|
Community Links |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
08-03-2020, 06:44 PM | #401 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Guess who had a busy day at work, is waiting for dinner to arrive (Steak & Shake!), and is going to do a big batch of discussion responses?
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
So we finally get to see Mutsuki's personal trauma here and, honestly, I've always thought it was really dumb. He was kidnapped as a baby and stuffed in a bus station locker, and the memory of that experience has forever hung over him. Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on that. There is no way he'd remember an experience from when he was that young. It really feels like a stretch to have that be one of his defining moments as a character.
I don't think Mutsuki really remembers this trauma from when he's a baby. That's... memories don't really work like that? I think he was probably told at a young age what had happened, and he's sort-of invented these memories of the event, focused on them as The Reason He Turned Out This Way. I think it's more about Mutsuki trying to create a framework for his feelings than it's a literal thing that occurred in the way he remembers it. Quote:
I always liked Tachibana and Mutsuki's little thing, especially with how it continues through the series. Tachibana is screwed up, and with Mutsuki he sees a way to give himself a bit of stability in a way that doesn't directly involve fighting, and *maybe* make up a little for the whole "getting-addicted-to-seaweed-and0-not-facing-my-trauma" deal. Mutsuki is fine, just a kid getting in way over his head, I'm sure this will go well for him.
Quote:
I'll also toss in that I'm quite fond of Tachibana's turn as a mentor for Mukki. It's like a pairing that was just born to fail, and that's why it's fascinating to see them trying to make it work. It's a very fun dynamic for the show to explore. It's pretty clear that Tachibana sees a lot of himself in Mukki, what with the first time he sees him being with his girlfriend right after Tachibana was reminiscing about Sayoko, and on a base level, you can understand why he'd want to make sure this kid doesn't become the walking disaster of a person that he was not too many episodes ago, but that also kinda underlines the issue that maybe Tachibana isn't the best guy to be taking on apprentices when he only got his own life together like a week ago?
The rest of these two episodes, they definitely feel like another set of just nice, cozy base-level Rider episodes. They've got a lot of heroic action, and the characters are all doing things, but they're not doing anything crazy. It's exciting drama without any particularly complicated stakes or dilemmas. Nothing that demands you think too hard about it, which I know is going to sound backhanded, but I genuinely think it's important for Rider to just be light entertainment sometimes. Also, yeah, these are very okay episodes of Blade! The villain plot doesn't have a bunch of moves on it, and it's not really About anything, and the show really needs to figure out a new overarching villain goal/scheme/leader/whatever to create more structured storytelling, but I still had fun watching it. Like, I bought Kenzaki's rage at not being able to help Kotaro. It's just action-adventure acting, a hero in crisis, but it was well-executed. And there's this move from the previous episode where Blade throws his sword just past Lazer But He's On Blade, and it allows Blade to reposition for a better attack. Smart fight choreography, meat and potatoes stuff. I'm okay with some fun stories, even if they don't provide a lot to talk or think about. I do feel little bad on these threads when that's the case, though. Tough to show up and just go It Was Fun, you know? Burning Divide is my favorite name, but my least favorite move. Lightning Sonic is my least favorite name, but my favorite move. Spinning Dance is right in the middle.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! Last edited by Kamen Rider Die; 08-03-2020 at 06:48 PM.. |
08-03-2020, 06:48 PM | #402 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,396
|
Burning Divide also features the one card that Tachibana should be using in every single fight: Gemini. Yet, he doesn't. I assume due to budget reasons. Because really, having two Garrens dogpiling on fools is not only practical, but awesome.
__________________
|
08-03-2020, 06:56 PM | #403 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
|
Hey, this seems like as good a time as any to mention before how much I love that dorky cheap CG tornado Chalice spins around in before the thread ends and I realize I forgot to say it at any point.
Because, yeah, love that dorky CG tornado! It's just so blatantly two-dimensional I can't help but find it endearing.
__________________
|
08-03-2020, 06:57 PM | #404 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Counterpoint: Not once in this series have I thought our heroes would be better off with two Garrens.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
08-03-2020, 07:16 PM | #405 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,396
|
Quote:
Erm, uh, I mean, yeah okay, they'd probably end up accidentally shooting eachother or something, but from a battle tactics standpoint it's still practical! Quote:
Hey, this seems like as good a time as any to mention before how much I love that dorky cheap CG tornado Chalice spins around in before the thread ends and I realize I forgot to say it at any point.
