#Also they made the Kiriya joke!

[kamyru]

Kuranosuke Kiba headcanons

Author's note: I don't remember the last time I did something like this, probably it was for "Irresistible Mistakes" Toma Kiriya. But, here I am because I have so many headcanons I want to share with you. Tell me about whom to make the next post. 

As a kid, Kuranosuke asked his parents for a pet. But they ignored him. Instead, they gave his younger brother one. By the end, Kuranosuke took care of the animal, and it loved him the most out of the entire house. 

Kuranosuke thinks he is closer to his sister because they spend more time together. However, his brother is sure he is closer to him because Kuranosuke used to spend a lot of time looking after him.

Kid and teenager Kuranosuke hated his eyes with a passion. He thought his rough look made it hard to find friends and be close to his family. So, for a few years, he tried all the possible ways known to mankind to look friendlier. 

Kuranosuke used to volunteer at pet shelters when he was a teenager. 

For a while, teenager Kuranosuke wanted to go to therapy. But he thought that his problems weren't important enough for this. So, he didn't go. 

Kuranosuke may have a complicated relationship with his family. Yet, he thinks his parents' marriage is healthy and romantic. So, he grew up with idealized ideas about love and marriage. 

Regarding Kuranosuke's idealized ideas about love: he tried to date someone in high school. Yet, he was a virgin till his late college years or even after, because he thought that sex was something you do only with a loved one.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, Kuranosuke had some feelings for his former wife, Shiori.

When he got married for the first time, Kuranosuke was pretty enthusiastic. He even accepted his colleagues to throw a party for him. That's why he was so surprised that MC didn't know he was divorced. He thought that everyone knew he used to have a wife.

Between Shiori and MC, he had never had any relationships, not even one-night stands. He felt too guilty to hurt someone again.

None of them will admit it, but Kunihiro and Kuranosuke lived together for Kuranosuke more than for Kunihiro. The older one was wealthy enough to hire someone to clean. However, after his divorce, Kuranosuke's mental health was so bad it made Kunihiro worry.

Kuranosuke and Togo joke about "the middle child" and "the youngest child". Kuranosuke teases Daimon for being the youngest, while Daimon teases Kuranosuke for being the middle. Once, Daimon joked about the middle kids being invisible to their parents, and Kuranosuke laughed so hard he started to cry. Never again had Daimon said the same joke.

Remember his "Now that I look at her, she is on the prettier side"? Kuranosuke knew from the start that MC is pretty, he is just dumb. The moment he got into his department, she caught his attention. But he wouldn't be Kuranosuke if he admitted this from the start. 

This man used to be fantastic at painting, considering that both of his parents are in the art field. He also has some paintings from his young years that MC found and put on the wall. Kuranosuke tried to convince her to get rid of them, but honestly, he liked what she did. 

Kuranosuke is awful at driving. He says he doesn't have a car because it's too expensive. But actually, he doesn't have one because it's safer this way. 

The Blizzard knows about his nickname. It is hard not to know when he works with so many idiots. At first, Kuranosuke felt guilty and tried to be friendlier with his subordinates. Then, after the divorce with Shiori, he got numb to this kind of thing. However, from the moment he fell for MC, it hurt him every time he heard her calling him like this. 

"Mr. I don't mess my personal and professional lives," told MC a few times that he loved her while at work after she got him a cup of tea or discussed a client. 

He hates that he and MC don't have wedding bands yet. 

NSFW! Under the cut

NSFW! While living with Kunihiro, he walked on Kuni having sex with his girlfriends. Usually, he tried to ignore it. But once, he was so exhausted and mad that he just continued his way, ignoring what was happening a few meters away. 

NSFW! This one is canon, but he is the definition of "I don't have sex. I make love."

NSFW! One of his biggest turns-on is when MC wears his clothes. Forget about lacy underwear. To seduce him is enough to wear a t-shirt from him on her naked body. The second his eyes fall on MC's free nipples under the t-shirt is the last before she is naked again.

NSFW! This man has the biggest praise kink. He won't ever admit it, but it's enough for MC to tell him how good he is, and he is lost. Also, he likes to praise MC, too. 

NSFW! He is a brat tamer, yes. But he is also a little bit of a brat himself. Kuranosuke didn't have the opportunity to be the spoiled kid, so he compensates in bed.

[pillow-anime-talk]

okasan.

request​: hello! since your request are opened, can i request kagaya ubuyashiki with a s/o who the pillars view her as a mother figure? thank you.

# tags: headcanon; current marriage relationship; soft romance; slice of life; family picture; kid!fic; mother figure; everybody loves reader; mostly fluff; also a bit of angst; sfw

includes: female reader ft. kagaya ubuyashiki & all pillars {kny}

author’s note: i LOVE such requests (i.e. mother figure trope and family!au). thank you too! please, enjoy it!

↘ Kagaya and you have known each other since childhood, since always; your parents introduced you to each other and you developed friendship first and then love. It was natural, sincere, beautiful. You supported you – currently – husband in every decision he made, no matter how dangerous and insane it was. In the meantime, you were enjoying your little... or rather huge family.

↘ You had your amazing biological children; the eldest of them named Hinaki and Nichika, the only son and future head of your bloodline Kiriya, and also two youngest daughters, Kuina and Kanata. All five descendants were your greatest happiness and joy. You loved each of your kids equally, and at the same time tried to be the best mother for them.

↘ Nevertheless, your family grew slowly during your relationship with Kagaya. During recruiting new Pillars, you got to know more and more of your husband’s combatants; in the end, you surrounded by nine wonderful and irreplaceable people.

↘ Each of them respected you as much as their parents or loved ones; always greeted you with a low bow, always wished you a beautiful day, always admired you and your gentle body movements or your calm tone of voice. Every day you had a chance to meet at least one of them, which made your day even better – after all, each of them was different from the other, thanks to which everyone gave you a lot of felicity and new, positive emotions. Just like your biological ones.

↘ All Pillars had a difficult family situation; some of them lost their mothers or both parents, some didn’t know them at all, and others didn’t want to know them. Therefore, during your relationship with 97th leader, everyone began to see you as an ideal mother and a role model.

↘ Shinobu and Mitsuri could talk to you about women’s matters/problems, they asked you for advice in love, on bringing up their future children, and sometimes they visited your house just to see you. They were extremely polite, always bringing you good news about their Tsugukos or the three boys who defending demon sister. You always smiled at their words and wished them good luck on their next missions, and they – as if enchanted – swore that they would come back to your Mansion.

↘ You were a quiet, beautiful haven for Obanai and Muichiro. With you, they simply felt well, calm and pleased. The mere sight of you and the warm tea you offered to them, made all large wounds heal faster. Obanai loved hearing your stories, and Muichiro would occasionally sleep next to your legs, restoring his physical and mental strength. It didn’t bother you. You considered them family members and reminded them of it every time.

↘ Gyomei was the oldest and strongest, but you both knew deep in your heart that he’s indescribably delicate and needs understanding in many ways. You felt a special bond with him – perhaps because he was blind like your husband. In this case, you loved to hear his stories and, if time allowed, you were very eager to pray with him, asking for the safety of the rest of the Hashira, your husband and your five babies.

↘ Sanemi and Kyojirou were... just flamboyant. They improved your mood all the time and although they had a lot to say, they always waited patiently for your permission. Of course, you always gave it to them asking for more funny stories and jokes. Additionally, they both liked to praise you very much; your looks, your intelligence, the brilliantly served cookies on the table, and even the new kimono you were wearing (they were delighted to hear that Oyakata-sama had bought it for you). They felt confident with you, and at the same time remained modest and respectful you. At the end of the meeting you always asked for another one.

↘ Tengen came to you very often with his wives. The four of them always asked for your blessing and advice – after all, the women were expecting their own children and each of them promised to give them names beginning with the first letter of your own first name. You loved seeing their enchantment and their growing tummies. You always touched them through the fabric of their clothes and they blushed like crazy, feeling that their children would be as wonderful as you are. On the other hand, when Tengen came alone, he would always bring you a bouquet of fresh flowers or a basket full of dishes that his wives made. You were also willing to visit them by yourself, if you had time.

↘ Giyuu, unlike the others, didn’t come to you very often; he was a bit embarrassed and thought it insolent to visit you in your own property. He thought he was not worthy of it. Therefore, instead of visiting your home, you wrote letters with each other. After a few long messages, you would invite the water boy over to you, assuring you that you would be happy about it. Only then did he dare to come to you without ever looking into your eyes. Fortunately, your calm voice and the assurance that this was also okay for you made Giyuu look up and smile softly at the sight of your own, wide smile.

↘ Hearing and feeling your amazing relation with all nine, your husband felt warmth in his heart. He has always known that you are a good woman; full of tenderness and love for another human being. To family members, but also to – in fact – strangers. To animals, plants and even inanimate things.

↘ Everyone was grateful for the fact that they could rest by your side and feel the warmth of the family once again.

↘ No wonder that at some point Inosuke, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, Nezuko, Genya, Senjurou and the girls from Butterfly Mansion started visiting you as well and telling you about their missions, trainings, problems and dreams. 

↘ You were the mother to the entire Demon Slayer Corps.

[persephoniist]

for kny, 11, 16, 23, and 24 for ask game (half joking about 16 but you can do it if you want lol)

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I think all characters I’ve latched onto aren’t especially popular? Himejima is like, one of the least popular characters even though we love him so much in our little kny club /hj I mean I wouldn’t have become attached to him if not because I made him become Aya’s master in a whim and then proceeded to write and think about him for the next two years, so I guess it’s understable why.

Also Genya, Aoi, Senjuro, Kiriya, they aren’t exactly unpopular, but they definitely don’t get much attention, and for some reason my brain really likes them, so now they’re in the aya fic

*adds you to the aya fic* (affectionate)

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

Oh man....

