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12-05-2020, 08:51 PM | #91 |
I have a problematic type
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On the other hand, I'd actually argue Fourze prioritizes Gentarou and Kengo's growing friendship over anyone else in the KRC. Major episodes in that show tended to put them at the forefront, and then there's the whole thing with the letter in the first and last episodes.
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12-05-2020, 09:03 PM | #92 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
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Would like to add that saba-no-misoni/miso-braised mackerel is some good stuff. I had it a long time ago at a restaurant and still to this day remember it being really delicious.
Last edited by Sunred; 12-10-2020 at 06:30 AM.. |
12-06-2020, 04:34 AM | #93 |
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I think I’ll bring up this episode’s guest stars since no-one else did.
One of them is Kusaka. The other one is Mika Kikuchi, better known as Koume “Umeko” Koudo/DekaPink from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger. This is one of two appearances she makes in a Kamen Rider production (the other was as a newsreader in Heisei Generations, conspicuously when the Dekaranger cast was reuniting for another movie within a few months) Also, I think this episode is where those “after credits scenes” I was talking about on the first page start. I think that since you’re probably not watching them, I’ll just give an overview. They’re basically specially filmed commercial bumpers designed to tell people to stick around for the next show GoGo Sentai Boukenger, Super Sentai’s offering to the big anniversary year that was 2006. Eventually it gets to the point where characters from the two shows interact. |
12-06-2020, 06:42 AM | #94 |
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They’re basically specially filmed commercial bumpers designed to tell people to stick around for the next show GoGo Sentai Boukenger, Super Sentai’s offering to the big anniversary year that was 2006. Eventually it gets to the point where characters from the two shows interact.
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12-06-2020, 10:48 AM | #95 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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!!! At first I was like, crushed that I didn't recognize him. But then I realized that they covered up his eyebrows, which is basically the same as putting him in a mask. That's cheating! Thanks for spotting him!
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12-06-2020, 03:27 PM | #96 |
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It’s a pretty fun story, despite only really having a couple moves. (Boy, if you don’t immediately figure out that the Yuki who doesn’t talk to anyone and runs away is actually the real Yuki and not the Worm… well, you’re probably not a grown adult and thus more likely to be in this show’s actual demographic and hi welcome to how weird adults can be about the shows that are made for you.) Yuki’s on the run, and Yuki’s in prison. Misaki and Kagami are tasked with determining which is the Worm and eliminating it, which leads to Tendou, the law of Conservation of Energy made flesh, just putting the two Yukis in one space to see which one murders the other. It’s not a terribly complex setup, which is appropriate for an episode that actually spends more time making a case for itself tonally than the introductory story did!
Like, there’s some backstory stuff here (Kagami recaps some details about Shibuya and ZECT, but mostly he’s foreshadowing his But Why Heroism story), but the main thing we get in this episode is wall-to-wall Kagami and Tendou, and A THOUSAND PERCENT YES. Quote:
I mean, that whole prison break scene! It’s Kagami flustered and terrified of getting in trouble, while Tendou’s just calmly walking through the police station, living the creed that Being In Trouble Is A Fake Idea. Tendou could not care less about the laws of man, and Kagami is trapped in this conundrum of Definitely Illegal But Getting Results. It’s this ridiculous combination of men that somehow, inexplicably, succeed.
It’s incredibly charming, and I haven’t even talked about the aces action involved in it. Tendou takes out a squadron of cops by using their movements against them, letting their anger and confusion eliminate them as obstacles in Tendou’s path. It’s thrilling and comedic in equal measures, highlighting how supremely chill Tendou is as he takes what wants. It’s, easily, the best action sequence this show has had yet, and it doesn't involve a single rubber suit. And then they end it with not one but TWO defining Kabuto moments. The first is that Tendou 100% leaves Kagami inside the police station, and then seems slightly amused that Kagami couldn’t escape a half-dozen cop dogpile quicker. (Which, how did Kagami get out? Is he actually that good?) It’s maybe Tendou having faith that Kagami could extricate himself on his own (and he could!), but I feel like it’s not some small part Tendou sort of forgetting to take Kagami with him? I don’t think he forgot forgot, but Is Kagami Going To Be Okay was probably pretty far down Tendou’s decision-making matrix. Quote:
A QUESTION
While the good/bad split setup isn’t sticking around (too confining!), I do still want to keep asking questions for these episodes. The heart of this episode, for me at least, was the mismatched buddy cop dynamic of Tendou and Kagami. There are bunches of other Rider shows with a great core duo (OOO, obviously, but also Build, W, Ryuki, and more); but we’ve also seen plenty of shows with a more ensemble cast (Ex-Aid, Fourze, Drive). My question to you is which type of setup do you prefer, all else being equal: a core duo or a broader ensemble? Quote:
I definitely used to be a Kabuto hater! Well... maybe not 'definitely', I eventually realised it was just "dislike", and very recently it backed down to "I just kinda don't care about it aside from [SPOILERS] and [SPOILERS]".
