[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Tamaki's just trying to be a good wingman to Aguilera! He just wants Aguilera to be happy and in a loving relationship with a very special person and their big plush inner demon!

Why are you acting like I don't know that? It's unrelated to my complaints too, ofc he wants that, but the scene can be made better rather than just being repetitive, or not put that scene for this time.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 21 - “LAYING DOWN MY LIFE, TO ENTRUST MY HOPES”

I don’t, generally speaking, care about villainous plots in Kamen Rider. They’re rarely a thing I remember fondly, if I even remember them at all. I remember characters, and I care about stories drawn from their decisions. I can lose myself in conflicts that spill out of disagreements between heroes, or impossible dilemmas faced by virtuous weirdos; stuff that feels like the manifestation of a character arc. I mostly don’t give a shit about machinations, or the shadowy organizations that set them in motion.

Now I wonder if there are shows (KR/toku or not) actually fulfilled your wants there of having no plot or machinations, but pure character decisions, like you want. Curious of how those will work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I almost just want to wave my hand at this episode and go NO MORE OF THAT, THANK YOU, and just post the second screencap for this post. There’s literally one thing I liked in this episode: When Dad Ushijima theatrically introduces Weekend, and Sakura jokingly clarifies that it’s actually a weekday. That’s it, and I almost dislike that joke for its proximity to the most unnecessary collection of Cultists With Gamer Chairs that I’ve ever had the misfortune to think about. There’s literally no point to Weekend in this episode – everyone already knows that Fenix is bad – and they can’t even spend a single scene looking benevolent to recruit Sakura effectively. And, by “effectively”, I mean “in a way that doesn’t make her look like the biggest rube this side of everyone who works at Fenix”. Weekend is just FENIX BAD, but in a way that’s even less trustworthy than Fenix. I don’t know why Sakura doesn’t tell Ikki about them, so we can get another character to tell her that this is a horrible group to throw your lot in with. (I assume Lovekov was cut from this episode because she’d’ve never fallen for this idiocy.) I don’t know why Sakura decides to back them, rather than just stick it out with her own family of superheroes. They made her Driver, but there doesn’t seem to be anything they can offer, and their motives are the same Zero Tolerance lunacy as Fenix is preaching, but from the opposite direction. I hate them, and they make this show monumentally dumber.

So this episode starts to unravel the dark secrets behind Fenix, and that includes on how the new faction Weekend operates, which consists of the Ushijima family, located in the basement of their house (as well as Kimiko being the one to give Sakura Libera Driver). Everyone on Revice holds big secrets, and it seems to be how Revice keeps characters relevant, still you don't need to make anyone 'special' to make them relevant, for general writing. So all the sparring Hikaru and Sakura did before was set for a bigger picture, trying to recruit her to Weekend. Sakura is subjected into a more brutal test of multiple masked men (Ka-men) fighting her, but man, those masked men should've waited for Sakura to take off her shoes first before attacking (as per Asian house standards, I mean there are good reasons for that to be done). Sakura denies affiliation with Weekend, but she did one of their missions by retrieving Giff ViStamp from Aguilera. Does that mean she did it on her own volition? Then it'd be good, though dunno if she had grown past of justifying pragmatic methods pre-Jeanne.

The dark secrets behind Fenix, so far according to Weekend it's about investigating Giff coffin despite that it's a dangerous move, but by that it seems that it's more about certain members of the Fenix being bad instead of Fenix as a whole? Albeit it's a higher up in Akaishi and George thus they'd be more influental in their schemes, but it's more like that if you remove the bad apples in Fenix then Fenix can properly function as a good organization, like removing corrupt cops in a police force for example.

George too is teased as a "humans are the real monsters" by Vice, claiming that he's a human that is worse than demons (well technically a good number of humans are worse than Lovekov). He also had earned a contempt from Ikki as well for what he did to Hiromi. While he deflects the Hiromi subject from Ikki and Daiji, he's shown to be at least onboard with Akaishi's schemes and goals. Though in comparison George is better to Akaishi with a sliver of sympathy to Hiromi as he resigns, letting Hiromi punch him as well as claiming it's for the best regarding Hiromi's state (right after disposing him due to him being useless).

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Maybe the only point in Weekend’s favor is that they aren’t Fenix, though? Akaishi stops preening like an especially diabolical vulture to spring Olteca (who I assume he recruited to the Deadmans way back when) and crash the Fenix helicarrier, for no tangible benefit. Fenix wasn’t in any danger from being discovered – Hiromi was going to quit, and the Igarashis were suspicious without taking action – and Akaishi was in total control of both the real Giff Stamp and Giff itself. There’s no reason to escalate things? Other than boredom, I guess? It’s, again, just villainous machinations that occur around the heroes, but never really involves them in its progression. It’s a story that they’re reacting to, not a story that’s reacting to them. It’s things blowing up, and villains that want something, but heroes that are just confused and reacting. There’s nothing in there for me to connect with.

