[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Episode 9 -- "The Dragon's Cry"

To give Phoenix the credit he's due, however, it's not at all an unreasonable assumption in this case that Haruto is a goner. Wizard exploded like any common monster of the week after going under, for one thing, and the first we see of Haruto here, he's still completely submerged, and unconscious at that. He probably *would've* been done for... if he hadn't been woken up by the Dragon's cry, giving him the strength to get moving again. (The episode title being no less literal than last time, while also working great in that more broad and cool poetic way.) It's the kind of cold open I'm a big fan of, clocking in at a relatively brisk minute and a half, and (re)establishing most of the major story elements in a way that carries forward the momentum built by the previous cliffhanger to keep mounting the tension. A quick scene of Hiroki uses typically strong visual storytelling to emphasize the stakes, with a closing door at the hospital symbolically separating him from his mother, as Mikiko is rushed into the operating room. Meanwhile, as Rinko helps Haruto back onto dry land, that moment with Dragon hints towards how Wizard may be able to turn things around before that separation becomes permanent.

I feel only Ryuki had the explosions actually being deliberately exploited. Where Kitaoka had Goro fake Zolda's death by having Magnugiga fire at Ryuki's Strike Vent attack so it causes a bigger explosion and as if Ryuki hit Zolda and destroy him like MOTWs.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

And, as if it wasn't clear enough how much Phoenix is breaking this family apart, the first scene after the opening has him entering the Itou household by gratuitously smashing a window with his bare hands, before leaping onto their coffee table, crushing that NAKKER the ONE box under his foot in the process, which is surely as heinous an act as anything else he's done in these episodes. It seems almost like a victory lap, with Phoenix and Medusa both chilling on the furniture of their latest victims (it's seriously pretty messed up if you think about it!), but this is only a short intermission, which Medusa is quick to remind Phoenix of as she hands him an unseen photo off a nearby shelf.

It is rather expected for villains not to really care if they vandalize something, like crushing something under their boot. Ofc they won't care if they won't care about taking others' lives either. But this'd be something I question about non-villains if they, for example, don't take their shoes off at a place they should (e.g. Yuusuke laying in a bad with shoes on). And in reverse, it's rather mildly surprising that even someone like Beroba agrees to take off her boots in Keiwa's house. This is my first time watching Wizard, but I wonder if Medusa can also get something similar to Phoenix here, putting her sandals on something that footwear shouldn't be in.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

This means Hiroki's father, who was on his way to the hospital, is in danger too, and with that family photo from earlier for reference, Phoenix is able to intercept his car on the way there, casually kicking it off the road in a nice little practical car stunt. It's nice *as* a stunt, anyway. There's obviously nothing nice at all about the sadistic way Phoenix delights in having another excuse to let off some steam.

It's given that Phoenixes would slap away vehicles, like Kamen Rider Odin and Phoenix Phantom.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Haruto takes the opportunity to play possum for a moment and surprise Phoenix with a quick burst of shots from his gun, which definitely highlights how desperate he is. Even saying he was playing possum is maybe a stretch when the pain and exhaustion are definitely no lie. Wizard can't touch Phoenix, and he already knows that, so he instead chooses to take the miniscule window he's created and busts out the Extend Ring to grab Hiroki's dad and fly out of there. He still makes sure to leave Phoenix with a sarcastic goodbye, but that's the most style Haruto can muster. He's saved a life with this intervention, but it's a short-term victory with Phoenix still out there.

Unfortunately, monsters aren't necessarily like KRs where KRs can have weak spots in their belts. Guess this plays into the underdog stuff usually given to heroes, even though not often that the Riders target the belts (in case of likely playing possum, the other Phoenix got killed this way in Knight stabbing Odin's Deck). I wonder what'd you expect for characters other than Haruto in this situation if they'd escape (which some people'd call cowardly; I disagree but still), or they'd keep fighting until they're killed (as Haruto seems to be the more level-headed one).

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Even more than has already been the case throughout these episodes, Phoenix gets extremely physical in this scene. Within moments, Phoenix viciously throws Hiroki to the ground, and when Haruto comes dashing in to stop him, Phoenix kicks him into the wall outside the room with enough force to put a huge hole in it. The show also leaves just enough to the imagination to make the things you *don't* explicitly see even worse? There's a shot from Haruto's perspective outside the room where Phoenix grabs the end of the bed Mikiko is laying in, which means you can't actually see Mikiko herself, but you *can* see Phoenix casually jerk the entire bed onto its side with one hand, and it's just like... the fact that the connecting tissue between that action and the next shot of Mikiko on the floor is something I end up creating in my head makes me feel almost complicit in the violence? Which makes it feel that much more viscerally gross, which is perfect for the scene. This *should* all feel disturbing, especially when Phoenix picks up both parents by their necks, says his own sarcastic goodbye, and the next two shots are of Haruto and Hiroki reacting in horror as two vague snapping sounds are heard, after which Mikiko's body is shown slumping onto the ground right before her child's eyes. It's all technically done through mere implication, but implications that clear are no less terrifying.

