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06-28-2020, 11:50 AM | #921 |
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Orphan Daddy... he seems like a very Ends Justify The Means guy, as stated in a song I heard somewhere. I don't see him feeling a deep anger towards Minami's philosophy. Orphan Daddy, to date:
-experimented on all of his children -gave them belts that made them Orphnoch targets -hid in a basement as they were all dying horribly -entrusted a total stranger with the survival or extinction of a species -wore that bandana for decades He doesn't strike me as someone who has a deep understanding of morality, you know? Seems okay with a crazy amount of sacrifice. But, the Minami thing aside, Yuuji isn't making a secret of the fact that he doesn't care about humanity! Quote:
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So we’ve got one more episode to go. Yuuji vs Takumi, probably for the last time. I wish I cared more about why they were fighting. I’m sure it’ll be a good fight. I still care a lot about these characters. (Not Yuuji, obviously, but the rest of the cast.) But, man, they are ending the series on a conflict that I don’t buy, that feels thematically thin, and that’s kind-of a drag. Not exactly raring to see this one wrap up!
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Kageyama is probably my favorite villain on the show. She's more consistently present and threatening than pretty much anyone else. Murakami had his moments but he often felt disconnected from the heroes' stories, Kitazaki was AWOL most of the time, Takuma got neutered badly around the time Delta showed up, and the Orphenoch King is more of a concept than a character (even in human form - when was the last time Teruo actually had dialogue?). Kageyama is just great, though. Her actress was really good at saying a lot through her facial experessions, too. It's such a pity that I can't find out anything about the actress; I'd love to know what else she's done.
I'll say this: Faiz's ending is definitely an aspect of the show that people have things to say about. I'm really curious to see what you think.
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06-28-2020, 12:25 PM | #922 |
I have a problematic type
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Sawada is a pretty good villain, I guess, although the show never quite makes up its mind on whether or not we’re supposed to hate or pity him. Mr. J isn’t really around long enough for me to consider him one of the show’s major antagonists. Teruo is in more episodes than J and has about as much dialogue.
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06-28-2020, 01:10 PM | #923 |
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--3--
And, ha ha, it for sure kills Kitazaki! The lead-up to his death scene, not super memorable to me. His reaction to finding out he might die was to believe in his invincibility, and that ended up getting him killed by two-thirds of Lucky Clover, as well as Delta and Faiz. It’s a little quick to take out someone who was such a huge threat, but it still took four people. He wasn’t a slouch! His death, though, that was one more thing in this episode that cracked me up. He gets petrified by the Orphnoch King… who then proceeds to break off his face and eat it. It’s immensely disturbing to Houjou, who loses his goddamn mind again, but I was laughing so hard. Just that visual of the Orphnoch King looking at Kitazaki for a moment and then starting with the face… it’s like a kid at Easter, eating a chocolate bunny from the head down. Just… I found it way more funny than scary. I don’t know why, but I did. Quote:
--4--
Speaking of things to which I can’t really explain why I respond the way I do, let’s talk about the Orphnoch King and the Ticking Clock and all the big plot stuff that’s tying our cast into knots. I don’t love it? The main reason, beyond not feeling like one to two episodes is enough space to explore it, is that it drags a series that was about more nuanced ideas than Survival down to, like, Fight Or Die. (Was that this show? I feel like it was.) It’s more simplistic than I’d hope this series would be. There were moral conundrums that powered some really insightful writing, and now it’s Who Should Be Sacrificed. It… I don’t find that as compelling a metaphor for tolerance and acceptance? There are some fun angles to it, and the Lucky Clover stuff was a prime example. They aren’t just a villain group trying to take over the world or kill the heroes, they are living beings asserting their right to exist. They don’t want to die, and they’re going to fight to stay alive. And these are the villains! It’s a refreshing ambiguity that this series always managed, and it’s nice to see it have a part in the finale. The other big part that ends up working is that, with Kaido and Takumi, we’ve got heroic Orphnochs who have to decide what their lives are worth, and what they owe to humanity. Takumi’s at low ebb here, convinced (yet again!) that Orphnochs are irredeemable and deserve to be destroyed, him included. But the only way to do that is to kill a child, and that’s… I want to say it’s a non-starter for Takumi, but it’s definitely Yuuji who stops him from punching a small boy in the face, sooooo, yeah. It’s nice to see both Takumi and Kaido agreed that Orphnochs don’t deserve to exist at the cost of every human life. (Kaido’s version of this pledge doesn’t feel totally thought through, but, y'know, Kaido.) They’re ready to give up their lives to help strangers, and that’s a huge thing for two people who were the most selfish characters when the show started. There’s a weight to that decision that makes this whole Orphnoch King story, and the sudden reveal that Orphnochs are doomed without him, almost work. But I’m still not really feeling it. It reduces the show’s themes down to Life Or Death, and I thought this show was so much smarter than that. It soared when it aimed small, kept its focus tight. All Humans Die or All Orphnochs Die, it ceases to feel like it’s about these characters. It doesn’t feel like an argument between Yuuji and Takumi, it feels like two concepts being thrown out for debate. It doesn’t feel dramatic, it feels calculated, a writer who’s lost sight of his characters in favor of some big allegory he wants to share.
