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Kamen Rider Zero-One Episode 20: "That Is The 1000% Best House!" Discussion
The real-estate competition between Hiden and ZAIA enters its final stage, while Aruto questions what really makes a good CEO...
Watch SuperHeroTime Via Livestream!! Check out episodes as they air on Saturday by heading over to Taima TV. They play other miscellaneous programs up until the live broadcast starts. Live Streams of the Superhero Time block now start at 8PM EST on Saturdays! |
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Next episode will have Keisuke Minami aka Tsurugi Ohtori/Houoh Soldier from Kyuranger and Arisa Komiya aka Yoko Usami/Yellow Buster from Go-Busters as guest characters. Minami will be playing a Humagear attorney who has to solve a case of a possible marriage fraud.
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Interesting theory came up today during the livestream, in chat someone brought up the idea of:
What if the mysterious person handing out RaidRisers is actually the Ark itself using Fuwa as a sleeper agent, and controlling him though the Assault Wolf key? |
https://i.imgur.com/SBFY5W8.jpg
I'd make a joke about someone needing to explain to Gai that you can't actually go any higher than absolute certainty, but then, I'm starting to think his compulsive need to work his catchphrase in is 1000% obnoxious, so what do I know? Well, I knew I was going to like this episode more than the last one. It's actually dangerously close to getting me to take back some of the mean things I said. While I stand by everything I said last week, I will acknowledge that this episode is packed with so much actual story happening that, at the very least, I can see why this couldn't have been a single episode. Things come together in a largely satisfactory manner. Fuwa continues to be the man, and I appreciate everything he does here, from using Punching Kong again, to him showing respect for Aruto by making a compromise (and this one is huge praise because I really wanted them to be bitter rivals at the start), or the simple fact that his side of the plot actually goes somewhere this time, even if we still have to wait to find out exactly where that is. The main plot still isn't anything too special, although there are some touches in its execution that go a long way to keep it from feeling too trite or cliche. The basic moral here is pretty in line with Zero-One's usual fare, emphasizing the importance of treating people like people, in this case above the desire to rake in cash. Nothing mindblowing, sure, but the show is clever enough to add a bit of dimension to it, especially at the end, where Aruto dismisses his loss in this round of the competition by saying making people happy was more important to him than raw profit, and Gai fires back by pointing out he won't be able to make people very happy if his decisions result in him losing the company. It continues a nice trend of this show, where Aruto is genuinely challenged as a character, and is unable to magically solve problems simply by being optimistic in of itself. What I'm still a bit mixed on is Arayashiki. I think the show made a huge mistake in portraying him so over-the-top smarmy in light of where he ends up here. He's extremely unlikable throughout this two-parter, which would be great if he was a character who was going to get taken down a peg, or otherwise recieve some equally over-the-top comeuppance. Unfortunately, the climax here seems to want us to feel sympathetic for him, and that is a tall order! I can't make up my mind on how much I think it works, but focusing on the positives, I loved how his realization at the end hinges on the central conflict so nicely, with his backstory from the first part being recontextualized as he remembers that, rather than living in a tiny house with his family, he lived in a tiny house with his family. The color fading into the previously black-and-white flashbacks was also a great touch that I'm going to assume was Hidenori Ishida's idea as director, rather than something in the script. Whoever came up with it, the result is a good scene. Ishida definitely deserves credit for Zero-One's fight with the Splashing Whale Raider, though. It was nice to see Aruto actually in control again, and the whole thing was super slick. There's also a bit in the writing there I love more than anything else in the episode, which is Aruto reaching out his hand. https://i.imgur.com/SvDTwmp.jpg This is something I absolutely adore about the way Yuuya Takahashi writes his Rider protagonists. Both Emu, and now Aruto, get these great instances of displaying compassion to their enemies, and it's always in this unique, measured way, distinct from the more naive manner a Takeru or a Kouta goes about it. This happens in the middle of the fight, it doesn't work, and Aruto doesn't hesitate to just finish things up the normal way after it fails, because he wasn't doing it for himself. It wasn't about protecting his own values or anything like that. The whole fight is basically a formality, and in that moment, Aruto was simply trying to let Arayashiki know, as clearly as possible, he can make the choice to repent. To give him a chance. That's great! I love this kind of thing, and it's in moments like this that I feel especially sorry for anyone who still can't quite get past Aruto's silly faces and jokes. |
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I suspect that since Fuwa seems to know about the Bull Progrise Key, and the cut in that episode directly going from the mysterious woman to Fuwa.
