[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I just assumed that Tsukuyomi has been aching to talk about this, and it's only after SEVEN MONTHS of teamwork that Sougo asks her about herself. These kids don't do a great job of emotionally supporting Tsukuyomi, no matter what Shouichi says. I mean, sure, she sometimes tries to guilt one of them into murdering the other, but still!

It does feel like the kind of thing Sougo should've asked her that time when they were paired up in Episode 7. But I imagine Tsukuyomi would've been too guarded to be candid about it.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 33 - ?2005 - REJOICE! RESOUND! REVERBERATE!?

Oh hey, the Hibiki arc was my fifth choice for the hypothetical TN Watches thread. I guess I should talk about it, huh?

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I kinda love him, though?

Same here! People complain about Kiriya for how much trouble he causes, but that's exactly what I appreciate about his contribution to the story. He's the catalyst for Shounen's internal conflict, by making him think about what it means to be an Oni and an independent person. There are a lot of reasons why I'm critical of the second half of Hibiki. Kiriya isn't one of those things though!

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The thing I liked best about Kiriya was that he was so much work for Hibiki. Asumu was a bright, sensitive kid with a ton of people rooting for him. Kiriya was a little shit who kept weirdly failing upwards. But kids like that maybe need a mentor like Hibiki more than a kid like Asumu, and that?s a worthy point for a show to make. There was always, for me at least, the idea that Kiriya wasn?t irredeemable. The version of Kiriya that everyone hates, that didn?t really go anywhere. That?s the part that Todoroki knows, and the part that gets the spotlight in this episode. But the part of him that could maybe be better, find the humility that eluded him, that was always peeking around the edges in Kamen Rider Hibiki. There?s an explanation to Kiriya?s actions ? his post-show history ? that I?m really anxious to hear. Todoroki may have written Kiriya off, but like Hibiki, I sure haven?t.

Todoroki seems a little self-righteous here. When he wasn't much younger than Kiriya is in the present, he screwed up a lot as well before he finally figured out how to be an authentic Oni. He doesn't have the perspective of being a mentor either, so he doesn't understand how difficult that can be and maybe expects Kiriya to be more like Zanki. People may begrudge Kiriya's return, but that's why I think it's such a good decision. A chance to re-evaluate a resented character and learn that even an a**hole like him can change and become a better person. That's what Hibiki's all about, right? To learn. That goes for us viewers as well. Kiriya's means are misguided here, but it's clear that he definitely cares about his disciple Tsutomu and wishes for his success, which is a side of him we haven't really seen before. Hibiki has rubbed off on him and that's a victory for the show.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I?d think it?s going to be a look at how these Kamen Riders won?t just exist as fun Heisei Dads like Shouichi; mentors kinda got their own stuff to deal with, emotionally!

That's what I loved about Ibuki, how passionate he is about being a good mentor and his fear of failing Akira. So yeah, an arc that explores Kiriya's personal problems now that's he's a mentor himself, I think that's a really cool premise! And a good moral that mentors aren't always wise and that you're never too old to keep learning new things about life.

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

(I did do it for that week?s Sentai episode)

I recall that was a very tragic episode of Liveman! I also recall there was a 3 week interval between the last of Showa and the first of Heisei. Not quite as terrible as 2020's 6 week hiatus, but it was still a lot at the time!