Ah, it's not really about unpopular opinions -- on Die's Kuuga thread, he consistently expressed a lot of dislike for Jean. So it was just funny to me seeing Die and Fish having contrasting opinions so many times in a row

I think Sakurako's fear of Yuusuke getting hurt fighting prevented her from considering things in a totally rational way. She was probably thinking that if Yuusuke just gave up being Kuuga, they could all pretend everything was normal. It can be assumed she wanted to leave the Grongi to the police, but with how anxious she is in those episodes, I honestly think it's more likely she simply wasn't thinking that far ahead.

I'm just gonna leave this here:

Also can we talk about Yuusuke commiting a crime?

Refering to the "I might be the newest rival to/of Fish, alongside any number of past posters who've ground their teeth at some stance he took!" part, specifically the bolded part. Fish is claimed to be the one with questionable taste, but in this one, Die's the one on minority (Ryuki 28).

EPISODE 7: "Grief"

These two episodes mark Hidenori Ishida's return as director, and as such, I have a lot of nice things to say about the visuals again. He starts getting clever with the Grongi, making the colors and lighting in their scenes as distorted and unnatural as possible to create an uneasy atmosphere. He does a cool POV shot of the monster flying above the city looking for its next victim. And then there's just plain nice looking scenes, like Ichijou and Sugita at the firing range.

https://i.imgur.com/O0ifTY0l.png
https://i.imgur.com/KhsIQRCl.png
https://i.imgur.com/pXa4CHLl.png

There are some minor bits worth talking about here before I get into the meat of the plot. Sakurako gives Yuusuke the lowdown on the Linto writing system -- the first time both that name and the Grongi's are confirmed in the series -- and in doing so, she gives more inquisitive viewers enough information to figure out that the three characters that close out every episode are actually just a Linto version of つづく, the "to be continued" message anyone who's watched enough Japanese television is probably familiar with. So that's neat. We also start rounding out the ever-expanding recurring cast with the introductions of Sasayama and her not at all subtle crush on Ichijou, as well as Enokida, another massively helpful member of the team, who makes a strong first impression repeatedly swatting Yuusuke's hand away when he tries to touch things without asking.

The actual plot, it's partially about Ichijou investigating Me-Badjisu-Ba's murders, which is a particularly fun set of scenes. There's strong tension as a montage of Badjisu (that's the bee one by the way) killing people uses the series' usual timestamps to great effect, popping up after the kill, grabbing your attention, and getting you to realize that he's going through people alarmingly fast. Where it also shines, in my opinion, is, once more, just in the mundanity of some of the scenes. I think this is the first time we get Ichijou just walking around a classic cop show crime scene, but the basic, procedural nature of the scene becomes so much more interesting when these ordinary cops are trying to figure out a supernatural murder carried out in a way no human could possibly accomplish. The atmosphere is wonderful.

https://i.imgur.com/Ee3658pl.png

The other part of the plot is about Mika Natsume, the daughter of the professor who was killed when the Grongi first woke up. If you remember, we actually first saw her back in episode 2, where her grief over this was the thing that made Yuusuke commit to fighting as Kuuga. So in a way, they've already got a connection going, and I love that the show had the idea to take that character from a single scene and further explore that concept. It really starts to show you why Yuusuke is such a hero. The second her and her mother come in to ask Sakurako what to do with a piece of evidence that might help track down Unidentified Lifeform #0, Mika is what Yuusuke is way more interested in. He immediately takes note of how depressed she is, and tries to cheer her up by making conversation. This is a sweet gesture on his part, but it doesn't work out so well, especially with Jean coming in and f***ing everything up with yet another horribly timed comment. Him excitedly pointing out the rock Mika and her mother brought them could make him famous does NOT do a whole lot to reassure a child who's convinced nobody is thinking about her. So Jean's bad at reading the room, for sure, and when Mika storms out of it, Yuusuke takes it pretty hard. And I mean, he looks devastated. A single person being sad sends Yuusuke into total shock for a moment, and that's what makes him a great protagonist.

