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02-13-2020, 09:18 PM | #201 |
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And now you know why I sometimes call Agito "Extreme Evolution vs. Creationism." Look closely at the shape the Unkown make with their hands when they use their powers next time.
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02-13-2020, 11:15 PM | #202 |
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Quote:
I can definitely, at this point, see the show as an exploration of how humanity grows through struggle, how hardship is a necessary part of life. Like, evolution as a theme for the show, sure. The Agitos are evolution run rampant, embodied by loss of connection (Ryou), desire for power (Kino), and the acceptance of nature (Shouichi). Characters like Houjou and Hikawa, on the outside, wonder if they'll have a place in the new world, and opt to either control the Agitos or become them. What We Do When Things Change is a huge part of the show, and evolution is a great way for the show to express that. It dovetails nicely with the stated theme of Protecting Your Home, since that home is where you can always go when things change and it's difficult. And, that home isn't necessarily a place, it's also the people who care for you no matter what, the mission that gives you meaning when nothing makes sense, all of that. So, evolution, yeah, I can see it. Creationism? Super curious for your read on that.
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02-13-2020, 11:19 PM | #203 |
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MASKED RIDER AGITO EPISODE 43
After Hikawa gets messed up by the Manta Unknown in the opening, really thought this one was going to be about the risks to humanity as Agitos take center stage, the value of humanity in an increasingly superhuman world, all of that stuff. Nope! Instead, it's pretty much a Spooky Man spotlight episode. I do enjoy Spooky Man as a season-long villain, though. His outlook is unique. I dig his whole hate-the-sin-love-the-sinner evil philosophy, the way he regrets killing potential Agitos even as he vows to kill all potential Agitos. He brings a different energy to his fights with Ryou and Kino than we've seen on this show before. He's trying to make the world a better place, he's doing all this to save the world, and it's a shame the heroes can't see it. That weary resignation, it's surprisingly fun to watch. It makes him feel above all of these conflicts, and it sells his power level in a way a ton of special effects or villain speeches just wouldn't. In the same way Shouichi's zen calm is unusual for a hero, Spooky Man's care and devotion is unusual for a villain. It's great to see him out and about after 30 episodes in a hospital room. Other than that, I feel like there's not much to this episode? We learn Shouichi's real name, but the show smartly says Look We've Spent A Year Calling Him Shouichi, We Aren't Changing His Name With Two Months Left To Go. It starts off being a funny scene, where Uncle and Taichii stubbornly call him Shouichi multiple times in a sentence, but it does speak to the callback of Shouichi Is Shouichi, that his name doesn't reflect or determine his nature. It's a funny joke that highlights an emotional truth, which is the sort of high-level shit this show has grown incredibly adept at in the last bunch of episodes. (There's also a killer gag with Omuro wondering why Ozawa won't introduce him to the Agitos, and, you guys, I missed those two so goddamn much.) Oh, and the big cliffhanger! Spooky Man blasts the Child Of Light (which represents the Agito Force bestowed by Agito Jesus, still looks goofy af) out of Kino, robbing him of his Agito-ness. Ryou's next, and, can I just say how great that moment is, when Kino tries to warn Ryou not to fight Spooky Man, that he can't win, and it's like, Oh, You Do Not Know Ryou. That dude has never met an unwinnable fight he hasn't wanted to throw himself into. He does not know the meaning of the phrase You Are Going To Be Murdered By A God.
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02-13-2020, 11:30 PM | #204 |
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The Spooky Man is - or at least claims to be - the creator of humanity. He designed them in their current form. Agito Jesus is Satan. He introduces the Seed of Agito into humanity, which allows them to evolve into new forms. Spooky Man sends his angels, the Lords (the Unknown's real name, I forget if that's ever mentioned in the show), to kill anyone who possesses the ability to evolve. It's very much a battle over whether humanity should only exist as originally created or if they should be allowed to evolve into something Kamen Riderier. A side note, which I can't remember if you noticed or not, is that Spooky Man created the Machine Tornador for Agito so he could destroy one of the Unknown who killed a human without the Seed of Agito. Unknown aren't supposed to kill normal humans. Last edited by Switchblade; 02-13-2020 at 11:33 PM.. |
02-14-2020, 12:01 AM | #205 |
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Quote:
The Spooky Man is - or at least claims to be - the creator of humanity. He designed them in their current form. Agito Jesus is Satan. He introduces the Seed of Agito into humanity, which allows them to evolve into new forms. Spooky Man sends his angels, the Lords (the Unknown's real name, I forget if that's ever mentioned in the show), to kill anyone who possesses the ability to evolve. It's very much a battle over whether humanity should only exist as originally created or if they should be allowed to evolve into something Kamen Riderier.
