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07-05-2019, 03:03 PM | #15441 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Wait, you dont know either?
Posts: 5,825
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Quote:
Like, I'm not expecting everyone to just stop, explain everything, then be on their way. But, like, from why they need to be level 1 to separate the bugster from the host, to why they need to clear the games at all if they can use the power ups regardless, to how the stage select thing even works, I just have no idea what the fuck
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Check out my occasional ramblings! https://akibamusings.blogspot.com/
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07-05-2019, 06:54 PM | #15442 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Rider Time: Ryuki:
Bringing things full circle for the last appearance Ryuki's going to make in these posts. Again, part of the reason I rewatched Ryuki in the first place was basically to do some exposure therapy with Inoue's take on it, so how did that change my opinion on this? Eh, not that much. It's strange, because as I've rediscovered going back through it, all the Ryuki stuff he wrote before, I either consider legitimately good, or at least a fun guilty pleasure, but there are just too many things I still feel are wrong here for me to feel comfortable calling it anything resembling good. Even if I choose to actively ignore how upset I am about seeing Raia as a traitorous killer, that scene where him and Shibaura stab whatever the new Scissors' name is is one of the most edgelord things Inoue has ever written. The bizarre, pointless symbolism(?) of cutting to shots of the meat they're eating and everything, it's just too weird. Too many things are too weird. I also still can't make sense of how it's meant to fit in with either Ryuki or Zi-O. The only true closure I've found in this is reconfirming that I'll always have a strange love-hate relationship with Inoue's writing, and that I should just accept it. Sometimes he makes weird things I love, and sometimes he makes OOO's portion of Movie War Core, which, for the record, is infinitely worse than this could ever be. I do feel like I see a bit more where he was going with some of the plot points now (like Shinji mistaking Geiz for Ren and then not getting to participate in the final fight at all being some kind of a passing the torch thing), and maybe there's more to the story than I was giving it credit for, but at the end of the day, it simply isn't something I'm satisfied with. Which makes me feel greedy, you know? Because Toei was not under any obligation to essentially make three more episodes of Ryuki over a decade and a half after the show ended, and I don't like taking that for granted. There are tons of cool things in here. It's neat seeing everybody's Final Vent with fancy modern effects. It's awesome that they used the background music from the original show. It's fun that Inoue threw in little references like Shinji once again mixing up Ren's name. There are things to love here, and one day I think I will eventually make peace with Rider Time: Ryuki, even if only by doing what I do for Episode Final and turning my brain off when I watch it. Den-O: Final Countdown: Yeah, obviously, it didn't turn out to be that final after all, but as a potential second finale to Den-O, this movie is quite good. Although the feeling I kept getting watching it was that it didn't feel like Kamen Rider at all. Like it's basically a general action-adventure film where people happen to put on fancy costumes during some of the fight scenes. Not that I'm saying it's bad. It's quite the opposite. Final Countdown puts all the focus on letting the characters be themselves, and because it's Den-O, that's what makes it special. After the very safe, unremarkable Climax Deka, it feels like they really wanted to make sure that Den-O went out on a more interesting note than that. The plot here is properly in-depth, featuring a villain with an actual motivation for once, and a slew of interesting twists on the formula that bring out the best in everybody. The big thing is that Ryoutarou is explicitly kept separate from the rest of the cast for a huge chunk of the movie, which is something that's never happened before. Since Den-O was a show all about people talking to each other, removing the main character from that equation lets you see the others in a slightly different light, and the angle of having to rescue him from the bad guys lets Momotaros especially show off how tight they are by this point. The cast genuinely feels like they're at the end of their journey in terms of growth, lending that air of finality to the