[Androzani84]

Remember how I pointed out people felt Juuga could’ve come in earlier? Well, here’s another reason why. Despite being powerful enough to defeat almost literally every other Rider, Ikki and Vice are able to beat him with no trouble, almost as if he was a particularly tough monster of the week. Also, he didn’t get to show off that Legend Rider power gimmick that was in the videos I shared then.

And the hospital scene where everyone discusses Ikki being a busybody? Actually started a discussion here over Ikki really counts as a busybody. The general verdict was no, considering that busybodies stumble upon people with problems and make it their business to butt in and help them, whether they want to or not,, whereas Ikki actually advertises “come to me with your problems” and people do that with no reluctance, which makes him more of a handyman. A lot of people argued that Sougo was more of a busybody, but I’m going to give Revice more of the benefit of a doubt and say Yukimi came off as more of a busybody in Legacy Vail (and you’ll recall I didn’t even like that mini)

And finally, the reveal that the Weekend HQ was George’s childhood house… Surely he would’ve noticed or commented on this, if that were the case?

Ikki: It’s Ikki’s…

Vice: And Vice’s…

Both: Stamp Navi!

George is wheeled in, restrained with a mask and a straightjacket, with a ball and chain attached to both of his legs.

George: Is this really necessary?

Vice: Hey, you went and beat everyone up but me, Ikki and Papa-san. Ikki may think he saved your soul, but I ain’t taking chances.

Ikki: Whiel the loss of Aguilera, Over Demons and the Demons Troopers is a shame, let’s forget about that and move onto today’s Vistamp.

Twin Chimera!

Sharp Scissors! Sudden Bite! Twin Chimera!

(Ikki is now in the Blade-based King Crab Genome, while Vice is on the Wizard based Crocodile Genome)

Vice: Oh, so this is what this stamp does for us. Or what the writer of this segment thinks it does for us.

Ikki: Twin Chimera combines the energies of both the King Crab and Crocodile Vistamps into one power. The result, in retrospect, should’ve tipped us off that Karizaki-san was up to something shady.

Scramble! King Crab, Crocodile, Kamen Rider Chimera! (Chimera)

George: That’s right. Kamen Rider Chimera was my first attempt at developing the Juuga system. The power was stolen by Chic, and then passed around to some poor kid, then to Ryu Mukai and then to that Nozomu Ohtani kid. What happened to him after he swore revenge?

Vice: He got his Driver stolen by Azuma and then Ikki’s dad talked him out of it.

Ikki: I have a dad?

George: Well, that feels like a disappointing waste of his potential… as a warrior. I’m sending him a new Driver first chance I get.

A man in a suit appears and hands Ikki an envelope, which he opens to reveal…

Ikki: (confused) 1000 in yen?

George: Yeah, that’s how much I bet that your sister wouldn’t last as a Rider until the last episode of the show.*

Ikki: I have a sister?

Vice: Oh dear. I hope you enjoy the next instalment.

Ikki: Instalment of what?

*See episode 12 of these skits if you’ve forgotten about this.

[Layton13]

Yeah, this is the episode that made my disinterest and bordem with Ikki move into actual dislike.

Seriously, George should not have to forgive his deadbeat of a dad. The man has zero redeeming qualities, even if he means well. He never learned and repeated the same mistakes again and again. And if he had lived on, I'm convinced he'd continued on as if nothing happened. And Ikki got the audacity to tell George that it doesn't matter and, in the end, he loved him, so everything is ok now?

No! Just, no!

This man has hurt George more than he was ever good for him. If he wants to cut him out then that is his choice and potentially even a helpful one.

That said, George clearly acted out of line with his way of going about it.

But Ikki just drives me up the wall here. I get why he views it this way, but it once again is a "I know best!" situation and I hate that.

And I use this as a small springboard why the family stuff in Revice is utterly broken for me.

It's shallow.

So unimaginably shallow, filled with platitudes and nothing more.

Family makes you stronger! So George has to accept what his dad did because love.

No! That is not that easy show! Family can be an incredible rock that pushes you forward, but it can also hurt and break you!

Technically Revice talked about it with the Deadman cult but never with an actual blood family. It feels shallow, and I despise it, especially since I straight up think the Igarashi's are a toxic mess of a family that makes everything worse that they touch.

Hell, this episode made me jokingly say Ikki losing his memories may even be for the better since he wouldn't have to be around them any longer.

