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Kamen Rider Die watches Kamen Rider Hibiki
Hi, everybody. Welcome to Kamen Rider Die Watches Kamen Rider Hibiki, a thread where I watch Hibiki and discuss it.
First off, in case you only come to the Kamen Rider Die Watches threads and are missing out on all of the other great TokuNation content (shout-out to my mom, Kamen Rider Dianne), GrandComplete is watching the free-on-YouTube Legend Heroes toku, and posting some thoughts on each episode. If you're looking to experience some non-Kamen/Sentai/Ultra tokusatsu, it's a thread you'd get a lot out of. Over in this one, we'll be talking about Kamen Rider Hibiki. This is the... ninth one of these I've done? Is that right? Ghost Ex-Aid movies Build Kuuga Agito Ryuki Faiz Blade Yeah, god, ninth. Didn't... I did not think this was going to be a long-term thing, but now I can't see a way to stop. Pretty much just doing these threads forever, now. Before we start with the Hibiki watching and talking, let's cover some ground rules! PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT ANYTHING FROM HIBIKI I HAVEN'T WATCHED YET I'm watching Hibiki for the first time, and I don't really know anything about it. (Other than the production shakeup, which is The Main Thing people who haven't watched Hibiki know about it.) I like experiencing these shows as cold as possible, so please try to stay away from talking about anything I haven't seen yet. If possible, try to avoid even hinting at stuff. (Mentioning that you don't like how a certain character's arc goes, for example, or that some plot point doesn't pay off.) Even hinting at future developments (or your feelings about them) gets me expecting stuff I normally wouldn't have expected, which makes the process of watching this show a bit less enjoyable. If you can keep your comments to the currently-watched episode and anything prior, I'd appreciate it. Thanks! PLEASE DON'T TALK ABOUT ANY SHOWS I HAVEN'T WATCHED YET Along the same lines, please don't mention stuff from Kabuto through Decade, and Zi-O on. Like I mentioned, I feel like I'm just going to be doing these threads until I'm physically/mentally unable to do so, and even then I'll just half-ass it. (Really looking forward to half-assing it, you guys.) If you can stay away from talking about any of those shows in this thread, Kamen Rider Die Watches Kamen Rider Saber (or whatever) will be just that much better for it. I MIGHT TALK ABOUT SHOWS YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED YET, THOUGH There are probably going to be times when a comparison to another Kamen Rider makes sense, and at those times I might spoil something from a different show. Consider this a SPOILER WARNING for Kuuga through Blade, and Double through Build. THERE IS A TONE TO THESE THAT IS MAYBE NOT FOR EVERYONE Episode posts are... they're mostly me conveying my mindset in the aftermath of an episode. It's all first draft, very little editing. I will make jokes. I will make up names, if the show refuses to do so or I can't remember them. I will spend a lot of time talking about themes and maybe not a lot of time talking about suits and power levels and whatnot. (But I do love that stuff! Especially the whatnot!) If you're looking for something that thoroughly recaps an episode, you're going to be disappointed. If you're looking for something that adds a lot of historical context or linguistic analysis, you're going to be disappointed. (Also, you are looking for Fish Sandwich's Kuuga thread.) If, however, you're looking for one person's emotional journey through Kamen Rider Hibiki... I mean, you'll be less disappointed, is my most confident claim. I WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT HIBIKI Doing the episode post is like a jumping-off point for me and an episode of Hibiki. It's more about creating space to get people talking about Hibiki: their thoughts, their feelings, their insights. I like getting to talk about what I got out of an episode of Kamen Rider, but I love hearing what you got out of an episode of Kamen Rider. If you feel like sharing, you've got my attention. I think that's the whole of it. Thanks for reading over this legally-enforceable set of terms! (Hat-tip to Kamen Rider Zolda for the consultation, which was slightly garbled by his laughter at probably someone else's expense.) Let's start watching Kamen Rider Hibiki! https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/hibiki/hibiki00.png |
KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 1 - "ECHOING ONI"
