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03-02-2024, 05:11 PM | #331 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 35 - “BEYOND R - A MONSTROUS RAIN APPROACHES”
Part of me wanted to just repost everything I wrote for Episode 31, because this one is basically that one, but for Terui. Like, this has got to be a living nightmare for Terui, right? A young woman who reminds him of his dead sister, terrorized by Isaka, and Terui is powerless to protect her. Short of anyone asking him questions or the Fuuto P.D. banning detectives from wearing leather, this is as bad as it could possibly get for Terui. He wants revenge on Isaka to assuage the survivor’s guilt he feels, and now he has to watch a young woman get terrorized so bad she becomes an Aztec snake bird god, all while Isaka becomes more powerful in the process. But where this version of 31/32 pivots is that it’s not at all a story about finding the validity of yourself within a group, or letting your weakness be a strength for others, it’s a Terui story: this one’s about him becoming even more fixated on his goals, to the exclusion of everything else in his life. It is a story of the beneficial aspects of near-psychotic obsession…? I mean, we’ll see where it goes in the second part, but I honestly don’t mind if this thing just lands on Shotaro’s aphorism about men finding strength within themselves as long as they have someone to protect. It’s good because it’s a more admirable trait of Terui’s, different from his introductory bloodlust. This one’s about Terui wanting to keep someone else from having to suffer, and stopping Isaka for good is just a way of achieving that goal. It turns Terui into a hero, instead of a vigilante, and hopefully that’s okay with Shroud. While we don’t get more of Shroud’s backstory (beyond hanging out in forests and renting dirtbike courses, totally good clues to provide), we do get Isaka’s, and it’s okay. He’s been a guy hyper-obsessed with gaining power and admiring Dopants, so his backstory is… that he saw a Dopant and admired it so much that he became hyper-obsessed with gaining its power. As revelations go, it’s, y’know, not one, but as we’re clearly in a climactic story for the Weather Dopant, we might as well cross our I’s and dot our T’s. Still, even if it doesn’t fundamentally change the way we look at Isaka or Saeko, at least they’re finally making a move on a definable goal – namely, getting the Terror Memory from Ryubei, somehow at some point. (I… am using “definable goal” somewhat loosely, it would seem. It’s still a step above randomly providing Gaia Memories to strangers and observing the results!) Mostly, though, this is a Terui spotlight story, so everything else is either an obstacle he’ll need to overcome (Isaka, himself) or something that exists to burnish his heroic bonafides (Team Double, Nagi). Much like Terui himself, this is an episode that needs an almost obsessive focus to work, and it’s fitting that folks like Shotaro and Philip are left to stand around commenting on Terui’s worldview. If they got more involved, they’d just end up asking him questions, and, well… — DIE-A MEMORIES -OH HO HO IF IT ISN’T THE TRIAL DIRTBIKE TRACK. I haven’t exactly missed it, but I love how much of an insane closer that shot is for a story of soul-scouring anger and inescapable terror. Shroud might as well have taken him to a roller rink, or a laser tag course. I love the tonal incongruity of it so so much. -Best gag in the episode is Nagi calling Terui a pervert as a scheme to get out of his grasp. It’d probably work on almost any dude, but it is incredibly effective against a stern dude wearing a full-body red leather outfit. Bonus points for Shotaro and Akiko trying to wriggle out of the angry crowd’s accusations that a cosplay detective and shoe-wielding middle schooler are also perverts!
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03-02-2024, 06:05 PM | #332 |
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This brings me back to the Showa era Kamen Riders, the first show and V3 in particular, because I remember the early episodes of those shows had at least one scene where the protagonist would be riding their bikes on a track such as this one iirc. And the opening clip for Elements aka the second Kamen Rider Blade opening theme as well, though that I believe was more of a random dirt area than a proper track.
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Last edited by Sunred; 03-02-2024 at 06:10 PM.. |
03-02-2024, 06:32 PM | #333 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,421
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This brings me back to the Showa era Kamen Riders, the first show and V3 in particular, because I remember the early episodes of those shows had at least one scene where the protagonist would be riding their bikes on a track such as this one iirc. And the opening clip for Elements aka the second Kamen Rider Blade opening theme as well, though that I believe was more of a random dirt area than a proper track.
