[Switchblade]

Yeah, this is a weird one and it really gets overshadowed by what happens after the next episode. I actually think it’s kind of a pity that this ended up as a standalone episode since the Imagin story is interesting enough that it could have filled a full two-parter.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

Yeah, this is a weird one and it really gets overshadowed by what happens after the next episode. I actually think it’s kind of a pity that this ended up as a standalone episode since the Imagin story is interesting enough that it could have filled a full two-parter.

Maybe? There's definitely some vague thematic stuff that could've been a larger story (how we tell ourselves stories about our actions that lock us into unhealthy mindsets, or how being honest about our shortcomings is better than hiding from them), but what's here is plenty entertaining. If anything, I like the break from the two-part structure we've gotten recently, where this one-off comes on the heels of a four-part movie tie-in. It's nicely unpredictable!

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

For reference, a tsundere is a type of character who acts like they don’t care about someone else, but switch to actively caring when they’re not present. Not to be confused with “yandere” which is where the person is obsessively caring of someone to the point of insanity.

And a prominent example of this franchise for yandere is Kusaka from Faiz. Obsessively loves Mari and did a good number of his evil acts revolving around that, namely taking out her potential suitors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 29 - “LUCKY HORROR SHOW”

Fittingly for an episode set at a haunted house, I was absolutely terrified at the thought of a story built around people getting very excited to win a date with Airi. The potential pitfalls for a storyline like that would make the Grand Canyon look like a pothole. But no! That’s not really what this episode’s about at all! It’s an episode about trying to be better for the people you care about, which is a very nice sentiment. It’s also an episode about how shared selfishness can sometimes be a better motivating force than cooperation or sacrifice, and that is a hilarious sentiment.

I know about the part where shared selfishness is a better motivating force, like Ex-Aid where the main Riders attack Graphite together and won, but it's them trying to one up each other. But just because the shared selfishness make a good result like here and there, doesn't mean it's a better motivating force than cooperation, the cooperation can likely produce even better results than shared selfishness. I'd wish that people don't overlook that selfishness can create pointless infighting instead, like Yuuto attacking and shoving Den-O away due to his self-righteousness about dealing with the problem (protecting the flow of time).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The conclusion of this weird almost-one-off (it looks like Deneb’s sadness is going to spillover into an episode I could not be more excited to watch), where the DenLiner Imagin have to figure out what one thing they could all believe in enough to use Climax Form and that thing is Not Working Together… genius. I love it. It’s a total zig where other shows would zag, and it’s hilariously this show. These heroic imagination monsters from the end of time can’t cooperate for a shared desire, but they sure as shit can be so unreasonably and collectively selfish that they’ll power through any obstacle in tandem. It’s a fantastic note to end on, We Are All Pretty Greedy Deep Down And That’s Sometimes Better Than Apathy, and it’s a great juxtaposition to award that behavior while penalizing Zeronos for trying to protect Deneb.

Like I said before, I always want to know about how the living beings feel when 2 or more of them are being fused in 1 body for combining powers or something. They would share a body with each of the merging living beings, and most of the time, the show just act as that living being would triumph over the fight or something, likely due to certain living being is the dominant one in controlling that body, or that the souls are united too. Den-O Climax Form shows all the struggles in glory for fused beings as power up, the struggle to decide which one takes control, and all the clumsy decisions coming from that. It's an appropriate drawback for fused beings as more power up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s a purely selfless act from Yuuto, him using his penultimate Zeronos Card to save the presumably imperiled Deneb. It’s for nothing, of course. Deneb is trying to overcome his inexplicable terror (it’s funny, but it’s a weird thing in the episode, since Deneb is an imagination monster from the end of time who fights imagination monsters from the end of time pretty regularly? But he's petrified of spookums for this episode?) and win Yuuto a date with Airi, so there’s really no danger. But Yuuto rushes there regardless, and Deneb is shattered by how much he’s let Yuuto down. It’s the one real emotional stake of this episode, and MAN they definitely hit the stake into the ground at the end. Having Deneb’s cute little subplot result in Yuuto losing a Card and Deneb running away from home? Sad! Too sad! Didn’t want a sad ending to this goofy-ass trifle!

Not only Deneb, but Momotaros is also shown to be afraid of chihuahua, he's a comic relief and a ditzy one, that's why. And oh well for Yuuto's act being refered as purely selfless, this one's still, as expected from him, about someone close to him (friend/family), won't refer that necessarily as purely selfless, or at least less than caring for others that are not directly related to you. It's still sad though for losing a card for something not needed and low stake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s a hilarious episode besides that, though. Just wall-to-wall goofs. The story takes off like a rocket, and Ryotaro’s actor does award-level work by cycling through every Imagin in short order. There’s a real transformation he goes through when he plays possessed, and it’s never more clear than when an Imagin is only there for a line before moving on. Getting to see so many fun moments, as the Imagin try to cobble together a working team in order to defeat a local haunted house, and they can’t even manage that (Kin botches it! Ryutaros never even gets his shot!), it’s a really stellar episode for Ryotaro’s actor.

