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04-14-2020, 06:33 PM | #61 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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If you're looking for something for your villains to do that will make the audience hate them, look no further than them killing a DOG! This scene made me cry so much after knowing Mikado for like, 7 seconds; you can't just-- you can't just do that! You're surprised about the family drama being allowed in, I'm surprised they killed a dog on kid's TV!
They at least kinda made it up for it with Titan Form. I liked it from the moment I saw it on google images or whatever, but adding to the coolness factor is unsheathing the bike handle to become a sword. Like damn, not even Ichigou done stuff like this! You know your series is dedicated to the name Rider when it uses part of the bike as a weapon. Those were the days...
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04-14-2020, 08:25 PM | #62 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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Die, there are going to be times where I'm talking about Jean so glowingly you're going to swear it's personal, so I just want you to remember: Jean was one of my favorite Kuuga characters for years before he was ever your least favorite.
It's real lucky Kuuga had the whole police shtick going too, so that bike handle could double as a baton in the first place. Which I always thought was kind of sketchy, honestly. Like, I figure Kuuga would need something sharp to turn into a sword, not just something with a handle. At that point it's like, how many other things would work? Could Yuusuke get into a fight in a kitchen and grab a nearby rolling pin by one end? Would a rolled up newspaper do in a pinch? Or would that one be more for the Dragon Rod?
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04-14-2020, 08:33 PM | #63 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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It's real lucky Kuuga had the whole police shtick going too, so that bike handle could double as a baton in the first place. Which I always thought was kind of sketchy, honestly. Like, I figure Kuuga would need something sharp to turn into a sword, not just something with a handle. At that point it's like, how many other things would work? Could Yuusuke get into a fight in a kitchen and grab a nearby rolling pin by one end? Would a rolled up newspaper do in a pinch? Or would that one be more for the Dragon Rod?
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04-14-2020, 08:35 PM | #64 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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I don't want this to be all Kamen Rider Die Hates Jean, so lemme try and think of something relevant to say about these Kuuga episodes.
The dog, thing... it's maybe too dark? I don't know what animal culture is like in Japan, but in America, you could launch an incredibly violent series of action movies on a gang of Russian mobsters killing a dog and the swift, terrible vengeance that's wrought against them, their associates, their family members, and anyone who gets in the way of that vengeance. Mikado was a cop and a dog, and it's insane that the entire citizenry of Japan didn't rise up and defeat the Grongi in a weekend. It's easily the most unrealistic thing in Kamen Rider Kuuga, and I'm counting the fact that Pole Pole somehow stays in business. Okay, there, non-Jean content, now let's get down to business: Quote:
It's real lucky Kuuga had the whole police shtick going too, so that bike handle could double as a baton in the first place. Which I always thought was kind of sketchy, honestly. Like, I figure Kuuga would need something sharp to turn into a sword, not just something with a handle. At that point it's like, how many other things would work? Could Yuusuke get into a fight in a kitchen and grab a nearby rolling pin by one end? Would a rolled up newspaper do in a pinch? Or would that one be more for the Dragon Rod?
I kid. The monster would be 100% more Jean, and that's got to be worse than be exploded by a Kamen Rider. No monster deserves that.
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04-14-2020, 08:43 PM | #65 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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Well you know, I bet Jean would be totally cool with being Kuuga's sword if he asked, because he's a real team player that way!
