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05-05-2022, 09:32 PM | #951 |
Precure enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2021
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Accidentally forgot to watch this episode the other day, my bad.
I....don't have much to say though.This episode Sure Did Exist, that's my feelings on it personally. Which is a weird note to end our Ridewatch-collecting adventure on and a new form's debut, but hey, they can't all be cleanly good or bad. But I do hope everyone enjoyed Grand Zi-O's roughly-minute long jingle, because if I'm remembering correctly, hearing it in full is like, incredibly rare across the suit's appearances. For obvious reasons of course, even jingles that're even 1/4 as long as it get cut short for time! Such a shame, because it's so good too... |
05-05-2022, 09:33 PM | #952 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 41 - “2019 - WORLD RESET”
Inevitably, we’ve reached the Darkest Timeline story. Pretty much expected of any series about time travel, you know? Hard to avoid the fun flip of a dystopia. It makes sense to do it now. Some of it's because we went right from the high of Grand Zi-O’s 45-minute debut scene (rough estimate) to fighting Oma Zi-O in the Misery Fields of 2068. We had a hero who thought he was ready to claim victory, so he needs a taste of ultimate defeat. We can’t have Sougo thinking he’s wrapped everything up just because he’s collected enough roleplay items to access the endgame content, can we? We gotta humble him a bit. The bigger reason to do it now, though, is because we need to have a final statement on Sougo’s dedication to being Kamen Rider Zi-O, and how his friendships are a part of that. We need a final But Why Heroism from him that encompasses all of Team Zi-O. Thankfully, we’ve got Tsukasa here in his Tough Love -slash- Complete Asshole mode, to help Sougo navigate this strange new world of everyone hating him and wanting to kill him because they’re convinced he’s a world-destroying Kamen Rider. Can’t– can’t really explain why Tsukasa seems like the Legend Rider you want for this one, but I think I’ve got the gist. There’s not a ton of stuff to dissect from this episode, since it’s a Darkest Timeline story. (It’s mostly just everyone forgetting Sougo, except for the part where they think he’s a villain.) Hiryuu’s back as Another Zi-O, and he’s just as laughably forgettable as last time. He ruined the world because he hates Sougo and can’t get over his anger, which is… I guess it’s a motivation? It lacks a sense of scale, which has always been my problem with Hiryuu. He’s mad about some accident Sougo survived from when they were both on a bus together a decade ago, and that’s all the show ever seems to come up with for him? It should read as intensely personal yet universal – the loss of both parents for reasons that are impossible to define – but there’s so little specificity to Hiryuu, so little sense of what he’s like when he’s not sneering at Sougo’s existence, that it’s difficult to feel any emotions about him besides Apathy. You might as well have a melon with a frowny-face drawn on it plunged onto the end of a broom, and had the Time Jackers make that thing Another Zi-O. Just waving some scowling melon-broom at Sougo while Woz cheers it on. Might work better for me! I liked Tsukasa being here, though. He has a way of cutting through Sougo’s (very understandable!) self-pity and trying to get that kid to realize that his friendships can’t be taken from him by weird time magic, because he’s still the kid that made those friends. (Tsukasa is living proof of how valuable friendships can be while the universe is trying to undo your existence!) Also, boy, real sad to see him think that him losing all his friends is because he didn’t take on Oma Zi-O even more solo. Sougo! Your powers are not the Time Overlord stuff! They’re your innate empathy and boundless optimism! That is what drew these people to you in the first place! It’s the thing that Hiryuu could never replicate, because he is just a one-dimensional obstacle with a very weird headband! This one’s a total Part 1 of ? episode, with a lot of time spent upending the status quo while backgrounding the more compelling (to me) emotional elements. But! That just means the next part can hit even harder for me. Looking forward to it!
