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02-04-2018, 03:10 PM | #15091 |
天心の英雄たち
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Maryland
Posts: 939
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yeah you have quite a few 'reveals' yet to go.
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02-04-2018, 11:55 PM | #15092 |
Tokusatsu Hero
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Maryland
Posts: 6,224
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I finish Episode 4 of Build. I did like the mystery of the connection between Faust's experiments and the Pandora Box. The drama is one of my favorite things about this show so far.
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She/Her |
02-06-2018, 03:38 PM | #15093 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,532
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I finished Super-1 today. As much as I didn't like the second half, well...
Quote:
I really dig the martial arts-theme of this show, it really meshes well with the Rider-formula. At the same time, I'm quite sad that the astronaut-theme has been completely dropped after the debut episode. Super-1 is built for space exploration, but so far nothing really revolved around that. I'm afraid it will never be a thing again, although if they do shoot him up into space to destroy Dogma's moonbase in the finale or something then I will cherish this show forever.
There's a bit of weirdness going around too though. Like, in the second-to-last episode Super-1 is "revealed" to be Oki Kazuya to his friends and I was just sitting there like "Wut? You didn't know this already?". Maybe if his secret identity was ever featured as a plot device it would've worked, but they really didn't. He transformed in public multiple times and Kazuya rides the same goddam bike as Super-1... which even has "Oki Kazuya" written on it for christ's sake! And... Jin Dogma are all aliens. Yup. They reveal this in the last episode and you're just asking yourself why they didn't use that to make them more interesting. It's such a waste. Also, Marshal Devil's monster form, "Satan Snake" is straight up King Hiss from He-Man. Which apparently came later, so King Hiss is actually Satan Snake! The designs are so similar, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually are related in a way. Then again, a bundle of snakes on humanoid legs isn't the most original idea either. But anyways, the last couple of episodes were good, they used the Junior Rider Squad sparely which I appreciate and there's some actually good drama around again. Good to see the show ending on such a high note! Also, I now finally know where the sword comes from that is included with the SHF Super-1. It's used to great effect in the last episode, to say the least Well, Super-1, you were a good show I think. The last half could've been done way better as the Junior Rider Squad is just annoying as all hell but the finale ties it all together quite nicely. it's a nice Showa series to check out, but don't expect anything special. But you may fall in love with it as I did. Goodbye Super-1. Next up I'm taking a look at Stronger, I've heard some good things about this one! |
02-06-2018, 10:40 PM | #15094 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,934
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I still have 10 episodes of Dragon Knight left to watch, but I decided to start Shushutto's release of Hibiki since they finally released the third quarter of the show. Watched the first three episodes.
So, right off the bat, it's really nice to see Hibiki with subtitles by people who actually give a shit. Had fun rewatching these. Unfortunately, where one problem ends another one starts. I only really have time to watch Rider on my phone during my commute and breaks these days. Problem is, my phone is a real piece of shit, and it's having trouble with the HD version of Hibiki. It'll play normally most of the time, but once or twice an episode VLC will just have a tiny aneurysm and freeze/lag for a little bit. Or a large bit. It depends. It hasn't bothered me too much since I had already seen these episodes before, but I don't want that interfering with my watching of the other episodes. So I guess I'm gonna have to re-download the Bunny Hat raws. Which is fine. I've tried and compared it already, it's not a huge difference. Still, it is a difference. Sucks that I can't just enjoy the series with the best video possible. Need to get a better phone. (also the seeding for the BHR is infernally slow) Anyway, that's just my very uninteresting adventures with technical problems. While I'm at it, may as well comment on these last 27 episodes of Dragon Knight. It's decent? It's fine. It's alright. It's like....just shy of being a pretty good show, I