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10-12-2020, 11:58 AM | #251 |
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KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 18 - “UNRELENTING HURRICANE”
So, we can end the series here, right? I can’t imagine why you’d need any more of this show. It’s perfect, and beautiful, and prolonging it is just diminishing it. This one… god, what can I even say? Ostensibly an Ibuki spotlight, this episode casts its net far and wide, giving every character (except Todoroki, who is busy with a physical) a chance to demonstrate their worth to not just this narrative, but the entire concept of Kamen Rider Hibiki. This episode is a love letter to everyone who considers themselves a fan of this show. While the last episode felt like something made just for me, this one feels like an episode for all of us. Quote:
There’s some time spent narrowing down its location, but it’s not just eating up the clock. It’s time where Kasumi gets to see Ibuki in his element. Far from the flirty, deferential boy she’s known all her life, Ibuki’s positive attitude and helpfulness inform his heroism, allowing him to bravely face the unknown. All of the times he’s asked Kasumi for her advice, it was because he knew that she was more knowledgeable about those things. When it comes to fighting monsters, that’s his job, and he’s good at it. He doesn’t, like, Find His Spine or anything. He knows where his strengths lie, and he’s able to feel confident in his skills.
It’s a slightly weird story, since it succeeds or fails based on how much you can put yourself in Kasumi’s shoes. 95% of the time we’ve spent with Ibuki has been as an Oni, frequently on active assignment. He’s never seemed to be incapable, or childish. But that’s how Kasumi remembers him, not as some resolute hero. Her gradual realization is what gives the final act its turn, and I think it managed to work out great. It’s tough, though. The series doesn’t do a terrific job of building up to this, basically giving us an episode and a half to hear about Ibuki as something other than a kick-ass superhero. If any part of this episode comes close to not working, it’s that turn. But, shit, worked on me! A lot of it is how the actors played it. Kasumi never seems to treat Ibuki like a screw-up, so it’s more her seeing where he feels confident, than anything else. And Ibuki never loses that kind smile, never loses his admiration for Kasumi, but once he knows that he needs to take down the Makamou, he’s very clearly in I’ve Got This mode. It’s not huge shifts to either character, but subtle recalibrations towards greater understanding. The other Ibuki moment is just before he enters the stormdrain. He doesn't have his weapon and is about to confront a monster he doesn't know how to deal with. Kasumi thinks he should wait for Hibiki and Akira but Ibuki feels responsible for protecting the city from Oonamazu and waiting would just increase the risk of more losses. His speech to Kasumi before entering is very heroic in a way that hasn't been explored in the show yet, due to the lack of urgency in sparsely populated rural areas. Ibuki has the burden of a whole city to protect and he needs to act now, since that's what a hero should do. It's a great way to prove to Kasumi how independent he is, despite seeming less competent in social situations. It's this moment that allows her to see him a new light and respect him more. Quote:
That final sequence, with Ibuki and Hibiki versus the giant anglerfish, it’s a winner. The score as Ibuki walks through the wreckage of the final episode of Faiz (such a great set), it makes this battle seem climactic, not just for the episode but for his character. Him triumphing over the monster almost entirely on his own, short a brief save by Hibiki, it's the perfect finale for this story. Not a ton of moves to it, but what’s here is fantastic.
The fight itself is even better and says a lot about Ibuki, this time as a fighter. Having Oonamazu's stomach act as its own MOTW, in addition to the Makamou itself, is a great way to have both a regular size fight and a giant monster fight in the same scene. When Hibiki arrives to back him up with Reppu against the stomach, Ibuki insists on finishing the Oonamazu himself, despite a Percussion Oni being better equipped to deal with it. It's a matter of his pride as an Oni and diligence that convinces Hibiki to step aside and let him handle it. Quote:
It’s that final scene that made this episode feel unbeatable. That moment where everyone’s safe and happy after a rough day. Not the usual Kamen Rider thing where they’re happy to have survived a war, but the simple pleasure of relaxing with friends after you worked hard. There’s no trauma to overcome (well, maybe later for Akira), just camaraderie and comfort.
I loved this whole episode. It was so pure and joyful, brimming over with good people and kindness. I haven’t even watched the Next Episode tag yet. I just… I want to hold onto this feeling for a little bit longer. This is the Kamen Rider Hibiki I’ll always try to remember. Quote:
Oh yeah trivia time! This location is the Metropolitan Area Outer Ubdergroubd Discharge Channel and it actually off limits to the public for most of the year but there select times throught the years that tourist can enter. It's a really cool location and gave a great contrast to our usual Hibiki fights.
Good thing the water will break your fall.
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10-12-2020, 12:07 PM | #252 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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His speech to Kasumi before entering is very heroic in a way that hasn't been explored in the show yet, due to the lack of urgency in sparsely populated rural areas. Ibuki has the burden of a whole city to protect and he needs to act now, since that's what a hero should do. It's a great way to prove to Kasumi how independent he is, despite seeming less competent in social situations. It's this moment that allows her to see him a new light and respect him more.
