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01-10-2021, 09:40 PM | #561 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 33
I loved this episode. The smartest thing it does, at least for a guy like me who did not love the last episode, is that it makes a lot of the last episode's details... less important. They're still there (Hiyori being a Worm is sort of crucial to Tendou's dilemma), but they're not really key to understanding the stakes. The stakes are Hiyori Is Missing, and that's all that matters. How she's missing, the last few minutes of 32, it's not really a big part of this episode? We're a week past that for the characters, with the shock worn off and everyone trying to figure out their next move. It's laid out perfectly in that first Misaki/Kagami scene, where she's wondering why the most impetuous member of the cast has been moping around for the last seven days while one of his best friends is missing. The answer is that she's missing because of a situation no one understands, and there's really nothing anyone can do yet. Kagami's left to wait until an opportunity presents itself, but he's not going to take action just for the sake of taking action. Cut to Tendou, and the theme of this episode becomes clear: Everybody Feels Trapped And No One Is Making Good Decisions. I love it as a theme. I love the desperation of it, how it pushes characters into riskier territory. Tendou's someone who's the consummate planner, the guy who won't make a move until he's certain it's the perfect one. (Although, by dint of Tendou making it, it is the perfect move, but let's not quibble over details.) He's someone who's unflappable, unerringly precise... except when Hiyori's in danger. Then, he gets reckless. His move is the one Tendou always makes when he feels the walls closing in, and that's to do it all himself. I'd mention that a big problem that he's grappling with is a lack of humility, an inability to wait for an opening, a reluctance to ask for help, but I've probably drilled those themes into the ground by now. He's distraught over Hiyori's disappearance, and he's convinced that when she returns she'll be in danger as a Worm. The solution? Destroy ZECT, as well as every Rider. It's a terrible plan. Awful. It requires Tendou to defeat everyone in the show, including Kagami. It means he'll need to bring down ZECT all by himself, something that's eluded him previously. And even then... he still doesn't know where Hiyori is. He feels more isolated than he ever has, and he's lashing out. The world is too chaotic for his liking, full of too many ways Hiyori could be taken from him. So he demands it conform to him, to his needs. It's the worst he's ever acted. And, yeah, I love it. I love the idea of a villainous Tendou that draws fully from who he's been portrayed as thus far. He's a control freak, and he'll do anything for the people he cares about. If you push that idea far enough, he can justify any heinous action. He'd rather be a villain than do nothing, because doing nothing would destroy him. It's even better because of how it forces Kagami into the Tendou role, preaching calm and patience to someone who doesn't seem to be aware of the consequences of his actions. Tendou is tearing the world apart, since he sees the world as a threat to Hiyori. It's only a matter of time until he tears something that can't be put back together. On that miserablist note, it's the return of Yaguruma! Can you guess how I felt about this dude rearing his head? KickHopper, man, so good. I love that Yaguruma left the narrative to get his shit together, to work on himself, to be the best Yaguruma he could be... and this is what comes back. It's the best? It's the best. He's easily the biggest disaster yet to become a Rider (sorry, Kagami, they're all garbage), and everything about him is phony. He's so pretentiously miserable that I can't help but find it adorable. I'm excited to find out what presumably innocuous series of events led him to be sponsored by Hot Topic and written by a machine that was fed terabytes of abandoned LiveJournals from 2005. I can't imagine it'll live up to (or down to) my fevered imaginings, but the very fact that I'm able to be so fascinated with a character is a win in my book. He's the best. Maybe it's recency bias, but he's my favorite Rider on this show. By, like, a lot. And I like him extra (and he is so extra) because he's so tied in to that idea of humility, which is the main thematic driver right now. Tendou can't accept that this is a situation he can't control, can't allow himself to feel weak enough to wait for an opening. Yaguruma took the idea of being humble way too far, viewing himself as a loser, a laughingstock. (Everybody knows it's Kageyama who's the