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05-20-2023, 08:37 PM | #321 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 25 - “VAIL RETURNS!? IGARASHI FAMILY MEMORIES”
Honestly, I’m okay with it. Beyond tying up a variety of loose ends – why all three Igarashi kids have inner demons when no one else seems to, why Genta doesn’t have a heart, why Weekend was convinced this family was going to be important, the fire shown in the opening credits, if there’d ever be a way for me to remember Dad Igarashi’s name – I appreciate how personal it makes this whole Giff business for the main characters. The big failing of both Fenix and Weekend to date is that they’re faceless: figuratively in Fenix’s case, literally in Weekend’s case. (Hopefully the show will cast an actor to play George’s dad at some point!) They’re organizations, not characters; the people running them feel interchangeable, just clock-punchers. The Giffamilia is so far in the rearview as to make Olteca’s weekly stabs at relevancy more depressing than captivating. There’s no sense of stakes for our heroes in this story, beyond a baseline level of Averting Villainy, and even that has felt less integral to this show than drumming up business for Happy Spa. (That is far and away the plotline I’m most invested in, and I’m not even kidding. I’m worried about the family business!) This show needs a villain with both gravitas, and a real connection to our heroes. Enter: Vail. It’s a great suit, first and foremost. I like how it maintains the asymmetry of Demons, but built around a beetle instead of a spider. The way the horn comes up along the jawline, and the wing comes down like a cape… beautiful suit. And the performance! It’s classic New Boss energy, where Vail takes out his foes either quickly (one-shotting a Giffterian to start things off) or slowly (really pummeling a Giffterian into paste before detonating it), whichever is most demoralizing to his witnesses. Olteca’s stint as New Demons was fun, but this is a whole new level for the show’s adversaries. The big addition to the story isn’t the suit or the punching, though – it’s the expanded family backstory. Normally, I’d be furious about this sort of “revelation”. A mysterious fire that was never brought once before (to my memory) is now suddenly all anyone can talk about. (Genta’s just like OH THIS IS ALMOST AS BAD AS THE FIRE, like it’s his most famous catchphrase, despite none of the kids really having heard about this before.) Worse, it’s ANOTHER Kamen Rider storyline where a character has Narratively Convenient Amnesia, with Vice blocking Ikki’s traumatic memories until Vail shows up for some 2022 revenge. (Maybe it’s an anniversary reference to Saber?) There’s a lurching feel to this start of a new phase in the show, and it’s distractingly clunky. (Why does George have a book from childhood on his desk at work, beyond reminding him that search engines are a thing?) But I think it all works, eventually. Vice blocks Ikki’s traumatic memories because he’s always been there for Ikki, and this is just protecting him from pain. Moreover, it reframes Vice’s actions in the premiere episode as the continuation of that original trauma, this demonic protector always rising up when Ikki’s fears become too much for one person to shoulder. (It sort of doesn’t explain why Vice went from Protect Your Family to wanting to devour Ikki’s mom 18 years later… unless there’s some horrifying oedipal content that this show’s going to spring on us at some point?) Genta as Vail, though, just works to both the main theme of this arc (maybe even series; see: anniversary season) – we have to know our past to find our future – as well as larger themes of families as more complicated for us as we get older. There’s a messiness to our parents that isn’t really clear when we’re kids, but is a necessary lesson to learn as we become adults. We need to humanize them, and start to consider how their flaws both shaped us and limited us. We have to answer for their actions, and try to understand their mistakes. We’re the result of their intentions and their accidents, and that’s a difficult bit of self-analysis to grapple with. It’s fascinating to think about, though, and easily the most interesting threat this show has introduced to date. I love it for how much it focuses on the Igarashis to the exclusion of dumb stuff like Akaishi or Weekend, who could both fall off a cliff tomorrow and I wouldn’t care. (Maybe Hiromi could climb up over their dead bodies? I’d like that trade!) All I want this show to be about is the Igarashis, and it looks like someone making this show heard my wish.
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05-20-2023, 09:35 PM | #322 |
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 24 - “DOCTOR KARIZAKI RETURNS! OPERATION INVERSION!”
