|
Community Links |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
06-30-2022, 06:15 PM | #231 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Quote:
Second, yeah, I'm really coming around on this two-parter. I think the second installment... it didn't re-contextualize the first installment or anything, but it added a nicely fatalistic ending to a story that began with a robot that couldn't even reach the level of Believable In A Generic Crime Drama. Like you were saying, the colossal defeat of Aruto didn't feel like where this story was headed, so it took me a little bit to appreciate the destination.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
06-30-2022, 09:48 PM | #232 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 12 - “HERE COMES THE GREAT DETECTIVE”
Just an absolutely delightful episode of Zero-One. I honestly don’t know what else there is to say about it? I don’t get paid by the word around here, so that might be the entirety of this discussion, from my end: Delightful. __________________ Currently working through: KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE Okay, I can try to talk a little more about it. It’s as hard a pivot from last episode as possible, while still being an explicit continuation of two main plots and a few subplots. Tonally, we went from The Walls Are Closing In to A Wacky Relative Comes To Town, and it all somehow still works? It’s the majesty of this franchise, generally, and this show, specifically. You can swing incredibly hard to darkness one episode, and then the next episode go right back to selling toys (NEW PROGRISE KEY YOU GUYS OH MY GOD) and having goofy escapades the next. It works this time because even the dumbest stuff is grounded in character knowledge, and it’s all in service of tightening up the threats around Aruto. There’s a goofiness to this episode that can seem like ineffective wheel-spinning, but there’s a point to all the weird gags and non-sequiturs. Which is as good a place as any to talk about this story’s big new character, Was! He’s the Humagear big brother to Izu, and I absolutely love the Was/Is joke. Hiden Intelligence is the corniest company on the planet. (I’m sure it’s Wazu or something, but the joke works better as Was, and I gotta assume that's how it was intended.) Everything about him is like the Joke Version of Izu, which predictably makes his little sister the Izu Version of furious. He’s adorably unassuming, like Columbo mixed with Fozzy Bear. His headphones are old-fashioned cans instead of the slickly modern designs the newer Humagears wear. He’s cartoony in his detective cosplay, and impossible to take seriously. So, naturally, we spend half the episode wondering if he’s either an idiot or a distraction, and then the other half marveling at his intuition. The arc of it all… I mean, it’s nothing special in its bones. Eccentric detective arrives, everyone laughs at his presentation, he’s actually more on the ball than anyone, etc. It’s as standard a take on this stuff as you’d imagine/fear. But the ways it's all hooked into weird angles like Izu’s thoughts on Humagears, the brilliant addition of Fuwa to the mix, Aruto’s role as comedic decoy (the role he was born to play!), and the dotted-i of Assassin-chan’s “resurrections” makes the template deliciously palatable. There’s some thematic material in here, but it’s boilerplate Humagear stuff. Was succeeds because he’s more clever than a normal Humagear, and his successes multiply those of the humans around him. Aruto’s trust in Humagears is repaid, and Izu learns an important lesson in faith. But, honestly, I don’t care about any of that this time? I wanted to have fun watching Zero-One, and this was one of the most fun Zero-One episodes I’ve ever watched. Incredibly funny, thrillingly dramatic (I loved how Aruto got under Yua’s skin! On the one hand, I’m not sure it’s ethical for a company to supply employees to its own governmental oversight; on the other hand, I think that’s exactly why it’d actually happen), and full of well-choreographed action. This didn’t exactly expand my understanding of ethics or tolerance, but it was a blast to watch. — KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE SO-DO AI 03: KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE - SHINING HOPPER Lightning Hornet! If only you’d appeared in this episode, this could’ve been your review! Unfortunately, the only new suit in this episode (that I think I have a SO-DO for) is Shining Hopper. It’s the first Zero-One upgrade form, and the episode is almost entirely dedicated to debuting it. (In a good way?) It’s introduced with trepidation from Was, and confidence/smugness from Izu. The production team is so committed to making this suit seem awesome that they made its Henshin sequence the cliffhanger of the episode. It’s a big deal suit! I think it’s okay? It’s a funny concept, I’ll give it that. The transformation is real Yo Dawg I Heard You Like Grasshoppers, and the suit is just Extra Grasshopper Parts. It’s like Hyper Kabuto’s helmet crest, but grasshoppers. I laughed at the part where the undersuit got super defined abs? Other than that… eh. Rising Hopper is almost too good of a suit, where every single form change – and now upgrade – feels like a small-to-large step down in quality. This suit’s fine, but Rising Hopper is perfect. This suit plays up the gangly height of a grasshopper, but it misses the stylized feel of Rising Hopper that added heroism to the recipe. This looks like a more serious Zero-One, and that’s not what I want? (It’s also an upgrade form that barely feels necessitated by the plot? The satellite starts making the key before anyone even asked it to, which feels like a story beat that’s going to get dealt with, but the usage in this episode is super ambivalent. Was even suggests using the last big form change, instead!) The SO-DO figure doesn’t switch that up too much. It’s a fine figure, but nothing special. All the black of the suit means there aren’t a ton of stickers, but most of the ones that are here are a pain in the ass. It’s tiny stuff, or curved stuff. It’s hard to line up most of the stickers, which isn’t fun. I think it came out alright, but I definitely screwed up some minor things. (The feet, maybe the shoulders.) As the representation of a suit I’m not crazy about, I think it looks just fine. (Also! I’ve got a thread going for all of the SO-DO I’m never going to build! Maybe you’d like to add them to your collection? Or start a collection, using them? Take a look!)
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
06-30-2022, 09:56 PM | #233 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,570
|
Waz is a delight, definitely my favorite part of this episode. Though there was also just a nice amount of character interaction going around alongside figuring out the mystery of Little Assassin.