And speaking of the memory thing. I haven't talked about it much, which is mostly because it's irrelevant. It is nothing but a sign raised up with "forgetting!" whenever brought up and not an actual narrative tool.

It goes absolutely nowhere and doesn't inform or affect the plot in any way till the last four episodes.

I'm sorry, but that is embarrassingly badly handled. It ends underclocked and underdeveloped, eliciting at best an "Oh, they are finally doing something with this" or at worst, "Ehhh..." from me.

One of Revice's worst bungled plotlines, mostly because it's not a plotline; it's 2 points, not forgotten and forgotten.

Added to this is that it makes no sense.

Why is only Vice taking the memories?

How can he do it?

Why can't he control it?

The show never bothers to explain any of it and makes this come off as ungodly contrived. Everytime it comes up, the only thing I can think of how there is no actual thought put into it. It just is and I hate that!

So... yeah... maybe a bit more emotional than I thought I'd be about this one...

Sorry if I got a bit agitated here, this one really just sat wrong with me.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koh

God I wish George just stayed as amoral mad scientist kamen rider fan and maybe he could've less of a dick through character development instead of whatever the fuck they did here

There are... definitely some big swings in George's portrayal over the series, yes. I'd like to think it's a matter of the production team not quite knowing how they wanted to utilize George throughout the show (antagonist, comedic protagonist), but the end result makes it difficult to invest in emotionally, at least for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

And finally, the reveal that the Weekend HQ was George?s childhood house? Surely he would?ve noticed or commented on this, if that were the case?

I feel like he did know? When he ended up finding Weekend's HQ back in the day, I feel like he went Oh Shit This Is My House, and got upset that it was one more aspect of his childhood that Karizaki Sr didn't seem to care about. Nothing that was ever stated, if memory serves, but I think you could read into some of the earlier George Finds Weekend stuff.

(Also, of course, I do not think for a second that the producers thought of this house being the Karizakis house until a few episodes prior to 48.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Layton13

Family makes you stronger! So George has to accept what his dad did because love.

If I'm playing devil's advocate here (not Devil's advocate; that'd be the lawyer episodes from earlier in the season) I'd point out that most of what Ikki's talking about in his speech to George is that it's up to George to remember his father withe resentment over all of the many sleights, or with some happiness because they worked well together on the things that mattered to them most. Meanwhile, Ikki can't even remember his parents anymore. That makes George's wastefulness, his commitment to only vilifying a man he once admired and respected, more of a problem, because Karizaki Sr's dead: none of what George is doing can hurt that dude in any way. He's only hurting himself, and that's what Ikki's maybe trying to get at.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Layton13

Why is only Vice taking the memories?

How can he do it?

Why can't he control it?

The show never bothers to explain any of it and makes this come off as ungodly contrived. Everytime it comes up, the only thing I can think of how there is no actual thought put into it. It just is and I hate that!

I think the show covered this in the past? Ikki made a contract with Vice to shield him from terrifying memories by taking them away, so Vice -- like it or not -- is now absorbing Ikki's memories every time they fight. Kagerou and Lovekov don't do the same thing because that's not the contract they made with their hosts. I imagine Ikki'd have to break the contract with Vice to stop it from happening anymore, but that would have its own set of horrifying consequences.

Either way, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts! I'm sure it wasn't easy or fun to bring all this back up!

[Layton13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I think the show covered this in the past? Ikki made a contract with Vice to shield him from terrifying memories by taking them away, so Vice -- like it or not -- is now absorbing Ikki's memories every time they fight. Kagerou and Lovekov don't do the same thing because that's not the contract they made with their hosts. I imagine Ikki'd have to break the contract with Vice to stop it from happening anymore, but that would have its own set of horrifying consequences.

I mean, that is technically the reason why, but I'm more asking, why? Why does Vice's contract specifcly need something like this while Kagero, a demon who was aiming to usurp his human and Lovekove, or even Vail don't?

The contract is a part of the Deadman, but even then, it's more becoming a monster than any actual contract with stipulations and a price. Even the contracts with Giff don't come with any real cost beyond your humanity.

So, it feels out of place. Like Ikki is an unexplained inigma the show ignores. And I can't look away from it xD

I know that is rich coming from someone who loves ZI-O given that show doesn't explain itself that much either, but still. It just feels, like a mistake to me.

But yeah, revice is... a frustrating experience through and through.

