[DreamSword]

First off, congrats on finishing Blade, Die! You seemed to overall have a good ride with it, and I'm glad you managed to find some positives where I didn't.

However, the opposite also goes with me. Nothing too major mind you, but like, for example, I seem to be one of the few who liked the Black Fang episodes, haha. Look, sometimes all you need is for cool stuff to happen, alright? And bikes are cool!

But yeah, glad you overall had a good time, and it'll be interesting to see what everyone has to say about Hibiki when the times comes. Especially since we all know Switchblade might as well be your co-writer there, haha.

As for the rest of this post, anyone reading can now feel free to ignore me! But just remember, Die quite literally asked for this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I'm looking forward to finding out why the later stuff isn't as good to you as the early stuff!

And while I did already give a couple reasons as to why I feel this way in some previous posts, there's a bit more to it than what I've said. But for those who don't remember and care to know, here are the reasons I've already given, again. And in slightly more detail.

First and foremost is the handling of characters. Not just Tachibana and Mutsuki(though Mutsuki certainly doesn't help), but the villains and the Undead as well. I actually felt that, honestly, Blade wasn't a show that needed a Big Bad. I felt that it would've been way stronger in terms of narrative and character had the story simply been about just that, the characters, all dealing with the current situation(the return of the Battle Fight) in their own ways.

It really didn't help that Evil Executive isn't compelling or entertaining in the slightest, and the inclusion of such things really only lead to other characters making the same mistakes over and over(Tachibana). I really did feel like the kick-off of the plot the show gave us, that of a man who, in a moment of desperation, accidentally let loose the Undead/Sealing Stone and started the Battle Fight all over again, was more than enough, and made for a great backdrop. The plot in and of itself not being all that great or complex really doesn't help my feelings on the matter.

Meanwhile, like I said earlier, I really liked Tachibana's' arc during the first two acts of the story, but once the third act kicks in, his character outright regresses and he does basically the same thing all over again, only with a very lessened impact as a result. I would've really preferred that his arc fully wrap up, and he become a supporting/mentor character from then on. I actually liked the idea of him being a mentor to Mutsuki! It really seemed like the idea was to show that Tachibana had learned from his mistakes, and thus wanted his experiences to serve as a warning for others. But no, he just falls down the rabbit hole again. It's a waste.

The actual worst in all this though is Mutsuki. Oh my god. I actually liked him in those early episodes, and while I respect the Shima arc ending with an ambiguous note, with Mutsuki walking off without saying a word... the end result was so not worth it. Mutsuki is an absolutely self-absorbed tool who only cares about his own self image, everyone else in his life be damned. Not only did his story drag on for way too long, he was constantly surrounded by characters far more likeable(Nozomi) and interesting(Hikaru) than he was, making me really wish that Leangle was anyone else.

Where I drew the line was when it was made clear that Shima's' sacrifice wasn't totally in vein. While that might not sound like a bad thing at first, what it ends up meaning is that Mutsuki, in his own frame of mind, with very little influence from the Spider Undead, continuously and of his own volition, proceeds to be an absolute chode while acting like he's the most tragic figure who's ever lived. This in turn removes any sort of sympathy I have for the guy; By the end I didn't want him to learn a lesson, I just wanted him to get lost. I've dealt with people just like Mutsuki in real life, and word of advice: Guys like that? They are not at all worth your time. Avoid at all costs.

Lastly, and this is the one I imagine I'll lose alot of you on is, well, the style. See, one of the reasons I really dug Early Blade is because, atleast for me, it surrounds you in this atmosphere, this world of just total craziness and uncomfortableness. The mixed pacing, the random camera filters, the acting... in a totally weird way it really did make me wanna know more about what what was going on and the characters involved in it. With Late Blade though, things become more standard, more "normal," which made things way less interesting. My issues with how the characters were handled only made it worse.

That's not to say it was all bad though. There are infact three things that I feel Late Blade did really well! As should be obvious, the first is the ending. I would change literally nothing about the final episode. It's that good. Few other Rider shows share that honor with me, and it's what made me overall like Blade more than Faiz, despite me having somewhat similar feelings in terms of the two seasons(I'm in the camp that hates Faiz's' ending).

And the other two things are actually just my favorite aspects to Blade in general: Hajime, and especially Kenzaki. Both of these characters were really, really well done. And for me, stories are all about characters. Characters are the main thing that drive me to continue going. If you give me a good reason to like or care about a specific character, then I in turn care about the things that happen both to and surrounding them.

Hajime is just an all around solid package, so I don't have much to specifically point out about him, but Kenzaki? Oh MAN did I dig him as a protagonist! He's kind, he's strong, his actor makes him extremely likeable, and most importantly, he encompasses a lesson that I wish more stories in general would showcase in terms of their main characters who are meant to be someone to look up to. That lesson being "Be kind, but don't be a pushover." See, I believe I mentioned it before, but the aspect of Kenzaki I love most is that, even though he is a hero and he always tries to do the right thing, he also doesn't take anyone's' crap(most of the time). The scene that always sticks out to me being one early on, where Hajime, in a bit of an aggressive tone, tells Kenzaki "I don't like people." Kenzaki's' response(not literally, but basically)? "Yeah alright, whatever dude." And he just leaves, not even dealing with that crap. I loved the guy ever since. You go, Kenzaki!

So yeah, hopefully I explained myself well enough here. But, I wouldn't blame anyone for feeling different. If you got a better ride than I did, awesome. Overall, I do like the show, I just have issues with it.