feel. If only the acting was a little better. If only the script was a little tighter. If only it used a lot less cliches (I don't think a single character exists in this show that isn't a walking superficial archetype). The show is well structured and has solid ideas, but the execution is just schlocky enough to hurt it. Like, not a lot, but enough. In particular I feel like some of the actors have trouble selling their lines--Maya in particular comes to mind. There's also enough problems with consistency (why is everyone (especially the government people) able to see/record Mirror shit in the second half of the show when the beginning established only people involved with Ventara or who had gone through a mirror could see them?) and anticlimactic resolution to mysteries to be distracting. Also, man, Venting is dumb. It's that perfect "we can't kill people so we accidentally came up with a fate worse than death as an alternative!" kind of thing. The show of course still just treats it as dying. But what bothers me about it is how confused the show's treatment of it is, specifically in relation to Kit Venting Spear. I have no idea what my takeaway from that incident was supposed to be. If you were going to have the protagonist (essentially) kill someone off in a show like this, there's only two real routes I can see it being pulled off. Either you dehumanize the enemy as a villain enough for it to feel justified, or you make it trigger a moral dilemma in the hero (cough cough). I don't think the show really does either of those things, let alone well. I mean, sure, Albert was a shitter, but the way he went out was pretty rough. Killing an enemy while he's down is kind of a weaselly, dishonorable way to go about it, and that's exactly the way Kit went about it. Albert was just groggily and weakly staggering back up when Kit Vented him. It wasn't a very heroic moment. And then his final moments he's just sprawled out on the floor, trying to reach out to his brother? With said brother also panicking and pained, trying to reach him from the other side? Worse still, the show spends the next few episodes not letting you forget that ultimately Albert was also just a person who had people that cared about him. Even if that person was his brother Danny, who is also a shitter. And I mean, if that sort of tragic turn of events was what they were going for, well done. But I'm unconvinced they were actually aiming for this at all, because the show doesn't appear to care at all about the Cho brothers. I'm not saying the show glorifies Venting or Kit doing it--Len regrets it, it takes time and Chris getting Vented (with help of the Cho's, admittedly) for Kit to be ready to do it, and after he does it he's sad for a little bit. But he gets over it quick, Danny gets banished to the shadow realm soon afterwards and they are never spoken of again. So again, the whole thing feels confused and confusing. What is the big takeaway here? Am I supposed to feel bad for the Cho's? Feel good for the revenge they got for their part in Chris's Venting? Am I supposed to think Kit is cool, or what? It's especially troubling because around the same time Danny gets done in Kit learns that whole lesson about how "the ends never justify the means," which I thought maybe they'd tie into it and maybe have some more regret come his way, but nope. I'd think the big takeaway was nothing and just take the whole sort of morally gray situation at face value, as if it was intentional, but I don't really feel like giving the show the benefit of the doubt on this one. At the end of the day, Kit is still treated as the hero, and he doesn't really learn anything from it. ...and I guess it turns out I had more to say on that subject than I thought! I'm sure at the end of the show everyone who was Vented is going to be brought back, thus absolving everyone from any repercussions for their actions, anyway. Don't take those complaints and blocks of text too seriously though. It may just be me overthinking or nitpicking. The show is still decent, and I think it's a shame it was so unsuccessful. It would have been interesting to see the crew behind it take a swing at another Rider. And for what it's worth, the action is very good. There is a lot of original action footage, and it's pretty damn good. That Emmy was well deserved. Last edited by barnstenchfartface; 08-02-2023 at 05:14 AM.. |
02-09-2018, 08:37 AM | #15095 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,532
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I watched the first two episodes of Stronger and I like it. It's a huge step back in presentation from Super-1, but it is like 5 years older so there's that, and so far it still needs to find it's rhythm as we just about learned the basics on characters and their world.
