|
Community Links |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
05-09-2019, 03:00 PM | #15361 |
Avatar by: @autorun__exe
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Amsterdam
Posts: 409
|
I just finished Blade myself and honestly I don't have alot to add, show was great start to finish. And while some of the more meme worthy shots did kind of take me outta the show at times, the show has alot of heart and is sometimes breathtakingly good. And honestly, Zi-O's Blade tribute adds amazingly to this, and I'm gonna be sad when Zi-O ends with everything returning to normal, I do secretly hope Faiz and Blade's powers are kept so they actually get a happy end.
I'm just happy that unlike Ryuki and some of Faiz I was able to watch this without Tv-Nihon subs (No seriously what the fuck does It is time de gozaru mean? I asked people who speak/study Japanese and even they couldn't give me a straight answer as to what it means and why Tv-Nihon chose to keep it in fucking subs) Sadly I can't watch Hibiki yet due to me building a new PC, I found some Kabuto scrubs that I don't have to download so I'm happy with that. So Kabuto next! Last edited by Damienthathedge; 05-09-2019 at 03:20 PM.. |
05-09-2019, 06:19 PM | #15362 |
EVOLUTION KING
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Western NY
Posts: 57
|
^I am so supremely happy you watched Blade and loved it! I watched it a month ago myself, and it's easily a 9/10 and my absolutely favorite Rider show, period. I agree that when it's good, it's breathtakingly good and it's largely consistently good throughout the show! Also the single best endgame and finale in all of Rider IMO. If you want better subs for Ryuki and Faiz that aren't TVN Hit me up, I gotchu fam.
__________________
|
05-11-2019, 06:47 PM | #15363 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
|
Decided to start giving Hibiki a try as I wind down my last 5 Heisei Rider seasons.
Every single thing about that first episode was so, so weird and that opening scene felt like a fever dream; but I can't say I dislike it |
05-11-2019, 11:15 PM | #15364 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,426
|
You are in for a hell of a ride. Hang on, enjoy it, and stop after episode 29.
|
06-06-2019, 09:38 PM | #15365 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
|
With Zi-O getting close to its final stretch, a series of coincidentally well-timed events has once again pushed me into rewatching more Kamen Rider. Except this time, I might be going a bit overboard. You see, with an era of Rider coming to a close, it made sense to go back to the series that where it all began for me personally. While that idea was floating around in my head, we also got a brand new Ryuki special, i.e. the other show where it all began for me. Then, as though that weren't enough, it took me long enough to commit to this idea that we've worked our way up Zi-O's Den-O tribute. What do these three shows have in common? That's right, they're all written by Yasuko Kobayashi, who is, of course, a personal favorite of mine, which is probably inevitable, when both of the shows that got me huge into Tokusatsu were helmed by her. So what to do, besides watch them all again... AT ONCE!
Not literally, though. I'm not as cool as Kougami. But what I am doing is going two episodes at a time through Ryuki, Den-O, and OOO, in order, as part of a weird experiment I've wanted to try. Will watching these shows in such close proximity reveal new secrets about the way they compare and contrast? Will the evolution of the franchise over a decade become obvious to see? Will I go completely insane at some point during this process?! I don't know, but I feel like I've been in a bit of a slump when it comes to posting around here lately, and I've really missed talking about shows I'm watching in a kinda sorta blog style, so, assuming I can keep this up, I'm going to try in pop in here as often as possible to share some thoughts on each show as I do. Ryuki 1-2: I love this show so much. I'll have to try and restrain myself from repeating that too much because it goes without saying, but to this day, Ryuki really defines a whole lot of what I want to see in a Rider show. Ironic given what a huge departure from the formula it was at the time, but still. From stuff as central as the intense interpersonal drama between the Riders, to things as seemingly minor as the glass shattering effect when the opening starts playing, I just couldn't get enough of this show at the time. Especially the glass shattering thing. Stuff like the music in Kuuga and everything was cool too, but I'm convinced Ryuki is the entire reason I'm so obsessed with seeing Rider shows have a cool transition to their theme songs even now. Ryuki in general takes a lot of advantage of having mirror imagery everywhere, too. Even the episode titles (can you call them that if it's just the number?) are shown with a reflection. Anyways, the plot's just getting started, but these episodes definitely do a great job laying down the groundwork. You can tell this