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11-02-2020, 10:27 AM | #531 |
Standing By
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KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 36 - “HUNGERING SHUKI”
I really love how world-weary Akira is. There’s always been a maturity to her, something that makes her more grounded and contemplative than Asumu or Hitomi (or is that Midori?), and certainly someone who has exactly zero patience for Kiriya’s… just, Kiriya. She’s someone who thinks before she speaks, and feels things deeply. She’s serious, and she treats things seriously. The extra juice to her character in this one is that she doesn’t know why she wants to be an Oni anymore. Her parents were killed by a Makamou, and she threw herself into being an Oni. She wanted to destroy Makamou, she was good at her job… it’s a win/win. Except, she’s getting older, and the hatred that powered her crusade against the Makamou is running out. The death of her parents is a healed wound. What’s left is… you know, it’s a job. She’s good at it, but… if it’s not going to make her feel whole, not going to quell that anger, why do it? Why dedicate your life to something just because you’re good at it? So now, at Episode 36, we have the But Why Heroism episode for Hibiki. I appreciate how introspective this episode is, how methodical. Kiriya’s only in a couple scenes, and Akira speaks for the audience by staring blankly at him and thinking Time And A Place My Dude. It’s an episode that’s treating Akira’s doubt as a valid thing, a real concern. She doesn’t just quit or whatever, she’s still doing her job, but she needs to know why she should keep doing it. The fact that multiple characters are trying to work with her, to explain the reasons why you should or shouldn’t be an Oni… I like that? It’s not trying to steer her back into Full-Time Oni, but it’s also an awareness of what Takeshi loses if she bails. She’s not treated like the part-time help, she’s treated like the future of the Oni. Quote:
And then, on the other hand, we’ve got Shuki and Zanki.
Hibiki makes a point midway through the episode, when Asumu wonders if maybe he should become an apprentice, that… shit, how did he phrase it? “Being an Oni... means you have to be an Oni.” It’s, I think, Hibiki’s way of saying that people become Oni because they can’t see themselves as anything else. The kind of dedication and commitment being an Oni takes, coupled with the life-and-death stakes of fighting Makamou and the sacrifices to your personal life… it has to be the entirety of your ambition, the totality of your desire. You only become an Oni if you can’t not be an Oni. So, what do you do if you’re Zanki or Shuki? What do you do if your body says No? Shuki had to quit being an Oni, and Zanki’s told that if he ever Henshins again he’ll probably die. Zanki was lucky enough to be kept on as Todoroki’s mentor/assistant, but Shuki… god, what must it be like to have to leave behind everything you trained for, everything you were ever good at, everything you believed in? How much would that eat at you? Knowing the world is perpetually in danger, that monsters exist, and you’re… what, arranging flowers? How could that feel like anything less than psychological annihilation? So we’ve got these two characters in the story, Akira and Shuki, as opposing examples of the drive to be an Oni. Akira doesn’t know if she’s dedicated enough, while Shuki is arguably too dedicated. (Ibuki is maybe onto something with this whole Work/Life Balance initiative!) Zanki exists in the middle, someone who isn’t the hero he used to be, but can still be useful to the next generation. Which is the other thing I liked about this story, how it feels very generational. Zanki and Shuki feel like the old guard, desperate to feel relevant (Shuki) or mourning the end of their relevance (Zanki). Meanwhile you’ve got Asumu and Akira (and Kiriya, a little), trying to figure out their place in the world, what’s worth their commitment. This push and pull of characters taking to the stage, versus those hogging the spotlight. Quote:
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Common mistake. It's either "would have" or "would've". Quote:
Actually, Movie Hibiki and Novel Hibiki are different characters. The former is from the Sengoku Period and the latter is from the Edo Period, possibly Movie Hibiki's immediate successor and may or may not resemble Hibiki.
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11-02-2020, 10:55 AM | #532 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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I took notes of the first half and noticed that, aside from maybe Akira, most of the female characters in this show don’t do much, other than menial things, like be tech support (which never really factors in, since I don’t recall any James Bond-esque scenes where any of our main three or one of the minor recurring characters came in needing gear) or love interests. Akira fairs slightly better, since she does see action, but she’s mostly an assistant and Asumu being the one with the greatest screen time never gave her much room to expand on that. So not only does the idea of Akira getting a focus episode appeal to me, but so does seeing a female who’s actually a (albeit retired) superhero fighting the monsters is a welcome sight. (I also love that Shuki has a harp, since it stands out as unique among other strings Oni who use the guitar/axe thing I felt was pretty lazy as a visual gag)
I guess I also don't see Effectiveness as a main criteria for value on this show, since... like, Asumu. He's a/the lead character, and he doesn't "do" anything. The most he's ever mattered in a monster fight is the movie, which is nebulously canonical. This doesn't, in either phase, feel like a show that's equating Good At Detonating Monsters with Worth Investigating Narratively. Like, love it or hate, the last story spent two episodes trying to say something about the romantic difficulties of Hinaka and Todoroki. But, yeah, Akira getting more development is awesome, and Shuki's harp is fantastic. Psyched to learn more about Shuki tonight! Quote:
Akira isn't getting the advice and help she needs to overcome her hatred and it's not their fault, they don't want her to get hurt and they don't know what to do about it. Ibuki's relationship with Akira isn't as relaxed as Hibiki and Shounen. Ibuki takes his position very seriously and he has a fear of losing Akira's trust and feeling like a failure as a mentor and it's really tough to watch them fall apart like this.
