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12-31-2019, 02:49 AM | #15701 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,426
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Fourze 25-26
The graduation/prom arc, wherein the Kamen Rider Club must face the reality of losing two of their members while the show must justify keeping the whole cast intact. I actually really like this two-parter. The Zodiart is pretty underdeveloped and her plan to trick people into thinking that older Zodiarts are back leads to some nice cameos, but not a lot more. Oh, and inconsistent translation of the constellation names, I suppose. No, the main focus of this arc was on the characters. Miu and Shun are about to graduate and they're having trouble. Miu is quietly freaking out about the prospect of the KRC continuing on fine without her and Shun is freaking out because Miu won't go to prom with him (as a side note, even if I didn't think "promposals" were stupid, I would still find Shun's ideas increasingly idiotic - what was he even going to do in a clown suit?). This leads to a lot of good character moments, especially if you've been a long-time Gentarou/Miu shipper. The show really pulls out a lot of stops to say farewell to these characters... only to reveal at the end that they're still going to be in the KRC. It's a cute ending, though, and it doesn't feel like it invalidates the build-up. The other big thing about this arc is that episode 26 features the series debut of the Rider Girls. The Rider Girls, if you're newer to Kamen Rider, is an idol group that Toei put together to promote Kamen Rider. Their main gimmick was that each one wore a Rider belt and dressed in colors vaguely related to their respective Rider. They did a cover of the original show's theme song, contributed songs to a couple of Rider movies, and made a guest appearance in this episode to sing a song for the AGHS prom. And then they more or less disappeared. I looked them up awhile ago and apparently they're still a thing, although I don't know if they've contributed to anything official for Kamen Rider in years. I assume they just do birthday parties and mall openings now. I didn't like their song back when this first aired and my opinion of it has not changed. Has Yuki gone crazy yet? No, but she has begun flailing around more when she speaks. That's probably not a good sign. |
12-31-2019, 10:15 AM | #15702 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,934
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Quote:
The other big thing about this arc is that episode 26 features the series debut of the Rider Girls. The Rider Girls, if you're newer to Kamen Rider, is an idol group that Toei put together to promote Kamen Rider. Their main gimmick was that each one wore a Rider belt and dressed in colors vaguely related to their respective Rider. They did a cover of the original show's theme song, contributed songs to a couple of Rider movies, and made a guest appearance in this episode to sing a song for the AGHS prom. And then they more or less disappeared. I looked them up awhile ago and apparently they're still a thing, although I don't know if they've contributed to anything official for Kamen Rider in years. I assume they just do birthday parties and mall openings now. I didn't like their song back when this first aired and my opinion of it has not changed. |
12-31-2019, 12:25 PM | #15703 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,426
|
Quote:
The KRG did an insert for Ex-Aid most recently (I think, for a show), though with how little play inserts get these past several series I can’t blame you for missing it. They also did vocals for some of Ex-Aid’s bgm iirc, though that was only in the series OST. They still pop up in Rider song collections with their covers often, and they’ve done the theme song for a couple of Rider mobile games (the latest of which I only know about because avex put it out on their Youtube page a few weeks back). Unexpectedly, they’re still hanging in there.
