[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Nokination

Another good episode, I do like how Gai wants to win fairly, as he wants to prove the ZAIA spec
is, of course, 1000% better than the HumaGears, it's a nice bit of development
that shows that even if he is a manipulative business man, he still wants to beat
Aruto in a fair way. Even if it is just to prove that he is a better at
running a business than Aruto.

That was a really cool beat in the episode, Gai demanding a clean victory when he finds out he only got a tainted one. It's neat how it's not exactly treated as nobility -- dude is completely fine with elaborate schemes that ruin his opponents' good names -- but instead as perfectionism masquerading as pragmatism. He needs his victory to be 1000%, because anything less can allow for a competing narrative in the business world. That's a fun point of view for a villain.

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Originally Posted by Frontier

It was kind of nice how, despite losing the first match, Aruto was still able to make a point and help humans and Humagear come to appreciate each other and gain a new understanding. Even if it means he's starting off this job competition with a loss. But at least it's not an entirely bad note to end this on.

Yeah, he's so thrilled that Sakuyo won over Tachibana, even though Gai gets to claim victory twice. That's the shit I want to see the hero focus on, and it's adorable.

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Originally Posted by Kurona

I remember watching this episode, and my feelings being like... this is a *fantastic* direction for Zero-One, it's a lot of great stuff that the job angle allows that the franchise can't usually dip into in a very different way, but it does have some pacing issues and it does go on a little too long -- and doesn't have a great way to wrap in the actual Kamen Rider fighting. But despite that and what's going on with Yua, overall a great success in my mind especially when paralleled with Fuwa's stuff.

It's nice for me because it's sort of sidling up to things I liked from Ex-Aid, where sometimes the most you can hope for from others is cautious respect and them not wanting to destroy you anymore. Like, maybe the most realistic outcome, when faced with someone who doesn't want to validate your existence, is to create empathy out of societal usefulness, or shared appreciations. The overlaps of what we dream of, that's a neat thing to bridge seemingly impossible gaps.

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Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Also hey if you like the drama aspects and the fights don't resonate much then don't worry, that was seemingly the only thing on their minds to where if I recall, they felt it was a chore trying to put fights into the episodes! And I get that like the human side is part of Tokusatsu and I love a lot of out of suit moments, but like... if you can't fit in the cool costumes and monsters easily or naturally... what's the point?

That is sometimes a bummer! I always like these shows more when the action can turn the subtext into text, you know? I like when superhero combat feels like the natural escalation of emotional conflict. This show... boy, it's not always been super smart or invisible about the shifting of drama to action.

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Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

But overall, this was indeed, a nice episode, where both sides have their go, and despite the drama, respect each other's work. Even if the first round goes to ZAIA, it's nice how Aruto isn't bugged by it.

Seriously the best part of the episode. Aruto's after something more fundamental than Winning At Business, which Gai can't even contemplate.

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Originally Posted by cosmicrescend0

The fight in the parking lot....Yeah, cool fight and all, but the only reaction it really got out of me is Gai calling Fuwa a "stray dog", lol. I feel like the show *wants* me to feel troubled at Yua's position at ZAIA and the two fighting, but like.....I don't know, there's just not enough Emotion there for the whole "Oh no, Yua's working the bad guys!" plot to work for me? (Especially wild since Fuwa's arguably the second emotive person in the show.) Like, we've known Yua's been doing shady shit since (arguably) her debut as Valykrie, so there's no "beteryal" of the audience's trust. And Fuwa...just takes in all in stride? Yua up to no good? He's gonna turn her ass in, and isn't afraid to get rough to achieve this. They're comrades working on the battlefield during Yua's time at AIMS, but there's no real relationship there other than "dysfunctional coworkers", so there's not much to work with here?

Yeah, the Yua stuff just really hasn't been working. She's been distant and aloof since Episode 1, so there's no real drama to her being distant and aloof in Episode 18. There's a vague sense of conflict in how everyone is giving her shit all the time about working for ZAIA, but all the actor ever manages is looking slightly wounded. The script never gives her any real argument beyond I'm Just Following Orders, which is, y'know, not historically a super-persuasive argument. Yua needs to, at some point soon, start to articulate a stance of her own, something that sketches out her goals and dreams and fears and character. Otherwise, why are we supposed to care if she's in a job she hates?