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Fish Sandwich rewatches Kamen Rider Kuuga
Hey there! I'm Fish Sandwich. People who frequent these boards might know me as the one with the questionable taste in screen names, and the even more questionable taste in TV shows.
You might also know a user going by Kamen Rider Die. Die has been doing threads chronicling his experiences watching Heisei Rider shows for the first time for a while now, and I've come to see him as a bit of a kindred spirit when it comes to the desire to talk at length about Kamen Rider. His threads are a real treat, and if you by chance haven't checked them out, I highly suggest you do. You'll also see me in there a lot. As I'm writing this, he's about halfway through Ryuki. If you aren't reading this in the future, come on and join the fun! Of course, for however similar we are, we're also two different people. I'll truck with Showa any day of the week, for one thing. I'm also a huge fan of a show Die was largely unenthused by, which surprisingly enough, isn't Ghost. No, I'm talking about Kuuga, of course. A show formative to my fandom of Kamen Rider, not so much to Die's. And that's been eating me up a little ever since that thread ended. It feels weird to call myself a long-time fan knowing how many people have been around way longer, but I've been watching Kamen Rider since somewhere in 2011, and the memories of those shows I watched early on are starting to get a little faded. I couldn't express what I saw in Kuuga to anywhere near the extent I wanted to, and I figure it's time to put a stop to that. For a while, now, I've been rewatching the Heisei Rider shows that I saw early on, and it's been a lot of fun. Back then, I was a lot more passive about watching them, so to go back and examine them more closely the way I do now, even talking about it episode-by-episode in the "What are you watching?" thread, not too dissimilar to how Die does things, it really helped me to reconnect with what I love about them, and to see things I would've never noticed before. I figure it's high time for Kuuga to get that same treatment. The stars have lined up for it. And if I'm doing that anyway, why not go the extra mile and do my own thread for it? A thread that's similar, but different. The fundamental idea is the same. Watch a Rider show, and comment on my thoughts as I do so. The difference is that Die's threads run on the magic of that virgin experience of seeing a show for the first time. I can't give you that, and I'm also liable to be a lot more long-winded, and a lot less funny. So, like, those might be issues. What I'm hoping to compensate with is raw affection. I try my best to analyze things critically, but I'm not very critical when it comes to Kamen Rider. It takes a lot for a Rider show to upset me. I'll probably let a lot of glaring flaws off the hook, spin things most would consider negatives into positives, and not even notice things others would nitpick. All of that is out of love, and I'd be thrilled if that's of some interest to anyone. So, just like Die, let me get some basic guidelines covered: I *PROBABLY* WON'T SPOIL KUUGA PAST THE EPISODE I'M ON. The only way this would even matter is if for some reason you're reading this thread while going through the show, but this is just naturally how I tend to write about these things, so I feel like it's worth mentioning. A lot of stuff, I've plain forgotten, and while a lot of stuff I might hint at, any future events I do feel the need to bring up will probably only be referenced obliquely. I already have way too much to talk about in the moment to worry about what comes next. I'll get there eventually. I DEFINITELY WON'T BE SPOILING ANY OTHER SHOWS. Again, mostly a natural result of how I write these things. Kuuga should be the only show you have to worry about having seen (if even). Comparisons to other shows will be broad, and more about stylistic differences than anything. I won't bring up plot twists or character deaths or anything like that. The worst you have to fear is me maybe referencing a catchphrase or something. EVERYONE'S A CRITIC, which is to say, I WANT TO HEAR WHAT YOU ALL HAVE TO SAY! About Kuuga. About what I have to say about Kuuga. About what someone else has to say about Kuuga. Whatever. Don't sweat it too much. If you want to pop in just to say Yuusuke was wearing a particularly nice shirt in an episode, that is great. Like Die always says, these threads are participatory. It's more fun for everyone if everyone is having fun, so please don't be afraid to let your voice be heard. If you have a thought about Kuuga, it has a place here. That being said, PLEASE DON'T SPOIL ANY OTHER SHOWS, OR AT LEAST USE SPOILER TAGS. I feel a bit cruel asking this, since it doesn't matter to me personally, but I've been a spoilerphobe myself, and my promise up above becomes less than meaningless is somebody scrolls down to find a remark about something that happened in, like, episode 40 of Build anyway. Kuuga's a cool show with plenty to talk about by itself, so hopefully this won't be a hard rule to follow. So with all that out of the way, nothing would make me happier than if you'd all make your heavy burdens into a pillow, sit back, relax, and join me as I witness a legend being rewritten, all over again. |
EPISODE 1: "Revival"
