[Fish Sandwich]

For what it's worth, according to the show's own chief producer, their goal with Hikaru is specifically not to focus on the process of how he became a Kamen Rider, but instead how becoming a Kamen Rider causes a change in his life, which, you know, put that way, makes him sound like a unique and compelling presence who adds a different flavor to the show. It's all in how much he lives up to that goal by the end, I suppose.

Anyways, I thought this was a solid episode. There were some really smart writing decisions on a conceptual level, like tying to the final form's debut to the theme of family, both through Genta and through Masumi and George, and Shibasaki's usual talent for the effects got to shine through here, especially when Revi and Vice go chasing after that new Stamp. There are a lot of shots in this one that impressed me with how much they don't feel like something I see in Rider all the time.

I also appreciate Ultimate Revice's design a lot more already after reading from that same page I just linked that the decision to have Vice look nearly identical to Revi was a conscious effort to portray how Ikki's relationship with him has grown so far beyond the idea of Ikki being good and Vice being his amoral foil. They look the same because they're equal, essentially, and again, it's like when you put it that way, suddenly it sounds way more appealing. My initial impression of those suits was dominated by the thought that Vice just looked like Revi, but looking at it through this lens, it makes sense that Vice finally gets to just look like the superhero now, instead of some weird monster in a cheap costume, like he started out, or a dark reflection of that hero, like Jack Revice.