[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 29 - “NIGHTMARISH H - THE MELANCHOLY OF SLEEPING BEAUTY”

I feel like an episode that delves into the dreamscapes of both Double and Accel should illuminate something about their characters – some hidden trauma, or secret hope, or unrecognized complication. Something that lets both the audience and the character see the psychology of the hero from a different angle. Instead, we get Terui confronting the goofy wedding of his dead sister, and Double going to the Toei Edo Set for the annual historical epic. Neither one rises to the level of last story’s deconstruction of Terui’s self-negating need for vengeance, settling instead for a wacky samurai riff and not much else.

Quite a thinking that Shotaro who can't sleep decides to try using his disinterest to historical stuff that he claims will put him through sleep within minutes, by watching Kaze no Saheji. But Akiko was right all along, Shotaro actually gets hooked into the series and marathoned it for a whole night instead. Green Eggs and Ham stuff of trying new things that aren't in one's interest but turns out they like it. It should be easier to sleep (wanting to avenge Terui), when you've stayed all night.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And, y’know, I guess it’s okay to aim for Humor over Drama? It’s not the worst thing in the world, letting this whole episode flit from Adorable Ditz to Colorful Professor to Jinno’s Wedding to Shotaro Gets Hooked On A Samurai Drama to Double Ends Up In A Samurai Drama. It’s significantly lower stakes than a symbolic trip through a character’s unconscious, but it’s not nothing. The Nightmare Dopant makes a fun foil, mixing elements from less horrific Dopants like Liar to become a cartoony antagonist in an unusual setting. It’s different, if nothing else.

Himeka is described as beautiful as Snow White, which plays into some part of her given name Himeka Yukimura. The Snow White play is true with her frilly outfit. The resemblance to Snow White continues where her study group consists of her and 7 boys (and Himeka depicts them as Seven Dwarves in her drawings). She' also a cuddle bug where it's said her way of being nice is calling any men who do her a favor her fated prince, not an usual "Shotaro loser to cool Terui" as she hugs them both. Naturally, Akegi would be suspected as a mad scientist who turns into Dopant for his research (at least by Akiko).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s just… I don’t know, the premise could be so much more than a cross between an HBV and those Heisei summer movies where everyone goes back to the Edo period/set. It’s carte blanche to really excavate intriguing details, and it’s slightly underwhelming to feel like that’s not of any interest to the producers.

And at that dream, Nightmare declares himself to be Himeka's prince. The actual Philip is immune to Nightmare's powers (erasing or projectiles) due to him being another kind who appears in someone else's dream. A bit confused where, there'd be 2 Philips in Philipachi (who's still works like real Phillip) and actual Philip. This also confirms that the Dopant isn't Akegi as Nightmare confesses that he had put Akegi to sleep too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

At least we got a hell of a cliffhanger, though! Isaka wandering in to find Double asleep and at his mercy, with only Akiko to defend them? That’s real good. But Philip waking up to draw Isaka’s attention away from a sleeping Shotaro, and getting a lightning bolt in the back for his trouble? That’s great. It’s a fun complication to this story’s setup, to bring in Isaka as a separate threat in the real world to the Nightmare Dopant’s attack in the dreamworld. It’s extra fun because this isn’t some villainous strategy, it’s just dumb luck. Isaka came looking for a Dopant, and just happened to find the two heroes he most wants to punish. Bad luck for Double, good luck for the viewers!

Yeah, unfortunately for W, the Dopant of the week being dream based that they have to sleep to get through him means they're left in a very vulnerable state (Phillip's hole in his strategy, should sleep in a more isolated area). Isaka raining lightning as Weather directly to W wakes Philip up and leaves Shotaro alone to fight Nightmare. Still Philip's in far worse condition than Shotaro's, only having Fang to defend him against Nightmare's assault which isn't enough. eventually taking direct hit from Weather's lightning barrage, giving scorch marks all over his body, and Akiko can only cry over Phillip's unconscious body.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

DIE-A MEMORIES

-I love that Terui’s nightmare is that his sister marries Jinno. That means that he’s more afraid of her being alive and marrying Jinno, than her being dead. Truly a fate worse than death!

And this scene also plays up as if Akagi's the Dopant, as he appears by answering Terui's suspicion as well as admitting to put 6 students to sleep. Apparently, Terui still can henshin as Accel in his dream, and as expected from apparently the ruler of the dream, Nightmare can alter the dream to his liking like changing the scenery into a billiard hall, and also pranking Accel by pretending to explode after being hit by jet Engine attack. I wonder what limits of the reality manipulation he can do in the dream, but Nightmare still defeats Accel by trapping him in dreamcatcher-like net. And Jinno and Makura are incompetent to be asleep when this happened, neglecting their duties to wake him up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

-We get a tiny check-in on the Sonozakis, where Wakana is now in the full-on Drug Addicted Mood Swing phase of Isaka’s attempt to wean her off her Driver. I don’t love it? It’s fine for illustrating Isaka’s deranged view of Dopant supremacy, but it doesn’t really give anyone else on that side of the show anything to do other than look concerned and/or chemically-altered. It’s a plot that only Isaka is really participating in, which is… a bit of a letdown.

For this, Ryubee displays his protectiveness of his (apparently favored) daughter, warning Isaka that he'll make him pay if something happened to Wakana, the shot being done in a hole from pile of dishes.