Nogami Ryotaro

Nogami Airi of Kamen Rider Den-O ep 18
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Den-O 17 – 18: The persistance of memory?

Back to Den-O after a long long hiatus.

For context, in case anyone should stumble upon this, I have not watched all of Den-O, so awhile back I decided to tackle it and blog about it. You can find my posts on previous episodes of Kamen Rider Den-O here.

No, I never finished it before, I stalled right around the same eps as the first time I started to watch Den-O… I did watch the first 3 or so Yuuto episodes, but I never actually blogged about them, so I’m starting again from 17. Yes, I skipped 15-16. No, I won’t ever blog about those two episodes, they were the original catalyst for losing my drive with Den-O twice already.

And just to clarify, yes, I know who Yuuto is, and I know who Hana is, but other than a couple of very general things, I’m pretty much unspoiled, and these posts are pretty much safe for episodes beyond the ones each one is about.

Anyway, on to 17 and 18. The plot thickens. And how.

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Momo learns an important lesson about being an accessory to robbery

Watched Den-O 3 and 4 yesterday, but didn’t get around to blogging about them then, and then today at noon I was distracted and so this post is going to be shorter than it would have been. :/

I wanted to bring up two things. The first is Momo, and it’s possible I may be be thinking too much about a character that is, again, a “hooligan who likes pudding” and wo we’re probably not supposed to look too deeply at. But I can’t help it. :D

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Den-O 2: In which Hana’s pattern of Momo abuse surfaces

So quick thoughts, because of the time:

→ First instance of Hana beating up Momo!

→ Again with Ryotaro’s ingrained kindness: wanting to give the keyholder back to the bully, because it was the right thing to do.

→ First glimpse of That Guy (spoiler!)

→ Momo saves a little boy, aww. Again, Momo was always decent, under the hooliganism.

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Den-O ep 1: Ryotaro and Shinji, Momo and…?

So, starting with the Den-O (re)watch.

Personally, I didn’t realize before the link between Den-O and Ryuki, but now I do, and Ryuki being my favorite it’s inevitable that I’m going to be drawing conclusions, the first of which involves Ryotaro himself and the ways in which he is like Shinji, and the ways in which he’s not. Obviously, they’re both “Fail!Riders”, but their attitudes are very different. Ryotaro is resigned to be bullied, both by other people and by the universe itself, really, while Shinji kind of… just creates his own shenanigans, but meets everything with what can only be called feistiness. But really, even in this first episode, the real similarity between them is their drive to do the right thing. Shinji gets involved in things that are not his business out of his sense of justice, and Ryotaro, even when kicked to the curve, is always all about doing the right thing… to the point protecting those that have wronged him. And there’s kind of an innocence, I think, in that, in their overpowering goodness.

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