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12-07-2020, 11:39 PM | #121 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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So, just to pull a complete 180 from talking about my inability to truly connect with characters in Kabuto, can I just take some time out to say I really, really love Hiyori? Back in the Hibiki thread, I mentioned there was one particular moment, in episode 31, one image, that was burned right into my brain as much as anything else in the series despite not being anything grand or important at a glance. That picture above is that for this show. Hiyori just slouching over on the street, ready to pass out from sheer stress, that's something that's always majorly stuck with me from this show. I could guess at a few reasons why. A character in any show suffering from this level of extreme social anxiety is just not something I've seen a whole lot of, and that would mean this one little moment was more fresh to me than any amount of high-speed bugmen could ever be. Another reason is that, specifically because she has that kind of personality, I have an extraordinarily easy time sympathizing with Hiyori's troubles. Again, this matter would've been more pressing to me than any amount of Kagami being in generic monster danger. (On which note, I'm sort of surprised it wasn't for Tendou, too.) Hiyori as a character has always kind of fascinated me because she's so utterly unlike any typical type of Rider heroine. She doesn't smile and look pretty, she's not some tough firecracker out there speaking her mind, and she doesn't provide emotional support to anyone, because if anything, she's the one that needs that kind of help. Hiyori, the depressive recluse, obssesively drawing her weird fairy pictures while somehow managing to be even more blunt and uncivil in her speech than Tendou himself. In a show that was essentially created to play it as safe as possible after Hibiki, Hiyori's characterization strikes me as something unconventional. Like Die, I give a lot of credit to Yui Satonaka for managing to put a lot of the life into the character just through a shocking amount of subtle variations on the same bored facial expression, but to stop beating around the bush for a second, I honestly just like Hiyori because I've been in those shoes at times and it doesn't take any extra work to empathize with that on my part. She is a shining beacon of relatability to me in the sea of much louder eccentrics that is the cast of Kabuto. ...On which note, yeah, all the ZECT stuff in this one had me outright giggling with how transparently dumb it is. At least their plan to capture Kabuto is so absurd you won't think about the implications of the show casually introducing the idea that Kagami has some kind of Worm-identifying thermal goggles? One much more favorable random thought I had was that a lot of the filming locations seemed different than usual, and rather pleasant to look at? 5 and 6 were directed by Takao Nagaishi, who apparently does have some kind of reputation for putting more thought into that usual, so it might not have been my imagination. As for Die's question... I mean... I wouldn't be hypothetically opposed to going to a flower expo? Although if there are any sword lilies there, I might start crying about Kenzaki again and have to go sit on a bench to calm down... which would only make things worse... You know what, let me just drop that question for the one I forgot to answer at first, which is ironically the one Die forgot to ask at first: my favorite sibling relationship in Kamen Rider is... er, one I'm not allowed to talk about yet. Dang, I don't have any good answers right now.
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12-07-2020, 11:45 PM | #122 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I can't talk about my favourite sibling relationship yet either, and I can't even tell if it's the same one as everyone else!
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12-07-2020, 11:58 PM | #123 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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If Tendou invited me to a flower expo, I'd be interested even if I expect him to spend the whole time showing off his vast knowledge of plants.
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12-08-2020, 12:05 AM | #124 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,481
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I went to a fungus expo once that was a decent time so a flower expo could be interesting. Flowers are cool, and have lots of interesting aspects to them.