story. The introduction of New Den-O, similarly, acts as a reminder that time keeps on moving forward, while also giving the movie a character who can be inexperienced and do some growing up, providing the bulk of the character development since the heroes from the show have had theirs already. I've actually always been really fond of New Den-O, for reasons I'll be getting into later, but for now, Koutarou's introduction here is solid. He's shown to be pretty arrogant and cocky, and the idea of the new hero showing up to question what's so great about the old guys is once again, a strong concept for the "last" Den-O story. It's not a particularly mind-blowing arc, but he gets humbled and works out his issues by the end of the movie, and it's satisfying. That's probably the keyword for Final Countdown. Satisfying. It's not exactly the ultimate conclusion to Den-O that's going to tie up every loose end and show you everything you could ever want to see or things you never knew you wanted, but the fairly simple story it tells is strong. Things start off exciting, then slow down for a lot of good character moments, before going all out for a climax that pulls out all the stops. In terms of actually feeling like a movie, it's definitely got Climax Deka beat. Everybody is running around throwing each other through prop walls, there are tons of really long takes with solid choreography, and once Ryoutarou gets in on it, you get to see a Den-O Sentai lineup that tops I'm Born by throwing everybody in there. It's especially awesome getting to see Ryoutarou and Momotaros fight side-by-side. Final Countdown is just a really good time all around, and to this day, it still stands as the last Den-O film with Takeru Satoh, so in that sense, it honestly was a farewell. Let's Go Kamen Riders: I don't remember Let's Go Kamen Riders leaving much of an impression on me back when I first watched it, but I have to say, after years and years of countless big crossovers since, this one actually beats a lot of them out and still totally holds up. The story doesn't overcomplicate itself, keeps things upbeat, and moves at a slick pace. Right from the premise it's off to a good start. What if history got messed up and Shocker won? First of all, every other Rider after 1 and 2 cease to exist, which is, again, simple and easy to grasp, but also a cool concept befitting the 40th anniversary. There's an obvious meta logic to it, but it's also entirely conceivable in-universe for that kind of ripple effect to happen. If Shocker is straight up running the whole world since the 70's, imagine if they just found the Arcle, and tossed it in some treasure vault somewhere before Kuuga ever got a chance to use it. Maybe they buy out Smart Brain and BOARD before they develop any of their Rider gear. It's a fun idea to think about, and the movie encourages this thinking by explicitly establishing Shocker had their own Core Medal the whole time anyway. Now, Shocker can't do crap about Den-O, because those guys aren't affected by changes to the timeline, and just like that, we've got a movie. OOO is here too, since Ankh inadvertently creates the whole mess during a brief team-up gone wrong, and the result is something of a dream team. Den-O is obviously extremely popular, and for reasons I can't entirely describe, OOO feels really suited to starring in a crossover like this. Maybe it's TaToBa's classy, rounded design that fits right in with Showa Riders (go look back at that Ishinomori-inspired picture of him with Rider 1 from the 999th episode if you don't believe me), or maybe it's Eiji's humble, respectful personality that means he has great chemistry with whoever you put him with. Either way, it's a good combo, and it works especially well, because Shouji Yonemura wrote this flick, and he already had experience with both these shows. Between that, and Kobayashi once again being credited with helping on the script, everyone's mannerisms are super on-point, which makes it so much easier to get into the movie. You actually believe it's the same guys from TV, which gives you that all-important anchor. The only caveat is that it's actually New Den-O plus the Taros, but I don't mind this at all. Like I said, I've always been fond of him, and I honestly didn't mind Toei pushing him as legitimately being the new Den-O like they were for a while. He fit in with the existing characters quite well. Not that it matters that much, as Koutarou isn't a super important part of the overall picture. The story is more about the simple fun of watching everyone try to set things straight, and it does great on that front. You get a good feel for what the Shocker-controlled world is like in the first third of the film. I love hearing news