Not every episode for Takeru Sato? His achievement is about cycling through every Imagin throughout the entire show, and that makes him a big star for KR actor, not only big in KR but also overseas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Everyone else who shows up for this one (bit of a light cast, which is to the story’s benefit, focus-wise) gets a killer moment or two, though. Naomi’s at her most Chaotic Good here, generally encouraging the Imagin while delighting at their continued bickering and misfortune. Hana gets one of the episode’s biggest laughs by being terrible at surviving a haunted house because she can’t stop fighting back. Yuuto eating an incredibly large rice ball. Deneb’s slow realization, amid his own screams, that the monster staring at him is his own reflection. Just a comedic masterclass, top to bottom, front to back.

Naomi's constant need for stimulation, apart from here (and what I noticed as well), is rarely listed upon in the Den-O inforomations on internet, just talking about her being pollyana or hyper, and being good friends with the Taros Imagin and playing with Ryutaros. I know the part of her engouraging the Taros Imagin for doing their job against monster makes the good part in chaotic good, but I'd still think of that delighting misfortune behavior as something to be wary of; I said before about those who love drama being a serious issue in society and contributes to making the world being a harder place to live for the need of the drama. In logical extreme this is the main goal of one of the most irredeemable villains in the franchise; Daguva from Kuuga, who wants to make humans as violent as he is. Hana can't stop fighting back but man... those are humans, aren't Hana's hostility are reserved for Imagins?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

THE BAGGAGE CAR

-This episode’s Imagin and contract holder were fine. Zero percent surprised that the murderer didn’t really murder anyone, because that’s not what kind of show this is. The Imagin had a good visual, but didn’t really get a chance to chatter enough to feel like more than a speed bump. Not a lot of room to develop the IOTW here, and while I am totally okay with that, it’s still worth noting.

Reminder that the show has the Imagins actually shown killing people, onscreen, like Wolf Imagin (Yuka Sawada's) when he travels to the past.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Not every episode for Takeru Sato? His achievement is about cycling through every Imagin throughout the entire show, and that makes him a big star for KR actor, not only big in KR but also overseas.

Yeah, but in this one he's really putting on a show. Usually he's performing as an Imagin for a scene, in this one he's performing as all four Imagin over one scene, and then he does it several times over the episode. It's worth singling out for praise!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Hana can't stop fighting back but man... those are humans, aren't Hana's hostility are reserved for Imagins?

She at least knocked out that hostage taker before. Plus she defeated a half-dozen ninjas in the movie. Hana'll fight pretty much anyone who gets in her face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Reminder that the show has the Imagins actually shown killing people, onscreen, like Wolf Imagin (Yuka Sawada's) when he travels to the past.

Sure, but my point was more that the human being didn't really murder anyone. This isn't really a series (so far) about human murderers, even accidental ones, and I didn't expect this episode to change that approach.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I like the break from the two-part structure we've gotten recently, where this one-off comes on the heels of a four-part movie tie-in. It's nicely unpredictable!

The way the show's formula loosens up a bit here is something I definitely approve of. It comes off to me like after pulling that big stunt with the movie tie-ins, the show feels a lot more... comfortable with itself, maybe? Especially considering the show started off with a very strict structure of introducing a new Taros followed by a further spotlight on them. That carried it through the first quarter just fine (there was plenty of merit to that approach!), but it's cool to see the show stretching what it can do more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

She at least knocked out that hostage taker before. Plus she defeated a half-dozen ninjas in the movie. Hana'll fight pretty much anyone who gets in her face.

Hana isn't a character I'm ~super~ passionate about (even though she's always great), but this is a good spot to mention that I am way into the ironic amount of overlap between her personality and Momo's.

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 30 - "MADAM, HOW ABOUT THE FIREWORKS"




I really love the summer episodes of Kamen Rider.

They're usually more playful, more adventurous. I wonder if it's the heat, making everyone involved in the production that extra bit more loopy? Whatever it is, there's a sort of welcome exhaustion to what's going on, where it's all about making a game out of what's happening, keeping things loose and slightly stupid. Everyone's just enjoying the day, waiting for things to relax at night.

And so we get this episode, evenly split between prideful antagonism during the humid daytime, and the unspoken delight of friends and family in the evening. The first part is all stress and nonsense, the second part is all forgiveness and smiles. We've got three stories that overlap, but let's talk about them one by one.

The Deneb/Yuuto thread is terrific, with Deneb trying to start a new life away from Yuuto. Deneb feels like he's a burden to Yuuto, and he opts to run away from home. (I absolutely love that Yuuto says that Deneb ran away from home. It's reframing their fight as something intensely childish and temporary, which sets the appropriate tone for this story.) What follows is Deneb trying to assist Ryotaro, and it going terribly for Ryotaro. (It does not go super great for Deneb, either!) It's mostly just Deneb trying to copy Momo enough to fit in on the DenLiner, and Momo having his usual zero tolerance policy in regards to Drama and Feelings. While Ryotaro is trying to be a good listener and offer non-judgmental options, Momo gives Deneb a literal swift kick in the ass and tells him to go home and work things out. It's a cute little story that never gets as insane as you'd think/hope (some neat physical comedy, though), but keeps a solid tie to the other stories and ends itself well.

