[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmicrescend0

-new Rider debut! I wish they gave her literally any other name than Aguliera tho, feels a little weird to make your hero name after the name the cult that groomed you gave you, no?(Like there's the element of reclaimation that you could argue that they did, but still!)

Okay, I've been holding off on this for a while, but... I'mma just vent about Revice for a bit here, okay? I really, really loved what this episode did with Aguilera, but I can't stop thinking about how Revice keeps placing its emotional weight in the wrong spots. Having Aguilera realize she doesn't need to be ashamed of her past and deny it, but instead work to redeem those failings, that's a fantastic way to characterize her turn as a Rider! It's exactly why she should be with Weekend, and I'm really glad the show explicitly brought that up.

But this episode could've been so much more, if only they'd realized Tamaki's potential worth to it.

Having Daddy tell Aguilera not to be ashamed of that name is weightless, compared to what they could've done instead. You literally already have Tamaki refusing to call her Hana, and it would've been so easy to turn that into something meaningful. If Aguilera needs convincing that name can be more than just the name of all her mistakes, who better to inspire that change in perspective than the literal living proof Aguilera can bring hope to people too? This was such a missed opportunity to present this same theme in a much more complex and character-driven way, where you could recontextualize and redefine the relationship between those two characters. Tamaki's obsession becomes more than just a joke if you give him the chance to explain himself, and Aguilera would have the chance to maybe even rethink how she views Tamaki. And I'm not even asking her to fall in love with her stalker here! What I'm saying is that, if the episode had bothered to more genuinely explore the motivations behind why Tamaki is in a rush to grab a Rider belt and protect someone who matters to him, it could've ended up being a really touching turnaround when Aguilera resolves to be the one doing the protecting instead.

...But that whole notion is consigned to one throwaway line at the end that immediately gets undercut with a gag about Tamaki still wanting to transform, and I'm sorry, but it feels like a waste.

I always hate to criticize a story in this fashion -- "it'd be so much better if it were this completely different thing that *I* want to see!" -- but I feel like I'm acting in good faith here? I'm seeing what the story was going for, and I'm saying how I feel like it could've accomplished that more effectively. I've been actively trying to not tear into Revice too much, but this particular topic gets me particularly fired up.

I just... I love stuff about names, I guess. Like, in real life, we all have them, and we probably don't think about it that much, but every name is like a prayer. They all hold meaning, and when I see a story that makes a point of that, it can end up leaving a real impact on me. I could go on a whole rant about how beautiful Akira's introduction in ToQger was right now, or Ultraman Geed, for example, but that's all beside the point.

What's bugging me here is that when we found out about Julio's past as Tamaki-kun, those episodes of Revice left such an impact they made me never want to call him the former name ever again. When Sakura suddenly called Aguilera-sama "Hana" a few episodes back, all I could think was "wait, who the heck is Hana?". It's like... this episode did a lot to make up for the failings I thought that one had, but it did it in a way that also had some similar issues.

I don't know. I don't want to just dump all over Revice like it's some bad show. The only reason I'm even complaining is because I already do like it enough that I want to see it do even better. But among a series of little missteps it seems like the writing has lately, the way Aguilera's change in name happened was a particular sore spot for me. Still, this really was a solid debut for a new Rider, all things considered.