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10-23-2019, 05:49 PM | #71 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Wait till you see Kamen Rider BLACK and Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue. Plenty of Kleenex boxes will be required.
That said, a very common element in Kamen Rider shows is that it is mostly a story of a person who uses the forces of evil to fight said evil despite the struggle. Not all shows are like that, but most of them are and I think it is something I don't mind seeing be regurgitated over and over again. This is probably a much bigger thing than I can do justice to right this minute, but one of the things I found interesting watching Kamen Rider as an American superhero fan is that the one of the core principles is "with great responsibility comes great power", inverting the standard American superhero paradigm. American heroes receive power, then have to prove their worthiness. Riders are generally (that I've seen) men who demonstrate their selflessness, their heroism, and then receive power because of it. It's a fun difference, as an American viewer. (A lot of it has to do with another difference between Japanese and American superheroes, the way American exceptionalism is discarded in favor of deference to the group, but that's, yeah, a much bigger topic!) Quote:
I like to do things in order. I suspect I may be high functioning autistic and that kind of always doing things in order thing is typical. It really never occurred to me to do otherwise. Would have started with the original Kamen Rider if there were subs for everything, but Kuuga was where the unbroken line of subs started, so there I started.
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I wasn't trying to spoil anything (I hope I didn't), just addressing the overall tone of the show to me mirrors the Original Rider in some ways and that's part of the appeal.
Also Rising Ultimate Kuuga is probably one of the most powerful out of all the Riders, and he looks super cool.
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10-26-2019, 12:24 AM | #72 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
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MASKED RIDER KUUGA EPISODES 9 - 10
So, there are three main parts to Kuuga episodes so far: there's the investigative part, the Kuuga part, and the emotional part. I don't think I've seen a Kuuga story yet that nails all three, but they're getting there. As always, the investigative part is the strongest element. Ichijou and the task force are tracking down the Grongi hideout, after nearly 300 people have died. THREE. HUNDRED. PEOPLE. HAVE. DIED. And this is a kids' show, right? And, I mean, this episode is pretty gruesome. A couple schoolgirls just get straight-up exploded in the first main monster attack, and an escaping Grongi kills Mikado the Crime-Fighting Dog. They killed the dog, you guys. That is, no. No, you don't do that. In no culture is that appropriate, even for non-human lifeforms that haven't existed in millenia. No. Too monstrous. The Kuuga part takes more of a spotlight this story, with a couple cool fights, a whole lot of charming Godai, and a new form. (Titan Form, thanks to the wiki. Man, I like the modern-day shows where the driver is constantly shouting out form changes, so I don't have to think of these things as Purple Kuuga or whatever.) I, you know, I don't think I've talked much about the Kuuga suits. I really like them! There's a cleanliness to the design, with a dominant single color to each suit, mixed with some regal gold edging. It looks powerful, ancient, and not altogether human. Modern suits can get incredibly busy, so it's nice to see what this franchise was like before that maximal aesthetic. But, yeah, the Kuuga part was really solid, the investigative part was solid, it's the emotional part for me that kind-of fell apart in the end. The thing that made the other two parts work was attention to detail, sometimes to the detriment of pacing. Every step of the investigation is laid out, from the very dry police meeting, to the scenes with Police Science Doctor having to have a reason to be at the waterfront to get the mystery ash, to the raid on the hideout thanks to Mikado the Crime-Fighting Dog. The Kuuga story has the same step-by-step process, where Godai has to go see Sakurako to find out about Kuuga's sword, to losing to Spitting Grongi, to training with Ichijou, to beating Spitting Grongi. It's all very clearly delineated. Then there's the emotional part, that spends so long telling us about Minori's fears that her brother is changing into someone she doesn't recognize, someone who's living too dangerously for her to handle, and then, like, blinks at the end. Minori confesses her fears to Godai, Godai says he's doing what he has to do (?) just like she does with her teaching (??) and she is beaming. She's so excited for him to walk in front of an explosive-spitting murder-fish-clown! The end of the story is leaning so goddamn hard on the idea of Minori's confidence in her brother and her lack of fear for his safety, and I do not get it. She's got real, legitimate concerns (his example is making kids fight each other!) and he's like, Responsibility, and she's like, . Like the previous story, they spend so much time building to a resolution and then it just stops. Easily a third of the story is wasted thanks to them just ducking any emotional consequences to the characters' decisions, and, worse, it makes Minori look like an idiot. She spent two episodes slowly falling apart thanks to Godai's actions, and then she's just, Naw, We Good. I really, really don't get it. Of the three parts to Kuuga stories, Investigation/Kuuga/Emotion, I'm a little shocked that the last two stories whiffed the hardest on the emotional part. That's the one you don't need suits and effects work for! That's the basis of storytelling for thousands of years! That is the easy one!
