[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 9 - “WRITHING MALICE”

But, hey, let's start with the Monster Mystery. It’s a very standard Kamen Rider plot, where what seems like an open-and-shut monster plot suddenly takes a few unexpected turns, leaving the heroes playing catch-up.

More like standard... tokusatsu hijinks? (which is why I think with "turns into a superhero to defeat monsters, with a heavy emphasis on human connections and allegorical struggles for growing up" as something to describe this, it's not necessarily Kamen Rider show, more like the genre). And well, this is similar to what I said at Faiz thread regarding Lucky Clover vs team Faiz/Renegades, as what Akira's ideals given in previous episode, obviously expect this among the Takashi group. They take their job extremely seriously, so their routine will only that monotone monster hunting, unlike the relatively "directionless" Asumu and the school, who spend time on less important daily activities like watching at cinema, going to book shop, trying out foods, etc.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Even Unified Burst Fire Style is just him saying Unified Burst Fire Style a few times before simultaneously hitting the ant until it explodes.

You just described my beef with some (actually a lot) of the Rider finishers. Like the Unified Burst Fire Style here, the attack seems no different from the usual attack outside saying "Unified Burst Fire Style". Like said in this post (and some of my idea here), to me finishers should have something that differentiates it from ordinary attack, either in attack or effect, though it depends on what powerset you have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The Ibuki stuff isn’t so bad, but it’s mostly just setting up the next episode, and it eats up a ton of time to do it.

If Akira interacts with Asumu, it'd seem betraying her (overboard) ideals established in previous episode. Focus on the job, without involving anyone that is no help. Unless somehow they can be on break. Hibiki and Ibuki just work in separation like before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

All of that would’ve been less important to me if the Asumu plot (also completely in isolation, this episode was like watching three different shows) had delivered and… I guess there’s such a thing as being too opaque?

It feels like watching multiple shows if the cast didn't always gather around (like some of the Phase 2)? I mean yeah, sometimes I want the focus to each characters as individuals, though admittedly it can be harder to watch, depending on scene cuts. And for this one, Asumu just found a shoplifter, and he tries to stop them, where he only helped stopped the girl (and got a nasty smack on the face for it). It's likely just basic human decency, though I want to ask why you didn't accept this as much as when someone like title Rider is doing this? Hibiki's heroism may have partly rubbed on him (not fully, his tendency to choke there). It's right though that the episode didn't show anything that happens in Asumu's head, which I've been wondering to know too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

P.S. Please don’t shoplift from bookstores! You’re more likely to be taking money directly out of the owner’s (very meager) pockets, rather than committing a “victimless” crime. Replacing stolen stock is not cheap, and stores can lose sales due to inaccurate inventory. Please don’t steal from bookstores!

Y̶e̶a̶h̶,̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶d̶s̶h̶i̶p̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶u̶f̶f̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶A̶m̶a̶n̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶B̶l̶a̶d̶e̶:̶ ̶M̶i̶s̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶A̶c̶e̶.̶

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It's mostly that another series would have the title character more insistent about helping, or more worried about not helping. Here, Hibiki never really seems too concerned about Ibuki not succeeding at his task. It's a way of making the non-title Rider seem as competent as the title Rider, and I don't recall that being done before. Usually it's the secondary either being a total sidekick or a virtual antagonist. Here, Ibuki is just... another Rider? It's treated more like the modern-day Legend Rider appearances are, which is very fun.

I don't recall the secondary Rider often being total sidekick in other series, probably iirc only G3, Gatack, Cross-Z, and probably Specter post-ep. 12 occupying that role. Mostly yeah, the "virtual antagonist" part, but I have to explain, they're the Rival archetype (famous example: Vegeta in Dragon Ball), which description is "Character who clashes with the protagonist, but isn't the main antagonist", as mostly, the lead Rider is ideal hero, while the secondary Rider is anti-hero. And by that it's actually inverted from what you say, the secondary Rider is usually the one seen as more competent than title Rider.