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05-05-2022, 09:58 PM | #953 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
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Quote:
So like, I feel a little bad because I think all I have to say about this episode are nerdy nitpicks that probably don't at all matter in the long run but I guess I can't help what I latched onto? For one, the whole confrontation between Grand Zi-O and Oma Zi-O is weird for various small reasons. One is I don't get why this is happening. Well mean, I know narratively it is to show Sougo and the audience that the way to beat his evil future self is not just by becoming super powerful and beating him up. It would be ridiculous if that was ever going to be the actual solution. But why did the characters decide to do this here and now? I think this would have flowed better if Sougo was the one who decided to head right to 2068 himself in order to foolishly challenge his future self in an attempt to finally prove he is 'better' than what destiny says about him. Also, then they have Oma Zi-O say "actually you lost its because we haven't had a Drive episode yet", like huh? Also also, I really have to say I'm immediately disappointed that Grand Zi-O's summoning powers have been simplified. Obviously having him do all that 'pluck directly from original series' to the extent he did in the previous episode is unreasonable, but I figured they'd just at most have a suit do a generic move for a second before vanishing. Here, he summons them and they fight like Pokemon, just like Diend does. And while I'm at it, it bugs me that they show Oma Zi-O doing the same thing! One of the reasons I thought Grand Zi-O's powerset was so cool is how it contrasted with how Oma Zi-O fought back in episode 15. Compared to how Oma Zi-O embodied the past riders' powers into himself, Grand Zi-O celebrates their legacy by having them show off for themselves. But no, now they're both just Diend. Anyhow, furthering making things weird is how disconnected this whole scene feels compared to right afterwards where Sougo is thrown into a changed world where Another Zi-O II rules (who can summon Another Riders to fight for him so that's three guys in this episode who are basically Diend. Four if you remember Diend himself is in this show too!). When I saw the preview for this episode, I kinda assumed there would be a cause and effect thing, like Sougo fighting with Oma Zi-O would cause some timeline hiccups that allowed Hiryu to come to power like this? But no, they seem pretty isolated and just happen one after another, which feels off to me. Speaking of Hiryu, I always thought a simple way to give him just a liiiittle more character in this episode is to have it be that he does take Sougo's advice to leave behind the past... and so he decides he wants a future where he'll be the overlord who rules the world instead. That way, not only would he not just be repeating the exact same routine he had before, but that'd make him a little closer to being an evil mirror of Zi-O, wouldn't it? So yeah, the episode was a lot of me going 'eh, i dunno about that' and then hoping the next episode feels better. Last edited by FreshToku; 05-05-2022 at 10:14 PM.. |
05-05-2022, 09:59 PM | #954 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,585
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Final Form Rot is that you?
Yeah uh... while knocking Sougo down a peg or two is good because you know, great victory and then huge defeat is always a good shocker for people uh... Sougo has one of the most potential broken forms in Kamen Rider and while it doesn't entirely job here... it goes from utilized 75% of it's potential in it's debut to like 10% of it's potential here. Grand Zi-O can do so much... and Sougo is not utilizing it at all and it's honestly really sad. Which is why I'm calling my shot here and just declaring Grand as the second Final Form in a row (Build Genius I glare at you) that wastes any potential it might have. Anyway this is a neat Arc that we have here, Grand Issues aside, there's some neat stuff here. Like how we're teasing the last two Another Riders we haven't seen yet via that really bad statue that Hiryu had set up. Man that was very pathetic looking, just like Hiryu, and that's why I love him. Next time for BGM Swap it's the same three as last time and Tsukuyomi's theme. Not much to say here. Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 42 Preview: |
05-05-2022, 10:00 PM | #955 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
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See, I get what you're saying about Hiryu being pathetic, but, and I say this in the Fishist of ways... I kinda like that about him? To have the supposed ultimate rival of the King to Time to be some whiny teen who hates Sougo for such a silly, petty reason that even he doesn't know, but by God he really hates Sougo, the odd kind of anti-charisma so powerful I don't think anyone else has defended him? Yeah, that's the perfect counter to our lovable kid who can befriend the people whose lives he will/already has ruined in 50 years time.
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Also, then they have Oma Zi-O say "actually you lost its because we haven't had a Drive episode yet", like huh?
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05-05-2022, 10:38 PM | #956 |
Precure enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Amongst the Cosmos
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So this is the world of Episode 41....!
-Oma Zi-O essientally going "No Drive? Perish then." feels a bit humorous to me. In a fight where both sides are totally OP, such a reason for the power gap feels almost like 2 kids on the playground roleplaying a fight, trying to one-up each other with silly reasons why the other should lose ("Nuh-uh, You didn't get Drive on your own so it doesn't count!" or something like that) -I kinda see what they were doing with Hiryuu in his original storyline (A bit messily exceuted, but understandable!) but this is.....a little hard to wrap the brain around. Feeling Sougo's words of advice were humilating and coming from a place that ultimately doesn't quite get his struggle..? Sure, I can understand that. I fail to see why going for a far more targeted approach that would hurt Sougo isn't a better option than just setting the world aflame? (What do I know, maybe the TJs gassed him up to thinking general destruction is the best option) -I know we're all talking about Geiz and Tsuku and how much Sougo not having his besties around must suck, but can we talk about Woz? It'd probably hurt a lot for one of the people who actually remembers everything to just go "Yeah I don't fuck with you anymore, sorry! :-)" . It's Woz's whole thing to watch over history so jumping to the guy who'll be the next overlord seems like a logical step, sure, but not a even a crumb of fondness for your former lord? How cold..... -It's good to Tsukasa doing his thing, dishing out advice in a way that gets you moving but also pisses you off a bit? After a series of eh-ish appearances, it's nice that this episode feels like it knows how to properly insert Tsukasa in Zi-O's narrative without being a glorifed "get to the next plotpoint" button. |
05-05-2022, 10:59 PM | #957 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Quote:
Quote:
-Oma Zi-O essientally going "No Drive? Perish then." feels a bit humorous to me. In a fight where both sides are totally OP, such a reason for the power gap feels almost like 2 kids on the playground roleplaying a fight, trying to one-up each other with silly reasons why the other should lose ("Nuh-uh, You didn't get Drive on your own so it doesn't count!" or something like that)
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05-05-2022, 11:41 PM | #958 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
One is I don't get why this is happening. Well mean, I know narratively it is to show Sougo and the audience that the way to beat his evil future self is not just by becoming super powerful and beating him up. It would be ridiculous if that was ever going to be the actual solution. But why did the characters decide to do this here and now? I think this would have flowed better if Sougo was the one who decided to head right to 2068 himself in order to foolishly challenge his future self in an attempt to finally prove he is 'better' than what destiny says about him.
