[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

I took notes of the first half and noticed that, aside from maybe Akira, most of the female characters in this show don’t do much, other than menial things, like be tech support (which never really factors in, since I don’t recall any James Bond-esque scenes where any of our main three or one of the minor recurring characters came in needing gear) or love interests. Akira fairs slightly better, since she does see action, but she’s mostly an assistant and Asumu being the one with the greatest screen time never gave her much room to expand on that. So not only does the idea of Akira getting a focus episode appeal to me, but so does seeing a female who’s actually a (albeit retired) superhero fighting the monsters is a welcome sight. (I also love that Shuki has a harp, since it stands out as unique among other strings Oni who use the guitar/axe thing I felt was pretty lazy as a visual gag)

I'm not sure I'd agree that the female characters "don't do much"? I mean, for the first phase, the efforts of Kasumi, Hinaka, Akira, and Midori are generally portrayed as invaluable, and the reason the Oni are able to combat the Makamou. (The second phase... there, I think, you'd have a stronger argument.)

I guess I also don't see Effectiveness as a main criteria for value on this show, since... like, Asumu. He's a/the lead character, and he doesn't "do" anything. The most he's ever mattered in a monster fight is the movie, which is nebulously canonical. This doesn't, in either phase, feel like a show that's equating Good At Detonating Monsters with Worth Investigating Narratively. Like, love it or hate, the last story spent two episodes trying to say something about the romantic difficulties of Hinaka and Todoroki.

But, yeah, Akira getting more development is awesome, and Shuki's harp is fantastic. Psyched to learn more about Shuki tonight!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Akira isn't getting the advice and help she needs to overcome her hatred and it's not their fault, they don't want her to get hurt and they don't know what to do about it. Ibuki's relationship with Akira isn't as relaxed as Hibiki and Shounen. Ibuki takes his position very seriously and he has a fear of losing Akira's trust and feeling like a failure as a mentor and it's really tough to watch them fall apart like this.

Yeah, Zanki and Ibuki are... they're trying in this one, but I don't think they get it? Akira straight up tells Ibuki that his background means he can't relate to her dilemma, and while he's smart to get her to spend some time with Zanki (who voluntarily/"voluntarily" chose to stop being an Oni), even Zanki's not really in the right headspace to get across to Akira what it's like to be an Oni. You can see in this episode how much stepping aside is weighing on Zanki, and it's just not a great time for him to give a pep talk.

It's really great to me how the various Oni are aware of the stakes, that Akira could quit, but also hard-pressed to articulate something so innate to them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

The motivation is important as well. Kiriya and Akira can't move in any direction until they figure out what it is they really want and whether or not that aligns with the Oni lifestyle.

True! And this episode sets things up as nicely open-ended. Like, I don't think Akira stepping back would be a terrible decision? It's a nice story to have, where there isn't one obvious Right outcome.