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03-26-2024, 09:00 PM | #501 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 47 - “THE REMAINING U - PHILIP’S CASE”
Wow, that was substantially better than I remembered it being. I definitely didn’t care much for Foundation X the first time around. Where the Museum was baked into the premise of W generally – and Philip specifically – Foundation X was just a bunch of outsiders that bet on a bunch of different doomsday scenarios, of which Gaia Impact happened to be the most promising. They hadn’t sacrificed their family on the altar of some insane dream, or persevered through a tumultuous childhood, or longed for the approval of a demanding parent, or searched for a way to prove themself to their in-laws, or craved the power to never be weak again – they’re just gamblers, betting on every horse. There’s no commitment to them, just the laziness of limitless capital. Now, though, I sort of think that’s their strength in the narrative? One of the first things I wrote in this thread was that W is really the story of Fuuto. While this two-parter is way more about Shotaro and Philip than anything else (like a hilariously masked Santa, ‘cause the actual actor definitely wasn’t at that party), the idea of Foundation X being outsider investors, with no feelings whatsoever for Fuuto, is pretty great to have at the end of this show. They don’t belong here, and that’s the biggest reason to fight them. They exist to profit off of their myriad strategies, but they don’t care which one is the most profitable. Where the Museum was woven into the fabric of Fuuto, and represented an aspect of it that Double couldn’t easily excise, Foundation X is here to be the slick, gentrifying outsiders that don’t care about the spirit of Fuuto, or the core identity of the superhero show it’s based in. They’re completely Not Wanted, so they make for appealing foes. But, again, it’d be hard to say that’s a big part of this episode. (It’s honestly just something that made me less bored by Foundation X as a concept.) This one’s all about Philip’s Last Days, and it’s an incredibly strong episode for that emphasis. Like, what else could you do for a final W story than have Philip accept his imminent demise with grace and heroism, while Shotaro rages against both the cruelty of fate and the seeming-tranquility of Philip’s acceptance? A story where forming Double to save Wakana, Philip’s fondest wish, is the very thing that might kill Philip off for good? C’mon, that’s a hell of a hook for the last ride Shotaro may take with the devil. It makes for a lovely middle section – Shotaro screaming through the woods and Philip giving the supporting cast presents – and an absolutely jaw-dropping cliffhanger, with an immolated Terui watching as Shotaro refuses to form Double alongside an anguished and helpless Philip. It’s the strength of their partnership turned in on itself, since Shotaro’s dedication to Philip means he can’t possibly help pull the trigger on Philip by henshining, even as Philip needs Shotaro’s help to save Wakana and avert an apocalypse. It’s an impossible choice, and a terrific cliffhanger. This whole thing… man, so much better than I remembered it. I love how heavy this one is with Team Double, and I honestly dug Kazu’s whole Nothing Personal take on corporatized armageddons. There’s always a chance that the conclusion lets me down, but this is off to a stellar start. — DIE-A MEMORIES -While I’ve come around on Foundation X, it’s for sure in a So Bad It’s Good sort of way. I 100% do not think that Foundation X is here to represent the ways real estate investment groups hollow out the character of towns and cities, but at least it’s a hook that helps me care about their presence. They’re just a bland group that’s funding a bunch of projects without caring too much about any of them, which is maybe not the tone you want for your villains across multiple series? The Indifference Of Capital? It’s okay if the show can support it thematically (Geats, Zero-One, Ex-Aid… the stuff Takahashi likes to talk about, is what I’m saying), but W doesn’t really spend a ton of time on the soul of Fuuto, outside of Kirihiko’s storyline. And, shit, they’re already moving on to Medals, so that does not add a ton of heat to this Gaia Impact story! -Favorite touch, though, is that Kazu’s Henshin for the Utopia Dopant is him butterfingersing his Memory out of his hand, like he does with everything. Cute! -Seriously, we can all see the full face mask on Santa, right? It’s a different guy!