broadcasters starting announcements with "Foolish humans!", which is amazing, and it's neat how Rider 1 and 2 make their first appearance when OOO is in a pinch, only to betray the viewers' expectations by having it turn out that they aren't his friends right now. The progression of the story is interesting, and once it lets loose at the end, it manages to keep topping itself just when you think it can't get any crazier. I don't mind seeing old characters return as suits with bad soundalikes when it's done like this. Especially with the speech Owner gives hyping it up, there's this delightfully straightforward feeling of all these awesome heroes getting together to beat up evil, and seeing every main Rider get their own individual introduction helps a lot to make them feel important. But then it gets even cooler because a random smattering of other Ishinomori characters show up like "what, you thought this just a celebration of Rider?", and then it gets EVEN cooler because everyone's boy Date shows up with every other Rider in tow, and then they all hop on their bikes to form into a giant number 40 in the sky and proceed to do the most epic Rider Break ever put to film. I haven't seen All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker in a long time, either, which I also remember having a very enjoyable climax, but Let's Go Kamen Riders totally nails the big party atmosphere a movie like this is supposed to have, and while like OOO's as a whole, I took it for granted at the time, it's a lot easier to appreciate the things it does right after so many weirdly downbeat, dull Super Hero Taisen movies with convoluted and nonsensical plots. The only big leaps in logic here involve gags with Momotaros and Ankh that funny because they make no sense, and also that things don't actually go back to normal at the end, which is more of an oversight than anything. It also balances any flaws out with all that Showa love, which wasn't too common at the time. You've got Rider 1 and 2 who, despite only appearing in-suit, are voiced by their original actors, and are presented as being awesome without the need for any modernization whatsoever, which is great. The outdated sets and doofy monsters Shocker has being shown without a hint of irony is like one big middle finger to The First and The Next, and I love it. Quote:
Actually, I have to question basically everything I've ever heard about OOO's production. I'd love to see some kind of documentary or something about it, even. It's absolutely fascinating and also a bit scary how many iconic, beloved parts of that show seem to be a complete accident. I mean, I've praised OOO for having characters so developed they practically write themselves, but whenever I hear that Eiji was going to have a rougher personality before Shuu Watanabe got cast, or what they were planning to do with Ankh, it's like, "holy crap, they literally were writing themselves!". Quote:
I still haven't figured it out, but the show was great, so who cares?
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07-05-2019, 09:22 PM | #15443 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Quote:
Also, I must say; even though it all works out perfectly and everyone and everything feels on-point and accurate to their series? I find it weird that for a movie from OOO, written by Kobayashi; featuring a team-up with Den-O, Kobayashi's most fan-favourite work; the movie is written by... the Kabuto guy. It's still a good friggin' movie at the end of the day so I'm fine with it, just kind of funny to me |
07-05-2019, 11:06 PM | #15444 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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Every time I read anything about OOO's production, it just baffles me how lucky we ended up. OOO honestly and truly had the potential to be just...Awful, and yet the stars lined up and the background stuff happened to ensure that it turned out wonderful
As for Ex-Aid, I'm enjoying it. It's quite fun and really picks up after Lazer's death. Doesn't help me from being confused as hell, though. Like how they used Stage Select to teleport to the quarry with Graphite, despite Graphite not even being present when they did so.
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07-06-2019, 09:39 AM | #15445 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Finally continuing with Hibiki, I reached the new opening. I... like it, and I respect that if they are going with a new direction; they decided to get a completely new opening to hammer that home. It's also a nice bonus that they can naturally integrate newer characters and upgrades without shoehorning them into the older opening; it was good when Go-Busters did it and it's good here.
