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11-06-2022, 02:37 PM | #661 |
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Join Date: Oct 2021
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Episode 7: Change the World! ...Right, so I should probably address the gigantic Gorilla in the room. That's Guillotine Gorilla. He's the result of one of the drug lords transforming when backed into a corner by the SWAT team. I don't know if I can even come to close to properly selling just how insane the entire sequence is. It really has to be seen to be believed. He's finally here. Mutilation Monkey, Beheading Baboon, Assassination Ape, Punching Primate, etc. etc. This is THE episode everyone remembers from Flamenco. We went from a common every day hero with relatively normal struggles to a supernatural god damn toku monster straight out of Kamen Rider just out of nowhere. If not for the episode, I doubt anybody would have even HEARD about this show. There is a not small group of viewers who completely dropped the show when this hit, some would pick it back up and drop it again every few episodes because they couldn't cope, and others flocked to forums in confusion believing it was just a fever dream they had. To this day I still have not seen anything quite like Samurai Flamenco and it's because of this episode... And I adore it for it.
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11-06-2022, 02:46 PM | #662 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,452
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Quote:
This is THE episode everyone remembers from Flamenco. We went from a common every day hero with relatively normal struggles to a supernatural god damn toku monster straight out of Kamen Rider just out of nowhere.
If not for the episode, I doubt anybody would have even HEARD about this show. There is a not small group of viewers who completely dropped the show when this hit, some would pick it back up and drop it again every few episodes because they couldn't cope, and others flocked to forums in confusion believing it was just a fever dream they had. To this day I still have not seen anything quite like Samurai Flamenco and it's because of this episode... And I adore it for it.
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11-07-2022, 07:41 PM | #663 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,452
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Episode 8: Attack of the Army of Evil! One of the things that made Kamen Rider Kuuga unique is that it took a much more grounded approach to the superhero genre. Asking questions such as "Why don't the police ever show up?" "How would the public react to the sudden arrival of monsters?" and "What kind of person would it take to rise up and be the hero that everyone needs?" And while I found that approach and the answers provided to those question to be great(Kuuga is one of my favorite Toku ever, afterall), Samurai Flamenco takes a similar approach and goes almost in the polar opposite direction. The police work with the superheroes to chase down monsters as they would criminals and try to arrest them while also doing what they can to keep civilians safe. The monsters blow up not due to any sort of super heavy damage, but more so they can't be arrested and lead the cops back to King Torture. And Masayoshi, ever the soft-hearted man, feels incredibly saddened whenever a monster blows itself up rather than surrender. But I think the biggest takeaway of the episode can be summed up in one not so simple word: Desensitization. The biggest difference between Kuuga and Flamenco is that, with Kuuga, every Grongi was portrayed as a serious threat that took great effort to overcome, which in turn kept them as a foreboding and threatening force which constantly put the lives of everyone in Japan at risk. Meanwhile, with Samurai Flamenco, the story takes many more cues from Toku such as Power Rangers. Sure, the monsters are a threat, but Flamenco and the Flamenco Girls are better. They're so good infact, that the monsters begin to be seen as less and less of a threat in both the eyes of the public and the government as time goes on. It gets to the point that even Masayoshi is more concerned with riding the high of being like some of his childhood heroes rather than reflected on what exactly this entire situation means for the people at large. It's to the point that it worries Goto(and apparently scares his girlfriend). The balance between deconstruction and parody is great here by the way, and really reminds me of how Megas XLR handled its setting in that Megas also had its populace totally rolling with all of the craziness going on. Heck, the last monster fought in the episode? Its master plan is to steal all of the apples in Japan solely so no one else can have any. And this is the plan that causes Samurai Flamenco to use a recently acquired upgrade to his gear. This episode is literally a handful of average Toku episodes rolled into one, and that's very much the point. What's funny is that while sure, there's definitely been a big shake-up in terms of the status quo, this still very much feels like its the same show we've been seeing since episode 1, and the narrative still keeps the core idea of commenting on and showcasing the possible cause and effect of what a Toku mindset and setting would have. For some this is where the show dropped the ball, but for me, it's simply taking another avenue at delivering its overall themes and insight.
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11-07-2022, 11:49 PM | #664 |
Hates Fun
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 43
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"FLAMEN TORNADO." That is all.
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11-08-2022, 07:33 PM | #665 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,452
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Episode 9: Predetermined Quota! With everyone now totally complacent in the antics of King Torture's' monsters, Goto is the only one left taking this whole situation seriously. In universe, everyone appears to be treating the entire thing like, well, what we the audience see it as: A toku show. Some complain about the formula, some only want toys, and others simply assume that there's nothing to fea because Samurai Flamenco will without any doubt save the day every single time. Except for Goto, who even among the police, is the only one who realizes that one wrong move means disaster for everybody. And this very quickly makes itself apparent when King Torture abducts and tortures Flamenco Diamond(Mari). King Torture himself also gets some major character development here, showing that he's adapt at both physical torture as well as psychological warfare. He also shows that he too is very much in on the Toku formula: Taunting Flamenco and outright challenging him to a final battle. Plus, there's hints that he might be an alien, which is also right out of a Toku plot. Outside of that, half the episode is dedicated to Mari being the usual prick that she is and the rest is just the logical continuation of what was set up last episode. Which, while consistent writing, doesn't offer too-too much to add to the rundown posts. Next episode is the the big battle with King Torture and man, with a little over half the show left to go, how the heck is this even gonna go?