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki01a.png "I was gonna write a song for you Gonna sing it out loud Gonna sing it at such decibels that All you'll hear is sound and All you'll feel is sound and All you'll be is sound" -Sylvan Esso, "Sound" What a lovely first episode. It's that opening, isn't it? So joyful. So broad and full and rich. An opening that tells you that this is a show that you're going to feel. Writing about music... it's not really my skill-set. (I have terrible taste in music, as you'll be seeing from the song lyrics that start each episode post.) So much of talking about music is talking about how so many small choices made you feel something, how there's a primal connection you felt to the song. Quoting lyrics, sharing guitar tabs, it's not really the song, you know? It's deeper than that. Something like this episode, and maybe even this series, it feels like there's less to say about the plot and dialogue, and maybe more to say about how it felt to live in this world for twenty-odd minutes. And, man, felt pretty good! Hibiki's a great lead. More at the periphery of this one, but so fascinating and weird that you know he's your Kamen Rider from the second Asumu hears him singing. He's got swagger. He has this easy confidence, this charming serenity. When he saves that kid from falling off of the boat, there's no hesitation or doubt. He just throws himself off after the kid, and puts him back on the deck with a ruffle of his hair. It's effortlessly cool, a moment of Did You See That heroism that's downplayed with a crisp salute and a song about dolphins. And, almost baffling in the amount of information that's thrown at the viewer, there's his phone call back to the temple, and the two sisters. (Kasumi and... ugh, I can't remember the other one's name. Hair Pick. That's what she wanted, right?) It's maybe 80% of the dialogue in the episode. It's whipsmart banter, less about the mechanics of what's happening/going to happen (something about disc animals?) and more about the camaraderie of these three characters, how Hibiki is a point man that takes direction. They don't really share a scene together (it's him on a pay phone and them at the temple), but it's edited to be quick and clever. Just delightful, seeing them be so goofy. The whole episode's pretty goofy, if I'm being honest. The end is... a separate paragraph, but everything up to it is just nature, sounds, emotions. Broad, you know? Everything feels amplified. It's boisterous, in a way that I don't think I've ever seen a Kamen Rider reach for in a first episode. Asumu is a boy with a dream, Hibiki is a charming man of mystery, Asumu's cousin is a partner-in-crime... it's just fun to see them running around, enjoying life. Even the ending, it's not so serious? There's a fight against the two Oni (?), who are of course spiders because Kamen Rider Premiere, but it never really feels too dark, too deadly. The action is all swinging and speed, with Hibiki and Black Spider dueling among the treetops. It's tough to get much of a read on it, but it has more of an acrobatic feeling, less of a monstrous terror. The fight isn't really the point, I guess. Hibiki disentangles himself from a trap using a disc animal, and then GROWS A MOUTH TO SPIT PURPLE FLAMES AT BLACK SPIDER (!!!), but it's such a disorienting fight that it never feels too perilous. (Some weird-ass visual choices in that first fight sequence. First, no Henshin? I'll allow it, since much of the fight is about Asumu's perspective, but, man, a little bit of a bummer. Second, what was up with all of the TikTok filter-esque flares of light coming off of Hibiki's suit? It wasn't just one or two little glints, he was 95% washed out by it. I get that they maybe wanted it to be obscured, for mystery's sake, but this was like staring into the sun. Was maybe not the way to show off the suit for the first time!) But, hey, how did it all feel, watching this first episode of Hibiki? It felt so good to watch. The episode's constructed out of rhythm, out of silence, out of tense percussion and uplifting woodwinds. It's dialogue that's reduced to accompaniment, so all you can focus on is the joy of Asumu biking to school, the staccato sneezes of a ferry ride, the sing-song lullaby of the Oni, the cacophony of family fading out to nothing, the portent of drums, the chase of hammers hitting blocks of wood, the warmth of that closing song over the credits. It's all sound, in my memories. This episode was a song that I loved listening to. I'm excited for the rest of the album. https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki01b.png |
Probably won't be keeping up with this one too much since I wanna rewatch Hibiki at a later date, but I hope you and Switchblade have fun!
(Also yes, go watch Legend Heroes with GrandComplete, it's fun!) |
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But enough about me lets talk about Hibiki 1st episode. And it is a strong premire imo. With lots of fliar and style into it. While also grabbing you with it's down to earth characters. I love we didn't get to see the Henshin that how low-key this show is. Also possible unpopular opinion I love the flare effect because it reminds me of how shiny the Hibiki suit is. I suppose the last thing I want to go over is the shows philosophy(or at least for the first half) which is 'Stable heroes in an unstable world' and nowhere does this is best examplifes then the phone call between Hibiki and the sister as on paper it just exposition dump. But through quick editing and small banter you get the sense of camaraderie between them. We still don't know much of the world but it grounded with Hibiki low-key nature torwards the supernatural and Asumu relatable awkwardness. |
Hibiki has such a good introductory episode. It immediately establishes a unique tone and style, there really isn't any other Rider show like it. It's a very special show.