Also didn't get a chance to comment on how cool Armed Hibiki looks. It's up there as one of the best looking Finals; I like how it's literally Kurenai wearing armour; and I enjoy all the disc animals forming that armour. Anyway moving away from aesthetics this still really sucks. The characters are now so flanderised that Todoroki has gone from a little goofy and awkward to an absolute clown who can't so much as walk without disaster incurring, and Hibiki has gone from a caring, wisened father figure - to not just Asumu but the likes of Akira and Todoroki too - with a reserved and considered perspective to now just being an insensitive idiot who somehow can't grasp that Todoroki having relationship problems might be weighing on him??? Is this the same character??????? Somehow Ibuki and Akira escape this, which is probably because to begin with Ibuki was pretty static and Akira -was- the most stubborn of the cast. It's a bit hard for even Inoue to screw up the fundamentals of that. But even then Ibuki's neutrality feels way more played up than before, and considering Inoue's history with similar characters; I'm not exactly looking forward to what he has planned for Akira if he has anything. Asumu also continues to barely show up, while Kiriya has also started to just cameo and pop in every now and then rather than being a constant presence. ... actually, for a Todoroki-focused episode; where the hell did Zanki go?! I just can't imagine that any of this is how it would have played out if the original author was here. It's such a massive contrast out of nowhere and I find myself desperately missing the show we had more and more with each episode. |
07-06-2019, 04:11 PM | #15446 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,546
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Quote:
Also, I must say; even though it all works out perfectly and everyone and everything feels on-point and accurate to their series? I find it weird that for a movie from OOO, written by Kobayashi; featuring a team-up with Den-O, Kobayashi's most fan-favourite work; the movie is written by... the Kabuto guy. It's still a good friggin' movie at the end of the day so I'm fine with it, just kind of funny to me
Last edited by Androzani84; 07-07-2019 at 07:17 AM.. |
07-06-2019, 04:52 PM | #15447 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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A google doesn't result in anything for a Kiba Taegu. May I ask who that is?
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07-06-2019, 07:15 PM | #15448 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Decade 14-15:
When Decade got around to its tribute to Den-O, Kobayshi herself wrote the episodes, and they're good. Not totally remarkable, or anything, and I think her second shot at writing Decade a bit later was a lot better, but this was one of the rare times Decade actually got to use real characters from the original shows, and while after pounding out 49 episodes and several movies featuring them, I'm having a hard time not taking it for granted right now, it is super cool to see Momotaros and the gang interact with the Decade crew. The humor here is all very on point, as you'd expect, and I appreciate that even Tsukasa's usual epic speech is made into a bit of a joke at the end. Taking a brief trip back to Decade also reminded me why I love Tsukasa so much. He's such a delightful piece of crap. I mean, Takkun was a "jerk" because he was deeply afraid of getting too close to people, and I think Tendou was just born weird, but the Destroyer of Worlds spends half his dialogue making fun of his only two friends in the multiverse seemingly for no other reason than it amusing him. He means well, though. I think. At the very least, he'll stick up for a down on his luck Imagin when nobody else will. These episode also feature music cues from Den-O, which I don't remember being a normal thing in Decade. Some of the team-up movies have done this too, but I really do appreciate it when old Riders come back alongside their original background tracks. They're as iconic a part of their respective shows as anything else. Chou Den-O & Decade: Alright, now this one will be fun to talk about. You see, while my memories of what exact order I watched the Heisei Riders in get a little fuzzy in places, I know for a fact I can thank Movie War Core for exactly one thing, if nothing else. Hearing how terrible it was when it got subbed during OOO's run motivated me to watch Double a lot earlier than I might have, for fear watching it simply for OOO would spoil something, which I felt wasn't going to be worth it if the movie sucked. Watching Double, on top of being crazy fun in its own right, in turn got me to watch Decade before watching Movie War 2010 for much the same reasons, although I was already privy to that show's infamous conclusion anyway. So from there, as I recall, since Decade went through the trouble of setting it up, I decided to watch Chou Den-O & Decade in a very "why not?" fashion, with no real expectations going into it. All this is to say, this movie is what got me into Den-O, and as such I have something of an attachment to it. I don't remember actively thinking it was some masterpiece or anything, but as I've established talking