[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Well, it helps that this special is putting Hiromi's dedication into a slightly different context. This isn't Hiromi destroying his body to be a hero, or flinging himself at a monster when there are other options; this is a story where Hiromi just needs to be there for his mom. The lesson he learns isn't so much that Sacrifice Is Always Right, it's that... it's that it's more important to fight for your convictions than to win with your convictions. Him saying he'll lay down his life in this situation, it's more him showing that his dedication to the people he cares about doesn't have any limits, instead of trying to be the most heroey hero who ever heroed. I think it's him learning an important lesson here?

Yes, this is the reason why discussion can happen to ask for more elaboration in something. This one now I'd understand of what he learns though dunno about his actual return still.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 30 - “SEIYUU! SAY ME! SORTING STUFF OUT FROM YOUR YOUTH!”

There’s barely anything here to talk about, much less critique. Jiiko, a character from Ikki’s past that we’ve neither met before nor heard mentioned in passing, is incredibly mad at Ikki about a thing that Jiiko won’t talk about, and Ikki doesn’t remember. That’s basically it! That’s the entire episode’s plot! Ikki and Jiiko circle each other several times in the episode, but there’s just a blank space where a thematic or narrative conflict would be. Ikki’s confused, and that’s about the only recognizable emotion in the entire story. There’s no guilt, or shame, or anger, or anything that would be a counterpoint to an old friend calling him a piece of shit to his face, because Ikki's as clueless about the conflict as the viewer is. There’s just confusion, and that’s all we get.

The episode title wordplay lol, "Seiyuu! Say Me!" lol. It happened.

Though outwardly the episode is a breather one, this seems to center around Ikki more, bringing his soccer occupation previously that he quit to take care of Happy Spa. Subaru Kimura is brought up as Ikki's former mentor but his real life occupation is brought up here in the voice recording as well. Aside from the cliffhanger at the end, previously he seems to be open and connected to any of the soccer player under his care, including when they leave soccer and takes up other occupation like Ikki now as family caretaker or Kamen Rider, and also Koji who now is aspiring to become a seiyuu, but now is holding a grudge to Ikki. Other than being supportive to both former soccer player's current occupation, Kimura sets up the voice recording for them to talk as well.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I mean, there’s also the Way Too Gregarious Old Mentor, who is clearly the villain of this story, but that dude exists to be way too gregarious, and that’s it. He provides no context for Jiiko’s seething and inexplicable resentment, probably because this is all part of a plot to destroy Ikki. It’s obvious in a way that I was anticipating either a twist or a reveal, and this episode was just like GUESS WHAT IT’S THE WAY TOO GREGARIOUS OLD MENTOR and we’re into the trailer for the next episode. There’s nothing here; it’s all just setup for the real story.

Though previously the one who called Ikki out was the depraved Kudo, now Kimura claims both Ikki and Koji had big egos, which, probably does confirm about Ikki's darker side before, at least from more reliable source than Kudo. And of course his soccer days were something in the past so Ikki's busybodiness is still not checked yet. Ikki has grown better now, but Koji was a victim of it that still harbors a grudge to Ikki until now, and the next previews shows Ikki regretting. Koji's grudge doesn't help things either though, and it's unknown what Koji wants, to get back at Ikki or to solve the problem (with spite). Ikki was also apparently genius striker previously as well, so he wasn't ordinary player, but his soccer trick was only used on ep. 1 so far. So other than Vice obsessively fanboying over Kimura, apparently Vice's taste is that Kimura's the most handsome man for him.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Hilariously, "setup for the real story" is a bit of a theme for this episode! The only non-Ikki scenes we get feature Akaishi teasing the next phase of his plan – waiting; Daiji teasing the next phase of his plan – stalking; Sakura teasing the next phase of her plan – thinking about Aguilera; and Aguilera getting a Dark Aguilera costume change. No one really gets a scene of any weight or importance, except for a very brief bit of business where Daiji is correctly chided for trying too hard to be Cosplay Hiromi, instead of being himself. It’s all setup, which would be fine for subplots… if the main plotline for the episode didn’t also feel so much like it was half an idea stretched out to the three times its length.

For the Fenix side, Daiji repeats his plan of going after Akaishi to cure Fenix, kinda feels like the series puts that on hold for some reason before for the Kagerou part or something, it has never begun yet. Or probably it's on purpose which Akemi addresses that, to claim that mere righteous speech preaching can make it hollow. Which if Daiji really is holding off his plan until now, it'd be true that he can make claims to cure Fenix all he wants but it won't happen if he only talks, he should prove himself by taking actual action. But in reverse, action only isn't all good either, because someone can create a good outcome, but doesn't mean that it's a good thing, like... someone morally questionable taking out a monster (for those who glorify taking action as 'killing monsters'), especially if it's bad guy taking out another bad guy, or villainous organizations that experimented on others thus creates heroic Kamen Riders. That doesn't mean the bad guy "turns good", bad guys can target other bad guys, or that the organization can be cleansed due to the heroic Kamen Rider part only. They unintentionally create a good outcome but speechs can be important too to address something that is wrong and likely overlooked.

She's not involved much yet though I hope she'd be more involved, but so far Akemi is usually amiable, except to Hiromi when he's persistent before, but she didn't give George a coffee. Though he's likely redeemed now, previously George doesn't seem to be someone who is hated among the Fenix, and only those who knows his dirty secrets do like Hiromi or the Igarashi siblings before, of which he made up to the latter now.

Regarding Akaishi, there's a new speculation of him, coming from his biodate which due to how he's 57 year old as a 1964-born, but though he looks old now, he stops aging, looks the same as him decades ago, which'd imply he's a descendant of Giff (relation he has to the Igarashi siblings would be...). As someone running both Fenix and Deadman, he was said as Masumi's boss in NOAH as well, instead of Agariyama. NOAH is split into Fenix and Deadman with Akaishi still the leader of both seems to be done by he himself with his own purposes of splitting the organization. Akaishi manifests a red devil that is likely the one behind Genta's parents death as well, so there's set up for his personal significance. Akaishi is shorter than I expected too at 168cm in said biodate. In Weekend, there's another showing of some genuinity of the Ushijima family's company over the Igarashis other than Kimiko enjoying the onsen, Hikaru seems to genuinely view Sakura as a friend as well, being overjoyed to have her on his side. Sakura's outfit is made different to.. show off her legs as well, obviously for meta reasons of eye candy...

There's another setup of Aguilera burning her dress and dons a civilian outfit, not as disguise anymore. And also Tamaki bringing up his family in a Gundam reference as Ikki accidentally punched him. The family part can just be throwaway line like Hiromi's bullied backstory so far. She may have her own breed of difficulty of socializing as someone bratty and spoiled, paralleling Tamaki I guess.