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08-19-2020, 06:39 AM | #681 |
Warrior of Delusions!
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People chatting about Graphite like he wouldn't be the perfect "Shadow the Hedgehog" equivalent. Can't you just imagine him saying "Hnnnnng, where's that damn fifth Gashat?" Classic.
And here's where I discuss the plot! Yeah, this one was a weird one, especially after the high stakes of the last few episodes, but it's nice to have breather and just go back to basics of forcing Kenzaki to suffer. He hasn't done that in almost... an episode! Umi is alright, maybe a little too antagonistic at first, but it all works out. Twomi, who it took me too long to remember her actual identity because I forgot she was introduced this early, is great, and I love her. And here's where I put that I prefer normal Blade to King Blade so no-one will read it and I get to live another day. Joker does look cool though.
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08-19-2020, 10:01 AM | #682 |
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And the fact that it's both of the new women is what made it stick out to me.
Actually, I'm maybe a little frustrated at finding it frustrating? It's really difficult for me to articulate exactly why this situation bothers me. It's two new characters that are thematically integrated into the narrative in compelling ways! That is basically a home run for a writer! And, like, Umi is, in almost every way that matters, exactly the same as Tachibana's old frenemy Kiryu. They're both people who show up as dark reflections of a Rider, someone who went a different way from the hero. And I don't remember giving Kiryu any shit for being a dude who comes in and only comments on the hero! I don't know. There's a thing about Umi and Twomi that... is it just the dearth of well-rounded female characters? I don't know. I don't know why I keep thinking about this! If Blade had women (or a woman! just one!) in a lead role, Umi and Twomi wouldn't stand out as potentially problematic (Hirose and Amane are great, but their stories also revolve around the Riders, which is what secondary and supporting characters are supposed to do!), but we don't. Because all our leads are men. The stories being told are all about men. Women are only in this story to further the narratives of the men at the center of it, and by this point in the show I feel like we're kind of used to it? Then these two women showing up simultaneously shakes up that male-as-default bit and we suddenly think, HEY HOLD UP HERE IS THIS A PROBLEM. And it IS a problem; it's just not a problem specifically with the two of them as characters. They're the symptom, not the disease, so to speak. Which, incidentally, is why Kiryu doesn't make you (or me) twitchy in his existing only in how he relates to and reflects Tachibana; the show doesn't need MORE male representation, it has plenty. |
08-19-2020, 10:06 AM | #683 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
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And here's where I discuss the plot! Yeah, this one was a weird one, especially after the high stakes of the last few episodes, but it's nice to have breather and just go back to basics of forcing Kenzaki to suffer. He hasn't done that in almost... an episode! Umi is alright, maybe a little too antagonistic at first, but it all works out. Twomi, who it took me too long to remember her actual identity because I forgot she was introduced this early, is great, and I love her.
I guess I didn't think the Umi plot was so disconnected to what was going on before, thematically? Kenzaki had planted a pretty big flag of being For The People last episode, and, well, people got a lot of different feelings about heroes in their midst. Tonally that plot is shift from Kenzaki thinking everyone he loves is in danger because of him, but thematically it's still about the fragility of life and what we do with our grief and all of those other Very Blade ideas. Just keep your amount of unpopular suit opinions below my startlingly high level and you'll be pretty well hidden.
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08-19-2020, 10:11 AM | #684 |
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Women as characters not having agency or arcs of their own or stories that don't relate to men is, as others have noted, a systemic issue with Kamen Rider (and Super Sentai, and tokusatsu in general). At the risk of stating the obvious, it's also an issue with media overall; Japanese dramas, American television, etc. Ongoing. For a long time. Male-as-default is the (Not Awesome) status quo, which is a way bigger conversation than will fit on these boards, lol
If Blade had women (or a woman! just one!) in a lead role, Umi and Twomi wouldn't stand out as potentially problematic (Hirose and Amane are great, but their stories also revolve around the Riders, which is what secondary and supporting characters are supposed to do!), but we don't. Because all our leads are men. The stories being told are all about men. Women are only in this story to further the narratives of the men at the center of it, and by this point in the show I feel like we're kind of used to it? Then these two women showing up simultaneously shakes up that male-as-default bit and we suddenly think, HEY HOLD UP HERE IS THIS A PROBLEM. And it IS a problem; it's just not a problem specifically with the two of them as characters. They're the symptom, not the disease, so to speak. Which, incidentally, is why Kiryu doesn't make you (or me) twitchy in his existing only in how he relates to and reflects Tachibana; the show doesn't need MORE male representation, it has plenty. I think it's really a top-down problem of making all the Riders men, which means structurally you're only making space for stories about men. The story would have to shift and alter to make room for a woman's story, and the show isn't really built to accommodate that beyond, like, inference and grace notes. It's a bit of a bummer!
