[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Maybe I'm just not understanding what you're getting at here, but I feel like you're massively underselling this.

Not only can one learn lessons via observation and listening to what others have to say, but that is something that is every bit as important as learning things the hard way. It emphasizes Takeru's' empathy, his ability to take in the feelings of those around him, and shows that he has a good head on his shoulders.

Not only is learning via the example of others important, but it's smart. So to say it's hollow, that it's not impactful, that just doesn't sit right with me. Heck, it's a skill that I wish more people would learn.

Yeah, but it's dramatically inert. It's some real Show Don't Tell stuff, where it's more compelling to see Takeru struggle with something and have him come to his own conclusions, rather than have him just overhear Takeshi explaining the themes of the story. The end result is positive (I genuinely like the themes of this movie!), but the path to get there turns Takeru into a generic observer to Takeshi's story.

It goes hand-in-hand with the way this moral is introduced, which is Takeshi just straight-up asking Takeru if he's guessed the moral of the movie that's barely begun. We aren't in a story where Takeru is grappling with the ways people can benefit from the sacrifice of others; we're in a story where Mayu is. She's the one who actually struggles with forgiving Takeshi, and coming to terms with how he can still care for her while leaving to go fight Shocker. Takeru is just trying to save Japan from an evil corporation.

So, yeah, it's a bummer that this is a big moral that Takeru a) doesn't really have any skin in, and b) learns it like he's memorizing facts.