[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Philip has a bit more functionality than Google (especially since AI started junking up the results), but, yeah, a lot of what Shotaro needs to research in order to solve a case is the stuff I check on my phone. Maybe... maybe me and my phone are the new two-in-one detective of the Windy City?!

For sure. Google has almost universal access thus yes anyone can become two-in-one detective! In serious note, this just feels more mundane than it seems for toku stuff where Philip is something invented irl already via internet... though no "walking internet" yet like him.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 3 - ?DON?T TOUCH THE M: HOW TO GET INTO HEAVEN?

Normally, this is the paragraph where I?d undercut that by listing the things I?d change about it, but no! Genuinely thought this one worked all the way through. Yuuko?s whole disobedient daughter thing was a neat way into the theme of Family, and her money-warped personality change was a fun foil for our half-boiled team of Akiko (terrible at this in a really charming way) and Shotaro (just hopelessly outclassed by Akiko?s stubbornness at every turn; perfect). The beats of the mystery both play fair ? the bus in the first disappearance scene ? and feel clever in their deployment. It?s not a huge, twisty story or nothing, but the incremental search for the Million Colosseo makes for a solid first half of this mystery.

Regardless of it being something "perfect", yes this part of Shotaro and Akiko isn't just banter where, their fight causes them to lose Yuuko. Shotaro fails to be professional like he talked, about putting aside your difference for important task, something both failed here. I gotta put more blame to Akiko though. Shotaro tries to warn her about the casino being run by monsters to no avail, while Yuuko's behavior riles up Akiko enough to blow their cover, although it's a sign of her standing up to what's right with her treating family as less important to money.

Watcherman seems to know the key to get through Akiko though, she likes being flattered, like what Watcherman does while trying to take a photo with her, to get her to comply. For being someone who understands people really well, Shotaro got upstaged by Watcherman here. And Phillip is held in higher regard for both Shotaro and Akiko, because he manages to be the "mediator", defusing their argument by telling them to be quiet as he wants to focus on the radio show.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The rest of the episode is spent on world-building and the mystery of Philip?s memories, and I found the former more appealing than the latter. Both are good (mostly in how Philip?s missing memories directly impact Double?s superheroic effectiveness), but the continued development of the citizenry of Fuuto is always going to land better for me. Watcherman returns for a bit of banter with Akiko, but it?s the time spent with the Fuuto police detectives that was most entertaining.

The difficulty of the Riders being made up of 2 person is highlighted here, with Shotaro being unable to henshin if Phillip wasn't ready, in this case, being frozen due to hearing the word family, forcing him to wait. Though Philip is already accomplished member of the team in competency at saving the day, he's still at bottom stage personality wise to still be developing like getting in touch with emotions more and also seeking for acceptance here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The Wakana/Sonozaki family stuff? it?s coming together? This is the story where Wakana starts to interact with Team Double, where Kirihiko sees Double in action for the first time, and where the Sonozaki family start to understand what?s happening in their city. The way the show portrays them less as a cabal of Dopant supremacists, and more as a basic Crime Family, it does a lot of heavy-lifting for making them compelling to watch. They?re a fun group of affluent criminals who also happen to be rubber-suited monsters.

I like the gag here that they refer to "Narumi", and for Akiko, being the daughter with same surname is overexcited... until Shotaro reminds that the famous one is her father. It's something like Blade before where both father and daughter are refered by their family name "Hirose-san", only that it's addressed here in the gag. The approach between sisters seem to be reversed here with Saeko encouraging him to learn slowly, while Wakana scoffs at Kirihiko's praise of her radio show. Wakana has good publicity, with Shotaro being starstruck giving funny faces, asking for her autograph.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

True that Shoutarou is a solid candidate for heart, but I think he mostly shows that side of himself towards his clients and suspects, using emotional intuition to figure out motives and deliver effective pep talks to victims. The dynamic in the Narumi Detective Agency kind of places Akiko in the role of a mother, since it's usually her who tries to make decisive judgments for the direction of the company whenever Shoutarou's hunches come to dispute against Phillip's cold logic, or vice versa. The fact that Shoutarou and Phillip are able to honestly debate and make up after shows that their friendship is healthy and strong for sure. And yeah, Akiko ranks as my 7th favorite Heisei heroine, so fairly high. I think I generally liked heroines more often in Phase 1 and early Phase 2. Everything after that seems to be a mixed bag, IMO.

Akiko is appointed as the chief of Narumi Detective Agency, so ofc she does what you said there. I think being the heart is the emotional center to prevent the team falling apart, where their presence brought the better, more sensitive side of everyone (among assholes who are really at each other's throats), having their beliefs challenged and being pressured to change, which commonly happens in main Rider type of character who sets an example for others or have them rub off on them, among assholes thanks to their morality, like Shinji delaying the fighting where even at late series where he wants to fight, none complies even Asakura, thus my point about Shotaro and Philip honestly debating and making up, I think they don't really need an anchor to prevent them escalating or such. What you said about Akiko sounds more like, well, yeah chief/leader role rather than being a heart IMO.

For the rank part, yeah... I thought Phase 1 ones would be the ones with really low bar before, considering that they're usually hated for being the loads/useless/damsel in distress, or yes, having the emotional or moral support role which people think it's really reductive of women to put them in that role. I wonder if you tend to like those better, who'd you like among them, perhaps other than Inoue show ones (seems obvious guess). What I read was the Hirose one in Blade, but that's just one example.