Outside of this being a nightmare that is relevant to the current situation, something to emphasize about how much a bastard a villain is, power imbalance, where here, they attack those in helpless position, the ones injured on a hospital (or brutalizing those that are already dead, sinking life boats, etc.). The oppression and submission to power points would be stronger by having a villain do this, but for the opposite, if a villain performs a cruelty towards someone that'd be beneficial to do so (e.g. other villains), the audience can think they're doing a good deed or being "redeemed" by doing that.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The gravity of the situation has Hiroki reflecting on his earlier behavior, now believing this whole mess is his fault for saying he'd be better off without them around. In a nice touch, you can actually see Shunpei reacting to this before anyone, taking a few steps towards Hiroki, only to quickly stop when Haruto suddenly and aggressively snaps that Hiroki is wrong to blame himself. He tries to reassure Hiroki that his parents aren't gone yet and that he can't give up now, but Haruto is making this argument with such raw intensity that it becomes very clear he's mostly talking directly to himself, as he tries desperately to hold it all together. It's an added layer of subtext that can only come across so strongly because the lines between Haruto's past and present have become so blurred in this moment. There's the immediate situation with Phoenix he's talking about, but it's so much deeper than that. When Haruto tells a young boy he can't give up hope because his parents placed their hopes in him, I have to wonder how many other times throughout his life Haruto has told himself those exact words to find the motivation to push on when it seemed impossible. They may well have been what got him through that eclipse, even.

Shunpei just doesn't have the capabilities of using magic, but Shunpei's moral code is similar to the main Riders, so he'd intervene to help Hiroki if he thinks he can. Unfortunately, like Keitaro, he's the one that isn't given the belt in their series. The reason why I specifically question him about his earlier behavior towards Haruto.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Haruto admits his fear to Rinko, and he admits how much more personal that fear is than just wanting to see Hiroki's family safe. He admits that he's scared of having to watch *anyone* die right before his eyes, and he admits how overwhelming that fear is. The episode has already done a more than adequate job demonstrating all this to the audience, so the significance of this dialogue is specifically that Haruto allows himself to open up to somebody to this degree. He's plainly stating the way he feels deep down, which might give the impression of basic exposition at a glance, but I think a lot of people know all too well that actually speaking those kinds of thoughts out loud can be a struggle on par with the toughest of monsters. It's a powerful moment, partly because the lines themselves are beautifully written, and partly because the direction is so excellent, but also just because of what a contrast it is to the character Haruto has been so far. He lets go of any pretense of still knowing how to move forward, and instead turns to Rinko to ask if she has any ideas. She doesn't know either, but in the middle of that hopeless scenario, Koyomi arrives bearing the completed ring Wajima made from the new stone.

This is still an early part of the show, though I guess I'd want to see more of Haruto's allies' reaction, other than Koyomi who already know Wizard better, to find out that the Wizard who gave them hope and seemed to be all-capable is also vulnerable and won't be able to solve all problems either. The struggle is also about how Haruto is alone in dealing with Phantom stuff, his other allies won't know much about it, and they can't help. Something I can feel too, if I'm the only one who can do something, where everyone around me can't, and I need urgent tips. Though dunno if Haruto could've approached Koyomi first regarding this, albeit perhaps, Koyomi can discourage Haruto from intervening which also wouldn't help.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Twice in a row, so you can't miss it, Haruto calls despair hope, which is essentially the whole point of this episode. Wizard isn't a hero who simply creates hope, but rather, as the opening narration always says, one who changes despair *into* hope. As such, I can't imagine a more fitting backstory for Haruto than suffering such a tragic loss and choosing to remember the love more than the pain. It's finding light by looking *inside* the darkness, and right back to the eclipse, that's also the raw essence of Wizard -- taking a situation that could crush him and making it an ally. That's why he isn't scared by Dragon. There are a few layers to Dragon's warning, but the most important thematically is the simple fact that directly using his power means relying on a Phantom, and a Phantom's power *is* despair itself. But that doesn't matter to Haruto, because as his Underworld exemplifies, the closer he is to despair, the closer he is to hope. He'll just make Dragon an ally too, and use that power to continue showing other Gates on the precipice of despair the same thing he learned when he too was at a point in his life where he couldn't imagine going on any longer -- if you only hold on to hope, what seems like the ending is just the beginning.

