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03-27-2020, 01:27 AM | #15771 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,333
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While I do like Chaser, I did find his involvement in the first half to be pretty static. It was the same every time. Case about to be solved, Chaser comes in and saves MOTW, Shinnosuke learns about a twist in the case, finally beats monster.
It was the same formula for so many episodes, and the fact that it was a monster of the fortnight format just made it tiring. Around them finding out about Freeze's true identity was the real turning point for the show. The villains were all set in place, Go had gotten past his introduction arc power bonus, Chase was a full blown hero, and from there it just really got into gear.
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03-28-2020, 01:31 AM | #15772 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,434
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Fourze 39-40
Like I said last time, we are officially into the part of the show that I don't remember very well. At least, that's what I thought. I got about halfway through the first of these episodes and my long-term memory managed to start pulling the rest of the plot out of storage: the injured girlfriend, Taurus going crazy, JK an Gentarou dressing normally. I will admit that I forgot about the golf showdown, which is certainly one of the weirder moments in the arc, but I remembered a lot of the main beats. I'm curious to see how much this continues happening as I finish off this last block of episodes. I liked these two, by the way. I tend to have a strong dislike for stories with authoritarian regimes and stories where the heroes get turned upon, but I like these episodes. Part of it is that it's Fourze, so even at it's darkest it's pretty goofy (Sugiura's main power as Taurus isn't brainwashing, it's a complete defiance of physics). I also just really like the emotional core of the story, culminated in the confrontation between Sugiura and the class president on the roof. You really feel bad for him when Virgo shows up and sucks him into that wormhole. Even knowing the plot twist that's coming up next episode, it's still pretty sad. Speaking of things I forgot: Virgo transporting Nozoma away. Again, something that loses a lot of drama on the rewatch, but it's still a really well-played scene. I like this last part of the series for Nozoma, where she gets to stop being creepy and start being more insightful. Speaking of the KRC, I forgot how much Miu and Shun are barely in the show anymore. More than before I'm really wishing they'd just replaced them with the swimmer girl and her friend. Having those two graduate really makes it hard to keep them relevant to the plot. |
03-28-2020, 02:14 AM | #15773 |
Stabby stabby
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 986
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I want to like Drive. It has concepts I like.
But dear god does it not work for me. Shinnosuke is not remotely interesting until over halfway through the show, Kiriki devolves from a cool character to an object for the Riders to chase after, Krim is an asshole, and a horrible mentor. The SCU are all varying degrees of annoying, Chase and the other Roidmudes are likeable, but so poorly handled throughout...and Gou. Gou is one of my least favorite characters of fiction in general. I hate him so much. Gold Drive, and the Chaser movie are the only genuine positives I can give to the season. And a lot of the suits are nice too I guess. |
03-28-2020, 12:14 PM | #15774 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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The golf showdown that got interrupted by actual golf? I think? I went back and checked the airdates, and that arc definitely skipped a week in the middle, but it's kinda been long enough I forgot what exactly it was preempted for. I only faintly remember it being funny for some reason.
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03-29-2020, 04:49 PM | #15775 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Recently I finally watched BLACK and BLACK RX. Now, I probably should've done this way sooner, but I've always had a little hang-up that's stopped me from getting around to it. I find RX more interesting. That's probably another one of those statements people who aren't me don't make much. Part of me really wanted to just do that one first. I mean, it's a pretty loose sequel anyway, right? But my long-standing interest in RX's wicked style and killer theme song doesn't mean I don't find BLACK interesting, too, and with such a classic series, I'm practically obligated to watch it. A bit of a dilemma, yeah?