First, Gtg’s treatment of female characters fucking sucks

I won’t elaborate

Second, pretty much all things I would change in kny change with the addition of Aya to the plot dhdjhdhjd so probably that. But like honestly there are so many things I’d change, Nezuko’s whole thing, Tanjiro having a corruption arc, Sh*njuro not being redeemed, Senjuro with a gun. Although my biggest complain is probably the clash of themes between demons being victims of circumstance and deserving sympathy with the theme of demon slayers being honorable soldiers who sacrificed themselves to kill demons, it specially fucked over Kanae’s character in the Douma fight (pretty sure I haven’t publicly talked about that) and it will make me bitter forever and ever.

Also Kanae deserved more plot relevance

Because I love her

And all the girls should have been sapphics

23. Unpopular character you love?

Pretty sure this is the same question as earlier but hmmmm, I wouldn’t say he’s unpopular, more like a side character, but I really like Haganezuka

For Aya fic reasons

Also *points* autistic

24. Would you recommend XXX to a friend? Why or why not?

Hhhhhhh most of my friends don’t consume animanga so in normal circumstances, I don’t think so

I have asked my friend to watch kny with me so she can read the aya fic but that’s like, just for the aya fic, nowadays I’m so frustrated with kny canon that it gives me whiplash just thinking about it

I did recommend it to my only weeb friend so we could watch mugen train at the cinema though, but I feel like I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend kny to anyone because I don’t expect much

[nattobees]

For the ask game: Kiriya or Graphite :3c

I can't believe you've done this to me XD

Okay, so I'm going to have to go with whoever I think about more, and I think that's Graphite.

Like honestly I'd just love to say both, so I'll just go into my history of loving both of them. So have fun reading the rambles fasjdkflsak

Here’s the post for anyone else who wants to do this ask game!

For Kiriya, I initially had a love-hate relationship because of his outfit and the way he was in episode 4 with betraying Emu to try and kidnap Motorz jfasdljfdsl. But once episode 7 and the tragic backstory with Jungo was revealed, Kiriya became the sole reason I made the commitment to fully dive in and watch Ex-Aid. And like, after watching the whole show he's just *chef kiss*

I feel like Kiriya's my favorite example of someone who seems super laid back to hide his tragic backstory in media. Like, I love how his manipulation and destruction of his relationships isn't overdone or made to be too dramatic. I think it adds an air of mystery and depth to him that I don't usually see in characters that act similarly. And there's the motivations behind his actions of him wanting to atone and maybe seeing himself as expendable as long as his goals get achieved.

Like, I think most shows would've stopped at or emphasized, "oh yeah, he's only doing this to avenge Jungo." But i think what made him, and honestly a lot of other characters in Ex-Aid, work so well is that his motivation didn't end at Jungo. He wanted to make sure that he did everything in his power to stop the bugster virus so others wouldn't have to suffer or continue suffering like he did. Also there's just little touches to Onozuka's mannerisms when he plays Kiriya that are really fun add to my overall love for him.

Also, he's just a really fun character and never really lost that? I feel like as the show became more serious, normally characters like him would also get more serious, showing more of their manipulative actions or delving more into his tragic backstory.

But he just never stopped joking around and smiling, and I feel like that says a lot about how he deals with adversity and I love that. Also like, we never learned everything about Kiriya, and I think for a character like him, that's perfect. It leaves just enough for him to be mysterious and keep that allure, but also gives fans enough space to play around and come up with headcanons of other aspects of his life and personality.

So, moving onto Graphite... god I feel really bad saying this but like, I totally didn't pay attention on my first watch of Ex-Aid eps 1-6 until I hit 7. So I totally didn't connect his human form to his monster form and I thought they were separate characters until I did a rewatch of the first 7 before moving onto the rest of the show fjalsdfklsdj. But now that I know who he is, I absolutely love him.

I think he was super underused in the show, but what we did get just has so much potential, which is why I think about him more than Kiriya fadsjls. Like just the comments he has about Saki's memories and being so bitter at Hiiro when he makes them already has so much baggage I wanna unpack. (That clip at one of the live shows where Kiriya asked if Saki and Hiiro kissed and Graphite makes a dramatic show of thinking about it and going "no he didn't" while looking directly at Hiiro lives in my head all the time.)

But also, in his own way, I feel like Graph also has a selfless aspect to him like Kiriya. But his energy is more devoted to destroying what he sees as obstacles to bugsters living a good life rather than finding ways around those things and being self-sacrificing like Kiriya. I got the impression that he's someone who would like to live at any and all costs, but when he gets pushed into a corner and doesn't have anyone to fight for or with, he'd rather take an honorable warrior's death than continue to live alone. And that really spoke to me when I saw episode 41.

I think why I ended up sticking with the Kiriya/Graphite ship for so long is because, in this sense of their characters, they're like two sides of the same coin. And though I don't write about it much in my fanfic (i want to tho) I think there's a lot of interesting ways their viewpoints clash and create opportunities for interesting dynamics and conversations.

I could probably go on forever about how much I love these two but I definitely wanna get to the other asks you sent, so I'll end it here since that feels like a good wrap up point!

Thanks so much for sending in an ask!

[bakusoubikecoroner]

“Won’t you take me along for the ride~?”

y’all ever saw a man so pretty you just cried

  welcome to avengers campus, isn’t it nice to be back, KUJO KIRIYA?  it’s been so long since i’ve seen you being a typical TWENTY SEVEN year old CORONER/PATHOLOGIST. feels like forever since i’ve seen you hanging around THE MED BAY.  makes sense too: considering you’re known for being + CUNNING & + LOYAL, even when you can be quite - UNTRUSTWORTHY & - SNEAKY, too.  hey, have you seen the news reports lately …?  i heard you’ve been getting visions from KAMEN RIDER (EX-AID) beginning to return, waking up from dreams of RELAXING AFTER THE FINAL BATTLE WITH MASAMUNE.  must be something in the water …  say, did you always have the BAKUSOU BIKE GASHAT?  i’ve never seen you leave home without it.  —  ( He/him, They/Them & nonbinary man )

(cw for death, general coroner things. Also spoilers for Kamen Rider Ex-aid as a series but not including the movies because by god my attention span is a wreck)

-So to start off this man, Kiriya,  has died once and was brought back from the dead. He will make jokes about it. It also doesn’t help that this man died on christmas and made Kamen Rider twitter a whole ass mess.

-He’s a coroner at Seito University who was friends with Jungo...until the bugster virus hit. Jungo got hit with the bugster virus and Kiriya discovered it through Jungo.

-You know, he thought it would be good for Jungo to know that he had the bugster virus...except that’s a bad idea because Jungo freaked out and got himself into a car accident.

-And that’s when Kiriya learned that the truth hurts and that he’s going to lie so he doesn’t hurt anyone! This certainly won’t backfire on him.

-He blackmailed Kuroto into giving him the surgery and a Game Driver to become Kamen Rider Lazer.

-He met Emu and little by little he figured ‘eh, i can trust Emu. I’ll believe in him’ but he wouldn’t cooperate with the other Doctor Riders until he managed to get like...Level 5. The co-op Gashat. Dragon Knight Hunter Z.

-Oh yeah! HE also figured out that ‘hey Kuruto is Gemn. Time to fuck around and find out. I guess’

-Boy did Kiriya fuck around and find out because! Kuroto killed him via Dangerous Zombie (Depleting Kiriya’s Rider HP and...yeah. He died.)

-And then 24 episodes later, he gets revived except he’s ~evil~ (but he’s not) and he gains Bugster Powers (that aren’t really defined so i’m headcanoning them)

-Betrays Masamune and hey! Back on the good guy’s side.

-----

Earth 200000 ( i mightve missed a zero whoops)

-Hey he’s a pathologist and a coroner here too fellas.

-He works at the Med Bay? Sometimes???? Dude’s in and out of the med bay doing God knows what.

-He’s also in the library doing research about diseases and shit

-Sometimes, he fights. He might want to spar. He’s not actively looking for a fight but if you’re offering he won’t turn it down.

-He still lies to people, just...not as often. Mostly about what he’s researching. He doesn’t like it when people ask him about his research.

-He’s semi-aware that he’s not human but he doesn’t know why or what but he’s figuring it out.

----

So. He’s Kamen Rider Lazer Turbo which means he’s level fucking 0 (hence his catchphrase 0th Gear). While it may be the strongest against Bugsters (there are certainly not any here!), he’s the weakest and will take massive amounts of damage. but hey, he can neturalize the bugster virus. He usually compensates with using higher level gashats, most likely the Jet Combat Proto-Gashat.

Gashats he has access to:

Proto Bakusou Bike

Proto Giri Giri Chambara

Proto Shakakiri Sports

Proto Jet Combat

Proto Drago Hunter Knight Z

Proto Gekitotsu Robots

Proto DoReMiFa Beat

He can also teleport. No limits, apparently.

[venus-says]

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Episodes 16-30

Insert COIN to Continue.

If Ex-Aid hadn't clicked with me in its first 15 episodes, it's with much joy that I come here to say that I think I finally get this show and I'm here for it!

Yes, I still have quite a few of problems, and a lot of the complaints I had in my previous post are still present in here, but my enjoyment of the show has only been growing more and more with each new episode I watch to the point where now only very few aspects of it still annoy me really hard and I can let go of things more easily like, for example, the weird dialogue and the comedy style that while are still aspects that I don't like but that now I can get past that without being bothered.

Honestly, what bothers me the most is that I didn't know the show had such a clear break into two parts and that I divided the episodes for the reviews in a way that will make a bit weird to talk about, especially in this post. I didn't expect episodes 1 through 23 would end up being a big arc, with episodes 24 onward being kind of a different thing, a step-up from the previous arc. But oh well...

Since these episodes were clearly divided into two separate arcs I'll do the same here and comment on them separately.

This first part, going from episodes 16 to 23, are a bit weird to comment on because even inside them there's also a mini division we can make, episodes 16, 18, 19 and 20 are like a mini-arc to give Brave and Snipe power-ups while 21, 22, and 23 have more like an end game plot going on, and episode 17 is kinda just hanging around there, a bit out of place that usually would be considered a filler but that introduces a character that is used later on so while we can't completely disregard that episode we also can't really put it in the same basket as the others.

