|
Community Links |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
04-06-2020, 08:22 PM | #301 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
|
It's funny that you think Shirou has more than one answer.
__________________
|
04-06-2020, 08:50 PM | #302 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 2,481
|
Quote:
[
*snip an entire review/analysis* Just like this episode! That I can’t believe I had this much to say about! Fish Sandwich’s brand-new “Fish Sandwich rewatches Kamen Rider Kuuga” thread must be affecting me. I’d probably be better off posting these feelings in Deepsea’s new “General Kamen Rider Thoughts” thread. #ad *Image snip*
__________________
|
04-06-2020, 11:27 PM | #303 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
So, there you have it! Fully twenty-one things that we've seen Shiro talk about on Ryuki. Check and MATE, Fish Sandwich, if that's even your real name. I think I need to start watching it, too! People have been saying some interesting things about it.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-07-2020, 03:46 AM | #304 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
|
Quote:
Just like this episode! That I can’t believe I had this much to say about! Fish Sandwich’s brand-new “Fish Sandwich rewatches Kamen Rider Kuuga” thread must be affecting me. I’d probably be better off posting these feelings in Deepsea’s new “General Kamen Rider Thoughts” thread. #ad
Quote:
For this episode, Genocider's new trait seems to be explosive spits instead of corrosive ones like Venosnaker. Explosives can be more harmful, but corrosive has long-lasting effect as an advantage I guess. I think I don't really like his Evildiver Final Vent clashing evenly with Knight Survive's Final Vent here. Ordinary Evildiver's FV has standard 5000 AP, Knight Survive's one has 8000 AP. Quote:
Yui's been sad before, and Shiro never felt the need to cancel the premise of the show to cheer her up, so I'm going to lay this one at the feet of bad writing.
When the mirror monster attacks, Ren and Shinji run for cover and just leave Yui standing on the beach. Are they that sure the monster is going to ignore Yui? Ren doesn't really gain anything from the scene after Yui and Shiro talk. He's just standing around. It was weird to have him just, like, waiting them to get in the car or something. He could've used some lines! They should've played the scene where the monster continuously chases them and drive them to the hiding spot. O̶r̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶I̶n̶o̶u̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶f̶f̶?̶ Why would Ren do anything there? Shinji was telling the other companion the same thing he told to Ren, which Ren disagrees heavily. If anything one thing he wanted to do in his mind was probably mock him again, which would ruin the situation (and kind of behavior she disapproves heavily). Quote:
Right, but why are we we being told that now, in the midst of the rest of this story? I don't dislike the scene, I dislike how incongruent it is to the rest of the episode. It functions like an obligatory check-in, some contractual thing (no pun intended), rather than something that flowed naturally in the story.
Quote:
The main problem is he basically has no plan of attack. Working from, I guess, the Yui school of Getting What You Want By Being Pathetic And Annoying, Shinji shows up at Kitaoka’s house and just sort-of hopes for the best. It’s a terrible plan, and Shinji’s obviously desperate, so of course Kitaoka takes advantage and gets Shinji to clean his house, make his lunch, and generally be Goro For A Day.
(Speaking of, holy shit does Goro clean up nice!) Quote:
The idea of throwing Shinji and Kitaoka together isn’t a new one, but it’s still an incredibly smart one. They’ve got great comedic rhythm, with Kitaoka manipulating the trusting Shinji and Shinji barely able to get the vain and lazy Kitaoka to take things seriously. They’re so goddamn funny together. There’s a ton of little bits of business that cracked me up. Like, during their first drive, trailing the threatening dudes, Kitaoka keeps turning the rearview mirror to look at himself, and Shinji keeps turning it back to drive. It’s a little bit of physical comedy, but it’s so on-point that it was killing me. Or, Jesus, the fact that Kitaoka immediately tries to get the thugs to beat up Shinji instead of him. Like, immediately. He doesn’t try and bluff or haggle or anything, he’s just, like, Please Beat Up This Guy Instead Of Me. This whole episode was a laugh.