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04-16-2020, 03:44 PM | #66 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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EPISODE 11: "Promise"
This episode makes something of a statement right out of the gate with its cold open. Of the six two-parters so far, every one up until now directly involves either an appearance by the Grongi, or one of the main characters. Here, there's a quick mention of the Unidentified Lifeforms in dialogue, but overall, it's noticeably calmer than usual, and involves only characters we've never met. The introduction of Kanzaki sets a tone for this story, that basically throws the mystery cop show element to the sidelines in favor of doubling down on the emotions, showing us a teacher who's starting to feel uncertain of his place in a changing world. He goes digging through some old mementos, until a note from one Yuusuke Godai catches his eye. It mentions that he was moved by words Kanzaki can't remember saying, as well as a promise to be fulfilled at their old school the very next day. Which is some dramatically convenient timing, sure, but stranger things have happened. Kanzaki is clearly having major doubts about his influence on the adults of the future, so he decides to take a gamble on that promise. He doesn't yet know how well he's chosen. Yuusuke not only remembers the promise he made all those years ago, he's absolutely psyched about it, to the point where he actually did his job at Pole Pole for once the day before. Naturally, he's busy today, but Pops receives an extra set of hands in the form of Nana, who makes her proper debut here (as in, she gets a name) after the brief encounter with Jean earlier. This pretty much completes the show's massive supporting cast roster, but I'd rather take a second to talk about Pops than her right now. I'm loving his shtick of constant ignorance. The way he rambles on and on with the tone of someone who thinks they've got it all figured out, it's great. Mostly because rather than coming off as egotistical, it's more like he's a genuinely well-meaning, if somewhat arrogant person who sees himself as a super dependable friend who everyone can count on, especially when they need advice. Not like that Yuusuke Godai! He's a sweet kid and all, but honestly, he's never around when you need him, you know? A real flake! Rolling on with the supporting cast, a brief update on Jean's adventure in Nagano reveals Mika is actually there to help with the excavation at Kurogatake too, in an effort to honor her father's work. And that's great. I can't stress enough how awesome it is that Mika doesn't passively exist like the prop she could've easily been. Yuusuke puts all that effort into getting her to realize her potential, and we actually see that happen. She doesn't just disappear after her role of needing to be cheered up is done. What that whole plot was about was Yuusuke trying to make sure Mika knew she had something to contribute to the world just like anyone else. So to show her later, in a much better place mentally, actively working towards finding out what that thing she needs to do is, it's cool in its own right, but it also retroactively lends weight to those initial episodes focused on her. What's also particularly weighty is the bad guy for this one, Zu-Zain-Da, a literal rampaging rhinoceros who plays rough. Stabbing a truck driver to death with the horn on his head is only the start. The sense of pure aggression throughout his fight scene with Yuusuke here is something else. The way he goes around kicking down fences and throwing things around, there were points where I thought he'd come right through the screen to smash my face into a wall. The action direction here is an A+, and you'll note I said Zain's fight with Yuusuke, and not Kuuga. That's because he's not given the chance to transform for a good while, and as such neither does Zain himself. Narratively, that further proves what I'm saying about how intense this guy is, but on a meta level, it's likely because his human form's actor, Akira Nogami, is a real-life pro wrestler who apparently often goes simply by AKIRA (in all caps). The guy really gives it his all as a being of pure rage, and if you told me Joe Odagiri was only barely acting in some of those scenes, I'd believe it. Now, Yuusuke was obviously supposed to be somewhere else, if you'll remember, but he's considerate enough to ask Sakurako to go in his place to meet Kanzaki while he gets pummeled by a rhino for the sake of humanity. Sakurako only gets the vaguest possible details, the name and the place, and in a great example of dramatic irony, ends up on the same train as Kanzaki, ultimately following along without realizing who he is. I don't hate it when plots get cute like that, but there's not a lot of immediate impact, as it mostly keeps them in one place while we get a better idea of just how melancholy Kanzaki is feeling, to the point where he says he's going to quit teaching if Yuusuke doesn't show up. Sure, he thinks he's got it bad, but at least Kanzaki doesn't end the episode almost getting impaled by a rhino monster. THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER Once again, the thumbs are saved for the second part, but man is it gonna be worth it. Total thumbs up count: 21+0 = 21 EPISODE 12: "Teacher" Hey, look, it's another one of my favorite Kamen Rider episodes ever. Also one of the best. I'm going to try and describe to you why I feel that way, but no matter what I come up with, I won't be satisfied I've done a good enough job. Sakurako finds out who Kanzaki is right away, and the backbone of this episode is them discussing Yuusuke on their way to his old school. They develop a great rapport, bonding over their mutual acquaintance, and it's plain to see how much they've both been affected by having him in their lives. Giving Kanzaki someone to actually talk with this episode allows the story to take the brakes off, in a manner of speaking, getting a lot deeper into his mentality, and why he's decided to stake his entire career on one child remembering a promise he had already forgotten about, until a chance reminder. During all this, Yuusuke has to stay true to his obligations as Kuuga, managing a narrow escape from Zain with some unexpected, and indirect, help from another Grongi. Their infighting is a subplot in is own right, carried out in just a few quick scenes, all of which are in their native tongue, and it speaks to how