[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Ryoga is also someone who has unyielding loyalty to SoL though. So I guess, what'd make Rintaro's a heroic quality is his conscience that he follows, while Ryoga has none of that to be devoted to SoL's cause no matter how dark actually it is. He'd follow their darkest goals without second thoughts, making him someone who can't be reasoned or bargained with.

I think the main difference between them is that Ryouga is loyal to the letter of SOL, while Rintarou is loyal to the spirit of SOL. Ryouga follows orders without question, as he believes that Master Logos' will is inherently just and doubt is weakness. Rintarou was also conditioned by his upbringing to believe that, but as brought up in Surprise Future, it's a contradiction to think that having no doubt is the same as believing more. That's merely subservience. Rintarou's doubt gives meaning to his belief, since he cares about SOL for the principles it stands for and that makes his actions more honest.

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Originally Posted by Mesnick

My people have a saying: "If you see the word "sex" in the questionnaire and just indicate your gender, then everything is okay. If you have other thoughts about this, then the problem is not in the questionnaire, but in you." But yes, the media has a long history of flirting with shippers, including very deviant ones. But, again, this indicates a problem in society (or even humanity as a whole) rather than in a particular work. Do not bring such topics money, they would be remembered once in a hundred years, and then by accident.

I agree that some fault lies with the viewers who infer however they want through their own biases. We're probably all guilty of that, to varying extents. However, the work also has a responsibility to depict characters and morals carefully, to prevent spreading misconceptions about things that could be potentially harmful IRL (which I think Kinoshita is especially problematic for this). Of course, yeah, when it comes to deviant shippers, they're probably going to do it regardless, if they already have the bias for it. Nevertheless, the work inadvertently validating that behavior doesn't help though.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER SABER EPISODE 30 - ?FOREVER CONNECTED, EVEN WHEN APART?

And, y?know, your mileage may vary on how successful this episode is at digging into the toxicity of these types of stories. It?s indulging in tropes specifically to dispute them, but it?s still indulging in them. I really appreciated how it tried to say something about how much we should valorize the men who bravely reorient narratives onto their emotional suffering, though. It?s easy to feel bad for Rintaro, which, sadly, makes it easier to forget about Mei.

Yeah, my experience with the Neko episodes is kind of similar to what you're describing here. Like, what you said before about the Yeti episodes, where the best MOTW plots are those that impose a choice on their hosts, I think that's even more noticable here now that it's one of the main characters and one who is otherwise very proactive in how she forces herself in to SOL's business and proves to be an invaluable asset to the team. Honestly, how did Zooous even get in to the Northern Base infirmary to throw a book at her?!

Considering the prominent knight motif of Kamen Rider Saber, I guess it's not surprising that the stereotypical Save Princess From Castle trope would come up eventually, with Neko being the figurative castle. While it's definitely doing some smart things with Rintarou, like how he's approaching the task of saving Mei with the same obsession that Kento approached defeating Kamijo and how he's ignorant to how much Mei values his life that he considers so expendable. The downside is that Mei doesn't have much autonomy here. Not a totally bad episode, but yeah, could've been handled a little better.

Weirdly, the Nekomata episodes of Ninninjer were some of the worst in that show as well. I love cats, but damn, Tokusatsu's really trying to make me hate them sometimes.

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Originally Posted by r4bbitdragon

Which ends up not looking great for Saber, the notable exception. And it's not just lacking a female tertiary that clouds Saber's handling of women, but the actual female characters are largely... well. When we finally get Reika as a female rider, she immediately gets derailed to (weirdly) fawn over her brother. Sophia gets kidnapped (due to actor obligations, but) with barely an impact on the narrative for ages. Luna... is not a character! She really just exists as motivation.

I mean, would I like Mei to be a Rider? Sure, I was always hoping for MeiEspada to be a thing. But before being a Rider, I agree that it's more important to be a good character. Which is why, despite being the exception to the Reiwa Rider heroines, she's still my favorite. Being a Rider is more like a bonus, but what she contributes to SOL as the brave and resourceful Sudo Mei, that's what I care about the most.

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

In all honesty, the most I remember from this episode was the whole ?Mei turns into a Cat Megid? beat. To the point I actually wrote a one shot for it which soon devolved into its own AU. I should really finish it sometime.

Mei-gido

There's always a risk of decanonization when it comes to writing fanfic for ongoing works, but you know, I think it's a risk worth taking!