[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Like, right up front, we’ve got Mutsuki talking about how the Category Ace is exerting more influence than usual, which pushes the story away from the usual Mutsuki Is A Troubled Kid zone and into the realm of legitimate and immediate threat. This isn’t really something that you can yell at him about, you know? This is a possession that it is chipping away at his soul.

So it seems that either most of the training he has is not enough, or that both parties (Tachibana and Mutsuki) didn't expect the interfereence from Spider Undead inside Leangle even more. Those that are sympathetic to Mutsuki probably would not yell... but those who are harsh probably can chide him for being obstinate to become Rider and ignoring Kenzaki's warning. Tachibana really cares about Mutsuki and tries his best to help him and even defends him when others when they (rightfully) complain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Tachibana takes a couple runs at reaching out to Mutsuki, and it’s the warmest version of their relationship we’ve ever seen. It’s a Tachibana who’s realized that he can’t fight this one on Mutsuki’s behalf. There’s a literal darkness inside Mutsuki, a rage that wants out, and Mutsuki needs to figure out his own way to survive it.

For mechanic wise, it can directly take over Mutsuki's body, but its grip is too fragile to mantain in battle for extended periods of time. So he resorts to whispering in Mutsuki's mind, pressures him into following selfish desires and slowly takes firmer grip on his body and mind through his own insecurities. It's probably something Tachibana has never experienced of, which means yeah he truly ran out of solutions on this case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Mutsuki ends up going to visit Hajime, which is my favorite story choice in the episode. Of course he’d want to talk to Hajime. Hajime’s going through something similar to him, right? He’s a guy who’s harnessed a Category Ace? Or he’s a Category Ace, and he’s a human, too? Except, here’s where we get another part of Chalice’s Secret: He’s not human or Undead. He’s a third thing, and he can’t give Mutsuki any advice. (He also was definitely not going to give Mutsuki any advice.)

So Mutsuki is left on his own, slowly losing himself to the darkness inside him. It’s a good metaphor for the ways our needs and desires, given too much weight, become prisons. It’s not really about the fighting or the power, it’s about how Mutsuki has put so much importance on one thing that he’s given it control over his life. He can’t care about basketball, he can’t listen to Nozomi, he won’t follow Tachibana… it’s nothing but this one thing, and he now he can’t get out of its grip.

Much of Mutsuki's problems with Leangle stem from the fact he doubts himself and is not as selfless as the likes of Kenzaki. Spider Undead tries to take stronger hold of him by poisoning his mind and forcing him to give in his inner darkness, like it it tirelessly whispering in his mind, forcing him to fight and kill. The worst case would be Spider Undead completely destroying his self and obtain absolute control of his body and mind, which yeah, will separate him from everything he cares like basketball or Nozomi. To you, what differentiates between secrets of Shima and Hajime? Is that for Hajime it's not too much of secrets?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Which is where Shima’s story comes in.

Shima's genuineness finally getting acknowledged by the cast, with Tachibana pointing out he's not evil even if he's an Undead, and Kenzaki, Kotaro and likely Hirose too trying to prevent Shima from sacrificing himself. Because at first he's still reluctant to reveal his true self of being an Undead, but after that he just tells the others about the Undeads being them fighting on instinct, but he's a pacifist and doesn't want to fight at all. I also want to ask here, what would you define as a balance between self-loathing and empathy? Probably because for me in various Kamen Rider series including here, I often find those 2 correlated; self-loath because of empathy to others.