[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Enchilada645

There's something just very ingenious about using our new setup for a classic 1 vs. 1 duel between two swordsmen. Daishinji very much went above and beyond in how cool he was and this episode is very much one of the ones that cemented him as one of my favorites. It's also like I mentioned briefly when talking about Episode 16. How Daishinji and Ogami are the ones who are clearly trying to think more rationally about everything. And here we see Daishinji trying to seek answers even if Touma's not in a position to answer them.

I like that while guys like Ren and Rintaro are scared that Touma's becoming another Kamijo, the two guys that knew Kamijo best are like Maybe That Whole Situation Was A Little On Us. There's a sense of them, Daishinji and Ogami, being a little scared at history repeating itself, and opting to try a little compassion this time around. Like, not giving Touma the benefit of the doubt, exactly, but trying to get more involved with Touma's decision-making; being present a little more than they probably were with Kamijo or Kento's dad.

And thanks for the Desast update! I'm glad he was staying active on his socials when he's not actively trying to murder a swordsman. Mei would be proud!

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Originally Posted by Deepsea

Oh hey, it's the episode/arc that solidified my love for Daishinji, hell yeah.

He's very fun in this! I like how he treats the duel as heartfelt conversation between friends.

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Originally Posted by Nokination

It's not that big of a deal, but going from Zero-One where the MOTW would basically be the focus of every episode, and the Humagear becoming it usually having a flaw of some sort, such as the sushi Humagear not making sushi to a high enough quality in its owner's eyes. It's minor stuff but it builds character, and the show wants to get us attached to these characters but won't give us enough screen time or any motivation for us to feel for these characters. It's not that big of a deal, I just don't really care about any of these people stuck within a Megid.

The episode definitely assumes that a beautifully-shot sequence of someone being inspired by Touma is going to carry the emotional part of that plotline, and it's sort of asking a lot of one dialogue-less scene. Shingo, once again, doesn't get to be active in this story: he's approached by Storious, but then loses all his agency after that. There was a chance to tell a different kind of story with a young fan of Touma's, but there's very little substance there.