[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

RIDER TIME: SHINOBI EPISODE 1 - ?FIRST NINPOW! VOLUME: HATTARI'S ONE-SIDED LOVE"

Thankfully, it doesn?t just feel like it?s cribbing from Ninninger, despite way more coincidental similarities than I?d?ve assumed. It still has the shape of a Kamen Rider series. There?s a rival corporate Kamen Rider, Hattari, who has a friendship with the hero?s secret identity. The whole gimmick of The Nation?s Biggest Company Is Controlled By The Villains is the most on-target Heisei reference that the ongoing Zi-O project has come up with yet. There?s a sense of isolation to Rentarou?s role as Shinobi, even though he?s got friends and family. We don?t really get a lot of shows where the Kamen Rider hides his identity from his friends and family (not since... Agito?), but it feels pertinent for the Ninja Rider. There?s absolutely no bike-riding, so it?s clearly a Kamen Rider series.

As I said before, the opening narration explained about how Shinobi's world has become rife with ninjas, thus the Kagura family is far from lone family that is made with ninjas. They aren't the protagonist group that is special and distinct among average joes, though Iroha does seem to be particularly skilled, able to beat Rentarou, at least his version that pretends to be incompetent, as well as her skill in the tournament just that her "failures" are all set up. Not taking the diss of actual Kamen Rider well here though. The actual one that formed the series root not the fake Phase 2 Heisei. Even Ex-Aid had bike-riding or a Rider that is bike himself!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The only real misfire is the absolutely insane detail of Rentarou?s sister having a crush on his secret identity (gross), which Rentarou is super excited about (GROSS). It?s a bizarre gag to try and pull off, because it ends up making both Rentarou and Icchy look like massive creeps. Iroha is seventeen years old. The idea that grown-ass-adult Icchy is wistfully saying her name is alarming enough, but Rentarou even inadvertently stringing his own sister along as a love interest is mortifying. Rentarou should have immediately confided in Iroha that he?s Shinobi, if only to dissuade her from crushing on him. (But also because it?s uncool to hide his identity from his sister? Who is also in peril? That he didn?t tell her about?) There?s no need for this plotline, and I can?t believe it made it out of the planning stages.

Already said this before, but it's Rentarou's current problem, but not revealed why. Rentarou had to pretend to be unskilled to hide his identity as Kamen Rider Shinobi for some reason, as well as missing job interviews thus his family had to live in poverty, thus Iroha also tried to get them out of poverty by her aiming for Konjou Company. Not to Sougo's extent.... but even Rentarou pretends to be less competent than he actually is... like him, but this does make him seem goofy to Iroha. It's still unknown why Rentarou had to hide his Shinobi identity, so don't blame Rentarou for Iroha's crush on Shinobi. Rentarou is NOT into Iroha crushing on him. Otherwise yeah.... Iroha is a dude magnet and Icchy is the one known as subject to win her affection for now.