[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

I do feel like the Dai-Shocker Great Leader Tsukasa plot to be a little out of the blue, but also considered how Tsukasa seems to just naturally fit into his roles in worlds, or at least when it comes to how he acts like a jerk. Maybe it helped me like this movie better? I'm not too sure, though even all these odd and underplayed ideas can't take the fun out of the action.

I could be wrong, but I feel like a viewer's acceptance of Tsukasa's Dai-Shocker backstory is inversely proportional to their emotional investment in Tsukasa himself. If you were like This Guy Sucks, you're probably not going to be too bummed about Tsukasa's innate villainy. On the other hand, if you've been really won over by Tsukasa's growth into a hero and (arguably) a decent friend, you are probably not going to love how comfortable he seems as Dai-Shocker's leader.

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Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

Seeing all the Riders fight together is definitely fun, regardless how well the story is or not, but there's just something special about this one. Maybe it's the Final Form Ride storm, maybe it's Giant Decade (thanks J!), or just the thrill of seeing these karate bugmen blow monsters up with their kicks, I can't quite put my foot on it.

I think a lot of why this ending feels so much better than a lot of the later Rider Team-Up endings is that it's sort of a reaction to what Tsukasa's doing in this story? A lot of the later movies are just The Main Riders Are Outnumbered, So Here's A Bunch Of Legend Suits. With this story, it's explicitly about Tsukasa trying to end the legacy of the Riders, and then realizing how much he needs them/his friends/his identity as Decade. The Riders showing up aren't just more fighters, they're proof that Tsukasa still has a chance for redemption. It's the other Riders trusting him to lead them to victory. It's way more tied into what this story is doing emotionally than most of the later films.

(Also, I never got a chance to bring it up, but can I just mention how much I love that Decade's Final Form Ride is a giant Decadriver? The whole scene with J is awesome, and now I know why there's an image of a Giant Decade figure out there, but it works so well thematically. It's Tsukasa becoming, literally, a way to channel the powers of other Riders. It's him becoming a vessel for their powers, their lessons, their legends. I really love that.)

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

So, I guess first and foremost my biggest question has to be "How the hell did IXA get an invite to the strongest Rider battle?" I mean, I know he's just paired up versus Skyrider, but it's still really weird.

I hear you. Definitely a bummer to see Megumi jobbed out like that.

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

I've never loved the idea that Tsukasa was the leader of Dai-Shocker, pre-amnesia, nor that he would immediately snap back into that mode upon regaining his memories.

It's the latter part that's the hardest pill to swallow. Tsukasa just being like It Is Awesome To Be Evil is the choice that bothers me, not necessarily his background being one of villainy. If there'd been some reluctance, or some outside pressure that lead to Tsukasa puffing up his hair, putting on some (more?) eye-liner, and leading Dai-Shocker? I might be more willing to give this turn the benefit of the doubt. Instead, he's just thrilled to see his friends get whipped, and that's tough to walk back.

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

(I’ll also point out that this isn’t entirely out of nowhere. A few episodes ago, he was ironing the cape he wears here for a “fancy dress ball”)

Good catch!

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I fell a little behind on this thread, which is a bummer, especially when the thing I'm late to is Net Movie talk.

You and me both! Busy couple days.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

(And of course he stays in character during the race, Die; that's just the caliber of suit actor he is!)

If there's one thing I'll take away from this series, it's how neat Eitoku is. He just seems like a good dude? I like his warm and slightly spacey demeanor.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

And then nowadays, I still think it's funny that Decade randomly fighting Amazon is considered a big enough event to cut to the title card on, so like, how can I hate this thing?

I generally dislike in media res openings, with their inevitable slow walk from Earlier to get us back to where we started, but I think this film used it well. Jumping right into a fight, and giving it some runway, was the absolute right movie to establish this film as one with clear stakes.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

It's definitely trying to do stuff with the story, too, for what it's worth, even though it's trying in that usual messy Decade way. I remember actively hating the whole reveal of Tsukasa's backstory. I think it was because I got invested in how he felt like, as you put it based on the first episode, Kamen Rider Everyman, and his hastily-executed return to the dark side and redemption here steps all over that a lot. But like, for one thing, the show very constantly and consistently highlighted Tsukasa's encyclopedic knowledge of Rider monsters (he speaks Grongi!), so it IS clear this was probably the intent from the start, making it another rare instance of Decade doing actual set-up. Plus, Tsukasa being the literal leader of the ultimate Rider bad guy group who became a hero anyway means he sort of has the ultimate Rider backstory, and even with the sloppy way it's handled, that feels perfect for a guy celebrating an anniversary. (Not that it was actually the anniversary for any of these Showa guys, but, well, onore Dikeido.)

Good points! This was definitely a case of the execution being problematic, more than the idea inherently being unworkable.