[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Why 30? A couple of veterans offer such a condition to adequate beginners and everything is fine. Speaking of Kanato's desire, given that the organizers of the DGP are interested in protecting the world (or at least claim to be), it seems to me that he would not have been allowed to win anyway.

If you're referring to the taking turns option, then I guess the veterans don't necessarily have to convince every Rider in the roster, only the most adept. But there's a problem that those being offered such a bargain would have no guarantee that they'll keep their end. Ace is an unapologetic liar and manipulator and Michinaga wants to crush other Riders, not help them.

Regarding Kanato, yeah, I doubt the DGP had any intention on granting his desire, not in the way he wanted anyway. They never specify the conditions for desires, only mention that they vaguely exist, nor do they ever tell him, "hey, you can't write that", so it seems rigged to allow people like him to provide fighting experience for the other Riders and examples of what happens when you get Retired or Mission Failed.

The main problem with trying to co-operate in the DGP is that you can't trust anybody. Ace, Kanato and Morio have all used charisma and deception to the detriment of inexperienced players like Keiwa and Neon. Co-operation can be used to someone else's expense as well, like how the villainous Elephant and Gazelle teamed up to get Touru killed, which is the reason why Michinaga prefers to keep the game as a fair free-for-all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

I'd like to see how Keiwa processes this later on, but honestly like I said in my ep. 1 review, though it's purposely established as Keiwa's arc, there's a misconception of how personal desire/wants and concern about others inherently compromise each other, you can be only one or the other, and it should stop honestly. It's just a writing choice (with Keiwa not the only one). Like, when someone helps others, the most heroic ones would try to protect not only their lives but also smiles, but when they're not helping others, like being alone, they should be still able to fill their time by pursuing their personal interests.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being selfish as long as it doesn't conflict with selfless heroism. The DGP is selfish by design, with the only selfless outcome being saving civilians in the Jyamar Area by beating the last boss. However, there are people like Shirowe and now Keiwa in this episode who claim to be selfless, but are still fighting for their own desires, knowing that they'd be denying others what they want. Probably the most heroic way to play would be to grant the desire of the runner-up, provided it's not malicious. Like, Ace and Michinaga may not be the most outwardly moral people, but at least they're honest about their selfishness. Something as simple as eating can be considered a selfish action, but if you abstain from it, you die, so anybody who claims they're not selfish at all is definitely being pretentious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

He certainly did at the beginning (esp. accusing Ren as child eater, though who called him out was Yui instead), but even later on, there'd be some people who still thinks Shinji refuses to understand others, probably just simply by Shinji putting his own wants above theirs (and his eventual wish is affirming that). There seems to be a misconception that "understanding others" automatically means that you must agree with them and let them have their way. Even this can extend to someone who calls out another who are morally wrong in general, that they're dictating how they live.

This is what I appreciate about Shinji's development, how he goes from pointlessly trying to stop the fighting between the Riders, to understanding the reason for them fighting each other and giving up on trying to stop them, but still personally disagreeing with their choice and turning his focus on trying to stop the Rider War at the source. When he stops obsessing over the variables he can't control, he actually becomes a lot more competent, as both a fighter and an example of heroism to Ren.

EDIT: I just realized this is my 1400th post!