|
Community Links |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
12-29-2019, 10:08 PM | #181 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Please do not leave your windows open for strangers.
Anyhow, I'm in the same boat of liking Kuuga but I like better the ways the franchise built on what it started. Kuuga's definitely a unique beast in of itself and I wouldn't mind if another series followed it in certain stylistic choices or story beats. I personally also saw the themes about how gaining more and greater power is actually a burden and curse the first time I watched the show, buuuut I also thought the show didn't successfully convey or carry that theme as well as it could have. I know there's such a thing as reading between the lines, but there were times I felt like I had to fill in the lines myself (especially like how Daguva first appearing to Kuuga happened off-screen!?!) I appreciate it, though it'll always be a strange in-between of the Showa era of shows and before the more modern style I know today. I consider Agito to be the real start of the kind of Rider I know today, so I look forward to you getting to that! I don't know, it's weird. I feel real weird about it. For a lot of the thematic stuff for Kuuga, I'm kind-of at the stage of Okay But. Like, yes, I think those themes are there. They are completely what the finale of the show is about. Several characters explicitly state it before and after the Daguva fight. But, I don't know if I thought those themes were utilized thoroughly enough, or consistently applied to the series. I can't argue they weren't there, but I can argue they weren't prominent enough to be considered a success. As always, though, that's just my reaction. If it hardcore clicked with someone else, I think that's awesome. There's nothing, like bad to me about Kuuga, just stuff that didn't work for me. (Okay, well, Jean. Jean is bad. If you think Jean is good, you are bad and should feel bad.) Quote:
Kuuga imo is 1 of my favorite rider shows and it all goes back to the intent of the producer. Producer Shigenori Takatera convinced Joe Odagiri to play the role Godai that he wanted Kuuga to “destroy the image that Kamen Rider had until then”. For context Toei believed at the time that Rider was a relic of the past that the kids of the new milenium just wouldn't get with Kamen Rider it had been away from television for 11 years. Takatera wanted Kuuga to be a show that not only show Rider still being relevent but also to bring those older fans something new for the new milenium.
If I were to give a analogy there a old run down house(Showa) vacant for 11 years, and there these construction workers(Kuuga) coming in to clear away debries for the architects(Agito) to create and build new foundation for a new house(the rest of Heisei). I hope that makes sense. Your right as fan that got into the newer rider shows that it a little jarring for everything that you expect from rider to be frustratingly new and slow but it in this simplistic way of storytelling that I fell in love. Altough I feel Agito maybe more to your speed as it imo has more of Heisei Tropes that were innovated here. But it written by Toshiki Inoue and generally you don't seem to be all that fond of his work.LOL I like that house analogy. It's weird, looking at Kuuga. I thought I'd find more of the Heisei stuff I know, but it was weirdly crammed with the Showa stuff that I don't care for. As it moved to the end, though, I definitely felt like I was seeing more Heisei Rider than how it started. Also, hey, welcome aboard TokuNation!
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
12-29-2019, 10:12 PM | #182 |
Master Procrastinator
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 367
|
I think watching Kuuga first may have helped me a lot. I didn't have any pre-conceptions of what a rider show even was, so I got the experience the show closer to the way people at the time may have, as a fresh innovative think with it's own unique ideas that hadn't yet become any sort ot standard formula, especially as it intentially departed from the Showa stuff in a number of ways.
Would I have reacted the same way as you if I had watched modern stuff first? I don't know. But I'm glad I watched it the way I did. |
12-29-2019, 10:24 PM | #183 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
I think watching Kuuga first may have helped me a lot. I didn't have any pre-conceptions of what a rider show even was, so I got the experience the show closer to the way people at the time may have, as a fresh innovative think with it's own unique ideas that hadn't yet become any sort ot standard formula, especially as it intentially departed from the Showa stuff in a number of ways.
Would I have reacted the same way as you if I had watched modern stuff first? I don't know. But I'm glad I watched it the way I did. For me, I would've never started with Kuuga if that's what was presented to me. It was the garish designs and ludicrous plotting of Ex-Aid that, like, colonized me for Kamen Rider shows. Something this dark and serious and slow.. I mean, it's pretty clearly not that much my thing.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
12-30-2019, 02:02 AM | #184 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,426
|
Really cool to read your thoughts on the finale. Kuuga's ending has always been so odd that it provokes a lot of strong reactions - from the show skipping Yusuke's first fight with Daguva to the very non-flashy final fight, these last few episodes usually get a pretty poor reception. I'm always curious to see what people think of the ending, especially when it's not just complaining about the lack of a big dynamic boss battle.
|
12-30-2019, 08:42 AM | #185 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
|
Quote:
Wild guess? I'd assume the less Heisei shows you've watched, the better Kuuga feels. (Cue probably the very next person saying "It was the 18th Rider show I watched and it's my favorite.") It's interesting to me as, like, a historical document, but I'd have to assume the more you can watch it cold, the more the style feels fresh and exciting.