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01-03-2020, 02:54 AM | #15704 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,426
|
Fourze 27-28
I first watched this show as it originally aired, week to week. You really do get a different experience when watching it more quickly. I remember Cancer being around for ages when I first watched the show. Going back, I see now that he really wasn't. These episodes mark both his seventh and eighth episodes as well as his departure from the series. He really is a much more minor character than I'd remembered. Not that I'm still not glad to see him gone, though. He wasn't around as long as I'd thought he was, but he is still really obnoxious. This was mainly a Ryusei arc and it culminated in the debut of Meteor Storm, aka Kamen Rider Beyblade. It's not my favorite suit and I think the weapon is dumb, but it's miles ahead of the next suit that will be showing up in a few episodes. We're still dealing with Ryusei hiding his identity, but we got some good moments with him starting to gain some more affection for the rest of the KRC. Tomoko is showing a lot more interest in him at this point, so I think we can consider that storyline to be officially started. And now, speaking of things that debuted this episode: Has Yuki gone crazy yet? In episode 27, Yuki makes a giant stew for her friends which is full of giant planet-shaped balls. She serves it while wearing an inflatable shuttle on her head. In episode 28, her attempt to make Kijima laugh involves dressing up as the solar system and telling planet puns. There's still no Hayabusa puppet, so we aren't quite at peak Yuki yet, but the answer is still yes. Yes, Yuki has finally gone crazy. |
01-03-2020, 09:40 AM | #15705 |
New Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Sweden
Posts: 13
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Kamen Rider Ghost 1-20 + Movies
So, almost halfway through Ghost and... I like it. I'm enjoying Takeru, I like his positivity and outlook, never wrong with a little more positivity in your characters. I also like the design of Ghost though I wish they used the base form more often, the color orange is vastly underused in tokusatsu in general and the fact that they switched him up to a bright, shiny red bummed me out, especially so close to Drive. Minor gripe, though. Really like the gimmick as well which is a bit surprising since I typically loathe them but the jacket changing is pretty neat even if it does leave Ghost without a solid base form. The supporting cast is really nice too, really appreciate Onari and Akari, they have great chemistry and back and forth which is adorable. Still not sure about Makoto, he's sort of become the "We're way outnumbered, never mind, here's Spectre"-backup but doesn't seem to factor into the plot all that much anymore. Still, half a series to go so that might change a whole lot. As for Alain... well... haven't really seen enough of him yet but he seems to have a pretty obvious arc laid out so it'll be interesting to see if it plays out as I think. Loved Kamen Rider Ichigou too, great flick. Love it when they dig up stuff from the past, including the suit. Anyway, loving it so far. |
01-03-2020, 09:44 AM | #15706 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,270
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Well, I finished Kiva recently, thought it was okay at best. The only Heisei series I've yet to finish is Hibiki. But there are factors that stop me from continuing.
1. The infamous staff change over starting at Ep 30. 2. I found it a bit boring with the slice of life aspect of the show. |
01-03-2020, 10:09 AM | #15707 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,428
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01-07-2020, 02:25 AM | #15708 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,426
|
Fourze 29-30
By this point I think there's something about me that I've made very clear on this site. There is a specific vein of comic relief in tokusatsu that I hate. Aggressively, viscerally hate. I hate rubber-faced mugging into the camera. I hate screaming as a punchline. I hate spastic flailing around. My thoughts on characters like Shunpei, half of Drive's cast, and Satan... er, Onari... are very well documented at this point. So what I'm going to say next is probably going to be a surprise to some of you: I freaking love Ohsugi. Yes, he is everything I hate in comic relief characters personified, and there is no place where that's on more display than these two episodes. I can't help it, though, I just really like the guy. I'm not sure why I like Ohsugi so much when I'd happily watch Onari die in a fire. Maybe I feel like it's less forced with Ohsugi; like he's not doing it intentionally, he's just helplessly pathetic and goofy. With Onari, it usually felt like he was actively going out of his way to put himself in ridiculous situations, Ohsugi seems more like he's trying to be serious and just failing at it catastrophically. I don't know. In any case, this is the arc where he finds out the truth about the KRC and joins up. There's a lot of bad slapstick and mugging to the camera and I'll be damned if I didn't kinda love it. This arc also introduced Ran and Haru, the two junior members of the KRC. The show really goes out if its way to develop them, especially Ran. Naturally, like Genatrou's new homeroom teacher before them, they disappear after this episode. That feels as weird now as it did at the time. I almost feel like the show might have kept them around if they had the budget for two more characters - or if Miu and Shun were really written out. I know they show up again at some point and Ran turns out to be one of the Horoscopes - I want to say Pisces? One of the fish ones. Still, it's a little disappointing that they aren't at least a recurring presence. The show's opening credits is partially given over to Super Hero Taisen footage now. I've decided that I'm going to skip that one. Yes, Fourze is technically in it, but only for a few minutes. The rest of the movie is just Joe and Daiki pouting because their boyfriends are fighting while Shoji Yonemura Plot #1 (of 1) runs in the background. I don't hate myself enough to sit through that again; not for a few minutes of inconsequential Fourze content, at least. |
