[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 39 - “SHOUT: TARGETED BROTHER”

Inoue’s answer is frequently that you can’t think at that scale, or you’ll go crazy. You can’t think about your actions as something that would sway a society. You need to be true to yourself, just like everybody else, and hope that something positive will come from your example. Trying to control or destroy systems is a sucker’s bet. Living your life as a good person, and finding some way to wring a little happiness out of the endeavour, that’s the best any of us can ask for.

It’s a smaller-scale look at heroism, and a more pragmatic one than I assume most tokusatsu fans are looking for. It’s acknowledging that the world is a series of interlocking systems that one person isn’t going to alter, but a caring society can incrementally improve through individual actions. We make ourselves better, and then we make each other better, and then we make society better. That’s it. That’s all we can really do.

While being true to yourself is a common message, I'd not put full belief in 'be yourself' message, especially that here, you talk about it being used to do good for others in a plausible way. I'd think 'be yourself' doesn't equate to 'living your life as a good person' (what you say too here, that'd be different entirely), as 'be yourself' can be abused by rotten people who'd reject any suggestion to better themselves, embracing their nature and insists others to mind their own business, which is being true to yourself in horrific way. And for living life as good person, this can be due to a (actually benefical) system in the world that influences people, like how if people are less likely to be as rude in real world compared to more anonymous place like Internet.

Though for pragmatic? Well you only said that it improves through individual action, but you didn't elaborate on what kind of action. AFAIK I think what pragmatic means is when you'll constantly dirty your hands to get the job done, which'd put them into morally questionable territory. I actually feel that a good number of tokusatsu fans would look for this kind of hero instead, and partly that happens because some can dumb down heroism as merely killing baddies (monsters mostly, but can apply to humans too) or sacrificing yourself (and ignoring what they've done in the past), while true those are some part of heroism, that's a way too broad take of heroism; I want for KR to be used to point out that heroism is not merely about that (but of course free to add characters of any alignment, albeit someone's fault had to be portrayed as in the wrong). And actually it'd take into account for what you said here about smaller-scale individual actions, as for 'no one can think at that scale', it's true that not everyone is an unstoppable powerhouse, or even a fighter or super scientist.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It starts with Wataru, who is as sweet as ever. While he’s initially mopey about his new Fangire heritage, his mother (or a vision of his mother?!?!) reminds him that his culture isn’t more important than his identity. He’s a human, and a Fangire, and the son of Otoya, and the son of Maya, and a Fangire prince, and a Kamen Rider. But all of that is incidental, things he didn’t ask for or couldn’t choose. He’s Wataru, and that’s the part that matters. To fall back on the old Inoue Tautology that we’re probably an episode away from someone actually saying, Wataru Is Wataru. He doesn’t become any more or less that based on new information. He can still be who he wants to be, no matter the new circumstances.

With that idealistic confidence, he decides to forge ahead with a new mission: unite the worlds of Fangires and humans. It’s a great plan with only a single, minor flaw. Namely, literally no one on the show but Wataru wants that to happen.

Dunno, actually, this was a part that I glanced about Wataru, that he wants peace between humans and Fangires. but this would reaffirm my stance of Wataru being not a personal-driven person like most other lead Riders. Wanting peace between humans and Fangires is the type of goal that is the "justice, empathy, support" kind, and I think, despite what you said above, this is the 'thinking at big scale' kind of goal? And definitely not pragmatic one (using what I know about the definition) to spare Fangires. You'd probably think it's a change here for 'new mission', but I'd think that this isn't new trait for Wataru as before (at least moral wise), he laments in his bath that why there are conflicts and that the world can't be peaceful. against killing Oomura, and at first trying to remind Grizzly Fangire (albeit this does get him into Kiva Emperor). He puts his mind above personal stuff like Taiga or Mio's happiness at this time when they try to make their more ulterior move to him, but what I think about how Wataru's traits here has been present before is probably the reason I question about your view to Wataru's stance about Mio before. Otherwise, though dunno if later episodes will bring it up, but people here talk about how Wataru being half-Fangire makes sense, otherwise he won't be Kiva (in Faiz, Takumi can become Faiz exactly because he's an Orphnoch!), I'd want to know how did Wataru end up being Kiva. I thought at first Maya died for good here by her disappearing... but she's very much alive running from Fangires later.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Shima’s happy to look past Wataru’s Fangire blood, since Otoya’s blood is also in Wataru’s veins. (It is sort of insane to me that no one in the last ten months told Shima that Wataru’s last name was Kurenai. It was not a secret! Boss knew it! It’s definitely come up before! Maybe Shima was just too focused on the deep consideration he was giving to picking IXA’s bearer to bother to ask?) But the second Wataru’s like Maybe I’ll Use My Power To Unite Our Two Cultures, Shima is picturing the crosshairs on Wataru’s forehead.