is basically the buddy cop Rider show because the first episode ends with Ryuki and Knight running away from explosions together. Universal film language for "these two mismatched guys are going to go through a lot together and probably end up as friends". I also like the effort put in to establish Shinji's character. We're introduced to him as the total goof that makes him stand out from the franchise's other leads, but even this early we start to see the layers that make him work so well as a protagonist, with him realizing the gravity of the Mirror Monsters killing people in the second episode. When he properly becomes Ryuki, he actually gets to look cool in the fight scene, too, in contrast to the utter humiliation that was his first "battle". I always loved that about Shinji. You could maybe argue the logic of him being competent enough right out of the gate to swat projectiles away and do sweet poses during his Rider Kick (man do I love his Rider Kick), but come on, he has to be good at something, right? Den-O 1-2: I'll say this to start! Of the three Riders Kobayashi wrote, Den-O is actually the one I consider my favorite. We'll see if that somehow changes, but something about this show is just magic to me. It's so insanely approachable and likable I've never once questioned why it did so well in Japan. The tone and style Den-O had, I think really informed the "Neo-Heisei" formula, but even now it stands on its own it terms of how quirky it is, while still telling reasonably serious stories. It's very character-driven, and when those characters have such well-defined personalities, simply watching them interact has a huge amount of mileage. The show makes it pretty clear right away by introducing Ryoutarou somehow stuck in a tree while on a bicycle that there's going to be a large amount of exaggeration to things, but that's what makes it all work. Everybody is just hyper-charged enough that it's impossible for them to be boring. In Ryoutarou's case, showing him being so impossibly pathetic at first also makes his arc that much more satisfying when it pays off. Still, Den-O also knows how to dial it back when appropriate, and the very first Victim of the Week arc has some surprisingly heavy emotion to it, considering it's so early into the series. I also didn't remember that part of the plot until I rewatched it, but the premise definitely explains why this show strikes such a chord with me. It takes guys like Drive and Wizard nearly a dozen episodes to save Christmas, but Den-O does it in two. I also adore the jazzy, easy listening background music, so that's another point in its favor. OOO 1-2: I'd be lying if I said this wasn't the best couplet of episodes I watched tonight, though. First of all, if we want to talk background music? I mean, the whole Ska thing? Pure perfection. Such a unique identity compared to the usual. But most importantly, you can tell Kobayashi's only gotten better at this over the years. The frantic pacing in these episodes is insanely tight compared to the slow burn of Ryuki or Den-O's leisurely attitude. Consequently, I feel like way more was established in way less time. We've got an introduction to our hero that tops even Ryoutarou's, interesting side characters, four villains with diverse, unique personalities, the renegade villain teaming up the protagonist, two different Monsters of the Week, an insanely memorable second episode climax, and somehow during all this they even make time to effortlessly establish things as minor as the etymology of OOO's name. Holy crap! The thing about OOO's is that even though, or perhaps, because it was literally the first Rider show I ever watched, as well as the one airing at the time (I think it was like halfway through when I started?), I've always taken it for granted. So every time I look back at it, with more and more context, I feel so, so lucky such a stellar show happened to be on the air at the time. Like, these first two episodes are straight up flawless on a level that almost rivals Kuuga. Even that aforementioned second episode climax is nearly on the level of Kuuga's famous transformation into Mighty Form, with some extremely strong character development from Eiji, and a unique fight scene to top it off. Seriously, is it any wonder I fell so head over heels for this franchise when one of my very first experiences with it was seeing a dude on a motorcycle riding on a bridge made of octopus robots to slice up a giant monster with a sword? You'd have to be heartless not to. The effects even look remarkably good considering how bad these things can go. Definitely a huge difference from that spider monster in Ryuki.
__________________
|
06-06-2019, 10:07 PM | #15366 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
|
Kobayashi is someone I'd rank as my favourite writer too! She's not just penned OOO and Den-O - my first and third favourite Rider series respectively - she also, somehow, managed to write some of my favourite Sentais in Go-Busters and Toqger as well. This woman is just too powerful for this Earth.