In my experience it very much stems from Tendou -- fittingly for who inspired him, he's a character you either love or you hate; and for me I just really don't like him -- following on from that, yeah, the people who do hate Kabuto will more than likely cite Tendou as their first reason. Does his personality toe the line between obnoxious and likable enough for you to enjoy him? Does he overstep that line and just become an unshakeably unlikeable asshole in your eyes? Honestly, I'm kinda stunned to have found out Inoue inspired him because writing that out it's amazing how much I'm echoing similar sentiments said about 555. Fun fact: among those who dislike Tendou as a character? ... Tendou's actor. Don't quote me on this but I think he's actually turned down re-appearances as Tendou for that reason. From what I hear he'd be up for it these days if he wasn't busy with his career in America, but back in the day he did not like this character!
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12-06-2020, 04:00 PM | #97 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Jerk is a... synonym for asshole anyway? I think, villain is the term you're looking for those outright on malicious territory anyway. And jerk =/= evil; most of jerks/assholes are neutral characters/people or less noble good guys for those doing hero activities, although most villains (those that are outright malicious) are jerks to some degree. It's like the analogy where all lions (villains) are mammals (jerks), but not all mammals (jerks) are lions (villains).
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Another one of Tendou's ability is his uncanny ability to figure out Worm disguises. And disguise ability can be arguably more dangerous than monster's superhuman prowess as shown here, where the Worm Yuki which acted with more distress is convincing enough for Tendou to break free, and if she hadn't revealed her disguise, she'll probably wander somewhere and continue preying as Worm unprovoked. Or probably Tendou did actually know, and he broke her out so that he can fight her off and destroy her.
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12-06-2020, 04:19 PM | #98 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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He definitely didn't know. His mildly bemused dialogue when the Worm reveals itself suggests he was making no particular assumptions, which, of course, directly contrasts with Kagami hastily jumping to a mistaken conclusion.
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12-06-2020, 06:54 PM | #99 |
I have a problematic type
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The other one is Mika Kikuchi, better known as Koume “Umeko” Koudo/DekaPink from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger. This is one of two appearances she makes in a Kamen Rider production (the other was as a newsreader in Heisei Generations, conspicuously when the Dekaranger cast was reuniting for another movie within a few months)
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12-07-2020, 12:09 AM | #100 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 04
Some insane swings in this episode, the arc of it. It starts off pretty light, with some really compelling world-building that's doused in some immaculate comedy. But then there's this middle part, where it's a little rushed, a little hard to ignore some narrative problems. And then there's an ending that just goes for it, and sells some big ideas with some incredibly brave drama. It makes for an episode that's way stronger than I thought it would be, and one that feels like the dramatic equivalent to last episode's comedic highlight. Both episodes, last one and this one, really try to build out the most horrific thing about the Worm: they replace people. The Clock Up stuff is bad, and the various murders are not a plus, but the idea that they can copy you completely? To use your life, your hopes and dreams, as leverage against the people you care about? That the very memory of you can be weaponized? Terrifying. It's Kagami who gets the worst of it this episode, and... can I just say how weird it feels to do this story as the fourth episode? It is a rough road Kagami travels down in this one, and we've only just gotten to know him. It's a story that, honestly, shouldn't work. The degree of difficulty on landing some of these beats this early on in a series... it is foolish to attempt. That it worked at all is luck. That it worked this well is an actor's skill. Because chunks of this story are difficult to buy into. Kagami's brother Ryou returns after a two-year unexplained absence, with zero explanation (he needed to get away?) and a ton of circumstantial evidence from years ago that points to him being murdered. But Kagami is so blinded by joy that he's convinced himself that everything's fine. Tendou sees the obvious, that Ryou is definitely a Worm sent to manipulate (or murder and replace) a ZECT operative, so