That said, we'll probably be getting to a piece of postshow content I can gush over. And that I'm very much excited about ^^

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Layton13

I mean, that is technically the reason why, but I'm more asking, why? Why does Vice's contract specifcly need something like this while Kagero, a demon who was aiming to usurp his human and Lovekove, or even Vail don't?

The contract is a part of the Deadman, but even then, it's more becoming a monster than any actual contract with stipulations and a price. Even the contracts with Giff don't come with any real cost beyond your humanity.

Well, the contract with a Devil isn't like a contract with a monster from Ryuki or an Imagin from Den-O; the Devil is an aspect of the person given external identity and form. Vice's deal to trade memories for power was crafted in the midst of a traumatic event, and represented Ikki's desire to hide away from the tragedy he was witnessing. Daiji and Sakura don't want those things, so their deals are different. As for the how and why of it as a mechanism... TOKU!

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 48 - “PROOF OF RESOLVE! THIS IS JAPAN’S BIGGEST BUSYBODY!”

Like, the only part of this episode that worked for me, emotionally, was Ikki’s need to show George that his relationship with his father ended up being a positive for the world, and brought out the best in George. The way that it becomes Ikki’s personal responsibility, as one half of Revice, to show that Ultimate Revice is the superior technology because it was produced by father and son? That’s a fun hook for this show, and it helps make Ikki’s sacrifice more integral to the plot. It also lands a gut-punch of a climax, just off of that continuing need of Ikki’s to insert himself into any problem where he might even minimally be of use. I love that, just like the cast of this show loves it. Best part, by a mile.

I guess, as said here, this actually fits Revice's theme about families, and Ikki's someone who values families and tried to keep their good relationship, whenever if it's his family or others. For example, the recently appeared Bon here, tried to make him get along with his grandfather. He was someone that also uses good family relationship as his guide for others to improve, starting with them first. He didn't use his family's well-being as an excuse to ignore, though he can be occassionally oblivious of other's needs when his family is happy, such as prioritizing Happy Spa over being a Rider, or their onsen moments. And now, he does it to the major dysfunctional family, the Karizakis. It fits the show theme, but like many other things in Revice, wish that the idea is executed better...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Nothing in their idiotic backstory has ever even transcended I Hate It But I Can Ignore It. Karizaki abandoned his son to do mad science, but he felt so bad about it you guys. He stuck a devil inside his son to “watch over him”, despite the best case scenario circa 20 years ago being that it’d be a homicidal lunatic like Vail, and there’s literally no reason for Karizaki Sr to think that what he was doing would yield anything better. (It also, hilariously, never amounted to anything other than Chic popping out for a Summer Movie? Thanks, Daddy!) George has been motivated by his Daddy's legacy occasionally, but the show rarely seemed to make it a focal point of George’s motivation. (George’s character and motivation being a perennial moving target for this series did not help things!) Surpassing Daddy as a coping mechanism… it’s fine, but it’s Around Episode 36 Fine, not something that needs to occur over two of the last four episodes.

George's cause of world peace is only a front that he only wanted to spite on Masumi beyond the grave by proving his creations superior. Well, his prejudice towards demons would remain, so he'd destroy ViStamp-based (invented by Masumi) Rider system, and it's an irony as Masumi was prejudiced against demons before, like when he observed Ikki and Vice's growing relationship, and George took up that trait now. And as Juuga is purely human-based Rider system, now Ikki counters with how Giffard Rex ViStamp was a collaboration of George and his father, and thus if Ikki beats him, it'd prove that his father is important to George.

But, after Juuga's showing before that surpassed Giff, Juuga just got beaten by regular finisher by Ultimate Revi/Vice? So taking down Juuga is still anti-climatic too, despite (and especially) Juuga consistently gaining upper hand before like he should. Technically before Ultimate Revi/Vice didn't fight together against Juuga, is this something like W to show off teamwork? Final bosses are beaten without much problem when Shotaro and Philip got their act together (against both Terror and Utopia Dopants), and now, Ikki and Vice are complete, thus they're unbeatable. But W had W (and Accel, for Terror) being constantly in the upper hand in the boss' defeat, so the fight is consistent, unlike Revice here that had Juuga being on upper hand before finisher.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s just… I do not give a single shit if George forgives a man who was absent by choice, and regretted it on his deathbed. I think it’s healthier not to hang onto hate, but I don’t think George is harming himself by telling Ikki that one positive outcome doesn’t mean everyone needs to let parental abandonment roll off of their backs. Karizaki Sr loving the son he abandoned by choice doesn’t absolve the trauma of abandoning that son by choice.

