[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Maybe it just takes more work than the film could manage to make Kenzaki's character more directly invested in the plot? I mean, we have established that, by design, he's more of a follower than a leader, and also tends not to think too deeply about things in general. It seems like if you don't know what you're doing or just don't consider it an issue, it would very easy to accidentally write stories that don't give him a lot to actively contribute. Maybe! I'm mostly spitballing here, and a new guy just started writing the show at the point you're at, so it might be better to not get too deep into this until you've got that extra perspective on how you feel Kenzaki is or is not handled differently under Aikawa's pen.

So, yeah, not to get too far ahead of stuff that I might feel differently about in a few days, but this is something I was thinking about during the first Aikawa As Showrunner episode.

I think Kenzaki is central to the plot, but he's not (currently or previously!) central to the themes or emotions. As a more direct character, one who is substantially less traumatized than the other three Riders, he's not really someone who gets to have Big Emotions or the sort of sweeping, thematically-rich stories the other characters have.

But! As the show becomes more about plot machinations and combat against the Undead, he's your guy. He's the one who's front and center, driving the plot. Tachibana only gets invested when it's something he can feel guilty or ashamed about (those emotions are his rocket fuel), Mutsuki has broken bad, and Hajime is maybe more of a WMD than a fellow superhero. Kenzaki is all that's left, and he doesn't need any outside force getting him to want to save the world.

The movie's got to be about more than plot, though, and that limits Kenzaki's usefulness. He's okay in the middle section, as it's the kind of hero stuff he excels at, but he's a bystander in the beginning and end because those things need some complicated emotions. Kenzaki's most complicated emotion is confusion over why people keep secrets!