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04-28-2022, 05:50 PM | #851 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP33)
(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP34) I have a really, really deep respect for the story this two-parter decided to tell. This comparison maybe isn't perfect considering Shirakura's involvement in both Hibiki and Zi-O, but I mention in that old post about 34 how a lot of fans, given the chance to write a similar story, would likely resign Kiriya to some horrible offscreen death as punishment for existing, and there's a very specific place that line of thinking comes from, which is superhero comics. You've got these huge universes full of tons of characters from many different creators, eventually passing from the pens of those original writers and artists to newer ones who, seemingly more often than not, are in that line of work because of their affection for the stories of the old guard. The new creators love those characters... except when they don't. Because sometimes, they'll have it in their head for whatever reason that a certain character is lame, stupid, and/or dumb, and they don't hesitate to let that show in their work. Some forgotten D-list hero will show up in a big crossover, making their first appearance in years just to get killed within a few panels. Minor villains with silly gimmicks will be written as jokes to the point that characters in-universe literally think of them as jokes. Certain supporting characters in a book will be tossed in a bin and stop showing up entirely because that particular creative team doesn't think there's any worth in having them around. And I really don't like that attitude. This is a dramatic way of putting it, but every fictional character out there, they're someone's child, you know? And there are few things more damaging to a child's development than when nobody is around to believe in their potential. It always feels like such a waste to me when I see something like that in a comic, because I know from countless examples of the opposite happening that, if you're willing to put in the work, even an unpopular character can blossom into one people will look at more fondly. And if we're on the subject of problem children who need a lot of work, Kyousuke Kiriya fits that description both inside his universe, and out. A character who was already bratty and unlikable by design, who had that effect amplified for the audience by also symbolizing a very high-profile case of executive meddling. Granted, I don't know for sure how exactly fans in Japan look upon him, but I have to imagine that, in general, Kiriya was not a favorite part of Kamen Rider Hibiki for many people. To have him be the crux of Zi-O's tribute to that show, on the surface, seems like an insult. To get that actor back, and specifically have Kiriya be the character we first see him as, instead of the much more beloved one from a much more popular series, it seems like a joke. But Zi-O decided to look at this weird kid, with all his issues, and it dared to imagine that there might be something human in there worth exploring. A story that could be full of emotion and thematic weight, that would stay true to what Hibiki was about not just in spite of Kiriya's presence, but maybe even *because* he's the one it's about. I can't help but love that. It helps that I never actually had that much of a distaste for Kiriya to begin with, but I really think these episodes did some amazing, very considered work to elevate him into something more than he maybe was originally. I can't really praise the story itself any better than Die already did, but I can absolutely sit here talking about how beautiful I think these episodes are. Just like the first couple two-parters in this new era of Legend Rider tributes, it's a story that makes it a point to end on the hint of a brighter future ahead for the characters, and yet, part of what makes Zi-O stick with me so much is how much variety it has in what it's doing every couple of weeks. We can have something like the Agito two-parter that gives us bombastic action with characters we already love, and we can also have something like these Hibiki episodes, with strong character drama that asks us to empathize with a character a lot of us most certainly did not love. And as you can no doubt tell from how much I'm gushing right now, I think the results in both cases were pretty darn great.
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04-28-2022, 06:10 PM | #852 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,397
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I've only seen the first two episodes of Hibiki (will get around to that one eventually), so I have no context on who Kiriya is, or why he is despised.
That said, I didn't mind him here, even possibly enjoying him here? But could have definitely used a musical number or two, unless you count Woz drumming like a madman. Anyway, these episodes were the aired at the very end of the Heisei Era (33 before, 34 after), and I did draw a commemorative Heisei art piece of the Heisei Riders (Kuuga to Zi-O), though I did that on paper so I can't throw that here. It's also funny how Zi-O uses Kuuga's armor at the end of the era. I liked how Kiriya is a flawed teacher as opposed to Hibiki (the one from the show, sorry it's been too long), and seeing how his armor is white, as if he's incomplete or not completely worthy, but Woz's sub-plot was just a joy to watch, seeing him attempt to become a better butler, when he could just reuse his Happy Birthday from the OOO arc. Of course, Decade's Hibiki tribute had that one scene that makes his the best Hibiki tribute. Ever. |
04-28-2022, 08:34 PM | #853 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
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Anyway it didn't begin with a musicial number and Sabaki didn't show up to get his ass kicked, 0/10 tribute. But seriously, while not the kind of tribute I personally wanted, it sure is a nice little epilogue for Kiriya. Todoroki showing up all wisened up and cool, but displaying those flashes of awkwardness was also a plus for me.
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We can have something like the Agito two-parter that gives us bombastic action with characters we already love, and we can also have something like these Hibiki episodes, with strong character drama that asks us to empathize with a character a lot of us most certainly did not love. And as you can no doubt tell from how much I'm gushing right now, I think the results in both cases were pretty darn great.