Let's start off by talking about episode titles for a second. It's easy to underestimate the importance of having good ones. It's a chance to define a central theme to your stories upfront. To give them a clear and unique identity. Having some kind of formula or gimmick to the names can also be a great way to add to the identity of the series as a whole. I used to not care about this all that much myself, but Kuuga got me to start paying attention with how superb a job it does at all of this. Every episode. Two kanji. One word. Zero fluff. How succinct do they get? https://i.imgur.com/NEazBLdl.png The series opens with a hero from an bygone era battling the forces of evil, before being placed into a long slumber. Despite moments of clarity, most of the shots have a grainy filter placed over them which makes them appear... almost like an old TV show. So there you have it. In just under 50 seconds, Kuuga has already gotten you up to speed on both its premise, and the real-world significance of its existence, all without saying a word. Immediately, it's apparent how seriously the people making this show were taking things. I'd imagine the director, Hidenori Ishida, deserves credit for the genius use of the filter. Granted, he'll also use it for the monster attack that opens the very next episode, which takes place in the present, so it's possible I'm reading too much into that specific part. Still, I know Ishida pays a lot of attention to how his visuals enhance the story, and that he has a talent for finding creative ways to shoot scenes to that end, so I think there's a very good chance this was intentional. Kuuga's main writer, Naruhisa Arakawa, actually specifically recommended him for the job in part because of an incident the first time they worked together where Ishida apparently questioned Arakawa intensely on a line in the script to get a better idea of how to shoot the scene. Again, the show's staff wasn't messing around. That goes for Arakawa himself, too. After a brief scene establishing a research team has found Kuuga's tomb, we get to meet our hero for the next 49 episodes, and let me tell you, it's perfect. Yuusuke is introduced leaning against a bike (!), and tells a story, directly into the camera, about an experience he had on one of his many globe-trotting adventures that convinced him there's nothing cooler than someone who can still smile even when times are tough. As soon as he finishes, the camera cuts to reveal he's actually telling this story to cheer up a small child who got separated from his parents. The story doesn't help that much, but his followup juggling act is a huge hit with the kid. The amount this fairly short scene accomplishes is staggering. It endears the audience to Yuusuke right away with a heroic act, and the talking to the audience thing. (Thanks again, Ishida!) It also fills you in on a bit of his backstory and life philosophy, shows off his carefree personality with the juggling bit, introduces his signature thumbs up gesture, and even gets to work building some of the series' central themes. To this day, this is still my absolute favorite introduction of a protagonist in all of Kamen Rider. It's beautiful in how understated it is. Of course, if I go in-depth on every scene like this, we'll be here all day, so I'll skip out on talking about Sakurako and Ichijou's introductions, and save them for later. Suffice it to say, a whole bunch of monsters show up to ruin the research team's day, Yuusuke gets caught up in it, and after a series of visions of a mysterious warrior triggered by an equally mysterious belt recovered from the tomb, he makes a fateful choice. Kuuga goes to child-scaringly great lengths to show how destructive the Grongi are, and that scene where Yuusuke, witnessing the carnage around him as the sound fades out, replaced with a heartbeat to emphasize the tension, it's great stuff. Yuusuke's mostly been a pretty goofy dude the whole episode, so giving him that big moment where he decides to take action, it starts to demonstrate why he's deserving of being the show's hero. The rest of the episode from that point on is just him throwing down with Zu-Gumun-Ba. Uh... you might know him better as "The Spider One", but I think I'm going with this way, more to see if I can remember this stuff by the end than if you can. Please bear with me. Anyway, Gumun is just a great monster. Starting off this new era of Rider by directly paralleling the motif of the original series' first baddie is a touch of respect towards the classics I love, plus, his design is cool, and the episode makes great use of his spidery abilities. He's really got Kuuga on the ropes here. In what will prove to be merely one of a long series of bold choices the show makes, Yuusuke is barely scraping by in his first fight, and wearing the wrong costume, to boot. Kuuga's white Growing Form is strong enough to push a police van around without trouble, and tough enough to take several hits without getting turned to paste, but compared to even a low-level Grongi like Gumun, it's just not a lot of power. https://i.imgur.com/60MXsycl.png The best Yuusuke can manage when all is said and done is fending him off with some help from Ichijou. It's a fun climax to the fight, with Kuuga and Gumun popping in and out of either side of a helicopter while poor Ichijou is caught in the middle, trying to make sense of what's even happening. Despite taking the gamble of having an incomplete Kuuga fail to finish off the villain, the episode still makes the ending feel triumphant, with Kuuga flashing a thumbs up to Ichijou before departing against the sunset, all set to an epic remix of the theme song. It's part one of two, but unlike the rest of the series, it gives you a good sense of closure by itself, which is a smart decision for a premiere. It doesn't demand you come back the next week to see what happens. It's confident that you want to already anyway. This is a crazy tight first episode, and it's easy to see from it why Kuuga would go on to be such a huge success. THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER Oh, yeah, and this is an idea I had for something fun. I'm sure somebody somewhere has already done this, but I figure there's no better way to show my love for Kuuga than to keep a running tally of every single thumbs up in the entire series, episode-to-episode. It's kind of an iconic part of the show that way. This is the premiere, too, so naturally, it goes hard in that department. https://i.imgur.com/5fWCppvm.png https://i.imgur.com/YOTcN9Hm.png https://i.imgur.com/mRFHBQOm.png https://i.imgur.com/AjgIcX2m.png https://i.imgur.com/sk9wAE8m.png Total thumbs up count: 0+5 = 5 EPISODE 2: "Transformation" This one is the real deal. Everything great about the premiere goes double for the second episode. Starting with the cold open that cuts to the chase. 