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But there's that phone call scene with Hibiki, which is 100% a scene that says Hibiki Is The Star Of This Show About A Masked Superhero, so... I'm not sure that scene gives them the latitude to keep the first Henshin offscreen? I don't know. It's a hard one for me to defend. The rest of it though, yeah, it's just a really well-done first episode. I'm not sure much of the thematic work has come through for me yet (it's a first episode that has too much stylistic work to do to get onto themes in a major way), but it's very cool to watch. Quote:
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Speaking of cast, though, one bummer to point out. The younger sister, Hinaka (aka Hair Pin), was played by an actress named Miyuki Kanbe. Sadly, she passed away from sudden heart failure just a few years after the show ended. It's a real tragedy, especially given how full of life she was on this show. Quote:
Hibiki himself is the Oni. That's the term this show uses for its Kamen Riders. A bit of background is probably worth discussing here, as well. There's a popular rumor that Hibiki wasn't supposed to be a Kamen Rider series. This is kind of true, but mostly false. The show was originally conceived of as a modern reboot of a 70s tokusatsu called Henshin Ninja Arashi. Someone at Toei liked what they saw, though, and basically said "Hey, we should make this the next Kamen Rider show!" In hindsight, this may have been a mistake. The monsters are the Douji (male) and Hime (female). The latter is the other piece of sad news as her actress, Sei Ashina, died from probable suicide earlier this month. Quote:
And now for the thing that I tell everyone when they start watching Hibiki: This show is fantastic. Don't finish it. The show's production is famously troubled. I'll avoid any plot details, but ratings weren't great and the show went well over budget due to a lot of location filming and CGI. The show was a pet project of its producer, Shigenori Takatera, who refused to make any changes when Toei demanded some budget trimming. Maybe if the toy sales were really good they could counteract the low ratings and high costs, but they weren't. Takatera and the show's writers were sacked after episode 29 and replaced with a new creative staff including our old pal Toshiki Inoue. The show changes a lot at that point, much more closely resembling a normal Kamen Rider series. It's not objectively terrible, but it loses a lot of its unique character (it turned out to be a big PR disaster for Toei, too, as some of the cast publicly complained about the change). I know you work in comics, so think about it like this: Hibiki is Grant Morrison's X-Men run. It's weird and unconventional, it does a lot of things very differently, and it had a real "love it or hate it" reputation. Now imagine that Morrison's sales weren't great and Marvel fired him about 2/3s of the way into the run and replaces him with Scott Lobdell.* Lobdell's a fine writer and has a solid history with the brand, but this isn't Lobdell getting any actual control, this is just him keeping the lights on until the next creative team is ready. So no more Scott and Emma, no Xorn reveal, no Fantomex; just a bunch of issues of the X-Men fighting the Acolytes of Magneto or something until Joss Whedon's schedule freed up. It wouldn't be bad, per say, but it would be a massive step down from what we got. That's basically what happened with Hibiki: the wonderful and unique show got replaced with something on par with filler episodes of Blade or Ryuki. I really recommend stopping after episode 29. It's not a series finale, but it's a decent enough stopping point that won't leave a bad taste in your mouth. That said, I know you'll ignore this like everyone else but Matrixbeast. I still need to try, though. *I know that they would've just used Chuck Austen in real life, but I'm not going to compare Inoue to Chuck Austen. That would just be mean. |
Hibiki's suit is painted in a unique paint branded Maziora and it is basically a two-toned/polarized chromaflair paint. For Hibiki it is purple with a blue tint so depending on the lighting the suit color can have a bluish tint at times. The monsters of the show are categorized as makamous(pronounced mah-kah-mo), riders are oni.
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If there's one word to describe Hibiki, it's refreshing. It's just a breath of fresh air. It's unique and creative, fun, and laid back. It's not aiming for the melodrama you'd see in Faiz or the hyper intense stakes of Blade. It's just a refreshing take on Kamen Rider, with an interesting coming of age story intermixed into it.
