Good to see you guys! Taking care of you is also part of my job. Henshin!
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It was a pretty fun movie! I probably made it sound like I found a lot flaws with it, but I genuinely had a good time watching it.

I think, structurally, I wasn't able to find a lot in it to connect with emotionally because of the AU take on it. Creating a setting so distinct from the main series while still doing all of the same character relationships, it created this schism in my brain, where I could have fun watching it while still being like Not My Faiz. It's definitely entertaining, but beyond the joy of seeing Team Orphnoch be their charming selves, it didn't really get me in the emotions.

Thanks for the suggestion! Deepsea gave me a similar heads-up, so it sounds like Excite is what I'll be going with. I usually don't bother grabbing anything until right before I watch it, so this came in at just the right time!

Well... change of plans? I didn't know that all I had left in my folder was a couple dozen 15 second commercials and one live performance of Justifaiz. I'll watch those commercials at some point (I mean, it'll only take a few minutes), but I don't think I'm going to try to talk about them. I don't think I'd have any fun doing that. (That said! If one of them is culturally distinct/insane enough to comment on, maybe I put something up as post-thread bonus.)

So, yeah, tonight'll be a thread wrapup.

THEY THREW THE BIKE OUT WHEN THEY LOST TAKUMI.

Just, man, RUDE.

It really is great that they zeroed in on what Mari and Takumi mean to each other. Could've gone with some grandiose villain plot, but they kept it about characters. It's a huge point in the movie's favor!

Thanks! I'll try to keep this in mind!

That's the thing about Orphenochs. Any human can become one if they have the right genetics. So I guess it's reasonable to presume that Takumi has the means but only becomes one in the movie which makes sense with him being part of the human resistance before getting captured and maybe executed by Smart Brain leading to his revival as an Orphenoch. That's a way of looking at it for sure. Or maybe he already died a long time ago like in the show. Either way, you could have easily dismissed it as only happening in this alternate continuity due to events happening offscreen but it would have been a shame if you risked learning such an unpredictable plot twist too early.

Since you expressed surprised at Murakami, the Head of Smart Brain, I guess you didn't read the prequel I linked? This is one of those weirder parts that get explained.

I agree with your thoughts on Kiba's turn. His reaction is more justified but it's also a diabolus ex machina. Misunderstandings happen but creating misunderstandings is supposed to be a Kusaka thing. Takumi's showdown with Kiba lacks their emotional rivalry since Takumi didn't even know Kiba joined the bad guys until they started fighting. His redemption doesn't require a speech or show of mercy, it just kind of happens. At least he gets to have a dying speech to Takumi entrusting him to take over his ideals so he still believed in doing the right thing. It's a good scene but how they got there is a little contrived.

While I'll defend Kusaka's status as an antihero in the show, the Kusaka in this movie is a very different Kusaka. You can't even call him a protector of humanity anymore due to his actions in the prequel and Mari coldly calls him by his given name "Masato" instead of the more affectionate "Kusaka-kun". For her to call him like that, it's clear even without reading the prequel that their relationship is in a very different place.

I'm glad that the emotional center of the movie was the friendship between Takumi and Mari since they're the first two main characters to meet in the show and they become very fond of each other. That's what made me invested in the movie, despite the problem with Kiba. Keitarou having his big heroic moment as Kaixa was cool as well and I prefer him as Kaixa to the Kusaka in this continuity. Keitarou deserved to be a Kamen Rider at least once.

Orga is the only Smart Brain Rider whose design doesn't really work for me. The reason why I love the aesthetics of Faiz and Kaixa is how utilitarian they are like they were designed to move fast and deal damage as effectively as possible without any excess, like the whole body becomes a weapon. I don't have anything against capes but putting one on a Rider in Kamen Rider Faiz doesn't make a lot of sense. It just looks too regal for such a heavy sci-fi high tech setting.

Thanks for the vision of Tim Allen as a Kamen Rider. Psyga is my favorite of the two movie Riders as well. Purple though? His Photon Blood is blue and resemble veins. Are you referring to his visor? You could call that a shade of purple I guess but it's lighter and redder than Kaixa's so I call it pink. It's a cool color combo though with the white suit in contrast to the usual black. Very Necrom. I thought his jetpack guns were awesome! His quirk of speaking only in fluent English made his character very distinct.

The gif you posted was a great comedic scene. Isn't Smart Lady the best evil mascot ever? Anyway, I surprised myself on rewatching that I think her black suit only appeared in Episode 6. I wonder if that's supposed to be significant.

It looks like Yuka/Kaido is canon in this continuity and Kaido reciprocates her feelings. Keitarou and Yuka barely interact. I still favor Keitarou/Yuka in the show but I feel sad for Yuka/Kaido when Kaido confesses his feelings to a fatally wounded Yuka, only to die immediately after to the same awesome CGI Elasmotherium Orphenoch.