41 seconds. A bat monster is killing people. Done. I love it. From there we get the fallout of Yuusuke's first outing as Kuuga. Surely, such a life-changing encounter, such a terrifying experience, would leave Yuusuke with a lot to think about. And maybe it does, but first things first, he's waking up from a nice nap and having a good breakfast. Yuusuke's laid-back nature and underplayed reactions are a huge part of what makes his character such a delight, and another aspect of Kuuga that was treading some new ground at the time. The trick is that the show also knows how far to go with it. Sakurako is here to bring up the normal questions and concerns you'd expect, so Yuusuke isn't really allowed to ever be willfully ignorant. Even more than that, he's not ignorant, and this scene provides a great glimpse into that. Yuusuke casually mentions how he didn't like the "feeling" of being Kuuga, and when Sakurako asks what feeling he means, the show provides a sharp answer. https://i.imgur.com/kBM0Wqnl.png Just having Yuusuke respond by looking at his fist is the kind of subtle storytelling I love about Kuuga. It's a show that realizes that, sometimes, the best way to speak is to not talk at all. Yuusuke can have fun scenes with Ichijou where he immediately makes it clear he's not bothering with the secret identity shtick, and seems more concerned with the sound the belt made when it merged with him than all the danger he's in, because we know from moments like this there's more to him than that. Although he's definitely not leaving a great impression on Ichijou! This episode hinges on their conflicting outlooks. Ichijou is the ideal super-cop who believes in the sworn, serious duty of the police to protect the people, so super-powers or no, letting this goofball of a civilian with no real motivation get involved is out of the question. Ichijou can be too stubborn for his own good, but it's hard to blame him for feeling that way. Yuusuke likes helping people, that's for sure. But throughout the episode, he has to grapple with whether or not he has it within himself to commit to becoming a warrior to do that. Even in his initial fight with Zu-Gooma-Gu (the bat guy!), he hesitates after landing a blow. A later conversation with Sakurako hammers home what Yuusuke's problem is, in case it wasn't clear yet. He hates violence. The action itself is disgusting to him, even if the end result is preventing further violence. But the only thing he hates more than violence is seeing people suffer, and he finds the resolve to put those feelings aside after witnessing the daughter of the professor who led the research team at the ruins crying over his untimely death at the hands of the Grongi. All this, plus Ichijou tracking the mysterious monster attacks down to a church gets us to one of the greatest scenes in Rider history. Ichijou gets more than he bargained for facing down Gooma when the whole church starts going up in flames, and just when it seems like he's done for, Yuusuke charges through the doors, on his bike, to save the day, dramatically proclaiming his newfound determination to a still skeptical Ichijou. What do you even want me to say about this scene? It's a masterpiece. Grade-A hero stuff. You'd have to be dead inside not to find some excitement in Yuusuke declaring he won't let these monsters take away anyone's smiles. It's the ultimate possible hero motivation, and those iconic words to Ichijou, "watch my transformation", you know, they aren't just aimed at him. That's talking right to the audience, too. We aren't just watching Kuuga's first transformation into his proper red Mighty Form, and we aren't even just watching Yuusuke's transformation into a hero who won't ever turn his back. This is a transformation for the franchise as a whole. There's a meta dimension to that line. What was running the risk of becoming an antiquated series in the public eye was suddenly the most fresh, original hero show on TV, and this was a culmination of two weeks of slower, more thoughtful pacing, all getting us to this point. It's in that moment, in the middle of a blazing inferno, that Kuuga was truly reborn, and without any doubt, Kamen Rider was back. https://i.imgur.com/vYIG7yEl.png The rest of the episode is pretty much gravy after that. The fight moves out of the church and into um, I think it's a broken down roller coaster or something? I've honestly never been sure. Whatever it is, it's another unique and interesting location for the ending showdown to happen, especially with Gumun getting in on the fun for a brief tag team, before the fight changes yet again, with the sun coming up (we know from the handy timestamps Ichijou got to the church right before morning), scaring away Gooma, and leaving Kuuga to make up for last week by finally finishing his first monster. With kind of a weak kick sort of move? And for some reason, his foot is smoking afterwards? It's probably nothing. If I could be the tiniest bit critical, the digital effect of Gumun exploding looks ~not great~, to say the least, but on the other hand, not doing practical explosions means the fights don't all have to end in a quarry, and they can put severed bits of the body flying through the air, so, you know, all I'm saying is this approach came with some benefits, too. There's also another great bit of subtle boundary pushing I'd like to point out with Kuuga breaking toku hero etiquette and flinching when it happens. This episode may show that Yuusuke has what it takes to fight evil, but he's still Yuusuke. On which note, this episode has a pretty memorable ending that I feel obligated to mention, but it's so brilliant there's kinda nothing I could add. I'll take a page from the show's book and just let the pictures do the talking for me. https://i.imgur.com/IcwCoJwl.png THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER Kuuga famously spent a lot of budget on that church set, but what's less well known is that the premiere ate up a lot of the budget too... the budget for thumbs! https://i.imgur.com/EkZ15r8m.png Total thumbs up count: 5+1 = 6 |
One thing that I read into with Kuuga's first thumbs up - Kuuga's first thumbs up, not Godai's - is that it felt like... it felt like the best possible way to communicate to both Ichijou and the audience that this character is human. That's something that I believe extends to the other 49 episodes as well, but focusing purely on this moment; it's just the most wonderful, perfect way to cap off a whirling 3-4 minutes of violence.