The first portion is the weakest of this whole section, being completely honest I don't remember much about it, I know Brave and Snipe get their asses kicked and they lose his gashats and that was pretty cathartic, but then Genm did his thing again and gave them Level 50 power-ups and I was a bit disappointed, not really in aesthetic levels or powers, like I don't care for Snipe's but I love how Brave looks and I think is really cool that he can command a troop of minions, my biggest problem is that the power-up is in one of those double gashats with that ugly circle thing and they have to share it but the division isn't really fair since Snipe has been keeping it for way more time than Brave did. But oh well.

Oh also during this part my hate for Kuroto was constantly raising, I really despise this man and whenever someone wipes the floor with him is like I'm having an overdose of serotonin because he's an awful human being and that's what he deserves and seeing him being fucked up brings me a lot of joy.

The mini-arc of episodes 21 to 23 is when things start to get interesting as we see the plot unveiling mysteries and the gears grinding in incredible speed making these three episodes feel like the end of a season. Now, as interesting and exciting that it was to watch this climax payout I do have some problems here. My biggest one is that, once again, they made Emu WAY too special, now he's not just a doctor, a genius gamer, and patient 0 from the game illness, but he's also the reason why Kuroto is like this nowadays, and different from what we thought he's been incubating this virus since he was a little kid because Kuroto is such a shit human being that he sent an infected game to a kid because apparently, he thinks only him can be a game developer in this world and come up with ideas for games. And yes, this is very in-character, Dan Kuroto would really do stuff like this, is the fact that they make so many things focused on a single person that bothers me.

Another thing I have a problem here, although it's a much smaller one if compared to my previous point is just how convenient it was for the show to put a way to reprogram the virus in Kiriya's computer. I think my problem here is just how easy they got the information, you know? They knew from that detective that Kiriya was digging up something and Hiiro decides to look for information and in the first place he looks he just happens to find his computer and the files in his research were there. Again, it's a minor thing, but I felt like I had to comment on this.

One thing that I really enjoyed in this mini-arc was Kuroto's plan to avoid the Ministry and still get data in his hands by infecting himself with the virus to appeal to Emu's emotions. Again, a very in-character decision and the way it played out was very fun even though it was pretty clear he allowed himself to be caught seeing how easy it was for them. The way things escalated leading to his death was also pretty good, it's a bit annoying that his death gets reverted only a few episodes later, for a show that is constantly talking about doctors dealing with death having a death be reversed is a bit counter-intuitive.

As a result of this conflict, we get Ex-Aid's Level 99 power-up, and while it's cool that is a gashat he made it himself and that he used Kiriya's driver after his was fried up by Genm, holy jesus how ugly is this thing. It's so huge and bulky most of the scenes with him moving have to be done in CGI because that looks like hell to walk on wearing it. This just isn't the ugliest power-up of this season because Snipe still has the worst designs, but oh gosh.

After episode 23 we enter in the Kamen Rider Chronicle arc, where being led by Parad they gather data from the missing games by reviving Graphite and brainwashing Poppy, and Ex-Aid becomes a light novel with a battle royale/survival game that actually kills people when they get a game over (or upload them to the cloud and erase their physical bodies apparently because now they're saying those people can be revived).

Attempts of joke aside, while it's not anything new that they're doing here I do like how they implemented the concept in the story. It's pretty cool having regular people acting up as the players while the Riders we follow are like special NPCs that drop rare items when defeated, it's a fun gimmick and it's also a way to the villains to put another obstacle to the riders without having to do much.

I think what I liked the most in this plot was the mini-arc they had for Poppy, up until this point I didn't really have a strong opinion on her but what they had with her in these episodes was pretty cool. To begin they gave her a pretty dope song, at first I questioned what they were trying to do there but when we get to know that her whole singing scene was part of a brainwashing process it turns things really interesting. But is the journey of her freeing herself from this brainwash that really does it for me, when she starts remembering memories from the person that she took over she gets in this existential crisis and it gave us some great moments, I really like that scene in episode 28 when she's there trying to tell everyone AND herself that humans and bugsters are enemies and Emu puts himself in the line kinda with a wake-up call for her, it was pretty awesome. I feel like she also got way more agency after the events in that episode and I hope they keep that with her. Oh, we also got Kamen Rider Poppy which wasn't a thing I necessarily needed, but that was still pretty cool.

But because not everything can be flowers I have two major issues for this part as well, the two are things that I already mentioned so I won't take too long with them. The first one is obviously the "making Emu too special" thing since it gets established that Parad is the bugster that Emu incubated for all those years and that Parad is actually Emu's "second personality". Again, it's a cool concept, and there's one episode in which Parad gets control of Emu's body and they have a fight between each other while in Ex-Aid's Level 20 form and it was cool as heck, is just the fact that they keep adding layers to Emu like he's the center of the entire universe that makes me feel kinda iffy about it.

The second aspect I don't like is the reversibility of death. I get that this is a show for kids so they would come up with a way to bring everyone that died in Kamen Rider Chronicle because this doesn't seem like the type of show that would just obliterate a lot of people out of existence like that, my problem is with bringing back characters that have some sort of impact with the characters. Yeah, so far we only had Kuroto and he's back but not really since now he's a bugster and Poppy can keep him under control with her drive, though let's be honest this won't last too long, but they're raising the possibility of bringing Hiiro's girlfriend back and I'm sure they would try to bring Kiriya back too and is this thing that I feel like it goes against some of the messages this show is trying to pass to his main character. Emu is constantly facing death and as a Doctor he will face it many times in different contexts and part of the process for him to learn how to deal with this he needs to feel the effects of mourning for those who passed away, but when you bring people back from that while it doesn't revert what he went through makes it feel like death isn't as serious. This is a thing Rider likes to do a lot honestly, I mean look at Ghost, and it never sat with me well, but I feel like in this season in especial, as I mentioned, it's very counter-intuitive.

And I believe that's all I have to say for now. I feel like I'm way too repetitive, and that's a problem I should work on, but I have to say this again, I'm still having my problems with Ex-Aid but these problems aren't cutting down my enjoyment of the show and I'm really excited to see how all of this will come up together in the end. If you have anything to say about my comments or these episodes please let me know in the comments, I'll be very happy to have other people insight into this show. Stay healthy, stay safe, never stop resisting, thank you so so much for reading and until the next time. See you in the next game!

[diabhals]

as promised, i have no fucking self-control, so below the cut is approximately 2k words of sappy wedding fluff. no i’m not sorry.

 Bea's fingers run, fleet-footed, tap tap tap over the mahogany. A dance conducted by her thoughts, and the orchestra sails on, minutes ticking down to seconds of tap tap tap. Now she misses her little finger; now the dance is disjointed, the beat faltering as it comes to that knotted scar, tap tap stop. Now her hands move to straighten her tie again, for the fifth time, and they shake.

 "How do I look?" Flicking her gaze to Matei, she licks her lips, expectant. A clock ticking over before the chime.

 "Horrendous." He reaches up to brush an imaginary speck of dust from her forehead. "I'm sure he'll run away in horror at the sight of you."

 "Oi." Bea huffs a laugh, her breath hot enough to blossom into a crystalline cloud; her jacket keeps out the cold of the room, though it still knifes at her fingers. "He wo-- what if he does?"

 It's not a joke when it's a possibility, when she's stamping her feet in the antechamber and wondering exactly what part of the ceremony calls for husband and wife to freeze to death. For contemplation, Kiriya had said, in case you get cold feet. It's not a joke when those words are breathed into a fine mist of physicality, when she knows her Kit and she knows there's always some knife in his broken soul, ready to cut all mooring ropes and cast him into the stormy seas again. Such sharp things must be handled gently, softly, kissed by cherry lips and told they are beautiful, or they will not stay. They will not come to the call of a woman whose lips are chapped and whose hands are hard.

 "He won't." Matei's words are a firm finality, even as the breath that spoke them dissipates. Bea returns to her pacing and tap tap tapping.

 Looking around the antechamber, she can't believe this is where the last moments of her unmarried life are slipping away: the same place where they prepare bodies, the same place where squalling babies are brought in nests of blankets and greeted by the priest for the first time. She understands why it's so cold, now: it keeps the bodies from rotting on that marble bed, white shot through with tear-tracks of black. It keeps the soon-to-be-weds on their toes, keeps them walking, walking, needing to hear the sound of their footsteps echoing into the vaulted ceiling to know that they are there and this is real.

 The door clicks open to admit an altar-maiden, her spider-spun skirts rustling over the threshold. Everything about her is soft: the hair that cascades over her shoulders, the milky, blue eyes that stare up at Bea.

 "It's time." What was her name again -- it escapes her, but Bea follows the girl just the same. One last glance over her shoulder to make sure Matei is coming with her, then into the body of the church.

 It never fails to take her breath away, the stone pillars like ribs stretching up and bowing together overhead. The way her footsteps echo, a heartbeat filling the cavity of space between her and the stone as she hurries to the altar, taking her place in front of it; she longs to savour it, light pouring in, a sticky-sweet blood, through a stained glass window, but her own heart is hammering. Her eyes are too fixed on the other end of the aisle, the door that seems to do nothing but stare at her. Asking, do you consider yourself worthy?

 If the waiting room was supposed to still her doubts, it hasn't worked. They all flood back in a rush: if she were him, this is when she'd do it. She'd spend the whole night pacing as she was, debating, only coming to a decision the moment before she sealed her life away. She'd run, though Bea can't imagine he'd get too far, he limps all the worse these days, and a bad leg is an easy weakness to spot. What she can imagine is that he's afraid, that he'd fold himself into some dark crevice and dissolve into the shadows, to reappear somewhere else, under a different name.

 He may also persuade Tammy to put rat poison in her whiskey, but in light of all they've been through, Bea considers that quite rude.

 With a sound like the groaning of gears, the door opens, letting in another shaft of sugared-pink sunlight.

 Letting in Kit.

 Her first thought is that dress must cost a fortune; her second thought: no, it's alright, we have the time and the money for a dress now. Her third thought is nothing at all, just an intake of breath.