https://i.imgur.com/kmrNog2l.png

Still, he's got his duties as Kuuga, and naturally ends up in a fight with Badjisu. Another fight set to awesome jazz music, too. Stuff like this is why Toshihiko Sahashi is my favorite Rider composer. Apparently Kuuga's producer, Shigenori Takatera, specifically requested Sahashi do something different from the epic orchestral sounds he had used for the Sentai series he scored up to that point, and I kind of get the impression he took that to heart, because Kuuga mixes loads of different styles together, and it's all great. What's a little less great is Yuusuke's performance in the fight, which has him accidentally unlocking yet another new power he doesn't know how to use, this time in green: Pegasus Form. The episode ends with him experiencing total sensory overload from his newfound ability to see and hear for miles. Which causes him to fall from a great height. Again. It's not easy being Yuusuke.

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

Yeah, they definitely blew the thumbs budget for a while on that last episode. This is the first time there hasn't been at least a token thumbs up.

Total thumbs up count: 17+0 = 17

EPISODE 8: "Archer"

So, how's Yuusuke doing at the start of this one?

https://i.imgur.com/J4MF66Bl.png

Right. Not great! The whole sensory overload sequence has some more great direction. My favorite touch being how it uses a sped-up shot of clouds rolling by to give the impression of the sort of raging river of information Yuusuke is trying to process. It then pays it off when he reverts back to Growing Form, and we see that shot again, this time snapping back to normal speed, the huge contrast doing a great job expressing the relief, and maybe even exhaustion, that he must be feeling at that moment.

Tsubaki informs Yuusuke he won't be able to transform again for at least two hours thanks to all the stress put on his body, but that turns out not to be much of an issue for him. As soon as he's informed that Mika has run off, leaving a phone call suggesting she might kill herself, Yuusuke kinda has something he'd rather be doing anyway.

I don't remember these episodes leaving a bigger than usual impression on me at the time, but going back, I have to say, I love this two-parter. It is such a pure, beautiful expression of what I think makes for a truly great superhero story. Putting the monsters and the fighting to the side for a while to show Yuusuke is heroic not through violence, but through his dedication to supporting a lonely teenage girl going through bereavement.

His actions speak just as loudly as his words here. Moments like him stopping by at the university for literally no other reason than assuring Mika's mother he'll make she sure's okay. The fact that instead of searching all over the place, we see him driving along the coastline, presumably having deduced from her defensive response to him pointing out the shells on her necklace last episode that they held some sentimental value. And they do, having been given to Mika by her father when she was younger. I can't help but feel there's something really powerful in all that. Mika's whole issue is that she feels like nobody cares about her, but all throughout these episodes, Yuusuke is constantly showing how much he's paying attention to her. He wants to be there for her more than anything, something subtly made a point of by Yuusuke missing an important warning from Ichijou over the Try Chaser's radio while it's parked off near the road. He couldn't care less about Kuuga right now.

I'm extremely ignorant when it comes to matters of mental health, so please forgive me if I'm way off base here, but as far as I know, the way Yuusuke talks to Mika is an almost textbook example of how to properly handle a situation like that, too. It's as much in what he doesn't say as in what he does. The other characters make the mistake of trying to refute Mika's arguments that nobody cares, which, no matter how right they are, is only going to sound to Mika like they're trying to pass the buck. Like she's being told it's not valid to feel the way she does. Yuusuke never does anything like that. His naturally straightforward attitude means he's focused simply on making her feel like she has a friend, and when he does directly broach the subject, it's just to tell her that her life has value, and the people who care about her want her to be happy. He doesn't tell her to get over it. There's no judgment. No blame being assigned or excuses being made. Just a young girl going through hardship receiving the attention she deserves, from a man whose greatest strength will always be his kindness. And even with the fight scene afterwards, I think this episode makes it abundantly clear that there are ways to save lives that don't ever involve making a fist.

https://i.imgur.com/K75IIV7l.png

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

This is a pretty tense episode, but sure enough, Yuusuke's there to bring the positivity.

https://i.imgur.com/lDxeooSm.png
https://i.imgur.com/OJa0nUEm.png

Total thumbs up count: 17+2 = 19

All of what you said about these episodes is, as always; very poignant, very considered, and very heartfelt. You have a fantastic command of words and perhaps a better eye for detail, and despite how ignorant you may feel of mental health; I think you have a better grasp on it than most people and honestly through your analysis alone you yourself are considering psychology even if you don't think about it that way.



