a beef with Smart Brain and that can be leveraged for Kusaka's benefit. Takumi's joined up with Smart Brain, so he's got to go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Takumi does put up a fight to protect himself but it's mostly for show and he's probably just waiting for Kaixa to destroy him like he thinks he deserves.

I mean, it's such a Kamen Rider thing, isn't it, Suicide By Combat? (I mean, there're probably some roots in ancient Japanese society, but that's above my paygrade.) It's not just that Takumi wants to be killed by someone, but that he has to be defeated and killed. Dude definitely wants to feel punished!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Kiba as Faiz, who he wanted to destroy him earlier, instead ends up saving him from Kaixa. Right now, Kiba is the only one actually standing up against Kusaka since he knows he can't be trusted and unlike Takumi, he doesn't tolerate him. Mari and Keitarou may be struggling to see Takumi the same way, but Kiba understands how painful and lonely it is to be a monster feared and hated by humans, to betray and be betrayed, to try and hold on to his own humanity while Smart Brain pressures him to throw it away like something that doesn't have any value. They're very different people but their experiences are similar and that means they can help each other. He's the friend that Takumi needs right now.

Yeah, boy, a lot of what Takumi's going through must look pretty familiar to Yuuji. I'd kind-of love if, during their phone call, Yuuji went, "Hey, if you feel like killing one of your friends because you feel like they betrayed you, maybe don't? Especially if they have a brother who might want vengeance. I've, uh, I've heard some Orphnochs do that and they totally regret it. Not me, though! I love humans! I definitely never felt relieved by snuffing out their organs!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

If Kamen Rider Faiz has a flaw, it's the scarcity of Yuka focus. She has such a great arc but it's all broken and scattered, the same with Keitarou. Most of the action and plot progression happens around the other members of Team Faiz and Orphenoch, Kusaka, Lucky Clover, Sawada and sigh.... Mihara. But yeah, this show could've used more Yuka. We've had our disagreements about her but at least we can agree on that, right?

Absolutely! It's weird how much the show front-loads Yuka's story. Do they think they've said enough about her?