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The characters in this arc feel just a little bit, I don't know, heightened to me? At least Nago and Otoya do. I can kind of tell that another writer is in charge of these episodes and he seems to be compensating for not being Inoue by really doubling down on some of the characters' key traits (Nago hates criminals but loves buttons! Otoya's a deceptively irresponsible doofus!). I did like them, though. Wataru getting a bit more resolve is always nice and Otoya imparting valuable life lessons in the most unlikely way possible is fun (loved the bit with him increasingly slouching with each shot during the audition).

I also liked having a human character carry over between the two time zones. We don't get that as much as we probably could.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And to symbolize that new multi-faceted worldview, we get Kiva's new Quaternity Form! Much like Agito’s Trinity Form, it’s Kiva wearing multiple form changes at once. I thought it was okay? Thematically, I love it. It’s a toku representation of everything Wataru learned over this episode, and the three people who taught it to him. It’s him wearing Nago’s insanity, Mami’s courage, and Otoya’s wisdom. Visually… I don’t love it as much! It’s an okay suit, but the resulting fight is just one move set after another. It doesn’t feel more clever, it just feels more powerful. I wish there’d been some added choreography to make it seem greater than the sum of its parts.

This is Kiva's awkwardly-named DoGaBaKi form and do you remember the Fake Fuestles from the last episode that never show up again? Guess what else never reappears, too?

There's actually a reason this time, though. We'll come back to this idea, but there were some problems with the Kiva suit. From what I've read, it was the add-on pieces from the alternate forms that really made the suit difficult to move in. I don't know if we've ever had specifics, but it's been widely reported that the suit actor almost died wearing the Kiva suit. I have no proof, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the extra bulky DoGaBaKi suit that was the specific problem.