Sort of a boring episode, despite an emotional and warm Ikki/Vice main plot. As always, the character-based elements shine, but there’s just too much weird Series Arc stuff to address in this episode, and it distracts from a core premise that’s decently enjoyable. Tamaki just served as the comic relief again here (more overt), and he seemingly behaved civil with the others too such as attempting to return a customer's purse, but earning a rebuff from Sakura by entering the woman section. That'd be quite unreasonable response from her even if Tamaki is clumsy (as per the usual slapstick gag ._.), but then again it's only due to her Tamaki can still go on. Tamaki's main problem is his lack of social skills as usual, with his forced smile being creepy instead as Daiji chastised him of. This is just like when Julio infiltrated Sakura's dojo as Sakura and Hikaru talked about her family trips, his social problem didn't come from how he's a monster trying to infiltrate a human life, but from him being a withdrawn bullying victim, expected to be socially-awkward. And this further shows Daiji's professional and stern personality, the most serious among the Igarashis (also against the rowdy Vice in Happy Spa). Other than that Daiji's only shown dealing with Kagerou's influence, nothing more. Quote:
It’s a conclusion, of sorts, to the dilemma of Ikki and Vice switching places. The fun twist is that George has figured out how to easily and quickly reverse the process… but Vice doesn’t trust George enough to try it. I like that we’re not in a story where the solution is inherently dangerous, or difficult, or mysterious. It’s just that the solution is coming from George, and absolutely no one should trust George right now. George was responsible for Hiromi’s deteriorating condition! George jumped at the chance to do some mad science on the Demons Driver for Olteca’s possible benefit! George is probably slightly more clued-in than the rest of the cast about what Akaishi’s up to! George is a morally bankrupt mad scientist – no one should trust him!
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But Ikki does (for, uh, reasons; it’s never really stated or implied why Ikki trusts George, beyond there not really being any other options), and Vice trusts Ikki, so we get Ikki back. It’s a cute story about how much trust Ikki and Vice have in each other now, but it never really rises above the level of Cute. There’s nothing here we didn’t already know, and no new shades to the Ikki/Vice partnership. It’s sweet, and well-acted, but still fairly minor in its scope and accomplishment.
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Meanwhile, there’re what seemed like six million scenes of the overlapping Olteca/Giff/Fenix/Daiji/Weekend struggle to address, and they all felt like they were in a completely different, less compelling version of this show.
It’s too much, too many moving pieces. If we only had to deal with two of those, I’d pick Daiji’s single scene of pushing back Kagerou, and maybe Olteca scheming to upgrade the Demons Driver. But we get those AND multiple scenes with Weekend AND a couple sequences about Giff (including more hints about Dad Igarishi’s connection) AND a bit with Aguilera that goes absolutely nowhere… it’s too much for two episodes, let alone this single installment. As a result, nothing feels like it moves ahead (the Demons Driver just Nopes out at the end!) and the main plot feels like it gets 75% of the space it actually needed to be great. It’s a messy episode, and an unfulfilling one as well. Then it'd be testing both of their wits as the geniuses in their faction, with both being able to come to an agreement, and for rather similar reason in both wanting to see the power (Olteca)/scientific (George) potential of the Demons Driver and Rolling ViStamp respectively, even plotting to pit both of those Riders together by letting their location be told. This also further shows that George only cares about furthering his research, he'd have no qualms teaming up with the worst. Though turns out that even Olteca isn't Demons Driver, or as for now, Bael's first choice with it leaving the Driver, it shows that George did apparently improve the Driver, confirming Olteca's suspicion of George tricking him (and thus won't go through his schemes) wrong, George is really a bastard despite his earlier bath with Genta. At the end too George pulls a Kuroto, a highly sociopathic character with a god complex, by only boasting about his brilliance as Ikki and Vice switched position (or so was thought). Quote:
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Previously, Ayaka Imoto (Sakura's actress) got tested positive for Coronavirus at that time. Regarding Sakura against George, she helped him when a Giftarian attacked him, so that can give me a vibe that her harshly rebuffing George at the beginning was more of her irrational harsh reactions, despite that George is obnoxious as usual. And poor Lovekov though for falling while trying to catch up... luckily she seems to be able to survive falls (as a plushie) thus Jeanne won't be killed. In her and Ikki's team up against Olteca, Lovekov is 'stamped' by Jeanne in a bad way of it being jumped over for her Rider Kick, creating marks in her head. Other than that, there are other Jack Revice's abilities as shown by Ikki, using paint strokes to create elemental attacks, so Jack Revice is quite a versatile form.
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05-20-2023, 09:54 PM | #323 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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This is done to serve Aguilera's minor role in this episode, that even evil has standards in her being appalled by Olteca's cutthroatness. This does show that Olteca is the worse one between the 2, but Aguilera's still a lesser evil as previously she also had no problem of stamping people, though not Giftarian schemes where it eats up the stamped victim.
