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08-22-2020, 03:06 AM | #16031 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 462
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Maybe I have low standards but even though maybe the characters weren't all that super awesome to be fair it was enough for me that Zi-O seemed to have more respect for past shows than Decade, at least! I mean the Kiva episodes still weren't great but at least it was more of a story than that random kid!
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08-22-2020, 03:15 AM | #16032 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,510
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Quote:
Maybe I have low standards but even though maybe the characters weren't all that super awesome to be fair it was enough for me that Zi-O seemed to have more respect for past shows than Decade, at least! I mean the Kiva episodes still weren't great but at least it was more of a story than that random kid!
It was really cool seeing so many actors return. |
08-22-2020, 09:35 AM | #16033 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,361
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Quote:
Maybe I have low standards but even though maybe the characters weren't all that super awesome to be fair it was enough for me that Zi-O seemed to have more respect for past shows than Decade, at least! I mean the Kiva episodes still weren't great but at least it was more of a story than that random kid!
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08-22-2020, 10:48 AM | #16034 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Alrighty, so, I'm 38 episodes into Black! I've got only 13 episodes of Shadow Moon & Black Sun goodness to go!!
Quote:
The "problem" with Kamen Rider Black’s shift in tone stems less from the plots becoming sillier and goofier, but from the fact that children become the central protagonists of the episode and Kotaro devolves to a secondary character that comes in later to save the day.
Not every episode mind you, it isn’t as bad as Super-1’s second half, but it is noticeably different. And I put "problem" in exclamation marks on purpose because Black is super fun all around. Some little kids jumping around isn’t really changing that, plus, Black is still allowed to have focused episodes of his own. He isn’t permanently degraded to a secondary role. Like poor Super-1 was. God, I’m still not over that. If anything, the episodes became MORE about Kotaro as time has gone on! I've mentioned in my last KR Black post that Birugenia forced more competition and direct action out of the high priests, and while they still of course have an approximately 5% success rate; this is still very much true. Suddenly there were a lot more episodes about trying to remove Kamen Rider from the equation, or focusing on one of the two girls, or actively trying to awake Shadow Moon. It's hardly direct serialisation but I find this season got more plot-heavy the more time went on. Talking of plot... Shadow Moon's woken up! And he is a hell of a threat. What I wasn't expecting was for him to be so mechanical and to feel so much like a machine; there's always a lot of beeping around him and that leitmotif of him clacking his boots creates such an intimidating atmosphere. For the last third of the show I get the feeling it's going to make Golgom even more of a threat and much more enjoyable to watch overall! ... Is what I would say if my three favourite characters in the High Priests didn't get reborn as generic monster designs that don't reflect anything about them and don't carry any of their character. They don't even use the same elements the previous episode hurriedly assigned to them! Girl General Shadow gets to keep her face at least (because, y'know, she's the girl one; but that also means she gets the standard girl design), Discount Dr. Doom becomes this weird biker cat thing, and the short one that gave off the elder vibe has become this giant buff insect??? Their speaking roles are heavily decreased to what amounts to little more than grunts, they've abandoned their cloaks and with them any sense of actual mystery or power, and it is a damn shame. I was genuinely liking these three and I was so excited to see them alongside Shadow Moon! It's not even that I'm opposed to them getting new more powerful designs because that's actually very awesome, but the way it's done has removed every bit of character from them that made them great and it's difficult to imagine worse redesigns for them. It's a good thing Shadow Moon is as good as he is because man this would have turned me off so much. To end this on a positive note, I love that Shadow Moon is never referred to as a Kamen Rider despite everything about his appearance, his powers and how he works. Is this a good thing thematically? Well, yeah, but the MAIN positive here is that the title of "first evil Kamen Rider" gets to go to Scissors.
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08-22-2020, 12:56 PM | #16035 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,321
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Gotta say, I almost started rooting for Shadow Moon once he came around. I too would be pissed off at the world if my ability to sit down were removed.
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08-22-2020, 01:00 PM | #16036 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,510
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Quote:
@Kurona: If you're in the final stretch, look forward to Whale Mutant, he's cool. |
08-22-2020, 01:14 PM | #16037 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Quote:
The funny thing is, Noboru Sugimura was of course famous for his work as main writer on a string of excellent 90's Sentai shows, including Zyuranger, which I've consistently heard described that same way; that the heroes are often secondary to some kid of the week. But, at least as far as his work on BLACK is concerned, most of the episodes he wrote are the super plot heavy ones revolving around Shadow Moon, an antagonist who inherently shifts the focus directly onto Koutarou whenever he takes an active role in the plots. And Shadow Moon is freakin' great, of course. I think those boots alone are one of the most genius bits of costume design in all of tokusatsu, for one. To be honest, the Golgom priests never did much for me, so I definitely welcomed a new main bad guy with open arms.
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08-22-2020, 05:34 PM | #16038 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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So Zi-O doesn't even attempt to explain how Takeru has the Ghost Ridewatch?
Well, at least they're not trying to make pretzel logic in how the characters get the watches and hold on to them for X years despite having no memories anymore Also, dat Specter cameo. Literally just appears. Eh, I guess if the actor is willing to make a return, why not, right? What's that? Kabuto's actor has been wanting to return for years now? Oh...
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08-23-2020, 01:58 AM | #16039 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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...So if they literally made it a plot point that if the Quiz Ridewatch were to be made, Quiz would lose his memories and he wouldn't have the answer he was seeking, then why, when White Woz forcibly made the Quiz Ridewatch, he kept his memories?
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08-23-2020, 02:11 AM | #16040 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 843
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Because Zi-O cares so much about continuity that it overlaps into not caring about continuity at all.
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