 Walking slowly, supported by Micah, Kit's skirt rustles across the stone like a whisper. The dress is white, white as a funeral shroud, as a newborn's shawl; its train stretches back, a wave of taffeta topped by the veil, a frothing of lace. She barely gives the dress more than a cursory glance, though, searching underneath that veil for his familiar face. Even through it, the white deepens the colour of his skin, a warm brown almost set alight by the sunrise's caressings. Even despite it, she can piece together the contours of his face, the scar, the freckles, and lose herself in them: call him beautiful, call him majestic, call him mine. Hers because she knows him in every detail, knows him down to the rhythm of his steps -- even in a good dress, they don't change. Quick-slow, soft-heavy, the weight always falling on his good leg.

 She's just about ready to succumb to wonder when Matei elbows her in the ribs.

 "Stop it. You're embarrassing yourself." His wolfy grin says wait until I tell the others about this, as if they aren't already watching.

 "He's going to be my husband, you know," Bea whispers, pouting. "I'm allowed to look."

 "Don't I know it." Matei snickers, loud enough that the altar-maiden shoots him a venomous look. "Beatrice Poisontongue, scourge of two kingdoms, a blushing bride. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

 "Fuck off, it'll be your turn soon enough." Doesn't she know that; she would tease him about the way he drapes himself over Vall, but Micah is handing Kit up the altar steps, and she reaches down to help him.

 As Bea takes Kit's hand, Micah's eyes meet hers, the message in them clear. Look after him. It's something she's heard from Matei, Tammy, even Kiriya -- a promise she's already made, and intends to keep.

 Handing Kit up the steps, she gives him a smile, as gentle as she can muster. Beneath the veil, it's returned; his hand grips hers, tightening like the fastening of a good rope to a mooring post.

 Finally, they both stand before the priest, before the Stitched Goddess, or at least her stained-glass effigy. It seems to smile at them, perhaps a touch indulgently, making Bea want to spit in its eye and hold Kit all the tighter. I know I've not earned him, but I have him. And I don't know why either of us decided to get married before you.

 "Beatrice and --" The priest doesn't manage to say it and earn himself a kick in the teeth before Kit interrupts.

 "Kit. It's just Kit." He returns the squeeze of Bea's hand, and she wonders whether she would've had to get in line to deliver the teeth-kicking.

 The priest gives Kit a nod, one Bea supposes must pass for understanding.

 "Beatrice and Kit, we are here today to celebrate your union before the Goddess, and before your family." Family -- she glances back across the audience, mostly full of Sewer People. Free citizens of Den Tiel now, part of her family. "Do you understand the commitment you are about to make?"

 Last chance for you to back out, her eyes say.

 "We do." The unison surprises her; Kit's shrouded eyes whisper back, why would I want to?

 "Very well. Beatrice, repeat after me --"

 Bea doesn't need his prompting, not when she's been repeating these words to herself for weeks, perfecting their exact cadence. For a moment, everything else fades away, and she sees nothing but Kit as she speaks:

 "Kit, I promise to be your safe harbour and your mooring post. I promise to be your lighthouse and your wind. I promise to keep a lamp lit for you in my heart wherever I am, wherever you are, in poverty and in riches. In happiness and strife. With this necklace--" somehow Matei remembers his cue, pressing it into Bea's hand, "I also promise you myself." Til death sees fit to take me, she's supposed to add, but just let death try and take her without him.

 Slipping her hands under the veil to clasp the necklace, her stomach churns with excitement. There's something strangely illicit, an open secret, in breaching the lace, feeling his pulse flutter beneath warm skin. She had wanted to get him something more ornate, but in that silvered moment the simple gold chain seems fine, a single ruby dripping like a drop of blood onto the white dress.

 "Now, Kit, if you would--"

 "Bea." He almost cracks; she can hear the laugh in his voice before he continues. "I promise to be your compass and your road home. I promise to be your north star and your map. I promise to keep a lamp lit for you in my heart wherever I am, wherever you are, in poverty and in riches. In happiness and in strife. With this necklace, I also promise you myself."

 Tammy hands him the necklace; it's equally simple, an emerald-eyed snake on a gold chain. Clasping it, Kit's fingers brush the back of Bea's neck, sending a shiver webbing across her skin.

 All too soon his hands are gone; the priest smiles, placid and fatherly.

 "My children, at the dawn of the world, the Stitched Goddess knew you. She sewed every part of you together, and wove the paths of your lives; now she has seen fit to weave those two colourful tapestries together. With the utmost joy, and my heartfelt blessing, I charge you to cherish each other always, as husband and wife." Say it, Bea thinks, say it. "You may now kiss."

 She lifts the veil almost reverently, revealing the divinity beneath -- and Kit pounces on her, drawing her into the kiss. Rapacious, hands cupping her cheeks as if afraid she'll slip through his fingers. All she can do, all she wants to do, is offer herself up, leaning into the kiss. Every part of it is known to her now: the way he tastes, bittersweet, the way his passion washes over her, the way it baptised her the first time she knew it. They way it wasn't exactly freely given, not this vulnerable, and that -- she must've done something to earn it.

 Somehow, that's the best part of it all: that when they pull away, everyone's clapping, and she finally knows the answer. She is worthy.

  Her slips her hand into his, wanting to never let go. A look passes between them; Bea's heart swells when she catches his smile, a genuine smile. Turning back to the aisle laid out before them, she gives his hand a little squeeze, then one more glance at her new husband.

 "Walk with me?"

"Always."

They begin to descend the steps; idly, she wonders how much the house with the turquoise door costs.

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 108

Episode: Futari wa Precure Splash Star 10 - “Super Dangerous? A Big Commotion on the Ocean!” Date watched: 4 March 2019 Original air date: 9 April 2006 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/5m47i7p Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Show Kenta how to say no to this

This episode is everything you could want in an episode of Precure. It’s got action, suspense, character development, Moerumba’s sass, and the above faces. We get to see Saki’s friends Yuuko and Hitomi, as well as Kenta in a featured spot and Kayo from the last episode. Miyasako appears briefly in the classroom scenes, looking a little more confident, but he doesn’t actually have any lines. So, you probably want to know the context of all this.

The class has been assigned to do group reports on people living in their town. Saki, Mai, Yuuko, Hitomi, and Kayo all buddy up and, after Kenta clowns around, decide to check out his family’s charter boat business. They corner him and ask for permission (see above) and he relents and says he’ll ask his parents. He’s really hoping they’ll say no, but his folks are very enthusiastic about the chance, so that Sunday the girls all roll in. Kenta’s dad, Hoshino Kengo, gives them a tour of the shop and cracks jokes, revealing that a lot of Kenta’s mannerisms are taken from him. His mother, Hoshino Shizue, explains how she tends to the front desk and the shop when her husband is out on the boat.With all that out of the way, everybody gets suited up (by which I mean they put on life vests) and they set sail.

While they head to their destination above a reef, Kenta shows them the ropes of a fishing boat, Saki brags about her inability to get seasick, and Mai draws Kenta’s dad on the bridge.

Moments later, Saki isn’t feeling so well.

But they go below decks and find a cure real quick.

that’s pink energy

Once they get to their fishing spot, everybody lets out their lines and they wait. And wait. And wait. After two hours with no bites, everybody is antsy and Kenta complains to his dad, who gives him some grief, but he does remark that this is unusual. A dark cloud on the horizon has him turning the boat around to head back to shore, but as you can probably guess, it’s not just a storm, it’s Moerumba! All the girls are in the hold, feeling sick or passed out from the rough seas, while Kenta is in the bridge with his dad trying to keep the boat straight, so nobody is around to see Moerumba or the giant clam Uzainaa he summons out past the back of the boat. Saki and Mai transform to fight it, which is not the easiest thing given the conditions, but they manage to use the spirit shields to deflect a fireball. Egret slips of and Bloom catches her, but the Uzainaa swats them off.

They manage to land on a nearby island, and now that they have stable ground they manage to get the upper hand, knocking the monster around before finishing it off. They then hurry back to the boat before anybody notices they’re missing. With Dark Fall gone for the day, the weather has cleared up and everybody goes back to fishing.

The following week in school, the five girls make their presentation and compliment Kenta’s family and their whole experience. Hitomi makes a point to single out Kenta’s help in particular, and the teacher applauds their presentation as well as the display they made to go with it, prominently featuring Mai’s drawings.

look it was a weird panorama, okay?

There’s a few hints at the shipping plots that will come into play later in the show. They don’t focus on Hitomi very much, but she blushes a little when she singles him out during the speech, suggesting her feelings. Earlier on the boat, there’s a scene with Kenta and his dad going back and forth about Kenta’s comedic talents. His dad teases that his son’s book of jokes is completely empty, except...

Note how Hitomi is the only one whose expression changes. Whether it’s because she feels bad for him being outed like this, or because she thinks it might be her name, or she’s afraid it’s not her, is unclear. It could be all of these. For Kenta’s sake, his father doesn’t reveal the name he had written, but it’s still a hint at things to come.

Kayo doesn’t have much to do in this episode but it’s good just to see that the writers remember she exists, as FW and MH had a tendency to introduce guest characters for one episode and then ignore them for a while. Yuuko and Hitomi are Saki’s recurring friends so I’m not singling them out the same.

Moerumba.... what can I even say about this guy. Look at him steal the scene in the cold open.

As CinemaWins would say, he doesn’t even care. He’s just treating his previous defeats as learning opportunities (which, to be fair, is a good strategy) to figure out the Precures’ strengths and weaknesses. That being said, his plan in this episode wasn’t terribly strategic. Maybe the idea was to compromise the safety of their friends, but that wasn’t well-depicted, and the clam monster wasn’t any more threatening than any previous Uzainaa. The most out of the box thing he did was to utilize static electricity to an extent, but even that was only to torment the girls.

If there’s one thing FWPC did better than Splash Star with regard to its villains, it was diversifying their threats. Pisard used traps, Gekidrago used brute force, Poisony used tricks, Kiriya was an infiltrator, and Ilkubo was a little of everything, because he was intelligent AND powerful. Meanwhile, aside from their personalities, there isn’t much to differentiate Karehaan from Moerumba. They’re both showing up at random and attacking the girls head-on. Hopefully we start to see a little more thought put into the attacks.