Which is why I feel slightly bad that my addition here is that starting with this episode, I found the visual of Kuuga holding a straight-up handgun so goddamn funny that I started screencapping every single instance of it happening. Enjoy the first batch!

I remember thinking the scenes of the murders, where there's just this PUFF on the ground and then someone drops dead, they were really well done. It doesn't feel like someone got shot, it feels appropriately monstrous and impossible. It's the fact that it's so ephemeral that makes it more terrifying, like they went smaller and it got scarier.

Aww, this is a sweet point to make. And such a good line!

I'm not going to lie, it is really funny.

I'm glad you like that, because I was honestly super worried about conveying my thoughts on these episodes in particular right!

I remember you being not very thrilled by the plotline with Mika when you watched it, and that in particular never sat right with me for some reason. When your thread ended, I rewatched this arc on a whim for the first time in years, and was so struck by how wildly different my take on it was, I think that was the moment I knew I wanted to get those opinions out there. To anyone enjoying this thread right now, well, first of all, thank you so much, but second, you have these two episodes to thank for it even existing.

I'm legitimately glad that my weird feelings about Kamen Rider inspired someone to post all of their thoughts, specifically to provide a counter-argument, because I upset them. (I mean, "upset" is probably overstating things. I hope!) I'm not trying to be snide or passive-agressive or anything. I am okay if people disagree with me, especially if it makes them want to articulate why they disagree with me. This is a fun fandom for discussion!

Episode 8 is what turned Yusuke into my favorite Kamen Rider protag. It was very poignant, and it stills make me wish that I was as good with people as he was. And hey, isn't that part of the point of every Kamen Rider? To be someone that we can look up to?

Also Kurona, don't feel bad. "Imagine Kamen Rider, with a gun!" IS really funny.

Other people: *Deep discussions of Kamen Rider and its underlying themes and messages on important topics*

Me: Bugman go kick hehe

Me too bud, me too.

I love gun Kuuga. I wished he fired the actual handgun at least once before turning it into this magic automatic crossbow.

Boy this thread reminds me how much I miss Kuuga. I wish we got another KR show like this, where the world and its characters felt grounded. I can't seem to get into these newer KR shows that just feel drowned in toyetic gimmicks; I realize Kuuga had the whole multiform thing, but even that felt like an organic development of the story's themes and characters.

So that's the meaning of the three letters in episode closings.... Sasayama is so bubbly... or it's just her talking with her crush. I wonder if Enokida doesn't let Yuusuke touch because the needle is a dangerous stuff. Oh well Yuusuke can be mischievous sometimes for a goody-two-shoes, and carelessly touching something is something that parents usually teach to kids not to do.

With a flaw of going in a predictable pattern, allowing Ichijou to save the Mazda Demio (the red car) driver and her child. I wonder the time Badjisu targets Mika, he still goes in his pattern or changed formation.

So she appeared more here and given a significantly more significant role here. I wonder why Yuusuke didn't approach her earlier in ep. 2. And not only Yuusuke in the Jounan University, the others are also accepting of her and mom. Probably not to the extent of Yuusuke, but do you think that the others there are also shocked with Mika being sad and storming out? Including... Jean, who damn you for the first time showing some of his negative qualities of wanting to make himself famous with the stone.

If Kuuga gains Dragon Form because he needs to catch up to Badzuu who can jump up, what's his determination for Badjisu? Him having long range? Well I think that Badjisu's long range trait aren't really showcased that time, and instead that he can reach to unreachable places like Badzuu with flying. Or flying is the one trait Kuuga needs for Pegasus Form with long range weapons? But Yuusuke for the hardships you put it upon yourself, others especially Sakurako already warned that.

