[Kamen Rider Die]

Friends, today was the day that just wouldn't let up. Work from hell to breakfast, and it's only now that I got a minute to do what I wanted to do for hours and hours, which is talk about Kamen Rider. I'm sorry this is so late! I'm still going to do the HBV after this because I need to!

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

"You did it Mutsuki! You beat him with your own power!"

Except that he like, didn't. In nearly any sense of the statement.

In fairness, Mutsuki technically defeated the Spider Undead using cards won through combat, which is pretty much the definition of Your Own Power on this show.

Still, I take your point. There are some very... iffy interpretations of what Mutsuki's accomplished here, and Tachibana and Kenzaki are maybe letting their relief (Oh Thank God I Think Mutsuki Is Finally Fixed) amplify their praise. A simple Good Job might've sufficed, but they went and made it weird. To give them a little credit, I don't think they had anything prepared for this eventuality! It was not something they were counting on!

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Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

Yeah, the resolution to the Mutsuki plot and how it intertwines with Tiger Queen deciding to give Tennoji a big "screw you, I make my own destiny" and how Shima's sacrifice finally pays off, it all hit home for me. I was always a fan of Spider-Man 3 Mutsuki just because of how pathetic he was, but there was always a part of me hoping for his redemption, his freedom from the corruption keeping him down. A kid doesn't suddenly start putting spider-webs everywhere without outside influence, you know?

But yeah, I'd heard mixed things about Mustuki, but none of them really wrung true. It just works for me, maybe not in the way that's intentional - we probably weren't meant to find his attempts at being "Saikyou-da!" so lame and funny - but I like him.

He's so bad at being bad that it's adorable.

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

I didn't really care for the climax of this episode. I'm actually in full agreement with you about the Tiger Undead's perspective from this, how this is her way of fighting back in this rigged game, and she gets to help out this weird spider boy at the same time. It's probably the best way for her character to head out!

My issue is with Mutsuki, and maybe this is just me expecting something different from what the show was ultimately heading towards. All that time spent with Mutsuki pursuing strength above all else, and then repeatedly either getting beaten down or being forcibly reminded that he does still have attachments (well, one in the form of Nozomi) that make him 'weak', I thought it was all headed towards him finally realising that no, this path he's on does not have any good end for him and he goes back to being a good guy.

For them to instead, in the solution, to paint it all as being the Category King's influence, and that getting rid of that alone is enough to fix everything... It's incredibly lame! It's the least compelling decision they could have made. I know obviously he's always been 'possessed' to some extent, but I was most intrigued by his character when they implied that the Undead's influence was just drawing out his latent dark desires to the surface.

So he embraced that darkness, it did nothing good for him, and so then he needs to choose to push it back, and does so with some extra help from Tiger and Shima . As is though, I think he feels fairly uninvolved in how his own plot wraps up.

Also it was a while ago by now, but episode 40 is one that sticks out in my mind among Blade just for how all four riders came together to kick butt in that climax. Was literally the only thing I remembered as opposed to all that robot dad stuff. It's kinda like how for a long time, I remembered episode 40 of Faiz ending with all three Riders transforming to the theme song but nothing else about it.

I'm not sure the show is trying to say that getting rid of the Spider Undead is what makes Mutsuki better, it's that Mutsuki (through Shima and Tiger Queen) got better, so he could then defeat the Spider Undead. I definitely took it as him figuring out that where he was at wasn't where he wanted to be, like you're suggesting.

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Originally Posted by LeviathanBlossom

Before I go through your commentary on the next ep - for me, personally, I love watching both Tachibana and Mutsuki, because they are both such trash fires. I can absolutely see where you were frustrated with Tachibana repeating the same asininity again (and the story was calling him out on it a little less than it does Mutsuki, I think), but since I actively enjoy yelling at characters for doing stupid shit, I'm more willing to forgive the narrative.

Not the character. Trash fires, both of them, honestly. But I do hope for character growth.

I do want to know why Team Blade apparently keeps giving Tachibana a pass, tho.

Edit: I also had positive feelings about Mutsuki's redemption arc - I don't think it's that he has no culpability in his terrible behavior throughout the course of the series. He's been an idiot teenager doing stupid shit. The aforementioned trash fire. And along came the Spider Undead, telling him all the things he wanted to hear about how to Be Awesome, and he ate it up.

His conversation with Shima and Tiger Queen, the moment in which he figures out that he's maybe not gone about this the right way? I kind of love it. He's still listening to Other People, but he's listening to people who have consistently demonstrated that they care about him.

It does crack me the fuck up that when he feels guilty about Tiger Queen getting sealed, he goes to Tachibana for the emotional resolution.

But overall, I think this is where he does show character growth. And I am here for it.

Kenzaki is literally the only Rider on this show capable of emotionally supporting other people in a healthy way, and that dude is way overworked.

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Originally Posted by Kurona

Mutsuki for me really was a case of This Just Keeps Going. I didn't necessarily dislike any particular part of his story, but it was just... too long? The path to his rejecting the Spider Undead literally took up more than half the series and when it looks like he's going to turn around so many times it just got really frustrating. Like, Shima sacrificed himself to help fix it; and nothing happened and it was barely even mentioned. I'm not even saying it should have been a quick fix but it didn't even slightly help! He seemed to get worse! So at this point the only emotion I was able to muster was "good god, finally."

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Originally Posted by Mmicb0b

same

I guess Mutsuki's plotline didn't really bother me, length-wise, because it was so backgrounded for so long? Tachibana's arcs, they frequently ate up way more screentime, and that could become a slog. Mutsuki, it was just, like, He's A Surly Club-Owner Now, and that's just his status quo for a dozen episodes. Them not progressing it... it's maybe why I was able to still give a shit about Mutsuki for so long?

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The first time around, at least, I would've been more than ready to agree with the problems people lay out with Mukki's development over the course of the series, but I simply can't deny that having him literally wrestle with his demons, culminating in this wimpy, unlikable teenager dramatically posing with a sword in front of a classic toku napalm explosion... it just worked for me. I recall being pretty done with the guy after Shima got sealed, but right there, watching this episode for the first time, I couldn't help but root for him. My heart isn't made out of stone. For once in his life, Mukki was genuinely cool, and I was happy to see him succeed. That's all there is to it.

The episode on the whole is maybe not quite on the same level as episode 15, but it's still a darn good one with a lot of touches that I love. One that jumped out at me skimming back through it to make this post is that the very last line of the episode is Mutsuki wishing he had been stronger. It's a moment of vulnerability, and an admittance of weakness, from someone who up until just a little bit ago would do anything before admitting he has faults. I really can't think of a better way to cement the growth he had here than by having him say the exact opposite of his usual "catchphrase". Just a really nice bit of writing, I think.

Ever since then, I've only come more and more around to his character, to the point where I'm tempted to throw around words like "underrated". He's a good kid, for a bad kid!

The "I wish I was stronger" bit at the end, it's like, that's his character growth. He doesn't want to be stronger for himself, he wants to be stronger for the people who cared about him so much they sacrificed their lives. He's learned the lessons they were trying to teach him, and he gets to express real regret... all while Hajime watches awkwardly from a middle distance.

Mutsuki finally got the tragic backstory he always wanted!