[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Well, Hajime’s been using this card for ages now, but I’m finally allowed to tell you about it.

Spirit

The sealed form of the Human Undead, the ancestor of humanity and the previous winner of the Battle Fight. He was sealed away by the Black Joker, who uses his card to assume a human identity.

* Suit: Heart
* Category: 2
* Ability Name: SPIRIT
* Card Name: Spirit (スピリット Supiritto)
* Consumption Points: N/A

Where did the Human Undead get those jeans, though? Were they brand-new jeans he stole? Were they a gift? Are they jeans from eternity? That is the information I crave.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

This is such a small thing, but it's probably one of my favorite moments from the entire series. There's just something so natural about the idea of Kenzaki spending an entire episode thinking really really hard about what he doesn't want people to know about himself and then effectively coming up blank. A sort of childlike earnestness to him genuinely trying to earn a secret out of Hajime just by telling him one of his own, which would be presumptuous even if the secret he came up with was at all a big deal. But, you know, even though he's incapable of being smart about this, his concern for a friend is as genuine as it gets, and that's why we root for him. It's a really smooth bit of writing with these two characters, and the kind of thing Aikawa's episodes excel at, going right back to his first few and moments like Kenzaki telling Hajime "I want you to understand why people help each other" when asked about his motives for supporting him.

It's honestly a great bit. It's so well-observed, you know? Hajime is the most withdrawn, secretive person in the cast, while Kenzaki is the most honest and open. Watching Kenzaki try to think like Hajime, to get him to open up, it's precious. It's adorable. He's a very sweet boy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The Tachibana plotline here, though! I remember being more than a little frustrated with it watching the show originally, and also much more recently, I remember not finding it a big deal at all on a rewatch. I'm not if anything actually changed in-between. Like you said, it's both entirely in-character, and also fundamentally a bit unsatisfying as a viewer. I can't blame you for not being into it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

It took me a while to vibe with Tachibana's stupid decision, but I think I eventually came around to liking it. He thinks he's doing his best, but as usual, he's a screw-up.

I think it's the repetition, as well, that bothered me about Tachibana's poor decision-making. I get that Tachibana is bound and determined to fail his friends in the name of helping his friends, but there's a point where I'm bored with him doing it from the jump. If there had been a bit more deliberation, a bit more uncertainty that this was the right plan, I'd be more lenient on it. As it is, it feels like he's looking for an excuse to fight Blade.

It just felt rushed, maybe? Like, deciding to kill Hajime and fight Blade doesn't really feel like something he wrestled with enough. Maybe if there'd been a scene where he talked to Hirose and/or Kotaro before he went to kill Hajime? Some sense that he realizes that killing someone they've fought with is going to cause problems?