Other than that, to convince George that his father loved him, Ikki... absolved Masumi from his wrongdoings by glorifying him injecting Chic on him? What?? This is the type of solving parent-children conflict that should be avoided, like how Zi-O solves the Kamen Rider Quiz's problem with his father. It should really be emphasized that even if parents genuinely love their children, they can be misguided in showing it. Masumi injecting Chic on him shouldn't be condoned because Masumi loved him (which is true, but often used to absolve parents from their mistakes), it'd be better if what's used to remind George, are the flashback moments where Masumi was shown clearly getting along with kid George, helping and encouraging him to be better, and make it a case to not look past all the good things someone's done and only focus on one bad thing they've committed, countering the saying of “Men's evil manners live in brass; their virtues we write in water.”. Not only to remind George that he had received love from father in other times, but also to differentiate better which action is a genuine mistake and which one is actually malicious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s such a shitty story to tell, even if this episode had miraculously found a way to tell it with sensitivity and nuance. (Which it did not, for me at least.) Why in the world are we supposed to care if the flip-flopping mad scientist gets over his Daddy/daddy issues with his deceased deadbeat father? Beyond serving as a way to further illuminate Ikki’s character, which was incredibly welcome, why did this particular story need to be told? Why hinge Ikki’s greatness on the most reprehensible characters? Why not create a better story for Ikki to lose everything in?

After neutrailizing the threat of Juuga, the solution is done by giving George the picture he draw with Masumi together when he was a child. And George finally acknowledges that Masumi loved him due to realizing that the ViStamp idea was inspired by those pictures, which he then breaks down in the regret that he can never make up with his father now. Realizing The True Value Of Something When You Lose It type. And seems that the pictures alone are enough, not the entire room Masumi kept for George. For their methods to try calming George back, surprisingly the comedy is involved here with Hiromi's frantic behavior, as well as once more his serious demeanor being played for laughs in something as simple as looking for documents. Then Vice using open sesame to try opening the door, and later of Vice inadvertently easily opening the door.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Because that ending! So good! The polite smile on Ikki’s face as he wonders why these two strangers are calling him Brother and crying! HOLY SHIT! Gangbusters finale, and it walloped me in a way that George’s histrionics resolutely did not.

Regarding Ikki's busybody traits, this seems to be the kind of journey that comes full circle, both for Ikki and the other characters, though this doesn't mean they have something in them tested. Like for example, Shinji in Ryuki that had him being conflicted on stopping the Rider War or not due to the Rider's mortality or wishes, but ends up choosing to close the Mirror World even at the cost of their dreams (lol Ryuki comparison, after child doodling part here). Now Ikki's busybodiness is recognized as something benefical and admirable, with testaments from Tamaki, who acknowledged that he still lives due to Ikki. Though it's not only from Ikki intervening alone, it's also due to Ikki's sense of justice to try looking for solutions that doesn't involve killing. Ikki hasn't let go from his busybodiness completely, though he did get better at letting others handle their problems, but now, Daiji and Sakura supported Ikki's busybodiness due to the 2 reformed former villains being among the benefical effects of it. And not only the characters, I was puzzled too at Tamaki's impression of Ikki, but yeah it's still worth laughing over, it's harmless even if wrong.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

But, after Juuga's showing before that surpassed Giff, Juuga just got beaten by regular finisher by Ultimate Revi/Vice? So taking down Juuga is still anti-climatic too, despite (and especially) Juuga consistently gaining upper hand before like he should. Technically before Ultimate Revi/Vice didn't fight together against Juuga, is this something like W to show off teamwork? Final bosses are beaten without much problem when Shotaro and Philip got their act together (against both Terror and Utopia Dopants), and now, Ikki and Vice are complete, thus they're unbeatable. But W had W (and Accel, for Terror) being constantly in the upper hand in the boss' defeat, so the fight is consistent, unlike Revice here that had Juuga being on upper hand before finisher.

This is a weird scenario where, unless someone else pops up in the next two episodes, the final boss isn't really the final threat. Juuga's important to defeat, but the real problem here is Ikki's vanishing memory. That's the thing that needs to be resolved for this series to have a happy ending, not beating up a son who missed having a final moment with his dad.

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 49 - “AFTER THE BATTLE ENDS… ONLY THE DEMON REMAINS”



It’s nice that the show could end its run by treating Vice seriously.