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What I'll probably end up doing is a Series Wrap-Up post at 29, and another at 48. Basically treat them like two separate series. With all of the controversy and animosity the production switchover created, I wouldn't feel super great about trying to assess this as one series that's trying to say one thing. I'm okay looking at it as a run, followed by another run. Like, to make a comics analogy, creative teams come and go. I've read a hundred different people tell stories about The Batman Of Gotham City. I don't think, no matter how much I dislike a specific take, that I could be done with the character. I may not like it as much, but I hope that there's something in it I'll appreciate. Seeing different people try to say something with a character, I honestly don't have a problem with that. I know it's not necessarily the done thing in tokusatsu, but from my corner of the world it's business as usual. (And, like, I'm specifically talking about corporate superhero product, like Kamen Rider is. Characters like Batman and Hibiki... it's not ever just one person's vision. There're people above the writer who have to approve it and shape it, and there're people below the writer who have to interpret and execute it. There are pieces of art in this world that are one person's vision, but superhero comics and TV shows ain't one, for me at least.) I don't... I'm not a fan of potentially missing out on art. I like being able to experience it, even if it's not an all-time great. Like, people had some pretty harsh things to say about Faiz, and I love that show. If I'd listened to the folks who got heated about that show, I'd've missed out on something that I ended up caring deeply about. I don't know. I'm honestly thrilled to find out why the show's change is so devastating to you. I want to see why the show was so treasured, and what change could make you feel so betrayed. |
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(I almost went with Claremont for my analogy, but this would be '00s Claremont and the back third of Hibiki isn't full of thinly veiled BDSM fetishism. If you want Inoue writing his kinks into the story you want either Cutie Honey the Live or Shougeki Gouraigan) |
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Asumu isn't just some kid sidekick, Hibiki is just as much about him, if not more so! |
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Hibiki...
Oh, man, from that first episode overview I think I’m in for a wonderful time in this thread. Hibiki is absolutely a comfortable show. It’s a show that is at once perfectly Kamen Rider and yet absolutely not Kamen Rider and is so so special for it. I had never heard the tagline for the show was “Stable heroes in an unstable world”, but that’s pretty perfect. As you can probably tell the focus is very squarely on Asumu’s life and how he interacts with the Oni rather than the other way around and I’d have it no other way. A bit like Kuuga (and, fun fact; this show shares a few fun trivia pieces of similarities with Kuuga), this is very much a show that isn’t for everyone; and either you’re vibing with it or you’re not. I can hardly blame you if you feel it’s not for you later, but for now... I’m very happy to see you’re liking this very special season. |
Oh, by the way; I don’t want to say too much on the retool but I think 29-30 is a great point to watch the movie. That’s about the point it would have come out anyway, going between two very different things makes it a less disorienting watch , and I personally feel it’s a nice bookend to 1-29 even if not truly connected.
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There's the big hero moment from Hibiki, when he dives off of a boat to save a child (are we sure Inoue didn't write this one?), but I like his second meeting with Asumu better. He knows that it is incredibly dangerous for Asumu and his cousin to be in these woods, but to tell them it's dangerous is to make it worse, so he just doesn't. He helps Asumu up and very quickly escorts them out of the forest. He's all smiles and funny answers and stories about the power of nature (Kamen Rider!), because he's not just protecting them from danger, he's protecting them from fear. I like this dude! I like his style! Quote:
Now if someone could tell me where the HBV should go, because the Wiki doesn't have a release date for it... |
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Anyway, I’m one of those who isn’t really keen on the first half. The only real things that stand out from it are as follows: 1. The flashing kanji. 2. Whenever a new character appears. 3. Episode 24. I’m one of those who would stick up for the second half, and can name at least two prominent members of the Toku community who would do likewise. And that’s all I’ll say on that matter until you get there. |
TAKATERA-P: "It sure it is nice to be producing a Rider show again. I think I'd really like to do something a bit different this time though. How about we open with a big musical number?"