All of the card switching stuff between Ryuki and Zolda was awesome. Great gags, with Ryuki getting blasted while Kitaoka got stronger, but also a really good visualization for how much stronger they are by cooperating. Oh, and I dug how Kitaoka was like, Of Course My Cards Only Work For Me, like he got some sort of instruction manual that Shinji didn’t. Kitaoka manipulating Shinji even extends to them in a fight. The reaction of Ryuki is just priceless that all the weapons are given to Zolda even if Ryuki scanned them. I like when a "douche" is saying undeniable truths that has no ill intention but got to be taken hard by others like "my cards work for me". But Ryuki also shows his another unpredictable fight tactics here to strike back. Summoning Magnugiga, he knocks Zolda aside to use Magnugiga as Guard Vent (despite not being able to move at all, Magnugiga was unflinched by the attacks...), and keep hiding behind it to scan his Strike Vent card and finish his opponent. Zolda even acknowledges this part of him! But overall, what I like about that moment apart from being funny is that the series gives more explanations of how Advent Cards work here. Quote:
But, as with all of the really great Ryuki episodes, it’s a thrilling and funny installment that also does outstanding character work. Shinji’s weird insistence on throwing himself into situations he really doesn’t understand and can’t clearly articulate what his plan is, this is not a good thing about him. If things work out for him, it’s dumb luck, and if things don’t work out, they probably shouldn’t have anyway. And yet, I never seem to be able to get mad at Shinji for not having a better plan in this episode. When he believes in something, he can’t just wait until he’s got a good idea. He’d rather do the wrong thing than do nothing, you know? He can’t wait things out. And that’s why he hangs out with Kitaoka, hoping something will happen that’ll give him direction.
Quote:
And it does! But not really how it seemed like it was going to. In trying to get through to Kitaoka, and largely just becoming his maid, Shinji gets that this cause, of trying to rehabilitate Kitaoka… it’s someone else’s motivation. He’d like Kitaoka to give up the Rider Battles, to fight for justice, but that’s not why Shinji became a Kamen Rider. In a scene that feels for all the world like the writer grabbing the show and getting it back on track, Shinji realizes that he wants to save people from monsters.
Quote:
Quote:
I think one of the reasons why all those elements work is because of how the show plays Shinji off of the other Riders. This episode, obviously, it’s the Kitaoka Show (my favorite show), but there’s a few moments with Ren that makes Shinji’s character better. Ren’s needling, his little digs at Shinji’s optimism and empathy, it’s a big way the show let’s you laugh at Shinji’s poorly-considered perseverance, or his overly-trusting nature, or his goofiness (like, he really thinks cleaning windows is going to get Kitaoka to stop trying to kill other Riders?), while still letting those attributes have value. It’s… it’s that Ren cares enough to say This Is Stupid that makes it not stupid, if that makes any sense. That he pushes back on Shinji’s goals and worldview, forcing Shinji to live his words more, or better consider what he wants. Ren sharpens Shinji. It’s a great dynamic they have right now, where there’s this friendship that has radically opposed philosophies as its foundation. If the phrase Agree To Disagree came to life, it’d look a lot like this friendship.
Quote:
Speaking of friendships! Yui’s back, and she’s pretty great in this one? It’s mostly just her and Ren, and it’s not a ton of scenes, but I like what’s here. Their first one, where Yui gets to set up her current outlook, it’s nicely direct. Yui’s been a… let’s say problematic character for me, but in one scene they reposition her in a way where I get what the show’s doing with her. She’s got a bit more grit now, a bit of resolve, where her mission to get through to Shiro feels optimistic, rather than shapeless. Yui’s a good mirror to Shinji in this one, with both of them tired of sitting around second-guessing their options, instead just pressing forward. I like this version of Yui, a version that isn’t saying Why Me all the time. I much prefer this new one, who seems to be saying If Me, Then I Have Some Control. It’s a good look on Yui!
Quote:
It’s not the case, Shiro doesn't seem huge on documentation or a Rider Battle onboarding process ("Welcome to Rider Battles. Fight or Die. Any questions? Keep in mind, all of the answers are going to be Fight and/or Die."), but I’m okay with Shinji being perennially the least-informed Rider. It’s fitting.
Last edited by DreadBringer; 04-07-2020 at 03:50 AM.. |
04-07-2020, 03:54 AM | #305 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,551
|
Not sure how much of a spoiler this is, but this week’s attacking monster ended up gaining some notoriety a few years later, for reasons I’m sorely tempted to post a picture of, but I have too many scruples to do that. (That, and I don’t know how to Mark spoilers on forums).
|
04-07-2020, 11:10 AM | #306 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Quote:
For this episode, Genocider's new trait seems to be explosive spits instead of corrosive ones like Venosnaker. Explosives can be more harmful, but corrosive has long-lasting effect as an advantage I guess. I think I don't really like his Evildiver Final Vent clashing evenly with Knight Survive's Final Vent here. Ordinary Evildiver's FV has standard 5000 AP, Knight Survive's one has 8000 AP.
