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08-30-2019, 05:04 AM | #15531 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Zi-O ending made put me in a weirdly nostalgic mood so I felt compelled to start watching most of the big summer/fall movie from the last twenty years of Rider. I also felt like sharing some thoughts here as I did so but since a lot of these movies are fairly straightforward popcorn flicks, I don't see myself going too in-depth about any of them. I'd say posting here is more for the sake of myself trying to note down how I feel about them, as a minor writing exercise, and for fun. I won't even necessarily commit myself to watching or writing about all of them.
In fact, Project G4 feels like the quintessential example of what to expect from these movies. Introduce one new big threat at the beginning (that usually goes hand in hand with a new Rider), bring in some original side characters that are key to the conflict, then top it all off with a big action climax in the end. Unsurprisingly, this movie was about G4 himself first and foremost, and by extension Hikawa and the rest of the G3 crew. The showdown between them kinda just happens because G4 decides to arbitrarily test his edgelord views again Hikawa's idealism, and the ensuing fight isn't even that great. I'd say Agito only got in on it due to Mana being abducted by the corrupt G4 crew but Shouchi's Unknown-sensing powers probably would have brought him into the action anyway. Gills definitely felt the most tacked on. He was barely in it, it was only through coincidentally meeting the little psychic boy that he found his way to where the climax was happening, and he doesn't even exchange a single word with any of the other riders. I know he had to be in it since he's a main character, but they could have given him a little more to do outside of fighting. Since I'm offering very summarised thoughts, I figure I might as well comment on Episode Final since Kurona also just saw it. I don't know how well this movie works as a standalone story about six riders fighting to the death, but it's entertaining enough? It's rather amusing Zolda was even in it at all considering he literally just chooses to stop being in the movie about halfway through. Quite a bit of time is spent on Miho/Femme, which I get is kinda necessary since she's original to this movie, and she's alright as a character, but she's not that much more important in the long run than either Kitaoka or Asakura. The story about Yui, mirror selves and the wish aren't too bad if you neither think too hard about it here or how it relates to the series, but I don't know if Yui taking her life in order to stop the battle would have more punch even if it wasn't wrapped up in this world's wonky rules. I bet if I had seen this around the time I first watched Ryuki, Yui taking her own life would have been the most shocking thing in the world to me. Obviously what most people will remember is Ryuga. He's evil, really strong, and intimidating. That's probably all I ever have to say about nearly every single movie-exclusive Rider and/or villain. They don't even really play up anything about him being Shinji's mirror self or where he came from, but in a show about Riders fighting a mirror world, I guess it was an inevitable concept. Ryuki and Ryuga's fistfight at the end of the movie is one of the most memorable climaxes to me though, and I'm willing to admit it's entirely due to nostalgia. Last edited by FreshToku; 08-30-2019 at 05:08 AM.. |
09-01-2019, 04:47 AM | #15532 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Still on my movie kick, though I probably will only bother posting about the ones I feel like I have a lot to say about. I mean, Paradise Lost has a cool premise, though the actual story is a bit weak. There were so many questions that kept popping into my head like... How did Takumi ended up living with a shoemaker's daughter, why did Kiba switched sides on a dime near the end, and why did Psyga only speak English? I'd be lying if I said I cared that much about those details though.
I sadly couldn't quite get into the final showdown between Takumi and Kiba because it didn't feel terrifically set-up, but I very much like associating the Orga suit as Kiba's one true Rider form, as opposed to him just using Kaixa like in the show. Missing Ace should be another straightforward and fun popcorn flick, and I didn't even care about how it ignored the series' canon, but honestly I found myself kind of resenting the story's treatment of Amane. They set up the rather understandable drama of her being upset over Hajime's 'disappearance', which I thought would lead to an emotional reunion. But when Chalice comes back, she's unconscious for the whole duration and wasn't even aware of it, and by the end of the movie, the rest of the cast just continue to hold back the truth about what happened to Hajime from her. It was incredibly unsatisfying and frustrating. Side-note, the climax had an unintentionally funny moment to me. We have the three remaining riders all transforming side by side in a cool and dramatic shot, and the three of them fly up to face the big CGI monster. All of them are knocked back to the ground within a matter of seconds, so Blade just goes into King Form and handles the situation himself. It's like... were they trying to make Garren and Leangle look bad? It got a chuckle out of me. Last edited by FreshToku; 09-01-2019 at 05:50 AM.. |
09-01-2019, 01:00 PM | #15533 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,434
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09-01-2019, 01:03 PM | #15534 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Wait, you dont know either?
