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08-24-2019, 09:56 PM | #91 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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He's so great. I've got a soft spot for characters like Cubi and Burgmon, monsters who kind-of don't care about evil and just want to pursue their dreams. I think my absolute favorite story in all of Ghost is the one where the B-plot is that Cubi and Music Note just want to make art, and all of the sidekicks team up (with Javert!) to protect them. It's the closest this show came to touching the heights of Fourze, for me. Just a bunch of goofy screw-ups becoming better than the sum of their parts.
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08-25-2019, 08:35 PM | #92 |
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KAMEN RIDER GHOST EPISODES 47 - 50
Quote:
I would say, over these final four episodes, that Ghost, like, 65% stuck the landing. It's definitely more good than bad. For all of the hue and cry that everything is terrible at the end of the series, I just really didn't see it. I thought this show ended way better than it started, that's for sure. I mean, there are some problems with these last few episodes. But, yeah, a pretty solid ending to a drastically uneven show. The main reason why I think the ending was mostly successful is, man, when this show dials into its themes, it really knows what it's doing. I wasn't crazy about Adel as a villain, and I think the show underplayed his mania to the point of blandness early on, but it all really comes together for the conclusion. The idea of the war between the hero and villain being about empathy made for an incredibly unique final battle. Pitting Adel, someone utterly lacking empathy, against Takeru, someone with limitless empathy, really made the series as a whole feel like it was about something. There's thematic heft to that conflict. Adel is someone who shuts out connection, belittles sentiment, needs to isolate himself. Takeru is someone who needs to connect with others, who cares so much for everyone, who desperately wants to return to a life with his friends. Putting them in opposition raises the subtext to text, and the decision to redeem Adel becomes a welcome change from the usual "we have to blow up the villain" climax. It's moving, and it stays true to everything the show has been building towards. Wwwwwwwhich is why the second climax, with the Ganmeiser Great Eye Combo, is such a letdown. Thematically, they're not saying anything. They're just machines, and they loathe human emotion, but it comes from a place of logic. They just want logical perfection so they're going to kill everything. The idea of empathy, of connection, isn't part of their approach. All of the things that came together at the end of Adel's story gives way to some giant Armageddon for Takeru to punch in the face. It's dull, and it's unnecessary. Much like the way the show sacrificed a ton of storytelling momentum with two first acts, it squanders its emotional punch with a second, lesser, boss battle. And then there's the Special Final Episode. What should be a combination of two things I care about, an epilogue with characters I'm invested in and an appearance by characters from my first ever Rider show, this episode just dragged for me. The epilogue for the Ghost characters didn't get much space to breathe, and the Ex-Aid stuff felt too "FINALLY something fun will happen next week!" And I love Ex-Aid! But they overshadowed the character work, and that's not really how I wanted to leave Ghost as a series. And I'm actually a little surprised how much the Ex-Aid stuff bugged me. I really, genuinely liked Takeru by the end of the series. I was fascinated by what the show ended up doing with Alain, with Specter, with Javert. I wanted to see more of those reformed anti-heroes and villains. I wanted a better sense of what came next for this world, because, yeah, I liked it by the end. Now, don't get me wrong, I liked it by the end. This series has a bunch of flaws, which I've been talking about for a bit. The first half is rough, and I wouldn't blame anyone who quit because of those stories. But, there's some really fun stuff buried in the second half. I don't think this series is as bad as its detractors would have you believe, but I don't think it's as good as its defenders say, either. It's a messy series, and not always in an interesting way. I'm glad I watched it all, though. Thanks for letting me talk about it on these boards! Oh, and I'm not done done with Ghost. I've got a ton of miscellany to go through: Hyper Battle Videos, music videos, some Alain thing, Rider Damashii videos, the Specter movie... I don't know what all, there are a lot of files in this folder. After that, I'm gonna rewatch the Ex-Aid movies, then it's onto Build. Hopefully I'll see you on those threads!
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08-26-2019, 03:23 AM | #93 |
take me to space
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I remember the stuff with Adel was what frustrated me the most when I first watched those episodes. I didn't think Takeru should just kill him without hesitation or anything, but I didn't like them showing Adel having a change of heart. Personally, I think it should have been Takeru showing mercy to someone regardless of whether they deserved it, and Adel then pitifully goes into a self-destructive rage that doesn't help anyone, leading into the Ganmeiser taking over.
