[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

There's always that one moment where there's a monster in the way and all of a sudden the new dude shows up. It's especially weird since the movie's fansubs were coming out about six months into the new show's run and this beta version of the Rider feels just a little off the mark.

The weirdest thing about Fourze's appearance here is that he actually helps OOO against the main villain, instead of the now-standard practice of bumping off one of the lieutenants solo, while the title hero heads off to fight the big bad. Here, it's just Fourze beating up Gara alongside OOO, leaving, and then Gara comes back to fight OOO. It's so weird?

And, yeah, Gentarou is slightly off-model here. You can sort of see the original Kamen Rider Urban Legend concept creeping in around the edges, with the whole thing about him befriending every Rider, but I'm still a little impressed that Yuki gets a little onscreen cameo. It's not really Fourze without other members of the KRC!

[Androzani84]

So rewatching this recently, I have to wonder whether was Gara was always an evil body snatching, world destroying maniac even in the 12th Century, and Kougami’s great however many times grandfather locked him away to stop his destruction, or if he went crazy after being locked in a coffin with no body for no reason.

Also, like the previous 2 OOO movies, this one doesn’t really work in continuity (most notably, the Greeed quartet crashing on Maki’s couch with neither Ankh being their roommate), but given Eiji’s fear of snakes, which briefly comes up here, there’s the perfect explanation as to why BuraKaWani never appears again.

[Zatyme]

I want to say that another thing that makes this movie impossible to occur is that if you pay attention there are 4 Taka medals roaming around in the events of the movie.

[GodSpeedLove]

So...those civilians that got stuck in the Edo period never came back, did they? They're just stuck there? Last we saw of them they waved Eiji and co. goodbye. I'm surprised they just left that thread hanging!

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Also, like the previous 2 OOO movies, this one doesn?t really work in continuity (most notably, the Greeed quartet crashing on Maki?s couch with neither Ankh being their roommate), but given Eiji?s fear of snakes, which briefly comes up here, there?s the perfect explanation as to why BuraKaWani never appears again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zatyme

I want to say that another thing that makes this movie impossible to occur is that if you pay attention there are 4 Taka medals roaming around in the events of the movie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GodSpeedLove

So...those civilians that got stuck in the Edo period never came back, did they? They're just stuck there? Last we saw of them they waved Eiji and co. goodbye. I'm surprised they just left that thread hanging!

Don't forget that the Greeed gave up their Medals to OOO in order to his All Full Combo finale on Gara. Did he... just give them all back to them? Did they somehow defeat him for them, and just leave afterwards?

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER OOO EPISODE 45 - “A SURPRISE ATTACK, PROTO-BIRTH, AND A DESIRE FOR LOVE”

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It is incredibly difficult to take the rest of the Greeed seriously at this point, and I’m glad that the show barely asks us to.

Ha ha, WHOOPS.

Naturally, not a single episode after I insultingly shrugged off the non-Ankh/Maki/Eiji Greeed as being one-note clowns that the series has largely outgrown, rendering their continued presence to be a distracting and flavorless sideshow to the more epic drama occurring outside and beyond them, this friggin’ show makes them epic and dramatic. I’d be mad, but I’ve actually never been happier to eat my words.

The secret to this episode’s melancholy success isn’t even really in the Mezool story that forms its climax, despite that whole sequence being tense and unrelenting. (The way 9-Medal Mezool just takes apart Proto-Birth and OOO – not through huge new flamboyant powers or CG trickery, but through just being faster and stronger – is one of the best fight scenes yet in this show. The two heroes genuinely look outclassed, while Mezool looks unstoppable.) While the Greeed are desperate to regain their Medals in order to bask in the echoes of humanity, Ankh’s petulance and frustration slowly gives way to a kind of grief and guilt, which is the fascinating story decision that ties this whole thing together.

Ankh’s desire isn’t for some unknowable feeling that he’s never had, like Mezool’s simulacrum of motherhood, it’s basically just to hold onto what he stumbled into over the last year. Ankh can playact as another one of the malevolent Greeed, but he’s so much more than that now. The things that Mezool wants – connection, love, a feeling of contentment that can only come with mutual affection – he had all that, and he gave it up because he feared losing it. That self-inflicted wound grows visibly larger as the other Greeed start to indulge their hunger, because Ankh knows that they aren’t even really tasting what he had. Their hunger is rapacious and infinite because it’s all they are, but they’ll never get the satisfaction he has from possessing a human body. His growing discontent with the fraud inherent in the Greeed ramps up nicely against both Mezool’s brief victorious indulgence, and Eiji’s inability to hide his own changes.

And that’s other nice thing about an episode where Eiji very quickly recedes to the background in order to better serve the larger Greeed cast – it’s a thread that’s sort of all about how Eiji recedes into the background? Eiji’s fervor to save someone like Shingo completely evaporates when his friends ask him to treat his own life with the same respect, and that’s such a fun story to tell as a parallel to the Greeed’s quest for the trappings of human engagement and sensation. Much like Ankh, Eiji has what they want, and he’s letting it all slip through his fingers. Eiji and Ankh are the exact same character in this episode, and they can’t seem to find a way to extricate themselves from their spiral without losing even more of themselves in the process.

