[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Oh, for sure, the stuff with Mei and the rest was the high point of the episode. I love her rallying the troops, everyone finding additional reserves of strength, and them collectively getting the job done without Touma. It was a fun strand of this episode!

I got so caught up in the spectacle of that scene that I totally forgot to give due praise to Mei here, so thanks for bringing that up. Her simple contribution of heart is absolutely critical for encouraging the Swordsmen to do their part for Touma's sake.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I 100% teared up when Rintaro looks at Kento's picture. Rintaro's such a big-hearted doofus, and his desire to commemorate his family -- and probably finally feel validated and accepted -- had such a bittersweet pay-off with that moment. It was really the perfect Rintaro scene.

Yeah, tell me about it! I've watched this twice now (feels like thrice after reading your surprisingly accurate fanfic though) and cried both times. After several episodes of high stakes fast-paced action, this subdued moment to reflect on all that our weary Swordsmen have been through and specifically, how badly Kento's tragic death has affected the usually cheerful Rintarou, to make him feel like a helpless failure, before Mei gives him that sweet pep talk assuring that Kento truly believed in him even knowing he was about to die.... Those emotions just punch me in my heart all at once! I'd thought Episode 15 was already an appropriate place to conclude this arc, but then we get this simultaneously tearful and inspirational encore with Blades Retsuden that says so much with so little. This show is always so full of pleasant surprises!

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Originally Posted by Layton13

First, on the table of contents, since it kind of feels like you downplay what it is a bit too much. It's a bit more than a map; it's more of a very quick summary of the world's history and every truth unknown to man, which would be rather interesting for both people wanting to remake the world and searching for something unknown.

This also brings to question the motivations of Hayato, Kamijo and even the Megid trio for seeking it. Like, sure, Universal Truth, exposing the traitor, generically evil world domination, etc. But to an end that's still left to our imagination to wonder why they would believe it worth obtaining at all costs. Just makes all those unknown variables even more ominous to find out, what could be so terrible to induce such empty nihilism and apathy for human lives.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Tbf, the Book Club now made better impression on me with them whooping the Rider's ass untransformed

Got to love the Zooous flips.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

For the 'people' I mentioned there, I refer to the irl audiences who watches the show and make up the fanbase. There are villains who do justify like that, but the audiences buy those words like gospel... Your examples of anti-villains (except maybe Bacht) are not examples of those though, they're among most depraved villains in the entire franchise (Gai would be if they didn't shoehorn redemption for him), Gai is the "amoral psychopathic (though more like sociopathic) types who rely on good publicity" type, and though Ohma Zi-O parted amicably with his past self, he had tried to corrupt him (like Daguva) to see which timeline his past-self would destroy and how he would go on about it, his action didn't stop in making his world a living hell. It's not righteous justifcation alone that makes an anti-villain, it can be just ways to escape responsibility and get free pass or freedom.

Oh yeah, people IRL can be self-righteous about that way of thinking, which may imply they have biases for those characters they're defending. Anyway, I do think Oma Zi-O and Gai would fit the antivillain label though, albeit on the extreme side.

Oma Zi-O considered himself to have succeeded in becoming the greatest kindest demon king even after murdering half the planet and he's definitely not dependent on publicity since everyone hates him and even his IWAE man is secretly in cahoots with Quartzer to usurp him. Zi-O VS Decade also implies that overuse of his powers to create and destroy worlds turned Sougo insane, so his sense of morality is no longer in check with reality.

Gai is a narcissist, whose delusions of moral perfection are enabled by the validation he receives from society and the formative childhood trauma that pushed him to be 1000%. When revealing his involvement in Ark's corruption, he's totally oblivious to his culpability, instead citing humanity's malice for making Ark inclined towards genocide. Gai believes he merely provided an education and insists that Ark's conclusions from that are its own. Notice how it's only when his publicity is threatened that he's forced to evaluate his morality, where he realizes that he's actually a terrible person.

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

Also, fun trivia note, we are now at the point in the series where someone on this board began making constant posts about how much they wanted Mei to become the new Espada.

Haha, that was me.

I mean, why not? What, with Ikazuchi being vacant now and the ED theme's Mei/Espada comparisons. Not sure what specific criteria a person is required to meet to get chosen by a Seiken Sword (other than arbitrarily having god kanji in their name), but I think Mei ticks most of the boxes for sure. On the topic of fanfiction, I actually read a series where an author ran with this idea.