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11-09-2019, 12:42 AM | #15651 |
天心の英雄たち
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Maryland
Posts: 939
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I've seen all the Heisei and Neo-Heisei minus Kiva, Decade, Drive, and Gaim... and W and Fiaz are in my top 5 so I'm happy reading your reviews of them.
Another thing I really liked about the Faiz movie that I never see mentioned is The Blue Woman was great, ... and ruthless! |
11-09-2019, 03:01 AM | #15652 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,097
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Quote:
Shoutarou isn't left out either though, getting to do a ton of the heavy lifting in the back half as he single-handedly starts turning the tables back over after the darkest hour. The way the movie almost immediately presents you with that hole in the ceiling is some great foreshadowing, and even makes up for the fact that his new belt is given to him by a ghost (and you thought Faiz Accel's debut made no sense!), but really, even then, Kamen Rider Joker is just plain awesome.
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11-09-2019, 06:40 AM | #15653 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Yet another reason I'm looking forward to my eventual rewatch of W. This movie was just so solid and I'm looking forward to my second run!
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11-09-2019, 08:14 AM | #15654 |
天心の英雄たち
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Maryland
Posts: 939
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Preach!
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11-09-2019, 05:19 PM | #15655 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Faiz 45-46:
You know, Faiz Blaster has been in two fights so far, and in exactly none of them has he actually used his namesake weapon to shoot something. Takkun is actually about to for a second here, but the Orphenoch he's up against using Yuuji as a human shield kinda throws that plan out the window. Naturally, he just goes right back to punching things like he always does. So that's fun, as are these episodes, crazy enough. Despite being in the middle of some heavy drama, they're a lot lighter overall, with a lot of time spent on Kaidou's wacky adventures trying to be a surrogate big brother. Heck, the main cast even makes time to play baseball! Not that Murakami can afford to take things as easy as the heroes with what happens here, but hey, at least he's not a head in a jar. He's pretty active about solving his problems, though. Mihara also manages his second finishing move on a monster here. It turns out being Faiz's sidekick works out a lot better for the kid. That whole showdown with Kitazaki did not go according to plan. Come to think of it, I'm not sure Kusaka even had a plan. In retrospect, maybe hanging out with him isn't the best idea. では、まずい考えを正すファイズ翻訳ミスコーナーです~!今日の翻訳ミスはこれだ! 「オルフェノクに対する見方を変えることになるでしょう」 Hey, dialogue from crazy police guy I actually understand well enough to explain! He's telling Murakami here about a new discovery they've made that will likely "change the way we look at Orphenochs". As in, the information he's uncovered has caused him to fundamentally reevaluate his solution to dealing with the Orphenoch menace. Nothing about anyone's allegiances. W 45-46: This is just an all around solid arc that does a great job starting to wrap the show up. Terror was always one of the more fun examples of a bad guy who mostly just stands around, and like a lot of this show's villain exits, his characterization here is the best it's ever been. You get a great grasp on who he is, and some of what he may or not have going on under the surface. The whole shtick of Shoutarou being paralyzed with fear just from being near Terror also allows the show to pay off not only everything it's built up with him not technically being Philip's ideal partner, but also things as far back as the question of whether or not he has the courage to ride with the devil. Just brilliant. Accel even fights a dumb CG monster as a dumb CG flying bike, and inexplicably, I find it totally works. I think the experience the effects guys were getting was starting to pay off by this point. All this was still wrapped around the usual format of doing a job for a client, by the way.
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11-10-2019, 12:27 AM | #15656 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Nearly a decade after I've seen it the first time, and Xtreme Dream kicking in as W takes on Terror and Accel turning into a big flaming 'A' in the sky is still the most hype thing in the world that sends me flying back from the screen from sheer excitement.