laughingstock!) Tendou sees his value as primary, his ideas as unbeatable. He'll do whatever he needs to do because his needs matter the most. On the other hand... Yaguruma. Great episode, man. I had a blast with this one. Very much back on track! A QUESTION And, of course, we have Tsurugi. Did you really think that, for an episode where Everybody Feels Trapped And No One Is Making Good Decisions, that we'd avoid talking about Tsurugi? He has a banner storyline in this one, where he sells the Sasword Zecter to Tendou in order to rebuild his family fortune. It's monumentally short-sighted, both because he'll need that to defeat the Worms, and because if he tries to fight Worms without it, he's almost definitely going to have a Worm Tantrum. Luckily, Tsurugi has access to the mighty Discalibur (love that name, love that name), the Discabil family's legendary sword... except Jiiya already sold it, leaving only the hilt in the sheath. (The scene of Tsurugi assuming that the sword must be invisible is... I don't want to make a Priceless pun, but it is so good you guys.) Jiiya ends up rebuying Discalibur, at the expense of all the money Tsurugi made selling the Sasword Zecter, plus Jiiya's paycheck. It's a boondoggle of epic proportions, proving that Tsurugi is the man who stands at the top of losing money. Or is he? What's something collectible you've sold that you've ended up rebuying later?
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01-10-2021, 10:39 PM | #562 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,512
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I will say this. What you just witnessed was episode 1 of Kamen Rider Kickhopper.
I love Yaguruma's new suit and power being such a nice nod to Kamen Rider Ichigo, the one that started the franchise. I remember back in the days seeing this episode and genuinely going "WHAT DID I JUST SEE" and just repeatedly rewinding his scene in all his depressed edgelord glory over and over. That shot of him winding back his leg to have the spur on his boots crackling is still awesome. |
01-10-2021, 10:46 PM | #563 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
I will say this. What you just witnessed was episode 1 of Kamen Rider Kickhopper.
I love Yaguruma's new suit and power being such a nice nod to Kamen Rider Ichigo, the one that started the franchise. I remember back in the days seeing this episode and genuinely going "WHAT DID I JUST SEE" and just repeatedly rewinding his scene in all his depressed edgelord glory over and over. That shot of him winding back his leg to have the spur on his boots crackling is still awesome. It's like, I think he does have Perfect Harmony still? It's just with a cast of idiots and lunatics. He doesn't have Perfect Harmony with the faceless drones of ZECT, he has it with Tendou's at-all-costs self-centeredness; he has it with Daisuke's long absences; he has it with Kagami's Very Big Feelings (if those feelings were I Suck); he has it with Tsurugi's self-negation. He fits this show better than ever?
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01-10-2021, 10:51 PM | #564 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,512
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Quote:
Everything about Yaguruma is so performative. I feel like he's still the same buttoned-up nerd inside, but he's aware of what it takes to excel in the world of Kamen Rider Kabuto after watching the last 20 episodes, and he will be that.
It's like, I think he does have Perfect Harmony still? It's just with a cast of idiots and lunatics. He doesn't have Perfect Harmony with the faceless drones of ZECT, he has it with Tendou's at-all-costs self-centeredness; he has it with Daisuke's long absences; he has it with Kagami's Very Big Feelings (if those feelings were I Suck); he has it with Tsurugi's self-negation. He fits this show better than ever? |
01-10-2021, 10:55 PM | #565 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Even his one-armed duster... you can't just buy that! Yaguruma completely bought a duster and then tailored it to only have one sleeve, because He's A Loner, Dottie, A Rebel. He definitely needs you to notice how sloppy he made himself look!
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01-10-2021, 11:06 PM | #566 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Oh, man, I am already browsing import sites for KickHopper figures. I am willing to break my Only Primary Riders rule for Yaguruma, but I'm thwarted. Everything's busted or scratched! That won't do! My icon of Perfect Harmony (*sound of "sad trombone" mixed with an accordion cover of Bring Me To Life*) needs to be in the mintiest of conditions! I am willing to buy a Seihou of a dude I've only seen two minutes of! Our love is real!