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06-28-2020, 04:53 PM | #924 |
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Now I understand of Kusaka not wanting to tell Mari anything that he treats her inappropriately, but I don't know why Mihara tells Rina but not Mari (out of care); because I'm sure that Mihara probably should care for Rina more than other Ryusei School alumnus including Mari.
Kusaka's found dead on the beach by Mihara and Takumi. The next logical person who'd need to be told was Mari. But the problem is, dramatically, it needs to be an in-person scene. Having Takumi just call up Mari to say that Kusaka's dead is a horrible scene. He has to tell her in-person. The problem is, the Mihara/Rina scene happens before the Takumi/Mari scene, and that means that Rina's naturally going to want to talk to Mari about it. And there're a few ways Inoue could've addressed that, to keep the Mari scene with just Takumi and Keitaro. (That scene shouldn't be about the Ryusei kids, it should be about the core team's internal grief and Takumi's self-loathing. Two more characters makes that harder to do.) He could've had Mihara say that Takumi was going to tell her, or that Mihara wanted to tell Rina first and they'd go over there next. Both totally normal things to say and do. But Inoue instead opts to have Mihara suggest that they never tell Mari, which a) is completely insane; b) totally pointless, since the scene after next is Takumi telling Mari about Kusaka; and c) it makes Takumi's information have to include a kind-of accidentally cruel Did No One Tell You component. It probably should've been either a different line of dialogue for Mihara, or moving the Mihara/Rina scene a little later in the episode. But then, that'd be tough because it's largely expository (it's really just telling Rina that Kusaka was killed by Orphnoch, which serves to frame the Smart Brain scene that follows) and it doesn't matter once Mari finds out. Basically, it's a scene that made more problems than it solved. Alternately, I really really like the idea that Mihara is trying to become the new Kusaka, and this is how he does it. He's got this moment at the end of the scene, where he wishes for Kusaka to live on inside him, and all I could think was that Mihara just heard a tiny voice in his head saying, "Just keep lying to all of your friends for no reason!" Quote:
The other thing is, this is like a living document? I'm not at the end of a story, picking favorites and criticizing losers. It's something that changes as stories change, evolves as the characters evolve. Sometimes it's immediate, sometimes it takes a while. Kageyama snuck up on me a bit, and it's only near the end where I fully appreciate what she brought to the table. Quote:
(Like, I don't want to dwell on this, but Yuuji backhanding Kaido was the most Okay So You Don't Want Me To Care About Yuuji Anymore Got It scene they could've done. It's like when Kusaka hits Mari. It robs that character of so much remaining goodwill.) Quote:
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Takumi's in a difficult position here. He thinks the End Justifaiz the Means, that he can murder an innocent kid to save humanity. But no hero would want to have to do something like that. He's reluctant and I'm kind of glad that Kaido and Kiba stopped him before he convinced himself to go through with it since that's not a guilt he would be able to get over easily. He has enough burdens to deal with. It doesn't help that he's having another breakdown at the time, believing that Orphenochs must die. He's right that it's the most effective way to save humanity but focusing on the objective and acting too dispassionately to accomplish it makes him less human by denying an Orphenoch the right to live which isn't the Takumi we've come to know. Takumi has to be a hero this late in the show, he has to act honestly and fight not just for the greater good but the good he has in his heart as well. That's the only reason why humanity is worth defending.
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06-28-2020, 06:39 PM | #925 |
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Everytime you hear a toxic thought in your head, that's him. That's Kusaka.