After I've finished Hibiki; the only Heisei Riders I won't have seen are Kuuga, Ryuki, Faiz and Blade. And while I plan to watch all four in air order, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking so so forward to Ryuki. I've heard so much good about it and it's done by my favourite writer, so there's a lot to look forward to there. That said, something odd I find in common with Kobayashi's shows in my experience is that while I like them at the time; I tend to think of them as kinda meh but then as time goes on, I begin to like them more and more -- OOO, Den-O and Go-Busters are shows that just kept getting better in retrospect the more I found myself thinking about them. So I'm fully preparing for myself to be shrugging at Ryuki on first viewing before finding myself singing its praises as the best show to ever exist come 2021. |
06-07-2019, 08:35 PM | #15367 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
|
Man, this has already turned out to be super fun. It's neat seeing how three very different shows still follow similar rhythms. Three very different shows that all somehow come back down to the good guy hero's interactions with a way less stand-up foil, and in this particular case, three two-parters revolving around defining those relationships.
Ryuki 3-4: Now, of course, the actual nature of those relationships varies a lot between the shows, and for Ryuki, Shinji and Ren's dynamic set a gold standard for Rider rivalries that's still being used all these years later. An antihero with an icy demeanor to contrast with a hotblooded protagonist was hardly something Ryuki invented, obviously, but certain cliches never go out of style, you know? This stuff makes for good drama, and when you're a show that can deliver it in a fairly nuanced way like Ryuki can, all the better. One thing that jumped out at me constantly as I was watching these episodes was how the show seems to almost go out of its way to avoid awkward info dumps, no matter how effective they might have been for exposition. There's no scene where somebody starts explaining things in elaborate detail all at once, which is something a lot of shows would not have qualms about doing early on. But these episodes do a great job at keeping the pacing feeling natural while still filling the viewer in on a lot. The beats the story hits lead logically into one another perfectly. It's easy to take for granted, but having Shinji start figuring out Ren's backstory by accidentally grabbing his necklace when they get into a fight is infinitely more interesting and true to the characters than if Yui or somebody just told him outright. One other little thing I want to mention is that in episode 3, we see Shinji specifically learn from a mistake he made fighting Knight while battling the Mirror Monster. It's another one of Shinji's many awesome moments, and the way he earns it makes it even cooler. It's another sign that's he not as stupid as he looks. Den-O 3-4: Similarly, Ryoutarou gets to show a shocking amount of spine here, sticking up for himself when Momotaros starts taking advantage of him, and ultimately earning his respect in the end. These episodes are simple but great. Being able to summarize the plot in one sentence like that just shows how focused it is, and watching it all play out is tons of fun. This two-parter embodies pretty much everything that makes me love Den-O. Funny jokes, heartwarming character moments, and a little touch of bittersweetness with the Victim of the Week plot to add the all-important emotional texture to the story. I also have a soft spot for Plat Form, so seeing it get some good use is an easy win for me. Real good stuff. I'm also already impressed all over again by both Takeru Satoh and Seiji Takaiwa's ability to play multiple characters, and they're only up to two so far. Which, I mean, is kind of a lot anyway, but this is Den-O we're talking about. For Takaiwa especially, I have to imagine playing Zi-O Trinity is a cakewalk after making it through this show. OOO 3-4: Once again though, it's impossible to deny that OOO is wearing the crown here. It's basically all the good points of those other two shows and then some. Meaning it's packed with crap happening. There's no way I could possibly cover it all. Just like with Den-O, these episodes have always stuck out in my memory and encapsulate the series they're a part of completely, which in this case means strong themes, strong characters, strong action, strong incorporation of the merchandise into the story, a strong story in general... It's just strong, okay? I genuinely can't think of any particular elements to single out because everything is on such a high level. The only thing I can think to mention is how bummed it always makes me when OOO whiffs on that Rider Kick. Poor guy gets such a cool finishing move, barely gets to use it, and then when he does, he almost never kills any monsters with it. It's so sad.
