[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Actually I kinda like that Mei didn't leave out Touma regarding Kento, she mentioned both Touma (and him first) and Rintaro instead of having a tunnel vision for Rintaro at that time or acknowledging Kento as hot.

I mean, she's not a cartoon wolf, panting and getting heart-eyes whenever a hot guy shows up. She's capable of finding someone attractive AND taking them to task for nearly getting one of her (and his!) friends killed. It's one of the many things that's so great about Mei!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

This episode marks the Diago Speedy's third and final appearance in the entire series, from what I remember, which is clearly at least as tragic as anything involving Kento in this episode. I like that bike!

Luckily, Touma didn't make a fateful promise to Diago Speedy, or he'd have to join Kento in feeling crushing, unshakeable guilt. Try and look on the bright side!

[Switchblade]

So I've been reading up on my posts in the original discussion threads to remember what happened in each episode because it's been a couple years and a lot of this blurs together. My comment on this one was "needs more flashbacks to the pinkie swear; I'm not sure if it was meant to be important."

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

So I've been reading up on my posts in the original discussion threads to remember what happened in each episode because it's been a couple years and a lot of this blurs together. My comment on this one was "needs more flashbacks to the pinkie swear; I'm not sure if it was meant to be important."

Kento and Touma are natural best friends, because they only have two formative memories each... and Touma didn't even understand his until a few days ago!

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER SABER EPISODE 12 - ?OUR PROMISE TO EACH OTHER, AT THAT VERY PLACE?

As such? not a super-illuminative episode of Saber? We don?t really get additional insight into our characters, so much as reiterating their motivations: Touma keeps promises, Rintaro is a steadfast friend, and Kento?s going to Fix This all by himself. The addition of Luna?s name or whatever? okay? I don?t care. I can?t care, because Luna?for all her significance in flashbacks?isn?t even a character yet. She?s a plot point. Touma might as well have lost a stuffed animal that day, or a favorite book. I can?t care about her loss because there?s nothing there to lose. I don?t care if Touma finds her or not, beyond a vague That Would Be Nice For Touma feeling. I really hope this is the last we have to learn about Kento?s guilty conscience and Touma?s Narratively Convenient Amnesia, because I literally cannot muster up any enthusiasm for backstory about characters that only exist in memories.

Isn't Touma's desire to protect his two best friends and keep the promise he made with them enough reason to want him to succeed? Luna's like the Kanon Ganma Eyecon of Saber. While we may not know much about her from our perspective, we know she's important to both Touma and Kento and I think that makes her more than a mere plot device, at least for this part of the show anyway.

Maybe some of it's in Naito Shuuichirou's performance as Touma, he totally sold all those heavy emotions he was experiencing after Rintarou triggered his memories. There's also the implication that his memory loss isn't only to convenience plot, but a sign that he's also very traumatized from that event that he'd unknowingly bury something like that deep down inside his mind, which makes the scene of Kento apparently dying in his arms even more heartbreaking!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

It can seem good that here Touma actually failed to arrive in time, creating this scene. And it's something ridiculous that Touma takes so much time to get into Kento, in opposite to where usually in toku the heroes arrive just in time to aid, here Touma arrives, probably still in 1 city, by nighttime, when he started to ride off since daytime.

For a headcanon, maybe time compression could be a mild side effect of the temporal overlapping with Wonder World. Otherwise it's the usual Tokusatsu excuse of spacetime bending to facilitate the plot, which I've learned to accept as an inevitable part of the genre.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

This episode marks the Diago Speedy's third and final appearance in the entire series, from what I remember, which is clearly at least as tragic as anything involving Kento in this episode. I like that bike!

And yet that bike is still the envy of poor Ridestriker. I agree it's a shame how little bike action we get these days, but I'm glad that all of Diago Speedy's scenes were so memorable for either bad*ss or dramatic reasons, often both. Touma going to rescue Kento after remembering the promise has a strong feeling of suspense and determination.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Isn't Touma's desire to protect his two best friends and keep the promise he made with them enough reason to want him to succeed? Luna's like the Kanon Ganma Eyecon of Saber. While we may not know much about her from our perspective, we know she's important to both Touma and Kento and I think that makes her more than a mere plot device, at least for this part of the show anyway.

