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07-08-2019, 09:29 PM | #15451 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Well, I finished Hibiki.
... sigh. What an... overwhelming example of how Inoue ruins everything he touches. What happened to you, man? You used to write Agito. Agito was great. Really liked Agito. Thinking it over I'm not sure how much I can really pin on the concepts here. The show feels like it betrays Akira; Kiriya never feels like he earns anything; Asumu becoming a doctor feels far too out of left field... but are those bad things in and of themselves? I don't really know. What I do know is that the writing style is so blatant and over the top that none of it comes across as genuine; none of the sincerity that marked the first half of the show is present. Something Fish has been saying about OOO, about what made it so good is really sticking with me: that despite all the fantastical elements, something about it still feels grounded and believable. And I think, watching Hibiki, this applies to that show pre-retool as well -- that's how all the casual, laidback stuff worked alongside hard training and destroying demons with music. Because there was a real world pull; all the characters had personality while still being restrained enough so as to not be cartoons. And that's not me saying that having cartoonish characters or going all-out wild is a bad thing -- not in the slightest! I adore me some Fourze and Ex-Aid, and I'll defend those shows to my death! But... it just doesn't have a place in Hibiki. Despite certain retained elements and an attempt at tribute in the last few episodes with playing certain themes and calling back to Todoroki's purifying of the battlefield, it's quite clear things have gone off the rails. What is there for me to say? I've ranted at length about how the characters feel flanderised. I've expressed a distaste for the new elements introduced. I dearly mourn the unique themes and ideas that were now nowhere to be seen. I'll end with this: if you ever need a good idea of what Inoue is like as a writer; you need look no further than Hibiki -- in that in the very relaxed slice of life series whose themes and aesthetic are predicated on a deep respect and reverence for nature and Japanese mythology and culture; the very first scene he writes is a businessman getting assassinated by a cgi barking flaming wheel. |
07-08-2019, 10:33 PM | #15452 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Movie War Mega Max:
Yeah, I saved the best for last. Actually, you know what, the bold text isn't even good enough. Let's try this again: That's more like it. Yes, even the movie's own title card has an explosion in the background. It that doesn't tell you everything you need to know, I don't know what will. This is straight up the best Rider movie currently in existence, and if they ever manage to top it, I think the resulting film would genuinely have to be so amazing our mere mortal minds wouldn't be able to handle watching it. I'm honestly ashamed I don't watch Mega Max more often than I do. It's been a good couple years since the last time, and despite a lot more Rider films coming along since, its crown is still undisputed to me. Remember how I said OOO was so great because it was every kind of good story rolled into one? Well this is the best Rider movie because it's every kind of good Rider movie at the same time. You've got the slightly more lowkey, V-Cinema epilogue sort of plot represented by OOO, the super fun summer movie style side-story from Fourze, and in the midst of all this is fanservice-laden, anniversary team-up goodness. Directed by Koichi Sakamoto. Plus, get this, the plot? It actually makes sense. I'm sorry to say, but I think with that last part alone it already beats out the vast majority of other Rider crossovers. Mega Max wastes absolutely no time whatsoever. The first shot of a Kamen Rider on a bike comes within the first minute of the film, as the opening quickly establishes the Basic premise (with a capital B) of the bad guys being after some space rocks by giving the viewers Showa Riders up the wazoo fighting them off all over the globe. Toei had been getting their feet wet with remembering the Showa Era for a while by then, but with the actual 40th anniversary Rider now on the air, it's like they really kicked into overdrive. There is not a more perfect way to open a Rider anniversary movie than with Riders 1 and 2 kicking the crap out of mooks before the story has even started in earnest. The entire sequence is absolutely glorious, and packs so much fanservicey goodness into a mere 4 minutes, it's mindboggling. So now the movie's barely started and already your brain is totally melted. "How can it get any better than this?", you ask yourself, likely while wiping drool from your mouth. But then it turns out Yasuko Kobayashi wisely decided NOT to delegate writing a team-up movie featuring OOO for once, meaning you finally get to see that show properly come to life on the big screen teaming up with other heroes besides the couple minutes you got of Fourze in the summer movie. The way Mega Max follows up on OOO's story is very clever in how much it knows what to give the audience and what not to. The TV series didn't leave any major loose ends to speak of, so figuring out how to continue from there must've been a tricky question. The solution used here, to focus entirely on the new element of Kamen Rider Poseidon coming from the future, versus trying to push the existing characters forward, was definitely the best fit for the format of a Movie War film, and, OOO being OOO, it accomplishes a few things at once with this premise. Kamen Rider Aqua's plotline provides the actual character development in a manner similar to New Den-O in Final Countdown, while also thematically bridging the standalone OOO portion of the film with the rest by giving him a very classic looking design and showing that that even in the future, Riders are still going to be going strong. It