[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Forgetting altogether and remembering to the point of constant depression and guilt both seem like destructive ways to deal with the loss. I don't think it's possible to actively repress memories, as that would be called suppression. Repression is more like an instinctive response to trauma and yeah, I feel like that's the deal with Touma. His imagination as a writer is powerful, it's not so unbelievable that it could cut and edit the narrative of his life to make it easier for him to manage. Even with the memory loss, Touma's still driven to keep his promises, as his own way of repenting for his failure at that time. Kento's burden is arguably worse, since he's not only suffering from the guilt of that broken promise and having to keep Touma in the dark, but also the reality that his own father is the reason for that tragedy and the feeling of responsibility to atone for that.

Yeah, it... it's something I really really really wish the show had made room for, beyond a tossed-off self-pitying line from Kento about Touma being the lucky one. There's a lot to unpack, even beyond ascribing intention to what's generally been regarded as Touma's toku-standard Narratively Convenient Amnesia.

(Like, I don't disagree that it's more interesting if Touma's actively avoiding dealing with a traumatic event for which he -- like Kento -- feels personally responsible, but I just don't think there's anything in the text of the show to date that suggests it's a real scenario. I love that you're willing to fill in the show's blanks, but I can't personally get there. I feel like, until I'm told otherwise, it's just a case of Touma's memories being reset by the end of the Wonder World event.)

I think there's a bunch of interesting things the show could've done/will do with Kento's martyrdom and Touma's avoidance, but they sadly haven't done it yet. To your original point, yeah, both forgetting and dwelling are terrible ways of processing trauma. Kento's insistence on suffering, to better fuel his vengeance, makes him not just unable, but unwilling to let go of his past. Meanwhile, Touma's prevented from improving himself by forgetting the ways he's failed. It's pretty bad for both of them! But obviously way worse for Kento right now!