Still, Stronger as a Rider is pretty great, I really like Shigeru's attitude and I love his whistling before he enters the scene. It reminds me of Protoman from the MegaMan franchise, and I wouldn't be surprised if Stronger had an influence on that. The electric and magnetic powers as a fighting effect are pretty cool too. Tackle's an interesting character as well, I like the idea of a female partner for a Rider. Although it is a bit uncomfortable at times since Tackle usually only beats a few grunts before the main monster kicks her butt and before she get's captured, only to be saved by Stronger. And then there's lots of "Well, you're a woman, so..." kinda comments which aren't very nice. But it is what it is, I'm aware that the show is a product of its time, I take it as a chance to remind myself that this kind of crap isn't okay anymore. At least not on television for kids. Aside from that, it's a fun show so far with a lot of cool ideas. Shigeru going into the bad guy's hideout himself, demanding to be remodeled as a cyborg only to use that power against them is badass. That's a really nice way to put a new twist on the old "Hero get's captured and rebuild against his will"-origin story that many Showa Riders seem to share. I'll happily keep going in hopes that the second half won't put the spotlight on a Junior Rider Squad Also, this made me laugh, the editor had his fun with the famous noises of the bad guys: Last edited by Kiwami; 02-09-2018 at 08:46 AM.. |
02-09-2018, 11:02 AM | #15096 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 843
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Quote:
Tackle's an interesting character as well, I like the idea of a female partner for a Rider. Although it is a bit uncomfortable at times since Tackle usually only beats a few grunts before the main monster kicks her butt and before she get's captured, only to be saved by Stronger. And then there's lots of "Well, you're a woman, so..." kinda comments which aren't very nice.
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02-09-2018, 11:17 AM | #15097 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,431
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At the end of the day, Tackle is just a slightly fancier version of Rurioko, Yuri, and all the other Showa Rider Girls. She gets a few more action scenes, but ultimately her primary role is to be the show's damsel in distress (usually alongside Tobei, who I think gets crucified more in Stronger than in all the other Showa series he's in combined). She does have some pretty great moments, but don't go into Stronger expecting progressive gender roles.
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02-09-2018, 01:15 PM | #15098 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 843
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Quote:
At the end of the day, Tackle is just a slightly fancier version of Rurioko, Yuri, and all the other Showa Rider Girls. She gets a few more action scenes, but ultimately her primary role is to be the show's damsel in distress (usually alongside Tobei, who I think gets crucified more in Stronger than in all the other Showa series he's in combined). She does have some pretty great moments, but don't go into Stronger expecting progressive gender roles.
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02-10-2018, 03:13 AM | #15099 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,431
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Not quite that bad. She's still intended to be taken seriously, but she rarely comes off as very impressive in action.
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02-10-2018, 04:34 AM | #15100 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,934
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I finished Dragon Knight yesterdayish. Very strange last act. Not bad, I'd even say it was one of the strongest parts of the show (dropping the bookstore helped). But very strange. I know comparing it to the Japanese shows doesn't make much sense, but, the way they handle the eponymous character in those last 9 episodes is something I just could not have expected.
A lot of my criticisms still stand, and I have some other new ones, but I don't really feel like going into it too much. But I'll whine about the ending a little. The fact that they had the actors for all the Riders at the end and didn't do anything with it bothers me. Also, the whole ploy about needing to get a mirror into the base is dumb. They drove there. We've seen countless times that the Riders are fully capable of traveling through cars. Cars is how most of them got to the mirror they brought in. Literally the dumbest thing. I already didn't really like Maya, but turning the last episode into a clip show from her perspective didn't help things. And just, Jesus, what a marathon of off-hand cheap feeling happy endings (And Ebulon brought back the Earth Riders and he wiped their memories and he cured Kit's dad and Adam got to quit and his girlfriend din't care about all the shit he did I guess and surprise Kit is DK again and I plagiarized their adventures to get famous and now I'm boning Pryce and HE CURED CHRIS'S ASTHMA ) The asthma thing really got to me. It's just...stupid. And maybe if they hadn't wasted most of the episode on recapping shit that had literally just happened they could have fleshed out some of these developments. But, eh, it was still good. Goodish. My nitpicking and whining makes me sound a lot more displeased with it than I actually am. I'll continue to commend their use of original footage and their vision for the show, even if wasn't executed as best as it could have been. And now I can focus all my attention to Hibiki. It's good, but the special effects definitely leave something to be desired. I mean, it is from 2005, and Kamen Rider doesn't have the best CG in any case, but still. I applaud them for being more ambitious with their monsters, but...like, the scene with the crab in episode 6 was...well, lacking. Everything else about the show is good. Pretty unique take on doing Kamen Rider, but it's a welcome reprieve from the usual. It's only been a few episodes, but I feel like the central characters they've introduced have been established decently, and I enjoy them. The opening and ending are still great. I love love love the little changes and different takes they seem to do with them. Really great stuff. |
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