[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 10 - ?AN OLDER AND YOUNGER BROTHER, BELIEVING FROM THE HEART?

I mostly don?t get what Ikki and Daiji were supposed to have learned from this? Ikki?s rally in the second half is built around having faith in Daiji. Vice says that Ikki was just paying lip-service to his belief in Daiji, and it?s not until Vice?s pep talk that Ikki truly believes in Daiji?s strength. Except I?m not sure how Ikki?s behaving any differently? He spent all of last episode shouting DAIJI to a point that Vice ended up parodying, and he starts this episode begging for Daiji to put an end to Kagerou?s rampage. The only thing Ikki does differently at the end is tell Kagerou that Daiji?s strong, and I guess that?s it? That?s the lesson for Ikki? To be more verbally supportive of his brother? And Daiji doesn?t seem to learn anything; he just accepts his brother?s fawning praise and becomes a Kamen Rider because of it. The lesson, I guess, is to compliment dangerously jealous people, and put yourself beneath them until they stop trying to murder you?

This episode shows that even if you only have the best intention of others and didn't really do mean stuff to them (even in the name of 'making them better'), you can still have flawed approach in that. Ikki's insistence to be the one handling probably anyone's problems can feel like he's taking all the spotlight and turn overbearing due to that, and it's due to him not putting his faith on Daiji to handle something instead, contradicting his claims, making Vice right, like Ikki handling the problems of his siblings cause Daiji to feel marginalized, feeling unimportant due to everything being handled by others, spurring him to look for a place where he can shine on his own (and inadvertently making things worse via Kagerou). It's also seen before when Ikki inadvertently forced Sakura to go into Daiji's promotion despite her karate session. Not that Ikki fully fits, but this can lean towards overprotective parent/bigger sibling type, which doesn't really consider the feelings of those under your care if they'd not want to be treated as such (as Ikki realizes his selfishness to Daiji), which isn't an optimal way to take care of them and can do more harm than good, this he needs to learn to give some space for those under your care, and learn some of the others' worth like Daiji's strength as he's lost before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It?s a conclusion that does just about nothing to address the overall dilemma of the Kagerou storyline: that Daiji?s unresolved envy coalesced into a monster that lived out Daiji?s secret desire of humiliating and murdering his brother. None of that is resolved in this exciting victory for Daiji, because all that happened is that Ikki said Daiji You?re So Much Cooler And More Awesome Than Me. This? this was not solely an Ikki problem! This was at least equally an Ikki and Daiji problem, but Daiji just waits in Kagerou?s head until Evil?s weakened by unearned compliments and Daiji heroically busts out. It?s like the show is burying the dilemma in the same way Daiji buried his resentment, and that?s sort of a terrible conclusion to frame as a win?

Though I feel like that flashback or Sakura's reaction to Genta crying seems to enforce that being emotional is weak again... This is also a case when the 'victimized' one didn't lash out at others due to them getting where Daiji (not Kagerou) didn't really do evil shit, other than probably denying his family relations at his promotion, so I guess for this once, Ikki can take the bigger blame, one that can be easily overlooked too. Their argument before was only Daiji acting like Ichijou from Kuuga against Ikki, and what he did at the end was bringing up his nosy traits again in lighthearted manner. Now I guess Kagerou won't be fully eliminated (if it is it's too fast), so time to learn how to prevent Kagerou returning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And yet, there?s a competency to this episode that won?t let me write it off. I liked the Live suit?s debut, and the corresponding explosive fight scene. I liked the adorable family dinner at the end. I liked Aguilera going off to the underpass to flirt with Sakura. I liked all of the stuff with Vice as an attentive and helpful friend to Ikki. I liked Hiromi (not so) secretly being super emotionally invested in his soldiers. I liked the pace and structure of the episode, even if I didn?t care for how it chose to conclude this storyline. It?s? y?know, it?s not the best feeling, this disconnection from a big, emotional finale, but at least the way they told this not-great moral was pretty good?

Conveniently there's still 1 Deadman after Daiji is restored, to have him show off as Live ("Evil" with reversed letter). Live's design reminds me of Drake, and he's also a gunslinger like him, where I admit his fighting moves of gun-fu are quite flashy and stylish. The Rider that is done to get Live, Revice Brachio Genome with Zi-O motif (and Time Mazine as Remix), has the Zi-O traits quite underutilized, only mostly about both him and Vice beating up the stunned Evil, like there's no time-motif power (for example Zi-O II had it which allows it to predict attacks for instance). Though both the Zi-O motif and the animal it uses has a thought put behind it; Zi-O's first episode has Sougo running away from a Tyrannosaurus, which, like brachiosaurus, are dinosaurs. The Brachiosaurus is also meant as a gentle giant, generally peaceful until you make it mad, which is like how Sougo is the most powerful KR as Ohma Zi-O, and is generally a nice guy but one you shouldn't mess with.

Earlier on, this establishes something new for Sakura, establishing her vendetta and irrational disdain against Kamen Riders due to how it affects the family. The series establish further of the 2 major girl characters' rivalry with her fighting Aguilera, this time taking Aguilera's kick better (without leaving a mark in her white cloth) than before. Via Aguilera's temptation.

Morton's fork situation for Hiromi as he's wrong either way, he gets scolded for not speaking up, but if he does then it's him taking blame anyway for being a Fenix member that involves Igarashi family. The end of the episode shows that Hiromi can loose up, offering a genuine smile after Daiji is restored, probably he's in that situation when there's not military occupations stressing him. It's also probably him actually more hoping for a best outcome too, but had less hesitation before compared to Ikki, who is a family. Also the first time he got de-henshin... so the Deadman of the week from the Sentai alumnis puts better fight than Olteca and Julio (at least if those 2 didn't hold back). George seems to be thrilled over the appearence of Live, so he seems to appreciate some of the Kamen Rider virtues (other than being a fan of its aesthetics) to a degree, wanting to create a hero that is born from lots of drama and struggle. Still doesn't change the fact that he let a superpowered villain loose though as Kagerou before. Wakabayashi starts to be suspicious of him... firstly assuming him as just a mad scientist who prioritizes experiment over anything, when he's motivated by his, destructive passion of Kamen Rider.