Because, yeah, love that dorky CG tornado! It's just so blatantly two-dimensional I can't help but find it endearing.
__________________
Last edited by DreamSword; 08-03-2020 at 08:18 PM.. |
08-03-2020, 08:05 PM | #406 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Wait, you dont know either?
Posts: 5,825
|
I mean the effects of the cards seem to last, like, ten seconds at best? And, knowing Tachibana, he'd probably just use the opportunity to shoot Kenzaki twice. Once by accident, once on purpose for ruining his other self's shot. And then he'd feel real bad about it.
__________________
Check out my occasional ramblings! https://akibamusings.blogspot.com/
|
08-03-2020, 08:08 PM | #407 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
08-03-2020, 08:42 PM | #408 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
*gasp* OZAWA!
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! Last edited by Kamen Rider Die; 08-10-2023 at 09:48 PM.. |
08-03-2020, 09:55 PM | #409 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
KAMEN RIDER BLADE EPISODE 22
This time on Kamen Rider Blade: Chalice gets a part-time job! Tachibana has a hilariously dim view of cowardice! And Mutsuki finds a reason to fight that's not just It Is Fun To Murder! Ah, the But Why Heroism episode. A staple of the franchise, and the place where a creator can really put a stamp on what their Kamen Rider series is saying about heroic fiction. We get to see Mutsuki evolve from a callow teen into Kamen Rider Leangle, and... am I supposed to feel as nervous about this as I do? His journey is fairly straight-forward. He's been training with Tachibana, mastering the skills necessary to fight as a Kamen Rider. He's even put some clues together regarding one of the current Undead, and tags along with Tachibana to take it down. The fight's going well, until Leangle's powers cut out again, leaving him to be dragged down into the monster's lair. Deep underground, it activates Mutsuki's most primal fear. He's back in that locker, crying to get out, left all alone. When Garren shows up, Mutsuki bolts. His fear was greater than his desire to fight. Fighting is something he likes doing, likes how it makes him feel. But if the cost of it is that kind of terror, no thanks. Mutsuki wants to be a hero because it feels good to be a hero. He sees Kamen Riders defeating monsters, being powerful men, and thinks that what heroism is. But being a hero isn't about defeating monsters, it's about putting yourself in the path of a monster so someone else can be safe. It's about being subjected to terror so someone else isn't scared. It's about taking that weight on so someone else can escape. The problem is that Mutsuki doesn't know why someone would do that. Or, he does know, intellectually, but he doesn't feel that emotionally. He longs for the easy motivation of I Couldn't Save My Parents So Now I Fight or I Couldn't Save My Girlfriend So Now I Fight. He's just a kid from a nice home who's below average at basketball. Why would he fight? We get a quick peek into Kenzaki's motivation, and I really love it. We know that he's driven to help others because of his inability to save his parents, but why be a Kamen Rider? His answer is that it's a job that needed doing, and he could do it, so he does it. Nothing high-minded, nothing about fate or destiny or even heroism. It's just, he can be Blade, so he should be Blade. The solution the show has for Mutsuki is, on the surface, a good one. It's Mutsuki seeing what it means to others when Kamen Riders save them, and letting that smother his fear. He sees the tangible results of heroism (not just the dead bodies in a monster's lair) and he's all in, ready to fight. He even gets to play the other side of the What's Your Name, Heroic Stranger thing he did with Kenzaki on his first appearance. It's all about protecting people for Mutsuki, serving the greater good. But, is it? Mutsuki may not need the credit, but he sure as shit needs the accolades. The smiles and gratitude shouldn't matter that much to him, shouldn't be required, but it definitely seems like they were. How would he have felt if the survivors had been less grateful, more scared? Would this epiphany had happened, or would he still feel like it wasn't worth it? Like, I want to take Mutsuki at his word. It's just, he didn't really overcome anything to claim the title of Kamen Rider, you know? He went to save his mentor, everyone told him he was a special boy, and then he went to save Blade. There's a level of narcissism there, where he felt motivated when he thought everyone needed him, or looked up to him, and that feels weirdly problematic to me. Be real interested to see where the show goes with that, if at all. (The best part of the episode was Mutsuki running to tell Tachibana that he'd found a reason to fight and Tachibana just cuts him off with Don't Care Blade Is Getting Killed Go Help Him. Time and a place for your personal growth, Mutsuki!) That's the fairly complete story in this episode. The rest is little bits of business for Kotaro, and some set-up for a Hajime