Quote:
Why would Ren do anything there? Shinji was telling the other companion the same thing he told to Ren, which Ren disagrees heavily. If anything one thing he wanted to do in his mind was probably mock him again, which would ruin the situation (and kind of behavior she disapproves heavily).
Quote:
I don't think it's random? It's connected with a previous episode where Kitaoka's illness started to affect him in Rider fights where Ren remarked that he's weaker. It's more than just Ren being an asshole for turning a compliment back to him, it's a plot point where irony starts to catch up to Zolda (be a Rider to cure his illness, but cannot go on due to his illness), the illness continues until Goro notices.
Quote:
Quote:
Well to be honest regarding Rider War, I don't really know what is the actually right and reliable way to stop it. One way I thought about was killing every other Riders, trying to win and use the wish to undo the damages of the War, but that's a huge risk for a probably futile extremist way, and it's also the lesson for Ren to detach your humanity to kill other people. Or just adopt a greyer look and decide that irredeemable bastards deserve to die. Rider War is filled with morally ambiguous people that were properly chosen by Shiro, where by that logic the only purely good Riders are Shinji and Tezuka, both weren't picked. Even aside from Asakura, changing other morally ambiguous people seems to be a generally impossible task (this series, various other series except by bad writing for easy solution, and real life) like to someone such as Ren, Kitaoka, etc. Shinji's clumsiness and naivety may be the cause behind this, but even Tezuka didn't fare any better than this (other than inspiring Shinji), so I just view the Rider War problem as a whole no matter who it is. Aside from all of that, the Rider War in nature forces everyone to keep fighting or die, if Shinji actually did manage to change the Riders to stop fighting, would it spell doom to them?
Quote:
Sure, Shinji's aim is to save people. But the realization next is that he needs to save Riders too as they are also people, he wants to stop the Rider War because he wants to prevent people getting killed, that includes Riders getting killed by one another. His other dilemma is "Other people's choices are other people's choices" which would contradict his aim to save people including Riders.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-07-2020, 06:47 PM | #307 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
MASKED RIDER RYUKI EPISODE 27
There's a bunch of little storyline things that happen in this episode (Yui and Shiro severing their familial bond, Kitaoka's worsening condition, Eri's fluctuating health, Shiro being a confirmed ghost, and a Brand New Rider at the end), but let's be real. This episode is 100% about how Kamen Riders aren't cool and you shouldn't enjoy their fighting because it's serious and dangerous and not cool. Which, of course, is why this episode has an amazing sequence where Ren, in human form, cold cocks a monster so hard it falls down a flight of stairs: Amazing. Amazing. I feel like, the producers, they wondered if Ren just being a Kamen Rider would be cool enough for this kid to be obsessed (hell yes!), and since they weren't certain they devised the goddamn coolest way for Ren to enter a scene. It's enormously bad-ass. No wonder this kid wants to be a Rider. Takuya's story is a sweet little done-in-one, a way for the show to have its cake and eat it too. The Riders get to kick ass and be heroic, while also serving as a stern warning to Not Try This At Home. It's... variably successful. The ways that Shinji, Goro, and Ren all interact with Takuya are great. They've got nice chemistry, with Ren as a bemused older brother, Shinji as an overmatched babysitter, and Goro as the beating heart of the group. The comedy lands great, the kid's motivation is dead-on (didn't we all want to be superheroes as kids so we could be awesome?), and there's a nice progression to the story. It's protection, then caring, then the lesson. That lesson, that being a Kamen Rider is serious and not something you should want to be... man, I don't know. I get what they're doing. I get that they're trying to sell hideous stakes to a group of kids who are probably shouting FIGHT OR DIE at their TVs every week. You need to occasionally remind them that this is a series built around terrible choices and moral ambiguity, that no one in their right mind should want to be a Kamen Rider. But, of course kids should want to be Kamen Riders. They're heroes with special powers and cool costumes, and so much of what Shinji's about as a character is an object lesson for impressionable children: help each other, protect people, try not to murder your opponents. I feel like Takuya running away from the battle at the end... it's a bit much. I think there's a way to reinforce stakes without casting the show as a merciless abattoir. Gotta be a lower gear than that. Oh, and one other thing about Takuya. I really liked how he's introduced trying to henshin in the mirror. I think that's (and I can't remember if we've talked about it) a positive bit of world-building Ryuki did, to make the at-home role-play part so easy for kids. I assume there were a ton of kids shouting HENSHIN into mirrors in Japanese homes, much to the chagrin of parents. That's cute, that kids could pretend to be Kamen Riders so easily. I mean, not cute. Terrible, regrettable, horrifying. Kamen Riders aren't cool!
