[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

One of the things that I really appreciated about the episode is how much it respects its characters. Another Tendou shows up and no one gets fooled. This is a show about shapeshifting alien mimics and nobody goes through a mistaken identity plot here. Even Tsurugi, who has the social awareness of a lima bean, is immediately all "oh yeah, that boy's a Worm." Refreshingly smart supporting cast for a doppelganger plot.

The tip-off for Tsurugi was that Tendou wasn't acting like a massive asshole to him, which is really sort of sad?

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

And I definitely agree about Hiro Mizushima's performance as Another Tendou. It really does feel like a different character and he does an impressive job of playing off of himself in their interactions.

My absolute favorite Another Tendou touch is, when he's leaving La Salle, he gives a cute little Bye-Bye wave. It tells you literally everything you need to know about what type of adversary he's going to be.

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

Also, Hiyori is here and she actually had some lines this time. It definitely feels weird to have her back. She's been gone so long and she's acting so differently that it's really difficult to read her as the same character. I'd be curious to see how this would have played out if the actress hadn't stepped away from the series. I do like how Hiyori's absence has been driving Tendou to more reckless behavior, but I've also missed having her around.

I'd have to think they wouldn't ever have done this storyline, Hiyori's disappearance, if the actor had been a full-time cast member. The only way this story works is if she's gone for a dozen episodes, and you'd only do that if you had to. I imagine we'd've gotten a different arc for her entirely. Possibly with a much later reveal for her being a Native!

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

Finally, is it just me ore would anybody else like more context on Tendou's grandmother. I would love to know what was going on that prompted some of these "I am the center of the world..." bon mots.

My headcanon has been that Tendou's grandmother is Jiiya, and neither of them think it's worth mentioning. I mean, Jiiya comes from a family of greats, Jiiya's known to raise children who think of themselves as masters of the world... pretty sure this is going to all get explicated in 49, but you read it here first.