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06-28-2020, 08:15 PM | #926 |
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KAMEN RIDER 555 EPISODE 50
--1-- It's a good ending. It's a good ending. I wouldn't say it redeems the choices the show made with Yuuji, though. There are ways to read into his decision to be a cold-blooded corporate asshole. You can see it as an emotional breakdown, hiding in cosplay because his worldview was shattered after the death of Yuka. It's just, there isn't much in 47-49 to support that. At least, not enough to declare it as a definitive motivation. Equally likely is that Yuuji's just a massively out-of-character dick now. (He is horrible to absolutely everyone in his orbit, and that's tough to square with a view of him as conflicted and hurting.) The fact that both of those are possible, that's not great storytelling. I don't think I'll ever fight for the Murakami Junior stuff. But there's a back two-thirds to this episode that does some incredibly smart things, makes really good storytelling choices, and completely lands the ending for me. It was bumpy! I thought we wouldn't make it. But we're here, we're safe, and I'm happy. --2-- The absolute smartest thing this finale did was say that the stuff from 47-49 that sucked? It doesn't matter. It never mattered. The Ticking Clock is irrelevant, because everyone dies at some point. Sometimes it's soon, sometimes it's later, but life ends. The important thing is to cherish what you have, to give it meaning. And, whether that's fighting to save humanity, spending time with your friends, becoming a private investigator, or just doing laundry, living life is inherently meaningful. Existence is its own reward. Fighting for dominance, fighting for survival, it's bullshit. It's a distraction from what you have around you, what you're better off thinking about. The Orphnoch King is irrelevant, beyond being something to have a fight against. Teruo doesn't factor into the story at all, permanently transforming into the Orphnoch King early in the episode. As a character, the Orphnoch King isn't one. He's a force of nature, a metaphor. He's all the ways we lose sight of our connections with one another, how we allow our fears to divide us, how we view things like safety and happiness as finite resources, stolen from one person to give to another. With friends at our side, with a refusal to view him as legitimate, he's easy to defeat. Smart Brain doesn't really have a role to play. Lucky Clover doesn't really have a role to play. It's a story about Takumi and Yuuji, at the end. It's a story about acceptance. --3-- The Yuuji/Takumi fight is perfect. It's a perfect fight. Technically, visually, it does everything you want it to. It's beautifully shot, and, as the clear centerpiece to the episode, it's given plenty of room to breathe. They do so much with it, and it's a big reason why this finale worked so well for me. There's a little bit of build-up, before things get started. It's them having a human face-off, a final moment to say This One Counts. There won't be any holding back, and no one's coming to save them. You see Yuuji's facade crack for the first time since 46, and it's crucial to feeling anything for this fight. You need to see some flash of Old Yuuji, some reason to feel conflicted about this final Faiz Fight. It does a great job setting the stage. The battle starts as a Rider battle, Kaixa versus Faiz. There's clever gimmicks, like Faiz using his Shot to bust out of Kaixa's Slash. It's small, as Rider battles go. It's not a big pyrotechnic extravaganza. It's measured, though. Longer takes, more meat to the fight. It transitions next into an Oprhnoch battle, Horsepower versus Wolfeyes. It's more brutal now. Yuuji's anger is spilling out, screaming himself raw. Takumi switches up into Faiz Blaster, and uses Yuuji's rage against him. He gets in close with his blaster, taking Yuuji out of his Orphnoch form and giving Takumi a perfect moment to end Yuuji's life by his own sword. But he stops short. He refuses to kill Yuuji. Not because they were friends. Not because he doesn't think Yuuji believes every single thing he's said and done over the last four episodes. Not because Yuuji is good. But because Takumi protects humans. Humans just like Yuuji. And then the episode does the smartest goddamn thing in the whole goddamn series. There's a screen that the camera's been shooting through during this moment, slightly obscuring Takumi's statement. But as he finishes, as he reaffirms his belief that all humans matter, that every life deserves to be lived, he walks through a hole in the screen. He's liberated, assured. He doesn't hate himself, question himself. He’s freed from the rage and self-doubt, and he walks away. He walks away from Yuuji's anger and justifications. He leaves Yuuji, trapped on the other side of the screen, screaming and crying at the injustice of it all, at the idea that Takumi won't sink to his level, won't validate his bleak worldview. And in doing so, Takumi saves the day. Yuuji ends up joining the fight against the Orphnoch King, proving crucial in ending the King's threat. And, like, I get it if that turn (or re-turn) doesn't play for people. But, god, I thought it landed so well. It's Takumi being the icon to Yuuji that Yuuji always was to Takumi. It's Takumi finally feeling certain in his choices, in himself. It's Takumi's accepting someone, even if he doesn't agree with them. That idea... it's kind-of everything I wanted this show to say in the end? One of the best things we can offer one another is a chance to be happy. You do that by giving people support when they want it, and you let them make their own choices. Rigidity, expectations, judgment, these things trap people, leave them angry and scared. Accepting people, letting them feel like they don't have to be afraid of themselves, that's a gift we're all capable of giving each other. Takumi doesn't win the day by using the Faiz belt or his Orphnoch powers, he wins it by letting someone know that he wants them