[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

DEAR GAGA - PAGE 1

It?s a nice twist, that layer of this story. Hiromi?s most recent bout of superheroic adventure had his boss free a cultist and crash a helicarrier, after which Hiromi ? already hollowed out like a Halloween pumpkin by Fenix?s mad science ? got exploded off of a cliff and seemingly abandoned by his closest friends. (It?s a weird detail that?s never explained, that I know of. Did anyone even try looking for Hiromi after his encliffening? This special acts like he was just missing, but I feel like the previous Revice episodes made him out to be dead. Why was he hard to find, if he just went home after being cliffed?) This is a dude who has found no comfort in Fenix, or in being a Kamen Rider. Why bother remembering that version of yourself? Why not head back to your hometown, away from the expectations to be Captain Kadota or Kamen Rider Demons?

So turns out that Hiromi didn't get amnesia, but was faking it to run away from his responsibilities and avoiding Fenix. Though Hiromi has retired before from it though? Which'd mean Hiromi didn't die a hero, but lived long enough, not to become a villain, but becoming a bit jaded. Hiromi did have miserable life, like his flashback of being bullied, as well as the current event of Wakabayashi being Chameleon Deadman, George using him as guinea pig and discarding him, the reveal of Fenix having a corrupt leader, and Demons devouring his life force, but I guess he's not 100% immune to the dark side of him succumbing to some apathy here after so many crushing cards dealt to him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It?s a more laid-back special than it is propulsive or insightful, which I sort of appreciate. It?s a space where Hiromi can just mope around a little bit, and the tensions are all in his sense of self-worth, or in his mother?s affection. Gaga?s a nicely straightforward, nurturing character, which means she almost immediately has to come down with a mysterious ailment. Most of this episode is split between her giving her son just enough pushback to keep him from wallowing in self-pity, and in her keeling over every other scene. It?s not the most clever use of a mom in this type of story, but I like how the relationship instantly comes across. She seems like a supportive mom that?s going to give Hiromi just enough of a kick in the ass to be a better man.

A clear new path for Hiromi's character, and actually despite that I thought at the beginning Hiromi would be messed-up inside despite his outwardly heroism, this one that did it a bit with apathetic Hiromi surprised me, as Hiromi had been genuinely heroic for so long in the main series. Would see more how Hiromi would get back into track later, and I hope it wouldn't be handled too easy in a nonsensical way (which often happened when talking down outright villain, and Hiromi here is still a good person), he's still doing that despite that he received unconditional love and support from his mom Takako Kadota, to the point of snapping at one point to throw away his Fenix uniform. In general you seem to be more accepting of 'mom role' in series like Revice than previous ones for those having that traits.