[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Speaking of hilarity though, the Engine Blade. In how it's this heavy ass weapon that embeds itself into the ground and Terui has to drag it along most of the time and even carry it with two hands at points. I'm glad that's one thing that's been kept consistent usually when its brought up.

The Engine Blade is one of my favorite Kamen Rider weapons, and maybe 40-50% of why I think Accel is such a cool suit. The way show establishes an episode in advance that the Engine Blade is this massive, inhuman weapon that chews through concrete and obliterates masonry... all so that Accel can swing it effortlessly? Such a cool setup. I love that big dumb sword!

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Originally Posted by Enchilada645

As for other bits... yeah I'll agree the Wakana stuff is sudden but I think it works in that well, her family is basically forcing her to do this. Ryubei these past several episodes had picked up on what happened at the end of the Violence Dopant case, and clearly doesn't want Wakana slipping, especially after what happened with Kirihiko.

Oh, sure, it makes perfect sense why Ryubei and Saeko are keen for Wakana to step up and join the family business -- Ryubei for unity, Saeko for a chance to get Wakana under her thumb -- but I'm not sure these two episodes bother to give equal weight to Wakana's reluctance, especially considering how much of a factor it's been in the last half-dozen episodes.

[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Kirihiko's a complicated guy, and that's about it.

Well, I see character types like Kirihiko all the time. This type is common.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 20 - “I WON’T STOP - KAMEN RIDER STYLE”

Like, that last scene! It’s so good! It’s hyper-competent Terui being effortlessly cool, but specifically needling Shotaro because it’s fun to do. It all works because Terui clearly (and vocally!) respects Shotaro. He sees the value in Shotaro’s warmth and empathy – from the earlier scene where Shotaro outlines the difference between fighting crime and killing criminals, to the middle section when Shotaro takes a beat to let a scared mother know that he cares what happens to her son. Terui even clarifies that, as long as he’s in Fuuto, he does things Shotaro’s way. This is a guy who clearly sees the value in Shotaro’s methodology and value system.

For the half-boiled gag, kinda feel that it's a flanderization for Shotaro to fail so much in the mere basics of billiard, with him slipping the cue stick away. Feels like the usual secondary is much cooler and the primary gets humiliated here with how much Terui is, with the shilling that Terui gets like Jinno and Makura hyping him up, and after Terui paid, Akiko views Terui much more highly than Shotaro, expressing an interest in him. Terui also sees Philip as the useful one. Despite the talk about warmth and empathy, the hard-boiled stuff is the most sensitive topic to Shotaro. so much that he succumbs to negativity here, to irrationally and pettily kicking Terui (someone hard-boiled) out due to refusing to play second-fiddle to authorities. I'd think this part is one of the meanest Shotaro moments in the entire series, ironically, though, on a mission, Shotaro puts his irrational dislike of Terui away to cooperate with the clue, it's Terui's turn to be hostile being aggressive and refusing to hear his questions.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I don’t think the main mystery is anything to write home about, beyond a vague thing for Terui to see some specific pain in. (I think the first Terui case absolutely had to be about a family, for whatever that’s worth.) The sleight-of-hand reveal that the son is the culprit and the mom is trying to take the fall… like, it doesn’t hold up to the slightest scrutiny. It requires the mom to get into crime scenes before the police do, and plant clues that somehow lead the police to suspect her but not her son, which is sort of the opposite of diverting attention. It’s… this is not a great plot. It’s too convoluted, and requires the mom to be basically clairvoyant about her son. It’s too much.

Akiko won't waste this moment by actually enjoying the rides in the park, and turns out that, having fun doesn't mean that you'd fail, as Akiko's the one to find Makiko (Akiko with M added ~), who is also.. riding a merry-go-round. That'd mean Shotaro's too serious either being confused of grown-ups riding it or not approving of Akiko having fun. Other than that, Shotaro also feels like a forceful parent to a child to forbid kids to follow their interests (e.g. playing games) due to it being 'distractions', in Philip wearing St. Bernard costume due to following Wakana's radio show. This ironically also reveals Phillip's more 'human' side having his own hobbies and interests too, which is inherent in humans and can't be just taken away like Shotaro or those figures want them too - it can cause problems but the interest can be channeled into a more constructive path.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

(The fact that the mom’s plot does work on Terui is maybe more of an indictment of how deranged Terui has become, and less a vote of confidence in the mom’s strategy.)