So Growing Form is something you go to when the form's capabilities reaches its limit... And that also makes you unable to henshin too. Multibalance form (Pegasus) is the one with drawbacks? For some reason with Mika suggesting suicide, I thought that she willingly walks herself into the train.

So the shells aren't just a decoration, but is an actual hint to find Mika. I thought that Yuusuke's going to use Pegasus Form's super senses to help him find Mika.

Like I said before, I'm glad that Yuusuke doesn't veer to toxic positivity in how he deals with people, unlike many people that appears positive on the outside. Also regarding the fight, I have to laugh a bit for those who claims that Kuuga's forms aren't complete turnovers.... because in this episode Pegasus Form just one shots Badjisu! I wonder what happened to objects that Kuuga turns into his personal weapons after fight, especially when he reverts back to human form. If the object stays the way they are, Kuuga's power should be exploited more to mass produce either Dragon Rod (in Dragon form), or Pegasus Bowgun (in Pegasus form).

Actually, in that last episode, Bugman go shoot instead. :p

Oh, and while we're on this subject, I might as well clarify that the characters at the beginning of each episode are literally just the same "don't sit too close to the TV" message also written in Japanese right below, since it'd be a pretty useless warning if nobody could read it. I figured that one was self-explanatory, so I didn't mention it.

Honestly I think Enokida is mostly just offended he doesn't ask permission first. :lol

Oh, the others are definitely upset about it too. Everyone in that room genuinely cares about Mika, it's just that Yuusuke feels these things deeper than most people. When he's out looking for Mika, there's even a scene with Jean apologizing to her mother for making such a poorly timed remark.


It's a little less obvious because he doesn't actually change forms until getting knocked off a ledge, but there's a moment right before that where Badjisu flies off, and Kuuga is trying to look around and listen for him, which of course would be easier with Pegasus Form's enhanced senses.

The show doesn't make it totally explicit right away, but the objects Kuuga uses for weapons all turn back to normal when he's done with them.

And one thing from Yuusuke children shouldn't emulate.

Yeah, already mentioned about Jean too. I just think that probably I want to bring up the others too instead of all about the main character.

Fair enough, so that Kuuga can't abuse his abilities (dunno if he can turn more than 1 objects as his form weapons then give it to the others).

EPISODE 9: "Siblings"

After a moody nighttime cold open with some hapless guy making the mistake of walking into a warehouse the Grongi have decided to take up residence in, the episode moves to Pole Pole, where Yuusuke is feeling pretty great about being Kuuga. He's downright jolly, even, gradually expanding his line of custom Kuuga-branded clothing, and excitedly showing it to a clueless Pops, who doesn't know what a Kuuga is, but would love to tell you how great this Unidentified Lifeform #4 guy he keeps hearing about is.

Now, Pops may not be able to put two and two together on that front, but Minori knows Yuusuke's dual identity, and it's got her real worried. One thing these episodes do an excellent job of is differentiating themselves from the plot of Dragon Form's introductory arc. The basic concept of a supporting character worried about Yuusuke being Kuuga is the same, but while Sakurako was concerned Yuusuke was going to get himself killed fighting, Minori is concerned that Yuusuke is fighting at all. I love this angle a lot, because it really shows you how close these two are. Their core values as people are very much the same, and that's exactly why Yuusuke's usual carefree demeanor is freaking her out. Minori can't reconcile the kind-hearted, gentle older brother she knows and loves with the violent, mysterious #4, and the seeming indifference he displays towards his recent massive change in lifestyle leaves her considering the possibility he's simply started enjoying the fighting.

Meanwhile, the police are trying to get as much control over the Grongi situation as they can. The body count as of this episode's beginning is up to 278, and will be a few more by the end. Clearly, they have to do something, but with the lack of access to any fanciful science fiction laser guns or power armor or, really, anything cool like that, the best they can cook up for now are some gas grenades based on Badzuu's weakness to pollution as established in episode 6. The way the cops gradually try to improve their arsenal throughout the series is so neat. You get a real sense of how hard all these people are working, despite having so little to work with. They look for any advantage they can get, and try every angle, never giving up on protecting the people when really, I don't think anyone would blame them for calling it a day after a while.