It's really great to me how the various Oni are aware of the stakes, that Akira could quit, but also hard-pressed to articulate something so innate to them. True! And this episode sets things up as nicely open-ended. Like, I don't think Akira stepping back would be a terrible decision? It's a nice story to have, where there isn't one obvious Right outcome.
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11-02-2020, 10:58 AM | #533 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
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I'm not sure I'd agree that the female characters "don't do much"? I mean, for the first phase, the efforts of Kasumi, Hinaka, Akira, and Midori are generally portrayed as invaluable, and the reason the Oni are able to combat the Makamou. (The second phase... there, I think, you'd have a stronger argument.)
I guess I also don't see Effectiveness as a main criteria for value on this show, since... like, Asumu. He's a/the lead character, and he doesn't "do" anything. The most he's ever mattered in a monster fight is the movie, which is nebulously canonical. This doesn't, in either phase, feel like a show that's equating Good At Detonating Monsters with Worth Investigating Narratively. Like, love it or hate, the last story spent two episodes trying to say something about the romantic difficulties of Hinaka and Todoroki. But, yeah, Akira getting more development is awesome, and Shuki's harp is fantastic. Psyched to learn more about Shuki tonight!
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11-02-2020, 11:30 AM | #534 |
Standing By
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Yeah, Zanki and Ibuki are... they're trying in this one, but I don't think they get it? Akira straight up tells Ibuki that his background means he can't relate to her dilemma, and while he's smart to get her to spend some time with Zanki (who voluntarily/"voluntarily" chose to stop being an Oni), even Zanki's not really in the right headspace to get across to Akira what it's like to be an Oni. You can see in this episode how much stepping aside is weighing on Zanki, and it's just not a great time for him to give a pep talk.
It's really great to me how the various Oni are aware of the stakes, that Akira could quit, but also hard-pressed to articulate something so innate to them. Quote:
I forgot to mention earlier that Shuki's Oni face being the whole of her face rather than just on the forehead is a weird design and I don't understand why she looks so different. Maybe it's supposed to be symbolic of how becoming an Oni supplanted her humanity by giving in to the hatred.
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11-02-2020, 12:43 PM | #535 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Depends on the circumstances. If Akira is unable to overcome her hatred then giving up the Oni path would be the only acceptable decision. She shouldn't be like Shuki. I want to see her move past it though since it would be a pity to throw away her mentor-apprentice relationship with Ibuki for a grudge that is never going to make her feel any better about her parents getting murdered. She deserves to be an Oni but these feelings are holding her back.
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I forgot to mention earlier that Shuki's Oni face being the whole of her face rather than just on the forehead is a weird design and I don't understand why she looks so different. Maybe it's supposed to be symbolic of how becoming an Oni supplanted her humanity by giving in to the hatred.
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11-02-2020, 03:33 PM | #536 |
I have a problematic type
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11-02-2020, 03:43 PM | #537 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Well... her 'consistency' kinda got ended early...