excellent this episode is that an entire chunk of it is effectively unintelligible, and still works. It's basically a little optional bonus on top of a completely functional plot. Where this becomes a problem for Yuusuke is that this means Zain is still out there, and he needs to deal with that. This is another occasion where the timestamps have extra meaning, each one acting as a reminder of the ticking clock that is Yuusuke's promise to Kanzaki. For now, he's going think up a way to beat Zain, and a lucky hit during the battle gives him the idea to finally harness his burning right foot when he kicks things. Hm. Kanzaki and Sakurako arrive at the old school, only to find out it's scheduled to be demolished soon. Kanzaki takes this as yet another sign from the heavens that he, and all the things he's ever believed in, are unwanted relics, but Sakurako takes a page out of Yuusuke's book and suggests hopping the gate to sneak into the place anyway. Inside, we finally get to the true meat of Kanzaki's issues. Him pinning all his hopes on Yuusuke is awfully melodramatic, but based on his words and actions, I get the impression quitting teaching is something he's been thinking about a long time before we first see him. He makes it clear he has some extreme misgivings about the education system that I don't think anyone would form overnight. He laments that everybody seems to have a different idea of what he needs to be teaching children, and, most pressingly of all, that the children themselves don't seem to care about their own futures. The poor guy has no clue what it is he's supposed to be doing, and from that, he fears he might as well be doing nothing, for all the difference it would make to his students. I'm going out on a limb here, but I feel like a lot of that monologue can be taken as reflecting the thoughts of producer Shigenori Takatera, and presumably Naruhisa Arakawa, too, since he literally wrote the lines. Everything I've heard about Takatera suggests to me he takes the impact children's shows have on their development quite seriously, but, even putting aside the question of why it's the case, I think it's obvious Kuuga as a whole takes that seriously. We have seen, and will continue to see, that this is a series with a deep respect for its target audience. It makes an effort to present more complex scenarios to them, and constantly asks them to question things about hero shows they take for granted. That idea of "What should we be giving the children?", I think Kuuga's staff were asking themselves that as much as Kanzaki was, even if they probably weren't as depressed about it. Making a show for kids, when you care about what you're making, I don't think the position is all that different. The desire to leave the "students" with something positive, the pressure from different groups with competing visions of what your job even is, all that's still there, in a way. When you're in that position, there's nothing you want to know more than that you've contributed something of value. And Kanzaki has definitely done that, because one of his students was Yuusuke. The guy who, at that very moment, is working hard to think up a new move to use against Zain. As though the (possible) stellar meta commentary wasn't enough, this is yet another episode that demonstrates the value of training and preparation. Kuuga figuring out how he wants to do a kick is great, and I can't stress enough how perfectly timed this all is. The two-parters so far follow a clear pattern of introductions, right? The origin of Mighty Form, then the Try Chaser, then Dragon, Pegasus, and Titan. So what is this one about, now that all the initial toys are already out of the way? This is the origin story for Kuuga's Rider Kick, and if ever there was a payoff to the slower pacing of Kuuga, this is it right here. In the middle of this beautiful story, that perfectly encapsulates what Kuuga is all about, we get not a new piece of merchandise, but the proper reintroduction of a franchise staple, that serves to reinforce, after the introduction of all those new forms, that Mighty still stands on top. It's so dang satisfying. We've been gradually seeing Kuuga build his way up from mere kicks to a proper Kick, and now, after a quarter of the series, we're finally here. Yuusuke didn't even need a new toy to do it. He just had to apply himself, and put in the effort. The resulting fight scene is just a masterpiece, even giving us the first taste of full on trial action with the Try Chaser since its debut. Could this be any more perfect? The answer is yes, because I haven't mentioned what this fight is overlapping with yet. Back at the school, Sakurako makes a comment about how Yuusuke isn't there because he's using his 2000th skill (which is turning into Kuuga) to do what he can, and this finally gets Kanzaki to recall what the promise actually was. Kanzaki himself is basically the entire reason Yuusuke is the hero he is. It was from his words that Yuusuke learned the significance of the thumbs up gesture. Yuusuke promised him that he would learn 2000 skills by the year 2000. He set Yuusuke on the path to becoming someone who would always persevere for the sake of a smile, and as he gives an impassioned recreation of that speech he's now remembered, the footage is intercut with Yuusuke living by those words, all these years later, by standing up to the Grongi as Kuuga. Without any doubt, this is one of the most powerful scenes in Rider history. I genuinely get choked up watching it, and can now confirm writing about it has pretty much the same effect. The way it ties the debut of the Mighty Kick and the origin of the thumbs up and the origin of Yuusuke's 2000 skills, I mean, WOW. That's about all I can say. By the time everything is said and done, and Kuuga rides off into the sunset on his bike (!) to fulfill that promise, it's all come together into an absolutely unforgettable two-parter. This is the kind of thing where I see it, and just hope everybody involved with making it is proud of what they've left behind, because, just like Kanzaki, they deserve to be. THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER Yeah, you'd better believe the thumbs budget was there for this one. It's an episode worthy of it. Total thumbs up count: 21+6 = 27
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Last edited by Fish Sandwich; 04-06-2023 at 05:40 PM.. |
04-16-2020, 04:34 PM | #67 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
This was a good one!