story. For Kotaro, it's just that he's still moping after being dumped/nearly killed by Meet-Cute. (More the former than the latter, judging by his mood.) There's not much to it, but it does become the focus of a really fun Team Blade dinner, where everyone's being totally weird. Hirose declares that Kotaro's only redeeming quality is his cooking. Tachibana eats like a man who's being timed. Kotaro drinks tea instead of milk, which, CODE RED. It's a neat little domestic scene, which I'm a fan of. Hajime's story is so unbelievably open-ended that I almost don't feel like talking about it (he's got a new job assisting Amane's Dad's old assistant, Meet-Cute wants him to join her in murdering humans, new Undead mystery man Business Bird says he made a promise with Chalice 10,000 years ago), but I will anyway because OZAWA. Hey, it's my second-favorite character from Agito! Last series gave me Houjou, this one gives me Ozawa. God bless this franchise, knowing what they've got in their talent. She's fantastic in this, naturally. Photozawa has taken up where her mysteriously-disappeared mentor left off, working as a photographer. She needs an assistant, so Haruka recommends Hajime. (I would dearly love to know when and how an Undead learned to appreciate the artistry of photographs, but I'm not holding my breath for answers. It's not Hajime's style to give them!) When she sees that Hajime has a photo of Amane's family that wasn't among the dad's recovered items, and she sees Meet-Cute have a weird interest in him, the gears start turning. (There's a hilarious scene of her investigating an old negative that is only missing her saying enhance to be the most Not How Computers Work television cliche.) It's not a big part or anything, and maybe I'm bringing in Agito baggage, but I totally buy Photozawa as someone who could make these deductions, be this committed to the truth. I don't care what her profession is, I buy that woman as superhumanly competent. She's the best non-Houjou character from Agito, after all! Next time on Kamen Rider Blade: Business Bird and Meet-Cute are working together! Chalice is in a card, and that means Hajime has some explaining to do! And Photozawa returns because I demanded it! That's how time works!
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! Last edited by Kamen Rider Die; 08-10-2023 at 09:51 PM.. |
08-04-2020, 12:42 AM | #410 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
|
Quote:
Quote:
And even if he did a good job like this one, I don't want for Inoue as a person to be glorified tbh. Actually I was only half-truthing about only the wild, over the top, and weird way, there's more of that. I didn't talk about it because it would be spoiler-y. Inoue still had some form of restraint on TV series, and it's shown in form of the wacky melodrama parts. But outside of that, he outright went into taboo territory. He normalizes things that are too taboo for its own good, and I'm bringing him up upon that community, where it legitimately made someone truly uncomfortable, partly because they're a victim of that taboo thing Inoue wrote, seeing that in media just normalizes it, and it sickens them, and they're a writing major. To the point that the community pleads (in a non-hostile way) to not bring up about Inoue. I hope that you can understand about this part, I'm afraid with you writing about this, you can probably went into the "Fourze Cosmic States vs Magnet States" regarding Inoue, that can come off as disturbing even if probably intended as a joke (especially that, seems that nowadays people aren't allowed to be offended about any joke).
Quote:
Both manipulates, because with it being 2 instead of 1, they can work together, namely, by forcing Kenzaki to be vulnerable of not transforming by dropping the belt, or that Miyuki will strangle Kotaro. This one instead reminds me of Masamune in Ex-Aid, forcing Emu to not transform or he'll delete Saki's data. And yeah she still lives at the end, indicated by her Nissan Cube still driven around. Quote:
Tachibana and Mutsuki's stuff is the cliche "training arc" that is seen on obviously, many action-driven media. It's not only Star Wars thing, it happened in lots (see the cliche label I put there). So Mutsuki was apparently locked inside something when he was born (darkness), then he was freed (light). He was actually meant literal sense of what he said to Nozomil...He wants to be free of that, and also deep down, the darkness part translates to Undead killing other people. And Tachibana assumes that Mutsuki's weakness is the very reason of why the Category Ace wants to exploit him. But other than that Mutsuki's already tested to be the most compartible with Leangle belt.
__________________
The most complete non-wiki encyclopedias for Kamen Rider series (currently only found Ryuki and OOO's). |
|
TokuNation News & Rumors |
Figuarts/Seihou GRIDMAN |
SH Figuarts BoonBoomger Red |
Hasbro Licenses Power Rangers Toys to Playmates Toys |
Discotek Media Licenses Mobile Cop Jiban |
What's going on with CSM? |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:00 AM.
|