There are precious few musical numbers in the full Hibiki series! Like, that opening one, and that's sort of it? It was always weird to me that the show with Riders who use musical instruments never felt much like a Musical show.
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04-28-2022, 10:12 PM | #854 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 35 - “2008 - FIRST LOVE, WAKE UP!”
We’re now in our third straight story based on an Inoue series, but this is the first one he’s written for the Zi-O series proper. With Inoue himself at the helm for this Kiva celebration, you can count on a few things: -We are immediately going to be talking about how systems inherently fail the individual. -We are also going to be talking about how people let down by systems invariably end up designing similarly-unhelpful replacement systems that reflect their own biases, rather than dreaming of something better. -It’s going to be horny. And, boy, three for three! Add in a final act that has absolutely nothing to do with our main story (the antagonist literally watches for a while and then walks off!) and you’ve got a thrillingly nonsensical episode that everyone but me probably hated. Dunno where the next episode goes, but it’s looking like Jirou’s all we’re going to get for the Legend appearance in this story, give or take the Arms Monster suits. (Very cool to see them all again!) Even Mal d’Amour got redecorated, which made for a funny scene. But it means that we’re really doing a Kiva-influenced tribute, instead of Zi-O’s more straightforward Celebrity Guest-Star arcs. With that in mind, I thought this episode was pretty much in the Kiva wheelhouse? Yuko’s 100% the kind of character Wataru would become smitten with, especially if he could fondly reminisce about a formative crush. Kiva was always about love as a Big Feeling, and it makes sense to honor that by having Sougo get suddenly and irrevocably horny. Just turned on from the jump, with his loathed-by-Geiz flashback crush and his tacky pie-as-sexual-awakening metaphor. Yuko’s an interesting foil for Sougo in this one, because it sort of interrogates the usual Daddy Issues orphan-angle stuff of Kamen Rider by having Sougo crush on a woman ten years older than him. There’s something seriously Oedipal in Sougo’s attraction to Yuko – his flashback story is all about her maternally caring for him, soothing his fear, etc. It’s… I don’t want to say It’s Weird, because sexual attraction as a teenager can be a messy web to disentangle, and it’s not helpful to shame a fictional character for trying to understand how his psychology informs his sexuality. But it’s a little weird! Besides the Mommy Issues aspect, Yuko’s also a woman who wants to be a queen, so we’ve got that obvious opposition to deal with. She’s significantly less conflicted about her power than Sougo is about his; she looks at Ora as merely the delivery-person for her power, not anyone to thank or respect. She’s sort of the product of an unjust system (maybe?), but she’s also someone who assumes that the universe isn’t just until it operates according to her sense of justice. It’s not Sougo’s sense of fair play, where everyone should get to feel like they’ve got a shot at happiness. It’s just selfishness, where the world working for Yuko means the world must work for everyone. (Nowhere for it but this parenthetical: I love Yuko’s whole Evil Ace Attorney thing, where she goes YOU’RE GUILTY and does that Phoenix Wright sideways finger-gun pose. It’s shot so perfectly.) Geiz is suitably annoyed at Sougo’s lusty confidence in an escaped convict’s string of attacks on the same legal profession he was all I Salute Your Service about earlier, which shows that this episode understands the swing it’s taking. The Time Orphans in particular are a good audience surrogate in this one, rolling their eyes at how Sougo’s empathy now seems to generate exclusively from his Ziku Driver Area. But Inoue’s all about big swings, and I’m interested in how he’s going to square up the obvious pitfalls of this premise. Also, the entire story stops dead so Kamen Rider Ginga can appear in Kamen Rider Quarry, kick three Riders worth of crap out of Zi-O Trinity, and then go to a cliffhanger. I don’t– I don’t really feel like talking about this part? The direction was super fun, but even for Inoue this was some tonal incoherence. We’re in the middle of a story about Sougo falling for a femme fatale, and then suddenly Team Zi-O, Heure, and Ora are watching some flying saucer-themed Rider (nice Saga reference; I see you, Inoue!) walk out of a meteor and start blowing everything up? What? Why was this happening at all, let alone in the last four minutes of a Kiva tribute? But, man, even that didn’t keep me from enjoying this episode. It’s overheated, and light on Legends, and heavy on incongruent superheroics, but I still thought it was a total blast. Just a delight to watch. Inoue Forever!
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04-28-2022, 10:21 PM | #855 |
Precure enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Amongst the Cosmos
Posts: 304
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Wake up! It's Episode 35!
