[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Enchilada645

And oh man is Rintaro's Wonder Combo probably the worst one if I'm being absolutely honest! There's an odd bulkiness to it that I just... do not like at all and it probably has to do with how big the lion head is. Again it's cool, and needs not explanation. But the way the lion head is popped out doesn't help do the form any favors.

Aw, I rather liked it. It's got two different horse heads for shoulders! That's neat! No notes!

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Like, I honestly think there's something beautiful in the insane way early Saber stuff like this plays out, but like, I can't put it into words very well. At least not off the top of my head.

I mean, if this were debate class (or I was getting paid for it) I feel like I could mount a credible defense for Saber's storytelling here, even if I didn't 100% believe what I was saying. There's a dreamlike quality to everything Touma goes through that's perfectly appropriate for a series set in the realms of fable and parable. To deconstruct it logically almost misses the point; it's supposed to be illogical. Rules are arbitrary, because overcoming an obstacle and learning more about yourself is the end goal. The battle isn't with Calibur, or the Book Club -- the battle is against how storytelling creates boundaries that only better stories can surpass, and the victory is in realizing that our stories are up to us. I'll Decide How This Story Ends, as I remember a Kamen Rider saying once or twice.

...buuuuuut there's still the larger problem of this episode's levels being WAY off. Touma's intensity here is set for Act 3's The Apocalypse Is Nigh, not Act 1's We Need To Figure Out What The Villains Are Up To. Him screaming at a hooded figure feels wildly out of proportion with a personal setback that only occured last week. They don't even know what Calibur's actually up to! I think you got some breathing room, guy!

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Originally Posted by Nokination

I really didn't like how they handled the two major plots of this episode. First, the Rintaro plot, I like the idea of Rintaro feeling the need to get stronger to the point of endangering his well-being, but I really dislike how all his training is just glossed over and not shown to us. We're told that this room is dangerous, but we never see why, and the only scene we get of the room itself is Rintaro having a flashback to his master, which I like, but I'd appreciate more substance to the plot.

Ha ha, yeah, the High Gravity Room is sort of sparse. Slash really sells it as a room that is even more dangerous than any training room you've ever seen, and the set itself looks like Rintaro is levelling up entirely due to the power of interpretive dance (and some falling over). It's a sequence that bit off way more than it could chew, and that's discounting the bigger problem of there being no intriguing twist to Rintaro's recovery. Not the best follow-through on this one, no.