[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

So, a) using Narutaki as an example is basically agreeing that Hiryuu is an embarrassingly one-note villain; and b) I don't think it's wrong to expect more substance or nuance from a multi-story villain. If Hiryuu was a standard two-episode Another Roder, sure, who cares. Him being Angry Version Of Sougo is plenty. But if this guy ends up being in at least five episodes? I'm not sure you can get away with shrugging at his deficiencies as irrelevant.

Not denying that, I also stated that due to how you had not so pleasant experience with him and I was more like expect yourself to be disappointed on Hiryu to not have high hopes on him from said previous experience. And yeah there's nothing wrong to expect substance or nuance, but my point was about how substance and nuance isn't only done by something out of the viewer's preference, something not on viewer's preference can be also substance or nuance even if it's not their type. Like when someone hates on main protagonist for not being like Tsukasa or such, and claims them having no substance/nuance due to being a 'goody-two-shoes', doesn't mean they actually have no substance/nuance, it's kinda them having wrong take on the character they hate.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 42 - ?2019 - MISSING WORLD?

I like it, even if there?s a whiff of a missed opportunity in this installment. Hiryuu?s plan is just to destroy/humiliate (it sort of depends on the scene) Sougo, so we never really get a sense of what this new world has to offer. Like, even in the endless supply of films where Shocker took over the world, there?d be some weirdo detail that added to the experience. Cart racing, or whistles, or whatever. Here, it?s barely even implied. I guess the Another Riders are attacking people? And I guess Hiryuu is the king because of that? The specifics of the world lack even the saturated filters that hint at the ecological ruin of the Misery Fields of 2068, lending everything a sort of shrug of menace. It?s the Darkest Timeline because Sougo?s lost his friends, and that?s about it.

So you actually like this one, I didn't expect it because this can be a reset button that renders previous memories of what have been watched in Zi-O futile, after all every developments, interactions, buildups, comedies, etc., are all erased in an instant and it's not a final resolution to make the situation better or such. And that due to how this is now ep. 42, the relationship restart can be really rushed compared to what we see previously. And you may not like it but for this one the Another Riders are Hiryu's own creation, not taking civilians as puppets like before, so yeah this one's intentionally showing that the Another Riders are empty shells, to show about how Hiryu has been upgraded, though as usual, this details more of Swartz's importance that he's the one behind everything in Zi-O, the actual driving force of the story's conflict, instead of someone who reacts to the story like everyone else, which is why he's the main antagonist.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Tsukuyomi?s friendship was always an empathetic pragmatism: befriending Sougo was a way to alter his destiny, help build a lonely boy into a powerful hero. Woz?z friendship was first and foremost a dedication to a regent; as soon as the title of Overlord changed hands, Woz?z loyalty (if not his admiration) went with it. But Geiz?z friendship was like pulling teeth. It was earned through months of fighting, both at each other?s sides and at each other?s throats. Getting Geiz to be Sougo?s friend in just a few scenes is, maybe, the most difficult quest of Sougo?s life.

While the timeline has changed and that Sougo lost everything he knew, including his family, Sougo himself hasn't changed at all, so they're now dealing with the better version of Sougo that has solved his Ohma Zi-O problems. But yeah, despite that it's what Tsukuyomi wanted to alter his destiny and guide him to become the hero he wanted to be, the ones who successfully changed that was only Sougo himself to accept his dark side as well as Junichiro to reprimand him for his blind optimism. Albeit she does make her intent herself to build up relationship with him by saving Sougo here. You describe this as 'empathetic pragmatism', and without enough context, probably audiences can assume Tsukuyomi as naive idiot who plays right into enemy's hands and consider Geiz as sensible to finish the job quickly, encouraging him to kill the future villain. I'd talk more about Woz later as he's still in middle of his current role, despite that it's enough for viewers to assume that Woz only cares about who'd become overlord, and for those who didn't put Woz on pedestal, would be expected as he's not morally sound and wants to create a ruler overlord, just happens to help the main protagonist.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I don?t know if this show works without you buying Geiz and Sougo as friends? I feel like that?s a pretty crucial buy-in. This isn?t a series designed by its central pairing, like a Build or a W or an OOO. But the ability for Sougo to win over his own executioner, to instill a sense of optimism and faith in a pessimistic grump, that?s a plot that connects all of these other stories. It asks the viewer to give less weight to a fearful future than a happy present, and that?s such a fun message for a show like this to slowly spin up.

There's an implied amnesic relations for both Geiz and Tsukuyomi, of which here Geiz still has tsundere feelings for Sougo, to feel a strange feeling in his chest due to how he can't hate Sougo even if he wants. Though obviously as someone who isn't altered, Sougo kept his faith on Geiz before, to believe that Geiz would promise to end him when he became an evil overlord, but actually this almost costed him his life, as Geiz almost killed him if not for Tsukuyomi stopping time. For this one, though I've seen someone in Rider that is revealed to not have a killing intention later, while previously he's still stopped, such as his lookalike Ren from Ryuki, for this one Geiz is inch away from hitting Sougo though, so it seems that he had an intention to kill him here, at least at first. Sougo pretty much seems to play a New Game+ here against Geiz to spoil what'd Geiz do with him in the future, though obviously it'd be a success here.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I like Geiz and Sougo! But that?s not new information!

Probably it goes without saying but yeah there's everyone's opinion including yours on Sougo on his debut. Though I also admit that I warmed up over Sougo better too when typing on this post (my talk about his delusion at the beginning was also a show of disapproval on him, compared to other protagonists) compared to the time when I watched the series on TV. Sougo is still a frequent punching bag over Tsukasa though in the franchise, I know people obsess over him, but Sougo is frequently hated and bashed to make him look bad compared to Tsukasa.