You know who else is too cool to call it a day? Jean! He's off to Nagano this episode to figure out the deal with that rock Mika brought to the university, and while it's a pretty short scene I could easily skimp on talking about, since it lacks relevance to the immediate plot, I wanna mention it anyway. He meets a new supporting character we'll get to know better in a bit, and it also establishes his love for umeboshi, answering the question you just know was on the lips of every viewer, "what kind of food does Jean like?"

No word on whether or not he collects stamps yet.

https://i.imgur.com/Bsn2a6Ll.png

This episode also checks in on Enokida, thoroughly establishing her workaholic tendencies. She ends up arriving late to spend the day off with her son, and also ends up leaving early to help investigate a crime scene. Don't make the mistake of assuming this means she doesn't genuinely care about her child, though. Having any amount of screentime at all devoted to plotlines about a single mother kept busy by her career is, quite honestly, possibly one of the biggest indicators of how much it meant to Kuuga to introduce more real world drama into its stories. The Grongi being so violent, the realistic cops, all that's easy to point to, but little kids still like monsters, and everyone loves a good cop show. The kind of drama Enokida brings to the table, though? I'm honestly more surprised they got away with that than the gruesome murders.

Not that I want to downplay the gruesome murders too much. Our baddie for this one is Me-Giiga-Gi, and let me tell you, this squid is a real devil! When his first big action in the episode is to spit his explosive ink all over two random schoolgirls, you know you're dealing with someone... well, I'd say worse than usual, but I guess all the Grongi have just been the most terrifying creatures imaginable, huh?

https://i.imgur.com/PI4sRN1l.png

Yuusuke's off to fight him by the end, naturally.

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

It's no wonder Minori is so worried about Yuusuke when he's going entire episodes without giving a single thumbs up!

Total thumbs up count: 19+0 = 19

EPISODE 10: "Fierceness"

Yuusuke's battle against Giiga doesn't end up going great, so he heads to join with Ichijou and company, who are currently in the middle of raiding that warehouse after the world's greatest police dog manages to track down the Grongi's scent. Their new gas bombs seem to work well enough... right up until the Grongi leave out an exit they didn't account for. By the time Yuusuke arrives, the Grongi are off to find their next lair, and the cops are short one very brave canine. You will be missed, Mikado.

A steep price to pay, but not a total loss. The sudden exit means evidence left behind, including the sacred Grongi Whiteboard, which Yuusuke notes they seem to have been using to count something while talking with Ichijou about it afterwards. I'd do the usual "huh" bit, but it's probably not hard to figure out what they're counting, even this early. Why might still be a mystery, however. Yuusuke also tries to get a strategy against Giiga going with Ichijou's help. Sakurako's research suggests Kuuga has a form that uses a sword, which Yuusuke figures could give him an edge in a rematch. This leads to them practicing kendo, which is just awesome. It's always great when heroes put in hard work and actual training to beat the bad guys. Yuusuke struggles with the approach he wants to take for a while. With some advice from Ichijou, he eventually lands on the idea of just forgoing defense entirely, and ending the match in a single strike.

https://i.imgur.com/FU7KD9il.png

During all this, Minori has been trying to work out her feelings on what's happening with Yuusuke, which eventually leads to them having a conversation about it. This is another really great scene. Minori confronts Yuusuke with how much the thought of what he could become scares her, and Yuusuke admits something important to remember -- it scares him too. So how can he still be so gung-ho about being Kuuga? Why can we have scenes where he seems so at peace with it, to the point of branding his own clothes? That seeming contradiction could've run the risk of hanging over the show in a bad way, but what this episode accomplishes is addressing it by reemphasizing what we already know. When Minori asks why he still does it if he's scared, Yuusuke answers with another question. Why is Minori a teacher? The answer, in both cases, is because they believe in the importance of making people smile. Minori does that in her way, and right now, being Kuuga is Yuusuke's way of doing it. It's an elaboration on Yuusuke's motives as they were presented back in episode 2, and something definitely worth reiterating with some extra clarity, with how important it is to the series as a whole.