That's an intriguing take! It definitely seems like that's what the show is saying. I guess I like it more as a metaphor for the necessity of uncertainty, how the unexpected can be scary but ultimately worthwhile. The Unknown want to keep humanity as is, to keep things safe and controlled. The Agitos cause chaos, but that chaos has value. The way that Ryou perseveres no matter what, how Shouichi takes change another gift of the universe, how Kino is so desperate to correct a tragedy that he misses the second chance he's been given. I like the emotional stakes of that metaphor, the triumph of spirit inherent within it. I did not notice that! That's a great detail! I mean, they did the bit where Spooky Boy killed the Unknown who killed the scientist in the first dozen episodes, but I didn't realize that he helped Shouichi for the same reason. Thanks for pointing that out!
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02-14-2020, 03:17 AM | #206 |
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Ah, something to say again after so long. It's really hard to say anything when your only opinion pretty much boils down to, yeah, like that too. But now I can actually say something negative... About a season I absolutely love... I'm weird...
So, yeah, the backstory on the Akatsuki... About what's revealed I'm kinda indifferent, but what isn't annoys me far more. Part of it is what Switchblade already said about the spooky child and why the Unknown didn't kill the passengers, but there is still more that was never revealed in the series and it's kinda important to put things into perspective... Primarily about who Agito Jesus is, the actual name of the monster faction of all things and a few callbacks to Kuuga as well, strangely enough. This is pretty much my biggest gripe with Agito, not revealing all the information in the series, but a concept art book instead after the show had warped up... |
02-14-2020, 12:40 PM | #207 |
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Quote:
Ah, something to say again after so long. It's really hard to say anything when your only opinion pretty much boils down to, yeah, like that too. But now I can actually say something negative... About a season I absolutely love... I'm weird...
So, yeah, the backstory on the Akatsuki... About what's revealed I'm kinda indifferent, but what isn't annoys me far more. Part of it is what Switchblade already said about the spooky child and why the Unknown didn't kill the passengers, but there is still more that was never revealed in the series and it's kinda important to put things into perspective... Primarily about who Agito Jesus is, the actual name of the monster faction of all things and a few callbacks to Kuuga as well, strangely enough. This is pretty much my biggest gripe with Agito, not revealing all the information in the series, but a concept art book instead after the show had warped up...
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02-14-2020, 01:31 PM | #208 |
I have a problematic type
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Yeah, a thing that bugs me about both Agito and Kuuga is how almost nothing has a cool name onscreen. Like, Spooky Man calls Ryou's Agito form "Gills" one time, and no one else ever calls it that. Kino's just Another Agito, and, I mean, "Machine Tornador" is said by no one anywhere. I miss the days of drivers shouting out every form change and power-up, when monster factions had cool names, all of that stuff.
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02-14-2020, 01:52 PM | #209 |
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Which is hilarious, since these early Heisei shows have way more actual Riding than, say anything after OOO. They are Masked and Riding! It would be totally natural to call them Kamen Riders! Why are you fighting so hard to be less cool?!
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02-14-2020, 04:05 PM | #210 |
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MASKED RIDER AGITO EPISODE 44
A lot of unresolved business starts getting put to bed with this one, and, man, it's just like episode 42. It's a lot of stuff that would've mattered a ton twenty or thirty episodes ago, but right now it feels perfunctory, and a little dull. We already knocked off the Akatsuki-gou storyline in an underwhelming way, so now we've got a drawn-out look at what really happened to Mana's dad and Shouichi's sister. (Those are two different people, for the record. I don't want anyone thinking that was the episode's reveal. It would've been way better, incidentally.) Mana's dad's murder... like the Akatsuki-gou, it's something the show needed to address, but it's not something I'm terrifically excited for. It just feels like the show has moved so far beyond those mysteries, the backstories, into something grounded in current choices and present-day struggles. Finding out the convoluted chain of events that led to Mana's dad's death, it's hard to muster much enthusiasm for it. Especially since there're so many red herrings, coincidences (oh, Shouichi just happened to walk by the dead body, that's why he's in Mana's vision), lies, and dramatic pauses that occur just as someone's about to stop obfuscating and start telling the truth... honestly, it's exhausting. I might've been into finding out who murdered him, and why, if it was conveyed in a more entertaining way. Instead, it's so goddamn drawn-out that, at this point? I would confess to killing Mana's dad if it would resolve this storyline once and for all. The Yukina plot, pretty much the same thing. She had Agito powers, and she knew Mana's dad and Truegami, none of that's a surprise (well, her Henshining was a neat reveal), but we still don't have an answer to So Did She Kill Herself Or What. It's, like the other plot, it's a lot of spelling out things I don't care about anymore. There's nothing here that's shocking, there's nothing that makes us reconsider anything we've already seen. It's just information, and I didn't care about much of it. Unbelievably ready for this show to put these played out mysteries away and get back to involving the whole cast in new, fresh stories. (To that point, all that happens this time out is that Ryou moves a powerless Kino to safety, then eventually gets his Agito robbed by Spooky Man. No Hikawa, no anyone from Team 3G-X. I hope they're having fun with their weeks off!)
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