Posts: 5,827
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Good to see you guys. Taking care of you is also part of my job.
__________________
Check out my occasional ramblings! https://akibamusings.blogspot.com/
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09-01-2019, 11:16 PM | #15535 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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What an odd decision, though it definitely gave an otherwise generic villain a very memorable quirk.
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09-02-2019, 06:04 AM | #15536 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Hibiki and the Seven Senki or however you choose to translate the title is a great little samurai-inspired movie. I say 'little' because it really does feel like a simple folk-tale in tokusatsu form. There's a fairly straightforward story featuring a much of fairly simple but goodhearted characters. And for anyone who doesn't like the second half of Hibiki (which is most people) and chooses to ignore it, this movie is a much better origin for Armed Hibiki. Honestly not much to say because it's just a cute little film with that awesome Hibiki aesthetic.
I then watched the polar opposite movie in terms of tone, scale and aesthetics with God Speed Love. I had remembered not being too impressed with it, but I don't know why because I really liked it this time. It's very much everything I remember and enjoy about Kabuto distilled into an hour. Everything is wrapped up in a larger-than-life sci-fi plot and every single character in it is over-the-top and melodramatic in one way or another. It's stupid and I love it. Even Caucasus in his limited screen time makes sure not to lose to anyone else in terms of overselling themselves with the big white outfit, exaggerated posing, and scattering rose petals everywhere. Also while the twist at the end about how it correlates to the TV series didn't necessarily do anything for me, I thought it was a cute move of the writers that I'm sure would have blown my mind had I watched it as a child. |
09-02-2019, 06:14 AM | #15537 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I feel the best way to watch Hibiki, really, is to watch the first 29 episodes and then end with the movie. Unlike the last 20 episodes, that movie is one of three good things Inoue has written and it makes for a great bookend to the series.
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09-03-2019, 10:41 AM | #15538 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,313
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It's been years since I watched any Kamen Rider show, but I still buy SHFs from time to time, I lurk here still quite a lot, and this is one of the main threads I keep up on. Reading people enjoying and or analyzing the shows they're watching has had me missing watching something, so I finally decided it was time to rewatch a series.
My oldest daughter and I had been watching Fourze and she was liking it a lot, but life got in the way and we took a break and like 3-4 years later now I asked her if she wanted to pick it up again. It's been long enough that we both thought we'd have to start over to remember what was going on (we were about halfway through), but I convinced her we should start with Double (and then we'll watch OOO, and Fourze, and then maybe Den-O), as that was my intro to the franchise, and still remains one of my favorite shows, Shotaro in particular being one of my favorite characters in all fiction. And wow, that was a good choice, because she loves this show, I think as much as I do. She loves Philip. She finds him funny, and neat that he kinda knows everything, and cute. She's really into the show and tried to steal some of my Double figures (but since I sold all the old SHFs, all I have now are SS Skull, Accel, Joker, and Fang Joker, so I can keep track of them easily enough). She likes the camp of the show, I'm hoping she enjoys the heart it has too, that's what drew me in. It's been fun to rewatch and to share it with her. |
09-03-2019, 11:02 AM | #15539 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I personally regard W, OOO, Fourze as the 'golden period' of Rider. It's a fantastic compromise between the early Heiseis and current shows in terms of both vibe and how much toys are being promoted -- and, well, they're just bloody good shows. OOO will always be my favourite and Fourze easily slips into my top 5, and they all feel connected in a nice vague way that becomes especially rewarding with the OOO/Fourze movie.
In my opinion, Kamen Rider had never been that consistently good before, and it never would be again -- which is fine, because it's a VERY high standard to live up to. Hope you enjoy |
09-03-2019, 12:03 PM | #15540 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 3,313
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Oh, I do enjoy. All the shows I mentioned I have seen before. But they'll be new for my daughter, and it will be fun to watch them with her. she has similar tastes in movies and tv shows to me.
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