In the now, the heartwarming nature of the conversation, with Minori giving Yuusuke a birthday present from the kids at the preschool before he heads off, serves to change the tone for the ending fight scene this time. Pegasus Form's epic two-stroke takedown of Badjisu on the beach was pretty dang memorable, but Titan Form's debut, in all its purple glory, may top even that. The show wisely decided not to do the same formula three times in a row, so this is the first we see of Titan Form. There's no time spent figuring out how it works, because he already did that earlier with Ichijou. He's just gotta walk forward, and stab Giiga. Couldn't be simpler. Use all that armor, don't stop, and end the battle in a single strike.

https://i.imgur.com/dSfXprMl.png

That's what makes the fight so remarkable. It legitimately consists of nothing but Kuuga slowly walking in a straight line before stabbing the monster once, and it's somehow not only cool, it's awesome. What's even more awesome, is how the show intercuts this with Minori doing her thing at the preschool, playing off of Yuusuke's earlier line about how they each bring smiles in their own way, simultaneously affirming not only that what Kuuga does is heroic, but also kinda directly equating the importance of a teacher's role in shaping children with that of being a superhero who saves lives. Which maybe tells you where this show's values really lie. But that's as much a story for next time as it is for this one.

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

A sibling combo, yet again, at a perfectly timed dramatic moment.

https://i.imgur.com/b9GLVoem.png
https://i.imgur.com/NV3XAGUm.png

Total thumbs up count: 19+2 = 21

The utter brutality and gore of Kuuga is something I don't think we'll ever see in KR again, unfortunately. Unless the latest seasons have it and I'm just unaware, having not seen them yet.

How dare you.

I would say that Amazons usurped Kuuga in the gore department.

If you're looking for something for your villains to do that will make the audience hate them, look no further than them killing a DOG! This scene made me cry so much after knowing Mikado for like, 7 seconds; you can't just-- you can't just do that! You're surprised about the family drama being allowed in, I'm surprised they killed a dog on kid's TV!


They at least kinda made it up for it with Titan Form. I liked it from the moment I saw it on google images or whatever, but adding to the coolness factor is unsheathing the bike handle to become a sword. Like damn, not even Ichigou done stuff like this! You know your series is dedicated to the name Rider when it uses part of the bike as a weapon. Those were the days...

Die, there are going to be times where I'm talking about Jean so glowingly you're going to swear it's personal, so I just want you to remember: Jean was one of my favorite Kuuga characters for years before he was ever your least favorite.

It's real lucky Kuuga had the whole police shtick going too, so that bike handle could double as a baton in the first place. Which I always thought was kind of sketchy, honestly. Like, I figure Kuuga would need something sharp to turn into a sword, not just something with a handle. At that point it's like, how many other things would work? Could Yuusuke get into a fight in a kitchen and grab a nearby rolling pin by one end? Would a rolled up newspaper do in a pinch? Or would that one be more for the Dragon Rod? :p

Access Kuuga's powerful new Dragon Titan Duo Form with the DX Rolled Up Newspaper, only 1800 yen!

I don't want this to be all Kamen Rider Die Hates Jean, so lemme try and think of something relevant to say about these Kuuga episodes.

The dog, thing... it's maybe too dark? I don't know what animal culture is like in Japan, but in America, you could launch an incredibly violent series of action movies on a gang of Russian mobsters killing a dog and the swift, terrible vengeance that's wrought against them, their associates, their family members, and anyone who gets in the way of that vengeance. Mikado was a cop and a dog, and it's insane that the entire citizenry of Japan didn't rise up and defeat the Grongi in a weekend. It's easily the most unrealistic thing in Kamen Rider Kuuga, and I'm counting the fact that Pole Pole somehow stays in business.

Okay, there, non-Jean content, now let's get down to business:

Maybe Kuuga can pick Jean up by the ankles and drive him through a monster, making everyone happy!

I kid.

The monster would be 100% more Jean, and that's got to be worse than be exploded by a Kamen Rider. No monster deserves that.

Well you know, I bet Jean would be totally cool with being Kuuga's sword if he asked, because he's a real team player that way!