Also, there seems to be less of a theme to Moerumba’s monsters so far. They went out of their way to show that Karehaan could only make Uzainaa out of wood and tree-related things, which included a cicada once because they eat tree sap. Karehaan’s monsters can all throw fireballs, but they don’t have the same elemental connection, maybe because it’s easier to give random objects fireballs than to come up with fiery monsters in myriad situations. We’ll see if this also improves.

I realize I haven’t said anything about music in a while, and that’s because... I don’t have much to say. The BGM hasn’t stood out to me much. I do think I owe the opening and ending a proper analysis, so I’ll try to squeeze that in soon, and I never gave a proper rundown on the girls’ outfits so I’ll see if I can do that as well.

Next time, Flappi is sick! Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 2 Zekkouchou Nari

Miracle Drop Count: 3

[azure-et-aurum-blog]

Epilogue: Into the Blue, Forever.

((Concludes the Saga of The Forever Blue)) ((Soundtrack for this is: Blue Forever)) ((Featuring characters by @celestial-opposition))

It was the end of the so-called Mister Wise. And at the same time, we could understand the past of Kannitha, Master of Ceremonies. She is down on the ground, but breathing. In the end, Nanatsusaya was right and the monster was bluffing. I see Jonah running towards Anni to check her right away. She seems unharmed too, thankfully.

We get out of the room and back to the place we were before. It is very different now, we can see the light coming through the broken walls, meaning that the influence of the Void was passing.

Outside, a troop of Adders awaits us. It appears they got my message. I am ready to be taken as a prisoner when their Captain ditches the thought. He says that my squad members told the commander about what happened, but they needed to dispatch some men to check the place. When they arrived, they saw the dark clouds dissipating and destroyed some voidsent that tried to escape. In the end, Kannitha explained everything to them and they would report to the HQ, cleaning any charges against me.

Our house is destroyed, falling to pieces. We will have to rebuild from the ground. However, more than ever, we are as a family. If I am to be the leader of the Forever Blue from now on, I think that I need to understand what this will mean, but I will gladly take this from now on. I took care of Misaki when she was a lost lamb, and I made a promise that I would help in whatever I can to make Jonah become the unleashed talent that Shin says he is. So be it. I will do my best. I look at Len, by my side, and she comforts my worried eyes. She raises her head and in whispering words she tells me not to be concerned, that she will be there for me. I smile and nod to her in return, appreciating the thought. 

I took my father’s blade and went to see how Anni was. I wanted to tell her first about my plan. She is from there, as we were chatting before. She said she could help me... I believe in her. But... I don’t want to just leave them behind. I want to help. And when I told him this, Nana said that it would be fine. That Len and him would take care of everything. He is the best... almost made me cry... when he said that he understood. He told me to remember all my training, and that I should take my time... I see R’anni and smile to her. She says that we will find my family and my origins. Somehow, she makes me believe in the unbelievable.

We all gathered at the lominsan docks. The last time we did this was when I traveled to Hingashi, starting what would be one of the most important parts of my life. By that time we had Laurana, Khutula, Bralfagyr, Kiriya, Seda... it is so different now. So many new faces, new companions. Kiriya, however is still there.

Nanatsusaya promised me that he will see to the rebuilding of the house of our Free Company. Len said that she will make sure that Nanatsusaya won’t be lazying around like the big loaf he is. I laugh at the practical joke and Nanatsusaya seems really embarrassed. I put my hand in his shoulder, thanking him for his hard work and everything he did so far.

Jonah will journey to the East with R’anni. To the direction of Gyr Abania wastes, where several Seeker of the Sun tribes are settled after the Battle of Ala Mhigo. I give to him my bless and wish him all the luck on the world, because I understand what it is like to not know what happened to your parents.

Iara, the latest addition to our ranks, says she will travel through some parts of Eorzea, to understand what will be her role in this world now. Kannitha asked to go with her, now that the Circus is gone, and they agreed to be travelling companions for now. Both lost their groups, and I hope they find in each other the support they need right now.

Kakero was talking to Oceanne when I came to say my farewells to both. Oceanne tells me that she is getting closer to a breakthrough discovery that can help Kakero overcome his void illness once and for all. My dear captain don’t say much more to me than the simple words a man could say, wishing safe travels. But his look is no longer of a tired man without anything in his life. He found a meaning, a purpose, I can see that.

Misaki finishes her own farewells and we board our ship. It is time to see how my homeland is after so long. This was my idea, after what I dreamed when I was under Inunaki’s spell. I would visit my old estate, Musume... and to show Misaki how it is there. She never went to my estate, so it would be something interesting. As the ship sets sail from Limsa Lominsa, we watch the people we met in our journeys down there. So many memories and so many adventures. We will be back, that’s for sure. 

But until then, like my old Captain Kakero would say: “Into the Blue, Forever”.

(Ruins of Gelmorra site, the next day)

The wind sounded harsh followed by leaves and dust at the only surface ruins of the predominant underground civilization of Gelmorra. Usually a deserted place, sounds of patient steps come one after another, cautiously trailing the stonework remains. The steps belonged to a man, a midlander, walking in a fancy armor and a giant sword on his back.

“I know you are here, monster.” His voice was cold and deep. Sure of his own statement. “I followed your stench from the castle to here, metaphorically speaking, of course. You leave a very bright trail for someone that is known for deception and treachery.”

There was no answer. However, the knight continued walking, slowly and steady. Letting out a sigh, he tries again, now drawing his sword.

“Dog. Please... you are already dead. What good will come from you now? I know about your clan, I know that you serve under the House of Juno. That your Regnatrix is afraid of a Blue Lightning... I know that you are the answer for... my problem.”

He pierces the stonework with his sword, and the sound that it makes is not only of steel clashing the stone, but also skin being ripped apart. A black cloud rises. He lowers his body, whispering to the invisible monster in front of him.

“Trying to escape? You can’t.” He laughs a bit. “You see, this sword is linked to an artifact that collects void essence. Yes, Inunaki... I know who you are and what you are. Your name was the key. Now you will be trapped and I will use your essence to save my sister from your miserable kind. And then I will go after your precious House of Juno, and make you all pay for what you did.... what? Did you say something?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Your essence is mine, and I am closer to save my sister from her curse.”

[kamyru]

Shunichiro Tachibana in Addison & Rhodes LIs’ routes (Headcanons)

Author's note: When we are talking about LIs from Addison & Rhodes, I headcanon that Shun knows every single time whom MC is dating. Just like I headcanon that in Addison Creative routes, the AC LIs also know whom MC is dating. Moreover, I think that in every route, Shun, Toma, and Jun have a liking on MC that varies from a simple crush to a whole damn love.

Yukihisa Maki

Shun played the matchmaker for them.

Of course, he knows that they are dating.

And it's not like Yuki tries to hide this from him. He doesn't tell his friend directly but doesn't deny it either.

He doesn't lose the possibility to tell Yuki how lucky he is without giving any context.

He also doesn't lose the possibility to give MC tips about his best friend.

At least once, he teased MC and promised her that he would give her some juicy stuff about Yuki. The only problem is that MC is too great of a girlfriend to pry off her lover.

It took him some time, but Shun convinced Yuki to tell him everything about how they started dating.

Also, before Yuki is ready to pop the question, Shun already knows what is going to happen. Not because Yuki told him, but because he can sense agitation in his best friend's behavior.

After the D-day, he will ask Yuki how everything went even before Yuki tells him anything.

From time to time, he tries to make MC talk about her relationship because he finds her so cute when she is flustered.

Toshiaki Kijima

Shun knew even before Toshiaki found out that he loved MC.

Both Shun and Yuki knew it before Toshiaki.

After they became an item, it was even more obvious.

Shun is one of the few people who can sense the nearly perceptible smile that appears on Toshiaki's face every time he sees MC.

He is very happy for his friend.

No one can ever convince me that Shun doesn't put them in the same team every time he can.

Also, from time to time, he teases Toshiaki and calls him when he knows that he has a date with MC. Just like he did when MC and Toshiaki nearly had their first kiss. Though, then it wasn't on purpose.

Shun also knows whom Toshiaki is talking and texting to when he is on his phone.

He also sees them enjoying themselves at the office more than he admits.

One of Toshiaki's secret fears is that Shun will invite MC to drink together and tell her about his embarrassing moments. We all know that Shun won't do it, though. He is not cruel enough for this.

But you know what he does to both of them constantly? Teases them before and after they become an official item.

Toma Kiriya

Bring an entire truck of jokes about Toma x MC ship, and that won't make even half of the number of jokes Shun made about them.

At first, he is just a shipper. 

Shun sees how well they work together, and he likes it. 

It took him some time till he understood that there was a little bit more than just work.

You know because of whom he found out? Toma. 

MC is always cheerful and bubbly. But Toma isn't.

So, when the copywriter becomes like this when he talks about MC, Shun can understand that he has feelings for her.

It took him more time to discover their relationship than in other routes. 

He always tells MC to spend more time with Toma to get some tips for work from him. We all know that he has other intentions.

Toma and MC are placed second in Shun's rank of cutesy, after Toshiaki and MC couple.

When they drink together, Shun doesn't lose the possibility to remind Toma of MC or MC of Toma.

Also, Shun is very protective of them, taking into consideration that both of them have a liking for the CEO.

Natsume Asaoka

Shun was worried that MC's crush on him would damage their work relationship.

So, he kept an eye on her. It was such a good eye that he immediately sensed a change in her preferences.

And it gave him a bittersweet taste.

The thing is that by that time, he already developed a crush on her.

Though, he was happy that MC found out such a good man.

If we don't take Shun's relationship with Addison & Rhodes guys, I bet that his favorite ship is MC and Natsume.

He looks after them more than he does in any other route. Though, it's not as obvious.

Their happiness became fast one of his obsessions. 

Just like Kasumi is worried about EICU guys, he is worried about his subordinates. 

He is even jealous of Natsume for finding such a wonderful girlfriend.

Once, when he got drunk enough, Shun even asked him some personal questions. Though, this is so deep into his memory that he doesn't try to remember the answers, being too ashamed of his behavior back then.

