[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

But yeah, this latest episode is all Otoya. Even during my most anti-Kiva moods, the one thing I will always give the show is that Otoya's arc is fantastic. This man who knowingly sacrificed his life for his family, who stopped to say goodbye to the woman whose heart he broke, who earned his rivals respect enough to get a vow from him... all of this started with '80s Japanese Jean-Ralphio. It wasn't a smooth ride to get here, but we got to see him grow from a lecherous creep whose self-centeredness ruined lives, to someone who changed people for the better. He could still be the worst, but god damn it, he was the best.

It's weird how... I don't know if he grew that much? With characters like Wataru and Nago, it's easier to point to an early episode and a later episode and go They Are So Different Now. (In this episode alone, Wataru's steely determination makes Shizuka wonder if it's even the same guy, and Nago apologizes to Megumi. Those are both insane to consider from the perspective of Episode 15!) With Otoya, I feel like it's less that he changed and grew, and more that his honesty and joie de vivre wore down and won over everyone else. Like, he didn't change, he changed all of them.

But, yeah, the best. Agreed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

One thing I love about this episode (besides the pathos to Otoya’s eponymous goodbye) is the scene where Wataru is able to scare Fangires away just be being there. I like the idea that the hero is the thing that monsters are scared of, as opposed to them treating him like he doesn’t exists, even when he’s been thoroughly thwarting their plots for a long time.

What I liked even better was that the monsters aren't scared of Kiva, they're scared of Wataru. There's this guy who shows up, saves someone, and stares them down. That confidence and bravery scares the stained-glass out of the Fangires, so they run away. And he didn't even need to be a Kamen Rider to do it!