P.S. How fortuitous that I should reach my 100th post around the same time as the thread's 100th page!

Yeah, I think everyone was right to suggest saving the movie until the end of the show. Seeing it in the middle wouldn't've gained me anything (it's so outside the normal status quo and stakes), and, yeah, I might've ended up seeing Takkun Orphnoch coming.

I didn't, I'm sorry! I appreciate the link, and I want to get to it soon, but there just wasn't time before watching the movie.

As it is, though, I think I like approaching the movie as its own discrete unit of entertainment? I'm not a fan of supplementary entertainment filling in gaps in the narrative. Like, Murakami's a head in a jar, it is never addressed, the end. There's something so pure about that idea, the commitment to an absurd visual.

I'm probably reading too much into it (my new catchphrase?), but I think the movie sort-of tries to establish why Yuuji had a change of heart and sacrificed himself at the end.

I think him seeing Mari and Takumi cheering each other on got to him, reminded him of why he had previously sacrificed so much. Stepping in front of Mari... she symbolized all of humanity at that point, the ones who'd accept Orphnochs. It's clouded substantially by his (I'd assume) belief that Mari had betrayed him, but maybe Yuuji's belief in Takumi overcame that apprehension?

I don't know. It's not really explicated, but I think you could maybe infer enough about those three characters to pull Yuuji's decision into focus. It's still not great, though!

He's such a pushy creep in this movie! This definitely feels like their mid-series relationship, where Kusaka can't stop being super inappropriate and Mari is tired of trying to spare his feelings. It's my favorite version of their relationship by far.

Yeah, they found some space to give Keitaro a little heroism, a chance to show his worth. I don't know that I'd be into it in the main continuity (Keitaro shouldn't be a fighter!), but it's definitely a fun fan-service moment, him getting a Rider Kick in.

Is it blue? It looked purple to me. Maybe the coloring of the visor overpowered the other colors in my memory? Dunno!

Also, yeah, it is a bit Necrom, isn't it? All the white, that round eye... Good catch!

I was mostly okay with them putting Kaido and Yuka together here, mostly because Yuka has a lot more confidence in this one. The TV series makes it more of an unrequited crush, and she's so fawning with Kaido that it felt forced, performative. The movie lets her call him on his shit early and often, leading to the reveal that they'd always been in love, but Kaido was too dense to notice it. I like that take!

Congrats! And thanks for all of your thoughts on Faiz!

Man, of all the weird decisions TV-Nihon made with this series, I think the weirdest was providing English subtitles for Psyga, the character who only speaks in perfect English.

Oh man, I totally forgot about Kazumin's casual xenophobia in the Grease V-Cinema. That movie really goes places, doesn't it?

New headcanon: They actually entrusted Auto Vajin to Kusaka so he could use it as Kaixa, but he just immediately tossed it in the dump to celebrate Inui finally being out of the picture.

Will put on hold for Paradise Lost review, because it's a movie (longer).

You did, at episode 5 for Faiz here, and previously regarding Ren in Ryuki. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you on those, especially Ren's, just asking why you tolerate those ones here (to me feels like giving a vibe of Faiz leeway in general). Also what do you think about my thoughts of the reverse (not wanting the inverse too, turning everyone into assholes even if "Charismatic Yet Insufferable Assholes"), or the types of character flaws?

And how about the response for Inoue?

MARI (distraught): Masato, please keep the Faiz Gear and Auto Vajin safe. I'm sure Takumi will return to us when we need him most, and we'll have to make sure he'll be able to transform into Faiz.

KUSAKA (unable to stop smirking): Yes... I will keep it... so safe for when Takumi returns. His bike as well, of course. Of course.

KUSAKA LEAVES

MARI (to Keitaro): He's absolutely putting it in the garbage. Just look there when Takumi gets back.

Sure! I like a lot of different types of characters, and you need a variety to tell a good story. I'm not a fan of any version of Everyone Needs To Be X.

I mean, he's definitely got his flaws, but a lack of sense of humor isn't one of them. If folks got other problems, I'd be interested in hearing what they don't like, same as always.

That's okay. The movie still works great as a standalone story even with a few anomalies. Knowing the reasons is useful but doesn't really add much to the enjoyment.

Yeah, it deceived me once as well. It could be the visor since purple/pink does contain blue light but I think the white suit takes a lot of the focus. With the black suits, it helps the Photon Blood look more prominent whereas the blue kind of gets drowned in the bright white.

Thanks! And no problem, dude. I'm glad that you enjoyed Faiz and you made a lot of good points that I hadn't considered. Maybe I'll check in the Hibiki thread in a few months.