I mean, sure: I generally want the heroes of these shows to be happy and successful. But this show sort of assumes that because it's Touma's Missing Childhood Friend, that I'll feel an additional sense of urgency or intrigue. I don't! She hasn't done anything other than get sucked into a portal and appear in flashbacks! I'll 100% care if and when she's relevant to the modern-day plot and a fully-realized character, rather than a sense of guilt in the shape of a little girl that only exists to motivate two men!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

There's also the implication that his memory loss isn't only to convenience plot, but a sign that he's also very traumatized from that event that he'd unknowingly bury something like that deep down inside his mind, which makes the scene of Kento apparently dying in his arms even more heartbreaking!

I wish this show had spent a little more time on the various coping mechanisms of Kento and Touma, re: which is the healthier way of processing Luna's disappearance? Like, is Touma "better" for forgetting her, versus Kento's inescapable guilt? Is Touma actively repressing his traumatic memories? But because the show waited a dozen episodes to surface those details - and then immediately sacrificed/"sacrificed" Kento - we only get implication at best, inference at worst. Maybe they'll talk more about this in a few episodes! I would love that! But there's really not much to Touma's view of things yet, since the show had him puzzling over his Narratively Convenient Amnesia up until now.

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I wish this show had spent a little more time on the various coping mechanisms of Kento and Touma, re: which is the healthier way of processing Luna's disappearance? Like, is Touma "better" for forgetting her, versus Kento's inescapable guilt? Is Touma actively repressing his traumatic memories? But because the show waited a dozen episodes to surface those details - and then immediately sacrificed/"sacrificed" Kento - we only get implication at best, inference at worst. Maybe they'll talk more about this in a few episodes! I would love that! But there's really not much to Touma's view of things yet, since the show had him puzzling over his Narratively Convenient Amnesia up until now.

Forgetting altogether and remembering to the point of constant depression and guilt both seem like destructive ways to deal with the loss. I don't think it's possible to actively repress memories, as that would be called suppression. Repression is more like an instinctive response to trauma and yeah, I feel like that's the deal with Touma. His imagination as a writer is powerful, it's not so unbelievable that it could cut and edit the narrative of his life to make it easier for him to manage. Even with the memory loss, Touma's still driven to keep his promises, as his own way of repenting for his failure at that time. Kento's burden is arguably worse, since he's not only suffering from the guilt of that broken promise and having to keep Touma in the dark, but also the reality that his own father is the reason for that tragedy and the feeling of responsibility to atone for that.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Forgetting altogether and remembering to the point of constant depression and guilt both seem like destructive ways to deal with the loss. I don't think it's possible to actively repress memories, as that would be called suppression. Repression is more like an instinctive response to trauma and yeah, I feel like that's the deal with Touma. His imagination as a writer is powerful, it's not so unbelievable that it could cut and edit the narrative of his life to make it easier for him to manage. Even with the memory loss, Touma's still driven to keep his promises, as his own way of repenting for his failure at that time. Kento's burden is arguably worse, since he's not only suffering from the guilt of that broken promise and having to keep Touma in the dark, but also the reality that his own father is the reason for that tragedy and the feeling of responsibility to atone for that.

Yeah, it... it's something I really really really wish the show had made room for, beyond a tossed-off self-pitying line from Kento about Touma being the lucky one. There's a lot to unpack, even beyond ascribing intention to what's generally been regarded as Touma's toku-standard Narratively Convenient Amnesia.

(Like, I don't disagree that it's more interesting if Touma's actively avoiding dealing with a traumatic event for which he -- like Kento -- feels personally responsible, but I just don't think there's anything in the text of the show to date that suggests it's a real scenario. I love that you're willing to fill in the show's blanks, but I can't personally get there. I feel like, until I'm told otherwise, it's just a case of Touma's memories being reset by the end of the Wonder World event.)

I think there's a bunch of interesting things the show could've done/will do with Kento's martyrdom and Touma's avoidance, but they sadly haven't done it yet. To your original point, yeah, both forgetting and dwelling are terrible ways of processing trauma. Kento's insistence on suffering, to better fuel his vengeance, makes him not just unable, but unwilling to let go of his past. Meanwhile, Touma's prevented from improving himself by forgetting the ways he's failed. It's pretty bad for both of them! But obviously way worse for Kento right now!