If we rank Shun's jealousy in each route, Natsume will be in the second place, after Jun.

Bonus

Jun Araki

Shun knows that MC is dating Jun.

Even if they try hard to hide it.

Even if Jun acts as tough as always.

Shun knows because he likes MC too. Very much.

He senses Jun on MC.

Also, he has eyes and sees when they go home together.

Shun is the second, after Rei, who guessed that they have a relationship.

Unlike in others' routes, he is not so supportive. Because ✨jealousy✨. 

Though, after it becomes official, of course, he shows his support.

Shun is too kind and gentlemanlike to not do this.

And he thinks that because of Jun's caring nature, confidence, and overall personality, MC will be happier with Addison Creative CEO than with him.

[gameridernews]

Ex-Aid review: Month 11 (Episodes 42-45)

Here we are... the final month of Ex-Aid. With only 4 episodes left, how does the show wrap up?

Well, for starters, let me say this: I'm only going to be covering these episodes the way I would any month of episodes, then will do a separate post where I talk about the show overall - give me time to write that one. Also at the end, I return to my final predictions to see what I got right or wrong.

Oh, a small addendum to the last review since I'm pretty sure I talked about the summer movie: We know now that it's a 1-year-later story, so anything I said about it as an alternate ending to the show... is completely invalid. Oops. 

So with that being said... let's tackle the final level.

With Gamedeus unleashed, turns out Masamune wanted to give one last middle finger to the world by reprogramming Gamedeus to let off one hell of a pandemic - everyone in the area has been infected, and it's as bad as when Nico was infected with Gamedeus' virus.

Now I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't sure how to feel about that idea - yeah, it does work as a big finale thing. But it's also what the summer movie was doing, so in that regard it feels redundant. But I warmed up to it since it shows everyone caring for patients in a way that really fits the motif of the show - we're seeing not Riders, but humans, care for the people they want to protect on a personal level. Also Taiga and Nico are wonderful human beings, you guys.

While that's happening, Kiriya and Kuroto are using a clever plan as an excuse to beat the hell out of each other. I was into it once they revealed what they were doing - by continuously infecting themselves with the Gamedeus virus, they build up a resistance, and the end result is a new Doctor Mighty XX Gashat which can eliminate the virus - a shame it doesn't get used to transform, but hey, we know there's at least two different places that could be used now that the show is over...

The Gamedeus Bugster, VERY ironically, is a bit of a small talking point here. Apart from causing a pandemic (which is arguably Masamune's work), and having all the powers of the past Bugsters, the only notable thing about him is the buildup and his quick death once Doctor Mighty XX is delivered to Ex-Aid.

This is something I can understand being a downer, but... we don't have nearly enough time to justify bumping down Masamune in favor of some villain that's just appeared - I didn't expect him to actually stick around because it'd be a waste of time. But I also see it as a miraculous victory - against all odds, they somehow managed to find a way to stop him at the least second.

What they didn't count on was the lingering sanity of Masamune Dan! With no further options, Cronus appears before Ex-Aid and crew can finish off Gamedeus, only to do the job himself and absorb the hell out of Gamedeus' data to become Gamedeus Cronus!

How is Gamedeus Cronus? Well... I know how Rider shows work. We are at that stage where the design process becomes "What can we make with as few new parts as possible?" - which I don't think is unreasonable considering the show's just about over and they're focusing on the next one. That being said, it does what it needs to do well enough - it's Gamedeus but as a Rider. The fusion works within story context.

In a surprising twist, turns out the Ride-Player that's closest to Gamedeus is... Nico! So Masamune, now being perhaps more powerful than the unstoppable Gamedeus, knows EXACTLY what he's doing when he insists on having her challenge him.

He's just screwing with them all now, aiming for the one character who has no Rider belt. Even though Nico is more or less like a Level 10 Ride-Player (d-don't add that to the wiki, that's a joke), she's not unstoppable.

So it's time for big brother Taiga to step in, because it's as he's been saying from the start... only he needs to be the one who fights. 

This was a big moment for Taiga, because his motivations are clearer than ever. And he uses both Nico's and... some random Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat, both at the same time, to transform into Cronus. If you were wondering, TV Asahi just refers to do this "Kamen Rider Cronus (Taiga Hanaya Version)". I'm not sure what the second Gashat is adding aside from it representing Nico, but I do like how this form seems to have access to ALL weapons. Imagine the catharsis of gaining access to this in a proper Chronicle game. 

After Taiga gets tossed around a bit, Hiro and Emu show up to remind him that doctors have to work together, and they give him a white coat! That... later we learn that it's okay for him to be a doctor again but that still made me go "Wait, is that legal?" - the three use their strongest forms, reminding us Taiga is in need of something stronger than Level 50...

... then Gamedeus Cronus brings in one last video game trope by revealing that a proper final boss has a second form. Kickass! It's at this point, a true pandemic begins. People become Bugster Viruses, which I thought looked pretty goofy. Masamune is certainly bringing hell on Earth, just like a proper final boss. Turns out he knows exactly what video games are all about.

As an aside, did you know I was considering doing monthly reviews for the next show in the form of video? I'm still undecided, but I am still thinking of how I can keep that simple enough that it won't be hell to edit. I only bring this up because hey, we get our cameo for the next Rider here, Build!

This was a dumb cameo, but a fun kind of dumb. I liked how it involved Genm being mistaken for Ex-Aid, because not only is that going back to misunderstandings from Genm's cameo in Ghost, it's also a resemblance that has not come up in a long time. Made me go "Oh right, it IS weird that they look so alike!"

You gotta take cameos with a grain of salt, but they do admittedly try to capture the basic idea of what that character is like. If Build is anything like this, he seems kinda fun. This whole bit of him wanting a sample from Ex-Aid is actually followed up in the summer movie, which I guess is okay to say now since it's gonna have to be talked about when the upcoming winter movie happens.

Now then, let's talk about heartbreak.

In order to make the people happy, Poppy basically sacrifices her own existence to spread the vaccine to Gamedeus' virus and cure everyone, effectively stopping the pandemic. 

This was especially touching when you realize that the most exposure she's had to the general public is being depicted as a deadly Bugster that has even infected others. She's making quite the sacrifice for people who might not even want her alive. You’re breaking my heart, girl. 

Then we get what I was most interested in during the episode preview... the baby war! 

Ex-Aid brings us back to the Level 1 forms in a clever way, reminding us of its function: Separate the virus from the patient. As everyone switches to the forms we first came to know them for, they beat the Game out of Deus and even perform a chibi Rider Kick together!

But then...

More heartbreak.

With Parad forming a proper bond with Emu, he's found that he lacks something: The chance to redeem himself. He's let a lot of people suffer, and it seems like one fight alongside Emu isn't enough to rid him of his sins - that’s pretty mature of him. 

So after Poppy sacrificed herself by using Doctor Mighty XX to turn into a vaccine, Parad does the same to latch onto Gamedeus and finally put an end to it all, so that humans can live in peace.

The day is saved.

Or, you know, fuck you. 

Masamune knows what's up. If Parad is gone, that means Ex-Aid - the only one with the power to face him - can't transform. The Riders are effectively powerless to stop him and his time powers. Try as they might, they can't punch something that punches them harder in less than an instant.

The day is ruined. And it looks like this finale is the BAD ending! You beat us, Cronus!

Or, you know, fuck you.

Yes, in a miraculous come-from-behind revival that we get explanations for later, Emu is back in action! And with everyone standing together in the dark setting (Cronus powers are weird), we recreate episode 1's opening scene... with Genm offscreen because of a delayed Continue apparently.

This fight was quick, but fantastic. Everyone gets a piece of Cronus, even Lazer in bike form. Which I now realize is odd for him to revert to, but I guess he figured he'd have one last ride with Emu. No way that phrase can be taken out of context.

Masamune is defeated, and... I'm a little mixed on Masamune, I'll be honest.

The reset from last month was something that came into play because Masamune's Bugster infection intervened, giving them the glowy eyes Emu gets when he does M stuff. While they use that effect again during his last Gamedeus Cronus fight, it... kinda never came into play again. It was just some random thing that served no purpose other than to artificially extend the drama. So... that was pointless.

As for what happened here, with Masamune's final act being to stab himself with his own Gashat, I can only assume he was trying for one more final fight since Graphite used Gashats this way, but it kinda just... kills him. So I'm not sure what to make of it. It doesn't help that they never give it any lip service. He's just gone.

Masamune has been a great villain up to this point, but I feel that he's been all over the place within these final two months and hasn’t been at his best. Still, now that he's gone, peace can properly return. No fakeouts, just status quo.

The rest of the final episode is essentially an epilogue for our beautiful cast. 

For starters, I guess the Bugster Virus still lingers, it's just not nearly on the level of Gamedeus. I guess that works, since otherwise we'd have to say goodbye to Kuroto and Kiriya. Speaking of, Kiriya will be taking part in developing medicine that fights against the virus, with the help of the new CEO of Genm Corp: Tsukuru! Burger-san is in chaaaarge! That puts a big smile on my face.

Taiga gets a pretty sweet deal. His efforts have given him the right to be a doctor again, and his previously abandoned hospital has been cleaned up and is now in service as a Bugster Virus hospital. Not only that, Nico has graduated and wants to work for him! Adorable.

Hiro is passing down his expertise to future generations, and even though it's not directly stated, we know that he now has much more respect for the patients now that he's spent plenty of time with Emu.

As for Emu, he relays all that happened to the ministry of health, and is offered the chance to stay in CR. Which I guess is fair since his introduction to it was happenstance. 

Lastly is a speech where Emu admits a grim truth: Those infected with the Bugster Virus have been cured... but they have not yet been able to restore the lives lost. As it currently stands, they still exist as data, and when questioned on whether that could be considered "living", Emu says something very mature. When Kuroto first revealed that the victims would be reborn as Bugsters, Emu was strongly against them being data because that can hardly be called living. Has he changed his stance now?