Taiga, pleased to finally have a brother, hugs Wataru close as he offers him the chance to enslave and devour humanity as a Fangire. When Wataru is aghast at Taiga’s offer, and defends humanity, Taiga basically laughs in his face. He’s already trying to figure out how to draw out the Fightin' Fangire Spirit from Wataru’s weak human exterior.

And Mio! Mio, who Wataru has been trying to protect, also hugs Wataru as she destroys his soul. She’s as happy as we’ve ever seen her, because Wataru’s new identity as a Fangire prince is going to help both of them. He just needs to kill Taiga, become King, and everything will work out for them. Easy peasy, Zanvat swingy.

The Mio one hits the hardest, but they’re all pretty demoralizing. (I super duper love how the Mio/Wataru part is played by her like a lucky break, and by him like a terminal prognosis.) It’s everyone opting for a world of violence and cruelty, and they’ll kill the sweet boy fighting for love. Even Mio is basically killing the part of Wataru that she fell in love with. It’s this entire show looking at Wataru’s hope for everyone getting along, and then deciding the only thing they agree on is that he’s wrong.

Not knowing that Kurenai is Wataru's last name... that's something that people can likely see as dragging out conflicts... there were Faiz before that Yuka and Keitaro only knew their last names. Taiga takes a different stance, he's still nice to Wataru, but for something that against his wishes, which is for Wataru to embrace Fangire cruelty and hinder humans. This should be a reminder that someone who is nice towards a protagonist, particularly the sweet ones, doesn't necessarily mean they share the same morality as the protagonist or is a good person overall (at best he's good to other Fangires). Mio goes through a bit similar to devil-Shizuka before, though outwardly she seems nice, even veering to pushover traits, she's Wataru centric.... and she has a mild yandere trait (obsessive love towards someone, goes to insane lengths to keep their love interest, Kusaka's character is defined by this to another Yuria Haga) here to suggest an idea of killing those that would get in their way of love.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There’s a little hope, though? Megumi and Nago, of all people, refuse to follow Shima’s orders, buying Kiva a little time in his fight with IXA. (We are so far from the days of Kengo’s friendship with Wataru that the show doesn’t even hint at there being any conflict or hesitancy in Kengo. He’s totally okay murdering Wataru now!) That also falls apart - because it is that kind of episode - as Bishop unlocks Wataru’s Fightin’ Fangire Spirit, complete with a cool stained-glass mask piece that the Emperor Form Seihou doesn’t even come with so I’m cancelling my preorder at site sponsor Tokullectibles. It’s a huge, ugly rebuttal to Wataru’s hopes, and I’m into it. I’m into this show challenging Wataru’s idealism, and really stacking the deck against him. He wants to change the world, but the world isn’t built to be changed. But he was able to change Megumi and Nago - by accident, by being himself - and maybe that’s a good start.

Nago changing his stance about Kiva/Wataru was something that is already established before! The first time Nago learned that Wataru is Kiva. Well, Kengo attacking Wataru without second thoughts is a reminder that, acting volatile and hostile between friends doesn't necessarily mean it's just banter, at least at this time (I've seen that Kengo becomes IXA until ep. 40). I won't think that being brainwashed like Wataru did here is his idealism being tested? It's out of Wataru's control. Won't this be something like Yuji's turn in Paradise Lost, as Wataru won't have moral collapse here, not falling on his own, instead that he's victimized by others like Bishop and likely even in a worse way that it can potentially convince others that Wataru is dangerous and should be killed? Sweet toku hero's ideals being challenged is common implementation for them in numerous KR series though.