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six more episodes of "Contest", right?
ugh. |
Smile winning the contest because she, as a Humagear, understood the meaning of home better than Arayashiki, is a nice continuation of the theme that humagears are more than machines
however i have a big issue with what happens after a human using the Raid Riser belt is defeated . . . nothing. Here, Aruto hits Arayashiki's shark beast with a Shining Hopper finisher that would kill a mutated humagear and . . . Arayashiki doesn't die. He doesn't even seem really hurt If humans that are corrupted can be redeemed with zero harm, that really lowers the stakes in those fights plus, it would really raise some issues for Aruto if he had to face the fact that finishing the Raid Riser beast would actually harm a human |
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my point on the lack of risk in KR shows since Den-O (barring Gaim & Amazons). :thumb: |
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That said i liked the scene in which Aruto asked Izu what makes a good president. It was a glimpse of Aruto trying to be better than just a tool to take the Rider Suit for a walk. Hopefully the show will use his doubts and thoughts to develop the character |
Been catching up with the series and I really like Zero-One a lot so far.
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I'm so torn. On one hand I absolutely love the Zero-One suit and the fights. I think the spfx look good, the fights look good, the base-form Z-One suit looks amazing, and Izu is a super fun character.
But the story is really not doing much for me so far. Take something like Build, or 'W',.. or even Fourze or 555's(Fiaz), and the characters and story were so good that I was hooked in just a few episodes. (I've heard Giam is awesome too but haven't watched it yet.) With Zero-One we're 20 episodes in and it's starting to feel like a grind. I am not looking forward to 6 more episodes of 'Contest. Human VS Humagear. Human Cheats. Humagear goes berserk. Fight!',... it's just boring. I did not enjoy the second contest, it's 'more of the same'. We've had 4 episodes, a months worth, that are just, "meh". I want rising action, suspense, consequences for actions, character development, etc. This just feels like wheels spinning in the mud. The Cheetah/Woman Rider, the Wolf Rider guy,.. are not developing as characters and are just there to be there I guess. Wolf Rider guy just seems to stand around and scowl most of the time. Mr. 1000% is totally boring. The adversarial Vice President trying to kick out Aruto and take over the company isn't being utilized or developed. really no one seems to be developing much at all. Even Izu I have to admit I just think she's cute and sort of funny sometimes but she's not really going anywhere so far. She's slightly developing a bit and acting a tiny bit more human. But that's not saying much for being 20 episodes in. idk 20 episodes is plenty of time to really develop some story and hook a viewer. By this time in Build or 'W' I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. ... I'm sort of bummed by Zero-One. Which sucks because I think it's the best suit design I've seen in a long time. He really is an eye catching and fantastic looking Kamen Rider with cool finishing moves. |
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MJ.net arc (so Ep1 to 15/16) did a great job in developing characters; Except maybe the vice president. Aruto learned how to fight for/defend his company (while not being a good president. that will be the end goal by the end of the series) Izu is humanizing herself/reaching singularity Fuwa is a quest of revenge on legs (but learns the truth behind his most traumatizing event and who is responsible) Yua starts as "hey so you're AIMS tech girl" and there is all this inside job/betrayal/tampering with Ansatsu-chan thing which ends in "hey wait so you're ZAIA?" Horobi goes from "Im a bland big bad/the one who started daybreak" to "I'm actually Jin's mentor and my mission was to make him the next big bad even if i have to sacrifice myself" and Jin goes from a "robot kid" to an "angry human-robot forced to grow up kid". I really don't like when "filler episode/arc" is used quite often in anime/TV shows, but so far that's what I feel about the ZAIA arc. Like the story and character development was put on hold (and quite abruptly) and we're following a side story in the lore of Zero-One. Just a company feud. Except that we SHOULDN'T feel like it's a side story because the ZAIA president is supposed to be the one who influenced the MJ.net events |
Well, Build had a similar human survives thing at the start, but that did not last forever and turned humans eventually started dying, tbf some died at the start as well due to their weak constitution.
So I would not be surprised if the Raid Riser eventually starts killing the users. In regards to the ZAIA arc, it seems to be just build up, while the front of the episodes are so far Aruto and Gai, the main plot direction is happening in the background with Fuwa and the one giving out the Raid Risers, which is fine, Aruto is not really aware of it yet, Gai seems to be smelling a problem, but is likely far to arrogant to really think it is going to be a major one, which will likely cause massive devestation. Either way, slow build up. |
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It's just the past 4 episodes I guess have just felt like such a grind to me. I'm really not interested in the contest or Mr. 1000% at all. I just find the whole thing very boring. and the 'brought to you by Zaia' thing was amusing at first but even that is sort of annoying now. idk.. maybe it's just me and I'm cranky lately or something. I just want to get back to the show being interesting. This feels like a goofy side-quest/webisode mini-series and not the Main Show to me. |
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The most interesting stuff so far is the hooded person and Fuwa. That being said the Raids are really good looking MoTW. I nice change of pace. But yeah it looks like we're going through the full contest. And while there will be a shakeup in the power levels, I'm just hoping that'll be enough to shake up the formula. If not then I may just dip out till the job contest is done. |
Judging from the February Scans it looks like Zero One's next form will be the shot in arm this arc needs.