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03-27-2024, 04:00 AM | #502 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,551
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Honestly, I think the thing that makes Foundation X hard to take seriously for some people is the weird insistence that every member have some kind of quirk (Kazu’s dropping things, Neon Usland timing everything, Kaisei Mogami saying “funky” every other sentence). In a similar vein, I think people who like them would be less insistent on them being a big deal if this episode hadn’t snuck in that sneaky OOO foreshadowing (did someone think people would turn off before the trailer or something?)
Anyway, I like the idea that with Phillip’s life hanging by a thread that will cut the next time he pushes open the W Driver is a good way boy to establish our final boss and give the supporting cast (Terui, Saeko) one last hurrah, even if it is as cannon fodder. And now for the rarely beeped… Ultra-lert! The character of Neon (the stopwatch lady, not the fake human from Geats) is played by Scottish-Filipino Japan based actress and radio personality Maria Theresa Gow (known professionally in the latter career as “GOW-chan”) who was previously supporting character Georgie Leland in Ultraman Gaia (which GC is reviewing weekly currently) and was later the voice of Ultrawoman Beth in the English version of Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad. |
03-27-2024, 08:55 AM | #503 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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03-27-2024, 12:50 PM | #504 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,422
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Biggest takeaway from seeing this episode again? I love that Shotaro and Ryu chose to confront Saeko in the opening credits to Agito.
Ah, the shot that launched a thousand expectations. We were all so excited at the time. Kamen Rider was going to go shared universe. Foundation X would be an ongoing mastermind behind all of the Neo Heisei villains, just like the Great Leader was in the Showa era. With them fully on the stage by the end of W, it was going to be really exciting to see the role they played in OOO. And then they didn't appear again until Fourze. And after that we didn't see them until a crossover movie in... I want to say Ex-Aid? Definitely over-promised and under-delivered. Quote:
-Seriously, we can all see the full face mask on Santa, right? It?s a different guy!
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03-27-2024, 12:59 PM | #505 |
Standing By
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,101
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Sure, and it's nice that Akiko leverages her innate ability to cut through Shotaro's bullshit by giving him a little tough love. She's the one who's like Your Partner Needs You, which is the key to walking Shotaro back from the edge. Always nice when the show utilizes Akiko as the third leg of Double!
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KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 47 - ?THE REMAINING U - PHILIP?S CASE?
Like, what else could you do for a final W story than have Philip accept his imminent demise with grace and heroism, while Shotaro rages against both the cruelty of fate and the seeming-tranquility of Philip?s acceptance? A story where forming Double to save Wakana, Philip?s fondest wish, is the very thing that might kill Philip off for good? C?mon, that?s a hell of a hook for the last ride Shotaro may take with the devil. It makes for a lovely middle section ? Shotaro screaming through the woods and Philip giving the supporting cast presents ? and an absolutely jaw-dropping cliffhanger, with an immolated Terui watching as Shotaro refuses to form Double alongside an anguished and helpless Philip. It?s the strength of their partnership turned in on itself, since Shotaro?s dedication to Philip means he can?t possibly help pull the trigger on Philip by henshining, even as Philip needs Shotaro?s help to save Wakana and avert an apocalypse. It?s an impossible choice, and a terrific cliffhanger. Clearly this is all Decade's fault.
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03-27-2024, 05:09 PM | #506 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
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*Sees Narutaki jump up and wander around looking for Decade*
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03-27-2024, 05:26 PM | #507 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Location: Chicago, IL
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(Seriously, though, I like that Philip thinks he can rationalize this scenario, while Shotaro can't get past his rage and grief. THESE GUYS!!!)
