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09-28-2019, 09:41 PM | #161 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER BUILD EPISODES 44 - 45
Quote:
That's a little later, though. Before that, we get a mixed bag of an episode that starts off trying to fix idiotic plot points from last episode in a way that frustratingly lowers the stakes, and then pulls it all together for a rousing lesson in teamwork and friendship. Episode 44, man, I don't know. I'm glad there was a little more reason for Grease and Rogue to dash off for the Faust base, and I'm glad that the team's division is so brief, but it's a dumb way to resolve a dumber problem. Two steps backwards, one step forward, you know? Like, their plan was to break in to the Faust base, get caught, hope they were experimented on instead of just being murdered, hope they could break out before being turned into monsters, then hope they could escape the base entirely without being recaptured/tortured/killed, all without telling any of their powerful friends what they were up to? Am... am I remembering this story correctly? Also, am I the only one who recalls that getting to and from occupied Hokuto used to be a perilous journey? Now I guess you can make a run on your lunch break? Between this plot point and the one where Misora delivers herself into the clutches of Evol(t), I genuinely don't know what the writer was thinking. Much like the last episode, the final sequence in 44 sort-of redeems it. (Not nearly entirely, though.) After an episode of taking it all on himself, feeling the weight of responsibility, Sento's reminded that Team Build is a team, and together they can defeat Evol(t). And they do! It's all bad-ass teamwork and synchronized finishes! It looks great, one aspect of the show that hasn't lost a step. But then Buildad shows up, leading into episode 45, and we're back to the ups-and-downs again. So, yeah, no, Buildad was secretly working against Evol(t) all this time! For ten years! During a prolonged civil war! Where god knows how many people died! And he nearly let his son die at least a half-dozen times! But he's sorry, you guys. ("Pobody's nerfect, Takumi." - Buildad) Just... jesus. Again, it's two steps backward, one step forward. The series is so much worse for doing this dumbass story about an uncharismatic lunatic who neglected his family and imperiled his country in order to save the world. It's nice that there's closure, and the flashback scene where Takumi and his dad share one last moment before the Sky Wall disaster is really sweet. But throwing in Buildad, who's barely mentioned until he's all anyone can talk about until he's secretly on their side until he's dead is just, narratively, incredibly ill-conceived. There's both not enough time spent on it (most of the affection Sento should feel is implied, since his dad only appeared in a handful of dialogue-light flashbacks) and way, way too much time spent on it (just as we should be entering the final phase of Evolt's plan we've got this to deal with this for three episodes and it is so weird but dull that it warps everything around it like a black hole). (Science!) Also, in case the Buildad stuff wasn't enough to get me riled, then the show turns into Dragonball Z?! I get that the show wants us to fear the effects of Evol(t)'s final form (do not love that monster suit!), but that whole planetary destruction sequence does not feel like it belongs in this comparatively grounded sci-fi superhero war story. I don't like feeling this way about Kamen Rider Build! The fights are still great, the character scenes are still A+ (that food service scene!), and I care about the characters so much. But the plot, with the Lost Bottles and Buildad and Evol(t) Evolved, is just off the rails in the worst ways. I don't know if the show can recover from this. I don't know!
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09-28-2019, 10:27 PM | #162 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I have mixed feelings towards the latter third or so of Build, and, yeah; I would be lying if I said this wasn't part of it. Between this and stuff like Evolt getting emotions punched into him, a lot of this really felt like they were just throwing a lot of different ideas at the wall and none of it is cohesive or feels like they had much of a plan. Shinobu is the cherry on top of that; I guess with a series as good and morally complex and challenging as Build, they really had to balance it out with a super bad super simplistic super dull "Forgive Your Asshole Family Because, Um, Family" arc that just has no place here.