Other than spying on the protagonist trio, Terui is egocentric and detrimental to force only 1 'hero' fighting in the city taking over W as they don't have what it takes, to the displeasure of Shotaro and Philip of his behavior. Like some other characters that are these type of jerks like, Yuuto from Den-O or Tsurugi from Kabuto. Even if W is less competent, Kamen Riders aren't omnipresent to help out somewhere else.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Beyond that, it’s all setup for future plotlines. Saeko takes Wakana to meet the mysterious and dapper Weather Dopant, while Terui’s backstory includes the first of many semi-inexplicable Shroud appearances. The latter is kind of nothing to me at this point, but the former is a little more troubling. We were in a neat place with Wakana’s newly-discovered need for independence, and now we’ve just got her as Saeko’s protege. There’s really not a lot to connect the two plots, and so it just feels like Wakana and/or the show was like Eh Maybe Later. I don’t love it? It feels like it needed a more conflicted performance, or a scene explaining Wakana’s decision-making. Feels… undercooked.

Shroud gives him the AccelDriver in a metal suitcase surrounded by a ring of fire.They really should've named it AccelRider instead, it contains bike's handlebar and not steering wheel! Accel can rev the AccelDriver to release a fire from his body, freeing him from Iceage's freezing. Accel also can use Engine Memory in Engine Blade, turning it into flaming blade, which is based on one of the three engine types, representing jet type here (the other ones being steam and electriic). That'd mean Accel is stronger than HeatJoker, at least in their fire abilities (with W also shilling Accel's combat). As Iceage escapes, Accel shows another one of his ability, turning into a literal motorcycle in his BikeForm to chase Iceage down. After he catches up (and in reverse, Iceage releases a steam from its body to extinguish the flames on her like Accel before), Accel ends the fight with his Maximum Drive, Accel Glanzer, a spinning kick like Fang Strizer, but with skid-mark like trail. Accel was engulfed in flame before the kick, but it's not used at all in the attack...it suddenly disappears after he jumps.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I love how Terui's debut shakes up the feeling of the show, both as a character and a Rider. He's such a bad*ss and easily one of my favorite Secondary Riders. In a way, he's also my first Secondary Rider, since Decade's abundance of Riders meant that Diend never hit the same way as Accel did for me, with Accel being literally second after Double. Despite his cool exterior and impressive detective skills though, he does let his emotions steer him for personal matters, with him acting as judge, jury and executioner to Iceage Dopant, showing that he's a loose cannon with no partner to slam the brake. It's an intriguing contrast to Double for sure. Humorously, the only member of Team Double who Terui actually takes seriously is Akiko.

So Terui being consumed by vengeance means him being clouded by his emotions. Usually in fanbase's eyes, letting emotions get in the way of your work is when you're "too empathetic" to not do what it takes because of compassion or empathy to the victim or especially the bad guy and upholding virtue... and that going after people without thinking twice is the logical and pragmatic approach. For the Akiko - Mei (has Kirihiko's surname) relations for Saber, with Akiko also fawning over the secondary like Mei to Rintaro, seems that for this one, said loose cannon is celebrated here for that, unlike Rintaro being one of the few nice secondaries.

[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Akiko won't waste this moment by actually enjoying the rides in the park, and turns out that, having fun doesn't mean that you'd fail, as Akiko's the one to find Makiko (Akiko with M added ~), who is also.. riding a merry-go-round. That'd mean Shotaro's too serious either being confused of grown-ups riding it or not approving of Akiko having fun. Other than that, Shotaro also feels like a forceful parent to a child to forbid kids to follow their interests (e.g. playing games) due to it being 'distractions', in Philip wearing St. Bernard costume due to following Wakana's radio show. This ironically also reveals Phillip's more 'human' side having his own hobbies and interests too, which is inherent in humans and can't be just taken away like Shotaro or those figures want them too - it can cause problems but the interest can be channeled into a more constructive path.

I mean, in Shotaro's defense:
-It is kind of unusual for a grown woman to ride a merry-go-round by herself in the middle of the day.
-Terui's already abandoned the search, and then it looks like Akiko has, leaving Shotaro to canvas the entire amusement park by himself, so it's natural he'd be frustrated.
-Philip is wearing a St Bernard costume at exactly the moment where Shotaro is trying to prove the Narumi Detective Agency's competence to Terui.
-Just, overall, Akiko and Philip are sort of not helping Shotaro with Terui.