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! Last edited by Kamen Rider Die; 07-28-2023 at 10:55 PM.. |
04-07-2020, 07:11 PM | #308 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
|
Quote:
But, of course kids should want to be Kamen Riders. They’re heroes with special powers and cool costumes, and so much of what Shinji’s about as a character is an object lesson for impressionable children: help each other, protect people, try not to murder your opponents.
The point Ryuki is trying to make there, that I think it does quite well, is that "I'm good at action games!" is not proper motivation to be a hero. Worshiping violence is not a heroic trait. Shinji doesn't fight monsters because fighting monsters is "cool". He does it because he knows the weight a person's death carries, and wants to prevent that from ever happening. Ren, too, does what he does to protect someone who matters to him. What Takuya perceives being a Rider as is something different than that entirely, and is arguably closest to how Asakura treats being a Rider. Something to do for fun. A hobby. The attitude the show presents Takuya with, I think is a really good recreation of the misunderstanding of what makes superheroes heroic that a lot of small children genuinely have, and that's what makes the episode work. That kind of tautological notion that heroes are people who beat up bad guys, and the bad guys are bad because the heroes beat them up. They don't look up to the chance to do good in the world so much as the status they believe comes with it. Heroes always win, and everyone loves them. I think what Ryuki was doing above all else with that episode, which is a very Kamen Rider thing to do, is remind the kids at home that life ain't that simple a lot of the time, and it's a storyline particularly well tailored to Ryuki specifically, with its premise of morally grey characters fighting for causes that often seem hopeless.
__________________
|
04-07-2020, 07:46 PM | #309 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
The point Ryuki is trying to make there, that I think it does quite well, is that "I'm good at action games!" is not proper motivation to be a hero. Worshiping violence is not a heroic trait. Shinji doesn't fight monsters because fighting monsters is "cool". He does it because he knows the weight a person's death carries, and wants to prevent that from ever happening. Ren, too, does what he does to protect someone who matters to him.
There's a touch of miserablism to Shinji's speech to Takuya, where it ceases to be "being a Rider is about more than violence", and starts to be "behold our terrible burden, our lives are agony until a sudden, irrevocable end". (I'm paraphrasing.) I think there's a way the show could've shaped that scene a little better, to not have a child who idolized Riders run away in tears. You know? Shit, if I wanted to watch a Kobayashi show about how no one should ever want to be a Kamen Rider, I'd just watch Amazons again. Like, and I don't know if I'm belaboring my point or what, there's a miscalibration to that scene for me. The lesson, it's valuable. Kamen Rider was changing, and, while I don't truck with Showa and might be misinformed here, the idea of Fighting Darkness With Darkness was something the franchise was sort-of evolving out of. (My take on Kamen Rider's theme going forward from Agito into what else I've seen in the Heisei era is The Value Of Empathy In A World Of Violence, but that's a better topic for the General Thoughts thread.) Spending some time to give weight to the consequences of being a Rider, to spotlight their goals and desires as more than just Fighting, especially in a show that's literally about them having to fight, yes. Making it seem like they've all been handed a death sentence, no. It... the whole thing with Takuya, it's a Scared Straight ending that feels too dark for me. It's like he had a piece of cake for dessert, and then when he wanted a second one his parents gave him a 20-minute presentation on juvenile obesity and diabetic complications. Like, man, you can send a message without traumatizing children, can't you?
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-07-2020, 08:02 PM | #310 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: World of Ataru
Posts: 857
|
Why do you think that? I disagree as if anything this idea of taking the power of evil and using it for good has become more blantent than it ever has imo.
__________________
|
|
TokuNation News & Rumors |
Figuarts/Seihou GRIDMAN |
SH Figuarts BoonBoomger Red |
Hasbro Licenses Power Rangers Toys to Playmates Toys |
Discotek Media Licenses Mobile Cop Jiban |
What's going on with CSM? |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:39 AM.
|