[LeviathanBlossom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Ah, the But Why Heroism episode. A staple of the franchise, and the place where a creator can really put a stamp on what their Kamen Rider series is saying about heroic fiction. We get to see Mutsuki evolve from a callow teen into Kamen Rider Leangle, and… am I supposed to feel as nervous about this as I do?

This was definitely a fun episode for Mutsuki, and I am looking forward to your impressions of his storyline going forward.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Mutsuki may not need the credit, but he sure as shit needs the accolades. The smiles and gratitude shouldn’t matter that much to him, shouldn’t be required, but it definitely seems like they were. How would he have felt if the survivors had been less grateful, more scared? Would this epiphany had happened, or would he still feel like it wasn’t worth it?

I think this is a solid assessment of Mutsuki's state of mind at this point. Which, you know, teenager who found something Really Cool and has suddenly discovered that maybe it's not all amazing. He thought he'd been Cursed With Awesome and is instead discovering maybe he's been Blessed With Suck, and his epiphany tracks with that very much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

(The best part of the episode was Mutsuki running to tell Tachibana that he’d found a reason to fight and Tachibana just cuts him off with Don’t Care Blade Is Getting Killed Go Help Him. Time and a place for your personal growth, Mutsuki!)

Look at Tachibana being the stable reasonable one!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

...a really fun Team Blade dinner, where everyone’s being totally weird. Hirose declares that Kotaro’s only redeeming quality is his cooking. Tachibana eats like a man who’s being timed. Kotaro drinks tea instead of milk, which, CODE RED. It’s a neat little domestic scene, which I’m a fan of.

I would like to note that slurping noodles is how you are Supposed To Eat them (No, seriously, ramen/udon/soba noodles are slurped, loudly. It's the polite thing to do. Then that transfered over to spaghetti, which makes for some interesting cross-cultural experiences.)

Random aside observation - does anyone else think Hajime actually got a haircut? Usually no one gets haircuts until filming is Over, as may have been mentioned near the start of this thread.