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Huh… I really don’t get the hate for the last few episodes. It’s really solid, enjoyable Rider-stuff. Nothing wrong with that IMO. I mean, of course it’s getting a bit back-to-basics now, but for a change of pace that isn’t so bad.
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Just compare this absurdly standard monster of the week style episode to some other episode 20's out there: W - The back half of Accel showing up, where Ryuu receives an important lesson about what it means to call yourself a Kamen Rider, setting him on a series-long arc of learning to abandon his need for revenge. Thrilling! OOO - The show puts a magnifying glass on Eiji and Ankh's dynamic just in time for TaJaDor's first appearance. Awesome! Fourze - We had Magnet States' debut, and Gentarou learning a thematically appropriate lesson that him and Kengo are good pals because opposites attract. Cool! Drive - A seemingly unimportant standalone about Kyuu having a Roidmude double, which was not only hugely memorable in its own right, but turned out to be a microcosm of some of the show's themes in the back half. Sweet! Ghost - Instead of blowing up the monster of the week like every other episode, Takeru actually befriends one as part of his ongoing quest to figure out how to make peace with Alain. Woah! Ex-Aid - Snipe gets to use the Gear Dual Beta for the first time as we find out the deeper meaning of why Taiga insists he's the only Kamen Rider needed, paving the way for his eventual reconciliation with Hiiro. Exciting! Build - In an increasingly desperate bid to prevent all-out war from breaking out, Sento uses a forbidden upgrade to the Build Driver to stop Ryuuga from doing something stupid, which as we all know, worked out great for everyone the next week. Intense! The comparisons just aren't that favorable to an episode of Zero-One that doesn't have much meat on its bones. We don't dig deep into the main characters, and there aren't any major plot revelations. Just a basic story that, while entirely competent in its own right, can't compete with how entertaining those above episodes were. It's especially strange that one of them is from the same writer, too. I have a feeling this arc is going to pick up from this point on, but I have a hard time disagreeing with people saying it's been weirdly undramatic so far. And any Valkyrie fans are probably feeling especially crushed right now, because she hasn't done anything for an entire month besides play fight with Fuwa for a bit. |
thanks,
ya'll are far more eloquent and exacting than I am. But you've both summed up my feelings better. ..and I was cranky earlier I think. Lol. I enjoy these discussions though. And sometimes people point out things I may not have noticed that puts an episode in a different light for me. But yeah I'm a bit bored with Zero-One at the moment. Tired of seeing the tires spinning in place, and tired of Thouser Rider whupping Our Heros butt. |
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So yeah Zero One isn't that bad. |
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Its part of the writing. Bad guy seems too much to handle, a lot of soul-searching and training and questing to get the next upgrade to level the playing field. |
But I don't think Aruto is soul searching now. He's just reacting. This should be good storyline to build up Izu's character but She's not doing it either. It's just everyone reacting to events.
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yeah it's not like I didn't see Build, Cross Dragon and Grease get their butts handed to them repeatedly, but they always learned something and came back stronger pretty quickly.
Aruto is just getting his butt repeatedly kicked, and it's the Humagears that seem to be learning something. |
While I agree that this arc is lagging in plot development, I do think it's doing interesting things for Aruto as a character. He's always been very positive and idealistic, some would say naive, but the harsh truth is that a CEO's job is not to be a good person, it's to make money and uphold their company's image, which often means being selfish, cynical and manipulative.
I'd been wondering since day one whether Aruto would ever have to face that reality, and how he'd handle it if he did. And the conflict with Gai, who represents all the villainous qualities needed to be a "perfect" CEO, is a great way to bring that issue to the forefront. And if it was just a wealthy corporation on the line, I wouldn't care much because the obvious answer is that Aruto should choose being a good person over money and power. But since the future of Hiden also determines the future of Humagears, that raises the stakes and puts Aruto in a tough spot where he has to choose between his ideals and his responsibilities. |
Glad I'm not the only one that thinks this arc is a bit lackluster. Nothing's truly happening in terms of plot and these last few episodes just felt the same.
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The current arc feels very similar to the early episodes were Aruto goes around and meets HumaGear employed in different fields to me. Which is what people take issue with I guess. |
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