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03-28-2024, 01:14 PM | #508 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Location: Chicago, IL
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KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 48 - “THE REMAINING U - PARTNERS FOREVER”
I like that the final dilemma for Shotaro to overcome is how to be the best partner for Philip. If Shotaro has an arc on the show (big if!), it’s becoming the man that Sokichi knew he could become. Shotaro was this teen detective in shortpants, cosplaying as a hardboiled gumshoe, but Sokichi saw more in Shotaro. He saw a sympathetic hero that cared enough to feel the pain his city was enduring, and work everyday to make it better. He saw a partner for Philip, someone who could create a place for a lost kid to feel like he belonged. This whole series has been Shotaro working to become not just Sokichi, but the successor to Sokichi. And the last step, naturally, was having to make the tough call and let Philip go out on his own terms. It’s the real obstacle for Shotaro in this last story. Kazu’s an interesting final villain – we’ll get to him – but his eventual defeat is both academic and inevitable. The core dilemma for Shotaro is accepting that Philip has a right to determine his own fate, and part of being a good partner is allowing him to make that choice. Shotaro’s main strength is how deeply he feels, but his main weakness is refusing to accept that other people may feel just as deeply. Philip comes off as the drily analytical member of Double, but Shotaro’s insistence on not sacrificing Philip only meant that Philip was doomed to slowly fade away while his sister was destroyed by Kazu. Shotaro’s needs were put in opposition to Philip’s, and Shotaro couldn’t see how his own pain was equal to Philip’s. The only way for Double to win was for Shotaro and Philip to work together, no matter the outcome. The only way they could lose would be as individuals. It all makes for a sweet final story, no matter the shape of the actual final episode. This one’s the big conclusion, where a thematically-relevant villain meets their end in a thrilling battle with our heroes. So much of the beginning is about Shotaro and Philip laying out their anxieties: Shotaro, that he’d be pulling the trigger that kills his partner; Philip, that Shotaro’s reluctance wouldn’t save Philip, and would also doom Fuuto. But the back half is where all of that becomes a pyrotechnic delight, with Shotaro single-handedly storming the Foundation X plant to show how Fuuto will not lack for a Kamen Rider, even when Double is done, and then our two-in-one hero taking on the Utopia Dopant. Kazu’s an intriguing final opponent for Double, regardless of how late he entered the story, or the use of Foundation X throughout the last dozen episodes. Kazu’s dream is a faceless world of nothing but him and Saeko, which is a direct rebuttal to the vibrancy of Fuuto, and a sort of neat reflection of the drama between Shotaro and Philip. Kazu has been concocting this apocalyptic strategy as a gift to Saeko, to try and win her over. Except, Saeko’s never wanted that, or him. Kazu’s selfish indulgence of his own feelings over Saeko’s autonomy is the villainous counterpart to Shotaro’s disregard of Philip’s dying wish. Both Kazu and Shotaro think they can trick and ignore their way into an outcome that gets them what they need, even if it’s hurting the people they say they’re doing it for. As far as last opponents go, Shotaro’s Emotions With Philip’s Demeanor is as on-target as you can get. This whole two-parter… man, it’s so good. It’s everything I’d want from a W finale, executed with commitment and precision. Double defeats Utopia by caring too much! Goddamn! It’s a gorgeously sentimental finale (Shotaro finally feeling like he can wear Sokichi’s hat!) wedded to a rousingly superheroic finish. Perfect ending for this show, man. Perfect. — DIE-A MEMORIES -That whole catch scene at the beach!!! They’re just two brothers, and children, so Akiko makes them work out their tension by playing catch. Adorable. -Saeko’s death… best Sonozaki death since Kirihiko. I love that she’s equally sacrificing herself to save Wakana as she is to spurn some dipshit dude who thought he could own her, and that’s 100% why I love Saeko in the final third of this show. Even her saving Wakana… she’s partially doing it because it’s contrary, and also Wakana’s death only matters to Saeko if she does it herself. Such a great, prickly lieutenant. -We finally get to see why Wakana flipped over to Ryuube’s side so many episodes ago, and it’s a tiny detail that mostly doesn’t matter. Wakana believed in Ryuube’s hopes that the Gaia Impact would be a type of salvation for the planet, but it doesn’t explain at all a) why she turned into Episode 1 Saeko overnight, and b) immediately tried to murder Philip. Most of Wakana’s Act 3 arc only works if you look at the very, very end of it, and sort of ignore the first few episodes of it. Not great! -Santa gets his face back, just to immediately lose it. Ironic!
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03-28-2024, 02:36 PM | #509 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,580
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What a fantastic two-parter.
