Kamen Rider Decade Episodes 10-11

Kamen Rider Decade title card

KAMEN RIDER DECADE

555's World

Episode 10: 555 High School's Phantom Thief

Original airdate: March 29th, 2009

Episode 11: 555 Faces, 1 Treasure

Original airdate: April 5th, 2009

Written by: Aikawa Shou

These episodes try to cram so much in that the 555 story is relatively pointless. It has a basic, tired plot, and very little background is offered - why do Orphenochs attack humans? What is Smart Brain, and why is there a school named for it? Why were there belts floating around, to fight Orphenochs, which no-one was using? How did Takumi get the 555 Gear, and why did he use it to fight other Orphenochs? I don't know, and don't really care.

Kamen Rider Diend's Final Attack Ride

But we do get a lot of interesting stuff. The sea cucumber guy from Blade's World returns, and is revealed to be Kamen Rider Diend. Not only does he apparently know Tsukasa from their past, but even Narutaki is intimidated by him (for no clear reason, since they seem to have pretty much the same power). And he's quite endearing... or is at least supposed to be. He keeps saying he just wants treasure and for people to keep out of his way, but displays a horrendously convoluted plan to obtain the treasure which inevitably and necessarily leads to him helping people.

Kamen Rider Diend (middle), summons Kamen Rider Kabuki (1, left) and Kamen Rider Rey (1, right) to fight  Decade

His powers are exciting, as where Tsukasa can transform into previous Kamen Riders, Diend can summon them to help him - and not their new, (2) versions, but the originals. His Final Attack Ride, however, is a bit freaky; it involves creating a tunnel of "digitised" Kamen Ride cards, and it isn't pleasant for the (1) Riders; having already summoned Kabuki and Rey to help, they are turned into their card forms - and they scream. 

Kamen Rider Diend uses the Kiva Arrow (1) to fight Kamen Rider Ryuga (1)
and Dragblacker, summoned by Narutaki

He can also use other Riders' Final Form Rides, too - and again, he can apply it to the (1)s, as shown by turning Kamen Rider Kiva (1) into the Kiva Arrow. This is all very interesting. Same powers as Narutaki? Knows Tsukasa? Knows who Kivaala is and calls her out on it? Which reminds me, why has Natsumi not said or done anything about seeing Kivaala and Narutaki conspiring together?!

Kamen Rider 555 (2)'s Final Form Ride, the 555 Blaster

Tsukasa and Natsumi act so woodenly that they ruin the drama and excitement. Diend is clearly a threat, but Tsukasa's acting "angry" is so absurd that I couldn't take the threat seriously. I want to keep watching, but have switched to rooting quite heavily for Diend, hoping he defeats Decade soundly. The only good thing involving Decade here is that we learn Tsukasa's weird photos are due to him and not a mechanical fault in the camera, as evidenced by fine photos being developed after the camera's use by a resident of 555's World.