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09-27-2019, 03:10 PM | #141 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER BUILD EPISODES 38 - 39
A well-rounded set of episodes, centered pretty well thematically on the value of trust and the necessity of ideology. Also, MORE NEW SUITS!!!!! Utsumi is a character that I don't know that I fully understood since his post-execution return. Previously, he was a guy who got ground up by the machine he believed in, his dreams squandered to protect a cause that disregarded him. Then, he's a Nanba sycophant, until he's a maniacal toady to Evol(t). I just couldn't make sense of it. Luckily, the return of Takumi allows their similarities to fill in the blanks. Both of them believe in science, in their own genius, to the exclusion of anything else. Takumi feels guilt over the way the Rider System has led to war and death, but the guilt is that he let himself be betrayed by others. His culpability, that doesn't register with him. For Utsumi, he believed in Faust, and it betrayed him, and he believed in Nanba, and it couldn't protect him. So now, with Evol(t)'s help, he believes only in himself and his own power. Evol(t) isn't an ideology or a protector, it's a means to to an end. Both Utsumi and Takumi can only trust themselves, believe in themselves. Which is why these episodes aren't just great in highlighting those two characters, but in using Team Build to emphasize the value of trusting your friends, in believing in something bigger than yourself. Cross-Z, Grease, Rogue, even a Hell Bros are willing to fight for others, to protect lives. That ideology, of peace and love, it's something that Takumi lacks and Utsumi mocks. So, in the end, it's up to Takumi to give way to Sento, to let him be the one (sorry) to take on Mad Rogue and Evol(t). And, as a welcome back gift, he gets a brand-new suit to fight them in! Between Evol(t) Black Hole, Mad Rogue, and Build Genius, the designers must've gotten a sweet deal on white plastic. It's a very white palette. I think it works better on some suits than others. Getting a better look at it, I'm not into Evol(t) Black Hole. I like the skirt, but the heavy white torso doesn't work that great with the red-and-blue lower body, plus those shoulders bug me. I like the way the chestpiece lays in the black hole motif, but otherwise it's not a favorite. Mad Rogue uses the white better, creating a more aggressive coloring to the old Night Rogue suit. The purple-and-white is really striking, and I like the way it takes that Night Rogue suit and references Mad Rogue's "underling to Evol(t)" status. Build Genius wears it best, though, from what little I saw. I'm usually down on the overly-busy final forms Riders get (Fourze Cosmic States, uggggghhhhh), but the dominant use of white makes the multi-colored bottles really pop. I'm excited to get a better look at it, and I'm really excited to see how its powers work. Yeah, these episodes were fun to watch. Less humor than I normally like (which even Banjou mentioned), but there's super-solid thematic work going on, along with some character deaths (Hell Bros, I almost cared about you for a minute) to help clear the slate for the final act, as well as some cool fights. Really good work this outing.
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09-27-2019, 06:42 PM | #142 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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KAMEN RIDER BUILD EPISODES 40 - 41
A weird one-two punch of episodes, with the larger story of Build's Dad and the Lost Bottles being told through Evol(t)'s and Grease's separate emotional evolutions, Gentoku's (oh, he earned a real name this time) fashion war crimes, and what felt like just a billion hours of recap and exposition. Grease wasn't a character that felt like he needed a spotlight episode, but I'm really glad he got one. His motivation thus far, of trying to save his country, just felt... small? He even addresses it here, and it makes for solid rationale to grow as a person. It's not a huge shift, into more of a pure hero role, but it felt like the show took him there organically. Evol(t), however, did not come by his evolution organically, instead basically getting emotions punched into him (Is, is that how emotions work?!) by Build. I'm going to try to hold off judgment until I see it a bit more, but it's not a change I love off the bat. I always liked how, y'know, cool Evol(t) was, and I didn't enjoy his Scream Of Rage at Build after he lost. Just, like, tranquilo, okay? Don't be a baby. Hopefully they'll find a good level for him that keeps what works about the character while finding some new shades to play with. Wwwwwhich is a really good segue to talk about Gentoku. Formerly Military Adam Driver, now and forever Gentoku, because holy shit him in this episode. It is light years away from every single other version of character, unless you count the decidedly non-canonical opening recap. But, like, out-of-character or not, it mostly killed in this episode, him as a series of ridiculous outfits wearing a man, Misora being apoplectic literally every time he entered the room, the fact that Sento needed a scene change to get away from those clothes. I can't be critical of something that made me laugh that hard. Except, I can, because while the show tried a bunch of funny asides and clever sight gags, SWEET JESUS IN A BOTTLE did they just pile on the exposition and recaps this time out. Exhausting, having the last 40 episodes shot into my brain like that. It's laudable that nearly every element of the show, even early stuff that felt disposable and like a show finding its feet, all of that stuff had a purpose, it's hard to praise the show when it has to stop dead to connect so, so many dots. So many dots, you guys. They made it as fun as possible, but it was still decidedly not fun. Also, Build's Dad has been alive all of this time, but I don't know what it means to the characters yet, so I don't care about it yet.
