4.5/5 Rider Kicks
The final scene—Kiba walking away alone, his silhouette half-lit in sunset—is pure Toshiki Inoue (the series’ head writer). It reminds us that in Faiz , there are no winners. There are only people holding broken masks over their faces, hoping no one looks too close.
Meanwhile, at the Smart Brain offices, the plot thickens. Kusaka continues to be the most dangerously manipulative character in the series. His "friendship" with Takumi is a performance, a tool to get closer to Mari and eliminate anyone who threatens his fragile ego. This episode does a fantastic job of showing how Kusaka isolates his targets. He doesn't just fight the Orphnoch; he poisons the well of trust.
The episode opens on a deceptively quiet note. Takumi is struggling, as always, with his place in the world. Yuji Kiba (the Horse Orphnoch) and his found family of outcasts are trying to live a normal life, working at the laundry shop and pretending the monster inside them doesn’t exist. This is the core tragedy of Faiz : everyone is desperate for connection, but their very natures make connection impossible.
4.5/5 Rider Kicks
The final scene—Kiba walking away alone, his silhouette half-lit in sunset—is pure Toshiki Inoue (the series’ head writer). It reminds us that in Faiz , there are no winners. There are only people holding broken masks over their faces, hoping no one looks too close.
Meanwhile, at the Smart Brain offices, the plot thickens. Kusaka continues to be the most dangerously manipulative character in the series. His "friendship" with Takumi is a performance, a tool to get closer to Mari and eliminate anyone who threatens his fragile ego. This episode does a fantastic job of showing how Kusaka isolates his targets. He doesn't just fight the Orphnoch; he poisons the well of trust.
The episode opens on a deceptively quiet note. Takumi is struggling, as always, with his place in the world. Yuji Kiba (the Horse Orphnoch) and his found family of outcasts are trying to live a normal life, working at the laundry shop and pretending the monster inside them doesn’t exist. This is the core tragedy of Faiz : everyone is desperate for connection, but their very natures make connection impossible.