[Androzani84]

So a little late, but yeah, the new guy comes off as more of a parody of what the show thinks a half-boiled character is (As one guy pointed out, Shotaro fits the actual definition of hard-boiled more then the stereotypical “macho man” definition).

Anyway, time for a triple feature.

Rider-lert!

Our Dopant of the fortnight is played by Kento Shibuya, who previously appeared in three mid-season episodes of Hibiki as Tsutomu/Kamen Rider Akatsuki, a retired Oni disciple who was struggling financially. Clearly things haven’t been getting any better in the interim.

Sentai-lert!

The VA behind Shroud (and I presume the face, since she has a similar hairstyle, and based on later developments, is the right age) is Naoko Kouda, who was previously the voice of Jellyfish-Kenma Rageku in the producer’s previous show, Juken Sentai Gekiranger. She later had guest roles as the Joan of Arc Ganma in Ghost and the Stagnant Sea Witch Numajo in Mashin Sentai Kiramager (who has a mask similar to Terror’s head design, funnily enough)

General Drama Alert

Our mysterious new arc villain is the late Tomoyuki Dan, who was a big name in dramas, anime and foreign voice dubbing (he was most notably Christian Bale in the Dark Knight trilogy and Terminator Salvation, James Marsden in the X-Men trilogy, Ben Stiller in the first two Night at the Museum movies and Tim Roth in The Incredible Hulk). Within the world of Toku, he had a supporting role as a security guard in Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy, and after his 2013 death, he reprised the role of the Weather Dopant in video games through the magic of stock recordings.

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 20 - ?I WON?T STOP - KAMEN RIDER STYLE?

Like, that last scene! It?s so good! It?s hyper-competent Terui being effortlessly cool, but specifically needling Shotaro because it?s fun to do. It all works because Terui clearly (and vocally!) respects Shotaro. He sees the value in Shotaro?s warmth and empathy ? from the earlier scene where Shotaro outlines the difference between fighting crime and killing criminals, to the middle section when Shotaro takes a beat to let a scared mother know that he cares what happens to her son. Terui even clarifies that, as long as he?s in Fuuto, he does things Shotaro?s way. This is a guy who clearly sees the value in Shotaro?s methodology and value system.

It?s just, Shotaro is also a total buffoon (that aside when he?s like I Mean I Wouldn?t Say I?m ?Half?-Boiled!) and it is totally logical that a legit hard-boiled detective would delight in teasing him constantly about his many obvious and ridiculous shortcomings. Like, the very fact that Shotaro cares if people think he?s cool gives Terui endless ammunition, as Terui is actually cool and doesn?t care. It?s such a fun dynamic.

This is another good trait of Terui, that he's mature enough to admit to his flaws and defer to his comrades when necessary, which Shoutarou struggles to do as he wants to appear hard-boiled and Phillip struggles to do as he's socially inept. Makes Terui appear like a more human version of Soukichi, which allows us to sympathize and admire him, without taking anything away from the valid qualities of Team Double.

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Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Terui Ryu might be the most unintentionally funniest Secondary in the history of Secondaries?

Just the way he presents himself and the way the show presents him as this supercop in which he's awesome and cool and how he tries to tear down W despite that crew surviving 18 episodes + half a movie before his arrival. It's hilarious, and I love it. I love that despite his seriousness, his effectiveness, there's still a sort of deranged aspect to him in his mannerisms or how he tries to take control of the case. Very much a "glad I'm the only normal one here" if you get what I mean.

So basically, he's the competent version of Tachibana Sakuya.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!

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Originally Posted by Sunred

Looking back now, Terui's past feels like a nod to Kamen Rider V3 because Shiro Kazami also has a similar origin where his family is wiped out by a kaijin, in Kazami's case, a jaguar with scissor blades for arms.

Chichi Yo Haha Yo Imouto Yo!

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

So Terui being consumed by vengeance means him being clouded by his emotions. Usually in fanbase's eyes, letting emotions get in the way of your work is when you're "too empathetic" to not do what it takes because of compassion or empathy to the victim or especially the bad guy and upholding virtue... and that going after people without thinking twice is the logical and pragmatic approach. For the Akiko - Mei (has Kirihiko's surname) relations for Saber, with Akiko also fawning over the secondary like Mei to Rintaro, seems that for this one, said loose cannon is celebrated here for that, unlike Rintaro being one of the few nice secondaries.

"Going after people without thinking twice is logical".... Yeah, that sounds like the kind of contradiction that edgy guys would come up with. Empathy and hatred can both cloud a person's judgment and the latter is clearly detrimental here, since Terui was about to kill the wrong man.

