[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeviathanBlossom

It's not Blade's ending, no, but Blade's ending murdered me to death and I might have run screaming from Kamen Rider if we'd had another one like that just 3 series later... I did love this ending for Den-Oh, and it's stuck with me really, really well. Kobayashi's ability to nail emotion is something I love about her writing and I will happily watch pretty much anything she's ever done regardless of the rest of its flaws when it gives me moments like this one. It makes me v happy that it resonated with you, too.

There's so much warmth in this ending, and it's exactly what this show needed. There's still loss, of course; Ryotaro turns in his Den Pass and says goodbye to his friends. But even that loss is mitigated by the hope for a reunion and the memories of their time together. It's a finish that's all about happiness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeviathanBlossom

I want to say that I also enjoy the Time Nonsense but then it occurs to me that I somehow completely forgot that Hana was their kid All Along so apparently I am less attached to the Time Nonsense than I thought I was, haha

Yeah, it's a super-weird thing because it's a reveal that is 100% Time Nonsense. It exists to dot a Plot i and cross a Motivation t, but it doesn't really have any emotional weight to it. Ryotaro says it to throw in Kai's face, to seal the heroes' victory, but we never see Hana react to it. She never has a scene with Airi after we find out about it. It's just, like, a detail, and that's why it's Time Nonsense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeviathanBlossom

My favorite specific thing about this finale is that Sato absolutely nailed the scene of Ryotaro mourning his lost friends and then finding them arguing about their prank, and I think it's arguably his best (of many great) moments on the series. His FACE, it also killed me, but, you know. In a good way.

The brilliance of that performance! It got me to not care that I knew that all of those imagination monsters from the end of time would be showing back up within minutes! Really landed that beat.