[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s such a small touch, but I love how Kenzaki smiles just before he passes out. He’s so happy that Hajime is okay! Even though his ass just got knocked out! He risked everything to save his friend, and it worked, and he got to see it. That’s very sweet, and he’s a very sweet boy.

This is the standard showcase of someone putting other's lives above themselves, what matters to Kenzaki was Hajime (or others, if not Hajime) being safe, no matter what happened to him; shades of self-sacrificing as well with him being KOed.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It is crazy to me that this is maybe the first time someone’s brought up to Undad’s face that this is all his fault? It’s great that, as soon as Kenzaki meets him, he’s yelling at him for faking his death and unsealing the Undead. No shit! It’s so very Tachibana for him to be slightly surprised at this very sensible reaction from Kenzaki. I guess as someone who’s constantly disappointing his friends and battling them For Their Own Good, it makes sense for Tachibana to just assume Undad has a good reason for being enormously sketchy and to have blood up to his elbows. I’d love to see the gears turning in Tachibana’s head while Kenzaki blows up at Undad, him trying to figure out why letting loose a plague of monsters and emotionally devastating the people closest to you would, like, be upsetting to others.

Also, god bless tokusatsu, because BOARD had an Unseal Undead machine?! Just shove a bunch of cards into an ultrasound machine (?) and 53 monsters pop out? With zero safeguards? Amazing. Sure. Okay.

And, I don’t mean to keep stopping this episode every other line to comment on it, but OF COURSE Tachibana’s like Hey Sure He Unsealed Monsters From Eternity But Who Among Us Is Without Sin. !!!!!!!!! Tachibana! You absolutely can judge this dude for letting loose apocalyptic monsters because he missed his wife! I know that you lack any sense of perspective, but have some goddamn perspective my dude.

Yeah, this is tokusatsu. It's a form of fantasy fiction, so scientific stuff would be much grander and super accomplished compared to real life ones to compete or give extravagant stuff as much as the magical stuff does. Kuuga is one of those that tries to stay grounded, though still more than real life ones. Kenzaki shows his self from the beginning of the series again; it's in him, when there are others causing trouble, his form of calling them out will be uncontrollably screaming and yelling at them. Though yeah, finally, you did mention here Tachibana does things for their own good (if fighting), unlike his self up to ep. 15, he fought for himself that time (and for SAYOKOOOO). For the last one, do you mean about Tachibana insisting to let the one that causes trouble (Yoshito unsealing the monsters) to make up for it as he's responsible instead of others making up for it (Kenzaki doing BOARD's job of sealing Undeads)? Yeah... Tachibana wants to punish Yoshito, but the Undeads still can't be kept unchecked.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

So, our central dilemma. With the power Kenzaki has to defeat the Undead, he risks becoming another Joker. DOUBLEJOKER, indeed.

He may have a lack of interest in the powers of a Rider, but he needs the Rider's power to save others, to become a hero even if it's against what he wants. And moreover, if the later enemies are getting stronger and stronger, he needs to use King to beat them down, again, against his wants. Rider power just seems necessary, it's like the only way here, someone that has Rider sensibility can contribute and put that words into actions, which normal humans like Keitaro from Faiz was mostly unable to do. Though actually this episode displays some of it, with Kenzaki having maniacal laugh when fighting the other Riders. But hey still! Like I and others say, the way to implement superior final form in an interesting way, so that other forms won't be obscure, is giving it a drawback!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It must be so easy to be Undad. You can be the sketchiest, least-trustworthy dude in existence, and you can still easily trick dopes like Tachibana and Mutsuki. (Also, does Tachibana think you analyze blood by watching it slowly spin? Like, does he think if he stares hard enough he’ll see a platelet or a DNA strand or something? I’m beginning to see why Karasuma moved him from research to field agent!)

Tokusatsu science, if they made Yoshito analyze blood by watching it spin, then so be it. For Tachibana, here he seems to possess Kenzaki's ideals too, but he faced worse consequence than Kenzaki. He said here, he only wants to save Kenzaki, and also he wants to turn back Yoshito into Hirose's good dad (that moment when you address both father and daughter, by their family name "Hirose-san", dunno it just stings to me and made me laugh a bit with headcannon perceived confusion "which Hirose do you refer to?", especially when back to back "Hirose, I want you to become Hirose's good dad again"), but his trust was misplaced, it actually backfired for Tachibana, he helped him accomplish his plan to have Kenzaki become Joker, and use him for eternal life analysis. You said yes for "the hero has to put themselves at risk for something that know could backfire but believe it's still worth it" (from what Tachibana said, it could be like that too for him, but it's to Yoshito where Kenzaki is to Hajime), but here, it surely not.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I don’t… I wish the show put more effort into explaining why Kenzaki would take up King Form after just being told of the horrific consequences.

Kenzaki turning into King Form here feels a bit forced to me too, it seems like he's pettier here, Kenzaki is OOC, he only wants to turn into King so that he can pummel someone who is/was an ally (or not deserve killing) but attacking you to save yourself? I don't think he's nowhere near that savage and probably should think for more peaceful solution before going to King, which should be the very last resort.... which likely won't happen anyway as....

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Mutsuki, the Rider who is possessed by a spider monster from eternity. It’s so specific that it has to be on purpose. I like to think it signifies how much Mutsuki accepts his role, while everyone else feels frustrated or conflicted about theirs.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There’s some big-picture stuff I like, though. I like having this episode end with Hajime trying to save Kenzaki from becoming a rampaging monster, a nice inversion of the previous storyline. And, come on, Wild Chalice knocking out Leangle, the strongest Rider, with one punch?! A+.

.... as Leangle was the strongest, until other Riders get their upgrades. Leangle was only the strongest between the Rider's Ace forms (name of Blade's base forms), but in the series, he doesn't have any access to upgraded forms, while other Riders (Wild Chalice) does, leaving Leangle behind which leads to Mutsuki's state right now. Mutsuki didn't accept his role, when he saw how the others become better than him, the evil will of the Spider Undead managed to corrupt Mutsuki. But Mutsuki stilll can show tiny resistance to it, when he prevented his corrupted self doing anything to Nozomi, that's a show of it. Unless you meant Mutsuki being enthusiastic to be a Rider, which his normal self did show.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I still 100% do not like Kenzaki voluntarily using King Form to fight Leangle, but it ended in a good enough place for me to sort-of forgive it. Sloppy setup, good resolution.

Both Kenzaki and Hajime are Jokers (potential for former), and Hajime did overcame it in the beginning of episode, so it's natural of Kenzaki to be able to do that too, as the same breed of species. And yeah, Kenzaki's caring for Hajime finally paid off here, with Hajime being concerned for him (and Tachibana mistaking Hajime for doing anything malicious to Kenzaki's KOed body and attacked him!) and returning the favor.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Finally… ugh. It was never Undad, it was U.N.D.A.D. He’s a robot that thinks he’s Undad, which maybe makes his whole character even more pointless to me?

The real deal is, actually the man in suit who speaks to Undad (yeah, your nickname is coincidentally accurate, the current Yoshito is truly an Undead, man-made one that is, he's Trial B, created in Yoshito's image, who is a dad of Hirose. Undad intensifies). Pay more attention to that man in suit, especially regarding your assumption here about "he was programmed to think he was a deceased crazy man" (obviously won't spoil).