[Switchblade]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I mean, don’t tell Houjou, but… Kageyama’s my favorite? There’s such specific authority to her performance. It’s self-confidence, sure, but it’s the way she’ll share the spotlight to let others feel in control, and she’ll use that to manipulate them. She leads from the back. Her outfit at Lucky Clover is a bartender, a servant. But without that servant no one would drink, no one would be able to enjoy themselves. She has control over their happiness, their safety. She comes across as an employee, but she’s the one guiding the group.

Plus, just always making smart choices in her performance. She does so much with a look, or a stance. When the camera pans down to catch her in the President’s chair, overhearing that they’re all going to die, she sells Maybe YOU Are with a two-second creased brow. Because she’s not going to roll over. She’s going to find a way to survive, even if it kills the rest of Lucky Clover.

Kageyama is probably my favorite villain on the show. She's more consistently present and threatening than pretty much anyone else. Murakami had his moments but he often felt disconnected from the heroes' stories, Kitazaki was AWOL most of the time, Takuma got neutered badly around the time Delta showed up, and the Orphenoch King is more of a concept than a character (even in human form - when was the last time Teruo actually had dialogue?). Kageyama is just great, though. Her actress was really good at saying a lot through her facial experessions, too. It's such a pity that I can't find out anything about the actress; I'd love to know what else she's done.

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So we’ve got one more episode to go. Yuuji vs Takumi, probably for the last time. I wish I cared more about why they were fighting. I’m sure it’ll be a good fight. I still care a lot about these characters. (Not Yuuji, obviously, but the rest of the cast.) But, man, they are ending the series on a conflict that I don’t buy, that feels thematically thin, and that’s kind-of a drag. Not exactly raring to see this one wrap up!

I'll say this: Faiz's ending is definitely an aspect of the show that people have things to say about. I'm really curious to see what you think.