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Last edited by DreamSword; 11-08-2022 at 08:00 PM.. |
11-08-2022, 07:36 PM | #666 |
Hates Fun
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 43
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11-09-2022, 11:55 AM | #667 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,452
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Episode 10: Final Battle at the Enemy Base! This episode was fantastic! Continuing with the postmodern themes of the show, this episode is outright framed like the final episode of your average Toku, while simultaneously using that as a way to examine and comment on the endings of superhero shows and movies as a whole. King Torture really is the central star here, getting more development and characterization here than I've seen some characters get within an entire show's' run. And given his own explanation of what forms the core of his beliefs, that is very much intentional on part of the writers. Mirroring Samurai Flamenco, he is entirely sincere in his beliefs; He just sees the world much differently. I think the big standout scene for most is going to be when he tortures Flamenco Diamond and Sapphire. The physical torment is brutal, but yet again, it's his words that sting and leave scars far worse. He despises Diamond not because she's a hero who opposes him, but rather because she's not at all sincere in what she claims to stand for. Sapphire, meanwhile, is a genuinely kind and caring person, and so he lets her go. Twisted guy or not, King Torture has his own code of honor, and he for sure follows it. And while that's certainly all very satisfying, especially for someone like me who doesn't like Mari at all, the biggest moment for me was the direct confrontation between King Torture and Samurai Flamenco. Turns out that Torture also grew up a big Toku fan, but the lesson he ultimately learned from those shows was that heroics were ultimately futile. See, while a common speech made by heroes is that good will always rise up to fight evil, the opposite is also true: There will always be evil forces to impose their will on the world. Torture didn't even have the motivation to begin his plans until Flamenco showed up to be a symbol for peace and justice! And unlike heroes, whose efforts are often forgotten or wasted come next season, evil only has to win once in order to create the kind of world they seek. Flamenco's' counter, while not an exact response to what Torture was getting at, is still an admirable one. Masayoshi claims that, when it comes down to it, in real life, the real stars of the show aren't the superheroes or the big bads, but rather those who do what they can to help others. Superheroes would not only be totally toast more often than not if not for outside help, but they're the ones who actually help society while the "heroes" focus on fighting the villains. Without them, the superhero would have nothing to even fight for. And in all of this, King Torture holds nothing but respect for his adversary. Cap that off with an ending paying homage to Iron Man and I had a great time with this episode. Again, this really is all done in the style of a final episode, to the point that we even get a unique credits sequence that almost makes me respect Mari a little(almost). Who knows where things are gonna go from here?
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11-10-2022, 03:21 AM | #668 |
Hates Fun
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 43
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Yes.
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Time for a character highlight! Moe - You'd be forgiven for thinking she was just a one note fangirl thirsting after Mari, since, y'know, that's kind of all she was up until episode 6. Then this happened. It's such a flat, knowing delivery that comes out of nowhere for her. While she immediately backs down afterwards, it's kind of strange for her to have this reaction when nobody else in the entire cast does, but then a few episodes pass and you start to forget about it because, hell, she's a supporting character to a side character. Then King Torture happens. Even after having her finger reduced to a bloody nub, she's willing to be mutilated to save Mari. She doesn't cry, she doesn't whimper, she stares Torture dead in the eye and demands he release her, in spite of Mari's "protests." Overcome(or even just shocked) by her courage and selflessness, he just lets her go, but not before pointing out that Mari begging her to save herself was not only a complete crock of shit, she wanted Moe to die for her. In character for Mari, of course, but after that reveal we get this. She doesn't even flinch. She's not even really sad. She just knew. She has always known exactly what sort of trash human being Mari is and she's still willing to die for her. No points for choosing such a terrible person to love, but hand this girl some sort of medal for turning into a full blown character in the span of two freaking minutes with the biggest pair of nads in the entire cast. Yes. I do feel this character with a grand total of three minutes of worthwhile screen time deserved a bit of discussion. Why do you ask? ...
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11-10-2022, 08:50 AM | #669 |
Henshin Heaven
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Inside a Hyper Battle Video, help.
Posts: 1,250
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Huh, Samurai Flamenco. I watched that show ages ago and I thought it was kind of interesting at the time, but I also felt like it had almost no staying power. It was kind of edgy and subversive but also ultimately felt rather weightless to me. Heck, I can barely remember a single thing that happened in it!
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11-10-2022, 10:07 AM | #670 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,452
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Yeah it's all really great. Meanwhile Flamenco Ruby is shown to be the only one with a brain what with her not only telling the other girls that directly pissing off the bid bag is a terrible idea, but also having the sense to call Goto as soon as they figure out where King Torture's' base is. Good stuff!
Quote:
Huh, Samurai Flamenco. I watched that show ages ago and I thought it was kind of interesting at the time, but I also felt like it had almost no staying power. It was kind of edgy and subversive but also ultimately felt rather weightless to me. Heck, I can barely remember a single thing that happened in it!
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