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12-08-2020, 12:25 AM | #125 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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You mentioned the closing part as the most memorable aspect of this episode, but for me it's the scene where Hiyori's making her way to Tokyo Tower. It's (oh man I'm tearing up right now where is this coming from) so difficult for her to be doing this. She's looking at no one, trying to block out the reality of her environment. It's like she's on the surface of the moon. All of her body language is tight, shielding, insular. She's nearly a black hole, pulling herself into the crushing depths of her fear. But she's walking. She's going to this flower show. Purposefully, arduously, she's doing it. And then she bumps into a stroller that a woman is pushing. The stroller's jostling makes a baby start to cry. And then she's back in that rubble, crying for her parents to save her. And it's all too much: too loud, too open, too present. And then she thinks of Tendou. He's waiting for her at Tokyo Tower. It's going to be alright, because Tendou said he'd make it alright. He's so sure of himself. He's honest; horribly so, but never deceptive. It's going to be alright. She just needs to keep going. So she does. She overcomes every single cell in her body that's telling her to quit. She keeps moving. She makes it to Tokyo Tower. It doesn't end great for Hiyori, obviously. It's heartbreaking to see her so anxious, so scared. To see her convinced that Tendou's forgotten her, failed her. But, god, that moment when she overcomes everything in her head that wants her to curl into a ball, when instead she soars... it's so great. So, yeah, you can talk about Hiyori as much as you want. Quote:
You know what, let me just drop that question for the one I forgot to answer at first, which is ironically the one Die forgot to ask at first: my favorite sibling relationship in Kamen Rider is... er, one I'm not allowed to talk about yet. Dang, I don't have any good answers right now.
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I got a friend who keeps wanting to check out a nature museum in the city (which is a no-go right now), and it doesn't sound that bad! Not my first pick for a museum, but I think it could be a nice visit.
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12-08-2020, 04:13 AM | #126 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,547
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And talking of casting, the guy playing Kagami’s dad was recently in the movie Kamen Rider the First, which shared a lot of the crew with this series. And it’s not the last connection the show will draw to that movie and it’s sequel (which is the only Rider project to be labelled a horror show). He later appeared as Strategist Reidar in Super Hero Taisen Z, the one everyone seems to forget. (Seriously, any discussion of those movies never mentions that one) |
12-08-2020, 01:09 PM | #127 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
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He's a complicated guy! It takes a lot of different words to describe him! For this story, it's less about Tendou being an asshole and more about him figuring out how to be friends with Kagami. There's a lot of friction in this story, and no small amount is because of Tendou not having Kagami as figured out as he thought.
(There's a bit from 03 that I really liked, where Kagami starts to tell his Tragic Backstory, and, like, halfway through you can see Tendou mentally go Tragic Backstory, Yep, Got It and check out. He's not used to people being more complicated than he predicted!) Those words teaches people to normalize unhealthy relationships, that mean or aggressive behavior towards another person is an acceptable way to show affection. BTW, if Tendou's really trying to "make friends" and it's how he acts then, it does happen for those having social problems; and it comes not only in form of those aren't talkative enough. Quote:
KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 05
Truegami, Agito's The Real Shouichi Tsugami, is back on a Rider show, so that’s neat. He wasn’t ever my guy on the other two shows he was on, but it’s fun to see him back in the mix, playing a secretive scientist/soldier with no regard for the human cost of his mission. So, same old, same old. But I always like his hair! Positivity! Quote:
I like spending more time fleshing out Hiyori. Her sullen nature could come off one-note, but I think the actor does a great job bringing little inflections to her various deflections. Hiyori’s someone who’s so terrified at being hurt again that she makes it impossible to truly feel safe. When Tendou reaches out to her, reaching back is the riskiest thing she’s ever done. That conflict, between her wanting to be happy and feeling safer being miserable, I think that’s a fascinating story to tell.
And, hey, it gives Tendou a chance to show the benefits of his limitless confidence. It’s just fun to be around someone like that, someone who can sell you Everything’s Going To Be Fine. It’s hard to have that kind of easy charm, and Tendou’s got it. We usually see him using it to remind everyone how great he is, and it’s a pleasant turn to have him use it to draw Hiyori out of her shell. That’s nice. And also, it's clear that Hiyori is seemingly currently blameless in her predicament, it's the type of People Have Bad Shit Happen To Them For No Reason, which you're against in Blade thread? Hiyori's so far is a victim and this shows the consequences for her; the meteor hit Shibuya and killed her family, and by that she seemingly got wreked, with her social anxiety, depression, grumpiness, obsession to her drawing, etc. and so far, by that she seems not to care much about surroundings, as she seemingly sees life as meaningless. And for her potentially feeling safer being miserable; this brings back to the drama article which talked about it in disastrous consequences (this is outside Hiyori or those in Kabuto); where another reason is that they become so accustomed to the negativity that positivity becomes alien. Quote:
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And that’s not even getting into the random, one-scene appearance of Kagami’s dad, which is clearly setting up later stories without making its presence here feel necessary; how weirdly airless and basic Hiyori’s should-have-been devastating flashback was; the fact that no one on this show has a cellphone (AT LEAST HIBIKI CALLED IT OUT), which would’ve solved half the problems in the episode; and ZECT’s baffling hierarchy, which provides little to no documentation or coordination between divisions, treating a militarized organization of nebulous authority as something more like a collective of terrorist cells.
