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04-18-2021, 12:44 AM | #11 |
Reiei
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,691
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I'm just horsin around, aight. It's a pic of Ryo Aoki (Kento) eating a sandwhich. Not sure how one would mistake him for anyone else.
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04-18-2021, 06:39 AM | #12 |
Reiei
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,691
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Rewatching with subs and I still like Touma and Rintarou's interactions here. It's not a case of "I'm jealous of you Touma! I'm not like you!" It's a profound respect for each other and Rintarou's yearning of, basically Touma's Q2 development. It was great when he clashed Nagare with Rekka where there he was able to understand Touma's feelings and pain and even a bit of Kamijou in there. I miss Daichi lol.
We can see that Reika clearly got wet when Ryoga told her she sucks- I mean that her heart is wavering when she got denied of Logos' attention along with her brother. Seems like a redemption of sorts is in the horizon, most likely involving the death of his brother or something. That makes me kind of.. Happy? I like to see her stand side-by-side with the other swordsmen (and also not die), especially next to Saber. Cuz Sabela and Saber sounds similar, and I've seen too many pics of Suichiro Naito and Angela Mei goofing around together. Also, cuz I won't have unnecessary thoughts of buying a "dead character's SHF". I do have one tiny nitpick and is that 90% of all the drama here is hinging on the fact that Yuri was MIA for the two episodes and Mei went back to her looney tuney self when she was rescued. Was expecting a much more heartfelt moment between the three, especially with the sun setting. Kento's there, surprised by subverted expectations, but still a bit unfazed. Wonder what will convince him, I'd say Touma's final form that but that kinda feels long way. Master Logos needs to gargle, jesus christ. Next week, Tategami's debut, Zooous Predator, and the Shindai siblings' raid on Northern base. So, it definitely seems like Tategami's book is indeed the book that Sophia is hiding. The water tear symbol and blue light is already a sign. Buster will be fatally injured, which will be how Logos' gets Gekido, but I don't think this is the end for him. |
04-18-2021, 11:46 AM | #13 |
Bat Hero
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 296
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This was a great episode! I loved the fight choreography between Touma and Rintaro. Its like mini lightsabers! For a show all about swordplay, they sure got that down pat!
The crossing swords and hand grab. Awww~ I really love the power of friendship trope; whether it makes you shoot painbow beams, or just gets you a good hug. I always appreciate the slow-mo power walk on the way to an epic fight. Do find it odd they said "henshin" twice, but I'm not nitpicking. The Cat Megid was very intimidating in its tactics. Glad the tag-team managed to beat it. I can't wait for next episode. This seems like Zooous' final stand, and can I just say, he looks awesome? Seriously, love the paint job, dude. Being evil has its perks, I guess. On the topic of the attack on Northern Base, I always loved seeing more of the Bases. It's nice to know they're not just a room with books and a center console, rather than having to assume what the rest of the place looks like. Can't wait for Tategami's debut! |
04-18-2021, 07:58 PM | #14 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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That moment when Nagare starts glowing as Touma and Rintarou are having their duel and they just start smiling at each other is everything I love about Saber compressed into a single meaningful look.