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05-21-2023, 12:26 AM | #324 |
take me to space
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Anyway, I am just hopping in here to say it's nice that you're enjoying Revice. But also on the week of this episode, the Super Hero Time hour block also aired the first episode of Donbrothers! So if you need like a handy way to get back to following that show, you could unrelated to this thread just watch it after the Revice episodes you're already watching every other day and it'll be just like you're a kid in Japan watching it on Sunday mornings. |
05-21-2023, 05:23 AM | #325 |
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Well, here we are again.
And we get our new Rider, Vail. He’s basically somewhere between an elaborate promotional stunt for his miniseries and a way to give us pre-new form angst, so don’t expect the suit to show up in the show again. I?m not sure why they went with “Vail” for the romanised name (beyond a lame ?pulling back the Vail? joke you could probably make), and a lot of people thought his name was “Bael”, like the demon. And after a few weeks of it not being an issue, and a few more weeks of it being an Ikki-only issue, we finally get the “Giff’s awakening induced headaches” affecting the whole gang. And with the reveal that Giff is, in a sense, the granddaddy of the Igarashis, someone dragged this meme out. Quote:
(Throughout this segment, a timecode of 03-28-96, with a clock counting up from 20:30:21 is in the corner) Karizaki: Hello, this is Masumi Karizaki, with the first in what should be a series navigating through my creation. These Vistamps have the latent DNA of the entity known as Giff, who was dubbed a devil by ancient man. I have my doubts that he was an actual devil, but I can’t voice them due to orders from higher up. By mixing it with the latent animal DNA in the human genome, I can create a group of super soldiers powered by their own inner demons, so that they may one day be free of them. While I would preferably like to class them as my attempt at creating B-Fighters, my son George has recommended I call them Masked Riders, even though they have no cybernetic components whatsoever. (A man in overalls with his face obscured walks forward) Karizaki: I see our test subject, #71, has arrived. Looks like I can begin my demonstration, starting with equipping the belt. (The man equips a red coloured belt) Vail Driver! Karizaki: And next, the man uses the Kabuto Vistamp to trigger his transformation, equipping his armour. I installed a vocal circuit in both the belt and the stamp, to ensure our subject doesn’t rupture his vocal chords with roll calls and attack cries. Kabuto! Karizaki: This machine should grant a fuller output for the Vistamp’s power. I can’t create a belt that uses this output, since I haven’t figured out how to incorporate the Stamp into such a belt. But this machine is a good substitute. Cry for Justice! Flap your Wings, Beetle! Beetle! Karizaki: If my modifications to this Vistamp are sound, then it should give the user access to the power of a tank. (The shadowed man speaks, with Vail’s voice coming out of his mouth) Vail: A tank, huh? Well, let?s test that shall we. Henshin! Bane Up! Destroy! (Break) The World! (Broke) Unusually! (Broken) Masked (Rider) Vail! Karizaki: It's an archetypal Masked Rider that transforms using the Vistamp system. Its ability, inspired by beetles, emits a stab that boasts rapid fire and a tremendous finishing blow that unleashes the power of the devil. In other words, a super amazing perfect soldier with combat power that surpasses existing weapons! That's the way. Vail: You mentioned more Vistamps, Professor. Perhaps you’d permit me to test what happens when I try transforming with them. Karizaki: Alright. First, let’s try one of the lesser known insects this side of the Longhorn Beetle. Masked Rider Vail Sacrifice: Heracles! Karizaki: And now, my son’s favourite animal, the Tyrannosaurus. Masked Rider Vail Sacrifice: Rex! Karizaki: Since he was so insistent you be a Masked Rider, rather than a Metal Hero. Masked Rider Vail Sacrifice: Batta! Karizaki: And finally, these two from outside my pre-programmed Vistamps. Masked Rider Vail Sacrifice: Extra! Masked Rider Vail Sacrifice: Another! (Vail begins to emit static and collapses onto one knee) Karizaki: It seems that the belt can’t handle anything other than it’s main form for any length of time. Looks like Masked Riders just aren’t meant to have a multi form balance. Maybe I could make some upgrades that allow your base state to use the Stamps’ power. With some limits. Vail: Yes, that would be nice. Karizaki: And we’re running out of tape, so I’ll just say, I hope that I can do more of (tape cuts out) Last edited by Androzani84; 05-21-2023 at 06:34 AM.. |
05-21-2023, 12:40 PM | #326 |
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 25 - ?VAIL RETURNS!? IGARASHI FAMILY MEMORIES?