Well... no. He instead believes that medicine has come a long way, and that one day, they WILL find a way to bring these people back properly. The way it was handled was, again, very mature of Emu. I really can't say enough that he's grown up since the beginning.

Kuroto, not so much. But at least he has godly talents.

Since Kuroto got just a bit of Poppy's virus when she sacrificed herself, he was able to restore her! And with the okay of the ministry of health, she will continue her service to CR just like always! I must say, considering this character was too much for me to handle at the beginning, I'm happy to see her stay!

Not only that... when Emu got close to Parad as he sacrificed himself, it seems that he reabsorbed just a bit of Parad's virus, which is how Emu was able to transform during their last fight with Cronus - tightly wrapping it all up, aren't they? Because of that, Parad gets to live. 

I'll be honest, I always feel like I need to be more critical when a character is immediately brought back after death... but the tears in my eyes during that moment tell a different story. I guess I’m okay with this. 

With our final scene that seems to be a later moment, we randomly get... product placement! Yes, it seems Kuroto was "inspired" to make a new Gashat based on his mysterious encounter, which I'm sure has a form attached to it but it currently just causes the trailer to play. Oddly specific power. 

But wait! There were predictions I made. Let's see what they were and how they panned out. There's a lot of em.

First off, I'm gonna just summarize two here: Previews led us to believe Parad might be killed off, as well as Taiga. Aside from me guessing Cronus was the one who killed Parad, I guess I was right in saying they wouldn't kill off either character at this point in the story. I feel the need to address those quickly since they were no-brainers. I even thought they were excessive to say at the time. But... 

I think since the heroes now have the Proto Gashats [which contain Saki's data], they’ll be able to convince Hiro well enough to return. That being said… Masamune giving him a new form with no strings attached? Suspicious. Maybe there’ll be some kind of mind control in place in the event Hiro turned on him. This man thinks ahead. It’s gonna take a heavy duty “What it means to be a doctor” speech to shake Hiro from this one.

Okay, I guess Taddle Legacy was a form with no strings attached. It made sense in my head.

Graphite and Parad [might be] successful in infecting Masamune’s belt with the virus of Gamedeus... which results in him becoming a Gamedeus with the unstoppable power of Cronus! That’s, like, twice unstoppable. Perfect for an endgame villain.

I knew it would be a perfect endgame villain! But it turns out this was all Masamune's doing.

I also made a prediction about the ending and talked about how the summer movie was setting itself up as an alternate ending... but again, that turned out to not be the case. But I did say what I thought would be the ending for the show:

I think that the show will have your standard happy ending. Bugsters are gone, CR is disbanded, everyone goes back to their regular lives as doctors/non-doctors. All that needs to be kept in place is the ability to transform, or at the very least modify the gear so it isn’t required anymore. Basically, the show’s ending is more welcome to continuation and crossovers.

And it sure is! But they were surprisingly cool about not undoing much. The Bugster Virus still exists, CR is still needed, and they work in a way for Emu to still have the ability to transform. Which is about as crossover-friendly as you can get.

So that was a show. I'm actually gonna end this review here, because I think it's only fair to have a SEPARATE review to talk about the overall show. The characters, the plot, the style... it's something that would make this post twice as long. So give me some time to write it.

As for the next series, Kamen Rider Build? I am cautiously optimistic! Some believe there is a noticeable coincidental format to Rider shows in which a really good show is followed up by an okay show then followed up by a crappy show. I just take them each as their own thing. There's elements of this new one I find interesting and I look forward to seeing how it presents itself.

With that being said, see you next game, when I analyze Ex-Aid as a whole.

[inazuma-eleven-translations]

Inazuma Walker 4 Summary Part 2 - About Ares no Tenbin PV Part One about the White Day Special can be found on my tumblr blog, under the tag Inazuma Walker (Note: All prefixes like -san, -chan etc… are how Hino and Mo address each character)

The theme for this Walker episode is ‘If Inazuma Eleven was 3D…?”

In other words, if Inazuma characters were real, who would they resemble, what form would they take etc… (submitted by fans)

Kiyama Tatsuya (Hiroto) Mo says he’s joined Eisei Gakuen and his parents are the Sun Garden/Ohisama en. Hino says his name has changed, but Mo says it’s because this is a peaceful world.

Who would he look like?

Ryounosuke Kamiki, a Japanese actor and voice actor “I think they’re quite similar mood-wise, but more than anything it seems like he would recreate Kiyama’s ‘I’m in love with those eyes of your’s, Endou.’ speech faithfully!”

Hino comments the actor was in Kimi no Na Wa (played Taki). Mo says rather than being similar mood-wise, it’s because they’re both bishounen.

Sangoku-san Hino calls him ‘The Boy Who Can’t Stop Shoots’, and mention his parent-like personality.

Who would he look like? Yo Oizumi, an actor “Because their hair is similar.” Hino says he likes both Oizumi and Sangoku, and both of their personalities are very warm so they’re a perfect match. Mo mentions that Morimura from Galaxy has a similar hairstyle to Keiko Inoue, because of their fluffy hair.

Fubuki Shirou They say he’s a good-looking captain

Who would he look like? Yuzuru Hanyu, a figure skater “Because I think when Fubuki does his Ice Ground move, he spins and poses etc very well.” They say something about him being an ice-skater

Kageno Jin-san The boy who joins Raimon soccer club to have more of a presence Hino’s interested to see who he looks like

Who would he look like? Naoki Matayoshi, a comedian “He has less presence than anyone! And they both have long hair and a flat voice.” Hino agrees they’re similar.

Teres-san Argentina captain Hironari Yamazaki, a comedian “Because of their cleft chin.” They talk about the match with Teres, saying how Endou etc. weren’t there and Mo says it was the first time she felt they might lose in FFI.

Kabeyama-kun Hino wonders if there’s someone who looks like him, and says he’ll want to go to the bathroom. Mo mentions he’s very tall for a middleschool kid and might look scary but he’s a very grateful person. Hino says he wins the prize for perfect attendance (hasn’t missed a match).

Who would he look like? Yuki Himura (Bananaman), comic performer “They’re identical! That’s what I thought the moment I saw him!” Hino says they certainly look alike with that haircut.

Majin the Hand Mo says no matter how many times she looks at him, she sees Gouenji’s haircut, despite him being Endou’s move

Who would he look like? Riki Takeuchi, an actor “They look similar.” Hino says they generally look similar. Mo agrees it’s the muscles.

Shishido-kun Tsuyoshi Muro, comedian “Their faces are fiercely similar, if you just stuck a nose on it would be perfect!” However, it’s also said that Megane is like this guy, as they both come up with names.

Kurimatsu Chestnut

Hino says it’s scary, Mo says it’s cute

Handa Mo says Handa is very popular, Hino doesn’t understand as he’s no personality. Mo says for people who like Handa, they feel he’s got plenty of personality - everyone’s eyes are different.

Who would he look like?

A Johnny’s Idol “As he has a Johnny’s-vibe, he could look like any of them. In the Inazuma world, his appearance is ordinary.”

They made this picture. They’re all Handa. When she first saw it, Mo thought Ichinose-kun and Fideo-kun had snuck in there, but it’s all Handa. Mo says if this was a real group, she’d go see them. She says it’s cute, which Hino questions.

Endou Mamoru-kun Shuzo Matsuoka, a tennis player “They’re both hot-blooded, and I want him to say: sakka, yarou ze!” Endou: Practice is onigiri! Shuzo: Today you’re my Mt. Fuji!

Then they had a guess the quote game, where fans on NicoNico (not Youtube) guessed if it was Endou-kun or Matsuoka-san who said a particular thing. The first two were Matsuoka-san and the fan’s correctly guessed the third one was Endou. Mo apologises Matsuoka-san won’t be a guest this time, but jokes that next time if possible they’d like him too.

The theme for next time is stereotypes about Inazuma Eleven Hino says there are a lot of characters who love their little sisters, but Mo says there’s really only about two… Mo talks about the strength of the goal net, as expected of super dimensional soccer You can go to the homepage for more info

New Game Hino says he’s going to talk a bit about the console it’s released on. He also says the making of the game is going well. He says it will probably come to a console better quality than the 3DS.

Snack World Preview of Level Five’s Snack World

Inazuma Everyday Plus An app for iphone and android, now with added Kidou. You play as a character living with Endou, Gouenji or Kidou and live out the story from the first few episodes. Now that Kidou’s included, you can see Teikoku characters too, and there’s more power ups. You can communicate with the three characters through talking, touching and presents.

Episode 25 Episode Rewatch Special Guest: Instead of a voice actor, this time it’s the animation director from Outer Code, Yumi Kamakura-san. Hino apologises to her for sending the script late last time. They congratulate her on Sakuma from the last episode, said he looked wonderful, and she agreed the staff worked very hard. Apparently a lot of the animation staff like Inazuma and they wanted to work on Outer Code. Hino says they’re looking forward to the next episode and they rewatch episode 25, commenting a lot that it’s very nostalgic.

After that they rewatch trailers from previous games, Asuto’s voice actor has joined them.

Ares no Tenbin PV:

Summary of PV Football Frontier of the next generation Seishou Gakuen Absolute playmaker of the pitch, Kidou tells Demon of the Field, Haizaki he’s gone too far Haizaki mentions a promise he made Zeus Gakuen Ruler of the Sky, Aphrodi, tells Asuto they can’t stop Zeus Kageyama says he’s ?stopped? Raimon with his own creation? Teikoku Gakuen The Rebellious Lonewolf, Fudou wonders what Kageyama’s thinking I think Sakuma (Teikoku’s Musketeer) is wondering why is he with them I can’t catch what Kazemaru says (maybe telling them to return to their posts?) but his title is Blue Gale Hakuren Bear Killer Fubuki Atsuya says something like, Aren’t you doing it (for me?) Prince of the Snow Field Fubuki Shirou says in these conditions, Hakuren are skilled (maybe they’re playing in an ice field/snow storm?) Hakuren’s Platinum Snow, Shiratoya Nae says, My turn is coming up Eisei Gakuen God Striker Kira Hiroto says, This is God Striker! Can’t catch what Noble Youth of Eternity, Kiyama Tatsuya says right away either Kidokawa Seishuu Flame Striker Gouenji Tonegawa Tousen ?Liberal?Miracle, Sakanoue Noboru says, Don’t worry everyone, go out and I’ll protect the goal Legendary Goalkeeper ??????? Otei Tsukinomiya Tactical Emperor Nosaka says, I’ll show you the power of Ares and I’ll change the world with these hands Ann asks, Was that really your soccer? Nosaka says it is, that he’ll do anything to produce results - that’s his soccer Inakuni Raimon I think Kiriya says they’ve got too much power The Soccer Novice Chosen by the Sun, Asuto says they can definitely win, the only thing missing is their will to win

All of the heros with many thoughts in their hearts that collide Who will stand at the top? Inazuma Eleven, Ares no Tenbin

Points of Interest

Kidou and Haizaku - First time Kidou’s appeared in a PV, and he’s been sent to Seishou as a Strengthening Player (Translator’s notes: is there a certain way to translate this phrase?).