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10-26-2019, 12:55 AM | #73 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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With the exception of Growing, Mighty and one other, I still just think of Kuuga's alternate forms as 'blue Kuuga' or 'the gun one'. That said, I do love the look of basically all of them.
Also the body count is honestly ridiculous the more you think about it. On an individual story arc basis, it does a good job of driving in the fact that the Grongi is a serious threat to the people. But when you put it all together, and you think about how many people in this one area of Japan die to monsters on a regular basis, it's pretty absurd. That said, it's a logical hiccup I'm willing to overlook to appreciate the individual episodes. |
10-26-2019, 01:09 AM | #74 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
With the exception of Growing, Mighty and one other, I still just think of Kuuga's alternate forms as 'blue Kuuga' or 'the gun one'. That said, I do love the look of basically all of them.
Also the body count is honestly ridiculous the more you think about it. On an individual story arc basis, it does a good job of driving in the fact that the Grongi is a serious threat to the people. But when you put it all together, and you think about how many people in this one area of Japan die to monsters on a regular basis, it's pretty absurd. That said, it's a logical hiccup I'm willing to overlook to appreciate the individual episodes. It reminds me of the (terrible) film "Man of Steel", where a triumphant Superman lowers Lois Lane to the ground after defeating Zod and one of the characters says, reverently, "He saved us." She says this as they are standing in the blighted hellscape that is now Metropolis. I mean, yes, technically you were saved. Not what I'd call a win, though!
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10-26-2019, 06:14 AM | #75 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Oh, man, I forgot about that dog scene. Animal deaths are one of those things that just super gets to me even in fiction so I actually had to pause it for a bit. Mikado
Come to think of it I do remember struggling with these early episodes a bit more than Kuuga as a whole, and I've noticed it's been slow going for you as well. Though hype for Titan Form did keep me going lol |
10-26-2019, 10:13 AM | #76 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,424
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General rule of thumb for older tokusatsu shows: if you see a dog, it is going to get killed by a monster.
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10-26-2019, 12:02 PM | #77 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Oh, man, I forgot about that dog scene. Animal deaths are one of those things that just super gets to me even in fiction so I actually had to pause it for a bit. Mikado
Come to think of it I do remember struggling with these early episodes a bit more than Kuuga as a whole, and I've noticed it's been slow going for you as well. Though hype for Titan Form did keep me going lol Kuuga, yeah, it's a bit slower going for me than Build or even Ghost. There's a more frantic pace to Heisei Phase 2 shows, the kind of pace that immediately makes you queue up another episode. Here, especially since the Grongi plan is kind-of vague, it's more these two-episode stories that don't seem to feed into each other, that don't have a lot of subplots (emotional or investigative) to set up cliffhangers or anything. I'm still enjoying it, but it's more "finding things to like in it" than "I can't wait to watch the next one". Also, my work schedule just massively expanded, in a good way. Big news for Challengers Comics in the next week, but the kind of big news that means my non-store hours are taken up by a lot of new work. My Kuuga time, at least through Thanksgiving, is going to be more erratic. Still, I want to keep at it! I'll probably have time for 4-6 episodes today. Titan Form, by the way, is slick. One aspect of Kamen Rider that feels as vital in Kuuga as it does today is how the show treats form changes as a Big Deal. Titan's entrance feels epic, for sure. All I know is, if this were modern-day Kamen Rider, that screaming cop who just lost his dog partner would've become a secondary rider dedicated to helping Kuuga defeat the Grongi. Masked Rider K-9! HENSHIN!