TIM TOEI: "That's a rather odd request, but I don't see why not." TAKATERA-P: "And we should have Hibiki introduced in a big sequence on a ferry!" TIM TOEI: "Sure! It's always good to have something big and impressive in a first episode to really grab the attention of the viewers!" TAKATERA-P: "Glad you agree! That means it's totally cool if we film half this thing in the forest then, right?" TIM TOEI: "...Well, I mean, that makes things tricky logistically, but we can make it work, I suppose." TAKATERA-P: "Good, good. So I was thinking for the show's first big fight scene I want to have some wire-work in there..." TIM TOEI: "Oh, so Hibiki is going to fight a monster in the usual quarry then?" TAKATERA-P: "No, that'll be in the woods too." TIM TOEI: "I— I guess as long as we bring on a director who knows how to keep things relatively modest..." TAKATERA-P: "Oh, about that! I was thinking we should get Ishida to direct the pilot since he did such great work on Kuuga." TIM TOEI: "That's— He's— Please tell me he's—" TAKATERA-P: "I promise he won't light anything on fire!" TIM TOEI: "O—okay, this is all pretty ambitious, but I suppose it's only natural you'd want to leave a strong impression with Hibiki's first episode." TAKATERA-P: "I want to leave a strong impression with Hibiki, yes." That conversation almost certainly didn't happen, of course. I have no idea how exactly Hibiki's production played out, or who exactly was making what decisions, but it's hard not to think about these things watching the show. Which I'm sure you've gathered Die, since nobody will stop mentioning the production shakeup that happened to it. Even I'm going to take a second to mention it upfront! I'm sure you'll just take the show for what it is, as always, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but... maybe just think every now and then as you're watching these first 29 episodes about everything I said in my Kuuga thread – about how that was a series that was bold and experimental, a project of passion that ignored corporate wishes and treated its target audience of children with the utmost respect – and remember that it only got away with all that because it was also a runaway success. Hibiki had the fortune of sharing the same driving creative force behind Kuuga in Shigenori Takatera, but it had the misfortune of being another show like Blade that failed to really set the world on fire in terms of ratings on TV or merch sales, and not everyone can fight fate as well as Kenzaki. It's still a unique, wonderful show all the same, however, which is why I want to try and actively watch "all" 29 episodes alongside you, rather than just occasionally skimming through them like I have been. Hibiki was the last backlog Heisei Rider show I watched (this was while Gaim was airing, for reference), and one thing I don't think I really appreciated at the time was just how stylish this first episode is? It's almost baffling to me how much more confident and complex the show's visual language is compared to Blade or even Faiz right before it. It's slick, and all cut together pretty much perfectly. Even the overly done lighting on Hibiki at the end, it's Ishida going crazy like usual, but knowing what this show is about, I think the idea was to make Hibiki seem almost divine in his heroism, and I kind of dig that. Literally the only thing left in my long-term memory about this one was "Hibiki sneezes; saves kid on boat". I even forgot about the musical number entirely, somehow. But going back, it's obvious how much of a good ride we're both in for here. So as usual, I'm very excited to see your thoughts as you go along. I mean, we've got episode titles and lyrics and all this stuff?! This is great. This whole thing is going to be great. I mean, this show basically already writes episodes the way you write posts about episodes, right? It's basically a match made in heaven. Which is hopefully not too hasty a statement to make! |
Wow, and I just finished the last episode yesterday. But yeah, Hibiki is unique if you're used to the modern Rider formula and it stands out very strongly.
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I really like the flashing kanji. It feels like it's creating these... blocks of emphasis, maybe? It's a more discreet way of framing a sequence than the normal We Are In A New Place For This Scene transition. Quote:
On the other hand, I was immediately like Yeah I'd Probably End Up Firing The Guys Who Made This If I Was A Toei Executive. Wirework in a forest! Between two dudes in suits! All of this episode basically taking place in settings we're probably not going to see again! (The temple Hibiki calls is in the city, which is where I assume a major chunk of the series will take place.) They shot this thing like a movie, and it didn't really look like they cut corners elsewhere to make that happen. Quote:
Fun Kuuga! Sorry to frame it that way! Quote:
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Hibiki is definitely Kuuga but if Kuuga was Den-O
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Hey I'm going to try to watch along this time. I'm looking at using OZC subs for this, should I download the 30 fps or 60 fps version?