also allowed OOO to get around Ankh's fate in a way so sly that even as recently as Heisei Generations Final they've managed to keep getting drama out of it. I'm seriously impressed even now that OOO found a way to cheat its own ending without even remotely feeling like it undermined the impact the finale had. But, then, this kind of quality is hardly unusual when we're talking about OOO. I'd also be remiss not to give a big shout out to Shout Out, for finally managing to get played onscreen... for about 15 seconds. But that 15 seconds was in Movie War Mega Max, so it's awesome! You'd probably think you could use a good break after all this awesomeness. But in a movie that keeps up this level of excitement this constantly, where half (if not more) of the plot developments happen during the action, it shouldn't be a surprise that its idea of cooling down is with even more action. Mega Max's brief interlude was a super cool way to give the overall film more cohesion without losing the central gimmick the Movie War series started out with, and in this case it's all the better because Koichi Sakamoto gets to shoot more action with Kamen Rider Joker, the breakout star of that other super masterpiece Rider movie he had directed a while before this one. I can't stress enough how incredible Sakamoto's direction actually is here. This is the kind of stuff that gives him the reputation he has for being so awesome, even though if I'm being totally honest I don't think anything he's directed since around this time has ever been quite on the same level in terms of raw energy. I was going to do a bit where I showed screenshots of all the back-splosions in the movie, but so many things were exploding so frequently I don't think it's possible to get an accurate count. He really gives it his all here, lending Mega Max that sense of non-stop momentum that elevates it way above the standard Rider flick. It's also fascinating to see him handle the old guard with new style, "modernizing" the Showa Riders simply by filming them with a dramatic tilt to the camera and having them do awesome wire stunts and the like, essentially forcing anyone who thinks these outfits can't possibly look cool anymore to shut their mouths. The awesomeness just keeps on going with the Fourze part, telling a straightforward story about Gentarou falling in love that is positively dripping with Fourze's signature style, between also having its head writer on board, and the fact that Sakamoto was the show's main director to begin with. I've always thought Fourze's little jetpack was basically a birthday present to him or something given how conducive it is to the aforementioned wire stunts. It's a great time, and the focus on Gentarou is super strong, with some great moments thrown in for the rest of the Kamen Rider Club, too, especially during the hot-blooded climax. It's actually even better, now that Fourze has itself become old enough to be nostalgic. Especially to someone like me, who ate that show up back when it was new. I've been away from this show for far too long. I forgot like half of those Switches existed, and seeing Gentarou pull out Hopping (which actually happens during the team-up part, but nevermind that) suddenly gave me vivid flashbacks to like episode 3 or 4 (the one where Miu joins the group?), when if I'm remembering right, he went out of his to prove to Kengo that a pogo stick attached to your leg is totally a viable tool in combat. That was so awesome. Assuming I'm not getting my facts mixed up here. Man, I'm gonna have to rewatch Fourze now, too, aren't I? Again, the movie's already been at peak awesomeness since about 55 seconds in, but it gets even cooler when OOO rides up on his bike and asks Fourze if he wants to go fight some bad guys together, which of course he does, because Riders help each other out. Of course, things are getting pretty crazy by this point, so who else to call for backup besides Double, always ready to lend his junior Riders a hand, because Riders... well, you get the idea. This time it also results in what is still somehow one of the coolest shots of a bunch of Riders standing together ever. So, from this point onward, things go completely apes***, with all three of those guys up there fighting mooks in every one of their forms while their respective theme songs play, the Showa Riders helping clean house, Aqua popping back into the story to get in on the fun, and our two main heroes blasting off into the skies to fight the evil mad scientist main antagonist while riding a huge rocket into space, which is really the only possible conclusion a movie this nuts could have that would feel appropriate. I can't even be mad that it turns into a video game, because every shot of bad CG is balanced out by more glorious Showa action. This movie is the bomb. It's just perfect. You've got two great shows coming together to pay tribute to five more awesome shows with an assist or two from yet another awesome show. It's everything I could ever want, and it's pretty much the whole reason I decided to extend this little project of mine beyond watching just the shows themselves. It's been a pretty crazy journey, but we're at the end of it, and hopefully I could share at least a little of the fun with everyone else here. I always get a little self-conscious posting huge blocks of text like this, and I haven't done that to this extent in a while. So what did I accomplish in the process? You got me. Even after all of this, I don't think I've actually definitively laid down how much I love about all three of the shows that started the whole idea. But I've also come to think, you know, maybe that's what so great about it. If there's one thing Mega Max shows, it's that Kamen Rider has always been, and will always be, awesome, and as long as that's the case, it will never stop being fun to talk about. So I'm taking a break from bombarding this thread, for sure, but just you wait, some day or another, that bit about Fourze isn't going to be a joke anymore.