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08-19-2020, 07:07 PM | #685 |
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It’s bullshit. It’s a villain move. It makes Kenzaki feel terrible for defending himself. It’s an abuser’s move, gaslighting the victim into feeling at fault for what the abuser is doing. But it only works because Kenzaki feels so responsible for people’s safety that he’s unable to hang around them if he thinks they could be hurt. He’ll do anything to protect people, even if it means cutting all ties to his friends. So he runs away from home, ready for a life of solitude, separate from the people he cares about. But that empathy that’s been weaponized against him by Tachibana, it’s not just a one way street. A Kamen Rider fights because they care about people. But people care about a Kamen Rider so they can fight.
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Karma right there for King, his demented take of amusement by messing with others bites him back when the same method was used against him in front of a crowd. Though Blade's way of winning here, is commonly considered as the worst way for a fighter to suddenly turn the fight around just because "you have faith in others or something", The Power Of Friendship trope. It's considered as laziest reasons for plot armor and makes the show little bit more shallow, and would rather see them overcoming adversities by more effort and doing something logical; doing things that are fight-related. (though probably the reason for the complaint was about it being overused). And the punch from King form, that's a random nameless move, but it's used as one of the special attacks in Battride War.
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08-19-2020, 09:00 PM | #686 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Moreso of this in the Showa era, and the reduction of the value of empathy in the world of violence in later Heiseis (more anti-heroic Riders who does good but leans more to fighting monsters part, or outright villainous Riders starting from Ryuki), although that can tell a more interesting story, it can get a flak for straying away from the Rider formula.
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Though Blade's way of winning here, is commonly considered as the worst way for a fighter to suddenly turn the fight around just because "you have faith in others or something", The Power Of Friendship trope. It's considered as laziest reasons for plot armor and makes the show little bit more shallow, and would rather see them overcoming adversities by more effort and doing something logical; doing things that are fight-related. (though probably the reason for the complaint was about it being overused). And the punch from King form, that's a random nameless move, but it's used as one of the special attacks in Battride War.
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08-19-2020, 09:45 PM | #687 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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It's also maybe worth noting that Blade does win the fight against King using a bit of strategy? All the punches do is get him to stop toying with Kenzaki. It's right after that, when Kenzaki thinks to grab King's own sword and smash that seemingly invincible shield with it, that he gains the upper hand. It's all reflexes and quick, intuitive thinking on Kenzaki's part. He fights better because his head is clearer, and his head is clearer because he's focused on his mission. I wouldn't exactly call that illogical. Things can be emotional and also make sense at the same time!
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08-19-2020, 11:11 PM | #688 |
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KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 36
This time on Kamen Rider Blade: Kenzaki gives an all-time classic But Why Heroism speech! A bunch of other stuff happens! I literally only care about the Kenzaki and Umi stuff, though! The stuff with Hajime and Mutsuki, it's fine, it's whatever. Tense scenes that are mostly about incremental movement, pushing the characters a little closer to collapse. It's entertaining, and it's all getting somewhere, but holy shit that Kenzaki speech. Holy shit. It's so good. I'm just going to start by reprinting it: U.N.D.E.A.D. Mk II is holding Umi hostage, firing grazing rounds at Kenzaki UMI: "No one would protect someone like me. Heroes don't exist!" KENZAKI: "They do." UMI: "Then why did no one save Mom or Dad or my brother?!" KENZAKI: "They do exist..." Kenzaki's shot once more, and falls to the ground. UMI: "See? No hero is coming to save us. Kenzaki, you idiot..." KENZAKI: "Maybe you're right. Maybe no hero will come, no matter how long we wait. That's why... I decided I'd be the one to protect everyone!" UMI: "Kenzaki!" KENZAKI: "If nothing else, I won't give up on keeping you safe! I don't want to lose to fate!" It's such a perfect sentiment for Kenzaki. It bundles together his sense of duty, his guilt, his compassion, his tenacity, his stubbornness, and it distills it all into a beautiful idea: heroism isn't a state, it's a decision. Heroes aren't created, or recognized. Heroes are the result of people choosing to help others, to not give into fear, to care more about the world around them than they do about their own safety or happiness. Umi's family died, and that's a tragedy. Kenzaki's family died, and that's a tragedy, too. But just because no one was around to help them, doesn't mean they can't help others. Heroism isn't about powers or a perfect record, it's about doing as much as you can for the people around you, whether that's taking down an(other) U.N.D.E.A.D. robot, or giving someone a piggyback ride when you think they're hurt. It's about recognizing how you can help other people, and then deciding to do it. It's not even about the result of your actions on others, which is another great Kenzaki point from earlier in the episode. Kenzaki wants to save everyone. Umi points out that it's not possible to save everyone. Which gives us this other perfect Kenzaki thought: KENZAKI: "Thinking about the impossible is a waste of time. It being ?