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11-10-2019, 05:46 PM | #15657 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Faiz 47-48:
I gotta say, Kaidou is something of the MVP of this whole final arc. Everyone else is dealing with all these huge problems, but he knows how to focus on what matters. He's out there looking after orphaned children, finding a promising new line of employment, heck, he even gets to rock a suit for a while. Some of these other characters should really take some inspiration from how much he's gotten his life together. I guess Murakami was trying that, to his credit, but all things considered, he probably could've been a bit more graceful about it. I know it's embarrassing as the CEO of a huge corporation to lose your job, but that's no excuse to hop on a heavily armed hover-bike and start shooting missiles at people. Being the best of the best means knowing how to quit while you're a head- uh, I mean ahead. Actually, on second thought, I guess dying to ensure the future of your race is a pretty classy exit. Clearly I've still got Paradise Lost on the brain, but one thing the TV series has on the movie is Mihara, who gets up to all kinds of adventures here. He's had his belt stolen, but he shows some gumption and immediately takes it back at the first opportunity, leaping straight back into action to get in on a sweet triple Rider Kick with Faiz and Kaixa. Which isn't even the only all-star team-up he's a part of this time, since Kaidou asks him for some backup later. Most people would probably want a break after all that excitement, but then most people aren't Mihara. では、最近休んでないファイズ翻訳ミスコーナーです~!今日の翻訳ミスはこれだ! 「折角だ……全員まとめて命もらうよ」 This is a fairly simple mix-up, but Kitazaki has just showed up with his Lucky Clover pals, looking to take out Teruo, in line with Smart Brain's current goal. He's not talking about his group being there, but rather saying that since Takumi (and Mari) are here too, they might as well just kill them all, even though they aren't the targets. They're kind of unscrupulous that way. W 47-48: I'm not crying, you're crying! *sniffle* I really love these episodes. Actually, I'm just going to come out and say upfront I consider episode 48 in particular to be a high point for this entire franchise, let alone Double. Like, everyone involved should just be extremely proud of having made it. But I should probably wind things back for a second. This arc is another one that gets basically everything right, starting with the basic premise, that, after an entire series that never deviated from the basic format, for this final two-parter, Philip is the client this time. Which means, on top of still keeping to the format, you get that obvious extra weight of this being something personal from the start. Once again, the partnership at the heart of the show is thrown into question, and just like every other time, the angle is totally unique and allows the show to explore its dual protagonists in new ways. While Philip drives the narrative forward, I think these episodes are ultimately a little more about Shoutarou. You get to see him at his absolute most half-boiled, in every sense of what that means, from his kindness to his coolness, as he spends the arc wrestling with indecision about transforming into Double one last time. Saying goodbye just isn't easy, after all. This is also a farewell for Saeko and Kazu, too, and in keeping with the show's high standards, they both get very satisfactory resolutions. Kazu in particular, for someone who entered the show so late, really owns these episodes, having a bizarre sort of charisma despite his entire gimmick being an inability to properly display emotion. Also like the other main villains, you end up with a more complex impression of him by the end, too. He's also crazy tough as Utopia, especially since Double ends up beating him largely by exploiting a loophole in how his powers work, which is clever. But, yeah, Shoutarou and Philip. This is kind of the ultimate possible story to do with them after a series, and the drama between the two here is hard not to get caught up in. There's a lot of raw emotion and nuance to it, given the nature of the thing they're arguing about. Shoutarou is upset in the first place because Philip is basically asking to die, and Philip, despite appreciating Shoutarou's concern, can't help but try to do something he needs to do. It's the kind of drama that works not only because you can see both sides, but because the characters themselves can too. So episode 48 is riding real high already by the time Shoutarou decides to accept his responsibility, donning the hat he's finally become worthy of wearing, and single-handedly destroying Utopia's whole operation with just himself and the Memory Gadgets. It's fist-pumpingly exciting stuff, and that carries right into the actual fight with Utopia, which is short but sweet. I've always especially loved the touch of how the transformation is choreographed. Having the Xtreme Memory kind of spin up a cyclone around the two of them as they're running to preserve the dramatic impact, rather than the usual thing of sucking up Philip, which might've hurt the mood. It's inspired, just like the entire farewell scene that comes after. The way it's shot is just brilliant. The subtle transition from the outside world to Double's usual mindspace. The decision to specifically not have Shoutarou looking at Philip. It's perfect. And so is everything else about the scene. Having the acoustic version of Cyclone Effect would've been cool anyway since it's Double's main insert theme, but the fact that the song just works so freakin' well as a ballad is a major bonus. It helps that the lyrics of the song, to begin with, avoided being about how strong and amazing Double is, like the usual fare, and were instead about how great it feels to have a great partner. This is all topped off by the actual performances of Ren Kiriyama and Masaki Suda, who really gave it their all, even more than usual. Kiriyama in particular is a master of pretending to cry, which is quite the talent to have in a scene this sad. Philip is a bit more subtle, since he's clearly trying to stay strong for Shoutarou's benefit, but by the end even he lets the facade slip a bit. The subsequent reveal of what Philip's gift to Shoutarou was that ends the episode is really what pushes things into straight up gut-punch territory though. Or like, double gut-punch territory, I guess. Establishing it around halfway into 47, before most of the drama, and then paying it off right at the end like that makes it that much more powerful of a moment, and a great way to show that these two will always be partners. Always.
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11-10-2019, 09:23 PM | #15658 |
天心の英雄たち
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Maryland
Posts: 939
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I've been wondering how you were going to feel about the ending episodes
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11-10-2019, 09:47 PM | #15659 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Nearly a decade later and I'm still bawling over everything from the W 48's climax onwards! It's too good...
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11-10-2019, 11:10 PM | #15660 |
天心の英雄たち
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Maryland
Posts: 939
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I even felt bad about Taboo.
Did not see that coming Imo 'W' is a very high mark for the franchise |
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