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Last edited by Fish Sandwich; 07-08-2019 at 10:38 PM.. |
07-09-2019, 05:17 AM | #15453 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Quote:
Kamen Rider Aqua's plotline provides the actual character development in a manner similar to New Den-O in Final Countdown, while also thematically bridging the standalone OOO portion of the film with the rest by giving him a very classic looking design and showing that that even in the future, Riders are still going to be going strong.
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07-09-2019, 11:17 AM | #15454 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,420
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Mega Max is a high point I'm definitely looking forward to watching again as I go back through Fourze. I always loved the moment when the original seven Riders used their finishing moves without obvious edits to make up for the wonky physics involved.
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07-09-2019, 11:59 AM | #15455 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Decided to go ahead and rewatch Decade's Hibiki tribute; and I think I'll rewatch Zi-O's as well.
I don't want to say I liked it purely on the merits of Asumu and Akira becoming the Riders they deserved to be, but Goddamn if that isn't making it hard to be unbiased. Especially because that aside, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it. It goes for a completely direction and theme than the series, which I'm fine with because this pointedly isn't Hibiki - it's a tribute, and an AU at that. It just makes it a little difficult to see what it was going for though. I think I kind of get it - they went for a conflict between schools so there was something that could be done within a 2-parter that didn't need a whole half a season of explanation. But it still feels a little out of touch with what Hibiki really was at its heart and at its best; a laidback slice-of-life season where the actual Rider stuff almost took a backseat. Looking beyond it as a tribute though, as it's own story, it works very well. You understand the basic conflict and stakes here and you really do feel for all the characters involved. But this is Decade, so you know what we also get? We get a hell of a lot of fun. I mean right away having characters like Decade, Diend and Kuuga running around in Hibiki's setting and with their characters is something else to behold, but then they throw in the likes of Ouja and Momotaros and I am just sitting back here laughing and having a great time. It's also fantastic just how many Hibiki cast members they got back, and despite the heavy changes to Ibuki and Zanki's characterisations, the performances still shine through. A very special shoutout to the little ceremony where Todoroki hugs Zanki while Ibuki and Akira just smile at each other. That's the series I missed. |
07-09-2019, 04:30 PM | #15456 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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Watching Ex-Aid, Chronos just whips out OOO's medals...Oh, wait, no, they're just the normal power up tokens. While it makes sense for Chronos to store power ups in OOO's medal book, it's still kind of jarring for it to return like that
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07-09-2019, 07:51 PM | #15457 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,420
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Quote:
Decided to go ahead and rewatch Decade's Hibiki tribute; and I think I'll rewatch Zi-O's as well.
I don't want to say I liked it purely on the merits of Asumu and Akira becoming the Riders they deserved to be, but Goddamn if that isn't making it hard to be unbiased. Especially because that aside, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it. It goes for a completely direction and theme than the series, which I'm fine with because this pointedly isn't Hibiki - it's a tribute, and an AU at that. It just makes it a little difficult to see what it was going for though. I think I kind of get it - they went for a conflict between schools so there was something that could be done within a 2-parter that didn't need a whole half a season of explanation. But it still feels a little out of touch with what Hibiki really was at its heart and at its best; a laidback slice-of-life season where the actual Rider stuff almost took a backseat. Looking beyond it as a tribute though, as it's own story, it works very well. You understand the basic conflict and stakes here and you really do feel for all the characters involved. But this is Decade, so you know what we also get? We get a hell of a lot of fun. I mean right away having characters like Decade, Diend and Kuuga running around in Hibiki's setting and with their characters is something else to behold, but then they throw in the likes of Ouja and Momotaros and I am just sitting back here laughing and having a great time. It's also fantastic just how many Hibiki cast members they got back, and despite the heavy changes to Ibuki and Zanki's characterisations, the performances still shine through. A very special shoutout to the little ceremony where Todoroki hugs Zanki while Ibuki and Akira just smile at each other. That's the series I missed. |
07-09-2019, 08:12 PM | #15458 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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It's not like there was much competition, considering the series...
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07-09-2019, 09:40 PM | #15459 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,420
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Quote:
I have a soft spot for Decade because of nostalgia reasons. It's far my favorite show, but I'm always happy to see the character show up again. |
07-10-2019, 12:42 AM | #15460 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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I think my rewatch just embittered me towards it
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