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11-02-2020, 10:47 PM | #538 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Location: Chicago, IL
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KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 37 - “REVIVED THUNDER”
“I’m back with scars to show Back with the streets I know Will never take me anywhere but here” -The Weakerthans, “Left & Leaving” Boy, I really wanted to like this one. I think there’s some good ideas in it, but it just really fumbles the execution. There’re a bunch of big emotional beats that, to me, 100% do not land. The actors are trying, but the material here is … it’s biting off way more than it can chew. There’s just not nearly enough space to deal with Akira’s inner turmoil, Shuki’s crusade, Ibuki’s duty, and Zanki’s disappointment. It’s too much for a set of problems that basically stop and start in the same episode. As a result, so many turns are rushed, and the big connective tissue that should help support those turns is left to a couple lines of dialogue. This thing needed at least another episode to really work. Akira’s story is the one I’m most interested in, and the one that maybe comes out the best. (The best of several bad plots, but still!) Her problem is that, on the one hand, Shuki is offering the comfort and certainty of Anger as a motivation. Akira knows how to operate by channeling her rage into her job, and Shuki is telling her that not only is she smart to do that, but that Shuki can teach her ways to become even more powerful as an Oni. On the other hand, she’s got the men of Takeshi, who… are also in this episode. I think Hibiki’s trying to let her find her own path, to let her make up her own mind for what works. But, basically, the other Oni are giving her nothing that makes sense to her. Ibuki shrugged his shoulders last episode and says maybe two words to her in this one, and Zanki can't seem to offer any alternatives. Shuki is telling her that anger is a tool, and that sounds familiar to her. The other Oni are saying Don’t Do The Thing That Makes Sense To You, and giving her zero other options. Is it any wonder that she ends up throwing her lot in with Shuki? It’s one of those big turns, though, that I don’t think works super great. I can see why Akira would do that, why she'd go with the person who's telling her there's nothing wrong with her instead of the men who are treating her like she's in a play that no one gave her a script for; but it feels so massive, and happens so quickly, that it’s a little hard to buy. The idea of Akira burning her bridges with Ibuki and not even talking to him about? I don’t see it happening! I don’t think you can do an Akira Turns Her Back On Her Family moment with Zanki. Nope! It’d be like Asumu deciding to become Hibiki’s apprentice, and it happens in a scene with him and Hinaka. They got fun scene chemistry, but that moment needs the right partner, or you’re squandering so much drama. I don’t… Personally, I don’t love Akira turning her back (even briefly) on Ibuki and the other Oni. I’m not going to say It’s Out Of Character, because I think there’s a way to tell that story that could square that circle. It’s just, what’s here is not that compelling of a case, and it sort of leaves the character worse off narratively than she started. It’s the Zanki and Shuki plot that really didn’t work for me, though. A lot of it is down to a writing choice that… I see where the writer was coming from. The idea seems to be that Shuki is Zanki to Zanki’s Todoroki. If Zanki’s always been the coolest, most reserved Oni, let’s see his teacher, who makes Zanki look like an over-the-top emotional buffoon. Shuki is ice-cold in this story, which is a fun idea… but it makes this story dramatically inert. There’s no shading to Shuki, no layers. She wants the power of an Oni to kill the monster that killed her parents (a parallel to Akira’s story that is so on the nose that it made me laugh), and she’ll do anything to get that power. That’s it. Her whole character is in the three seconds where she tells Akira to Stay Angry Ponygirl. She’s ruthless in pursuing her objectives, which makes her dull to debate with. If there’s any conflict inside her about her actions, they’re buried so deep as to be undiscoverable. She’s just a dull antagonist, someone that’s all plot mechanics and no character. (There is a scene where the Fancy Dress Douji and Hime show up and tell Shuki she’s a monster just like them, and her response is, almost literally, Nuh Uh.) All of the actual drama is coming from Zanki, and all of that is just backstory. They have barely one scene together, and Shuki is giving him nothing in the moment. It’s like Zanki’s acting to a ping-pong ball. I’d absolutely believe you if you told me Shuki was composited in later. There’s zero chemistry, and nothing in that scene makes me give a shit if Shuki lives or dies. It’s an unconvincing, one-note take on an Ahab story. Which means that Shuki’s sacrifice… I didn’t care? For even a second? I wasn’t able to find anything compelling about her character in this episode, so her offing herself was… I mean, one, it didn’t make me feel anything about her character or Zanki’s character. But, two, it made me mad because it takes the dilemma that multiple scenes have been focused on, What Do We Do About Shuki, and then completely lets every character off the hook. What will Ibuki do? Doesn’t matter! What will Zanki do? Doesn’t matter! It’s such a cheat, and it made me really dislike how this episode told its story. I’m glad the Akira story isn’t over, though. I think there’re more places you could follow that character. The Shuki and Zanki stuff, though… boy, wanted to like it, but it just did not work. Bummer.
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11-03-2020, 12:28 AM | #539 |
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My biggest problem with this arc is how Shuki just came and went. The only character that cares is Zanki everyone else is just dosen't react to having the first evil Oni since Kabuki in the Sengoku era. And it's cyncial in a way an organization built on helping an oni after an a single oni allied with the makamou after being rejected by humanity shouldn't be. You would think this would be a big blow for both the other Oni with mistrust over one of thier own betraying them. And the Takeshi organizatian feeling guilty over not giving Shuki the help she needed to move on from her revenge.
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11-03-2020, 12:36 AM | #540 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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My biggest problem with this arc is how Shuki just came and went. The only character that cares is Zanki everyone else is just dosen't react to having the first evil Oni since Kabuki in the Sengoku era. And it's cyncial in a way an organization built on helping an oni after an a single oni allied with the makamou after being rejected by humanity shouldn't be. You would think this would be a big blow for both the other Oni with mistrust over one of thier own betraying them. And the Takeshi organizatian feeling guilty over not giving Shuki the help she needed to move on from her revenge.
The problem is, that idea is so big that it needs its own two-parter, but here it's like the third-most important plot thread. Worse, as I said before, there's zero resolution to this idea! Ibuki confronts Shuki, but then Shuki sacrifices herself and everyone goes home. Ibuki doesn't ever have to make a decision, which makes introducing that conflict totally anticlimactic.
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