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I hope you enjoy Hibiki! |
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That show "destroyed" Kamen Rider to reform it as something better; Hibiki is arguably the bright new day that comes after that. Quote:
It just kinda got lost in the shuffle that is my bottomless love for this franchise, and there's a part of me that feels bad about that. Aesthetically, I adore it. Stylistically, I adore it. Tonally, it's way up my alley. I think it's really just the simple fact that I can't remember a thing that happened in it that's preventing there from being a bit more of an active connection with me. Very excited to have an excuse to rectify that. |
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That hurts me in the soul. |
Funnily enough, I feel like Hibiki is a great superhero deconstruction in a way very much opposite yet equal to Kuuga! But... we’re still at episode 1, so I really don’t wanna talk much about it, haha.
I’m just very glad to see everyone pulling Kuuga comparisons. I’m not crazy, I’m not the only one who sees it! |
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remember when takumi had that musical dream hibiki is just a faiz rip-off and you know it Quote:
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Also, man, some real methodical structure to this episode. It's always clear how and why people are doing what they're doing. |
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I've always seen Hibiki as comparable to Kuuga on some level, though. The uniquely auteur style of them was obvious long before I even knew the auteur in question was the same guy for both shows. |
Thing is Takatera really pushed for a non-rider show because he had this idea of revitalizing non-rider titles by Ishinomori to create a MCU-esque Toei Hero World. and Henshin Ninja Arashi reboot was the first thing he had in mind. The reason he thought Arashi would be fine for a reboot was because he thought playing with altitude in terms of filming would enhance the quality of action scenes(the NTT Docomo commercial where the boyband SMAP was being Gatchaman seemed to have left an impression on him), and he wanted to ditch the armor look that riders have been going for and have a more smoother design. He got the approval in April to do a non-rider show.
But hearing that Justiriser will most likely be a ninja-themed show at the time they dropped the idea of a ninja hero and thought about going for a magical-themed rider at one point. Of course, then they got wind of Magiranger during pre-pro and dropped that too. Fun fact, they were planning to film the opening clip in New Zealand like Magiranger because they had this rough idea of heroes gathering from around the globe. Around June, Bandai felt that with shows such as the Choseishin series and Ryukendo appearing, it would be dangerous to not continue the Kamen Rider franchise, and so the plan switched back to being a rider show, only this time they aimed it to be a non-conventional one. While looking for a new motif for this new show, they wanted to incorporate the idea from Arashi that he is a hero with ties to evil powers and settled on onis as the new motif. Around that time, Takatera was inspired by a taiko drum performance and added that to the mix which is why Hibiki's build is rather muscular. They later had ideas of sci-fi elements being incorporated and the onis originating from the same source as the monsters of the show, but Takatera finalized the villains being natural-occuring yokais, ergo the makamous and the riders as those who have the look of a oni but have no relations to the monsters of the show around August. FYI, here is the SMAP Gatchaman commercial I mentioned for NTT Docomo, which is a Japanese telecommunications company https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HdacpjY_ms |
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KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 2 - "HOWLING SPIDER"
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki02a.png "So here's a song about nothing and everything at once Oh the minutes and the months The feedback and the drums Oh the feeling noise becomes Everything at once" -Superchunk, "Everything At Once" This one... I mean, not a lot in this one, plot-wise, but a great episode, character-wise. Plot-wise, there's a monster, Hibiki finds it, and kills it. Asumu is there to chase Hibiki around and gawk at the superheroic action, but he doesn't really do much. No one else really gets much of a look in. (There's another call back to the temple, which we'll get to in a minute, but it doesn't have a ton of bearing on the plot outside a little piece of exposition.) There isn't... I can't really think of any big reveals or key pieces of info. (Hibiki is a Kamen Rider! Also named Hibiki, one would assume!) It's a solid, if unexceptional episode of superheroic action. The monster fight is sort-of dull (White Spider gets eaten by the Spider House, which executes a sort-of cheesy CGI chase against Hibiki for the action component of the episode), and it's mostly characters walking around or eating. But, holy hell, I'm okay with it if it's this well-done. Another gorgeous episode, naturally. It's a continuation of the premiere, so we're still on that lush mountain with its rolling mist. The cinematography and editing are still pitch-perfect, with another rapid-fire series of cuts when Hibiki calls back to the temple for a little bit of exposition. (The Spiders are/were making a baby Spider House. Some nice symmetry to the Hibiki/Asumu storyline, there, with an older generation trying to protect a younger generation.) It's