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER SABER EPISODE 13 - “I WILL, PIERCE THROUGH, WITH MY CONVICTIONS”



Man, I feel like such a dick for saying this, but I sort of bounced right off of this one?

Some of it is that, I don’t know, it’s a lot of people yelling TOUMA and KENTO for twenty minutes? Even for the Kento Dies (well, “Dies”; we’ll get to that) episode, this veered into the histrionic end of the acting spectrum pretty quickly. I can handle maybe a couple minutes of that per episode. Once it becomes Mei blowing out her vocal chords to find an even louder version of TOUMA to scream, it’s beyond diminishing returns; it’s actively taking me out of the story. It’s the sort of acting and/or directing choice that kills my ability to see past the artifice and enjoy the narrative. I’m just like Find A Different Note To Play, and that hampers my emotional investment.

(This is a minor part of my coldness to this episode, but: when and why did this become solely Touma’s problem to solve? This is a story about the power of friendship, and how Kento’s martyrdom robbed him of the best tool to defeat Calibur. But the second half of this episode is everyone screaming at Touma to save Kento, and then everyone laying there while Touma generates a powerup to defeat Calibur single-handed. It would’ve been nice if this episode about the power of friendship used that friendship as more than just a way for Touma to feel supported and become powerful enough to do things by himself!)

There’s stuff I liked here, though. A little bit of the beginning, where it’s all silent and still. This isn’t a show that loves quiet moments, so I’m glad it slowed down enough to sell the stakes. I liked Mei immediately failing at her one job of guarding Kento, because keeping Kento from throwing himself unprepared into a deadly situation is the one villain this show can’t defeat. I liked the episode just refusing to follow up on the previous cliffhanger of Tassel showing up, because why bother, I guess.

But, weirdly, the thing I liked the best this time is what I usually roll my eyes at, which is Kamijo saying Universal Truth as an unquestionable justification of his actions from the last 15 years. I liked it here because it brought the metaphor into focus: Universal truth is the antithesis of storytelling and fiction. Universal truth is verifiable, and objective. Storytelling is subjective, and personal. Calibur loses because his goal doesn’t allow for unexpected events or empathy, the two things fairy tales and folklore thrive on. Pitting a novelist against the cold logic of Calibur is an incredibly clever concept, even if the show tends to reduce Calibur to a remorseless supervillain with a couple catchphrases.

(Very funny that Tassel’s recap refers to “Calibur and his goons”; I definitely feel like it’s always been the other way around? They never seemed like they worked for him, despite them being his terrible sons that he loves very much.)

The bulk of the episode, though… it was pleasant in that Explosions and New Suits way a Kamen Rider episode can be, but I never felt like it moved me. Kento’s death/”death” felt so… I don’t know, forced? Kento’s been trying to get himself killed for the last half-dozen episodes, and it looks like he finally succeeded. Touma’s anger and self-recrimination over being unable to save Kento felt like someone being angry at themselves for not stopping a sunset. Kento’s not a person you can save, man! Just ask Mei! Like some of my problems throughout the first act, this development feels too rushed to feel organic or preventable, which are the things that usually make character deaths hit hard. Suicidal Swordsman Gets Murdered isn’t a plot that shakes me up, you know?

But, like a lot of Kamen Rider deaths, it feels erroneous to discuss it as an end to Kento’s story. It certainly looks like Calibur’s sword exerts a necromantic pull on swordsmen, where each victim becomes the next host. I’m assuming Kento’s dad killed Kamijo 15 years ago, which is when Kamijo became the new bearer of the Sword of Shadows. Now it’s probably Kento, at least for an act or two. But we’ll find out soon!

Sorry I didn’t like this one too much! I don’t like being this guy!

—

PUT US BACK TOGETHER RIGHT



“I don’t understand him,” Mei said, sniffling. “He’s so stubborn, and selfish, and…” Her words trailed off as the tears rolled down her cheeks once again.