Beyond tying up a variety of loose ends ? why all three Igarashi kids have inner demons when no one else seems to, why Genta doesn?t have a heart, why Weekend was convinced this family was going to be important, the fire shown in the opening credits, if there?d ever be a way for me to remember Dad Igarashi?s name ? I appreciate how personal it makes this whole Giff business for the main characters. The big failing of both Fenix and Weekend to date is that they?re faceless: figuratively in Fenix?s case, literally in Weekend?s case. (Hopefully the show will cast an actor to play George?s dad at some point!) They?re organizations, not characters; the people running them feel interchangeable, just clock-punchers. The Giffamilia is so far in the rearview as to make Olteca?s weekly stabs at relevancy more depressing than captivating. There?s no sense of stakes for our heroes in this story, beyond a baseline level of Averting Villainy, and even that has felt less integral to this show than drumming up business for Happy Spa. (That is far and away the plotline I?m most invested in, and I?m not even kidding. I?m worried about the family business!) This show needs a villain with both gravitas, and a real connection to our heroes. As for Aguilera, it seems that while continuing her schemes she'd now take care of her underlings, trying to prevent the Deadman cult members to be turned into Giftarians by Olteca. Still abusing them (like Julio) if she can but now has limits on what bad being done on them. So far, this change also seems sudden as previously she had no qualms of sacrificing people she "likes" for Giff such as Sakura, and she still only cares about Giff after Olteca's betrayal, does she actually take lessons herself with herself going to used as a sacrifice for Giff and applying that to the Deadman cult members here (but is in denial)? Other than that, should Aguilera easily manhandle Olteca now under her submission again as now he lost both his contract and Demons Driver (he did KO George but still...)? Aguilera's the only remaining Giftex for now. Quote:
Enter: Vail.
It?s a great suit, first and foremost. I like how it maintains the asymmetry of Demons, but built around a beetle instead of a spider. The way the horn comes up along the jawline, and the wing comes down like a cape? beautiful suit. And the performance! It?s classic New Boss energy, where Vail takes out his foes either quickly (one-shotting a Giffterian to start things off) or slowly (really pummeling a Giffterian into paste before detonating it), whichever is most demoralizing to his witnesses. Olteca?s stint as New Demons was fun, but this is a whole new level for the show?s adversaries. Quote:
The big addition to the story isn?t the suit or the punching, though ? it?s the expanded family backstory.
Normally, I?d be furious about this sort of ?revelation?. A mysterious fire that was never brought once before (to my memory) is now suddenly all anyone can talk about. (Genta?s just like OH THIS IS ALMOST AS BAD AS THE FIRE, like it?s his most famous catchphrase, despite none of the kids really having heard about this before.) Worse, it?s ANOTHER Kamen Rider storyline where a character has Narratively Convenient Amnesia, with Vice blocking Ikki?s traumatic memories until Vail shows up for some 2022 revenge. (Maybe it?s an anniversary reference to Saber?) There?s a lurching feel to this start of a new phase in the show, and it?s distractingly clunky. (Why does George have a book from childhood on his desk at work, beyond reminding him that search engines are a thing?) But I think it all works, eventually. Vice blocks Ikki?s traumatic memories because he?s always been there for Ikki, and this is just protecting him from pain. Moreover, it reframes Vice?s actions in the premiere episode as the continuation of that original trauma, this demonic protector always rising up when Ikki?s fears become too much for one person to shoulder. (It sort of doesn?t explain why Vice went from Protect Your Family to wanting to devour Ikki?s mom 18 years later? unless there?s some horrifying oedipal content that this show?s going to spring on us at some point?) Quote:
Genta as Vail, though, just works to both the main theme of this arc (maybe even series; see: anniversary season) ? we have to know our past to find our future ? as well as larger themes of families as more complicated for us as we get older. There?s a messiness to our parents that isn?t really clear when we?re kids, but is a necessary lesson to learn as we become adults. We need to humanize them, and start to consider how their flaws both shaped us and limited us. We have to answer for their actions, and try to understand their mistakes. We?re the result of their intentions and their accidents, and that?s a difficult bit of self-analysis to grapple with.
About the past that Buu-san hides, but what Ikki and George tells, so that reaffirms more that Masumi is morally dubious... it runs in the family too I guess, there's more than just his ViStamp plan to separate demons and his racism towards any demons, he's an unethical scientist that even disturbed Tasuke, shown in him injecting young Genta with the Giff's cells to restart his heart and using him as a guinea pig later. As Vail left, now Olteca spend the episode trying to blame George for what he did to the Driver, where George was only confused on what's he talking about. I felt that Vail's reveal at last episode does confirm that it wasn't George who manipulated Olteca, but Vail himself, so obviously George would be confused, not lying here. Don't know if Olteca seeing Kamen Rider Vail finally convinced Olteca it wasn't George here other than him running off. Other than that, the episode still further showed his despicable traits by having jaded view of promises being made to be broken and gleefully doing it. With Olteca now losing both his contract and Demons Driver, as well as likely Vail and Giff (or Akaishi, albeit he warned Olteca to keep focus), his end might be near.