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10-26-2019, 01:27 PM | #78 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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Form changes were some Kuuga was really, really good with. They all have memorable entrances, and very clearly defined roles that keep them relevant throughout the series. Even Growing Form manages to get some work after the first two episodes. That's going the extra mile!
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10-26-2019, 02:43 PM | #79 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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MASKED RIDER KUUGA EPISODES 11 - 12
You know what? I think these two episodes really worked. A little goofy, sure, and the emotional part takes a long, long time to connect, but I don't really think this story did anything wrong. Right up front, the goofy part: this old teacher of Godai's is having a full-blown existential crisis. The big, emotional finale to his story, where he's confessing his fear that he can't be a teacher any more, and that his whole career has been a failure if Godai doesn't show up... with the abandoned school setting , the layers of snow, it would not have shocked me if Kanzaki had come there to die. It is so bleak. And, also, crazy. This dude is betting his career and fundamental belief in himself on whether or not Godai shows up. That's it. Success or failure of a life will be decided by whether or not Godai keeps a thirteen year-old appointment that Kanzaki only remembered by total coincidence. I'm not sure The Royal Tenenbaums had a more depressing view of the capriciousness of giving up on life. To make matters even weirder, Godai a) doesn't have any idea that his idol, the man he learned how to be a man from, is basically going to consider his life wasted if Godai doesn't show up, leaving Godai blissfully unaware of the stakes of one-half of this story; and b) Godai sends Sakurako to meet Kanzaki in the beginning of the story, and he's relieved because he thinks he's done enough. He even tells Ichijou that it's fine if he doesn't show up at this point, since he sent Sakurako instead. He doesn't seem conflicted about possibly missing Kanzaki, or grief-stricken about the consequences. He's just going to fight this monster, everything else will be fine. I mean, it was, Sakurako more or less stopped that dude from killing himself, but still. Each story had stakes, which made from an above-average two-parter, but it's insane that neither side were aware of each other's struggle. It all comes together in the end, though, as a story about why Godai's the way he is, and about the inspiration he and Kuuga serve as. The Grongi fight is a great front-to-back monster story, with Ichijou doing the exposition and Godai doing the fighting. It definitely put Godai in the driver's seat more, which is where I'd like to see this series as we move into the teens. It wasn't an astounding bit of narrative or anything, but threading together Godai's quest for self-improvement via Rider Kick and Kanzaki's epiphany that he hadn't wasted his life since Godai is who he is, that made this whole story feel worthwhile. This was a gratifyingly strong story, after a couple that just couldn't put it all together. I'm feeling a bit more optimistic about Kuuga now!
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10-26-2019, 02:53 PM | #80 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I think this might have been where Kuuga started to click for me, as well -- I'm actually not sure what to say here because I feel like I'd just be parroting you! But these episodes, to me, are just really emblematic of what Kuuga's about and what it's saying. This is where the thumbs up became iconic for me -- this might sound a bit corny, but I've actually found myself doing thumbs ups a lot more in real life; it just... it really does seal this vibe of good intent and well-meaning, you know?
But it's not just that Kuuga is nice and about being a good person, there's a good deal of complexity and deeper content in here as well. Like, that line Kenzaki has? It'll of course be a bit different depending on what subs you're using, but:- "To tell the truth... I know longer understand education. The children themselves say they have no hope for the future... In that case, what should I be teaching them? Like... damn. Just damn. This was written 19 years ago! And I'm still feeling that! It's just. Such a goddamn line. I love this series. I really do. |
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