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03-02-2024, 06:46 PM | #334 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,416
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That episode was amazing in so many ways. My favorite part: Amazon literally picking up his bike and chucking it into the sea. Dude was ahead of his time on the series rejecting bike stunts!
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03-02-2024, 07:18 PM | #335 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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This brings me back to the Showa era Kamen Riders, the first show and V3 in particular, because I remember the early episodes of those shows had at least one scene where the protagonist would be riding their bikes on a track such as this one iirc. And the opening clip for Elements aka the second Kamen Rider Blade opening theme as well, though that I believe was more of a random dirt area than a proper track.
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03-02-2024, 07:30 PM | #336 |
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So, while it doesn’t fall under any of my alerts, the girl this week was in an idol group with the “desu” girl from the Nightmare two-parter. And that’s all I have casting wise.
Plot wise, I see the show is continuing the theme of prehistoric animal themed Dopants with unpronounceable names (in this case, Quetzalcoatlus). There’s a more general opinion I have, but I’ll save it for next time. |
03-02-2024, 08:22 PM | #337 |
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KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 33 - ?Y?S TRAGEDY - THE WOMAN IN SEARCH OF YESTERDAY?
It?s kind of amazing to think of how little has changed since he was killed. An episode like this should feel like dredging up the forgotten past, but instead it feels like you could?ve done it the episode after Kirihiko got, uh, forcibly divorced. Isaka?s no factor in this one. Terui?s here, but only really in an Additional Kamen Rider way, not in any sense that affects the trajectory of the mystery. Wakana?s pissy about Saeko, which is a thing from practically the debut episode. And Shotaro is in full-on Cosplay Detective mode, ready to play up his deductive skills for a pretty girl. The show hasn?t really budged an inch since Kirihiko left, which is either a testament to Shotaro honoring Kirihiko?s memory by preserving Fuuto in amber (or at least the amber light of a sunset), or it?s this show not really having distinct phases of aesthetic/structural design. You choose! Quote:
But here?s Kirihiko?s sister, arriving in Fuuto to trick Shotaro into trying to murder Saeko, and all for reasons that demand a second part to this mystery. What looked at first like a simple story about revenge, actually turns into? a try-out for the Museum? I don?t really understand the Why yet (Yuuko is actually a fake identity designed to manipulate Shotaro, so it?s hard to say if what Yukie actually wants is to be a Museum officer), and the How is equally mystifying ? why doesn?t Saeko get out of the way of the attack? There?s showing strength by not canceling an event after a threat, and then there?s standing there while a Maximum Drive is being targeted at your face. I can see why Yukie would assume taking out a top Museum lieutenant could be a power move, but why does Saeko just stand there? Weird sequence.
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I did like the episode overall, though. Yuuko and Shotaro have instant, charming chemistry ? the two of them playing as cats was really sweet. The low-hanging fruit is pointing out that OF COURSE Shotaro would fall for a woman who wears a hat well, but he really seems to enjoy her willingness to embrace absurdity in the pursuit of an objective. She?s fun, in the same dumb, embarrassing ways that he?s fun. They?d?ve made a fun couple, if she actually existed.
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Really, though, this isn?t an episode for delving into Yuuko/Yukie?s relationship with her late brother, or with her employment goals. It?s an episode for a pretty appealing action sequence? or is that two action sequences? The gimmick of running the fight back a second time, with Shotaro accidentally going on a rampage, is incredibly fun to watch. Keeping all the same choreography and dialogue is disconcerting, with a kind of hilarious inevitability that gets more tense as it goes along. As far as Dopant powers go, this is one of the most compelling and cinematic. Not sure what Yuuko/Yukie?s whole deal is yet, but I like her strategy! It?s honestly smarter than Isaka?s stuff so far!
