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dreamcastegirl Watched All of Kamen Rider Ryuki and Now Hates Herself
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01-23-2021, 02:30 PM
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Fish Sandwich
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
I feel like I should instantly be able to contribute something to this topic, but I'm finding that surprisingly hard when I consider what a conflicting series of opinions I have here.
I'm in a similar boat to Kurona in that I have a ton of love for both the Showa ideal of what "Kamen Rider" meant, despite not having a ton of direct exposure to those shows, and for the very heartfelt optimism at the core of many of the later shows. Ghost is my favorite Rider series because of how unflinching it is in that, and Yasuko Kobayashi is my favorite toku writers for how great she is at finding the warmth and humanity in her characters. I might even go so far agree that I prefer her work on Sentai, in a lot of ways. Certainly, they're also favorites of mine. Naturally, I've also long been against the view that anything is somehow made better or more respectable simply by being grim and edgy, although that's probably a given to be a fan of hero tokusatsu.
But at the same time, Ryuki is a major part of my roots as a Rider fan, and I've just never gotten that vibe from it? I don't think I could put it in any real objective way – and that's fine, because we react personally to things – but I've always found that Ryuki is a show where the usual Kobayashi warmth shines through specifically because of how much its challenged. Shinji is belittled constantly by the characters, sure, but it always seemed clear to me the show treats his belief in the sanctity of life with respect, and wants the viewer to see it that way too.
There's a line he has in episode 40 that's always stuck with me: "I just wanted to save them, so I saved them", or however else you want to translate it. He's someone who does what he feels is right not because he thinks the world will reward him for it (and it almost never does), but because those actions hold value to him in of themselves, and that's a take on heroism that resonates with me a ton.
Now, whether Shinji's values are "correct" or not is something the show of course interrogates quite a bit, and he doesn't always come out looking great, but that's true of everyone in the show. This is especially evident in Shinji's oddball relationship with Ren that's at the core of much of the story. Shinji's life sucks because people aren't as nice as he thinks they are, and, paradoxically, Ren's sucks because he's a far kinder person at heart than he wants to admit. It's a series all about how people's differing perceptions of the world can clash, often messily, and that acknowledgement of how uncertain things can feel is yet another thing that draws me to it.
It was very hard for me to see Ryuki as being dark for the sake of it, even before I knew how it was conceived, and I never liked it because it was dark. I think it's a fascinating show with a lot that can be taken out of it, and while it's unfortunate your experience was unpleasant, it was fun reading your thoughts. It's always interesting to see how subjective these things can be, so I'm glad to get such a wildly different take on a show I love.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dreamcastegirl
Oh! Kamen Rider Cobra Commander!
Also, this is literally
exactly
what I called Ohja back when I was watching the show not having looked up the (barely mentioned on-screen) Rider names. Nice to know someone else shares my taste in nicknames.
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