Usually a piece of superhero media with a similar premise would follow that fight off with a lot of apprehension from the authorities; and some confusion from the hero; and all the conflict that comes with it. And not to say that Kuuga doesn't concern itself with that, but right now at this moment? Kuuga and Ichijou are stuck alone on a confined space in the air. As far as Ichijou knows he's face-to-face with a violent destructive monster who cares for nothing other than beating his foe... and then he gets the simplest, most human expression he could get to assure him. The bug-eyed white-armoured thing with a jagged mouth gives him a thumbs up. It's so small, it's so minimalist, and it's what's wonderful about Kuuga. I think this perhaps more than any other scene from Kuuga sticks out as the one part I think of when I think of this series. Quote:
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GodDAMN! That is some authoritative Kuuga talking! I'm learning a ton about the production history of the show (that story about the director!) and some new personal problems I'm going to have with Fish Sandwich, like the fact that he calls Godai "Yuusuke", which is a) disrespectful, b) tricky for me to remember, c) disrespectful.
Anywho, this thread is amazing, I can't contribute much, certainly not on the Galaxy Brain level Fish can, but here's a couple things now that he's done an A+ job: KAMEN RIDER DIE BARELY REMEMBERS WATCHING MASKED RIDER KUUGA EPISODES 1 - 2 -That white suit. I really like that white suit. It sells the idea of this being a blank slate to build upon, the start of a new legend. (I just made that up, FYI.) It also somehow looks weak, which is maybe an insane thing to say about a Kamen Rider suit. Great design and a great way to kick it all off. -I love how high-strung Ichijou is with Godai in the hospital, how mad he gets at him. It's slightly out-of-character for Ichijou, which makes it happening here feel so impactful. He's incredibly mad at Godai for not being as dedicated as he should be to justice. It's a neat choice to have Ichijou get wildly melodramatic. Not an all-the-time good idea, but it helps calibrate the relationship between our two heroes. -That first episode thing of Godai talking to the camera is still so weird to me. It's only in the first episode, I'm pretty sure, and while it's a neat way to fill out his character, it's also weirdly distracting if it's not in the usual language of the show. You can either (for me) break the fourth wall all the time, or never break the fourth wall. Doing it one time, and one time only, is so weird. |
The first 2-3 episodes of Kuuga was some of the first Kamen Rider I ever watched. I'd only seen one episode of Decade and decided to go back all the way through the rest of the Heisei era first for contact. I got a few episodes into Kuuga, though, only to find out that it hadn't been fully subbed yet. I eventually got to watch the whole thing later and I really loved it. I like how these early Heisei shows tried to be more drama/sci-fi with the occasional action scene thrown in.
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Takatera: Over my dead body. Pyro team! You're on! Toei: Whaaaatt? |
I've said it multiple times around these boards, but Kuuga is my all time favorite Kamen Rider show, but even so, I probably can't say anything that hasn't been said already about it. I can certainly give a few of my own personal experiences when it comes to specific episodes or moments, but even then, I don't think I'd be able to say anything anyone hasn't heard before.
So I guess the first thing I'll say/ask is this; Anyone else find the ED unintentionally hilarious? Like, no joke, due to that pic in Fish's' sig alone, you could legit end almost every episode with "And then Godai died." I legit couldn't help but break out laughing whenever that ED would just smash cut in after something dramatic. But yeah, even if I don't say much, I'll be following this thread. I'm envious of you guys who can type super detailed descriptions. It's something I've never had the attention span for. Get me on a podcast though and I'll talk your ear off. |
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A)It's more affectionate, and I have nothing but love for Kuuga. B)I mentioned this show's episode titles left a huge impact on me. As for the production history thing, I actually would've started this thread earlier if I didn't decide to go watch all the DVD/Blu-ray extras, and also sit down with a dictionary to read the show's Wikipedia page in Japanese. I'm not exactly fluent, so there's potential for me to be misinterpreting things, but any behind-the-scenes detail I mention, I'm either confident is a fact (that anecdote about how Ishida got the job was straight out of Arakawa's mouth), or will try to specify is only hearsay. It definitely worked to get my hype levels for this project through the roof, but I'm glad to hear it's already having the intended educational benefits for everyone else, too. |
Woot actual analysis yessss~ Kuuga has one of my favorite designs and form changes hands down.
I watched the show a few years back but I agree that the first two episodes do a great job setting the tone. Something I noticed with Growing Form as a costume is that it seems a bit less robust than the others which I'm not sure was intentional or not. Looking forward to more |
Broke: Calling Kuuga "Yuusuke"
Woke: Calling Kuuga "Godai" Bespoke: Caling Kuuga "Onodera" |
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I have nothing insightful to offer other than reading your thoughts have always been really great and fun in it's own right.
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This thread is super successful and beloved more than my idiotic thread
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I don't know what will you do to these kind of responses compared to Die's ones, but let's do this too.