Yeah, Terui's personality seems closer to fellow serious red jacket-wearing big bro Ryouga than Rintarou, although Mei did show some respect to Ryouga as well. All three Riders are similar in their values and sense of loyalty, so Akiko's and Mei's romantic preferences may also be similar.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Our Dopant of the fortnight is played by Kento Shibuya, who previously appeared in three mid-season episodes of Hibiki as Tsutomu/Kamen Rider Akatsuki, a retired Oni disciple who was struggling financially. Clearly things haven?t been getting any better in the interim.

Neat! Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

This is another good trait of Terui, that he's mature enough to admit to his flaws and defer to his comrades when necessary, which Shoutarou struggles to do as he wants to appear hard-boiled and Phillip struggles to do as he's socially inept.

It would be so easy for this show to just make Terui dismissive of Shotaro, or constantly belittling him. (Basically, making him Cool Makura.) But I much prefer the hard road of making Terui actually a good guy, but one who will always needle Shotaro. It's so much more rewarding to watch Terui when you know that he does respect Shotaro's point of view, but also recognizes that Shotaro is so desperate to look cool that it's fun to tease him.

[Switchblade]

So the big thing that struck me watching this episode again was the realization that we really don't get episodes like this anymore. It's been a really long time since a show just dropped a brand new character on us and said "Here you go, here's the secondary Rider." I'm thinking either Specter or Mach; I forget exactly how Specter was rolled out because I block as much of Ghost as I can from my longterm memory (I also can't remember if it's Specter or Spectre and I don't care enough to check). Ever since Ex-Aid we've gotten a secondary who's either an established character or who's introduced so early that you can argue no one is really established yet.

I think I kind of prefer that. This two-parter feels - and this is both 2010 and 2024 Switchblade talking here - disruptive. Terui's arrival absolutely throws the vibe of the show off at first. We get back to feeling more like W by the end of the arc, but suddenly thrusting a major new character into all of the existing dynamics just makes everything feel a little bit out of whack. It's not bad, at least not in this case, but it is noticeable. It reminds me a bit of when the sixth member of a Super Sentai team shows up and suddenly all of the plots are about them for a few weeks.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE!

[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

So the big thing that struck me watching this episode again was the realization that we really don't get episodes like this anymore. It's been a really long time since a show just dropped a brand new character on us and said "Here you go, here's the secondary Rider." I'm thinking either Specter or Mach; I forget exactly how Specter was rolled out because I block as much of Ghost as I can from my longterm memory (I also can't remember if it's Specter or Spectre and I don't care enough to check). Ever since Ex-Aid we've gotten a secondary who's either an established character or who's introduced so early that you can argue no one is really established yet.

I feel like Mach was the last of the Sudden Arrival Secondaries, if I can coin a phrase. (And I can!) Everyone afterwards is, like you said, either there from the start (Ex-Aid), baked into the premise (Ghost), or is a supporting cast member that gets the nod (Build). As an Ex-Aid guy, I'm certainly not going to feel like that's the wrong way to go, but I honestly do enjoy arrivals like Accel. To wit:

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

This two-parter feels - and this is both 2010 and 2024 Switchblade talking here - disruptive.

I like that disruption. Beyond taking the cast and show out of their comfort zone -- Terui is very murderous -- it gives the show new ideas and tones to play with. It's a friction that immediately generates fun stories and jokes.

[Switchblade]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I like that disruption. Beyond taking the cast and show out of their comfort zone -- Terui is very murderous -- it gives the show new ideas and tones to play with. It's a friction that immediately generates fun stories and jokes.

It works, it's just a lot at once. It feels a lot like a season premiere, except that in this case the previous season finale just aired last week.

[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

It works, it's just a lot at once. It feels a lot like a season premiere, except that in this case the previous season finale just aired last week.

No, I hear you. I think it pays more dividends in Double because the cast is relatively small (Shotaro, Philip, Akiko) and there's only one Rider. There's always a bit more of a lurch in a show that has a couple Riders already. For better or worse (I'd argue "better", but YMMV) Ghost definitely became The Necrom Show for a chunk of episodes once Alain became a Rider.

It also helps that Terui both HAS a problem (his dead family) and IS a problem (see above!). For a show that kind of doesn't have anywhere in particular to go with Shotaro, and is sort of treading water with Philip, Terui at least gives them all something to do while waiting for the next case to arrive and/or throw a brick through their window.