EPISODE 11: "Promise"

This episode makes something of a statement right out of the gate with its cold open. Of the six two-parters so far, every one up until now directly involves either an appearance by the Grongi, or one of the main characters. Here, there's a quick mention of the Unidentified Lifeforms in dialogue, but overall, it's noticeably calmer than usual, and involves only characters we've never met. The introduction of Kanzaki sets a tone for this story, that basically throws the mystery cop show element to the sidelines in favor of doubling down on the emotions, showing us a teacher who's starting to feel uncertain of his place in a changing world. He goes digging through some old mementos, until a note from one Yuusuke Godai catches his eye. It mentions that he was moved by words Kanzaki can't remember saying, as well as a promise to be fulfilled at their old school the very next day. Which is some dramatically convenient timing, sure, but stranger things have happened. Kanzaki is clearly having major doubts about his influence on the adults of the future, so he decides to take a gamble on that promise.

https://i.imgur.com/Y7wejP8l.png

He doesn't yet know how well he's chosen. Yuusuke not only remembers the promise he made all those years ago, he's absolutely psyched about it, to the point where he actually did his job at Pole Pole for once the day before. Naturally, he's busy today, but Pops receives an extra set of hands in the form of Nana, who makes her proper debut here (as in, she gets a name) after the brief encounter with Jean earlier. This pretty much completes the show's massive supporting cast roster, but I'd rather take a second to talk about Pops than her right now. I'm loving his shtick of constant ignorance. The way he rambles on and on with the tone of someone who thinks they've got it all figured out, it's great. Mostly because rather than coming off as egotistical, it's more like he's a genuinely well-meaning, if somewhat arrogant person who sees himself as a super dependable friend who everyone can count on, especially when they need advice. Not like that Yuusuke Godai! He's a sweet kid and all, but honestly, he's never around when you need him, you know? A real flake!

Rolling on with the supporting cast, a brief update on Jean's adventure in Nagano reveals Mika is actually there to help with the excavation at Kurogatake too, in an effort to honor her father's work. And that's great. I can't stress enough how awesome it is that Mika doesn't passively exist like the prop she could've easily been. Yuusuke puts all that effort into getting her to realize her potential, and we actually see that happen. She doesn't just disappear after her role of needing to be cheered up is done. What that whole plot was about was Yuusuke trying to make sure Mika knew she had something to contribute to the world just like anyone else. So to show her later, in a much better place mentally, actively working towards finding out what that thing she needs to do is, it's cool in its own right, but it also retroactively lends weight to those initial episodes focused on her.

What's also particularly weighty is the bad guy for this one, Zu-Zain-Da, a literal rampaging rhinoceros who plays rough. Stabbing a truck driver to death with the horn on his head is only the start. The sense of pure aggression throughout his fight scene with Yuusuke here is something else. The way he goes around kicking down fences and throwing things around, there were points where I thought he'd come right through the screen to smash my face into a wall. The action direction here is an A+, and you'll note I said Zain's fight with Yuusuke, and not Kuuga. That's because he's not given the chance to transform for a good while, and as such neither does Zain himself. Narratively, that further proves what I'm saying about how intense this guy is, but on a meta level, it's likely because his human form's actor, Akira Nogami, is a real-life pro wrestler who apparently often goes simply by AKIRA (in all caps). The guy really gives it his all as a being of pure rage, and if you told me Joe Odagiri was only barely acting in some of those scenes, I'd believe it.

https://i.imgur.com/ykX5RPcl.png

Now, Yuusuke was obviously supposed to be somewhere else, if you'll remember, but he's considerate enough to ask Sakurako to go in his place to meet Kanzaki while he gets pummeled by a rhino for the sake of humanity. Sakurako only gets the vaguest possible details, the name and the place, and in a great example of dramatic irony, ends up on the same train as Kanzaki, ultimately following along without realizing who he is. I don't hate it when plots get cute like that, but there's not a lot of immediate impact, as it mostly keeps them in one place while we get a better idea of just how melancholy Kanzaki is feeling, to the point where he says he's going to quit teaching if Yuusuke doesn't show up. Sure, he thinks he's got it bad, but at least Kanzaki doesn't end the episode almost getting impaled by a rhino monster.