Rintaro’s mouth turned almost imperceptibly down at the corners, and his eyes moistened ever so slightly, so Mei was certain he was beside himself with sorrow. This was his sad face. It was incredibly close to his happy face, and his normal face, but Mei had gotten pretty good lately at detecting the minor variations necessary to gauge Rintaro’s attitude. She’d considered making up a photo guide for the Sword of Logos members, but she hadn’t found the time lately. Looking at Kento lying in his bed, unconscious, she didn’t feel like she’d be getting any time back soon.

“Why did he do it? Why did he run off to fight Calibur all alone?” Mei’s question was directed at all three men in the room: Rintaro, Touma, and Kento himself.

“It was his duty as a swordsman,” Rintaro said with a shocking amount of pride, considering the state of Kento. Rintaro loved talking about the duties of swordsmen, but this wasn’t the time to commend Kento for his dedication.

“By himself? After you’d just had to almost sacrifice yourself to save him from the last time he went to fight Calibur all alone?” Mei couldn’t believe that Rintaro could so easily forget her and Touma standing over his bed a few days earlier, hoping he’d pull through. “How could he be so reckless?”

Rintaro pursed his lips for a moment in concentration, before answering. “He–”

“He did it for me,” Touma said loudly. “He did it for me.”

“What? Touma, you weren’t even there,” Mei explained, almost sputtering at Touma’s attempt to take the blame. “You were halfway across town when–”

“He did it because I failed him, and I failed Luna,” Touma said to the group. He never looked up from Kento’s sleeping face, even as his voice took on more force and volume. “I couldn’t keep my promise, so Kento put himself at risk to make it right. He’s not selfish, Mei. He’s not reckless, or stubborn… okay, he’s maybe stubborn. But he’s a good friend, and he was trying to help me, even when I didn’t know it. Because he cares too much about his friends, Mei. He cares too much.”

Touma was crying now, his head buried in the side of the bed by Kento’s shoulder. Mei had questions, so many questions, but she stayed silent while Touma cried.

After a few brief seconds, Touma raised his head from the mattress, and turned to face her and Rintaro. His eyes were red, his cheeks wet. But there was conviction written all over his face, a kind that she’d seen more often these last few months. He took a deep breath, let it out, and then looked back at Kento.

“He’s going to wake up, Mei. And when he does, we’re going to let him know how much we care, too. He’s not in this by himself. He’s got all of us, just like we have him. And that’s why we’re going to win.”

Touma grasped the book he’d brought with him when he and Mei had left the bookshop earlier. It was a weathered pop-up book, one she couldn’t quite make out the title of in the dimly-lit room.

“Friendship always wins,” Touma said quietly.

[Enchilada645]

Ah yes, and here we have Dragonic Knight's debut... of which I find the suit pretty cool as an upgrade. Though others would tell you it's too glorious to be that and should be the final form instead and I'm not so sure about that?

I don't know, gallant knight in silver armor screams power-up but it doesn't scream final form. Though of course uh... unfortunately thanks to the limitations of live action, from what I've heard, Dragonic Knight is not the sturdiest of suits. Granted, it looks so majestic and beautiful that it would make sense.

Yeah I'm avoiding the elephant in the room. See I was fine with the screaming, I was fine with the yelling. My issue is uh... we had like a real good send off for Kento last episode and in this episode it was like "This time he's dying... for real!" like when it comes to Kamen Rider, Episode 12's ending is a pretty big note to leave on for a character dying given we've seen people die from less.

Because as we've established, death can come in many forms. Such as a simple spin kick to the chin ala Another Decade vs. Ora in which I didn't even think she was dead at the time.

So yeah, really that's my only major complaint of the episode, that we kinda just did Kento dies already.

Needless to say this'll be an interesting scenario to tackle whenever I get to it in my story, I'll say that much.

Oh right, the story. Nice, simple, though I don't have much to say other than that.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

So yeah, really that's my only major complaint of the episode, that we kinda just did Kento dies already.

I'm probably going to spend most of the next day walking back my dislike of this episode, because that's how my brain works.

What I sort of appreciate about this episode is that it starts with Kento dying, so the story is more about If You Had One Last Day, you know? And Kento wants to spend it with his friends, sword in hand, fighting back the forces of darkness. Like, the last episode was Kento The Loner, and this second episode is Kento The Friend. It's sort of sweet, if you look at it that way.