He's going down the ladder to fight the monster, and Kasumi's worried he's too injured to fight. He says, "My right arm may be injured, but I still have my left." That line! It's all about how he may not have a plan or all his tools, but he can still try to fight. It's him suggesting that as long as he can try, he can win. I love it.
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10-12-2020, 01:23 PM | #253 |
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In answer to your question, the housewife was in 18.
And it turns out whoever wrote the page gave up partway through, as the actress was actually in episode 40 of FAIZ. |
10-12-2020, 05:16 PM | #254 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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Also, I'd really like to share that BGM track Die called out, because it's a wonderfully theatrical piece which the episode wisely decides to let elevate the scene without interruption, but, uh... I didn't find it right away and kind of gave up on looking. Oh well. If I happen to stumble upon it later, I'll probably still share it in the thread then. Any chance I can get to rave about Sahashi is one I'll take.
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10-12-2020, 07:28 PM | #255 |
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I want to talk about how nicely Ibuki talks to the kids they caught sneaking around in the abandoned area. Kasumi starts by scolding them like a mother and telling them what they did was wrong without explaining why, but Ibuki tries appealing to their feelings, admitting he thought it would be to have a cool lair as well, before explaining why it's actually dangerous and they should have fun somewhere else. The kids listen to him cause they appreciate his respect towards them. It's the same reason he's such a good mentor to Akira. He understands people emotionally and knows how to encourage them to be better people, the same way he tries to better himself as an Oni. He's very sympathetic like that.
And what's better is that Kasumi is so pissed at him for showing her up like that. Like, she's admiring of how he got through to those kids, but she was scolding them! And then he jumped in! Now he gets to look all Cool Dad and she's just Mean Mom. Parenting is a partnership, Ibuki! Quote:
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The funny thing is, this episode pair actually IS one of the parts of this show I remember relatively well. And by "relatively", I mean I remembered Ibuki and Kasumi hitting the town and it being pretty cool, and not much else specific. The weird stomach monster, that's one of the things that left my mind entirely, but that feeling of warmth you get from episodes of Hibiki like this is impossible to forget.
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10-12-2020, 08:58 PM | #256 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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Okay, found that music track! It's inexplicably on the third and final volume released for the show, so if Die doesn't want to see a picture of Hibiki's final form, he maybe shouldn't click on this link, but I mean, this is more for the benefit of people who aren't watching the episodes anyway. Leave it to Toshihiko Sahashi to make Ibuki trudging through some shallow water seem like the most epic thing ever.
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10-12-2020, 10:50 PM | #257 |
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KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 19 - "STRUMMING WARRIOR"
"Sign your life away, who cares? We will be there to Pick you up when you come through Because we care for you" -Superchunk, "June Showers" So, first of all: the dog is named Hibarki. Second -- wait, I've got to eat this piece of cake from Portillo's. Okay, back. (It was so good.) Where was I? Oh, yeah, second: is there such a thing as an episode of Hibiki being too tranquil? And I acknowledge that I'm describing an episode where Todoroki explodes multiple giant crabs and Hibiki does sick jumps on a dirtbike as "too tranquil", but... yeah, not exactly a big, exciting episode of Kamen Rider. Like, I had a really good time watching this episode, but I'm finding it difficult to come up with things to talk about from it, beyond just, like, listing all of the many cute scenes. Because there were so many cute scenes! It's an episode of almost only cute scenes! Everyone's very cute! And charming! But! This is maybe one of those two-parters where the first part is all tone, and the second part is all incident? I don't know, I can't see the future. What's in this one, besides the aforementioned cute scenes, is just Todoroki, and him being hilariously over-confident. Or, maybe not over-confident, but... excited to contribute? He's working his ass off and having a blast, so goddamn pumped to be an Oni that he's having celebratory rock-outs on his sacred weapon of monster exploding. (I love that neither Ichiro, nor the returning Zanki, are able to discern from Todoroki's training footage that he's having fun. They're both like What Is The New Technique, and it's one of the best gags in a very funny episode.) He never comes off as sure of himself, which is maybe what's causing his problems. He's an Oni, but he maybe doesn't feel confident as an Oni, so he's pushing himself way too hard. He's got this sweaty desire to please, this air of neediness that's both a really fun energy (he gets in way too close when telling Ichiro that he's going to work hard) but also probably going to get him killed. Still, fun to watch! The rest of this episode... yeah, fun to watch! Nothing that feels like it adds up to anything yet (Asumu's new job at Team Hibiki Bar and Grill feels like it's going to parallel Todoroki's overcompensation), but, shit, I love this cast, I don't care if they just want to introduce themselves to each other for an episode. Which, they do! If there's a secret connection amongst the cast, it mostly gets brought to light as everyone stops by the restaurant for at least a scene and reveals who they are and what their significance is. (I mean, not to Hitomi, of course. She's a girl! You can't tell a girl about monsters, despite literally everyone she interacts with in this episode knowing about them!) It's... cute. It's just a very cute episode, full of charming scenes and stray dogs and a sweaty tryhard superhero and a group of men who are a beat away from saying That Boy Ain't Right and not much else. Actually, since this one's coming up a little light on content, I'm just going to talk about Asumu's mom, AsuMum. She's fantastic in the one scene she's in, and... look, you'll think I'm kidding, but she might be my favorite character on the show. She just nails every single scene she's in, and she gives all of her scenes with Asumu this really kooky energy. She's a fun mom without ever forgetting that she's a mom. She's so proud of Asumu, and it elevates stuff that might seem dull on paper (teenage boy on superhero show gets a part-time job at a restaurant) into really compelling stories. She's got universally fun delivery that always feels natural, like when she stops encouraging Asumu for just a second because he never thanked her for breakfast. She's so, so good on this show. That little song she starts singing as the scene ends! It's a thankless role, being the mother of a teenage boy on a superhero show, but AsuMum always delivers. An amazingly talented actor. I don't know, that's all I got for this one! It was fun to watch, but not one I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about! Sorry!