-We're back in Inoueland! -Unlike most of the other tributes, I had no idea what I wanted out of a Kiva tribute(To me, the show itself was mostly a total mess with the occasional fleck of gold inside), so I'm glad this is a tribute where where the returning stuff is pretty light? That being said, sure is a shame we couldn't either Taiga's or Wataru's actors for this, with the whole King thing n all..... -I can't believe we've been letting Die call Sougo Kamen Rider Puppy Dog, when he's been a cat this entire time?! -Lots of good gags this episode. Uncle's eyebags, the manhole, everyone spending that first chunk of the episode with pie on their face! Swartz licking his ice cream Like That while staring at Yuko feels like a joke ripped from Kiva, ngl. -Speaking of Yuko? What a delightful antagonist, straight from that wild introduction. I often forget Characters of The Week's almost immediately aside from whatever issue they had, but I think the sight of that red heel stopping that car in place with a scowl might be burned into my brain? Her actress is really killing it in this one, I suppose. -I prefer Another Kiva in its concept art than the actual suit, something about it just feels off? -Oh hey, it's Jiro! And he referenced the weird time door in Castle Doran! That's nice. -Everything about Ginga is hilarious. We're buliding up Another Kiva, getting to know what's up with her, and then BOOM ALIEN RIDER DESCENDS TO START THE APOCALYPSE. Combined with the fact it's a kitbash of Mage/Fourze-Meteor Fusionstates thats looks more cute than actually threathening, and Zi-O Trinity's amusing attempts to fight back, it's just a bizzare twist that smacks you upside the head? (And hey! He's also voiced by Tomokazu Sugita, who voiced Kivat! Isn't that neat?) |
04-28-2022, 10:43 PM | #856 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,570
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Honestly, Ginga would have felt more appropriate for the next set of episodes. For the story I'm writing I plan on pushing the Fourze arc back and having Ginga as a sort of back to back arc with it. But like, everything surrounding Ginga feels like it would work later. Like they should've just switched episodes arcs. And yet... it's seriously hilarious and also just very much in Inoue's wheelhouse of not giving a crap about toy related stuff?
Cause like next episode preview basically tells you what you're getting into and us getting a fourth Future Rider suddenly absolutely means this is somehow related to a Woz adjacent toy. I also seem to remember them playing this arc up with a bit more fanfare than usual? Like I recall special elongated episode previews and stuff and well... the Ginga stuff is honestly hilarious in the grand scheme of things. That bit with Geiz wanting to do the thing, and Sougo not knowing what said thing is while Woz calls Geiz out on being vague is like peak Trinity Form for me. Complete with Tsukuyomi calling it out as a mess. Anyway the Kiva parts were pretty great? Like I don't get why Sougo is just super horny now but hey you know what, sure why not? Like I wouldn't say this is a perfect episode and this definitely harkens back to the earlier episodes in Zi-O but this episode still works for me and I enjoy it decently. There's just a lot of fun little things in here and I really do enjoy Another Kiva and her manhole cover throwing prowess (that scene was incredible btw). Also just Sougo having for some reason, a flashback to 2008 with the classic sad Kiva violin music just playing in the background? Real good. Anyway so for BGM stuff we continue to have the Kiva and Ginga Next Episode Preview themes as the replacements. Kamen Rider Ginga himself is voiced by the dude who voiced Kivat I believe, but for the sake of the BGM connection was also the voice of Ultraman Ginga. Needless to say many Ultraman Ginga jokes were made when this aired. Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 36 Preview: Last edited by Enchilada645; 04-28-2022 at 10:45 PM.. |
04-28-2022, 10:45 PM | #857 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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Speaking of Yuko? What a delightful antagonist, straight from that wild introduction. I often forget Characters of The Week's almost immediately aside from whatever issue they had, but I think the sight of that red heel stopping that car in place with a scowl might be burned into my brain? Her actress is really killing it in this one, I suppose.
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04-28-2022, 10:50 PM | #858 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Anyway the Kiva parts were pretty great? Like I don't get why Sougo is just super horny now but hey you know what, sure why not? Like I wouldn't say this is a perfect episode and this definitely harkens back to the earlier episodes in Zi-O but this episode still works for me and I enjoy it decently. There's just a lot of fun little things in here and I really do enjoy Another Kiva and her manhole cover throwing prowess (that scene was incredible btw). Also just Sougo having for some reason, a flashback to 2008 with the classic sad Kiva violin music just playing in the background? Real good.
I laughed the hardest at the first Sougo Has Known Love Scene. It comes totally out of the blue, which has everyone going Wait Since When Were You In Love, and then Sougo's like I Am A Grown Man, and then proceeds to tell a story about him as a small boy having a crush on a teenager he never saw again. It's this perfect swerve, with Sougo trying to rebut Tsukuyomi's claims of him being childish by telling a story from when he was an actual child. So great.
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04-28-2022, 10:52 PM | #859 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Also!
Sougo's story about falling for Yuko was a story about PUPPY LOVE! I was right all along!
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04-28-2022, 11:07 PM | #860 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,399
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diku driver
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