about OOO, 2012 me didn't put a lot of thought into these things anyway, so I think what matters here is that it got me interested enough to dive into Den-O proper shortly thereafter. This movie is also the reason I have an attachment to New Den-O. I didn't totally get what was going on, but I saw this sweet looking blue guy with his combination sword/butler, and immediately took a liking to him. Having greater context now, I think Koutarou is also a great middle ground in terms of personality between Ryoutarou and Yuuto, but not having that context also helped in its own way. I didn't know squat about his arrogant origins in Final Countdown at the time, so to me, New Den-O was just this cool, charismatic hero going around chopping up bad guys, and that's all I ever really need. He's still not totally the star, but this film I think leaves a better first impression of him than his actual debut might have. The story here is also super newbie friendly, with a very tight focus on obvious audience surrogate character Yuu, a little kid who needs all this stuff explained to him the same way I did. He works wonders in that role, and the way he gradually slides into the plot reminds me of a lot of escapist fiction stories where a bunch of strange, fantastical characters whisk the young protagonist off to some epic adventure. The movie does a great job putting you in that sort of mindset, and even watching it years later as a proper Den-O fanatic, it stil feels almost like it could conceivably be the first appearance of any of these guys. In retrospect, I especially appreciate them getting a dramatic chase scene out of the way Den-Liner tickets only work when you open a door while the numbers on a clock all match, something that ended up being extremely unimportant throughout the actual show. It also leads to a cool bit where New Den-O saves Yuu's bacon by buying him a few seconds, followed by Koutarou patting him on the head as he walks by on the Den-Liner later, which further explains why I like New Den-O so much. Again, I basically was Yuu watching this originally, and since Yuu was me, I think that quick little big bro moment from him left a big impression. From there, we get the usual time traveling adventure, and it's solid stuff. Yuu's relationship with Deneb gives the film a lot of extra heart, I like Yuu's simple arc for what it is, and the twist at the end is nice. The Taros are themselves, which is all they ever need to be, with Momo, as ever, being the man. I'm also super fond of the monster forms of the main bad guys here. Reboot Rider 2 and V3's faces work great on those suits, and I appreciate having villains who are merely Rider-esque, instead of straight up Riders when there's no reason for them to be. There's actually not a lot of new merch being shilled here at all, come to think of it. That's mostly down to Chou Climax Form, and frankly, after seeing how the Decade cast and the Den-Liner crew take turns trying to pawn off Sieg to each other, I feel bad enough for the guy that I'm really happy for him. Everybody treats him like crap, but aside from being a textbook narcissist, I'm struggling to think of what he's actually done to deserve it. He honestly seems like a super nice guy when you get down to it. I can't even remember why I said I wasn't that much of a fan of him. All he's ever shown to do is help people out and repay his debts. I mean, I hate to say it, but are we sure he isn't better than you guys? Because I'm starting to struggle to see how having a not entirely unjustified high opinion of yourself is a worse personality defect than being an overly aggressive thug, a chronic lecher, or a hyperactive sociopath. In conclusion, Kintaros is obviously the best Imagin, because he combines all the good traits of the others with his only token vice being sleeping a lot, which I'm pretty sure he genuinely can't help. What was I talking about again? Oh, right, the movie! Yeah, add this to the pile of things I've watched lately than I'm pleasantly surprised to find hold up better than I was expecting. I had it in my head that Chou Den-O and Decade was kind of boring for some reason, but thankfully it turned out to be a lot more fun than I remembered. Agito 28: "Wait, what the heck does some random episode of Agito have to do with anything?", you might be thinking. But this is an episode of Agito unlike any other. It's the only one in the entire series not written by Inoue, and you'll never guess who wrote it instead. I figured I'd toss this in here because, one, it's always a good time to watch Agito, and two, between this and Decade's Den-O arc, I think I'll have covered literally every bit of Kamen Rider Yasuko Kobayshi has ever written once I'm done, save for the other arc of Decade she wrote, which I talked about back when I watched Shinkenger, and Amazons, which pretty much exists off on its own planet, so I don't feel any obligation to go back through it as part of this. So, of course, while this was Kobayashi's first episode of Rider ever, she was hardly new to the toku scene, even back then, having already helmed two different Sentai shows, among other credits, so it's not exactly a surprise that the episode is good. Seriously good. It's actually one of my favorite episodes of Agito, and my biases