[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I honestly don't at all agree that this development for Tsukasa is abrupt. Pointing to the lack of focus for Newsuke over the past four episodes seems like a bit of a... mathematical way to look at things? There's been a month of distance, sure, but I don't think that changes how the Ryuki arc made a huge point of how much Tsukasa values Newsuke's friendship. (That two-parter literally ends with Tsukasa calling a picture of the two of them together a photo of the best team.) I don't see much about Tsukasa's attitude throughout these episodes as being particularly out-of-character, especially with how he refuses to be explicit about his motivations (even changing the subject the second Newsuke figures it out.)

Which, yeah, they've definitely done some episodes that draw those characters closer together, but there hasn't been much follow through lately. (Also, man, I don't know if the Ryuki episodes were as much about Friendship as they were about Respecting Differences, at least to me.) They left this partnership at Pleasant Coworkers, and that was a month ago. For Tsukasa's sacrifice/vow/heroism to make sense to me, I feel like we at least needed a couple warmer scenes at the Photo Studio. I don't think it's asking too much for a big plot development like this to have a bit more buildup than something that occurred two stories prior? These types of stories are so much better when they're incremental, and that wasn't how this story played for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

He's got an attitude problem and he revels in trolling people, but Tsukasa, since day one, has never actually been that hesitant to help people out – he's mostly just bad at it, because, by his own admission, he's not great at understanding people.

I always felt like it wasn't that Tsukasa didn't understand people. it's that he could read people too easily. In most of these adventures, his abrasive tendencies are down to him lacking the patience to let people tell their own stories. He already knows what they're going to do and why they're going to do it, so god just let him take care of this already. Even here, he knows exactly what Onodera's doing and why he's doing it, which is why he's declared himself Shouichi's protector.

It... I don't feel like Tsukasa's unaware, or disinterested. I think he's a guy that doesn't fit in, and he's trying to be a good friend/hero, but he keeps rushing things.