Can we talk about how Dodo upgraded to this cool skull face that's in the beak of the Dodo Magia armor now? That's like sick! Shining Hopper is pretty cool also, I really dig the mask of it if I'm being honest. Also "When I Shine Darkness Fades" is such a cool callout! |
06-30-2022, 09:57 PM | #234 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,397
|
When I shine, darkness fades!
Arutos' granddad certainly had a funny way of naming things. Is, Was, Satellite THERE... The Hiden's' most certainly have a sense of humor across generations.
__________________
|
06-30-2022, 11:05 PM | #235 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,087
|
I really appreciate the theme naming of Is and Was and their family dynamic. Cool and cold little sis Is is all kinds of adorable and you just really want to see her acknowledge her big brother.
Oh, I guess this is the first time the Hiden execs found out about Zero-One? I guess the public found out about it too? I was never all that sure about the general public awareness of Aruto's Kamen Rider identity. Also, he's kind of a fugitive of justice!? I have to admit I just thought Horobi was repairing Assassin-chan the whole time but the actual reveal made a lot more sense. Also shows just how many Humagears Metsuboujinrai kind of screw up and mess with. I also really just appreciate how with the Dodo Magia we got what would normally be a monster-of-the-week Kaijin but one that has slowly grown and evolved, both in capability and design, to the point of being a major antagonist. Like you don't really get that very often. I would watch a Was spinoff of him solving crimes with Fuwa as the cynical normal detective who doesn't take him seriously but is then forced to admit that Was is actually a great detective. What a buddy cop duo they would be! Shining Hopper! I'll probably have more to say about it next episode but for now I like how it's kind of a more darker and "tougher" take on Rising Hopper, still streamlined but there's a little more weight to it compared to Zero-One's normal forms, if that makes any sense. And "When I shine, darkness fades!" is one of the most epic lines for a form ever. |
06-30-2022, 11:38 PM | #236 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Quote:
Yeah, Zero-One being the secret identity of Aruto Hiden is 100% just tossed out in the middle of the scene. Fuwa already knew, and I guess MetsubouJinrai knew, and I also guess Yua figured it out, but I don't think it was supposed to be public knowledge? Maybe Aruto forgot that? He's got a lot on his plate right now!
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
07-01-2022, 12:58 AM | #237 |
Precure enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Amongst the Cosmos
Posts: 304
|
Ep 12!
-It's the appearance of one of my favorite Humagears ever, Wazu! What can I say, he's just really fun? Very Adorable and kills every scene he's in, what a character! -The older gen modules for Humagears are quite cute, imo. I wouldn't mind owning a pair as headphones. -I remember being a bit baffled by the the twist of Lil' Assassin's twist when I first watched this episode, but I really like it now? MBJR does not have the means to repair destroyed/damaged Humagears like Hiden can, so a trick like this would be a way to temp boost their numbers. (Too bad it ended up blowing up in their faces.....) It probably isn't a issue rn bc Horobi is so skilled and Jin can easily fly away from combat if things get dire, but I wonder how they repair themselves after fights. For all I know, Jin may be entirely held together with duct tape and dreams at this point lol. -The idea that there's some kind of black market for stealing, "flipping", and selling Humagears is a really cool lore detail I've always liked. It just adds another layer of how Humagears exist in this world, yknow? I'd imagine that's a major duty of AIMS, tracking down and busting these illegal rings. -Completely forgot the Dodo Magia got a new look for its heel turn. I like the suit! - "This is my business suit!" is an Aruto joke I was always fond of. Our grasshopper friend was kind enough to not crash down from the sky this time, I see! -I feel you Izu, older brothers can be so.....! In any case, Izu is so hilarious in this episode, her slide was pretty slick. -Not particularly a fan of Shining Hopper. It feels like the inverse of everything I enjoyed about Rising Hopper. |
07-01-2022, 02:45 AM | #238 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
|
Quote:
__________________
|
07-01-2022, 03:11 AM | #239 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,546
|
So to start with, this episode is written and directed by the same duo behind Drive, which explains some of the stuff going on (the involvement of the police, a quirky detective, a casually dropped reveal that takes a moment to set in, and the monster evolving and being flaunted by henchmen based on his original form). It also made me joke that Riku Sanjo seems more content to do minor two parters than give us another full series.
So anyway, it’s an episode I have a lot of strong memories of, and recently I discovered why the policeman got Fukuzoe’s name wrong. His actor is a comedian, who’s act consists of someone getting his name wrong and then he corrects them, often instinctively. No bonus keys this time, but I can say that Shining Hopper was almost instantly discovered to have a hidden button that completely changes the sounds of the key when depressed. |
07-01-2022, 11:11 AM | #240 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Quote:
The idea that there's some kind of black market for stealing, "flipping", and selling Humagears is a really cool lore detail I've always liked. It just adds another layer of how Humagears exist in this world, yknow? I'd imagine that's a major duty of AIMS, tracking down and busting these illegal rings.
Quote:
Fun part about that -- there's a form waaaay later down the road that uses Shining Hopper parts, and that includes the abs. And when SO-DO came to doing that, they not only included the abs in the figure as an improvement over the previous Shining Hopper figure... they included alternate stickers so the abs could be used for Shining Hopper
Quote:
So to start with, this episode is written and directed by the same duo behind Drive, which explains some of the stuff going on (the involvement of the police, a quirky detective, a casually dropped reveal that takes a moment to set in, and the monster evolving and being flaunted by henchmen based on his original form). It also made me joke that Riku Sanjo seems more content to do minor two parters than give us another full series.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
|
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 02:19 PM.
|