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05-21-2023, 03:58 PM | #327 |
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I remember the Vail plot twist really working for me at the time. It caught me completely off guard and made me excited to find out more.
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05-21-2023, 07:37 PM | #328 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Anyway, I am just hopping in here to say it's nice that you're enjoying Revice. But also on the week of this episode, the Super Hero Time hour block also aired the first episode of Donbrothers! So if you need like a handy way to get back to following that show, you could unrelated to this thread just watch it after the Revice episodes you're already watching every other day and it'll be just like you're a kid in Japan watching it on Sunday mornings.
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The Igarashi family flashback which got repressed in Ikki's memory until now, also shows about how Vail is a yandere to Genta, he only saw Genta as his partner, but he saw Genta living a mundane life by starting a family as betrayal and thus he'd want to destroy anything Genta holds dear (yeah that's yandere alright).
See above! But, yeah, I like how it grounds the story way more than whatever nonsense Akaishi and Kamen Karizaki are up to. Genuinely interested in this show's storyline now!
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05-21-2023, 09:30 PM | #329 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER REVICE EPISODE 26 - “SHOWDOWN! FAREWELL!? THE END OF LIGHT & DARKNESS”
It’s too literal of an ending for Kagerou, is I think my problem with this episode. The battle between Daiji and Kagerou… I don’t think I ever wanted it to be one where Daiji, empowered by his growth as a person, defeats and eliminates the darker aspects of himself. I don’t know that Daiji ever completely grappled with the genesis or survival of Kagerou, so I don’t think he’s right to power through his reluctance and give Kagerou the demise he’d been looking for. There’s lip service paid to Daiji hoping for a better outcome, but I don’t know that the show ever made it anything like a priority. It didn’t help things for me to have Ikki quietly cheering on Daiji’s psychic demise. It’s perhaps asking too much to have Ikki see the humanity in Daiji’s Evil Twin -slash- Fratricidal Parasite, but the certainty that this was what Daiji needed to do to self-actualize? Sour taste in my mouth, honestly. Did not love Ikki – and the climax of this episode – rewarding Daiji’s ability to externalize and obliterate a part of himself that he created and never really interrogated. Like, I don’t completely hate it; I think there’s narrative value in Daiji destroying the embodiment of his jealousy, resentment, rage, and enjoyment of spicy foods. Daiji’s been a dude wracked by both imposter syndrome and delusions of grandeur, so he needs to address those failings in as thorough a manner as is available to him in tokusatsu. But I just don’t think it’s fun to see Daiji pummel a dying Kagerou? Or for Kagerou to sacrifice himself for Daiji’s self-improvement? There’s a smarter side of this show that asks us to view the totality of ourselves, and find balance between the face we show to the world, and the one we hide away. A version of this show that looks at Kagerou (and potentially Vice and Lovekov) as something to be cleaned up and removed… I just find that disappointingly narrow and thin. And that’s sort of the whole episode? There’s more backstory for Genta (or whatever his original name was; I just learned “Genta”, I ain’t learning another name) and Buu, but it’s nothing terribly original or necessary. It’s just more info, because that’s what mode this show is in for its series arc. Beyond that, it’s pretty much the Daiji/Kagerou Epi– Oh! Right! Aguilera and Sakura! I absolutely love how Aguilera comes out of nowhere to tackle Sakura and demands to know why Sakura’s so cool and strong and special and there’s no subtext to this scene you guys. It ends up sort of rhyming with the Kagerou plot, as Aguilera’s another character whose ability to sharpen a protagonist has left them dulled by comparison, but Sakura’s version of events is just that Aguilera’s never had anything to fight to protect, so she’s never improved. Kagerou could only fade in Daiji’s light, but Aguilera’s a woman who’s never been out of other people's shadow. Interesting argument, but not one the episode is looking to resolve in a single scene. Definitely the sort of plot that has at least a full episode to figure out if Aguilera can find a new path to walk. We’ll have to see if she hears what Sakura’s saying! Overall, I thought this Daiji/Kagerou episode was the slightly lackluster and straightforward version of a conflict I was very much looking forward to. I’d hoped for something elegant and thoughtful, but the show gave me a blunt and binary battle instead. Not a total miss, but a letdown nonetheless. If it worked better for you, please let me know!
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05-22-2023, 01:04 AM | #330 |
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