€˜impossible' won't make me give up." I love that moral so much. Kenzaki doesn't look at his actions and determine afterwards if they were worth doing. It's not about the raw number of lives saved, or monsters defeated. It's that he acted. The heroism is in doing anything to make the world safer, to make the world better. Umi's flaw in the story is her cynicism, her defeatism. She thinks of the world as a terrible place, and she tries to drag Kenzaki down to her level. Heroes have never saved her, so anyone claiming to be a hero is deluding themselves and lying to her. Heroes don't exist. But Kenzaki's point is, if you don't think heroes exist, if you don't see heroes in the world, then be that hero. If heroism is required, it can come from you. There's nothing stopping Umi from being the hero, from saving herself. It's a message that feels like the second part of Hirose's speech to Kenzaki from a couple episodes back, where she was telling Kenzaki that he's fighting for all the people who can't. Here, it's Kenzaki saying that those people fight through him because they're heroes, too. Heroism isn't just the province of masked riders with magical trading cards. It's a decision every one of us can make at any time. It's nothing innate or ordained; it's a choice, and we all get to make it. I really love that idea. Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: King Form is a big problem! Hajime gets an upgrade! And Hirose's dad rolls out U.N.D.E.A.D. Mk III because we're still doing this plot for some reason!
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08-20-2020, 03:20 AM | #689 |
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And like many annoying people on YouTube, I can say I’m the first to comment. But I’m not that type of person, so I won’t. Anyway, on with the RIC
Change Mantis Given the name "Chalice the Legendary", the Mantis Undead (マンティスアンデッド Mantisu Andeddo) is the best fighter of all the Undead. As such, Hajime Aikawa uses the Undead's form and assumes the identity of "Kamen Rider Chalice" while suppressing his Joker nature. The form of this Undead is how Chalice' Rider form appears, save for an Undead belt in place of the Chalice Rouzer and card holster, as noted by the Eagle Undead before Kamen Rider Blade sealed him. Its abilities match those when used by Kamen Rider Chalice, save for any abilities related to the Rouse Cards. * Suit: Heart * Category: Ace * Ability Name: CHANGE * Card Name: Change Mantis (チェンジ・マンティス Chenji Mantisu) * Consumption Points: +3 And now a look at the Undead Hajime already sealed offscreen. Chop Head An Undead with powerful karate chops * Suit: Heart * Category: 3 * Ability Name: CHOP * Card Name: Chop Head (チョップ・ヘッド Choppu Heddo) * Consumption Points: FP 600 Tornado Hawk The ancestor of the hawk who has wind-based abilities. Categorised as the Six of Hearts * Suit: Heart * Category: 6 * Ability Name: TORNADO * Card Name: Tornado Hawk (トルネード・ホーク Torunēdo Hōku) * Consumption Points: FP 1400 Recover Camel An Undead with healing abilities. * Suit: Heart * Category: 9 * Ability Name: RECOVER * Card Name: Recover Camel (リカバー・キャメル Rikabā Kyameru) * Consumption Points: FP 2000 And since I missed this part on the last episode, data on Trial E’s basis. Century King Shadow Moon is Nobuhiko's alter-ego after being brainwashed by Gorgom. Shadow Moon has roughly the same amount of power and strength as Kamen Rider Black. His primary techniques are the Shadow Punch and the Shadow Kick. |
08-20-2020, 05:34 AM | #690 |
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I don't know that that's been my experience with Heisei Riders! The anti-heroic Riders actually help enforce the necessity of empathy, where the distance they keep from humanity becomes an flaw they need to overcome in order to defeat the villains. If the Riders seem less empathetic, I think it's just down to their journey being longer.
King's Form still had the same usual Blade face, though it's true that for others, many likes King Form's look. And it seems that for once, the finisher just destroys the monster like it happened in tokus, instead of opening Undead's belt to seal (well, not like Trial D can be sealed anyway, or probably any man-made Undeads are destroyed by that). King form is similar to the neo-Heisei final form ones, where it's the combination of every single gimmick (Undead cards here), but it seems that it only enhances his strength (I don't know if the fused cards can be used like Drive Type Tridoron). Quote:
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Undead is never an acronym btw, it's the name of the monsters but the organization has no correlation with it. And it seems you're partially right here with Tachibana still having problems like being jealous of Kenzaki, though it's still Yoshito's assumption. Blade should, and is known for the contrast for previous 2 series, the primary and secondary Rider had the only sense of teamwork.
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