I mean, sure, the climax of this episode involves Vice pretending he ate Ikki’s forgotten family, and he’s even covered in ketchup as fake blood. And sure, the middle section of this episode is a Wacky Roommates montage that lovingly evokes the first few stories these two shared, where a rambunctious devil was irritating a young man but they both came off like they loved it. But that’s all just sweetness to cover up what’s really going on here. It’s Vice truly becoming Ikki: sacrificing himself – and maybe even the memories he shared with his closest friend – as a way of saving his family.

It’s hilarious to think that Ikki as we knew him for a season is largely absent from this episode, since Vice so ably fills that role in the narrative now. He’s protecting his family, and getting overinvolved, and eventually forcing the issue that Ikki might attempt to dodge. This is, as a concluding installment for the Revice TV series, the most basic Day 1 Ikki story imaginable. I love that.

It’s not the tightest episode because of that, though. There’s as little a risk that Ikki has forgotten his family for good as there is a risk that Vice actually devoured Daiji and Sakura. (Yukimi… like, non-zero chance of that. He’s got a history of trying to eat her!) There might be consequences, but Ikki is definitely getting his memories back before the series concludes; we’re outright told that Ikki defeating Vice should resolve the contract and render it null and void. (I don’t… think this show understands how contracts work? If I sign a contract saying I’ll pay you $500 to build me a chair, and then you build me a chair, I don’t also get the $500 back at the end of the contract. That’s more me lending you something, not paying you something. Demon contracts are very peculiar!) So much of this generally enjoyable and occasionally somber episode is spent waiting for the shape of the resolution to reveal itself, and that’s gonna knock a few points off.

But I do like the resolution, that Vice needs to give himself up to save Ikki’s happiness. This was never a show where Vice turned bad, or feuded with Ikki in a serious way. There’s a wholesomeness to their dynamic that even Saber’s friendliness and empathy can’t touch. That this weirdly plotted show decided to put all their chips on Ikki Versus His Own Id But Out Of Kindness as the final story that got told… wild. That shit is WILD. Such a fun treat for those of us who hung around and put our faith in the creators to land this thing effectively.

Your mileage may vary, as it always does, as to whether this feels like an emotionally-fulfilling conclusion to Kamen Rider Revice. For me, it’s probably the only ending I can see myself enjoying. For a show about family and embracing every aspect of ourselves to then make the final conflict between family and embracing every aspect of ourselves… yeah. Yeah, that works for me.

[Androzani84]

So, the first thing we saw from this episode was that George would be part of the crowd watching the final fight… which, given that it came before the conclusion to the Juuga arc had aired, made it look like he got away with his actions with little more than a slap on the wrist. Which to be fair, is the way it is with a lot of Rider redemptions, which is probably why some people have grown tired of them (and probably why Geats hasn’t had any redemptions in its entire run, since Takahashi said in interviews that he felt the franchise had become stale and wanted to do something different)



(Though to be fair, when I wrote that comment, I was watching Black Clover, in which the main hero insists that you’re not allowed to be forgiven for your actions until you’ve made up for what you did as a villain and show you’re genuinely remorseful)

And also, I did call Vice being the final boss long before it actually happened. Mostly because I had Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS on my mind, wherein the same thing happens (and just I think that show did the discussion of humanity’s relationship with AI better than 01, I also think it handled the partner attacking the rest of the cast to seem like the bad guy better, in part because people were not keen on Destream’s second and final TV appearance being him defeated by a farting duck, but also because Ai both had a whole arc to beat the supporting cast and the fact he was doing it for the hero’s benefit was played as a twist, with him seeming to have genuinely turned)



George: Hey, hey, hey! Yo, George Karizaki here. Since Ikki and Vice are having a bit of a spat right now, it falls to me to introduce this segment.

Ikki: Vice, what’s going on? Why’d you attack that old guy who says he’s my Dad?

Vice: Oh, that’s simple. He was the last obstacle I needed to dispose of for my secret master plan. (He pulls out a pair of Ultimate Vice plushies) I’m going to sell plush toys in my own likeness and name.

Ikki: Don’t you think you’re overestimating your appeal?

Vice: Oh no, Ikki. If anything, I’m UNDERestimating it. Once I’ve sold 14 million units, then I just wait for the kiddies and otaku to use the included Vistamps to stamp themselves in a role play moment. And in a few hours, each of them will birth two Vicetarians per stamp. With 4 times as many of my kids as humans, I’ll take over the whole world in a matter of days and clean out the human problem without there being a war. So what do you say? Can I put you down for an order? They make great gifts.

