[DreadBringer]

However, Makura kicks out Shotaro that his visiting time is over and that Jinno needs a medical checkup from a doctor. Makura just have a too rigid approach for the cop station, that Shotaro's stalling gets them to an argument again, and he had a big ego to use that as his golden age... by abusing your power? The attitude is seen on some of the police brutality to throw their weight around in the most nitpicky things, only that there are no violence here. Jinno's the one who unwittingly saved the day here by being the Agency's client, without even getting into the action, and Rui got Jinno involved due to him being guillible, thus she had to keep him safe from the potential lies from Uesugi, and flashbacks show her as one of the people who got affected by Jinno's infectious aspect of being gullible, going along with him even if he's fooled (though tbf, the 'lie' she told him of her friend being held hostage isn't a really obvious one unlike Look Behind You), thus redeeming her delinquent aspects, not fighting anymore, owing him for that. And as Jinno is cleared of his charges... of course, Makura sucks up to him, claiming that he knew he's innocent the whole time, but still he doesn't seem to value others as friends, only being an opportunist to get himself on spotlight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 42 - “J’S LABYRINTH - A DAMAGED DIAMOND”

I think the problem for me with this two-parter’s Dopant Dilemma (kicking myself that it took me two months to come up with that) is that there’s just too much of it. W’s a show that kind of needs more room to stretch out, to let Philip, Shotaro, and Akiko really get their teeth into a problem. This is a hangout show, and there’s no room to really hangout with them in this one.

Philip reports to his friends that his sister now has surpassed him in synchronization and can turn into Dopant in the Library. Akiko, once again, becomes a 'source of inspiration' with her question of Phillip sharing a half with Shotaro unlike Wakana, which reminds Philip when Wakana is at 50% synchronization, of which she's intangible in the Library. Philip praises Akiko again and worked on the solution he found. Taking Raito back is also the final stage of Museum, which Ryubee says will happen if Wakana does so. As Wakana interferes in Philip's Gaia Library search again, Philip now agrees to go into the Museum when Wakana tells the needed information from the Jewel Memory book... which she does. So even gullibility doesn't only apply to the good guys here, but a villain like her here, due to Wakana still having a faith Philip, probably from how both are comfortable with each other thus she's overconfidently thinks Phillip will choose her over others. I guess so far the comparison is about gullibility between the Xtreme fighters in good (for Shotaro) and bad side. But of course Phillip runs off, and Wakana now changes into Claydoll Xtreme, shooting red energy balls. Then Phillip is the one that synchronizes 50% to the Library, phasing through Claydoll, and reading the still-open Jewel Memory book at the required page. Here Phillip shows (or grows to) that he's not only book smart, he can outwit others too with a strategic mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There’s just so much to go over with Rui and Uesugi, which at times leads to them shouting their constantly-shifting backstory at one another for the audience’s sake. It’s all classic noir tropes – the criminal is secretly the victim, the kind-hearted friend is secretly the criminal, and all narrators are unreliable – but there’s a density to them that crowds out the places where Shotaro might make the connections for the audience. He has his moments, but too much of the show gets turned over to characters like Jinno and Rui explaining the past, and its significance, rather than letting the atmosphere build around the actions of the heroes. (It sincerely does not help that so much of this story is beholden to the elaborate backstory of characters we've never met before, and will never see again.) It’s a good story, by the end, but it’s one that Team Double isn’t much of an active participant in.

Uesugi's a textbook depiction of sociopath, being a guy who is manipulating others while reading and exploiting them, as well as being willing to off anyone who gets in his way with little concern, while looking like a gentle and noble person to the others (which he drops the act at this point), hiding his true personality with his charm, further helped by the halo effect from his model occupation. I'd say so far, this is the most unexpected twist W did in Dopant cases so far, though I don't know if it's necessary (probably only for how Rui's name means tear drop, which she had when begging for Uesugi here), it's practically just swapping roles, that it's Uesugi who turned Satoru and the girls into gems instead of Rui, it's Uesugi who beats up others as Dopant instead of Rui, it's Uesugi who wrecks the pinwheels instead of Rui, it's Uesugi who had the twisted mindset of destroying things he cares about instead of Rui, while on the opposite case, it's Rui who wants to stop Uesugi and not the other way around etc.

Uesugi explains another aspect of his that he's a perfectionist, his twisted mindset comes from how the flaws of something he liked stands out more, including Rui's, thus he wants to get rid of it. This episode had a twisted sociopath take of it, but it does can happen, like some people at a fanbase of a media that starts to get nitpicky over every single thing that is 'bad' to them, outright losing their ability to appreciate the actual good stuff over time (not that people cannot criticize, but accentuating the negative is imbalanced). Uesugi decides to throw Satoru into the sea, but Accel Trial saves him, and it means it's the 2nd time he saved Uesugi's "friends", as he also saved Rui before with Trial's super speed. Accel describes Uesugi's overall plan is making Rui look guilty with Shotaro and Akiko as witnesses. Shotaro unwittingly helping Uesugi was the reason that Rui mocks his guilibility before, though actually Shotaro reveals that he finally figured it out at the wharf, looking at Uesugi hiding the detonator in the arm cast along with the Jewel Memory. So the series' method of exposing the manipulator is the usual single mistake that blows their cover.... kinda an easier take.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And, like, that’s sort of it for me and this one? Everything I said last time carries over to this one, without a really killer fight to save things. (There’s a flaw in the diamond!) Your ability to enjoy the actions of a schoolyard love triangle to a greater degree than your enjoyment of Team Double breaking a story will determine how excited you were by this one. I didn’t hate it, but it was just too crowded for me to care about. Not mad, just bored.

I guess that's the reason why Jewel Memory wasn't used as a primary offense by the Sonozakis despite it seemingly performing better than Weather to the Riders for example, it has a glaring flaw in the "eye of a stone" that splits the materials after Philip uses the Library trick.... turns out even Uesugi himself isn't perfect, and fittingly, (along with Jinno's gullibility), Nobody's Perfect plays after this. Again, this is a really easy route the series takes of an invincible enemy, of suddenly revealing its weak point, would prefer if there were more clever tactics getting around it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

DIE-A MEMORIES

-So, Uesugi thought he got away with his crimes by framing Rui and killing her… but then he planned to go to another city and start committing the same crimes? With no patsy to take the fall? What?

At least he's a famous model who has a good publicity. Though didn't recall Uesugi wanting to kill Rui, just making her the guilty one.