It’s a dull episode, and while I liked a few things in it (Tendou, Hiyori, the restaurant manager immediately kicking herself for believing in Kagami, the fact that Kagami’s dad asks him if he’s been eating because your parents will never ever stop asking you that no matter how old you get or how long you’ve lived on your own), I thought this episode was pretty forgettable. There's a thing at the end where the show is trying (I think) to parallel Tendou stepping into ZECT's trap with Hiyori waiting at the flower show, but it's... I don't know. I can squint really hard and maybe see some connective tissue, but there's not much incentive for me to do so. This was all a big step down from last time. Quote:
A QUESTION
Sally, the owner/manager/head chef/whatever of La Salle, tries to get Kagami to take Hiyori to a flower show. It’s an attempt to brighten the day of the otherwise withdrawn and monosyllabic Hiyori. Obviously, Hiyori has a (deeply obscured) fascination with floriculture, so she’s interested in attending. How would you feel about attending a flower expo? Fun day out, or a total nightmare? (NOTE: Hypothetical question! I am not inviting you to a flower expo! These tickets were already bought before I asked! It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be a date!)
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12-08-2020, 09:44 PM | #128 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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I'd actually expect similar reaction of what you did to Saya from Faiz... or Yuka at first, which I want to explain about louder eccentric isn't the sole way of acting (and having only that as your trait is equally one-noted) and those that aren't like that is cited as bad acting, monotone as in unable to emote (I've seen Hiyori's getting that as a flak), and bad acting or "no personality", which is just a lazy and egocentric view of people and a very superficial judgement.
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The problem is that Truegami does, but his method for achieving it is nonsensical. The only way it works if ZECT can predict, with 100% accuracy, when and where the Worm is going to strike. That is something they've never ever ever shown an ability to do. Also, it requires the Worm to show up someplace, kill one person, and then leave. In almost all of their previous appearances, the Worm show up in groups, and the potential for mass casualties (if the Worm moved to a large population center) is high. Here, it requires the Worm to have no particular goal or hurry, and for ZECT to be practically prescient. It's a ton of things that have to break Truegami's way for the trap to have any chance of working, and that's not great writing. Sometimes there are jokes!
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12-09-2020, 07:12 PM | #129 |
New Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 71
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ZECT's organization as shown here is, uh. Not the show's best aspect, not by a long shot. This episode, the first time I saw it, made me seriously doubt my much-improved listening skills, because there was no way I was correctly interpreting the plan. (spoiler: 2006 me was not wrong after all) I can't tell, by the way, if this particular Worm's method of mummifying its victims is rather Agito-esque or if I just think that because of Trugami.
Hiyori, though, I loved her the first time I watched Kabuto and I love her now, watching it again so I can follow the discussion posts. Definitely my favorite on this show, and I think a lot of it absolutely is down to the actor giving it depth with her nonverbal communication. She's so good. re: flower expo - there's an orchid show not far from where I live that I've gone to every spring, and I'm finally hopeful that I won't miss it next time after all, lol A flower expo is a lovely place to go, full of pretty pretty things to look at, and even more fun if you go with someone who will tell you about the flowers. Definitely a thumbs up for the flower expo |
12-09-2020, 07:18 PM | #130 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I love how many rewatches this is inspiring -- if I wasn't taking on so much as is, I probably would too!
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