[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

I have a lot to say about Hibiki. It’s not only my favorite Rider show, but one of my all-time favorite TV shows in general. I’ll save most of that - and my traditional ignored warning - for its own thread, though. There’s still a lot to say about Blade, especially as you go into what is broadly considered to be one of, if not the, best Rider finales ever.

I'm honestly very curious about Hibiki. Not just for the potential car-wreck quality of the production change, but just... I don't know anything about it? Because of all of that production nonsense, it's a series that gets nothing in the Phase 2 stuff I've seen. (Agito and Kabuto were the other Phase 1 shows that I was just ??? about.) The only thing I know about Hibiki as a character is that he may or may not actually be a form-change of Wizard. (Medusa makes a really good argument in favor of Hibiki being Wizard!)

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Originally Posted by Mmicb0b

I think next one starts off good but then some stuff happened behind the scenes and a lot of stuff got overhauled like crazy(Trying to do whatever I can to sound as vague as I can cause on my hint about the finale I think I made what happened obvious, would you consider writers and staff changes spoilers)I haven't seen most of the late 2000's Heisei shows in fact only seen one of them it will be a while before we get to something I REALLY like again(Agito's the earliest Rider series I've seen going off of release date but it's not the first Rider series I've seen)

It'll be interesting, that's for sure! I tend to have different reactions to this stuff than is maybe typical? (Understatement?) I remember people suggesting that Blade took a while to get going, and I thought its pace was pretty solid from the jump. Dunno if I'll key into Hibiki immediately, but that's always the hope!

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Originally Posted by LeviathanBlossom

I'm in the camp that thinks this episode does feel solidly apocalyptic; even with the pacing issues (I didn't even entirely hate the flashback, if I'm being completely honest, although I would have ended it on Kenzaki's horrified expression at the deluge of O Hai New Undead sounds coming off the searcher), I think it sells pretty well how much Kenzaki has been boxed into a corner.

I am also in the camp that is ok with Mutsuki being fridged to sell the stakes of the story. He didn't get a Tachibana-esque hell of a finale, but I don't think he needed one - from the moment he tells Nozomi that he will definitely make it back to her, the viewer expects that he won't. He's a kid who's been through a hell of an experience (so much of which he brought on himself, ok, we know this) with his own personal triumph over his literal demons, and look what it's gotten him.

Watching these last three episodes a week apart Back In The Day involved a lot of "Are you freaking kidding me" that I couldn't actually shout at my television, because thin walls and neighbors, haha. Less stressful to watch them all at once, which I have done. A few times.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

When I did my rewatch of Blade as a Mukki fan, I couldn't help but think it might've added a nice bit of closure to his arc to build off his long-standing one-sided rivalry with Chalice and maybe have Hajime cheesily note that Leangle is stronger than he was before or something. Obviously he still has to lose, but I feel like this episode is like 50% there when it comes to emphasizing how the Strongest Rider has actually become a hero at the end of it all. I always loved the idea that the show came down to Leangle and Blade versus the apocalypse for a bit. Like, of ALL the people to have Kenzaki's back right now, you know?

I don't think it was a big deal that Mutsuki doesn't really have a big moment before his fight against Hajime. Doing something where it's more about his history or his struggle... it would've pulled focus from Kenzaki at exactly the wrong time. This episode has to be about reducing Kenzaki's options, not coloring in Hajime's savagery or reaffirming Mutsuki's journey. I think they used Mutsuki about as well as they could!