[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 30 - “CURTAIN RISING: KIVA’S IDENTITY”

Not really a ton to say about this one, because of that. It’s mostly addressing the same things as last episode (Yuri/Megumi vs Rook/Men Who Try To Put Them In The Corner; Kengo’s thematically relevant loss of identity via inability to perform his craft; Shizuka vs Mio), but now with the addition of Nago’s attempt to uncover Wataru’s secret. It’s a lot of fun content that is also, narratively, more of the same. While I really liked it, any analysis would just be me rephrasing any praise from 29. It’s good, but it isn’t really resolving anything from last time.

(Well, it does resolve the Shizuka/Mio stuff, and it’s okay-to-good. Like a bunch of problematic storylines on Kiva, it ends better than it started, but it’d’ve been better had it never started. Shizuka expresses the appropriate amount of contrition for her wacky scheme to save Wataru from a presumed-toxic relationship, and she resolidifies herself as Wataru’s Best Mom. Episode 29 bugged the hell out of me on Shizuka’s behalf, but she was well-served in this one.)

Oh well, I didn't expect for this part to be this brief, I did read about the love triangle Kiva had and about Shizuka regressing to this. There were parts where Shizuka atones for her sins against those 2 which is directly setting them up like here. Though her previous behavior wasn't forgotten that this resolve is made by touching upon what she did before (with angelic metaphor.... but I don't understand why there's still evil laughing there). Other than that, Kengo for now becomes more of an unpleasant man (I know he had terrible moment but still), I guess this is what others meant when talking about Kengo's jerk moments. There's also the reveal of Wataru being actually Kiva to Nago.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

For one, I sort of don’t like how little Kiva Emperor fights. It’s a form that spent the first few appearances with a one-minute Henshin that led to a quick finisher. It’s not a form that Kiva has been brawling with, up until recently. It’s mostly just felt like some additional stock footage to have to sit through before Kiva’s new finisher.

With this episode, it’s more of the main action form, and it’s… fine? It has roughly the same physicality as the base form, and it doesn’t really come with a new weapon or additional power, so it all just feels like Regular Kiva Fights But Gold And Takaiwa Won’t Die. It’s a very lateral move, Takaiwa’s survival notwithstanding. I feel like it maybe needs a weapon? I don’t know. You look at Rising IXA, and it’s got that MouthPhoneGun (did not check the wiki), so it gives IXA double the weaponry to take on Fangires. It’s a clear upgrade, and that’s before we get into the brutal finisher. With Emperor Form, it’s just Gold Kiva, and it plays as weirdly underpowered.

Well, I think Kiva's base form is used more than I thought here, but Kiva's Emperor form is used (likely this episode is the start of it being the main action form) because of a real life reason, the Kiva base form is heavy with the actual chains attached to it. Though I guess, Kiva Emperor's kicking repeatedly (not the Wake Up Fever) before was implemented as a part of its finisher on games like Climax Heroes due to "one-minute Henshin that led to a quick finisher". I mean, Kiva Emperor has not used other weapons finisher yet except for Garuru one iirc, not even its own Zanvat Sword. Though at least Kiva Emperor's kick actually feels like an upgrade, lack of night aside, unlike DoGaBaKi's. I think about the monster fight lacking distinction, that's something commonly happened in other Rider fights as well.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But these last couple episodes, the fights have been great. Mostly it’s because the parallel nature of them makes the fights feel eternal, continuous through the decades. When Megumi and Yuri are doing the exact same moves to fight Rook, it’s a fight that feels monumental and personal. The fights become an extension of their commitment and connection. It’s the ass-kicking version of the bit where Wataru and Otoya play the same song on their violins, decades apart, because Yuri and Megumi kick ass. That’s what their passion is, that's their art. They are warriors, and they’re the most related when they’re sparring with a Fangire.

I agree for the parallel parts that it creates significance in their fight, like above, carrying emotional weight but on the heroes side. Albeit don't know if Megumi and Yuri similarly getting beaten up brutally to be saved by others later would sit well with the audience. Though you describe their fight as "personal" here, I don't want for being personal to be used to measure the fights (or others) being good or bad, as I think this can veer into false use of the term "one-dimensional", that those who don't have potentially darker traits like revenge and the lengths they go to achieve it as "unrealistic, lacking depth, one dimensional, etc.". I mean like, don't want for this to be an example of how main Riders like Wataru should view his oppositions as, they should be turned like this.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And then there’s the massive 10-combatant, two-timeline brawl that ends this episode. If this middle part of the storyline never had anything more than this fight, I think I’d’ve still enjoyed it. A lot of it is just your basic Rook Is Unstoppable stuff, but crowding that out with Jiro, IXA, Rising IXA, Riki, Ramon, Megumi, Kiva Emperor, and a completely separate Fangire (a cowboy who is killing magicians, which is unbelievably only a minor story in this three-parter) makes it all feel like a buffet of non-stop excitement. The actual fight may be basic (there aren’t any moves that really stick out in my mind) but we’re so firmly into Quantity Over Quality territory that I don’t really mind.

So yeah, this part reminds of when series with many Riders had most of the Riders gathered there for fights against each other, but for this, it applies to every fighter but not all them are Riders. But... Kiva Emperor is actually overpowered like usual final form, and Rook isn't the final boss of this story, there will be a real proof about why the final fight is made that way, due to the overpoweredness of it.