I'd talk about the good ones first for Hiromi, this episode proves that being a hero doesn't mean you have to henshin as Demons, no hero definition asked you to do that, and that Hiromi should acknowledge that. Hiromi performs the heroic deed by controlling the Fenix Skybase so it won't crash into the city and therefore saving everyone on board. There wasn't any fighting involved, albeit it still takes capabilities in a complex field, but still shows heroism isn't merely about fighting. Moreover as he resigned it's not his obligation anymore too to save the people inside. Otherwise, yeah his final scenes in this episode is handled poorly, half-assing in informing the important information to Daiji (while not showing enough of their dynamic), amateur shot from Olteca to Hiromi so he's only blown away to the nearby cliff (stock Rider death place, obviously not the end of him).... How he discovered Fenix' secret is also quite easy solution with Hiromi just passing by.

With Hiromi gone from Fenix, now Daiji's the major character that has affiliation to Fenix (unless Akemi's elevated into secondary heroine or such), with the story setting him up as being conflicted to Fenix. I hope this is the part where the story sets a definitive path for Daiji's character, and it being executed well of course, other than Daiji acting as mostly faithful soldier to do Fenix's tasks while helping his siblings in the process (though Daiji's never someone who's obsessively loyal to Fenix). Making the Igarashi siblings even more distinct with Sakura going on the opposing side, Daiji staying at Fenix while being conflicted, and Ikki acting more independent (but is now against Fenix) but trying to look for best case scenario.

The Giff coffin is established as giving side effects to Vice, and this episode upgrades the friendship between Ikki and Vice further, with Ikki releasing Vice just to check on him, out of concern. But despite the terrible thing that happened to Vice, it turns into how benefical Vice is to deduce that the Giff ViStamp Sakura retrieved was fake as it didn't cause any effect on him. Vice also later scans on how the Demons that fought Daiji (to Sakura's confusion) was Olteca, not Hiromi. So despite how despicable Olteca is, there are no Kusaka/Micchy situation in Revice, thanks to Vice! Genta suffers from the effects of Giff coffin as well, further establishing Genta's relation to him, his big secret.

The change that happened to Aguilera recently isn't redemption, just that it seems that her being put on more difficult position just makes character overall diminished. Now she's only about being obsessed with Giff (and revealing her goal previously as a parallel to Olteca, Giff related still). Previously she's established as being obsessed with Giff, but there's more on her like her persuasion and manipulating others to join Deadmans, her sinister side being covered by her childish cheery self, her warped worldview including how she views happiness, etc. Other than her lackluster battle results, I guess Sakura's criticism on her is a wake up call of the series itself to give Aguilera her multi-faceted parts back. I'd actually want to see if her development from here is to make her a more effective villain instead of redeeming her first.

Tamaki's put in a more difficult position of supporting 2 girls at once (asking Sakura to take care of Aguilera... but it can be opposing like this episode), and actually unknowingly made a deal to Sakura to hand her the Giff ViStamp... and with him being powerless at this moment.... it gives a comedic bit of him using pleading gesture to Sakura instead.

The series doesn't drag upon Akaishi's identity as an apparent Deadman Founder, with him clearly shown to work together with Olteca here (and shows the difference of him to other Fenix members, who just captured Olteca). Akaishi also performed a stock evil laugh at the end of episode. With him being the Deadman Founder, he's apparently the real main antagonist of the series, not Aguilera, not Olteca too. Another misleading preview a KR series had to prominently feature the Deadman trio before. What's known about Akaishi here is also that he, at least what he claims against others, share similar goals as Prof. Karizaki (George's father), to separate humans from demons, and it's a goal that didn't work out really well; certain self-awakened inner demons can actually be a nuisance or even a threat to their hosts.

Olteca's scheme in this episode is simpler than I think, with him just exchanging items with Akaishi, him getting Giff ViStamp and Olteca getting Demons Driver. With Demons Driver claiming Olteca as smelling like a demon, now I wonder if Olteca actually had inner demon and that his previous Deadman form was a separate outside demon, or that the Driver refers to how evil and monstrous Olteca is. And with Olteca as Demons being strong enough to take on the 3 Igarashi siblings at once, now it just adds more mystery on the Demons Driver (other than to Hiromi), would Demons get stronger the more evil the user is (which'd make Hiromi the worst user as someone all about being heroic)?