Whoever said I'd be into this weirdo last year, you got my number.
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01-10-2021, 11:11 PM | #567 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,411
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So we're officially in the post-Hiyori phase of the show (as a physical presence; she's still a major part of the plot, of course) and you can definitely feel the show starting to change.
The first big change is that we have Renge added to the cast. She'll be around for the rest of the series and she definitely feels like someone thought that the show needed to meet a cute girl quota. I remember very little about her except that she has a garrote and a nice hat. She's not quite Mihara levels of forgettable, but I don't think she ever contributes much to the show. The second change is Tendou's confiscating of the tertiary Zecters. I never liked this development. It makes sense in terms of both the plot and some merchandising elements that will become obvious in the near future, but it also feels a little unfortunate to see these powers get shelved (I may be forgetting something, but I'm pretty sure we've seen the last of one Rider suit now). As a related side note, I do love this episode spends so much time just relentlessly dunking on Kageyama. It's both entirely warranted and a clear starting point for the next phase of his story. Finally, we have the return of Yaguruma. This is quite possibly my favorite scene in the entire series. Everything from him scraping his spur across the ground on is so good. I love his ridiculous goth outfit and attitude. I love how he takes on the Worms while doing his big reintroduction speech, very pointedly using only kicks to denote his new identity. I love the arrival of a new Rider who's both really cool looking and a massive new wrench in Tendou's plans. Such a good scene and easily the most vivid memory I've had from Kabuto over the years (although something Tsurugi does in the next episode is a pretty close second). |
01-10-2021, 11:16 PM | #568 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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More thoughts on Yaguruma! Forever thoughts on Yaguruma!
Yaguruma... he's like the Anti-Tachibana. Tachibana (from Blade) was a complete disaster of a man who thought he was doing a great job at convincing everyone around him that he was some normal dude. Sure, he mighthavebetrayedthem, and sure, he sometimes thought someone finishing a puzzle symbolized his death, but no one ever noticed that stuff, no one ever thought he was a dumpster fire in a maroon suit. Right? Right?! Except, yeah, everyone did. Tachibana's whole thing was feeling like everyone bought his act, when he was incredibly obvious about what was going on in his head. And now we've got the inverse of that: someone who is totally put together, completely normal, and is trying desperately to get everyone to believe he's a loser, a failure, edgy, dangerous. Except, no, he's not. Just look at him. It's all a posture, all a cover, just like Tachibana. I can't stop thinking about this guy!
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01-10-2021, 11:20 PM | #569 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Finally, we have the return of Yaguruma. This is quite possibly my favorite scene in the entire series. Everything from him scraping his spur across the ground on is so good. I love his ridiculous goth outfit and attitude. I love how he takes on the Worms while doing his big reintroduction speech, very pointedly using only kicks to denote his new identity. I love the arrival of a new Rider who's both really cool looking and a massive new wrench in Tendou's plans. Such a good scene and easily the most vivid memory I've had from Kabuto over the years (although something Tsurugi does in the next episode is a pretty close second).
All of the non-stop kicking was great, yes, absolutely. I bet you Yaguruma has a poster up in his home gym of KickHopper, and it says EVERY DAY IS LEG DAY on it, except Yaguruma drew a mustache on KickHopper because he's bad now.
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01-11-2021, 12:49 AM | #570 |
I got nothing
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 148
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so yeah welcome to Yagaruma's new rider identity of Kickhopper and the walking dumpster fire he's become. Of "special note" is something I've wanted to talk about regarding the Heisei era in general is the usage of stock music from the website Video Helper in particular is the song that play's when Yagaruma is reintroduced and becomes one of his 2 major themes for the rest of the series Robospore https://www.videohelper.com/search/a...ll/all/0/0-max
Another piece of stock music you might be familiar with is the theme for the Energy Riders in Kamen Rider Gaim which is called covert coverup from the same site as if there's a song that plays in a rider series and you can't find it on the official soundtracks odds are it's a piece of stock music from video helper |
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