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04-16-2020, 05:17 PM | #68 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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So at this point, Kuuga wasn't quite doing it for me after the first few episodes. Oh, sure; I had my fun with bugman holding an honest-to-god real pistol; and my favourite form just debuted last episode... but things just weren't clicking for me. I was enjoying it fine enough, but it just wasn't hooking me and I stopped watching Kuuga for, like, a week? Not because of anything viscerally negative, but just because I couldn't really be bothered with it.
And then I came back to episodes 11 and 12. Quote:
EVERYTHING fell into place with this episode. It's so perfectly paced and thought out; it gives new meaning to who Godai is and why he does the things he does; it has this beautiful, heartfelt, emotional pathos to it. If someone watched the first few episodes of Kuuga and said "nah this ain't for me", I would honest to god say to them "alright, fair enough, but I highly suggest you try watching up till the end of episode 12 first". These episodes -complete- Kuuga. It might even be better to say it forms a foundation to it, or is the real last scene of Kuuga's beginning, or something like that. This is where you really, truly start to understand what it's about. Which is funny, because when someone asks me what Kuuga's about; one of the things at the top of my list would be Godai's relationship with Ichijou. They are without a doubt one of the best duos in Rider history, rivaling the likes of even Eiji with Ankh and Sento with Banjou for me; and you just can't leave their connection out of any true analysis. And yet this episode barely features our workaholic policeman and barely focuses on him. But that's fine: because important as Ichijou is to Godai, this is showing you just about everything else that's important to him. Fish just about said everything I could want to say, but to end it off there is one more thing I'd like to expand on: that line Kanzaki delivers? Now, it of course depends on the subs; and as said I was watching the one that translated the goddamn Grongi lines. But for me, it went like this:- "To tell the truth... I no longer understand education. The children themselves say they have no hope for the future... in that case, what should I be teaching them?" That line gets me every single time. Now, I'm 23; and I'm well aware there's people even younger than me on the boards, but you could definitely say I'm still pretty young and it's not been all that long since my school years. And that feeling of finding it difficult to be dedicated or attached to something; and beyond that even just without hope because the future looks so bleak? That's something I personally felt a lot when I was not much younger, something I occasionally feel these days, and something that when I talk to my peers and people younger than me and even people a fair bit older than me, I come to realise is an experience that's not quite universal; but certainly very widely felt. And a lot of media, when tackling these ideas; they'll go for general encouragement, or come up with solutions, or all manner of things. And you'll get some that'll be a little harsh, a few of which are more than is necessary. And I'm not saying that these don't come from a kind place, but a lot of them clearly don't understand what it is or don't think too hard about it or just plain don't want to go there. I bring this up, all this context; because... for this specific feeling, no piece of media; no character in fiction has ever made me feel more seen and understood than this fictional schoolteacher, in a completely different country, in the year 2000, saying this one singular line. And he'll come back in a later episode and expand upon it more, to be sure (in ways that I still found quite poignant), but this is the magic of Kuuga right here for me. Just about any other show that would tackle problems head-on like this and give little lines to sum it up? It'd come across as pandering; as ill-conceived; as lecturing or as meaningless platitudes. But Kuuga every time it wants to say something, it knows what it's talking about. The reason I loved and stayed with Rider, with Tokusatsu in general; is this one reason that I think Kuuga does even better than most shows of its kind: it's genuine.