Maybe I was just a bit too jaded about him since he had spent so much time being completely irredeemably evil, and also flat-out killed Makoto (who fortunately got better) two minutes before all that sappy stuff played out. (And I usually love sap!) When you get to it, I hope you like Specter ReBirth! It's... pretty special! |
08-26-2019, 09:29 AM | #94 |
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Quote:
I remember the stuff with Adel was what frustrated me the most when I first watched those episodes. I didn't think Takeru should just kill him without hesitation or anything, but I didn't like them showing Adel having a change of heart. Personally, I think it should have been Takeru showing mercy to someone regardless of whether they deserved it, and Adel then pitifully goes into a self-destructive rage that doesn't help anyone, leading into the Ganmeiser taking over.
Maybe I was just a bit too jaded about him since he had spent so much time being completely irredeemably evil, and also flat-out killed Makoto (who fortunately got better) two minutes before all that sappy stuff played out. (And I usually love sap!) When you get to it, I hope you like Specter ReBirth! It's... pretty special! Similarly, I thought the Adel redemption stuff worked because of how much farther they pushed his character. He stops being some cold, imperial obstacle and starts laughing in Takeru's face when he remembers he killed Takeru's dad. He's so aghast at the thought of needing human connection that he's going to taunt Takeru's strategy of reaching out, needling Takeru into a (justifiable!) rage so Adel's dim view of emotional support is proven correct. But, no! Takeru still, after everything, after any other Rider would've Rider Kicked this dude's spine out of his body, that's not Takeru's way. To go back to some joke I made at the start of this thread, to Takeru all life is one life. Adel is clearly in deep, unacknowledged pain. That means Takeru is in pain, too. Together, maybe they can help Adel get better? I like that idea more than a one-size-fits-all Evil Must Be Punished view. Also, like, you said, Makoto immediately gets better (not my favorite choice!), Takeru wishes everyone Adel killed back to life, so... what are even consequences anymore?
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08-26-2019, 10:17 PM | #95 |
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KAMEN RIDER GHOST MISCELLANY PART 1 - THE LEGEND OF HERO ALAIN
Weird! Super weird! I'd sort-of seen that this web series (or, I don't know, box set extra, whatever) was what Alain was up to between scenes, but it is so strange catching stuff set in the first (worse) dozen episodes. Just, like, Saionji! He was such a huge deal, and then he's dead, but in a way where I'm like, "Oh, we're going to see him again later in the series." But we never do! He's forever dead! They even retcon his involvement in Takeru's dad's death, to give Adel more of a role. It's super weird to see those creepy teeth back on screen! And, I don't know, this isn't the most integral bit of storytelling I've seen for a Kamen Rider ancillary project. It seems like they realized what a talent they had in Hayato Isomura, so here's more with him. And he can do pretty much anything well: there's fun gags, serious drama, heartache... I really don't have a problem with a show just being about whatever Alain gets up to. It's not wasted time! But, god, it's insane how off-model everything looks and feels for the first first act. Alain wearing his weird grey sweater outfit, when eventually the show would decide that Ganma royalty only ever wear uniforms. The way Specter's all "we lived in HELL", when eventually they'd be all "oh, actually, Alia took really good care of us." How ill-informed Alain is, and how much Saionji has control of the action, since he's not going to stick around at all. It's a fun episode, since, y'know, Alain, but looking back to when this show really, really didn't work is... not super pleasant. The second episode, I don't know. It's really not trying to do a lot. Feels like a lot of clips from the second first act. It's pretty neat to see them try and do more with the Specter/Necrom friendship, though. You see flashes of Alain's fondness for Makoto in the second first act, the way he feels guilty about controlling Specter, how he wants everything to be how it used to. This gives those feelings a bit more room to breathe, but in unexpected ways. Like, Alain is inappropriately handsy with the controlled Makoto? And he's going to take him on a date with himself and Kanon? Like, I'm not sure how much of this is the producers trying to goof on a somewhat-standard "very, very close male friendship between Riders" that can easily be read as queer (ChaseXGo forever), or if they're just like, "Nope, Alain is in love with Makoto and doesn't really know how to express it." I can't tell if it's a joke to them or serious. I don't ever really expect much out of any romantic plotline on a Rider show, not since the shockingly juvenile stuff with Accel and Akiko back in W, but the emphasis on the romantic qualities of a friendship in this episode was like, what are you trying to say, program? Third episode of four, and we are very much in the heart of the Alain