Haizaka and the girl - Mo’s interested but Hino can’t say anything. Someone in the comments wonders if Haizaka has a Sister Complex.

Aphrodi-san - Mo says everyone was waiting for this, that he’s cool. The uniform was decided in Inazuma Walker. The player on the right is a new character. Hino asks fans to carefully examine him afterwards, as he’s a character that has never appeared before. Hino focuses on him for a bit, so he might have a story.

Bear Killer Atsuya, and Shirou - They talk about how Atsuya is the Bear Killer now, unlike the previous series where it was Shirou.

Shiratoya Nae-chan - I think Mo was surprised she actually became a player, and says she’s very cute.

Gouenji-san - Z Zemi. Mo says Gouenji returns to his old school as a Strengthening Agent, but wonders what kind of formation a team with four forwards will make.

Sakanoue Noboru-kun - A new character

Legendary Goalkeeper - They claim ‘we don’t know who it is yet’, but it’s pretty obvious who it is

Haizaka vs Nosaka - Mo says this scene is a big spoiler, those two playing against each other, but they’re very cool. Hino says he doesn’t know if it counts as a spoiler.

Nosaka - “I’ll change the world with these hands.” It’s the first time Ares, the secret keyword, has been mentioned.

Nosaka ‘crying’ - This scene was released on Hino-san’s Twitter, and Mo is very interested. She wonders if it’s just water on his face or is he crying.

Nosaka, Anna and the goalkeeper - Mo wonders about the relationship triangle, and since Anna is a Raimon student why does she seem so close to Nosaka? She wonders if it’s the Kidou-pattern where they might be siblings…? They make jokes about Hino liking Sister Complexes.

Finally, they mention the woman who looked like a teacher at the end.

The keyword for the next episode is: Kami! (God)

Speculation: It’s the kami in Shindou’s name, but I think it has more to do with Gods. I wonder if it has any connection to Aphrodi, as in Kami no Aqua/ fact that Aphrodi compared himself to a God a lot…? Or will they explain Ares (which I guess is a Greek God)...?

[radicalapollo]

A GBU breakdown of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. Episodes 1-14

It has been a little while now, and we’re firmly past the first act of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, and I thought now would be a good time to record my thoughts on the series to far. Now, I’ve been pretty harsh on it so bar, but I want it to be known that there things about the series that I really do like, so here’s how we’re gonna do it. I’m going to use the GBU method. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. You’ll see how the ugly works once we get to it.

This is gonna be a very long post, so I’m going to put it under a cut, so check it out that way fam!

THE GOOD

I feel like Kamen Rider Ex-Aid has one of the stronger starts for a series. I felt like the first few episodes set things up pretty well, and did a pretty good service showing off our characters. I’d also have to say that I really like Emu. Some people may not agree but I think his character is really interesting, and the story behind his split personality, between himself and M, is one of the big things that keeps me invested.

The story beats so far, while a bit sloppy at times, is still extremely engaging, and I’m really looking forward to where the story is taking itself. One thing that really helps out Kamen Rider series, even ones that aren’t particularly well liked, is a solid mystery, and Ex-Aid has that going on for it in a big way in regards to the nature of Emu’s character, his connection to Zero Day, what the villains are really after, and what the bugster’s true nature is. All of those have yet to be answered and it’s leading to a cool story so far!

While not the best action in Kamen Rider history, I feel like the fight scenes have a unique enough flair to them that I still get really invested in them, and this season has some of my favorite finishing moves I’ve seen in Kamen Rider in a long while. The visual design is ALSO pretty damn cool, and leads to some really cool, dynamic shots all the way through.

The music in the show has been top notch, and while I’m not sure it would beat out Ghost’s OST, it will probably be up there, and you know I’m gonna be JAMMING to Genm’s theme when the OST comes out.

The costume designs, while all stupid and silly looking, are EXACTLY the shit I love, and I think that like... it may actually be one of my favorite sets of designs in a really long time. They’re all really cool and goofy as fuck and just so so good.

I’m also liking much of the villains so far. Graphite was a really cool, if a little generic, and Dan The Game Master Man is turning into such a hammy villain that I can’t help but love him. All their designs are really cool so far too, and that’s helping a lot. I’ll have more to say about the villains in a second though.

And lastly, Kiriya... Poor Kiriya. Kiriya Kujo, shocking as it may be, was probably the best written characters in the show, and while I am really sad that he died, a part of me was also pretty okay with it because they made me like... feel a damn emotion for this show. I was pretty mad about it, but I also just kinda... felt bad about In Universe type stuff going on with it. It made Emu sad as shit and that made ME feel sad as shit. While I certainly wish he hadn’t died, thank you for making a character that I will firmly remember for a long time as a really interesting and well built character!

Now then...

THE BAD

While I’m close to the topic of the villains, I think it’s important to bring up right now that while I really like two of the villains we’ve had so far, Parad is just... nothing. for the next two weeks we’ll be getting focused episodes on him, which I hope fixes him up to be more interesting, but as things go currently, Ex-aid has had this problem of only making characters interesting and have development in episodes that are EXCLUSIVELY about them. I don’t know what it is, but it feels like the writer at the moment doesn’t have a firm grasp on how to properly build all of these characters all at once, and it kind of feels like some, in some cases, Taiga and Hiiro are shoehorned into the plot from now and then, and Parad has had the same problem, only this time on the villain side. He comes in and says something cryptic and then BOUNCES. He feels like a nothing character at the moment, and it’s hard to see.

That being said, I also feel like Taiga and Hiiro are in an extremely poor spot of both of them being extremely one dimensional and bullheaded in ways that don’t make them endearing in the slightest. While they have been having character development, in that we are learning more about them as people, they have not had any character growth, at least not in the kind of way I would hope so. They will seem to be growing softer and learning something by the end of the episodes and in the next, we’ll CLEARLY see them fighting against Emu for what feels like petty and uninteresting reasons. The story at large feels like Ex-aid’s strong suit, but balancing individual characters seems to be it’s weakness.

Speaking of, the overall handling of women characters in this show has been... poor so far. Asuna/Poppy has been handled like a joke despite her implied traits as a bugster, and every woman who has shown up so far has either been a damsel in distress seemingly weak willed in the face of bad behavior on the part of their male counterparts in whatever arc is going on. I’m far from the first to complain about this, but it’s leaving such a sour taste in my life. So far, Saiba Nico has been a ray of shining hope and I’m really glad about that...

But I’m LESS glad that there is another person here to give Emu a hard time. I think one of my least favorite things about the show so far is the fact that it feels like EVERYONE is a dick to Emu and is giving no real reason for it and isn’t explaining their stances on everything and it just feels like... he’s in the same spot Kouta was in Gaim in that he’s being told that no matter what, being a hero is WRONG and doing anything that would make people’s lives better is a waste of everyone’s time and not worth it and it’s better to just be unfeeling and that... fucking SUCKS. That SUCKS it’s a shitty thing to have as the crux of your conflict because it doesn’t do ANYTHING for the characters saying it, namely Hiiro, because YEAH NO NO ONE IS GOING TO AGREE WITH HIM IN REAL LIFE BECAUSE HE SOUNDS LIKE AN ASSHOLE. The biggest thing you NEED for a moral conflict is someone who has reasonable views that they push too far to clash with the hero. THAT doesn’t happen in Ex-Aid, they just fucking have Hiiro be contrarian to everything Emu believes, and lets that be the center of his character, and that doesn’t make for an interesting character, especially for a man that is meant to clearly be the second rider type.

Ugh.

I think the one last thing that’s worth bringing up is that the pacing has been WACK. Everything has moved too fast and has not given the many characters in the show so far have proper time to breathe. Form after form comes out, and more and more gets stacked on, and more and more of the earlier forms become straight up obsolete that it’s giving my whiplash. I’m hoping things shape up soon, now that we don’t have a lot more forms to push like at this point I think we have like... 6 more to show off for the rest of the show, MAYBE??? We’ll have to see. But that’s all that I can really say for the bad.

Now for

THE UGLY

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid has a very weird problem going for it in that it has no way of actually like... making itself NOT exactly like the two series before it We already know, even at this point, that because of the way Kamen Rider works, that Parad, who is gonna be Kamen Rider Para-DX as of this upcoming Saturday, is going to be a good guy. Maybe not right away, but like... some time soon. That’s a problem because that means we’re going to be introduced to The Real Villains not too long from now, meaning these fuckers that have been our rouges gallary so far are small time nobodies, and it BUMS be out because things are already kinda dire, which is leading into MORE dire things, and it’s making the situation feel hopeless, whatever the actual situation is. The Current Kamen Rider Formula is making things a bit too predictable in such a way as to make it that I’m not sure how to feel about Parad going forward because like... how are they going to spin his redemption. I don’t feel like they could do one nearly as good as they did for Alain last season, and having JUST had that happen, a villain rider turning good last season, it feels like we’re retreading old ground, in such a way that it’s too close for comfort.

I hope they can make it interesting, but I have no high hopes so far.

I have HARD mixed feelings on the series so far, but I can’t say I hate it, and I can’t say I love it. I have hopes for it, and I’m hoping they can fulfill those for me.