[GoldenXtreme]

Good episode this week! Hiromi's actor continues to do a really dang good job, I'll honestly be sad to see him go. Yes, I am just resigned to him dying next week... or the week after... OR EVENTUALLY. I'm really intrigued by all the factions in this show, especially with WEEKEND debuting next week, so I can't wait to see all the clashes of ideals and the protagonists realizing that Fenix is actually incredibly suspicious. WEEKEND seems to have ties to the weird, weird family Sakura interacts with, which hopefully opens up the possibility of some really good Sakura episodes. I still don't really like Ikki though, and I'm not sure why. He isn't bad by any means and I genuinely love his dynamic with Vice, but I don't ever find myself particularly invested in most scenes with him. Him stealing Hiromi's thunder this episode kind sucked, as incredibly cool as the fight was. I do feel like they are building up to something in the long term with Ikki though, which I am definitely excited to see unfold.

Since everyone is discussing their favorite Reiwa protagonists though: I haven't seen Saber yet but I really like Aruto. He's probably in my top 3 Rider protagonists. I dunno, I just like his earnest desire to do good and make people happy, even when the show takes to gleefully tormenting him as much as possible. I also really like how he tries to be so open and transparent with others, which let's him get through to more stubborn characters in the end, such as Fuwa and Jin. Put this guy in Faiz and just instantly resolve all communication problems!