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09-27-2019, 07:14 PM | #143 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,407
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Quote:
Wwwwwhich is a really good segue to talk about Gentoku. Formerly Military Adam Driver, now and forever Gentoku, because holy shit him in this episode. It is light years away from every single other version of character, unless you count the decidedly non-canonical opening recap. But, like, out-of-character or not, it mostly killed in this episode, him as a series of ridiculous outfits wearing a man, Misora being apoplectic literally every time he entered the room, the fact that Sento needed a scene change to get away from those clothes. I can't be critical of something that made me laugh that hard.
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09-27-2019, 07:22 PM | #144 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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I can't decide if I like it better if a) he's had this unfashionable side to his personality all this time but we never saw it because of all of the warmongering and tragedy, there was just a dusty closet filled with the worst outfits, or b) all sense of self was obliterated after 10 years of Nebula Gas brainwashing and this personality with all of its many, many quirks is what was created off of that blank slate.
He's great, though. That actor, like so many Build actors, makes a meal out of whatever he's given. Comedy, tragedy, drama, he can make it all compelling.
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09-27-2019, 07:30 PM | #145 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,934
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Without trying to say much about it, this is one reason I think watching the Rogue specials before this point would have been a good idea. They don't explain...all this, exactly, but they do give a little more insight into Gen's character overall.
Either way, I agree. It's not a shift you really see coming in any way, but I think the show and the character makes it work well. I was never really into Gentoku as a character much when he was a villain, but he meshes with the hero cast so well, much better than you would expect in the early show. The back and forth is just great. Even little bits like Sento going "I always thought he was a 'Gen-san,' but you know, he was trying to kill us and everything" is just fun, group and character-building stuff. |
09-27-2019, 07:39 PM | #146 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Without trying to say much about it, this is one reason I think watching the Rogue specials before this point would have been a good idea. They don't explain...all this, exactly, but they do give a little more insight into Gen's character overall.
Either way, I agree. It's not a shift you really see coming in any way, but I think the show and the character makes it work well. I was never really into Gentoku as a character much when he was a villain, but he meshes with the hero cast so well, much better than you would expect in the early show. The back and forth is just great. Even little bits like Sento going "I always thought he was a 'Gen-san,' but you know, he was trying to kill us and everything" is just fun, group and character-building stuff. I've liked, weirdly, pretty much every version of Gentoku? I liked him as a scheming soldier, I liked him as a manipulative leader, I liked him as single-minded weapon, I liked him as a tarnished killer, I liked him as a tentative teammate, and I like him as a ridiculous punchline. There's always some weird element he brings that elevates some bizarre shifts in status. Like, when he's Touto's Prime Minister, he has Build at his beck and call, but he's never a huge dick about it. He's just, like, do what I tell you and I don't care about the rest. His character is almost unnecessarily complex, given how minor he frequently is to the proceedings. Just another example of Build going for the A+ when a B+ would do.
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09-27-2019, 09:43 PM | #147 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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I consider episodes 29 to 39 to be the end of a distinct arc, even if it technically ends on a cliffhanger. This is when everybody finds their final footing so to speak, the position where they'll take going into the final conflicts. Grease arguably settled into his place a while ago, but we have Gentoku joining the heroes side and even Utsumi becoming a new big threat.
