[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I think it's just the likeability of Team Den-O wearing him down. It's hard to dislike them when they're so goofy! Yuuto just watched the same two-parter we all did, and it probably melted his heart just a little bit.

Well ok, though I was thinking for mainly Ryotaro (dunno about Airi influence) as Yuuto apparently has history together with him in the past. Still fighting to help grounded approach to over the top ones though, like don't make ppl think that if the cast is not goofy, then they're unlikable, and that if you're goofy you get a free pass regardless of morality, as there are people who are worse than Yuuto like Ryutaros (and also may or may not refering for certain Rider series with the most harmonic cast and grounded one).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 24 - “THE PRINCE’S GOODBYE LULLABY”

This isn’t a story that asks Hana, Ryotaro, or Yuuto to do more than witness Sieg’s story. It’s a good story, no complaints about that, but this story could’ve basically happened to any cast. You could tell this same story in Ghost, in Ex-Aid, in Wizard. Sieg’s story doesn’t reflect the story of a main cast member, and no human really learns anything because of this story. No one changes or grows on account of Sieg’s survival. It’s just, like, some adventure they go on. It’s a good adventure! It just doesn’t connect with any of the cast emotionally or thematically

But Sieg is unofficially the fifth part of the DenLiner crew, providing Ryotaro Nogami with Den-O's Wing Form. Though his significance is for something unexpected, his appearence here is just like the debut of Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros. Also, I know this is entertainment demands, but I think that, contrary to popular belief (when people complain about no changes/growth), most people don't go through dramatic changes in their life all of the time. TV shows in particular often fall into the trap of too much character development - an episode where a character changes is all fine and good, but when you pile up changes on each character each season, it gets to a point where it becomes silly. This story also shows a new thing not previously seen before, which is that, a contract holder that is actually a bad person, which would make them actually tag team with the IOTW (albeit previously he was lazy) doing their wish in a destructive way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s the easiest way to use Sieg’s story to say something about Ryotaro’s relationships, about how it feels to protect a sibling or be protected by a sibling.

Damn ur right. Wasted chance for a parallel though. Sieg with the baby and Ryotaro with Airi as both are siblings. Airi is Ryotaro's older sibling, but she seems to reach some motherly figure territory to Ryotaro, like how she tends to Ryotaro's stuff such as the way she treats his injuries or her nurturing approach. I can't say much about Sieg and the baby's relationship as he's well, a baby, and it's mostly one way approach for Sieg to the baby, which is about Sieg's interaction with the mother instead (which Sieg also fiercely protective of) returning the favor, but the mother knowing him as Ryotaro instead, and the favor was Ryotaro saving her. And Sieg is also about the fantasy mechanics yeah, about him forgetting that he has granted the wish of his contract holder, as he's disappearing a la Mirror World creature, and he should go to the past for the next step.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

That said! Very fun episode with some real pathos. All of the Ryotaro Arrested stuff was terrific, with each of our OG DenLiner Imagins working together to keep Ryotaro from going away for a long time. Ryotaro is a very sweet Kamen Rider, but the real hero of this part of the episode was Urataros. If you need a plausible alibi concocted at a moment’s notice from thin air, you tag in the turtle. I love that Ura not only lied his way to nearly being released, he basically filibustered his way to freedom? Asking Urataros to explain his side of things is basically signing your death warrant, and it goes as well for the cops as you’d think. Bonus points for Ura’s masterstroke: subbing in a sleeping Kin to avoid any follow-up questions. This team is coming together!

Well yeah, I wondered about how the Taro Imagins are helping Ryotaro, but not in fighting as Den-O. Feel like Momotaros screwed up the most, with his hotblooded tendencies causing more harm than good. Urataros is more suitable in that kind of situation with his intelligence and smooth-talk, but he decided to pass the torch to Kintaros... for once (when the Imagins tend to like to be the one who controls Ryotaro). Urataros is the MVP, but the most heroic doesn't equate to the most effective (Urataros being intelligent, anyone of any moral ground can accomplish more if they have brains and/or brawn in spades).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Speaking of Kin, I loved that Ax Form fight scene. (The Wing Form scene was nice, but it’s mostly just a Henshin and one move and that’s it.) It’s just Den-O taking hit after hit after hit as he stalks towards the Imagin. Those shots of Kin shrugging off these spark-inducing blows, so heroic, and then a palm strike into Dynamic Chop. Just the kind of badassery you cheer for. It’s a really nice moment, that fight.

Also the part where Den-O shields the baby and mother from falling debris, and the dramatic approach where Den-O just got squashed beneath it, but actually o̶r̶e̶ Kintaros sanjou. But.. I know you were joking with Fish about this in Faiz thread, but weren't you disagreeing with people injuring themselves as heroic moments (Kin shrugging off these spark-inducing blows)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I’m not sure this is a two-parter I’m going to rank highly, despite its many pleasures. (Deneb gets his head stuck in a gate because he forgot he got big again!) It’s too disconnected from the cast, too much just them rescuing someone without it feeling relevant to their stories. It’d be like if they saved people from a burning building, or fixed a flat tire. It can be a fun story, but it doesn’t feel like a Ryotaro (or Hana, or Yuuto) story.

Hana's aggressive treatment of Sieg temporarily redeems him with the trope of, someone doesn't treat a "royalty" as if they're above them, but even below (a lowly Imagin), which makes them more interested and attracted to that kind of person, despite Sieg doesn't taking people being insolent to him well otherwise. Also, as Sieg's power is turning the Imagins tiny, aside from comedic part, what I think is that it can be quite dangerous for the victims, as they became tiny, they can easily die (if they became as weak as bugs) for any huge objects (the humans or the objects) around them, intentionally (no one that wants to get rid of the pests have a thought of crushing them...) or accident.