don't even play into that, because I didn't realize she wrote it until way later. I think what makes it stand out so much for me is that in a very, very heavily serialized show, this episode tells a very standalone story, which makes sense given it was essentially a try-out episode for a new(ish) writer. It qualifies as filler by most people's definition, but if you ever wanted proof that isn't a bad thing, this is it. Even its position in the episode order, despite not connecting directly with what was happening before or after, actually lends the story a really cool context. You see, in the episode prior to this, Kamen Rider Gills caught a nasty case of death, and this episode thus functions as a sort of requiem for Ryou, flashing back to a few weeks prior for an adventure that does a great job summing up the kind of character he is by pairing him up with a young boy who wants to run away from the troubles he's currently facing in life. Ryou himself has, as anyone who's seen Agito knows, been through an absolutely astonishing amount of crap since the start of the series, and the attitude he displays throughout the episode gets to the heart of what I think makes him such a fantastic character. Everything about him reeks of the usual angsty anti-hero, but he subverts a ton of the tropes associated with that archetype, growing into a hero who makes it a point not to let the tragedies he's faced break him. He's also great because everything about the way Gills is portrayed is so memorable. I mean, I could go on about Agito all day, but since that's not what I'm here for right now, I'll restrain myself to only mentioning how perfectly the show portrayed three very, very different Riders. In Gills' case, that meant stuff like the weird but neat effect when he transforms of Gills appearing alongside Ryou, or his brutal Rider Kick where he violently hooks monsters with the blades on his ankle, or the screamy Gills mask to emphasize his status as a completely organic Rider. It's mostly about the screamy Gills mask though. That thing is straight up my favorite part of Agito and quite possibly my single favorite special effect in the franchise.
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07-07-2019, 07:17 AM | #15449 |
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07-07-2019, 05:09 PM | #15450 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Chou Den-O Trilogy: Episode Red:
I've always felt there was a secret double meaning to the color choice here. Obviously it's red for Zero Form, but the focus gets away from Yuuto frequently enough that it might as well be for Momotaros. Further confusing the issue is that Zeronos somehow ends up in Altair Form during the climax, a blatant breach of continuity that I completely forgot happened in more than just Climax Deka. I mean, there's more of a reason here. It's so Deneb can do a thing in Vega Form, but at that point, you'd think they could just do that with the red suit underneath. Play it up in the marketing like it's a cool new form, even. None of this of super important, though. This movie seems like it would be right up my alley, considering it's about my favorite character from the show, and focuses on the star-crossed romance that I was similarly fond of, but I've always been a tiny bit dissatisfied with it in that regard. I feel like it doesn't totally commit to its own premise, but I also know I'm asking way too much. It's honestly impressive enough as it is we got a Kamen Rider film with a five minute scene of two people drinking coffee, especially considering the target audience here is liable to still think girls have cooties. I've also said before I respect how Den-O always kept its sense of humor central no matter how dramatic it got, so I'd probably be just as unhappy if the entire movie was just some schmaltzy romance film that stuck out like a sore thumb. I'm aware I'm being way too picky here. It probably also hurts that I've never bought Takuya Mizoguchi as Ryoutarou. Largely because he says his lines in a way that's glaringly different from Takeru Satoh's distinct delivery, sounding way more confident overall, something that I've never been sure is meant to be character development or not. Some of the actual lines themselves seem more confident, so that may be part of it, but either way, it's always seriously hurt my ability to accept the change, necessary or not. So I think this movie got off on a bad foot with me when I originally watched it and saw that the first few shots with Ryoutarou conspicuously avoid showing his face or having him speak, only for him to immediately become a main character in the film. It's just not the same. But all this complaining makes the movie seem a lot worse than it is, and Den-O is still Den-O, so it's not even like I don't enjoy it. The stuff with Yuuto and Airi, when it's there, is pretty much exactly what I want, and quite memorable for how distinct it is. The material for the Den-Liner crew serves admirably to keep things accessible without detracting from the tone of the more serious parts. Some of the dialogue seems to exist specifically to digest what's going on for the kids, which I can't consider a flaw when it probably was 100% needed for them to process the sudden influx of wistful emotional drama