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And other than that Godai can be a... troll?! Like keep climbing out of window to visit Sakurako, while also wearing a scary mask for a prank (before Sakurako gets thrown in Gurongi stuff!). Also with him pranking an officer with "look up there" diversion. Quote:
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I've always thought of the transformation pose as a meditative thing. Yuusuke's first transformation, it's total fight or flight. He's just lashing out at Gumun mostly out of the fear of being killed. The second episode, he's making a conscious decision to become Kuuga for the first time. He's not doing it half-hearted like Ichijou worries about. That's why he turns into Mighty Form instead of Growing. Because he's focused. What the pose is, in my mind, is basically Yuusuke taking a second to find a sort of inner clarity. To empty his mind of everything, except the desire to do what he must to protect people's smiles. No fear, no pain, right? I don't think the show is trying to directly imply that, but that's always been my take on it. Either way, it's still my absolute favorite Rider transformation pose. |
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I guess I want these ones to be answered too though; Gurongi's pseudo weakness are guns that they aren't harmed, but has a penchant to be distracted to those who shoot them? What did the monster do to the corpse that it's identified as missing? And (for a minor thing, dunno if you can); About Yuusuke pretty much staying in a restaurant without being kicked out (and where did Sakurako wait)? |
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- The Grongi are constantly angry and violent, so going to kill someone shooting at them with a handgun is probably as reflexive for them as swatting at a mosquito for the average person. - Whatever the monster did, it probably wasn't very pleasant! - I went and checked that scene, and there actually is a banner outside the restaurant when Ichijou and Yuusuke are talking (you can see a little bit of it in the picture I used for the Thumbs Up Counting Corner for that episode) advertising a wine fair that reads "24H 輸入ワインフェア!", so apparently it really is open 24 hours. It'd still take some serious dedication to customer service to just let a guy pass out in a booth for half a day (maybe Sakurako smooth talked a waiter offscreen or something?) , but it looks like the show made sure to subtly fill that potential plot hole. Evidently, Kuuga is a lot better with details than me, too. I'll try my best to answer when you have questions like this, but please don't take it personally if I don't respond. It just means I have no clue myself. |
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EPISODE 3: "Tokyo"
This episode is all about slowing down and taking some time to flesh out the setting. I mean, it's named after a setting. And that's just what you get. New places and new faces, all enriching the world, and establishing things that will carry through the rest of the series. It breaks down pretty cleanly into the three major backbones of Kuuga. With Ichijou, there's a lot of emphasis in this one on digging into how the police are responding to the sudden rash of monster murders going on. The fact that Ichijou himself is Kuuga's partner was somewhat unusual, but this is the first time it becomes apparent just how crazy this show goes on the police procedural stuff. The idea of having everyday cops play a major and legitimate role in the plot wasn't just a novel concept at the time, it really still is today, and there's something to be said for how wonderfully the mundane blends with the fantastic here. The actual drama for this part of the episode is in watching Ichijou realize Kuuga is getting lumped in with the Grongi as something to be shot on sight, and his attempts to protect Yuusuke in response, but really it's just about seeing how all these people operate. Scrambling to figure out how to deal with the mess despite having no clear leads, watching VHS instruction tapes for their prototype motorcycles, and discussing matters in a boardroom while looking at blurry photos of monsters. It's a surreal atmosphere, and it holds your attention, not in spite of the low energy, but because of it. https://i.imgur.com/e50NV2Kl.png Then there's the Grongi third of the episode, which pushes things in even crazier directions. There's a lot of deliberately jarring cinematography going on, as we're introduced to a whole batch of new Grongi who will take their turns in the spotlight as time goes on. We see them awkwardly beginning to blend into society, despite some hiccups, like one who doesn't quite get how currency works. I mean, I guess he had the basics down? You hold money in front of people and expect good things to happen. That's right, right? The Grongi are an unusual lot, is the point, and that comes across super clearly. Having them only speak in their own language at first was one of those decisions born out of Kuuga's desire for realism, but rather than make the show more dull and colorless, it's actually super entertaining in its own right. Don't get me wrong, villains who make grand speeches about conquering the world once a week are great too, but the way Kuuga just goes for it, and has scenes of these characters speaking actual, thought out dialogue based on their unique personalities and positions, entirely in a constructed language the staff actually took the time to have someone think out, it's awesome. It's fun guessing at what they're saying based on implication and body language. Makes them feel more human. Which is only right, because this episode also confirms their blood is nearly identical to that of humans. Huh. At any rate, Ichijou's plotline naturally crosses over with them when he goes out to investigate, and meets up with both Gooma again, as well as some lady with roses who he probably won't interact with that much. Can't forget about Yuusuke, though. Appropriately for the laid-back guy he is, his chunk of the episode is largely conflict-free, with him exploring and meeting people as he catches up on what's going on around Tokyo. This is where his little sister Minori is introduced, and you can tell Yuusuke is really in his element just hanging out, entertaining kids at the preschool she teaches at. Just one more time Joe Odagiri's ability to juggle served him surprisingly well as an actor. His scenes in this episode do a great job balancing out the tone, and honestly, if the entire show was just Yuusuke running around climbing on stuff, I think I'd be okay with that. But then, this is a Kamen Rider show, so it shouldn't be any surprise he finds his way in on some action at the end. He even