But then the idea hit me, one I've had before. Just do both. It was a crazy plan, and probably an unnecessary precaution, but I figured watching both shows together like some kind of weird tokusatsu version of Memento would give me the deepest possible appreciation for what each one brings to the table. Instead of longing to go back to the style of whatever one I watched first once I got to the second, I'd get to enjoy those tastes in small bursts, the contrast only serving to make the flavor that much richer. So I promptly set about watching BLACK and RX in alternating chunks of two episodes, like I've been doing a lot lately, starting with BLACK, and ultimately saving RX's final episode for last, which I didn't plan on going in, but RX is shorter, ends on an odd number, and the penultimate episode leaves on a solid point for a break, so it all worked out nicely. That's really the moral of the story here. This whole thing went better than I could've possibly expected. Both of these shows are real winners in their own ways, and putting them in such direct contrast only served to make things even more interesting. BLACK is the truest possible (then-)modern reboot of Kamen Rider. It takes things back to the absolute basics, and tells a story about Koutarou Minami, a tortured hero who overcomes his sorrow to become a warrior of nature, fighting a lonely battle for humanity's freedom against the vile machinations of an authoritarian secret society embodying the worst evils of society. Rather than try to put extra frills on that concept like the other series made in the wake of the original, BLACK seeks to execute that original concept again, using years of hindsight and improvements in production quality to realize it on a level that wasn't possible in 1971. RX is a show that isn't too concerned with feeling like Kamen Rider. Rider is just one of many, many hero tokusatsu series it pulls from for inspiration. It's the ultimate possible generic tokusatsu show of the era, telling a story about Koutarou Minami, your cooler older brother who, with the help of his many friends, stands strong in the fight for humanity's freedom against an authoritarian monarchy who seek dominion over the Earth. One could easily argue RX to be a mess of tropes put together with little thought, but I would contend that RX was making a very deliberate, and successful attempt to be something of a greatest hits collection for all of tokusatsu. BLACK was a clear evolution for the franchise. The only thing about its execution that isn't impeccably tight is all the bits of Black's suit that constantly look half a second away from falling off, and those are only loose because they keep throwing the guy through walls and out of buildings. It's a tense show with a great idea of what it wanted to be about, that also takes the drama to new levels with its series-spanning story arc regarding the fate of Koutarou's adoptive brother Nobuhiko, and his eventual transformation into the dreaded Shadow Moon. I'm telling you right now, if you haven't seen the show, there's a reason this guy is so well-remembered and popular even today. The idea that Nobuhiko would, instead of simply existing in the background until getting rescued in the finale or something, actually become the main villain of the series for the back third or so must've been absolutely mind-blowing to audiences in 1988, and what's even better is that most of the episodes centering around him were written by none other than Noboru Sugimura. I have never seen a writer as good at pushing heroes to the absolute edge as Sugimura is, and he does this amazing concept the justice it deserves.The material with Shadow Moon is thrilling. But it's also not the whole show, and I think it'd be a mistake to go in looking for that. Shadow Moon's storyline is merely the cherry on top of an otherwise largely episodic series, that focuses on doing standard monster of the week plots in style, always heavy on the mood and atmosphere. Perhaps the greatest secret weapon of RX is its serialization. It's something I didn't at all expect going in, but there's a huge amount of connective tissue between episodes. Every week still delivers a beginning, middle, and an ending where RX blows up at least one monster, but, even when the show isn't doing an outright multi-parter (like the very first two episodes, no less!), plot points frequently lead into one another. An easy example of this from very early on is Koutarou receiving a disk in the third episode containing the data he uses to build Rideron in the fourth. This creates a great sense of momentum that makes the series super exciting. You're never too far away from a big event in RX. It's a bombastic show where things are always happening, especially thanks to its great set of villains. The monsters in BLACK have wonderful designs. As with the rest of the series, it's the OG show taken to a new level of craftsmanship. Much as Black's suit incorporates the fleshy bits at the joints, the monsters emphasize their organic nature with detailed, creepy looking costumes, often tricked out with animated mouths and everything. Some of these guys are genuinely a bit scary, all helped by the often horror-like atmosphere of their initial scenes. BLACK is a show I'd really recommend to anyone who has a particular affinity for movie monsters in general. There's some really great work here, and it's always a delight seeing what terrible creature Golgom is going to send out to their bidding next. The Crisis Empire don't seem like the ideal baddies for a Rider show. In fact, I got major Gingaman vibes from them throughout. This ends up working out hugely to the series' benefit, though. Having a selection of generals with wildly different motifs is just plain fun. Their aristocratic backstabbing and bickering keeps their scenes feeling lively, and the variety of monsters at their command is just unreal. You've got robots! Gross animalistic monsters! Talkative monsters with neat gimmicks! It's all here man! The diversity means things never, ever get stale, and like all good Sentai villains, you almost start to root for them in a weird way. It's the total package. Similarly helping out in the variety department is RX's ridiculous arsenal, which includes three forms, three bikes, a car, two swords, and a gun. The wealth of options he has at his disposal is nothing but a benefit to the episode plots, which have tons of options to get RX in and out of a pinch... even if Bio-Rider is broken as s***. BLACK's desire to keep things simple results in a show that could very well be called the definitive Kamen Rider. It's a touchstone work in the larger franchise that achieved very well-deserved massive popularity, and will probably continue to relevant as the years go by. It's in the fortunate position of not being old enough to be too dated, but also being old enough to be old-school. 