in their movie about rainbow-colored monsters fighting bad guys. They also provide all the usual wacky Den-O fun, which is great in its own right, especially when the highlights include Momotaros living on the streets for four months as a bum, complete with ragged clothes, even though he doesn't wear anything to begin with. I mean, if I need to justify why that's hilarious, Den-O probably isn't the series for you. So don't take my whining too seriously. It's a perfectly good movie, even if it isn't utter perfection. Also, between Hobo Momo here and seeing him fight Shocker in Let's Go Kamen Riders, I think Toei is missing a huge opportunity to do a movie where Momotaros gets trapped in 1971 and accidentally gets wrapped up in every important moment in Rider history in a way that doesn't actively contradict anything we saw on TV. It practically writes itself! Imagine him disguising himself as one of Shocker's scientists to make sure Hongou doesn't brainwashed. Maybe the police mistake him for an Unidentified Lifeform in the year 2000. The 50th anniversary is coming right up, guys, make it happen! Chou Den-O Trilogy: Episode Blue: This was and is my favorite in the trilogy. I think it's by far the most focused on its title character, and since that character is New Den-O, I couldn't be much happier. It's less daring than Red, and less creative than Yellow, but Koutarou's first proper starring role does a lot to flesh him and Teddy out, telling a very endearing story about their relationship going through a bit of trouble when they end up separated. All the beats in Episode Blue are delivered pretty much perfectly. The sequence at the start where Teddy saves Koutarou from a Ryoutarou-style series of misfortunes so effectively Koutarou just walks along like nothing's happening tells you everything you need to know about them, and makes you feel that much more for Koutarou when the universe starts crapping on him later. I mean, a bird literally craps on him at one point. It's easy to sympathize with his troubles, and the plot also does that thing I always love seeing where the Victim of the Week plot thematically matches what's going on with the main characters. It's crazy tight. The action scenes even naturally feed into the drama in way that's both clever and funny by having Kintaros and Urataros act as replacement weapons for New Den-O, which naturally doesn't go well. Even the culminatory scene of Koutarou and Teddy reuniting at the very end is just beautiful in how its executed. Koutarou rushes to give him a hug, trips because of his bad luck, only for Teddy to catch him in his arms anyway, paying off that element perfectly and showing us that these two are back on track now. Like I said, I was a fan of New Den-O before I was a fan of Den-O itself, so the fact that he got his own little movie with his own version of Double Action and everything makes me really happy. I'm honestly a bit sad he isn't still popping up in stuff. I'd definitely prefer him being around to recasting Ryoutarou, or what we get nowadays since Takuya Mizoguchi is now older then Takeru Satoh was when Den-O started, which is having the Taros running around with nobody holding their leashes at all. Chou Den-O Trilogy: Episode Yellow: Somewhat inexplicably, the final Den-O movie to date not only stars a character from Decade, but is once again written by Shouji Yonemura, with Kobayashi merely credited with supervision. It's plenty of fun in its own right, and the plot has a lot of fun twists and turns that start with Diend trying to shoot his own past self early on and never really stop. Still, it doesn't have that same touch to it, and the plot isn't anywhere near as emotional as the other two films. The way G Den-O is written comes off as extremely heavy handed at points, with particular mention going to the awkward way he offhandedly mentions his defining personal trauma when telling Kaitou he can't change the past about a minute after appearing. It's not a dealbreaker by any means, but Reiji definitely feels more like a character from Kabuto than Den-O. Kaitou himself has the hurdle to get over of being a character from Decade, which I think means most viewers are inherently conditioned from that show to not invest themselves in any development they get, but for what it's worth, his character here is reasonably strong, despite a predictable arc, and Diend's status as a thief makes him one of the most unique Riders in the franchise, so I definitely appreciate giving him a chance to be more in the limelight. Overall, the Chou Den-O Trilogy was a fun experiment, and produced three movies that are all pretty decent. Like the rest of Den-O's post-series output, it's not mindblowingly amazing, but they're reliably solid, and Den-O's cast has legs to the point where they don't feel stale, either. I also appreciate that Toei didn't shoehorn in an overarching plotline, which is something that I feel detracts from similar projects they've done since. The only throughline here is the latest showdown between Owner and the Station Master, which you get to see at the end of Episode Yellow after some build-up so subtle you might not even catch it. It's actually kind of an adorable way to connect the movies.
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