That ending to the Deneb/Yuuto story! So great! Yuuto was grumpy at Deneb having a slightly fake emergency last episode, but he wasn't really mad at him. Ryotaro compares their fight to the kind siblings have, where your affection for another person, and your shared history, causes whatever heat had built up between you to eventually just evaporate into the air. It's a bond that can't really be broken, so if you wait a little bit it'll return to its normal shape. Yuuto proves his forgiveness to Deneb by throwing his last Zeronos card in the river, yelling at Deneb that losing the card was less important than losing Deneb. There's a petulant exasperation on Yuuto's face that is absolutely adorable, his frustration at needing to say these things out loud to Deneb. These two weirdos... so great. So great!

The Airi/Ryotaro story is a little mirror to the Deneb/Yuuto one, the example of how fleeting ill will can be when you really care about someone. I love that the only real speech about Feelings in this one is when Ryotaro explains what siblings are like to Deneb. Yuuto gives a huffy little I'm Not Mad Now Come Home And Shut Up tantrum to fix things with Deneb, and Airi and Ryotaro don't even say anything about their fight being over. It's just, like, the sun went down. There are fireworks. Let's all just hang out and relax.

The Fireworks Family story is the linking element, and it gives us fireworks, but I sort of hate it? It's trying to do the same thing as the Deneb and Ryotaro threads, where Some Emotions Are So Big You Don't Need Words, but this dude abandoned his family for five years because he wanted to make fireworks. That is a way bigger thing than inconveniencing a friend or fighting over culinary chemical warfare! I don't know how or why this guy's wife is supposed to forgive him, let alone support him? Beyond a poorly articulated sense that he wants his family back, he doesn't really seem to regret his actions or take responsibility for what happened. He's just like When I'm Great At Fireworks She'll Come Back, and the show's like Yup? It's a weirdly dark monster plot featuring a horrifyingly bad husband and father, who gets what he wants in the end? Weird! Did not like this story or how it ended.

Besides that, though, real fun episode. Great action, beautiful shots (the one with Deneb and Yuuto on the bridge!!!), another clever non-teamwork take on Climax Form, and a cute little story about pride and the resiliency of friendships. Fun to watch.



THE BAGGAGE CAR

-An astonishing amount of great gags in this one, but my two favorite ones were the crime scene set dressing of Milk Dipper (the chalk outline around the teddy bear!) and the mother scolding her child for staring at Deneb. I love the conceit that Deneb In A Summer Hat just reads as some unfortunately deformed individual, and society shouldn't make him feel bad.

-As someone who also gets the occasional summer cold, Kin has become even more relatable from this episode. The joke about Kin's sneezing in Climax Form wrenching Momo's shoulder, A+ stuff.

-The use of Climax Form in this one felt a little gratuitous (feels like Gun Form or Rod Form could've taken this Bird Imagin out?), but it worked for me because it was just Momo using the other three as armor. Every time the Teamwork Form is about Momo being as callous and selfish as ever while still caring about his friends in the larger sense, I love it.

-The cage over the head of the Bird Imagin makes for probably my favorite monster design in this series to date.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

-The use of Climax Form in this one felt a little gratuitous (feels like Gun Form or Rod Form could’ve taken this Bird Imagin out?), but it worked for me because it was just Momo using the other three as armor.

Bandai had to sell that red cellphone.

[Zatyme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

Bandai had to sell that red cellphone.

don't forget the Shochakku Henshin figure (if it had one)

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zatyme

don't forget the Shochakku Henshin figure (if it had one)

*Thinks about back in the days* Nope. Cellphone. I remember when this was airing in Japan circa 2007 the roleplay toys were more coveted by folks.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 30 - “MADAM, HOW ABOUT THE FIREWORKS”

So this is a tough one to evaluate for me in that everything that happens in it will always be secondary to the episode's most noteworthy feature: the dreaded return of mid-00 Rider's greatest foe... Production Problems!

(I considered waiting to post this until tomorrow's episode, but I suspect you'd notice pretty quickly that something was up regardless)

This was Yuriko Shiratori's last episode of Den-O. Like Yui Satonaka the year before, it was because of health issues, in this case a result of being overworked. Apparently her talent agency really, really wanted her to be the Next Big Thing and piled so much work on her that she physically couldn't take it anymore. She ultimately retired from the entertainment industry a few years later and basically disappeared.

So this is the last time we're going to see Shiratori as Hana; she doesn't even come back to hang out in the Milk Dipper for the last couple episodes and barely interact with the main cast. We actually won't see the character at all for a couple episodes while the production staff figured out what to do without an actress. When she does come back... well, you'll see in a few days.