For me, I would've never started with Kuuga if that's what was presented to me. It was the garish designs and ludicrous plotting of Ex-Aid that, like, colonized me for Kamen Rider shows. Something this dark and serious and slow.. I mean, it's pretty clearly not that much my thing.
__________________
|
12-30-2019, 11:32 AM | #186 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Really cool to read your thoughts on the finale. Kuuga's ending has always been so odd that it provokes a lot of strong reactions - from the show skipping Yusuke's first fight with Daguva to the very non-flashy final fight, these last few episodes usually get a pretty poor reception. I'm always curious to see what people think of the ending, especially when it's not just complaining about the lack of a big dynamic boss battle.
I feel like my favorite conclusions to Rider shows, the ones I feel most concluded their stories, it's not the final fights I focus on. It's getting Philip back at the end of W. It's the fight before the final fight on Ghost. It's the New World on Build. That emotional stuff... it's so much more difficult to do than the fights. Fights are pretty easy! Making the fights matter, having them be in service of story, it's substantially harder. As long as OOO and Build come out ahead, sure. When anyone else calls a Rider show their favorite and it's not OOO or Build, I assume they're just avoiding saying "my favorite non-Build, non-OOO Rider show" out of brevity.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
12-30-2019, 11:59 AM | #187 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
|
This exchange is getting scarily accurate because, yes; my Top 5 in order is OOO > Build > Kuuga > Den-O > Fourze! Quit spying on me!
__________________
|
12-30-2019, 12:28 PM | #188 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 182
|
OOO is a great show, no doubt about it. For me it's only real fault is following W. Kiva-W was the "Golden Age" of Kamen Rider for me, and was truly the time in my life when I enjoyed Kamen Rider the most. My Xtreme love of W just kept me from being able to really get into OOO when it originally aired (I rewatched it a few years later with my roommates and enjoyed it a ton on my 2nd go-round).
It wasn't until Gaim that I even started watching Kamen Rider regularly again, then Ghost almost derailed that train. Thankfully, Build came along and has truly renewed my love for this show. |
12-30-2019, 01:37 PM | #189 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
In order to not be scared as much in 2020, I'd recommend thinking about changing your signature to "just someone who loves NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS LET ME SPEAK TO YOUR SUPERVISOR so much her heart might explode". Quote:
OOO is a great show, no doubt about it. For me it's only real fault is following W. Kiva-W was the "Golden Age" of Kamen Rider for me, and was truly the time in my life when I enjoyed Kamen Rider the most. My Xtreme love of W just kept me from being able to really get into OOO when it originally aired (I rewatched it a few years later with my roommates and enjoyed it a ton on my 2nd go-round).
It wasn't until Gaim that I even started watching Kamen Rider regularly again, then Ghost almost derailed that train. Thankfully, Build came along and has truly renewed my love for this show.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
12-30-2019, 02:23 PM | #190 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,530
|
Quote:
But that's exactly what robs it of the potential to truly shine for me. It stands with lots and lots of other completely solid entries in the franchise, is absolutely enjoyable to watch with everything one could want from a Rider show. Yet after finishing it nothing stays with me except "It was fun". As far as Phase II goes, only Gaim and Build really left an impression on me. Although, Gaim - I have to rewatch it at some point. I'm a little bit afraid of it actually. Will I still like it now that I watched so many other Rider shows? I mean, I openly stated many times that I have watched superior shows since. I wonder what it's like rewatching the show everything started with for me. In fact, I played with the thought of opening a "Kiwami rewatches Gaim"-topic in a similar manner as your threads, but I must admit that I don’t feel like I can live up to it. Knowing me I will just not bother after a few posts. It really takes a whole lot of passion to write down your entire journey with a show like that. Your threads are the most dedicated and impressive I can think of around here really. I feel bad for not even having the time to read them along as much as I want to. Maybe I’ll make an actually fun new year’s resolution and try to follow the next one you’re coming up with. Maybe it’s actually a show I haven’t seen yet and I can watch it alongside you. Last edited by Kiwami; 12-30-2019 at 02:26 PM.. |
|
TokuNation News & Rumors |
Kakuranger: 30 Years After |
ToyRise RyuKenDo |
Alternative Cut of "Day Of The Dumpster" Released |
Shodo SUPER Kyoryuger Teaser |
Figuarts/Seihou GRIDMAN |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:18 AM.
|