This is a pretty perfect Final Four episode (and during March Madness, even!), since it lets the heroes and villains act as mirrors to each other, while also keeping anyone from getting what they want. It’s all fatalism and regret, which is a very fun place to be as a viewer.

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

As always, these hypothetical people sound miserable. I'm grateful I have had completely different experiences with the fandom!

I obviously can't list all examples, but though this might not be serious, you do object to Fish celebrating those who hurt themselves for the sake of good. Otherwise, an example (in this website) of what's said as hypothetical here is this:


It's a hot take for someone to think that giving up what you have isn't really heroic, the question there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER OOO EPISODE 45 - “A SURPRISE ATTACK, PROTO-BIRTH, AND A DESIRE FOR LOVE”

The secret to this episode’s melancholy success isn’t even really in the Mezool story that forms its climax, despite that whole sequence being tense and unrelenting. (The way 9-Medal Mezool just takes apart Proto-Birth and OOO – not through huge new flamboyant powers or CG trickery, but through just being faster and stronger – is one of the best fight scenes yet in this show. The two heroes genuinely look outclassed, while Mezool looks unstoppable.) While the Greeed are desperate to regain their Medals in order to bask in the echoes of humanity, Ankh’s petulance and frustration slowly gives way to a kind of grief and guilt, which is the fascinating story decision that ties this whole thing together.

Well of course, LaToraTah is a normal Combo, rather than an upgraded one like TaJaDor and PuToTyra, so it's rather a bare minimum for a fully upgraded Greeed in Mezool to kick his ass. I feel that there are new powers playing a part here in Mezool mostly becoming water, like Wizard Water Style. But OOO managed to win when using the Medagabryu, final form's weapon, so I guess the weapon makes the difference too despite the body's combo, other than the destroying Medals part.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Ankh’s desire isn’t for some unknowable feeling that he’s never had, like Mezool’s simulacrum of motherhood, it’s basically just to hold onto what he stumbled into over the last year. Ankh can playact as another one of the malevolent Greeed, but he’s so much more than that now. The things that Mezool wants – connection, love, a feeling of contentment that can only come with mutual affection – he had all that, and he gave it up because he feared losing it. That self-inflicted wound grows visibly larger as the other Greeed start to indulge their hunger, because Ankh knows that they aren’t even really tasting what he had. Their hunger is rapacious and infinite because it’s all they are, but they’ll never get the satisfaction he has from possessing a human body. His growing discontent with the fraud inherent in the Greeed ramps up nicely against both Mezool’s brief victorious indulgence, and Eiji’s inability to hide his own changes.

Mezool's name means to love (also sounding like mizu which refers to her water-based powers). Yeah Mezool didn't die yet after ep. 15, because her true motivation wasn't revealed yet, to feel genuine maternal love. Mezool's motherly love for Gamel, Lost Ankh, and Maki (though a creepy one for this) was her attempt to feel maternal love which was futile, and thus she left Gamel and start abducting mother and children to feel them. Though there's a difference between Ankh having experienced a human body and the Greeed being a mere things (though I thought it's just Maki looking down on others), greedy humans also often can't be satisfied and be happy, no matter what they achieve, like never being content with any amount of wealth, ambition, or power they gain, and continue their corrupt crimes for more. Which is how villainy isn't necessarily what one truly wants, despite that seemingly some think becoming evil person seems to make them happier as they gain more, and is also a part of why someone evil doesn't really understand virtue and dismiss them, like thinking that they can bribe the heroes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And that’s other nice thing about an episode where Eiji very quickly recedes to the background in order to better serve the larger Greeed cast – it’s a thread that’s sort of all about how Eiji recedes into the background? Eiji’s fervor to save someone like Shingo completely evaporates when his friends ask him to treat his own life with the same respect, and that’s such a fun story to tell as a parallel to the Greeed’s quest for the trappings of human engagement and sensation. Much like Ankh, Eiji has what they want, and he’s letting it all slip through his fingers. Eiji and Ankh are the exact same character in this episode, and they can’t seem to find a way to extricate themselves from their spiral without losing even more of themselves in the process.

This'd be back into how Hina feels she's unconsciously asking Eiji to do her favors, something she blamed herself for some episodes before, to unknowingly use Eiji has her 'convenient god'. It's what Eiji wants too to save Shingo but she didn't really have much reaction about it despite her previous feelings, other than obvious wanting him to protect himself, like what repeatedly said before to him.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

But OOO managed to win when using the Medagabryu, final form's weapon, so I guess the weapon makes the difference too despite the body's combo, other than the destroying Medals part.

That weapon's purpose is to destroy Medals, so I'd assume that it's as powerful against any level of Greeed/Yummy.

[Androzani84]

So, what happened to all the mothers and daughters Mezool cocooned? They’re not shown being freed at any point and given something in the next episode, I’d have to say it’s permanent.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

So, what happened to all the mothers and daughters Mezool cocooned? They?re not shown being freed at any point and given something in the next episode, I?d have to say it?s permanent.

Since 45 ends on a cliffhanger while all this is still going on, I really couldn't say yet.