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Last edited by Kurona; 04-16-2020 at 05:20 PM.. |
04-17-2020, 01:40 AM | #69 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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I had forgotten about the finer details in this one, but your honestly uncanny skill for picking the most perfect screenshots brought me back to Godai transforming and posing, alongside his teacher's speech to become a man who can protect smiles... It's really good! An actually breathtaking moment.
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04-17-2020, 02:35 PM | #70 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
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After a moody nighttime cold open with some hapless guy making the mistake of walking into a warehouse the Grongi have decided to take up residence in, the episode moves to Pole Pole, where Yuusuke is feeling pretty great about being Kuuga. He's downright jolly, even, gradually expanding his line of custom Kuuga-branded clothing, and excitedly showing it to a clueless Pops, who doesn't know what a Kuuga is, but would love to tell you how great this Unidentified Lifeform #4 guy he keeps hearing about is.
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Yeah Jean do your job and atone yourself for the sin you commited by misreading the room! A̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶t̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶u̶d̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶e̶.̶ Quote:
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A steep price to pay, but not a total loss. The sudden exit means evidence left behind, including the sacred Grongi Whiteboard, which Yuusuke notes they seem to have been using to count something while talking with Ichijou about it afterwards. I'd do the usual "huh" bit, but it's probably not hard to figure out what they're counting, even this early. Why might still be a mystery, however. Yuusuke also tries to get a strategy against Giiga going with Ichijou's help. Sakurako's research suggests Kuuga has a form that uses a sword, which Yuusuke figures could give him an edge in a rematch. This leads to them practicing kendo, which is just awesome. It's always great when heroes put in hard work and actual training to beat the bad guys. Yuusuke struggles with the approach he wants to take for a while. With some advice from Ichijou, he eventually lands on the idea of just forgoing defense entirely, and ending the match in a single strike.
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In the now, the heartwarming nature of the conversation, with Minori giving Yuusuke a birthday present from the kids at the preschool before he heads off, serves to change the tone for the ending fight scene this time. Pegasus Form's epic two-stroke takedown of Badjisu on the beach was pretty dang memorable, but Titan Form's debut may top even that. The show wisely decided not to do the same formula three times in a row, so this is the first we see of Titan Form. There's no time spent figuring out how it works, because he already did that earlier with Ichijou. He's just gotta walk forward, and stab Giiga. Couldn't be simpler. Use all that armor, don't stop, and end the battle in a single strike.
That's what makes the fight so remarkable. It legitimately consists of nothing but Kuuga slowly walking in a straight line before stabbing the monster once, and it's somehow not only cool, it's awesome. What's even more awesome, is how the show intercuts this with Minori doing her thing at the preschool, playing off of Yuusuke's earlier line about how they each bring smiles in their own way, simultaneously affirming not only that what Kuuga does is heroic, but also kinda directly equating the importance of a teacher's role in shaping children with that of being a superhero who saves lives. Which maybe tells you where this show's values really lie. But that's as much a story for next time as it is for this one. Quote:
They at least kinda made it up for it with Titan Form. I liked it from the moment I saw it on google images or whatever, but adding to the coolness factor is unsheathing the bike handle to become a sword. Like damn, not even Ichigou done stuff like this! You know your series is dedicated to the name Rider when it uses part of the bike as a weapon. Those were the days...
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And Kanzaki has definitely done that, because one of his students was Yuusuke. The guy who, at that very moment, is working hard to think up a new move to use against Zain. As though the (possible) stellar meta commentary wasn't enough, this is yet another episode that demonstrates the value of training and preparation. Kuuga figuring out how he wants to do a kick is great, and I can't stress enough how perfectly timed this all is. The two-parters so far follow a clear pattern of introductions, right? The origin of Mighty Form, then the TryChaser, then Dragon, Pegasus, and Titan. So what is this one about, now that all the initial toys are already out of the way? This is the origin story for Kuuga's Rider Kick, and if ever there was a payoff to the slower pacing of Kuuga, this is it right here.
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The answer is yes, because I haven't mentioned what this fight is overlapping with yet. Back at the school, Sakurako makes a comment about how Yuusuke isn't there because he's using his 2000th skill (which is turning into Kuuga) to do what he can, and this finally gets Kanzaki to remember what the promise actually was.
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