[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 46 - “THE ASCENSION OF SAGITTARIUS”

Not fundamentally or anything; again, it’s not like Gen’s going to think he’s wasted his time making friends over the last year just because Amanogawa High was revealed to be a Zodiart factory run by a celestial death cult. But forcing Gen to grapple with the reality of what the administration wanted versus what the students needed, that’s crucial heading into our final episodes. Gamou’s agenda is one based on molding children into useful tools, and pushing the students of Amanogawa High to reach their full potential – which, in this case, was cosmically-powered zodiac monsters, but the metaphor is what we’re really looking at: how well-meaning schools can prioritize educational excellence in ways that maybe push kids harder than they need, in service of cold metrics that are more about the school’s success than the specific outcomes for each of its students. Individual students succeed or fail based on their individual efforts and talents; it’s not like you get a diploma for the entire class, right? Friendship and socialization are things that get in the way of that pursuit to Gamou, because individual success is the only result of merit; pioneers lead the way to greatness, like an astronaut pushing into the needless expanse of space.

Well, obviously, and it's always seen as a good thing to push kids harder, it's constantly told there that you have to work hard and always study so you'd be successful later. It'd be hard too to refute that if there's a 'limit' on how needed it is for the kids to push hard. I rather feel that school institution operated like Kekera regarding misery builds character, and the one who isn't are just deemed as having thin skin, the students would be the easy scapegoat for the school if they fail, so that the school doesn't need to re-evaluate themselves. Them being well-meaning also expects the students and society to owe them and get hero worship treatment, which means they can never be in the wrong and should never be questioned. Otherwise, yeah, it should be obvious on why there are no teachers or cops who act against AGHS, as Gamou is the head of it and it's only Zodiart factory. The revelation of Sonoda being one of the Horoscopes is meant for this, about the true nature of the entire school (so Gamou or Sonoda aren't the exceptions).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But Kengo’s a refutation of that viewpoint, which is why he’s so crucial in this episode. (Not for the Core Switch stuff; still too vague to really talk about yet, even if it eats up a bunch of this episode.) Kengo’s someone who pushed himself and closed himself off, pursuing his goals with ruthlessness and unwavering dedication. But he didn’t really succeed until he opened himself up to friendship and collaboration – not because of the usual thing of sharing burdens or acknowledging other viewpoints, although that’s definitely a part of it, but because being happier from friendship allowed him to care more about what he was doing, and find that extra level of achievement that he’d never have found by grinding out his persistence in the dark. Like, friendship doesn’t diminish success because it’s shared, it enhances individual drive by pursuing different goals together. Gamou sees things as winners and losers, Horoscopes and Zodiarts, his goal and oblivion. But Kengo sees the beauty of friends pushing into the unknown together; links in a chain tethering each other to what matters most, like a birthday gift to keep your keys from getting lost.

Guess it'd depend on what kind of goal someone is working for. Kengo's goal is to continue what his dad left of which would be about protecting the students in AGHS, but obviously, protecting people would require being able to connect with people, thus being able to be more fond of people would drive him better to protect people. Also, it feels that for KRC, they have similar goal, like how Gentaro would protect his friends as well as potential friends (other people), with Kengo wanting to do that as continuation of his dad, or Miu thinking it's Queen's duty to look after the school. And I thought for last episode, Kengo was being more logical than ever despite what other people said of him letting go of it, where rather than being hostile or mad at other people, though understandably, like before, he questioned Hayami about the needed info, which leads to Hayami giving various intel to the KRC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I don’t love the reveal of Hayami’s duplicity, even if it’s a hundred times more believable than Hayami actually reforming out of a sudden bout of guilt. It’s a plan that requires Hayami spilling tons of revealing secrets about Gamou’s plan that aren’t what I’d consider strictly necessary, operational security-wise, but mostly there so that the audience can get the dots connected for them in time for the finale. (I just… couldn’t Emoto have told them all this a few episodes ago? It would’ve come from a guy who genuinely was try to atone for some of his sketchier choices, and Hayami could’ve still done his fake-out plan, just without needlessly volunteering so much intel.) And then Hayami dies, sacrificing himself for a guy he wanted to escape from a few episodes ago and did not want to die for, but now dies while saying See I Was Good Wasn’t I Good Tell Me I Was Good while Gamou posthumously praises him for being a timely shield and a B- employee. It’s funny, Gamou not caring about this dude even at the very end of his arc, but it didn’t really add up to much, and it still felt slightly out of character for Hayami to be all-in on Gamou after the last dozen episodes.

Gai's redemption in Zero-One was also what's seen as having a sudden bout of guilt (for a far grander scale of crimes). I guess Emoto tried to tell Kengo that (he teleported only them together), but he was already dying before he can utter the word. Tachibana has seemingly betrayed 3 times in both Kousei Amano's roles here... as well as the revelation that Tachibana was Virgo before. Otherwise, after Ran got some tolerable showing before, this may re-ignite the hatedom for her for being short-sighted to take the Switch to save Haru without a plan, handing herself over to Gamou's plan, while others (an athlete in Shun and a girl in Miu being another one who got thrown by her) including Haru himself is screaming at her not to do it. I don't know about Gamou not caring about Hayami, as for below, Tendou looks out for people like Kagami while dismissing friendship.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

(I laughed a lot more at Gen furiously pointing out to Gamou that Hayami sacrificed himself as a friend to the Chairman, so isn’t THAT proof that friendship exists, which is a fundamental misunderstanding of things like Workplace Dynamics and Celestial Death Cults that is also 1000% the way Gentarou, a guy who wanted to make friends with a PC, would see things. It’s dopey and off-base, but he seriously thinks the Horoscopes were Gamou’s friends, like it’s the only word he knows. I think even Amazon could come up with another word to describe the connection between Gamou and Hayami!)

If it happens to any other protagonists, regarding trusting the wrong person, being betrayed, and having thoughts of good deeds being genuine (e.g. risking life or sacrificing due to friendship), they'd be mocked and criticized as being naive and a proof that virtue is weakness. I guess it seems that if someone didn't get direct danger from the person who betrayed them and almost get killed and needing to be saved from (Hayami only punched Gentaro a few times in human form), people wouldn't think they're acting naive. What Gamou said regarding Hayami's death is similar to what Tendou said about how they're the sun, and Tendou also dismissed the concept of friendship, saying that it's only for those who have naive hearts (why is it a surprise that he agreed to kill Tsurugi?).