gets his first classic Rider rescue in there. Is that a good thing to call it? I'm talking about when there's a monster strangling somebody and the main Rider shows up, hits the monster to knock them away, and then the hapless civilian runs off, too terrified to be bother being grateful about not getting murdered. I feel like Heisei Kamen Rider went on to do this pattern a lot. There's also a cool spin on his transformation here, with him getting thrown onto some crates in-between doing his pose, and the armor actually forming. It's a cute way to take advantage of the rules the first couple episodes established. Where all this might start to get a little surprising, if you haven't been paying attention, is that by the end, Kuuga and the monster are in a full-blown standoff with a whole lot of cops who all have itchy trigger fingers. Only in Kuuga, people. https://i.imgur.com/fKWM7D6l.png THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER Just a quick sibling combo for this episode. https://i.imgur.com/3aYSHvOm.png https://i.imgur.com/YFXtFKgm.png Total thumbs up count: 6+2 = 8 EPISODE 4: "Sprint" This is one of my favorite Kamen Rider episodes ever. It's got everything. When "the main character gets shot at by cops" is only the start of the story, you know you've got something special. This episode is about a lot of things, but mostly, it's about speed. So much speed. The basic idea here is that Zu-Mebio-Da (that's the leopard one!) runs fast as s***, and going into the episode, there's nothing anyone can do to stop her, which is bad news, since she got shot in the eye at the start, and is now going around murdering cops for revenge. Yuusuke tries his best, but he kinda lost his last bike in a church fire, and the police bike he, er, "borrows" proves to be less than up to the challenge. Especially once it's put up against the dreaded enemy of all motorcycles... stairs! https://i.imgur.com/4mUljypl.png We're getting to the part of this episode I can't ever forget, but before that, I wanna talk about the part I did. The way this episode mixes that focused, exciting monster plot together with great development for our two leads' dynamic. We've seen Ichijou's relationship with Yuusuke be pretty frosty so far. Ichijou, this whole time, has seen Yuusuke as some dumb kid who needs protecting, the way any other civilian does. It doesn't help that their personalities seem so completely opposite. What we start to see here is how that's maybe only on the surface. Early on, Ichijou is recovering from the last episode, disregarding a lecture about how he has a bad habit of ignoring his well-being to go rushing off, to which he replies he's fine... right before wincing in pain from his broken ribs the second he's alone. Later, Sakurako calls Ichijou in an effort to stop Yuusuke from getting in harm's way, saying he has much the same habit, which Ichijou clearly takes note of. The two end up in a squad car together, and the conversation they have marks a turning point in their relationship. Ichijou tries to tell Yuusuke he needs to take better care of himself, but this only causes Yuusuke to say that he wants to take care of the things that matter to him because that is taking care of himself, and that he imagines Ichijou feels the same way. Ichijou can't find the words to argue. With the body count piling up by the minute, he takes a good look at the note Yuusuke left him last episode reiterating that he plans to take this seriously now, and makes the decision to actively involve him in the Grongi cases. Love the direction on the moment too, with some great use of Kuuga's guitar motif as Ichijou ponders what to do. The answer is obvious though. This is the fourth episode, and we've had Yuuske on a bike, and we've had Kuuga, but don't you think it's about time we have Kuuga on a bike? Ichijou sure thinks so, giving Yuusuke the super-duper awesome prototype police motorcycle, the one, the only, Try Chaser 2000. To her credit, Mebio is smart enough to try taking advantage of the dreaded staircase once more, but she failed to account for one thing: stairs don't mean s*** to Kuuga now. https://i.imgur.com/pZ5ahWdl.png This whole sequence is absolutely legendary, man. Just minute after minute of pure action. Considering how much of him you're going to be seeing, I think it's very important to take a second to give credit to Takumi Narita, the actual, legit motorcycle trial rider responsible for the insane stuntwork you see when Kuuga's on his bike. Getting someone to take the bike action to the next level like this is yet another display of how proud Kuuga was just to exist. Once Yuusuke hops on that thing, he only gets off it to ask a cop he saved if he's okay (good hero moment!), and then hops right back on to basically see how much stuff he can climb up and down without getting off. It's completely gratuitous, and I worship every second of it. Whoever found that building to film in picked a heck of a spot for stunts. Nobody ever put the "Rider" in "Kamen Rider" like Kuuga. Again, to her credit, Mebio makes it a point to rip Kuuga off the bike as soon as she gets the chance, but it doesn't help too much. I mean, he was already pretty awesome without it. He takes her out with a slightly fancier weird kick move than the last time (and his right foot is still burning for some reason I'm sure doesn't matter), and the episode ends with some great payoffs, like the cop Kuuga saved earlier backing up Ichijou when he tells everyone not to shoot Kuuga, and of course, the very end, with Ichijou expressing his approval of a job well done by his new unofficial partner. This is some all-time classic stuff right here. THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER A respectable three thumbs up, elevated by two of them being from one of the series' most iconic scenes. https://i.imgur.com/NNZG07Mm.png https://i.imgur.com/ZkCIpY3m.png https://i.imgur.com/MCvTGmSm.png Total thumbs up count: 8+3 = 11 |
Kuuga's mix of realism is really refreshing for Kamen Rider, working with the police, having slower fight scenes, it just really helps stand out. Sadly Kuuga is also one of the last Riders to actually really use his motorcycle at all beyond basic transport.
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Oh boy, the Grongi's language. I think I only found out about... gosh, I don't know, 2/3 of the way through my watch that you're really not supposed to know what they're saying! I'm still so mad I got stuck with a sub that completely translated what the Grongi were saying; not just because you're not supposed to know and hence I got the wrong one, but because that all-translated sub would be the perfect rewatch fodder! I imagine a fair few people here are gonna echo my sentiment.