While this highlights Haruto's courage, to bravely accept the power despite the risks the WizarDragon warned him, perhaps the reason why this may not be as impactful to some people is because, guess Haruto still feels rather passive/reactive dealing with this, that the despair and risk talk feels more empty/vague at this point, rather than it being immediate, and it still feels that it's just easy to be hopeful if you clearly have better power at this point. His nightmare and fear before was a powerful scene, regardless, though. Dunno if it'd be more impactful to others, if, like Ryuki, where the mon is shown to be an actual threat to the Rider, as the risk, like Dragreder trying to eat Shinji prior, which'd be something surface level.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

So like, I'm always just foaming at the mouth with raw excitement by this point, no matter how many times I watch this scene. Wizard even does the classic Shinken Red behind-the-back block against Phoenix's sword! (The coolest way to block something!) I could point out how that's another strong reminder of the staff's roots and all, but that almost feels like missing the point? You don't need a lick of external context to understand the immense satisfaction of seeing Wizard smack Phoenix around without ever taking a single hit in return. Nor do you need it to enjoy the delicious irony of another reversal, as while in episode 8, Phoenix's flames burned too hot for Wizard, here, Haruto finds the use of the Special Ring from way back at the start of that episode, which works with the new form to give Wizard a Dragon head coming out of his torso that roasts Phoenix until he explodes, ending a spectacular action sequence in spectacular fashion.

The Dragon Styles are the Wizard's take of Kuuga's Rising styles, also with 4 main forms before. Phoenix has only tasted the mere head, the Drago Skull, of WizarDragon at this point.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I think the truth behind that platitude is that being a parent doesn't mean you care for your child, but rather, caring for your child means you're a parent. Just that sometimes, parents, people in general actually, can suck at expressing in words that they care, as Mikiko feels like she can tell Haruto but not Hiroki directly. Same goes for Hiroki, who like a typical pouty child (which he is, so fair enough) gets upset about the unfairness of not being heard without honestly calling out his parents so they can know where they went wrong. Their relationship is broken right now, but Haruto knows it can be fixed and they just have to respect each other's feelings.

While I'm not into how it seems that all kids are portrayed as pouty ones in toku, I do have a similar situation in Hiroki, even until growing up, that I never felt that I was being heard or being allowed to call out my parents honestly. If I continue, I'd be dismissed as escalating things to a complicated level, and that it's a bad habit, or that my head needs to get checked.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

For sure, it's one of the cruelest nightmare sequences I can recall. Even on a rewatch, I think it caught me off guard for how suddenly it escalated. Despite being a nightmare, I'm sure we can all agree that the merciless Phoenix conjured by Haruto's mind is portrayed realistically here, being willing, eager even, to attack people at their most defenseless, all in front of a kid who's helpless to do anything else but despair. Phantoms are some of the most depraved villains in Rider and among them, Phoenix is one of the most severe examples of how irredeemably terrible they can be.

Phoenix is indeed one of those that got approved as pure evil/complete monster, on a similar level of depravity as those like Asakura or Evolt. Though maybe for the fanbase, while this can be right, no villains come close to be as depraved as the Stomachs in Gavv. My point is, they'd think people like Banno are far tamer compared to them, and even spoke highly of the Sonozaki family (as genuinely loving or such) when bringing them up. I mean, yeah, the Stomachs have been successfully running their villainy for a long time, so their bodycounts are second to none, while these kinds like Phoenix are still starting their goal.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Episode 9's climax even made it in to Battride War as Wizard's iconic boss fight. Totally a good pick for your favorite! I guess that's why you took so long to get to this one, like you wanted to phrase everything just right to express why you appreciate it so much and yeah, I think you made a lot of excellent points that many Wizard critics overlook. It's the first arc to seriously delve in to Haruto as a character and build a strong emotional connection to the viewer. I liked him before this arc of course, but even more after understanding his experience and motivation for protecting hope.

I don't know if I'd be a killjoy for this, though I guess I'd think the MOTW stuff in Wizard is neither better or worse than the other shows like W or OOO. As I said in Die's OOO thread, I feel any MOTW stuff (and I guess, Haruto's characterization is also related to MOTW stuff) is just overlooked by the fanbase, be it positive or negative. It can seem that, though maybe understandable but that it can be unfair, shows only need to be entertaining to be watched; you would defend those, but I see that often in shows that aren't as well-regarded, people find several characters/their acting in said show annoying, which turns them off from the show, while Den-O is an example where its fans consistently acknowledge its obvious flaws, but the character's acting makes up for it.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

And sometimes, a villainous father in Rider can be an example of someone who commits evil deeds out of unhealthy love for his kid. It's not just about caring for your child, but the way you care is also important.

And often people insist that by this, the child just misunderstood their parents, so they're in the wrong, and have to make amends and be grateful to their parents' expression of love, the parents can't be in the wrong for actually caring for them. About bullies being justified for "it means they like you" stuff, it can and often happens to parents too.