[IXRollOutIX]

Yeah, I dunno. I personally have the same feeling that the twist will be Emu is the Bugster and M is his real personality. But it's possible they'll stick with the more obvious route.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helios

That's true. I just made the assumption that he was himself when he was young and that when he got that game after the surgery that's what created M.

But it just as well could go the other way. He could have always been into games as a child, and the inspiring Doctor is what created the Bugster's (Emu's) personality.

[barnstenchfartface]

If M is the "real" one that would also explain why Takaiwa is his suit actor and not Emu's. It'd make sense.

That being said, I'm with Fish Sandwich in thinking that revealing the alternate personality to be just this total foreign entity would really devalue the character. Which is why I'm hoping they're going for a little bait and switch. Like, making us think they're distinctly different, but then go with some other explanation like...yeah, the second personality came from Bugsters, somehow, but all it did was enhance a side of him that was already there. Or like, maybe those 16 years have really made them one and the same in all but manners. Because like, they do act different, but they're still clearly the same people. They have the same goals, the same feelings, the same morals and...you know, stuff.

And probably I'm just reading too much into this, but I do think that's what this episode was kind of hinting at or showing. When he first splits up into M and Emu, it's like they're fighting over who is the "real" one, but the second time, that doesn't really matter. "You are me and I am you." Kind of expecting that to be the whole point of this second arc and Double Action in general.

[MarsHottentot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnstenchfartface

If M is the "real" one that would also explain why Takaiwa is his suit actor and not Emu's. It'd make sense.

That being said, I'm with Fish Sandwich in thinking that revealing the alternate personality to be just this total foreign entity would really devalue the character. Which is why I'm hoping they're going for a little bait and switch. Like, making us think they're distinctly different, but then go with some other explanation like...yeah, the second personality came from Bugsters, somehow, but all it did was enhance a side of him that was already there. Or like, maybe those 16 years have really made them one and the same in all but manners. Because like, they do act different, but they're still clearly the same people. They have the same goals, the same feelings, the same morals and...you know, stuff.

And probably I'm just reading too much into this, but I do think that's what this episode was kind of hinting at or showing. When he first splits up into M and Emu, it's like they're fighting over who is the "real" one, but the second time, that doesn't really matter. "You are me and I am you." Kind of expecting that to be the whole point of this second arc and Double Action in general.

I'm thinking this is pretty likely. Wouldn't it be kind of bleak otherwise? "Emu is a fiction, M, the aggressive game brat, is the real deal"? I like the idea that the Bugster (Anti-Bugster) is merely the empathic portion of Emu / M's personality personified which, in turn, leaves "M" as the more impulsive, aggressive portion.

[henshinzero]

I wish in the next two episodes, Emu begs Nico for forgiveness for all he put her through as "M".

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnstenchfartface

That being said, I'm with Fish Sandwich

Those are not words I hear very often.

Quote:

Which is why I'm hoping they're going for a little bait and switch.

I totally see the potential for the show to basically do both angles at once. Like, yeah, something happened to Emu to make him weird, but at the end of the day he's still just himself. Aside from the the whole way the twin Ex-Aids work out their beef with one another so quickly this episode, I feel like there's some other evidence pointing towards that direction.

First off, Emu "switching" personalities has never been some hard binary thing. Consider stuff like when he selflessly risked getting a game over (something we've learned the hard way is no joke) back in episode 3 to save some kid in the middle of a fight. And like, consider how hotheaded he was acting during the whole introduction arc for Drago Knight Hunter. The show didn't feel the need to have wind dramatically blow his hair around every other scene then.

Second, unless Ex-Aid pulls out a real twist in the fourth quarter (I'm talking something crazy like "M/Emu becomes a separate entity from Emu/M and becomes Genm and also evil for some contrived reason"), we pretty much know Ex-Aid's future upgrades are back to just being one guy, so I figure the show's options here are either to make Emu and M the same guy if they aren't, whether by literally merging them somehow or just having them be cool with each other (essentially keeping the status quo), or get even ballsier than killing Kiriya off and basically gut half the hero's personality and get rid of the "fake" part, which is a pretty nuts thing for a kids' show to do. It may not be actively traumatizing the way offing a character is, but the hero of a Rider show is meant to be like, this nice, stable role model for the kiddies, even in a show like Gaim (where Kouta is basically the anchor to keep kids from running scared when s*** gets real) and suddenly dropping the bomb that either chunk of Emu's character basically doesn't matter on them would be pretty hugely damaging to that.

And that's the thing. As cool as it would be for shock value, the idea of actually doing that is insane. The two halves of Emu are clearly meant to be one whole. Neither half of him would really be much of a character on its own.

Basically, to make a long story short, I think there's very little chance of whatever the show ends up doing having too huge an impact on anything. Keep in mind, however, that I didn't believe Kiriya was really dead until I saw the flowers, and that I consider Graphite's early death a complete violation of storytelling common sense.

[MaskedRiderAsakura]

I just thought of something....not necessarily related to this episode in particular, but Ex-Aid bringing something up did spark something in my head.


Kamen Rider Chronicle. What if it's some grand scheme to make the entire world a video game, where you get "continues" and everybody gets to continue living, at the expense of being a Bugster? It makes so much sense when you consider the Dangerous Zombie gashat basically allows Dan to cheat death...

[LockonStratos]

Well, the next upgrade still has 2 faces, and I doubt they'll just sweep this under the rug.

You know, I keep thinking that it'll end up being kind of like a Persona or Stand but with more personality of their own.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaskedRiderAsakura

Kamen Rider Chronicle. What if it's some grand scheme to make the entire world a video game, where you get "continues" and everybody gets to continue living, at the expense of being a Bugster? It makes so much sense when you consider the Dangerous Zombie gashat basically allows Dan to cheat death...

Well, I was already thinking Dan probably wants to make the world a game in some way or another, and his dialogue about Kamen Rider Chronicle last episode was something like "people will soon know a world where they can't live without this game", so... yeah, I could see that! Especially if it makes people directly dependent on him. The man has proven to have quite the ego.

[KRFurious1]

14 episodes in and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them are important thus far. Such a damn fantastic series.

[MarsHottentot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LockonStratos

Well, the next upgrade still has 2 faces, and I doubt they'll just sweep this under the rug.

You know, I keep thinking that it'll end up being kind of like a Persona or Stand but with more personality of their own.

It's Para-DX's which, I think, exists to counter Mighty Bros XX. However, if Emu does get it, that works as one is cerebral (Puzzle Gamer) and the other is aggressive (Fighter Gamer).

Also, isn't LVL100 a dual form with a LVL2 inside a tank chibi?