[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

But enough of the Return of the Jedi s stuff and cannon fodder, this episode’s real highlight (for me) is the debut of Kiva of Darkness (闇のキバ Yami no Kiba), who is unique in that his official romanised name Dark Kiva (ークキバ Dāku Kiba) is not actually canon. Which is why I always go with the first name when discussing him (or I would if he ever came up in discussions). I just love the visual of him appearing against an ethereal green version of Kiva’s emblem.

The Dark Kiva stuff from this episode, while not being quite as foreboding and dramatic as Kerry Bishé's later work in the third season Halt & Catch Fire episode "NIM", was pretty iconic and unsettling. The whole sequence feels apocalyptic and inescapable, which is exactly the tone you want for a Final Boss. This is what I was saying before about Inoue and character debuts!

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Yeah, this one is pretty fun, for sure. I'd be lying if I said I remembered anything from it more than I remembered 753 though. And from this point on, he will always be 753. For better of for worse, his antics here forever cemented a major change in his portrayal. It's for the better. 753 is hilarious. It's this strange alternative to character development, where Nago becomes exactly 0% more self-aware, but the way the show portrays that trait undergoes an arc, where his more straightforward growth as a person coincides with his singlemindedness becoming more amusing than frustrating. This chapter of Nago's life has always felt to me like him becoming the character he was always meant to be. (Him imitating the Ixa Riser saying "ra-i-ji-n-gu" followed by the actual thing the next second is my personal favorite bit of comedic timing in this one, by the way.)

This was really Nago's Final Form, you know? This is the apex of his evolution into an absolute joke. He never quite went to the darker reaches that Jiro did, where Weird Uncle Jiro is the most we can really get from him, canonically. Nago was always horrible, but in a pathetic way. This episode just goes all in on the pathetic part, and it is glorious. He used to be deplorable, and now he's just pitiable. I don't know that getting here is worth ruining Kengo, but I feel like it might be?

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Something I didn't remember that I caught looking back through was the bit where Maya compares Taiga throttling her to how King used to in '86. Not only does it come with another super smooth transition (Tasaki was the director for 38/39, if you didn't have your suspicions already), but it's a nice way to highlight that Taiga has a very different sort of father from his half-brother, and an entirely different set of chains that maybe need some breaking ASAP. Another one of the reasons I'm not huge into Saga is that Taiga is sort of a complicated character who can be hard to feel sympathetic towards and yet equally difficult to treat as a typical cool villain, but part of me does appreciate what the show does with him.

I'm really enjoying what the show is going for with Taiga. It's (so far!) not the typical story of a nice guy who can't handle his own weakness and takes it out on everyone around him. Taiga is taking things out on the people around him, but it's because he sees the clean, orderly world he's been defending getting torn down by selfish choices and myopic decisions. He's frustrated by a world that won't act according to his will, when that's a) been what he was promised, and b) a system that's been working out great for everyone so far. (Allegedly!)

So he's got this perspective that's built around duty and narcissism in equal measure, and the show is taking that apart with all of the show's themes: familial obligation, the power of love, carving out your own purpose from the raw materials of your family's profession. The exact same things that have been building up Wataru are tearing down Taiga, and I find that paradox incredibly compelling.