[DreamSword]

I recently finished watching all of Revice outside of the Forward movies, and...

It's so funny to me how so far, nearly every entry in the franchise I've read the fandom say is the worst thing to happen to Rider and has zero merit, ends up being, at worst, average, and infact has alot of really fun stuff going for it.

Because really, while by no means perfect, Revice is still a show that I found to be thoroughly enjoyable, especially in terms of its characters.

The pacing is a bit off in places, and certainly specific episodes leave much to be desired, but overall I found nearly every character in the show to be very likable in terms of personality, significance, and arcs. And where this sort of thing shines best, I feel, is Daiji, whose character I grew to absolutely adore.

Daiji, I feel, is the shining example of everything that Revice is about and has to offer. His arc about the self-destructive ways in which he handles his inner demons and personal growth, ontop of his own reluctance to rely on others and his stubbornness in refusing to see any flaws in his own worldview make it all the more fulfilling when pitted against the show's' overall themes.

Because Revice isn't just about family bonds and how they support one another, but also ideas such as independence versus codependency, as well as how trying to force yourself to be something you're not very rarely if ever goes well. I've said so before and I'll say it again here, I'm a sucker for stories that deal with duality, and Revice has that with nearly every major character, instantly making me fascinated with its cast.

But speaking for Daiji specifically, what his story ultimately boils down to is him not being able to handle most of his issues in a healthy way, and him becoming his own worst enemy as a result. His jealousy towards his older brother's' perceived success is the biggest factor here. Him becoming Live is a major step towards his personal growth and being able to handle his inner darkness, and while it does show that he can ultimately become more, there still lies a major problem; That being that he feels that by following Ikki, he's still being held back.

Daiji desperately wants to usurp the main hero role from Ikki, so it's a no brainer for him when George offers a quick and easy way to gaining a step ahead of Ikki in the way of Holy Live. Sure, it works out in the short term, but more often than not something that works immediately isn't what ultimately works in the long term. Holy Live is essentially a band-aid on Daiji's' lack of self-esteem and envy towards his siblings. This is brilliantly compounded when we get to the last leg of the show, wherein, true to Holy Live's' design, Daiji ends up becoming a literal crusader for Fenix.

Afterall, he's come so far throughout the show, and has seen things that his siblings haven't. How could he possibly be wrong in seeing that submitting to Giff would be the best for everyone, especially given that it's the path of least resistance? Holy Live was quick and easy, and that got them this far, so why can't contracting with Giff do much the same? He got rid of his inner demons. He's pure now. He has to be in the right! This entire scenario does a great job in showcasing another ultimate lesson that Revice has to offer: Sure, our inner demons can and definitely will hold us back at times, but other times, our inner voice telling us things we might not be too keen on are what also keep us in check. Without Kagero, there's nothing to keep Daiji from second guessing himself or his methods.

And in the end, Daiji learns to not only accept his darker half, but opens his mind to new possibilities and realizes that, number one in life or not, he'll still have people who love him, and that there's no reason he can't also love himself. It all makes for one incredibly emotionally satisfying payoff, and it's this sort of character work that really kept me engaged with Revice as a whole. Daiji, George, Julio, Vice... these are all my personal favorites, but I'd hesitate to call any given character in Revice out and out poorly done. Even Giff, whom I've read many complain about, I found alot more interesting than, say, Masamune Dan from Ex-Aid, who still holds the title of most poorly written villain to me.

Now, is Revice perfect? Not at all. The pacing is definitely rough in some areas, alot of the side content is stuff that should've been in the main show proper(Dear Gaga and Legacy Vail most especially), and the overall plot is definitely a bit lackluster. But to me, Revice more than makes up for it in every other area. Even ignoring the character arcs and interactions, Revice consistently had great comedy, cool action scenes, and a very recognizable musical score which made almost every episode have atleast something to enjoy in it. And that's not even getting into its final episode and ending, which I personally feel rivals Kamen Rider Blade in terms of how perfect it is in terms of the series that it's attached to.

In the end, I rate Kamen Rider Revice a 4/6. It's not perfect by any means, but I really liked a grand majority of it, with only its first quarter feeling a bit weak to me. It's a fun time, and a show I recommend everyone experience for themselves rather than simply go by the word of those in the fandom who call it the worst Rider-related thing ever.

The song I chose to represent Revice in my Rider Playlist is "Lost Memories" by AEROHEAD.