he throws the info to ZECT with the hope that they'll do what Kagami clearly can't. A big part of this story hinges on Kagami's grief and joy being so overwhelming that he can't/won't presume that he's being manipulated, and... I mean, it barely works. The actor works his ass off to not make that self-deception read as ignorance, but man is it close. It's not until ZECT tells Kagami that they're going to go murder his Not Brother that he seems to begin to grapple with the truth, and it's tough to buy it. The show gets away with it mostly from performance, but also because the point of the story isn't the mystery, it's the misery. I mean, of course Ryou's a Worm. The reveal of it is, like, seven minutes before the end of the episode. It's not a story about if Ryou's a Worm, because duh. It's a story about all of the rage that Kagami carries around, all of the despair he feels for losing his brother, all of the ways he'd give anything to have him back again. See, the Worm use Ryou specifically because all of that anger and sadness that Kagami feels, it gives them power over him. He misses the obvious, and he can't protect himself. Even as they're about to replace him with a Worm, there's this appeal to his need to have his brother back. The memory of his brother becomes more important than his own life, especially if the cost of surviving is the death of that memory. Kagami's falling, and the only thing left to hang onto is a monster with his brother's memories. And that's when Tendou shows up. It's a tricky episode for Tendou's character. He's got to take a back seat in this one, and nearly every time he tries to assert himself in the story it makes him less heroic. He's forcing Kagami to move faster than he's able, pushing him to resolve his emotional issues to Tendou's schedule. There's even less flexibility to Tendou than usual, and it's making his friendship (his sister's right, he's totally Kagami's friend) with Kagami even more frayed than when Tendou charged cases of mackerel to him. (WHO DOES THAT?!) Some of it is specific to Tendou, in a way that isn't instantly likable (or even comprehensible), but comes together in retrospect. Kagami was obviously lying to himself about Ryou being a Worm, and Tendou's got just zero patience for that. It's clear what's happening, and Kagami's being willfully obtuse in not seeing it. But when Tendou sees how much the act of seeing Ryou again is punishing Kagami, how impossible the idea of killing what remains of his brother is, Tendou sacrifices himself to make Kagami see the truth. He takes a beating from Ryou's memory. He could fight back, but he doesn't. He won't just murder the memory of Ryou. That would be effective, but needlessly cruel. He sees the strength of Kagami's convictions (he felt it, in that earlier punch that he 100% had coming) and he respects them. This isn't about teaching Kagami that he was weak, it's asking him to be strong. He needs Kagami to acknowledge that the memory of Ryou is dangerous. It's a memory that will destroy Kagami, given enough time. Kagami can't raise a hand to his brother, even the memory of his brother. But he can ask Kabuto to do the merciful thing and let Ryou's memory stop haunting him. So we get this beautifully-done fight in Clock Up, where Kabuto fights between the raindrops, sparing Kagami the worst of it. The fight against Ryou's memory is invisible to everyone but Kabuto. There's the detonation, of course, as the message to Kagami that it's done. The flames lighting up Ryou's face, one last time. It's a chance to say goodbye to his brother, one he never got before. And it leads to this final connection between Kagami and Tendou, which... again, this is the fourth episode. This is the sort of shit you pull in the final third of the whole series, not two minutes after the cast first meets. Insane to do this now. But, holy hell, it's a triumph. Kagami is beside himself with grief. He's mad at the Worm, he's mad at himself, and he's mad at Tendou. It's hard to say what's in his head, entirely, but I think he thinks Tendou must be laughing at him. Smug as ever in his superiority. He was right, and now Ryou's dead for good. Stupid ol' Kagami, screwed it up again. So he swears to Tendou that he'll surpass him, that the days of Tendou being right and perfect, and Kagami being a punchline, those days are numbered. And Tendou stops, picks up the charred baseball that symbolized the connection between Kagami and Ryou... and throws it to Kagami. It's Tendou giving witness to what Kagami's lost, and the bravery in making that choice. The toxic memory of Ryou is gone, but the positive one can still be a part of Kagami's life. But it's also Tendou saying I'm Here. It's an olive branch, a first step in a friendship. If Kagami, with that killer punch, wants to be better than Tendou? If that's what'll help him move on from this loss? Tendou will be waiting for that moment. Maybe even with pride.
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