[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

Maybe not manipulative, per say, but it just seems to me like he assumed that Wataru agreed to joining the band and Wataru ran with it because he's a doormat.

Sure, okay, I see what you're saying.

Real quick, 'cause I've seen this come up a few times already, but I'm not sure I'd call Wataru a doormat in all of these instances? He can definitely be talked over in any argument (someone like Nago or Megumi is only going to let him talk until they've got something to say), but some of this doormat stuff... Wataru's just really, really lonely?

It's like the way a lot of dramatic plotlines in Inoue shows get tagged with Miscommunication, when really it's just that multiple characters are secretive and have no reason to trust one another? (Folks on Inoue shows have way more hidden agendas than your average Kamen Rider cast!) With Wataru being a doormat to Kengo, I think it's just that Wataru is so permanently uncertain and self-doubting that, when he encounters a forceful personality, he genuinely gets won over by their certainty. He's not giving up or being talked into anything; he's energized by their positivity and enthusiasm. He's a lonely boy who needs friends, so he's going to be happy when he's doing the things they want to do. He's not a doormat, he's a follower.

Sorry to maybe drop a bombshell or whatever and split, but I gotta go read some stuff for work. Feel free to tell me how off-base I am, though! More than willing to continue this discussion!