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10-12-2020, 11:36 PM | #258 |
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KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 17 - “TARGETED TOWN”
This is another pitch-perfect episode of One Theme, Three Casts, where the idea of dating and attraction filters through a bunch of different perspectives. It’s an episode that lets this funny, gorgeous, charming cast have comedic interludes and romantically-charged conversations. It’s an episode that could come off as a respite from the tension of the last couple stories, if it weren’t for how huge the emotions are of teenagers. Quote:
But they didn't (or the show didn't) show anything about their concern to Asumu being hit by the basketball, which happened right after (and because of that)! Quote:
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There's a dumb quote/meme that kept surfacing in my brain as the show was keeping Asumu and Hibiki apart. It's a (typically great) Raul Julia line as M. Bison from the (astonishingly bad) Street Fighter movie: "For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday."
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10-13-2020, 05:01 AM | #259 |
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Asumu's mom is great and all, but this is the thought I was having about Todoroki pretty much the entire episode. Dude is all tension, all the time. Whether he's a bit nervous in his interactions with the cast, or overly enthusiastic in his fights against Makamou, he looks like someone who's basically forgotten how to relax entirely.
Well, maybe anyway. Ignoring the deeper context, I do love that, through Zanki and Ichirou here, Hibiki managed to include a bit where two older guys react with bewilderment and horror to the sight of someone younger playing new music. I also thought it was real interesting how much the tone and style of the whole show sort of shifts around the Rider in focus. It's maybe a bit more subtle with Ibuki (as has been pointed out, his episodes are a little more traditional Rider), but here, there's this massive influx of adrenaline throughout, right from the decision to open up with Todoroki fighting several giant crabs in a row, a level of action you'd be lucky to get during the climax of a lot of previous episodes.
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10-13-2020, 09:39 PM | #260 |
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Yeah, you're not thrilled with Hitomi feeling weirdly jealous, but you excuse Yuka acting bitchy to Keitaro in Faiz ep. 41, which is even worse behavior... Though now, have nothing against Hitomi, but I don't know where you got Hitomi being smart and capable too? All she did so far was doing usual school life; following lessons and talking with friends, nothing different from other students. Though if you also talk about her passing Jounan.... then Asumu can't get "doofus" label! Also I had uneasiness myself to you expressing regrets to Asumu being friends with those 2, why for that?
1) I don't remember the Faiz thing at all, but a lot of it is context? Seeing Hitomi immediately avoid Akira, a girl she previously hit it off with, bummed me out a little bit. It felt a little sudden for me, something about her character I wasn't prepared for. By episode 41 of Faiz, Yuka's very complicated feelings provided context for her being weird. 2) Hitomi consistently seems smarter and more reliable than Asumu. 3) Asumu's a doofus, not an idiot. I expect Asumu to be able to do well at schoolwork! I also expect him to miss romantic cues, act awkwardly in social situations, and generally behave in the very specific teenage boy way where you shake your head and chuckle at him. Those don't strike me as highly-desirable traits in a potential partner! 4) I don't understand the last question. Quote:
I know that this is worth praising but I guess things they do like him deferring to her taste, her wanting him to be Oni Decisive in his everyday life, him trusting her to help raise Akira… it's also a common part on the franchise (Kamen Rider intros showcase humans more rather than the supernatural elements for a reason), but they didn't get as much coverage as the ones here?
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Asumu's mom is great and all, but this is the thought I was having about Todoroki pretty much the entire episode. Dude is all tension, all the time. Whether he's a bit nervous in his interactions with the cast, or overly enthusiastic in his fights against Makamou, he looks like someone who's basically forgotten how to relax entirely.
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