More importantly, the most major players, Banjou, Evolt, Sento (and Katsuragi!), remind the audience one more time about all their whole journeys from the beginning of the show and they all become the most powerful they've ever been. The ending of 39 with a newly returned Sento transforming into Build Genius to the theme song reminded me a lot of the show's first arc ending back in episode 16. It was such a triumphant scene. About the immediately proceesing episodes, uuuuuuuh, I'll look forward to your thoughts. I also have liked every side Gentoku and that he has all these sides while still managing to feel somewhat cohesive. |
09-27-2019, 10:09 PM | #148 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
I consider episodes 29 to 39 to be the end of a distinct arc, even if it technically ends on a cliffhanger. This is when everybody finds their final footing so to speak, the position where they'll take going into the final conflicts. Grease arguably settled into his place a while ago, but we have Gentoku joining the heroes side and even Utsumi becoming a new big threat.
More importantly, the most major players, Banjou, Evolt, Sento (and Katsuragi!), remind the audience one more time about all their whole journeys from the beginning of the show and they all become the most powerful they've ever been. The ending of 39 with a newly returned Sento transforming into Build Genius to the theme song reminded me a lot of the show's first arc ending back in episode 16. It was such a triumphant scene. About the immediately processing episodes, uuuuuuuh, I'll look forward to your thoughts. I also have liked every side Gentoku and that he has all these sides while still managing to feel somewhat cohesive. Like, Grease kind-of left behind the I Only Defend Hokuto thing a while back to join Team Build, but the show still took time to acknowledge what that meant for his journey as a character. How does he feel about it? Why is this where he wants to fight, now that the immediate defense of Hokuto and revenge for the Crows isn't an issue? It's not strictly necessary, I don't assume folks were looking forward to Grease splitting or anything, but the show still crossed the Is and dotted the Ts. (I'm certain that's how that expression goes.) To your point about 39 feeling like the end of the arc, I'd maybe say 40 is that for me? Grease is really the last character who needs to do their But Why Heroism before the final act, and 41 is where the Evolved Evol(t) and Build's Dad stuff really starts to gain speed. That's a minor thing, and I think you make a good point of Build Genius really feeling like an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence.
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09-28-2019, 01:25 PM | #149 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER BUILD SPECIAL: PRIME ROGUE
It's to Kamen Rider Build's credit that, frequently, I find myself wishing that it had less superhero fights in it. I mean, it's a superhero fighting show, so that's a sort-of dumb thing to wish, but the character scenes on this show, in this series, are so good that I don't want to have less of them. This insane special, clearly made just for me, is a prime example. (Sorry.) I could've watched at a minimum thirteen minutes of Gentoku's fears (that are all detailed in the recap of episode 41!), Misora's irritation, nightmarish fashion shows, and petty arguments with small children. It's a testament to how funny that stuff was that the nominal reason for this special to exist, the debut of the Prime Rogue suit, felt like a distraction from what was really working. (I liked the new suit, though. The cape is perfectly timed to coincide with Gentoku's new over-the-top style, and the gold detailing is the right kind of garish. A solid upgrade.) Similarly, the whole thing about the kid needing to stop mourning his father and grow into a larger role in his family feels like it should matter more, reflect more of Gentoku's change in direction, but it's barely addressed. It felt like a special that did this other stuff because it had to, when it really wanted to be a comedic story. So, yeah, not 100% successful as a special (it really wasn't doing anything thematically) but 110% successful as an example of how great this cast is when you let them go nuts. PUT GENTOKU IN A KAMEN RIDER BRAIN SEQUEL YOU COWARDS
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09-28-2019, 01:54 PM | #150 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,524
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The Hyper-Battle DVD is stupid fun, I love it. I also enjoy the small impact on Build's continuity as you now know where the leather Gentoku wears in the show jacket comes from.
Also, fun fact for you (I don’t think this is a spoiler): The Prime Rouge suit will appear again in a future Build movie, making it the first Hyper-Battle DVD form to appear outside of its own special. I don’t think that has ever happened before. |
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