This praise is no doubt starting to sound repetitive, but it's just so difficult to keep seeing Saber do all these things I love seeing and say anything besides "I loved this". So, yes, naturally, I was extremely fond of how profoundly proud of each other's successes Rintarou and Touma were throughout this episode, and, of course, seeing that extend even to when they're literally fighting each other was the highlight. One of many highlights, of course. I will say upfront though -- the script dropped the ball on the whole people getting turned into jewelry thing exactly the way I expected it to. It's sort of vaguely resolved with a quick exchange of CG special moves, without actually seeing the people go back to normal, and as a result it's hard to say it added much to the plot in the end. That being said, it's a flaw with the story that gets buried under all the things that are done right. This is a really stellar episode for what I guess you could consider the show's main trio. One especially pleasant surprise was how much attention was given to Rintarou and Touma praising Mei rather than just each other. She feels appropriately important in this story about her, despite the nature of it demanding her be in a passive role. I forget how much I've actively mentioned this, but I really do think Mei adds a lot to the series, helped along by a very strong performance (seeing how miserable Asuka Kawazu can look in this two-parter should give you a new appreciation for how bubbly she is otherwise), and as such I thought it felt earned seeing her talked about in such glowing terms. It also fits with what is sort of a broader theme of these episodes, which is that everyone is extremely, constantly, unwaveringly supportive of each other. I don't exactly get the feeling Touma or Rintarou would even need much of an excuse to say nice things about Mei. Touma's even been doing it since their very first scene in the very first episode. Again, I've said all this a million times, but I adore how aggressively pleasant the protagonists in Saber are. Even in a story all about these underlying tensions flaring up, you know, they're just so open. So that's about all I can say about the plot without going in circles, evidently. It's good character development for Rintarou that also touches nicely on some of the other main characters, and it all ends in a Double Rider Kick of friendship and trust. Hard to go wrong with it. It's even harder to go wrong with the direction by Ishida, which I thought was even more stellar than the first half. It's in countless little touches -- from clever visuals all the way down to the way the audio interacts with them. It feels very thought out, and it always suggests the mood to the viewer perfectly, which is something critical to getting a typically busy Saber script working right. There are things so small I can't even describe them to call them out, and then also so many big things I'd be perfectly happy to. Like, man, isn't that rapid-fire sequence of shots when Rintarou and Touma are transforming for the climax so intense and cool? How about when Rintarou starts talking to Zooous about Mei and Touma trusting in him as Saber and the Cat Megid slide right into the shot in epic slow-motion? Those shots kinda "inside" Saber and Blades' suits to let the actors handle big emotional moments? I know I'm only talking about the back third or so of the episode right now, but really, I could probably pick something I loved out of any given scene if I took the time to. The episode is easily made at least twice as good by the work Ishida put in here.
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Last edited by Fish Sandwich; 02-17-2023 at 05:48 PM.. |
04-19-2021, 10:34 AM | #15 |
Bat Hero
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 296
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Quote:
That moment when Nagare starts glowing as Touma and Rintarou are having their duel and they just start smiling at each other is everything I love about Saber compressed into a single meaningful look.
This praise is no doubt starting to sound repetitive, but it's just so difficult to keep seeing Saber do all these things I love seeing and say anything besides "I loved this". |
04-19-2021, 08:12 PM | #16 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,473
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Ludicrous
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04-20-2021, 01:23 AM | #17 |
Bat Hero
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 296
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Man needs some MINTS.
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04-20-2021, 08:38 PM | #18 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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You know, I don't think I touched on Yuri's absence at all talking about either of these episodes, and that's something I'd like to fix, because the more I think about it, the more I like what the show did here. It's this really nice bit of synergy with the needs of the plot and the more meta subtext.
First of all, not having Saikou around to save Mei obviously requires Touma and Rintarou to finally take that next step, but then if you think back to how Yuri's habit of unhelpful erratic behavior started, it was during the stretch of the show where he basically WAS the de facto sidekick secondary Rider for Saber. Saikou got introduced as Touma's last remaining Rider ally right as everyone else left, and constantly bailed him out throughout that arc, so reestablishing that Saber and Blades can get the job done as a duo just like old times by straight up forcing them to rely only on each other was honestly a pretty brilliant move. (Although if I may nitpick the suit choices again – did we ever actually get to really see a cool team-up between Dragonic and King Lion? I obviously get the nature of these shows demands Elemental be there, but those two upgrades were clearly designed to complement each other, and I feel this would've been the perfect opportunity to make use of that. Like, would've anyone have been disappointed to see that, besides Bandai?)
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04-20-2021, 09:01 PM | #19 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: World of Ataru
Posts: 857
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Quote:
(Although if I may nitpick the suit choices again – did we ever actually get to really see a cool team-up between Dragonic and King Lion? I obviously get the nature of these shows demands Elemental be there, but those two upgrades were clearly designed to complement each other, and I feel this would've been the perfect opportunity to make use of that. Like, would've anyone have been disappointed to see that, besides Bandai?)
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04-20-2021, 11:51 PM | #20 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 184
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Something about a Double Rider Kick just hits different. Every single time.
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