01-14-2020, 11:09 PM | #15709 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Having watched a bunch of Rider summer moves in rapid succession, I've decided they're all fun and neat spectacles with serviceable one-in-done plots. A highlight from each of them:
OOO Wonderful: The first Rider movie I ever saw, but that didn't actually make it any particularly memorable compared to others. Fourze's appearance in this movie is the best done of those kinds of cameos though. The big climax with all the combos together feels like it is trying hard to be Den-O but with nowhere near the amount of investment or excitement. Fourze Uchu Kita: Why was Meteor Fusion not an actual Fusion between Gentaro and Ryusei? Anyhow, I really liked seeing the entire Kamen Rider Club take part in this ridiculous sci-fi mission, and I genuinely love the sequence of all the various minor characters from the show helping Fourze by counting down from 40. Wizard in Magic Land: Does it count as an AU film if its about the characters themselves travelling to another world? Anyhow, the magic king character wanted to kill everyone because he's the only one who can't use magic, and yet I think I was suppose to feel bad for him when he is 'betrayed' by Sorcerer. He really should have been the main villain to begin with... The final fight between Wizard and Sorcerer was cool though, and surprisingly restrained in terms of special effects compared to most movie climaxes! You'd think being a Wizard movie, it would want to go all out with the flashiness, but I'm more than fine with this. Gaim Golden Fruits Cup: The soccer AU stuff is so stupid and I'm conflicted about the fact that it just goes away really abruptly when Malus enters the scene. On one hand, it would have been hard to take anything seriously if they kept it up. On the other hand, I wouldn't have mind if the entire movie was a goofy sports movie featuring the Armoured Riders. As it is, its just tonally weird and the climax with all the riders (well, all of them minus Duke and Sigurd and plus one extra Kurokage [why]) kicking around an energy ball just didn't... score with me, sadly. Drive Surprise Future: Honestly way cooler a movie than I remembered. I've always felt like Drive's action sequences had more of a focus on exciting melee compared to most, and this movie is full of it, mixed in with a lot of deft-defying shots thanks to a movie budget. Dark Drive is a straightforward but really cool-looking villain (and I guess he had to become the Paradox Roidmude because they only had the one undersuit for Type Special?). I only wished the movie had shifted away even more from the future stuff, and leaned towards more to be about Shinnosuke and Krim. Krim saying the 'take you for a spin catchphrase' and them both saying 'Nice Drive' at the end were really sweet touches. |
01-15-2020, 08:44 AM | #15710 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 104
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Finished Decade sometime around last year, and... whew, what a mess. I can't remember the last show I've watched, KR or otherwise, that left this many holes and unresolved plot threads. I proceeded immediately after to watch the two movies (All Riders vs. Dai Shocker and Rider War) that were supposed to fill in the gaps, and ended up being even more confused and underwhelmed.
I couldn't care less about Dai Shocker and every villain that shows up here, everyone's motivation and backstory were all over the place, and basically there were just so many why's and pointless characters (Narutaki being the most obvious). I actually didn't mind the AR concept and not being able to have most original characters/actors back, but the AR episodes are mostly bland at best and extremely nonsensical at worst. It may actually be better to watch Decade without the frame of reference for the previous KR shows, just so you wouldn't be dismayed over weird knock-off version of your favorite shows/characters. It's not all bad. Tsukasa was occasionally entertaining, even with the cognitive dissonance when he goes all "aight I spend most of this two-parter acting like a snarky douche, now lemme give the obligatory love and friendship speech to wrap things up!" I didn't mind AR Kuuga/Yusuke, and I liked Kamen Rider Kiva-la's movie appearance and role (they really should've featured her in the series proper, so Natsumi wouldn't just be your token girl character/forgettable bystander). The Hibiki episodes aren't half bad and made me decided to check out the actual show. For a show that's so heavy on crossover and callbacks, it's a bit ironic that my favorite episodes are the mostly stand-alone Negaworld one, which gave a strong Twilight Zone-esque vibe. The image of AR Natsumi continuing to fight on and fend for herself in this desolate nightmarescape reminded me of the Future Trunks saga in Dragon Ball, an uncompromisingly bleak chapter that left strong impression in an otherwise uplifting, all's-well-that-ends-well, show. Overall, easily the worst of KR I've seen, though I'm glad I got this one off the list early. Still many more to go! Last edited by Magnugiga; 01-15-2020 at 08:47 AM.. |
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