[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurona

Funny thing is that it was pretty normal for people to wear masks in Japan before 2020; especially in metropolitan areas -- I don't know the history behind it or anything and it's not like a thing you'd see an overwhelming majority of people doing, but it wasn't really uncommon to see people wearing masks in Japan. Wataru isn't really doing anything weird here, but... hm... I guess I'd say it's analogous to how you'd use a hoodie to represent a shy or closed off character? Not something exclusive to shy people but one that's more associated with them

Oh, sure, and the only real point this episode makes about him wearing a mask is that it's rude in certain situations (when he's being questioned by an authority, or when he's sharing a table with Megumi), not that he's some monster or anything. But it's a visual that I would've had a completely different read on its severity if I'd been watching it in 2019. It's more that my interpretation of Wearing A Mask Before You Henshin is different?