Remember when Mach basically said "I really don't care that you're my dad, you're a treacherous manipulative car crash that hurt so many people and just killed my friend, so I'm going to literally murder you with an axe"? It really, really feels like Toei felt they committed an unforgivable sin by letting Drive's writer get away with too much "sometimes family can be bad" messaging and have been trying to make up for it ever since between Takeru's dad, Zero Specter, those two Ghost episodes in a row dealing with the dad of a minor forgettable character (Ghost done a lot of this, huh?), Fuma, kind of Cronus in Another Ending, and now Shinobu. Like, okay, calm down, we get it; you think family can always be forgiven because family, Toei. I get it, I'll start hating Mach for finding the will to do the right thing in a moment that was deeply hurtful morally and personally to him now, you can stop. ... also, Shinobu used the Phoenix bottle once to immediately escape and in doing so he totally cheated us out of a potentially wicked Tank Phoenix suit. Objectively terrible person. |
09-28-2019, 10:39 PM | #163 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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I always saw the Buildad stuff (love that nickname by the way!) as the show's way of doing something that let Sento act on the fact that he's Takumi in a more direct manner than just "I feel guilty for things I don't remember doing", but uh... yeah...
What I'll say for now is that Build is not a perfect show.
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09-28-2019, 10:40 PM | #164 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
I have mixed feelings towards the latter third or so of Build, and, yeah; I would be lying if I said this wasn't part of it. Between this and stuff like Evolt getting emotions punched into him, a lot of this really felt like they were just throwing a lot of different ideas at the wall and none of it is cohesive or feels like they had much of a plan. Shinobu is the cherry on top of that; I guess with a series as good and morally complex and challenging as Build, they really had to balance it out with a super bad super simplistic super dull "Forgive Your Asshole Family Because, Um, Family" arc that just has no place here.
Remember when Mach basically said "I really don't care that you're my dad, you're a treacherous manipulative car crash that hurt so many people and just killed my friend, so I'm going to literally murder you with an axe"? It really, really feels like Toei felt they committed an unforgivable sin by letting Drive's writer get away with too much "sometimes family can be bad" messaging and have been trying to make up for it ever since between Takeru's dad, Zero Specter, those two Ghost episodes in a row dealing with the dad of a minor forgettable character (Ghost done a lot of this, huh?), Fuma, kind of Cronus in Another Ending, and now Shinobu. Like, okay, calm down, we get it; you think family can always be forgiven because family, Toei. I get it, I'll start hating Mach for finding the will to do the right thing in a moment that was deeply hurtful morally and personally to him now, you can stop. ... also, Shinobu used the Phoenix bottle once to immediately escape and in doing so he totally cheated us out of a potentially wicked Tank Phoenix suit. Objectively terrible person. Okay, deep breath. Hold on. To be honest and fair, there is one other thing I thought the Buildad story did right. I really enjoyed the villain using all of the first act suits again, whipping Team Build with, like, NinjaComic and PirateTrain. That's a great concept that was wasted on a shit character. Also, yeah, Drive it did right. I thought some of Mach's motivations regarding his dad were weird or difficult to portray consistently (a lot of guilt that manifested in being an asshole to Chase because he's mad that his dad made him a real boy?), that storyline did end great.
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09-28-2019, 10:47 PM | #165 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Quote:
Okay, deep breath. Hold on. To be honest and fair, there is one other thing I thought the Buildad story did right. I really enjoyed the villain using all of the first act suits again, whipping Team Build with, like, NinjaComic and PirateTrain. That's a great concept that was wasted on a shit character.
Get it? Shinobu? Shinobi? |
09-28-2019, 10:48 PM | #166 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
I always saw the Buildad stuff (love that nickname by the way!) as the show's way of doing something that let Sento act on the fact that he's Takumi in a more direct manner than just "I feel guilty for things I don't remember doing", but uh... yeah...