80's nostalgia stubbornly refuses to die, so I figure BLACK's got a real edge going in that department. Again, it comes with the caveat that it's not going to meet modern standards of arc-based TV storytelling, but it's a truly excellent show that hits some truly incredible highs, and a great gateway to the Showa era for anyone who hasn't yet given it a chance. RX goes all out on a ton of different ideas, and admittedly is a little lacking in the spirit that makes Rider what it is, but I can't help but adore it for what it is. It's a show that says you can face terrible tragedies in life and still come out on the other side a happy person with a fulfilling life. You can have a promising career, a family to call your own, and loyal friends who will ride or die with you to the ends of the earth. That even your greatest regrets can eventually receive closure, and that you can move on to a brighter future, as long as you always keep the light of justice in your heart, and respect the beauty of the world around you. That kind of stuff, that's what I watch tokusatsu for, so there's absolutely no way I'm complaining that's what RX wanted to be about. I said Ryukendo might be the most definitive hero toku show ever, and RX might give it some stiff competition. BLACK is a masterpiece. BLACK RX is a treasure. These are two awesome shows I'm more than happy to finally have under my belt. They have their common points, like the excellent soundtracks by Eiji Kawamura (you'd better believe that put me in my comfort zone coming off of Kakuranger), the usual complement of awesome theme songs, and Koutarou refusing to forgive evildoers, but at the end of the day, each show goes in a totally different direction, and I think they each stand on their own as something worthwhile. As for the question of which one I ended up liking more, though... well, I'll just let this montage of RX episodes that ended with sitcom freeze-frames of Koutarou looking like a total gormless goof speak for itself: And for those of you keeping count, yes, an entire third of the series ended this way.
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03-29-2020, 07:39 PM | #15776 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,467
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Forgive me if you mentioned it in your post and I just didn't catch it, but I have to ask, and yes there's a point: Did you notice the butt jeans?
I watched both Black and RX with a friend of mine, and at first I didn't notice, but he pointed how there are ALOT of shots that focus on Kotaro's' behind. And thus an in-joke between us was born. Anyway, of the two, I actually prefer RX over Black. Due to being tossed around between ten different writers, Black took too long to get to the point, and there are alot of things brought up in it but immediately dropped. Meanwhile RX, while mostly silly and stupid, it atleast acknowledged it was silly and stupid, and embraced it. And I really appreciated that about the show, even if I didn't find it that great overall. |
03-29-2020, 08:26 PM | #15777 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Can't say I registered that much! I think I was more focused on his winning smile in RX, and the classic Rider in-joke of him staring off into space while thinking about whether things are or are not Golgom plots in BLACK.
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03-29-2020, 09:24 PM | #15778 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,333
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Hey now, the housewives watching with their children needed something, too
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03-29-2020, 10:10 PM | #15779 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Tokyo, Las Vegas, & Honolulu
Posts: 180
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Quote:
I want to like Drive. It has concepts I like.
But dear god does it not work for me. Shinnosuke is not remotely interesting until over halfway through the show, Kiriki devolves from a cool character to an object for the Riders to chase after, Krim is an asshole, and a horrible mentor. The SCU are all varying degrees of annoying, Chase and the other Roidmudes are likeable, but so poorly handled throughout...and Gou. Gou is one of my least favorite characters of fiction in general. I hate him so much. Gold Drive, and the Chaser movie are the only genuine positives I can give to the season. And a lot of the suits are nice too I guess. Last edited by HattoriHanzoIII; 03-30-2020 at 01:25 AM.. |
03-30-2020, 12:57 AM | #15780 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,434
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Black is one of my all-time favorite Rider shows. I usually put it second behind Hibiki, in fact. It really is an amazing show and a great distillation of everything that makes Showa Rider good. Black RX, meanwhile, is definitely an underrated gem. It gets a lot of undue hate for not being Black, but in a lot of ways it's just as good (and in some ways even better).
I totally agree about RX and its more serialized story. Black really only stopped being episodic near the very end; RX had a lot more compelling story arcs. I'll admit that I didn't feel the show a lot at first, but the episodes where Kotaro goes into the Demon World and gets his new forms really won me over. I almost want to say I liked RX's villains more, too. The Gorgom priests are iconic, but the Crisis generals felt a lot more developed as individual characters. In terms of the monsters, both shows have the same designer: Keita Amemiya. Yeah, the Garo guy. If you really liked the monster suits, especially the ones from Black RX, I recommend checking out Metalder, which is another show he did the designs for that had the same multiple enemy group concept as RX. |
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