[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

One of the fun things about fiction is getting to play around with ideas you find... less entertaining in real life. I would probably avoid Real Life KickHopper and PunchHopper as much as humanly possible. But I love stories about them!

Of course, nothing prevents from enjoying those (though some audience do get annoyed by them, enough for them), but for the least, if real life version of them is meant to be avoided here, admit the KickHopper and PunchHopper's characters as wrong, unhealthy, tryhard, etc. like what said there, and not rationalizing what they do for those that like them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 37

He’ll feed you, though, and that was my favorite part of this episode. In all of the time-shifting shenanigans of the last dozen or so episodes, I really liked that the most tangible stakes in this episode were centered on some teenage girl who feels like she’s not succeeding enough academically. There’s a thing about haunted mirrors and urban legends, but the episode seems to barely give a shit about it. (Or I’m just too aware of how much this seems like a Ryuki plot to invest much in the mystery. It’s possible! I ain’t too objective sometimes! Them naming the girl in this one ‘Kobayashi’ seems like they’re hanging a lantern on it, though.) Where the drama comes alive is in how much Keiko feels pressured to achieve, and how much she feels like she’s weak for being less than perfect. Having Tendou be there for her by giving her a snack so she can study better… yes. It’s this incredibly small thing that feels like the most heroic act in an episode full of monster detonations. It’s all about Tendou seeing someone working hard to improve themselves, and him giving her the support he thinks she needs. Not with a speech or a vow, but with some noodles in bread that redefine deliciousness. It’s fully Kabuto, just like Keiko’s story.

Also, "kagami" means mirror in Japanese (Ex-Aid's secondary Rider, which full name is Hiiro Kagami, is purposely given that surname to represent how different he is from Emu), so there's a bunch of that term thrown around in this episode, but not Arata Kagami, but about mirror. And apart from Keiko beating herself up for being less than perfect (uhh no, being last in the grade standings isn't only less than perfect, it's just terrible), she also berates the team for having losing streak, and actually rejoices their disappearence. That's upsettling, and that should give a clue about something messed up about Keiko. Juka being the leading part of the grades is expected as being tutored by Tendou.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And I almost hate saying this, but maybe the episode could’ve turned down some of the humor? I laughed hard at what’s here, but the tone of every weird Tsurugi thing, or Kagami thing, or Renge thing, they’re fighting against this episode creating a legible sense of threat, or menace. This is an episode with haunting disappearances and hopeless teenagers that also includes Tendou opening a bread shop on a roof and Tsurugi attending a middle school. You can’t… I think this episode needed to pick whether it wanted to be a slapstick farce or an emotional character study, but it opted not to choose. Instead, you get these warring tones, and it keeps this episode from really achieving anything.

So yeah, this is an example of where a humor is distracting, the usage of it being baffling. With Misaki acting as a teacher, like it or not, she has to be objective even if she deals with Tsurugi as a student. Renge's reaction to Kagami being in charge of her by looking down on him, that's expected of Kagami being bad luck magnet, but it also reminds me of some tough times (also Renge dismissing others just because of their stink). Tendou opening a bread shop, he's the one that didn't take a part of a school role, though other than his relationship with Keiko, I don't know what will it benefit for uncovering the mystery here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

A QUESTION

It’s an uneven episode with a lot of great gags, and none were better to me than Tsurugi getting Jiiya to do his math problem. Tsurugi’s logic that, by employing and commanding Jiiya, he could claim Jiiya’s skills as his own, was priceless. The clarity of purpose for Tsurugi, in him getting people to do his work for him, was adorable. Jiiya was also surprisingly good at math, for a valet? Not a skill I’d’ve expected him to trot out. In which grade school class could you have most used Jiiya’s help?

Nothing. I prided getting high grades completely independent without any outside help.