On the other hand though, it does at least give me more appreciation for the language -- it shows that it's something it's actually possible to translate fully! Like you said, there was so much thought put into this. I remember The Bike Episode so much, if only because of my posting in the general "what are you watching" thread... followed by you replying to me, gushing about it, and making me like the episode even more. All those paragraphs you wrote I was just waiting for you to say some variation of "once he gets on that bike he never gets off it" and I was not disappointed! Aaah, the good old days of... 9 months ago. ... you know when someone brings up the date a show aired or a game came out and you go "god, it was how many years ago?? Jeez I'm old"? What's the opposite of that because I'm feeling it right now |
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These are all terrible (well, #1's not bad), so I'm hoping everyone else can step up on this one! |
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Sounds like you're trying to call Tackle a Kamen Rider. Be careful, or the Toei snipers will make you a target.
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I'll cover ep. 3 first.
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EPISODE 5: "Distance"
This episode opens up with a triple threat of new supporting characters. First comes the glorious introduction of Jean, a character I love because of his remarkable unremarkability. He's got that righteous normal guy energy at all times, and always seems slightly off in his own world, just happy to be around. It makes him into a total enigma. You know, like what are his hobbies? Does he collect postage stamps? He seems like a guy who would collect postage stamps. After the opening, it's finally time to meet Pops, and what more perfect introduction could he receive than boring Ichijou to death with a story while he waits for Yuusuke to show up at Pole Pole? Naturally, Ichijou is out the door the second he sees Yuusuke, and together they go to meet someone much more charismatic. Tsubaki is probably my favorite member of Kuuga's extended supporting cast. Extraordinarily useful to the plot, but also quirky enough to be more than a simple device for exposition. Although make no mistake, he's great at exposition. This episode makes it explicit that there's little functional difference between Yuusuke's body and those of the Grongi, and further establishes that his belt is gradually fusing with him, which could present some problems in the future. For now, though, it's just making Yuusuke awesome at fighting monsters, especially in his right leg, for some reason. That last bit of information probably won't amount to anything, though. The main emotional thread for this two-parter is Sakurako's concern for Yuusuke's safety. Again, his childlike enthusiasm has a tendency to make him look reckless, so I don't blame her for being upset when she finds out that not only did Ichijou not stop him from fighting last episode, he gave him a fancy bike and sent him on his way. Yuusuke tries to explain that he fights as Kuuga because he's the only one who can, but it's not much help. Sakurako loses the will to keep deciphering the ancient texts (not helped by an inappropriately timed comment from Jean), and while Yuusuke is confident she just needs some time to think about it, that's where we leave everyone, since the last seven minutes of the episode are all about the action. There's a truly egregious sequence of Yuusuke riding to the scene of the crime on his bike that lasts a full minute, that feels an awful lot like padding, and is also awesome. Look, I'm just not going to say no to any amount of a Kamen Rider on their bike. I long for the days when it was even possible to say "hey, maybe it'd be okay if there was a little less bike action in this episode". Plus, it does serve the purpose of showing off the Try Chaser's ability to shift into an on-brand Kuuga color scheme. Can't say I've ever understood how that works, but it's a cool visual. Brings to mind the extra bits of the Cyclone popping out back in the old days. You know what, just to prove my point, I'm gonna pad out this very post with screenshots of this scene, and I defy you to tell me you can't hear those sweet guitar riffs in your head just looking at them. https://i.imgur.com/qorb5aHl.png https://i.imgur.com/oM4ZOfYl.png https://i.imgur.com/GMRne5Rl.png Once Kuuga manages to eventually get where he's going, he makes another sweet hero entrance catching a cop who was just thrown off a building by our bad guy for these episodes, Zu-Badzuu-Ba. He's one of the particularly memorable monsters from Kuuga, on account of being the grasshopper one. Er, well, a grasshopper one, anyway. His design deliberately incorporates classic Rider elements like the scarf, and the tears beneath the eyes, and I believe his human form's funky hairdo is actually directly inspired by Shoutarou Ishinomori's own? It's a whole lot of Showa goodness packed into one monster design, and even if you don't care for the significance of this show being cocky enough this early on to have its hero go up against a villain representing the franchise's roots (which I assure you was more cheeky fun than pointed jab), just as a villain, he gets the job done great. Using his grasshopper leaps to take people up to high places and then throw them off is brutal, and you can tell throughout his fight with Kuuga how much he's enjoying himself. You want to see him get taken down a peg, but to do that, Kuuga's gonna need some mad hops of his own. Which means it's time for our first form change! Dragon Form's debut is yet another example of Kuuga's desire to break rules resulting in a way more entertaining show. There's still that sense of wonder at what these mysterious new powers represent, but it starts getting undercut from the second Yuusuke utters his nonchalant reaction of "I turned blue!". The idea that Yuusuke has zero clue what's going on adds such an extra dimension to the scene. He has to work out what the details of this new form are through trial and error, and as it turns out, he can't do it fast enough. Rather than this new piece of merchandise immediately being the key to a heroic turnaround, it actually just throws him off, resulting in Badzuu easily overpowering him, giving Kuuga the same treatment as all his other victims: tossed from a skyscraper for the trouble. It's a heck of a way to end