What I'll say for now is that Build is not a perfect show. One of the threads that was well-executed were the scenes in Build's head, where Sento and Takumi debated how much they should or should not believe/forgive Buildad. There's some good use of their differences to inform their viewpoints. Sento, who remembers up to Buildad's disappearance and the last year, he wants to believe in the man who raised him, the man whose steps he followed in as a scientist. How could that man be this monster? But Takumi, he lived those years of Buildad's absence. He knows what Buildad worked on, his partnership with Evol(t), his culpability in Banjou's circumstances, the betrayal at being abandoned and now lied to. He doesn't see him through a child's forgiving eyes, like Sento. He sees him as a man, and can't forgive the choices he's made. That, you know, that was some good writing. Applied to a storyline that never should've been produced, but still! Good writing.
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09-28-2019, 10:51 PM | #167 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Location: Chicago, IL
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Quote:
The shot where Buildad drops out of the ceiling in NinjaComic after Sento blasts Mad Rogue was legit awesome, too. So cool to look at, this show, even in stories that don't work.
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09-28-2019, 10:53 PM | #168 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Oh I've been waiting for you to get to this. During the stretch of 40 to 45 airing, I distinctly remember the discussion of Build everywhere I went had people talking about how the show felt off or how it has been really slipping, and I was honestly right there with them.
The part I liked most is probably the big fight with Team Build against Evolt in eposode 44. I still think it's ridiculous that he's strong enough to push around all four of them, but the moment where they work together to finish (well, 'finish') him off was spectacular. The big Dragonball Z fight against the pink alien in 45 was utterly ridiculous to the point of absurdity, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't kinda like it to for that. In the span of a minute, he devastates the city, throwing the riders through buildings and eats an entire alien planet. Then the heroes jump through flames and kick the panel out of him. It's so stupid but also amazing in some way? Neither of those things are enough to make up for the arc. I honestly like to just pretend 40 to 45 never happened as best as I can, and just mentally fill in any holes from that in some other way. Also one more thing I felt like saying but isn't specifically about these episodes, Build Genius' debut was a really nice scene but... It kinda sucks? When you look at it's design, you might think it would have the power of all 60 bottles and maybe it'd combine them into new powers but uh, no. All it does is move fast and fight better. RabbitRabbit already had the schtick of moving fast, and it had stretchy limbs! Also doesn't help that it constsntly loses against Black Hole Evol so badly even though it was made to go up against Evol to begin with. |
09-28-2019, 11:05 PM | #169 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Oh I've been waiting for you to get to this. During the stretch of 40 to 45 airing, I distinctly remember the discussion of Build everywhere I went had people talking about how the show felt off or how it has been really slipping, and I was honestly right there with them.
The part I liked most is probably the big fight with Team Build against Evolt in eposode 44. I still think it's ridiculous that he's strong enough to push around all four of them, but the moment where they work together to finish (well, 'finish') him off was spectacular. The big Dragonball Z fight against the pink alien in 45 was utterly ridiculous to the point of absurdity, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't kinda like it to for that. In the span of a minute, he devastates the city, throwing the riders through buildings and eats an entire alien planet. Then the heroes jump through flames and kick the panel out of him. It's so stupid but also amazing in some way? Neither of those things are enough to make up for the arc. I honestly like to just pretend 40 to 45 never happened as best as I can, and just mentally fill in any holes from that in some other way. Quote:
Also one more thing I felt like saying but isn't specifically about these episodes, Build Genius' debut was a really nice scene but... It kinda sucks? When you look at it's design, you might think it would have the power of all 60 bottles and maybe it'd combine them into new powers but uh, no. All it does is move fast and fight better. RabbitRabbit already had the schtick of moving fast, and it had stretchy limbs! Also doesn't help that it constsntly loses against Black Hole Evol so badly even though it was made to go up against Evol to begin with.
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09-29-2019, 10:49 AM | #170 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,097
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The good news is the Shinobu arc is probably the worst part of Build, which means it's all looking up from here on out! The last few episodes are a significant improvement, in my opinion
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