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02-19-2021, 12:44 AM | #31 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,411
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Okay, that one's my bad. I thought Final Stage and Farewell were the same thing. Sorry, some of the full names of Den-O projects are frigging ridiculous and hard to remember ("Chou Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade Neo Generations: The Onigashima Warship" is a thing). Yeah, Farewell also came out during Kiva. Unlike Climax Deka and Onigashima Warship, though, it's completely standalone from any other Rider shows.
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02-19-2021, 02:04 AM | #32 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,510
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Personally the Crayon Shinchan crossover was my fav.
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02-19-2021, 02:10 AM | #33 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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I can't find that anywhere. If you have it (or have a link), please PM me!
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02-19-2021, 02:15 AM | #34 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
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Quote:
KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 1: “I’VE ARRIVED!”
I feel like I’m really going to enjoy what this show is about. Even within an episode that’s ridiculously jazzy and jazzily ridiculous, there’s a melancholy to it. Ryotaro’s story so far isn’t just about magical trains and hourglass monsters and cute goth girls and street youths. It’s about the things we have inside of ourselves, and how important it is to find a balance between what we are, what we want to be, and what we’re afraid of becoming. How our demons and angels live inside of us, and our ability to harness them is what defines a good life. Quote:
Everything in this episode has a madcap energy that reminds me of my favorite Phase 2 shows. There’s parts of Fourze (weird girl shouting at boy to Henshin already so he can detonate a monster), parts of Ex-Aid (unlucky schlub protagonist), parts of OOO for sure (“helpful” monster who finds themself tied to the fate of the protagonist), but the character of Ryotaro is what makes it all feel like more than just the progenitor of my favorite Kamen Rider tropes. (Just!)
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He’s shy, cowering, in a way that could not be more the opposite of Kabuto’s Tendou. Ryotaro is someone who… it’s a weird thing, where the show almost goes out of its way to view his reluctance to fight as less cowardly, more placid. You know? He’s reluctant to cause a disruption, so he just gets hit a bunch. He’s not some monk, he really doesn’t want to get pummelled, but he’d rather suffer than speak up. That’s a really intriguing twist on what could’ve been some flailing scaredy-cat. Instead, it all feels like a conscious decision to not fight back.
The intentionality of that… you can see the first flash of it in the early Ryotaro Vs Street Youths scene, where he could run away, but instead he stays and gets beat up. There’s something with the jingling keychain of Tetsuo, probably, maybe, but Ryotaro opting to take their punishment rather than flee… yeah, I’m fascinated by that idea. It’s a fun riff on the Kamen Riders Don’t Back Down trope, where the hero takes a heroic beating, but it’s reframed as someone who’d rather absorb pain than push back against aggression. Quote:
The way Ryotaro’s contract monster (who I’m going to pretend I don’t know is Momotaros, the most readily-available Shinkocchou Seihou figure) becomes the part of him that only wants to fight, that is pure aggression, I love that as an expression of the show’s theme. That Ryotaro won’t fight for any reason, and his monster doesn’t need a reason to fight, and how the conflict in the episode is how they find a way to work together… just a super on-point story for a premiere episode, one that has me excited to follow the hero’s journey.
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What I need is a Kamen Rider that grabs my imagination, and this one’s managed to do that exceptionally well. There’s the melancholy, where Ryotaro feels practically imprisoned by his emotions. There’s the great acting, the switches between Normal and Possessed that make for some kinetically unpredictable scenes. There’s that Henshin, with Plat Form giving way to Sword Form (the way the lenses come down like a train car before splitting open like a bug’s shell!) and an absolutely gorgeous suit. There’s Ryotaro’s innate goodness, never quite letting his trepidation keep him from doing the right thing.
Also, Hana just accidentally stepped on this... under her shoes.. but she picked that necklace with her hands right after!
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02-19-2021, 02:23 AM | #35 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,510
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Quote:
Honestly you're not missing out on a whole lot, it was more of a Crayon Shin-chan episode that happened to have Den-O in it and the episode was super short. |
02-19-2021, 02:28 AM | #36 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Quote:
He's a sweet kid and all, but the show is already asking questions about how useful his sheepishness/pacifism is as a lifestyle. I'm not sure if he's really being portrayed as a saint when he's repeatedly (and correctly) told to fight!
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02-19-2021, 02:36 AM | #37 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,510
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Yeah I mean we would have to check the metrics but I think there is some truth to that considering how popular it felt back in 2007. I think well-known voice talents being part of the main cast also helped that community of fans who may not all be familiar with toku jump on the bandwagon as well and contribute to the show's popularity.
Last edited by Sunred; 02-19-2021 at 03:04 AM.. |
02-19-2021, 06:46 AM | #38 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Kuuga and 555 constantly place in the top 5 on popularity polls is the thing, and then you've got the endless merchandise for Decade, and Ryuki and Blade are cult favourites...
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02-19-2021, 07:01 AM | #39 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Wait, you dont know either?
Posts: 5,825
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Ah, Den-O. The series that basically pulled a Kuuga-2 and set the stage for franchise going forwards. Good times.
But yeah, Ryotaro's more 'helpless' nature is a real interesting choice for a protagonist, but I think it works, especially as a contrast to the weirdness of the characters around him, Momotaros especially. There's definitely more to him than just being unable to fight back, he just takes what the world gives him (being a comedy victim) and kinda accepts it. Is that what someone who's constantly being punished with bad luck would? Maybe! Also Den-O's design, once again, great! Despite being red, which is maybe superficially like Kabuto, the silver undersuit helps to make a big visual dvide between them, as does the head design moving to large, red eyes instead of the big H O R N.
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02-19-2021, 07:04 AM | #40 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Den-O's design is one of the best ever in Rider, I feel! It, Build, Kuuga and Ghost should be taught in character design classes for how perfect they are
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