Arc. Everything interesting about Alain's character can be found in this era, and I presume most folks would call it the show at its best. I mean, I get it. Alain's always going to be a more compelling character for people who don't like Takeru. He's, I don't know, more traditional. He's brooding, he's got an edge, he's tragic, he's got an awesome look, he's very Peak Japanese Dreamboat Hero. Takeru is, like, a sweet boy. He cares, a lot. He's very open with his feelings. He's smiling, like, constantly. He doesn't change as drastically as a character like Alain; his growth is more internal and spiritual. Alain's a flashier, easier to read character. You don't have to work as hard to enjoy his story. And, yeah, this part of the series is so, so good. There's a lot in this episode about dealing with death, since Alain is mourning both his (double-murdered) father, and Grandma Fumi. It's not a lot we didn't see before, but, like the previous episode, it's more about Alain's viewpoint than we necessarily got in the series. It's funny and sweet and cathartic. Just a really solid short. What a sweet little epilogue, the final episode was. I really like the idea of the end of Alain's journey being about (sorry to put it like this) the friends he made along the way. It's a little corny, maybe, but it's refreshing to see Alain's character through the words of the main cast. He was an asshole, and a villain, but eventually he won these three over. It's a really nice ending.
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08-27-2019, 02:30 AM | #96 |
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Generally, the criticism given to Ghost is that its first part is pretty weak.
Reading you, it made me remember that I did have fun during those last episodes. How Alain is such a good character. I even went as far as watching those little episodes about him. Ghost wasn't has awful as you were told and that is why I think it's a good thing to watch something on your own and not necessarely do what you're told to do such as " Don't watch this it's meh". |
08-27-2019, 09:19 AM | #97 |
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Quote:
That said, it's definitely in the bottom tier of Kamen Rider shows for me. I don't know if it's my least favorite, but, uh, it's down there. The show rebounds pretty decently in the second half (where there are still some bum episodes), but YIKES that first half. Lotta mistakes made there, for my tastes.
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08-28-2019, 11:15 PM | #98 |
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KAMEN RIDER GHOST MISCELLANY PART 2 - IKKYU EYECON CONTENTION AND IKKYU INTIMACY
This was barely a trifle. It's based pretty heavily on Japanese language puns, which, y'know, don't translate super well. Still, it's a fun little diversion, if you can avoid Onari just being a total creep to some lady who needs help beating up a ghost. Dude has no sense of professionalism or respecting boundaries or asking for consent! It's weird, looking back to the first first act of Ghost, how educational it seemed like the show was trying to be, maybe to the detriment of characterization and coherent storytelling. This special reminds me how much the early episodes were about learning who the Eyecons were, what they'd done that made them famous, why people would idolize them, etc. Eventually, in the second first act and the second act, the show used the Eyecons more to tell us something about our cast. Like, the Houdini two-parter with the ghost dad wasn't really about Houdini's distrust of mystics or his skills as an escape artist, it was about how various characters dealt with grief and loss. Before it would've been a list of facts, later it was beats of a story. It's strange to see the old ways, the less interesting ways, on full display again. Oh, shit, Poppy's in this?! Hot DAMN! This was actually really funny, and way more enjoyable than the previous one. (There's way less creepy regressive gender politics, and only one body-shaming joke, so I guess that's progress?) I don't want to make this all "one performer can save a show", but Ruka Matsuda is so, so good in this. I can 100% see the producers watching her work in this and knowing she'd need to be the female lead in the next show. She's fantastic. The whole story, like its predecessor, is a lot of goofy puns and a ton of physical comedy, but when you've got the right performers (or the right performers and Makoto) that's going to be enough. Totally worth a fifteen-minute or so viewing.
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08-29-2019, 04:09 AM | #99 |
Warrior of Delusions!
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The power of triangles truly is the greatest weapon Makoto ever had.
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08-29-2019, 10:51 AM | #100 |
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Pythagoras is legitimately an amazing choice for an Eyecon. They just went for triangles. There's no attempt to pull out a deeper thematic resonance, or tie a story to a character. They're just, like, Triangles. He fights with triangles. It'd be like if the Edison Eyecon just threw light bulbs at people. Bonkers!
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