It's funny how years later I've come around on both Saeko and Kazu as characters when I didn't either notice them too well before, or just plain though their conclusion was a bit off. Did not expect Saeko to win me over like that with her final sacrifice, it's very fitting for her and I do like the touch of Shotaro coming across her before he goes to take down Utopia. Kazu and Foundation X, they were this interesting potential revival of the idea that something like Shocker could persist in the Heisei Era. Maybe if this was Reiwa, Foundation X would've stuck around a lot more solidly. But I'd say Kazu gives us a good run nonetheless. Utopia's a beautiful Dopant suit, and its kind of incredible seeing how stoic he is the entire time, even when he's upset at Saeko. And then it all just breaks once Shotaro thoroughly demolishes not only his plan but any attempt of Utopia trying to overwhelm the detective. He's got a more delirious way of speaking, he's legitimately yelling while fighting W Xtreme. He also might just have my favorite villain death despite its simplicity. Just him talking about counting up sins while relating it to his situation. Himdissolving and pressing his Gaia Memory for round two only for it to fall out of his hand as is his habit with W even getting ready for round two too. Real memorable stuff. That being said Shotaro, the man stepped up big time to help out his friend out in that final request, and it could not have been easy in the slightest. Really shows the strength of heart Shotaro has to stay composed for as long as he can. I also enjoy the brief parallel between Shotaro and Philip here in these stories. Shotaro breaking past his fear caused by Terror to go to Philip, and Philip breaking past the despair of Utopia's rampage to go to Shotaro once he realizes what's going on. I'm unsure if it was intentional, but I thought it was a nice way of tying these two stories together. But listen, I knew what happened, I've seen the scene a couple of times previously. But even then, a little over a decade later and I still bawled at battle's aftermath and the subsequent ending scene where Shotaro opens Philip's gift. On a brighter note though. I forgot that they had saved Extreme Dream for the climaxes of these past two mini-arcs. And of course while I was surprised at the Acoustic Edit for Cyclone Effect making an appearance earlier than expected, this is the scene I know the Acoustic Edit for. |
03-28-2024, 06:38 PM | #510 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,417
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Between these two episodes and the Old two-parter, I gotta wonder if Sakamoto and Ishida made a bet on if they could pull off eachother's' styles or not, because with the emphasis on unmorphed fights, I was absolutely convinced these episodes were Sakamoto, only to be surprised it was Ishida.
Anyway, I really hate to do this, given the trend that this thread has had between us so far, but like... I really liked this two-parter, and pretty much agree 100%. There's just alot of great emotion that carries the entire thing. Even Shroud gets time to shine with her actually letting Shotaro have a go at her as she begs him to make her son's' final days mean something. The atmosphere is top notch! There's also how great Utopia is in general. He tends to get alot of flak in my experience, but personally, I think he makes for the perfect final boss for W. Not only is the suit stellar, but his utter lack of care for anything other than himself makes him the perfect foil to Shotaro, who's always been about serving the people of the city. It's funny. Foundation X was rejected hard back when the idea was proposed, which is in turn what lead to alot of fans not liking the idea either. And yet, the producer who came up with it was ahead of his time because had the idea been proposed for, say, Zero-One? Toei would be all over it due to how much everyone wants to get in on the whole "Shared Universe" idea made popular by the MCU, whether one likes it or not. And yeah, Foundation X is a total joke now, but in the context of W specifically, I think they work pretty solidly. You can tell there was genuine effort towards utilizing the idea and Kazu is a character who I actually rather dig. Plus, having another hook into next season outside of just the usual Rider cameo for the movie is neat to see, even if it does end up going totally nowhere in OOO proper. Maybe they would've just been better off bringing SHOCKER back? Foundation X essentially became Beta Shocker anyway. Regardless, these episodes are very well executed for what they are, and that ending, which made me tear both times that I've now seen it, serves as proof that for all the faults I found on this rewatch, I really do love alot of the main cast, Shotaro and Philip especially. Their relationship, however one wishes to interpret it, is beautiful and for sure the big highlight of the show for me, and it's easy to see why Toei would want this dynamic to continue into OOO's' main duo(though OOO does its own nice twist on things, but that's for next year). And that's not even getting into the formula W would make last up until Wizard. But yeah, great stuff--I mean, awful episodes. Totally terrible. Everyone who even remotely likes it should stop it. Right now.
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