to have a chance at happiness, wants them to live their life. That's why he's a hero. --4-- The aftermath is sweet, if a little scattered. It's just checking in with every survivor, giving them each a little grace note. Rina and Mihara are going to keep looking out for orphans, giving them the stability and support that turned them into two boring but essentially good people. Kaido is off into the world, bruised but healing. Teruo was someone he failed to protect, and that's going to haunt him. But now he can be haunted by it, because he's a hero. He even said Henshin when he transformed! Soeno is retiring, irrelevant but happy. He represents the group that never really contemplates a world outside of themselves, never considers the indignities an outsider group feels. He doesn't deserve to be unhappy, but his happiness comes at a cost he never knew other people paid. Houjou lives, so I didn't end up having to hate this show. Kageyama also lives, ditto. They're both left at different ends of the spectrum: Houjou cowers as a human, abandoning his identity due to fear; while Kageyama luxuriates in power, confident in her supremacy. --5-- Team Faiz, though... they're relaxing, they're happy. Sure, things were tough for a while there. They've been scared. They've suffered losses. (RIP Faiz CyKill, also I guess Yuuji) But they're together, and they've earned their happiness. Takumi even has a dream, and of course, it's Keitaro's dream. The joke of the beginning of the series became the moral of its ending. Takumi wants the whole world to be happy. He definitely started with me. It's a great episode, and a terrific end to the series. It's frantic and weird and heartfelt and funny and it's thoroughly unique. There's a gag where, as they're about to infiltrate the Smart Brain hospital and save Takumi, Keitaro drops an iron he brought with, and the camera stays on the iron as he runs back to pick it up. A dumb gag in the final, wall-to-wall episode. They didn't have time for the opening credits, but they sure as shit made time for that joke. Faiz! I cannot tell you how happy I was to see this episode do the work. I honestly didn't know if they remembered how to make an episode like this, that ticked along with surface pleasures while simultaneously excavating all this thematic gold. It's a relief, to know that Faiz ended as well as I'd've hoped. They made a bunch of choices I don't think I'll ever love, in service of an ending I adored. The ends did justify the means.
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06-28-2020, 09:26 PM | #927 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
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Nicely done. By the way, Itsuro's new boss at the construction site is THE Toshiki Inoue who wrote this show. And Agito. And Jetman to name a few.
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06-28-2020, 09:32 PM | #928 |
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Also, thanks for the trivia! I figured he had to be somebody, but I didn't recognize him. I like that his scene is him torturing Houjou, which, Inoue.
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06-28-2020, 09:51 PM | #929 |
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I don't know why I chose to read most of this episode's commentary/review in full, maybe because the image of Yuuji holding the Orphanoc King while his power fades and Takumi is directing a rider kick straight at the both of them, or maybe I just like endings/spoilers.
Just reading this I felt the themes assert themselves. The ideas that all life matters and that no matter what we owe it to one another to forgive, not forget but to give those hurt by a system a chance to change. I don't know maybe I'm reading too much into this but I just get the feeling Faiz is all about change and realizing who you are both through falling down and stepping up. (also something about the failure of justice and how"justice" or killing Yuuji in this case, would've doomed the day. So there might be something about reformative justice in there) Again all these feelings are based purely on all of y'all's posts.
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06-28-2020, 10:00 PM | #930 |
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I don't know why I chose to read most of this episode's commentary/review in full, maybe because the image of Yuuji holding the Orphanoc King while his power fades and Takumi is directing a rider kick straight at the both of them, or maybe I just like endings/spoilers.
Just reading this I felt the themes assert themselves. The ideas that all life matters and that no matter what we owe it to one another to forgive, not forget but to give those hurt by a system a chance to change. I don't know maybe I'm reading too much into this but I just get the feeling Faiz is all about change and realizing who you are both through falling down and stepping up. (also something about the failure of justice and how"justice" or killing Yuuji in this case, would've doomed the day. So there might be something about reformative justice in there) Again all these feelings are based purely on all of y'all's posts. There's definitely stuff in here about how systems that can't account for new ideas, new perspectives, are destined to crumble. There's also a lot in here, in this show, about how viewing our differences as exclusionary is missing the beauty of being human. We're constantly told that humans and Orphnoch can't coexist, that they're too different. The reveal that Orphnochs and humans aren't different at all, that's such a key message in the show. Takumi's final appeal to Yuujii, the reason he spares him, is to drive home to Yuuji that it's only us versus them if you make it that. That people being different, it's not a fate to avoid or something to overcome, it's just who we all are. Everyone should get a shot at living the life that makes them happy. This was a super interesting show to watch during Pride Month, you guys!
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