Ikki: Vice, I-

George: Hold up. Do you guys mind putting this on hold for one more of these features?

Ikki: Okay, we’ll do this week’s Vistamp together, one last time.

Tri Chimera!

A Tangled Mollusc! A Horn to Penetrate! A Hundred Rampaging Legs! Tri Chimera!

Vice: This stamp mixes up the powers of the stamps for Drive, Ghost and Kabuto. That makes it three times as versatile as one of our regular Vistamps.

George: Which is probably why my daddy’s demon Chic chose to give it to this guy.

Scramble! Octopus! Kurosai! Oomukade! Kamen Rider Daimon, Daimon, DAIMON!

George: Kamen Rider Daimon, Azuma. One of Giff’s surviving loyalists from his original arrival in the past, he persisted to the present day through the same immortality method as Akaishi, deeming himself humanity’s judge. But following Giff’s resurrection and subsequent demise, his immortality ran out, so he tried turning himself into a Kamen Rider with Giff’s Eye to restore it.

Ikki: Now that I do remember. He didn’t succeed and ended up dying in the attempt. Now then, back to business. (Turns to Vice) Vice, we took down Giff and the Deadmans together. Why would you do this?

Vice: You keep using these words “we” and “us”, as if we were equals. When in fact, if it weren’t for me, you’d be helpless against Aguilera before she snapped. I defeated Giff. You were just the guy to make the story more appealing to an audience of human children.

Ikki: Even if you think that, I don’t think you’d want to destroy everything we fought for. There must be a way to settle this.

Vice: Don’t you see? You have two choices. You can either let me run wild, with your memories as they are, but I’ll be able to conquer this planet and win the war in seconds. Or you can fight me, wipe me out the same way your little bro did with his demon, killing the cells in the Mini-Mes simultaneously, and get your memories back, but you’ll forever live with the fact you have unresolved issues, like he almost did.

Ikki: My issues are fairly long-standing. If they’re unresolved, so be it. I’m going to take you down, stop your plan, and reclaim my life. (He takes out the Giffard Rex Revi Stamp)

Vice: I knew you’d make this interesting. (Takes out the Giffard Rex Vice Stamp) One final showdown between us. Let’s test your luck.

Both transform wordlessly and run in to begin fighting each other.

George: Looks like things are getting heated up here. We hope you enjoy the FINAL instalment.

Self production notes: A lot of the dialogue in this skit is lifted from the Yu-Gi-Oh episode in the screen cap above, such as the “overestimating your appeal” exchange, Vice asking Ikki if he wants to buy his product after describing how evil it is and insisting that he did everything. The most significant change was that Ai was selling androids with copies of his AI rather than plush toys, but both the end result (killing off humanity through sheer force of numbers) and the way to stop them (killing the original) are the same.

And now, I’ll let Momoi Taro preview the next episode.

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

This is a weird scenario where, unless someone else pops up in the next two episodes, the final boss isn't really the final threat. Juuga's important to defeat, but the real problem here is Ikki's vanishing memory. That's the thing that needs to be resolved for this series to have a happy ending, not beating up a son who missed having a final moment with his dad.

Yeah, I know and this is common people's take of why Juuga happens, it's to accelerate Ikki's amnesia, which actually is a case of conflict ball done to proceed the story (and as some said, anyone can take George's place here). Doesn't change the argument that he still shouldn't be downgraded as a bit more than MOTW to do that, especially due to how this starts so late, or that usual KR padding for the series to end in 50 (igarashi) episodes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 49 - “AFTER THE BATTLE ENDS… ONLY THE DEMON REMAINS”

I mean, sure, the climax of this episode involves Vice pretending he ate Ikki’s forgotten family, and he’s even covered in ketchup as fake blood. And sure, the middle section of this episode is a Wacky Roommates montage that lovingly evokes the first few stories these two shared, where a rambunctious devil was irritating a young man but they both came off like they loved it. But that’s all just sweetness to cover up what’s really going on here. It’s Vice truly becoming Ikki: sacrificing himself – and maybe even the memories he shared with his closest friend – as a way of saving his family.

