[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 15 - “EXTERMINATION! SHOWDOWN! DEADMANS!”

I knew this was going to be a good one for me when the heroes are trying to figure out who knows how to enter the Giffamilia base, and I went Kagerou Knows and then a scene later Sakura goes Kagerou Knows. I don’t like guessing stuff on the show to feel smart or anything (my guesses are almost always wrong), but I like it because it means the show is adhering to a logic that I can comprehend. It’s not pulling some information out of its Driver, it’s using the details of previous episodes to embroider this one. Kagerou is the only cast member who actually hung out with the Giffamilia, and it’s a clever and fascinating plot development to find a way to get that information out of him.

Not only George letting the Chameleon Deadman being taken away the Gifu ViStamp isn't a losing move, it actually leads to the protagonist's victory as he planted an invisible chip. Sasuga George, the genius scientist out-gambitting the Chameleon Deadman, the Deadman's action only served to track down the Deadman's hideout, so nothing loses here, it only gains Fenix full upper hand. George was acting lecherous and outright inappropriate on how he deals with Aguilera (+Giff), but Aguilera's just someone that kind of deserved that. Hiromi (and Daiji) saying "Gracias Deadmans" to enter the Deadman base reminds me of something Marvel, but no, not Spider-Man, instead about Cap saying "Hail HYDRA" (MCU one as the comic book is controversial for that iirc). When someone so righteous and noble, are forced to outwardly support their enemy to advance.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

That was the high point of the episode for me, by a mile, all of that stuff where Ikki and Sakura Rider Kick Daiji into Kagerou and then feed him spicy food that Daiji hates until he parts with the info. It’s adorably half-assed in a classic Igarashi way, where a million things could go wrong but somehow don’t through sheer pluck. They make a great/terrible team!

Regardless of what happens to Aguilera, the situation's really bad for the heroes either way with the awakening for Giff, Ikki and Sakura are forced to take drastic measures by releasing Kagerou to get to know Deadman's hideout. So I guess it's not Ikki's treatment to Daiji that pushed him, Kagerou manifests when Daiji gets beaten in a fight. So the drawback of being Live is that Daiji must not get beaten up too hard, not only that you lose one of the fighters in your team but also creating a new threat in the place. Like Ikki, Sakura didn't fully learned her lesson yet, which I guess is natural, where Ikki convinced her to loose up by bathing (a step to world peace), and as a Rider, she lives (not that one) for more and more fighting - not exactly a good trait. but Yukimi's just overprotective to her in an even worse manner than Ikki (at least him onscreen)... smh, and like, only to Sakura, not the male childs (patronizing to a gender). I guess despite acting as the advisor before, Yukimi needs some lesson herself (Genta's turn... before pointing out about more courage to trust). Still wondering what sparks sympathy from Sakura to Aguilera here to point out about saving her, where previously she hates and specifically targets her for good reason.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The rest of the episode proceeds pretty much how you’d expect. Team Igarashi breaks up the sacrifice of Aguilera, brawls with the Deadmans, and stops Giff from manifesting. Each fight has a detail or two that keeps it entertaining – Olteca complimenting Live’s suit, Commander Chameleon inaccurately duplicating Vice, Aguilera getting super creeped out by Lovekov – but there’s no real sense of danger for our heroes. Stories like this one, when the villains are on the back foot, they’re kind of foregone conclusions. It’s still fun, the fights all have strong individual hero moments (even Hiromi! Despite having a demonic seizure, maybe!), but it’s the weird consequence of the heroes setting the tone for a change: it’s the protagonists in too much control of the narrative.

The fight in this episode pitting everyone against their respective rivals... Ikki against Kudo who had vendetta on him being lectured and humiliated by an "egoist", Sakura against Amahiko who is the one behind her traumatic experience (involving Seiko) before becoming Jeanne, Daiji against Olteca who was the one that interacted and fascinated with Kagerou the most, and Hiromi against Chameleon Deadman who betrayed him taking Wakabayashi's form. There's a nice Vice moment (and Ikki's solution, probably a proof that Ikki fully accepts Vice now) of exposing Chameleon, of Vice being his usual coarse self claiming the family as tasty. I guess that shows that at least being upfront is better than being two-faced. Ironic for Jeanne that her barrier while henshin didn't appear when the siblings henshin in a very vulnerable position (kinda wasted), and she got a powerup that... didn't involve the use of martial arts as all in a turret weapon Turtle. I guess I "agree" with Hiromi should try taking care of his body more (of course Chameleon wants an easy target that time), as not giving doesn't necessarily mean keep going when you can't, but that would keep trying again in better times even if you stop knowing you can't go on anymore. I'd also like if Scorpion Genome also can poison other than swiping with tail. The fight against the spaceship Deadman base here is hype (aside of KR's typical CGI) with Barid Rex's perhaps ultimate ability to summon every Remixes, albeit the finisher is basic. Really makes Barid Rex seemingly outclass everything seen.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

So they win! They win big! The Deadmans’ nightclub-slash-church-slash-spaceship(?) dislodges from the Toku Caves and hovers over the bay, then gets obliterated by a full roster of giant-sized Remixes. It’s a lot of CG, which had me tuning out, but I appreciated how fully this episode cleared the deck of the villains’ status quo. Giff got blown up! Aguilera and Julio have split from Olteca! Maybe Fenix is going to arrest the other Giftex baddies! There wasn’t even an Or Did They stinger to the team’s win, since the cliffhanger is just Aguilera despondently screaming over not being a sacrificial bride to a yonic sculpture who is also sort of her dad. Seems like a clean win? Not sure where the show goes next, which is kind of a fun place to be in. Possibilities! I do like them!

So the villain faction finally had a fallout, and while I did expect that, the fallout between them is actually nastier than I thought. Olteca turning out to be the really one in charge of the Deadmans, with Aguilera as figurehead. Her more of being bratty teen is not really hiding capability as much as it seems for now. But I don't like something about her treatment that what's with her being easily KOed now, twice in the same episode? I thought she's established as strong even in "human" Deadman form and can gain upper hand easily on Sakura likely due to being superhuman as Giftex. As everyone speculated, Julio is hellbent on saving Aguilera, he'd defy his other comrades, though halfheartedly complies when, as I expected, as a total simp Aguilera would offer herself to Giff if it's what brings him, or even be more content of being just one with him. Technically Ikki and Vice saving her would be going against her wishes that she'd only want to sacrifice herself if it what brings Giff, so her lashing out at them (other than how she cares little for anyone other than Giff, and those she likes such as Sakura is meant as sacrifice for Giff) is in-tune with that. So despite turning into Giftex Amahiko and Kudo didn't last long, they're killed for good here as sacrifice for Giff.