just an expertly designed episode of relaxing television, give or take a CGI chase that bites off more than it can chew. (A frequent Early Part Of The Season problem in this franchise.) But, y'know, it's all in service of characters worth spending time with, so it's not just showing off. It's great to see how easily Hibiki fits in with Asumu's family. Even the most outgoing Riders have this... distance, I guess, from people. Ways that their kindness is so pure that it's hard for them to just hang out with strangers, crack jokes and relax. Here, Hibiki is instantly a part of the group, ingratiating himself with an ease that's hard not to love. He's from the same neighborhood that Asumu's from, knows what school he goes to, knows how many bus stops away things are from each other. He feels like an old friend after only being around for a day. Which is necessary, because you need to believe that not only is it reasonable for Asumu to be crawling all over a mountain looking for Hibiki, but that Asumu's mom would support it. But she does, which is a very sweet touch. I love these little ways you get to see how adventurous his family is. His cousin wasn't some weird outlier, someone who's up for some mischief when no one's looking. It seems like his whole family is cool with following their gut and seeing where it takes them. Trusting your instincts... that seems like a big part of this episode? Hibiki and Asumu have that (beautifully shot) conversation at the shore, where Hibiki tells Asumu that the first step to being yourself is believing in yourself. It's a solid message, something where you can't really follow your instincts until you acknowledge that your instincts have value. But it also feeds into the larger themes of the power of music, and how music is a way of expressing your dreams. It... I mean, we're only on the second episode, it's a little early to be talking about the themes of the show. But, like, one of them has to be The Power Of Music or what are we even doing here. (Hibiki literally defeats the monster with drumming!) Music is the way this show is communicating, more than images or dialogue. There's all of the orchestral score that choreographs the fights, or how the upbeat tempo of the search for Hibiki lets you know that this is a sequence to find joy in. (Even the bits of plot rhyme like lyrics, like when Hibiki has to save another boy from a potentially deadly fall.) Music is communication, it's a way to get at something that you can't explain any other way. It bypasses language in favor of something more primal and universal. But that primal nature of music, it's also a way to fight, to argue for your right to exist. To scream and declare yourself important, valid, worthy. Asumu needs to see someone harness music to save lives, to keep the world safe. Of course Hibiki defeats a monster with music. Of course he drums it out of existence. Music is one of the greatest of all human achievements, and I absolutely believe that someone could use it to explode a Spider House. Assuming they're well-trained, of course. https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki02b.png |
I don't usually like posting screencaps in these threads because I think it sort of overpowers the modestly sized ones Die uses, but, man, I gotta make an exception here to add on to just how beautiful that conversation between Hibiki and Asumu really is:
https://i.imgur.com/5sNmP3s.png Like, you gotta understand, this whole episode is almost nothing but more stuff that was going to get Takatera booted off the show later. Look at how perfectly positioned the sun is on the horizon there! You can't cheat that! They had to go to the shore at the exact right time of day, at the exact right spot, to get the exact right shot, and they did. All for the sake of making the episode look prettier. To let it breathe in the majesty of mother nature so that the show could better establish that unique identity. Utterly fantastic work, even if I have to agree with Die that I definitely would've fired these guys too. As for the music aspect of the show, yeah, that's obviously a pretty central theme. I don't know if I need to explain this to anyone or not, but Hibiki's name is even a sort of pun, reflected in the title of the first episode, which is "hibiku oni" in Japanese. I'm going to do a terrible job elaborating here, so forgive me for trying to sound smart, but basically, hibiki (響き) is a totally ordinary word that, broadly speaking, means "sound". The "ki" is written in hiragana, entirely phonetic characters that are used as suffixes to kanji to dictate their inflection; hibiku (響く) is a verb, for example. Kamen Rider Hibiki instead uses the kanji for oni at the end, which is read as "ki" in compound words, resulting in 響鬼, which is pronounced identically, but now literally means "sound demon", which definitely tells you everything you need to know about the series. Other Riders in the show (spoilers?) will be following this same trend. Or something like that! Hopefully that explanation was easy enough to follow and also not too frustrating for people who know languages way better than me. The point is, sound is baked so deeply into this show, it's in the very name. Plus, whenever I get to talk about why Toshihiko Sahashi is my favorite Rider composer, I get to mention that he's the guy they went to for the show literally about music, which is always fun! :lol |
Quote:
But, man. Man! It's glorious. It'd be distracting, how pretty this episode was, if there were anything to be distracted from. I'm starting to see why you didn't remember many details of this series! |
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