[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The “again” thing, me using it a bunch already, it’s almost entirely a joke. I don’t think this episode was especially repetitious or anything. I mean, the Karasuma thing, maybe. I love that that dude hung around for twelve minutes of an episode before he had to leave the country. Hilarious. I really hope we find out that he’s ducking loan sharks or something. He gets suspiciously antsy whenever he has to hang around Team Blade for more than a minute.

Karasuma is the exposition guy though? I want to know, again, what makes this 180 degree turnabout regarding him? Also, I really wondered what's up with Karasuma in previous episode, but the answer was quick one, and a rather easy way too for him to do that and gives vague impressions regarding his morality, the second time (he was accused of unsealing the Undead before, now the story plays out like him actually aiding Isaka), that he was mind controlled. Not shown how he got freed of it though. As you said below, it's all Leangle related, so Karasuma returns for a good reason here, as he's the one who created it. And in that part, the part where Hirose jumps up to see Kotaro wandering outside makes me go "oof!", because of Hirose not taking away her slipper jumping on Kenzaki. Well at least it's indoors slipper so it won't get dirty by walking outside right... (but those are taken off when going to bed btw...).

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There’s plenty new in this episode, and it’s pretty much all Leangle related, so let’s talk about Mutsuki.

My impression of Mutsuki is quite strange here... I feel that his introduction wasn't done in a grand way, or emphasizing way, and by that I thought he's going to be merely a minor character to advance the plot. Turns out that he's the 4th primary Rider. I thought with him being curt to his mom, it's all Nozomi related, probably also the belt part to prove the surreal moment surrounding him that ordinary people hard to understand. And for Leangle Driver, an inanimate device with will and presence, that's what I've known much in various medias, outside KR series, the "artifact of power" phlebotinum type.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Tachibana’s story… I joke about him quitting again, but I liked what resulted.

He did, Tachibana is clueless until he returns from sealing the Category Ace and losing against Isaka. If he hadn't been fighting, he might have made it to Sayoko in time like, to call ambulance. If he had listened to her, or trusted her, or letting anyone else know, or trusted anybody, or not backhanding the others' reassurement when they find out, he would have been able to protect her, probably she wouldn't have gotten into this situation in the first place. Also here's the thing in this episode; so Kenzaki seems to still put Tachibana higher in pedestal than Kotaro, the person he claimed to be his "first friend" in episode 4 (with also a friendly introduction flashback shown here). When Kotaro talks about replacing Tachibana, he lashes out at him.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Hajime’s got a cute scene with Amane, and it’s one I could’ve watched for an entire episode.

Uhh... I know, Amane is there to be Hajime's morality pet, his care for her humanizes him. But Amane's thing to Hajime is already on an obsessive crush, which could make it a creepy reverse-pedo stuff, with the addition of her being completely clingy about him with little space given and... she's not merely lightened up around Hajime, by that she mistreats anyone that isn't Hajime, partly because to make Hajime look better compared to them.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s so pure that it kind-of makes Chalice more ruthless than ever?

The difference of the hero approach between Chalice and Blade here, for the former, as an anti-hero he's more concerned of finishing the enemy with little regard of others, while for the latter, he knows full well that it's meant to protect others, killing monster is a form of doing that, and thus, citizen's safety is the priority. Also, with you talking about previous places/settings here, do you also realize that, the beach where Emu and Kiriya got reuinted again also gets re-used? As well as the place where (Hajime) Nakamura got killed by Tiger in Ryuki.