[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

I’d talk about the King card Kenzaki gave to Hajime, but I’m under a rule not to talk about these things until they appear on screen, or if they don’t, at the first good opportunity. Just know that unlike Hajime’s other transformations, Wild Chalice is not the Heart King. It’s the Mantis Undead with the power of the other 12 Hearts grafted on. The real king looks totally different.

WILD Chalice. Got it! Would not have ever in a million years guessed it was called that because nothing on this show is called Wild anything!

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

While episode 34 had the most adrenaline-pumping scenes in the show for me, episode 37 is when the emotional aspects peaked for me, what with it being the moment that Kenzaki saves Hajime after wanting what's best for him for so long. I too really liked the flashback sequence that really does nicely summarises their whole thing in just three quick scenes. Do you think Kenzaki thought about being smacked aside with nostalgia?

I mean, if I want to be charitable, I could say that Kenzaki's remembering that slap as evidence of Hajime's desire to protect Amane, that there's something in him that's more powerful than his Joker aspect.

But, no, I think Kenzaki is so used to the people he respects beating the shit out of him that he's internalized getting hit by Hajime as Hajime Noticed Me!

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

The moment that sticks out to me most though, is when Kenzaki goes to meet Hajime in that forest. The Joker comes out and is looking terrifying as ever, but that melancholic music that plays as soon as he appears put me in exactly the same mood that Kenzaki probably was in, just being sad for Hajime's terrible circumstances and wanting him to get his life as a human back. Kenzaki's tussle with Joker is maybe one of the best examples I can think of how tokusatsu delivers emotional climaxes through people wrestling with rubber suits. I was just super into it all around.

The tone for all of the Hajime/Kenzaki stuff in this one... it's all a very A Boy And His Dog, in the way Kenzaki has a bunch of people telling him to put that animal down and he's still risking his life to save it. Or how it's all screams and growls from Joker while Kenzaki is all Hey Boy Do You Remember Me. I think that's a smart move, narratively, because it bypasses a lot of critical faculties in favor of raw emotion. It's not Complicated Hajime that's trying to be saved, it's this suffering beast. I don't know. I really liked it!

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

And speaking of Kenzaki doing heroic stuff in this episode, him forking over that Rouze Absorber the second Mukki asks for it is another one of the defining Kenzaki moments to me. The fact that he takes exactly no time at all to mull over that decision is just so wonderfully him, you know?

It's extra great because you can tell that Mutsuki's like Ha Ha This Is Going To Torture Him and Kenzaki's already presenting it before Mutsuki can finish asking for it. It's of a piece with the Tachibana stuff, where Kenzaki's absolute dedication to saving Hajime gets reactions that start with condescension, turn into frustration, and then resolve into a newfound (if grudging) respect for Kenzaki. He leads by example, you know? That's why he's the star.

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Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

Hirose Senior never properly worked for me as a villain, but it's about this time Tachibana's turn withh him clicked for me. Tachibana is a pro at making bad snap decisions for close to the right reasons, especially since it came off to me not just as "Kill Joker Joker bad", but also "Kenzaki tried to help me, so I need to stop him killing himself". Of course, he goes about it in the worst way possible, because seriously Tachibana, this guy is making Undead Undeads, you shouldn't be in on that, but at least his intentions are good. Hell, even 'saving humanity' is a pretty noble goal; it's just a shame our anti-christ here doesn't want to die OR destroy humanity.

Yeah, there's this sweetness to how bad Tachibana's decisions are. His heart is generally in the right place, but his head is nowhere.

My favorite thing about Tachibana in this phase, and it's at the core of what's poignant and hilarious about the scene he has with Team Blade, is that for a guy who has failed and let people down with a consistency that borders on admirable, he still takes the moral high ground with Hirose and Kotaro! He still tries to come off as an authority! He has gallons of self-doubt, but not an ounce of self-awareness! There's not a single moment of him telling Hirose that he knows what he's doing where he laughs and goes Yeah I Heard It Too, and that's insane to me.

Tachibana needs to approach every critical juncture with a WWAOTMD self-analysis: What Would Anyone Other Than Me Do?

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Originally Posted by Sunred

Cameo List so far(Leaving out those who have not appeared yet)
Junichi Haruta as Hirose's father
(notable toku roles)
Kanpei Kuroda/Goggle Black in Dai Sentai Goggle V
Ryu Hoshikawa/Dyna Black in Kagaku Sentai Dynaman
Engine Shishinoshin in Engine Sentai Go-Onger summer movie
Kyoryu Green/Souji's dad in Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
Dr. Prospect in Kamen Rider Eternal origin movie

Takashi Inoue as Jin the musician's father
(notable toku roles)
Godai's teacher Kanzaki in Kamen Rider Kuuga

Mika Hijii as Miyuki/Orchid Undead
(notable toku roles)
Kaoru Mitsuki in the GARO series

Masashi Kagami as Shinmei/Wolf Undead
(notable toku roles)
Geildon/Mizuho in Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger

Kazunari Aizawa as Shima/Tarantula Undead
(notable toku roles)
The Blader/Katsuhiko Hayami in Choukou Senshi Changerion

Touko Fujita as Rei Kamioka
(notable toku roles)
Sumire Ozawa in Kamen Rider Agito

Mio Fukuzumi as Azumi/Serpent Undead
(notable toku roles)
Manami aka girlfriend of Ryo/Kamen Rider Gills in Kamen Rider Agito
Wendinu in Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger

Taro Suwa as Ryo the Taiyaki Master's father
(notable toku roles)
Ramen Vendor in Kamen Rider Agito
Kyoryu Curry regular Yokota in Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger
Pianist in Kamen Rider Den-O

Makoto Kamijo as King/Caucasus Undead
(notable toku roles)
Amui in Ultraman Tiga Gaiden

Everyone's in everything! I love it! Thank you!