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03-02-2024, 09:50 PM | #338 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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It's a literal-minded take and just making yourself look like a fool, and Akiko hits him with her slipper for this as Sokichi's advice can only be applied to people. However, Yuuko agrees with Shotaro's approach, to try all the possibilities, of which Akiko, being the sane one for once here, sarcastically remarks that they're a perfect team.
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03-03-2024, 02:44 PM | #339 |
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KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 34 - “Y’S TRAGEDY - BROTHER AND SISTER”
Like, I can believe they actually got Kirihiko to come back for a scene? It wasn’t strictly necessary – this is a story about memory and letting go of the past, so he didn’t need to physically appear at all – but it’s a nice touch to include a pre-forcible divorce scene where Kirihiko calls his newly-established kid sister and makes sure she’s okay. It just pluses up that side of the story, and I respect the producers going the extra mile for it. And it's eventually revealed Yukie's motive is really to avenge Kirihiko, and her method is letting the opponent's guard down. I think the part veers into more generic part despite at first it attempts to subvert the generic approach (the cast assumes she wants to avenge Kirihiko, which she denies, but it's actually the case). Would like to see a different approach of a (killed) loved ones as a stepping stone to ascend instead of a fuel for revenge (already done multiple times like in Terui and Aya), and/or likely the reaction if she's doing worse than Kirihiko or such. Quote:
Especially because this episode was already so good without it? The exploration of The Real Yukie is even more charismatic and compelling than the fake Yuuko from last time. She’s completely the woman that Shotaro would fall for – committed to her sense of justice, cunning in her execution of it, and preferential to hats and vests. (I thought that was just for Shotaro’s benefit, but she seriously wears them all the time?) She’s got a real Irene Adler thing going on throughout this, where she’s sort of into the game of manipulating Shotaro, just to see how long she can outsmart him. She’s never 100% honest with him, but she trusts him to see the truth of her regardless.
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Speaking of, it’s actually pretty great to have Isaka show up as the final boss of this story, instead of Saeko. He’s here as the narrative’s replacement of Kirihiko, a refutation of his humanity and eventual decency. Isaka gets his ass handed to him as a tiny victory for a guy who loved Fuuto, but isn’t around to protect it anymore. A little gift, nothing more.
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I don’t know if I’ve ever groaned louder than when Shotaro narrated that Yukie was stricken by Narratively Convenient Amnesia, a heretofore unknown side effect of utilizing the Yesterday Memory. It’s not only such a gigantic cheat, a sloppy way of making sure that Shotaro’s New Crush doesn’t hang around the series for more than a two-parter, but it directly undercuts all of the character growth this entire story has been constructing for her. It’s important that she’s aware of her actions, so she can truly grapple with the weight of Kirihiko’s absence, and what her life looks like after vengeance. She has to choose to let yesterday go. Instead, she’s got amnesia, maybe someday she won’t, coffee gags, credits. It’s so frustrating to have a smart story rush through a stupid ending, and it makes me almost as mad as the rest of the story made me happy.
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03-03-2024, 08:09 PM | #340 |
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Just finished the Yesterday two-parter, and I actually somewhat agree with you on it being close to perfect.
However, it was not Yukie getting amnesia that annoyed me. There, I get the dramatic irony of her past literally escaping her rather than the other way around. As well as it meaning her memories returning will hit her like a brick wall later on. Like coffee, her fate is more bittersweet than any outright swing one way or another. No, what more annoyed me was Isaka and Saeko, because it goes back to my problem of Isaka being boringly invincible. Sure, Isaka doesn't go by completely unscathed, but the only reason Saeko lives by the end of all of this is through him. And yeah, I get it, no way was she gonna bite it this early on, but given that we knew nothing about how the Taboo Memory actually worked up to now, why not just say that it has the power to undo brands/curses/rules/whatever term they wanna use? Instead, no, it's all thanks to Doctor Boring and his Magic Science. Which means that the Taboo Memory probably is literally only good for flight and energy blasts, which is lame. I also called foul and Wakana's' claim that Saeko was looking back on Kirihiko with any sort of fondness or regret. Gonna give a big NO to that one. But despite that, everything else about the two episodes is good, so I'm not about to say the whole experience was ruined or anything like that.
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