For Oma Zi-O... he thinks this rebellious Eff You Future Me version of himself is adorable. Of course he's going to bring that version to the future ASAP to congratulate him on taking the remaining steps towards ensuring their destiny is fulfilled! Quote:
Also, it sort of makes sense that the Time Jackers would pull their scheme now, since they're sweating bullets over Grand Zi-O. Swartz says as much, I think. It's super convenient, storytelling-wise, but I think the show makes it believable. Quote:
Quote:
See, I get what you're saying about Hiryu being pathetic, but, and I say this in the Fishist of ways... I kinda like that about him? To have the supposed ultimate rival of the King to Time to be some whiny teen who hates Sougo for such a silly, petty reason that even he doesn't know, but by God he really hates Sougo, the odd kind of anti-charisma so powerful I don't think anyone else has defended him? Yeah, that's the perfect counter to our lovable kid who can befriend the people whose lives he will/already has ruined in 50 years time.
And, sure, I too have loved a character who exists to be the Shitty Version of a hero. The thing about Hiryuu that bothers me is that it wouldn't take much to turn him into early-days Tsurugi, or latter-days Yaguruma: some guy who was our hero, and then became so much of our hero's neuroses and idiosyncrasies that they became a fascinating disaster. But it's either the performance or the conception of the character that keeps it from being weird enough to love, or pathetic enough to pity. It exists, for me, in this liminal space of recognition, and nothing else. I get that he's some twisted outcome of Sougo, but then it's like the show just points at that in unearned pride and goes Mission Accomplished. Quote:
It's good to Tsukasa doing his thing, dishing out advice in a way that gets you moving but also pisses you off a bit? After a series of eh-ish appearances, it's nice that this episode feels like it knows how to properly insert Tsukasa in Zi-O's narrative without being a glorifed "get to the next plotpoint" button.
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05-05-2022, 11:56 PM | #959 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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This one also worked for me? Narratively, it's necessary to think that all of this is happening because of his failures on the Misery Fields of 2068. If he instantly figures out that the Time Jackers are screwing with him, there's really no introspection necessary. He needs to dwell a little bit on how his solo campaign against Oma Zi-O robs him of his greatest weapons: his relationships.
Also, it sort of makes sense that the Time Jackers would pull their scheme now, since they're sweating bullets over Grand Zi-O. Swartz says as much, I think. It's super convenient, storytelling-wise, but I think the show makes it believable. |
05-06-2022, 12:09 AM | #960 |
Member
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Location: World of Ataru
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Episode 27 Can I say I just love this line when Black Woz tells Geiz about what Revive does to his body? It goes with the duality of Revive powers in relation to time itself and how that damages his body. I know it’s just technobabble with no real scientific basis but it thematically links with how Geiz is burdened with a guilt that threatens to tear him up from the inside up on his journey to be a terminator. Also Woz apparently bleeds pages and this only time this ever happens?!?! It’s also cool to see that Woz book can be used as a weapon which is pretty cool. I love the expression Tsukasa has on his face when he hears Swartz's little speech. It tells so much with so little. And Black Woz taking the powers was so great and his little speech man they’ve been building up in the background him and Geiz rivalry in the background so to see it in the foreground was so great in this four-parter. But let’s get to the real meat of this episode Sougo and Uncle. The uncle's fears are the most legitimate things to come out of Kamen Rider when you adopt a kid, especially one that went though such a tragedy where is the line drawn? But then there what he’s said it tells so much about Sougo and even a bit about Ohma ZI-O that a version of Sougo who never learned empathy because he didn’t have friends by his side and this Sougo had those things and losing it just wanting to make it seem likes it fine just because he's used to it. Uncle's speech is what I think changes Sougo destiny the most outside of Geiz giving him his belt back in Episode 16.
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