[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 31 - “APPLAUSE: A MOTHER-DEDICATED TRANSFORMATION”

There’s a simplicity to the Megumi and Yuri story here that I really love. It’s a three-parter devoted to exploring why they each fight, and the answer is simple: because they’re warriors.

For how Aso family are born warriors and that they're the most happy in their fightings, this can impact those people's lives negatively (which I guess is the one touched upon Yuri cleaning Otoya's home? though that one refers to their revenge). Like when the fight ends, they can feel that life by then doesn't longer fit their ideals, only being able to define themselves through conflict and would be lost without it. Though I guess these 2 has multiple jobs like how Yuri is a waiter and Megumi is a.. foodie model. Though it's undeniable that support is important, the part of Megumi remembering her mother to gain upper hand to Rook.. that's commonly implemented in media as 'power of friendship/love' that can seem like cop out to others (and memed), like Megumi retrieving IXA gear when Otoya tosses it to fire. And this episode will be the only one they use IXA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The rest of the episode is… I mean, god, who cares? It’s the concluding episode in a Yuri/Megumi three-parter where they both Henshin into IXA and defeat Rook! Why even have other plots! Plus, what’s here are mostly bits and pieces, nothing that really even adds up to a full idea. Taiga is King, but we only see him in silhouette, so we’re denied his movie-star good looks. Mio is (grudgingly) taking her place as Queen, and ends the episode by fighting Kiva. Kengo sees Nago warmly offer to train Wataru and coldly tell Wataru that he never liked Kengo to begin with, because oh man did anyone think Nago was going to end up doing Kengo any favors.

That tiny amount of soul-demolishing actually leads to a neat Shima bit, where Shima tells Kengo - who is crying in the rain and cursing his fate - that eventually he’s going to stop crying, so he better figure what he’s going to do when that happens. It’s a characteristically pragmatic and paternal piece of advice from Shima. It’s letting Kengo know that, yeah, losing your dream, your best friend, and your teacher? That is a group of things worth crying over! It’s okay to feel angry and sad about those things! But you will eventually stop crying, and you’ll need to have a plan of action. It’s my favorite type of Kamen Rider life lesson, where all feelings are valid, but you still need to exist in the world. Getting up after life knocks you down is the first step towards making things better, but you can take your time getting up. I really appreciate that lesson.

This is another spiraling down for Kengo, he's further becoming more jerk due to his misery he had received, apparently for here losing his faith in humanity. It's ok to feel angry and sad (but from here you can only feel those if disaster happens and impacts you only and not if others had unrelated misery? this will be glorifying selfishness then) about those things, but it's not ok to lash it out to others who are undeserving for your grief for those who do that, it cannot be used as an excuse to justify immoral deeds (not talking about Kengo here albeit he's more of a jerk now, but characters in general if they turn evil due to ). But other than that, Nago finally stops his feud with Kiva knowing that he's Wataru in the present, likely teaching the lesson about how power depends on who uses it, if it's Wataru then he's typical KR main Rider heroism, but it can be the ultimate evil if it's the one Nago experienced in the past.