I'd tolerate Vice's antics in this episode, as unlike many other cruel to be kind approaches, this one's genuinely has no other solution to solve Ikki's problem (while other cruel to be kind scenario got the audience, or sometimes people, subjectively paint that method as the only way), as per how the contract worked, and for here, hating Vice is the main objective here, instead of the usual side effect of someone being cruel to be kind. And perhaps, there are no real damage done to everyone, other than emotional damage to Ikki alone. Though I predicted it, I genuinely laughed too seeing Sakura and Yukimi holding ketchup bottles at the end. Other than that, this is also a display of teamwork done by all the cast (except Ikki), to have everyone being onboard with Vice's plan to return Ikki's memories, and have each of them serve their roles well, probably even some of the civilians there. The cast perhaps can make a good movie/TV show team too by this!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s hilarious to think that Ikki as we knew him for a season is largely absent from this episode, since Vice so ably fills that role in the narrative now. He’s protecting his family, and getting overinvolved, and eventually forcing the issue that Ikki might attempt to dodge. This is, as a concluding installment for the Revice TV series, the most basic Day 1 Ikki story imaginable. I love that.

Turns out George still appeared after last seen breaking down over Masumi, and not only that the "date" Hiromi asked him before actually happened here, he's quite significant here to use his scientist knowledge to theorize something (which he didn't do so due to being temporarily villainous). About how the contract between Ikki and Vice hasn't ended because .... and Ikki previously acknowledged Vice as something more than a partner, family.

That'd be normally touching, if not for how it's the actual cause of the tragedy in this episode. Though the amnesia arc is quite a waste especially for Ikki's role, I do feel bad at how in Ikki's POV here, Vice is truly the scumbag he despised at the beginning of the series, though now he had hard time accepting it due to Vice being his actual partner for so long. It personally hits home for me as, though I often assume the worst of people, that assumption turning to be the truth is also my biggest fear, and Ikki would go through that here regarding how he hated Vice at first for justified reasons.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s not the tightest episode because of that, though. There’s as little a risk that Ikki has forgotten his family for good as there is a risk that Vice actually devoured Daiji and Sakura. (Yukimi… like, non-zero chance of that. He’s got a history of trying to eat her!) There might be consequences, but Ikki is definitely getting his memories back before the series concludes; we’re outright told that Ikki defeating Vice should resolve the contract and render it null and void. (I don’t… think this show understands how contracts work? If I sign a contract saying I’ll pay you $500 to build me a chair, and then you build me a chair, I don’t also get the $500 back at the end of the contract. That’s more me lending you something, not paying you something. Demon contracts are very peculiar!) So much of this generally enjoyable and occasionally somber episode is spent waiting for the shape of the resolution to reveal itself, and that’s gonna knock a few points off.

Ikki not being able to fit in with his family and later leaving them also at least increases the impact of Ikki's amnesia, despite that it's only him forgetting, not others. The Igarashis trying to get him back is a more difficult task than imagined, and it requires more than just reminding him that they're his family, but also reminding him of their quirks, banters, etc. A̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶A̶r̶u̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶e̶a̶c̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶I̶z̶u̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶Z̶e̶r̶o̶-̶O̶n̶e̶.̶ A loss of a family member would be hard to swallow, even if it's only one member, and now, it'd be what potentially happened to Ikki, had he killed Vice and that his memories would return by that.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But I do like the resolution, that Vice needs to give himself up to save Ikki’s happiness. This was never a show where Vice turned bad, or feuded with Ikki in a serious way. There’s a wholesomeness to their dynamic that even Saber’s friendliness and empathy can’t touch. That this weirdly plotted show decided to put all their chips on Ikki Versus His Own Id But Out Of Kindness as the final story that got told… wild. That shit is WILD. Such a fun treat for those of us who hung around and put our faith in the creators to land this thing effectively.

Your mileage may vary, as it always does, as to whether this feels like an emotionally-fulfilling conclusion to Kamen Rider Revice. For me, it’s probably the only ending I can see myself enjoying. For a show about family and embracing every aspect of ourselves to then make the final conflict between family and embracing every aspect of ourselves… yeah. Yeah, that works for me.

So Ikki's amnesia stuff is only used to wrap-up the story. Kinda explains why it's so little brought up before, despite it being the lead character's arc. Now I know the reason why it's so left out, but this doesn't change my view of how it's another Revice wasted potential that it made Ikki seem overshadowed in the 2nd half of the show instead (after what I think, is a good MC potential of exploring hero complex problems). This isn't saying it's a bad part of Ikki but saying that this should be done in more prevalent part of the series than just using it as a closure.