an episode. https://i.imgur.com/3SHgWZ5l.png THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER This one keeps things simple. https://i.imgur.com/XaO17Zzm.png Total thumbs up count: 11+1 = 12 EPISODE 6: "Azure Dragon" Okay, so first off, about the title. I'd like to clarify real quick that seiryuu is one word in Japanese, so the episode naming scheme is totally intact. What's a lot less intact is Yuusuke, who's in the hospital after the beating he took from Badzuu. As soon as Sakurako is informed of this, she naturally rushes over to see him... only to find him on his way out, smiling and assuring her he's fine. Tsubaki begs to differ, saying that even with his enhanced strength, his injuries shouldn't be healed this fast. Sure enough, the next we see of Yuusuke, he's not looking so hot. https://i.imgur.com/5xheluwl.png So right there, it's official. Yuusuke downplays his own problems to avoid worrying the people he cares about. The guy says he's fine, and barely manages to drag himself to a bed to pass out on. This scene makes it even more believable when Ichijou admits to Sakruako that the reason he let Yuusuke go was because he realized there was no stopping him even if he tried, because he realizes they're similar. Just a few episodes ago, we did, in fact, see Ichijou pull this exact stunt. So kudos to the show for taking these two characters that are purpose-built foils to one another, and still making that line from Ichijou land. They legitimately do have a lot of similarities for how different they are. Sakurako is still freaking out a bit over everything that's happening, especially since those fears are turning out to be justifiable. A conversation with Minori sets her straight though. She gets to vent that she realizes it's selfish of her to try and avoid everything happening, and Minori tells her to just think and act how she normally would, which is almost identical to Yuusuke's own advice in the previous episode. It actually really helps sell that these two are siblings, and you've gotta love how gentle they are when it comes to advice. Minori's immediate response to Sakurako saying she wants to run away is "That's fine!" I don't think it's possible to get any less pushy than that. Sakurako gets back to work, trying to decipher anything helpful about Kuuga's new powers, which is a good thing, too, because Pops' advice on choosing sauces for curry, while a surprisingly adequate summation of how form-changing heroes work, isn't gonna be much help to poor Yuusuke. Especially not when he's already out there getting beat up again. Sakurako figures out that Dragon Form is supposed to use long objects as weapons, but in all the carnage, Ichijou is unable to answer his phone, meaning she has to go into action herself to relay the message. This is just a super smart narrative decision. Her character arc for these episodes, learning to do the thing only she can, is basically over already, but obviously it wouldn't be that satisfying for the climax of that to be her sitting in a chair. It's dynamic and interesting to see her speeding to the scene on a moped, even busting through a police barricade to get there in time. The fact that she's explicitly heading directly into the danger also nicely underscores the fact that she's no longer scared. It's a very solid resolution to the plotline, and the resulting fight with Dragon Form is short but sweet. Especially thanks to the killer jazz fusion background music, which is a nice change of pace from all the hard rock. This is a strong episode that does a great job showing that even though Kuuga fights alone, he's never *alone*. https://i.imgur.com/dRBZpA1l.png THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER It's around this point that it starts to become apparent how big Yuusuke's influence on people is. https://i.imgur.com/SsNMeNQm.png https://i.imgur.com/Nd0CV9em.png https://i.imgur.com/76InOBkm.png https://i.imgur.com/7vhgJUsm.png https://i.imgur.com/PUUS8prm.png Total thumbs up count: 12+5 = 17 |
With you going into that bike sequence in episode 5, I guess now's as good a time as any to talk about the aspect of Kuuga that I appreciated most, and something few other Rider shows have managed to nail for me; Atmosphere.
I actually really appreciate slower moments in action-heavy shows, and that sequence, alongside other bits and pieces across the show like the various Grongi talks, really helped to draw me into the mood and the world that Kuuga put alot of effort into building up. Like, not saying Kuuga's' plot is super complex or anything, but I was genuinely engaged in just how things were progressing thanks to that atmosphere. It's something a handful of other Rider shows don't nail nearly as well, IMO. |
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I don't usually comment on fight scenes because I often don't have much to say beyond "that was cool and I liked it", I tend to save all my analysis for the emotion in the action than the action itself. But something fun Dragon Form introduces here is Kuuga getting his weapons by transforming similar-shaped objects -- he gets dedicated ones for his next two, but with Dragon Form especially it was always very fun seeing him get creating trying to find something to turn into his lance. Er, rod? Spear? The long thing! I don't harbour any real dislike for "Rider Pulls His Weapon Out Of Nowhere", but this extra practicality and creativity did add something neat for me. |
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I mean, other than Jean, who definitely existed in Ancient Kuuga times because he has existed as long as there's been a word for "uncomfortable". |
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Kuuga form change woo! Easily one of the best things about Kuuga is how they handled form changes. Instead of all of them being there from the beginning or just being power ups, all of Kuuga's forms are meant for different situations and have advantages and drawbacks.
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I know probably you won't reply to all like the previous one, but I just want to balance my focus for KR series like Ryuki in Die's thread too.
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https://media.discordapp.net/attachm...807097/bed.png Not good Yuusuke, you probably should've enough manners not to do that... unless Yuusuke collapsed and Pops brought him on bed. Quote:
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