[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

Personally, I have no problem with Tendo's feelings, I would say that his concern for Kagami and the sisters is the best thing about him (and also most likely brought by his grandmother). My main problem with him is that he did not do even the 10th part of what he could. When the policemen died in Kuug, it happened because the rider did not have time to come to their aid. When ZECTroopers died in Kabuto, the reason was that the rider was simply not in a hurry.

Fair enough. I don't mind if people dislike Tendo for being an a**hole or unhelpful to men in a domestic setting, but yeah, I'll always encourage people to look at him as a flawed person with a traumatic past as well.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

All of those complaints, though... that's the point? They're all about one thing: Ogami is a dude who takes pride in his job -- he definitely wants his son to see the value in it -- but it's a job. He uses a big-ass sword because it's efficient. It's not worth trying to look at his life in mythic terms, because that's almost insulting to the hard work Ogami puts in. (It's also sort of condescending to blue collar folks? Imagine going into a fast food joint and telling the person bagging your order that they're the embodiment of man's struggle against the forces of capitalism, and how their quiet dignity points towards an innate humanity that blah blah blah. They would definitely spit on your fries when you weren't looking.) Everything about Ogami as a character is about strpping away the flowery elements for something focused and raw.

For sure, like Touma, I can appreciate Ogami's narrative potential, in both his qualities and flaws. However, I think the story goes a little too one-sided on depicting him as being this stubborn old guy (even though he's only in his 30s) who won't acknowledge the wisdom in youths and how he's inadvertently inhibiting his son's development, to the point where he's pretty much a strawman with no strong argument in this 2-parter. Of course, I'm glad he gets character development early, so he can be more likable and chill now, which is important for his teamwork with the other Swordsmen.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER SABER EPISODE 4 - ?THE BOOK WAS OPENED, THAT IS WHY?

Immediately fills the villain void this show was in, while also making Calibur someone worth caring about. Desast has such devastating charisma, right from the start. He basically tells Calibur, the guy who summoned him, to go screw. He?s excited to duel with Buster. His loss is taken with a laugh; he seems to relish the idea of having an excuse to fight again later. He?s just fun, in a way that Calibur?s quiet menace and the trio of book gangsters had yet to manage. He comes into Buster?s story of a terrified parent and goes Man You Got Old. It?s great!

Yeah, Desast is a totally awesome villain. He's like the Alain of Saber, even people who dislike the show are fans of Desast. Like that intimidating sword gesture before his Calamity Strike! He has an established notoriety to SOL as a bloodthirsty killer of previous Swordsmen and an active threat during the incident from 15 years ago, which makes his debut fight against Buster more intense than your average Megids.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I?ll let it go, though, because as a fellow bookseller, I was glad to see Touma do the coolest aspect of the job: getting a minor piece of information and figuring out what book it?s from. There is no more superheroic feeling as a bookseller than having someone offer a tiny detail from something they half-remember, and you spending a couple seconds in thought before going Oh It?s A Book Called ?Friday?. That?s such an electric charge moment, and I?m glad Touma was able to showcase it for a generation of children.

Picking up on a reference and trying to remember where you recognize it from can even be a gratifying moment for anybody who's a fan of various media! It's a cool way to show off Touma's knowledge of books, which is fitting with the episode's moral that books aren't a waste of time and besides entertainment, they can actually be educational for future reference. Salamander talking about the king's awakening only made me think of Time Jackers, so it's good that someone in the show could figure out what he really meant.

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

Anyway, boxing Tinkerbell.

Tinkerbuff!