__________________
|
06-08-2019, 01:50 PM | #15368 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,426
|
You're going to find that Den-O is a lot more formulaic than the other two. The first third of the show is basically "two-parter that introduces new Imagin" -> "two-parter that develops new Imagin" -> repeat. It's still a really fun show, but it is pretty repetitive early on.
|
06-08-2019, 06:16 PM | #15369 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
|
Ryuki 5-6:
Alright, now we're talking! Move over, Leangle, these episodes debut the REAL Strongest Rider, my man Scissors. Or as I like to call him, Snip Snip McMonster-Nip. ... Yeah, let's just go with Scissors. In all seriousness, though, I genuinely do love the guy. The impact he has for only appearing in two episodes is huge, and probably not just for me, either. I don't think only being an ironic joke is enough to get you a Ride Watch ahead of a million way more long-lived characters. This story arc is really the first time Ryuki makes it clear how things are going to go. Before this, for all the fuss they make, Ren and Shinji going at it doesn't seem too different from Agito's Riders butting heads, right? What's the big deal? And then along comes this guy, who is called a Kamen Rider despite being a serial killing psychopath, and manages to get himself killed horribly shortly after his debut. This one character essentially completely rewrote the book on what a Kamen Rider was all by himself. So even if Cronus had way more endurance, even if Evol was more successful in his goals, or even if Duke was more of a jerk, they all owe something to this guy. So pay your respects, alright? These episodes are great, and even ignoring the context of the franchise, they stand on their own. Highlights include Shinji getting awesome dramatic entrances as Ryuki in both of them, as well as Knight clearly being distraught watching Scissors die, further fleshing out the mystery of his character and giving the scene more weight than the simple shock of it happening. Den-O 5-6: These episodes are good too, but, unfortunately, it's hard not for Urataros to look lame next to a cool guy like Scissors. Although the monster in this arc IS, coincidentally or not, also a crab. So that's one more secret I wouldn't have caught if I wasn't watching these shows together. Ura is an extremely fun character, of course. He's the natural foil for Momo from his personality to his color scheme, so the show can only benefit from having him around. OOO 5-6: These episodes are terrible because there's no crab monster. Boo! Come on, Kobayashi, you had a perfect opportunity for the hat trick. Despite this glaring issue, I will, ever so begrudgingly, admit that there's a lot to like about these episodes. Like the continued exploration of the theme of desire in a remarkably nuanced way. Or Kougami firmly establishing himself as the man. Or GataKiriBa's awesome debut. Or that famous shot of OOO pretending a vending machine is a bike (which was even in the opening for the episode!). Oh, who am I kidding, these episodes are fantastic as always for this show. Speaking of GataKiriBa, now that I'm past both the first instance of OOO losing a Medal (which I forgot to mention last time) and the debut of the first Combo, I should really elaborate on how utterly insane it is how naturally all the merch fits into this show. I don't know if Kobayashi learned a lot from writing Shinkenger's onslaught of robots or what, but all the stuff in OOO doesn't only work, it frequently works on multiple levels. Let's just look at how much the simple idea of the heroes and villains trading out medals accomplishes for a second. One, it streamlines OOO's options, making things easier to digest for the viewer. Two, it also limits his options, creating potential interesting dilemmas during fights. Three, it creates excitement when OOO finally gets his hands on a new medal or just an old favorite you haven't seen in a while. Four, the villains can lose or gain huge amounts of power at any given time, naturally shifting them in or out of the spotlight. Five, the very concept of everybody running around desperately grabbing for these things inherently fits the thematic concept of OOO as a story about want. I could probably think of some more, too, but you get the idea. This show is amazing. I'm actually kind of angry at it right now because I feel like I'm making Den-O look terrible by comparison with how little I had to say about it in this post. But there's just no getting around it. OOO is amazing. Oh, believe me, I don't need to go on any time trippin' ride back through the show to find that out. When I first watched Den-O, I actually got burnt out on it right before Zeronos' debut and it wasn't until I came back probably a couple months later that I truly started to fall in love with it. It was long enough ago I don't remember the details (like if it had to do with something outside the show as well), but it definitely felt like a bit of a slog to get through for a bit there.
__________________
|
06-08-2019, 06:32 PM | #15370 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
|
Quote:
Bat Imagin = Knight Chameleon Imagin = Verde Crust Imagin = Scissors Crow Imagin = Odin Rhino Imagin = Gai I don't think there's any actual deeper connection beyond just choosing species - for all I know there might be some small references hidden in the motives of the characters of the week? Like I said, haven't watched Ryuki yet, so I woldn't know - but it's a cute nod nonetheless. |
|
TokuNation News & Rumors |
Kakuranger: 30 Years After |
ToyRise RyuKenDo |
Alternative Cut of "Day Of The Dumpster" Released |
Shodo SUPER Kyoryuger Teaser |
Figuarts/Seihou GRIDMAN |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:42 AM.
|