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

Once again, the thumbs are saved for the second part, but man is it gonna be worth it.

Total thumbs up count: 21+0 = 21

EPISODE 12: "Teacher"

https://i.imgur.com/9E02XMAl.png

Hey, look, it's another one of my favorite Kamen Rider episodes ever. Also one of the best. I'm going to try and describe to you why I feel that way, but no matter what I come up with, I won't be satisfied I've done a good enough job.

Sakurako finds out who Kanzaki is right away, and the backbone of this episode is them discussing Yuusuke on their way to his old school. They develop a great rapport, bonding over their mutual acquaintance, and it's plain to see how much they've both been affected by having him in their lives. Giving Kanzaki someone to actually talk with this episode allows the story to take the brakes off, in a manner of speaking, getting a lot deeper into his mentality, and why he's decided to stake his entire career on one child remembering a promise he had already forgotten about, until a chance reminder.

During all this, Yuusuke has to stay true to his obligations as Kuuga, managing a narrow escape from Zain with some unexpected, and indirect, help from another Grongi. Their infighting is a subplot in is own right, carried out in just a few quick scenes, all of which are in their native tongue, and it speaks to how excellent this episode is that an entire chunk of it is effectively unintelligible, and still works. It's basically a little optional bonus on top of a completely functional plot. Where this becomes a problem for Yuusuke is that this means Zain is still out there, and he needs to deal with that. This is another occasion where the timestamps have extra meaning, each one acting as a reminder of the ticking clock that is Yuusuke's promise to Kanzaki. For now, he's going think up a way to beat Zain, and a lucky hit during the battle gives him the idea to finally harness his burning right foot when he kicks things. Hm.

Kanzaki and Sakurako arrive at the old school, only to find out it's scheduled to be demolished soon. Kanzaki takes this as yet another sign from the heavens that he, and all the things he's ever believed in, are unwanted relics, but Sakurako takes a page out of Yuusuke's book and suggests hopping the gate to sneak into the place anyway. Inside, we finally get to the true meat of Kanzaki's issues. Him pinning all his hopes on Yuusuke is awfully melodramatic, but based on his words and actions, I get the impression quitting teaching is something he's been thinking about a long time before we first see him. He makes it clear he has some extreme misgivings about the education system that I don't think anyone would form overnight. He laments that everybody seems to have a different idea of what he needs to be teaching children, and, most pressingly of all, that the children themselves don't seem to care about their own futures. The poor guy has no clue what it is he's supposed to be doing, and from that, he fears he might as well be doing nothing, for all the difference it would make to his students.

I'm going out on a limb here, but I feel like a lot of that monologue can be taken as reflecting the thoughts of producer Shigenori Takatera, and presumably Naruhisa Arakawa, too, since he literally wrote the lines. Everything I've heard about Takatera suggests to me he takes the impact children's shows have on their development quite seriously, but, even putting aside the question of why it's the case, I think it's obvious Kuuga as a whole takes that seriously. We have seen, and will continue to see, that this is a series with a deep respect for its target audience. It makes an effort to present more complex scenarios to them, and constantly asks them to question things about hero shows they take for granted. That idea of "What should we be giving the children?", I think Kuuga's staff were asking themselves that as much as Kanzaki was, even if they probably weren't as depressed about it. Making a show for kids, when you care about what you're making, I don't think the position is all that different. The desire to leave the "students" with something positive, the pressure from different groups with competing visions of what your job even is, all that's still there, in a way. When you're in that position, there's nothing you want to know more than that you've contributed something of value.

And Kanzaki has definitely done that, because one of his students was Yuusuke. The guy who, at that very moment, is working hard to think up a new move to use against Zain. As though the (possible) stellar meta commentary wasn't enough, this is yet another episode that demonstrates the value of training and preparation. Kuuga figuring out how he wants to do a kick is great, and I can't stress enough how perfectly timed this all is. The two-parters so far follow a clear pattern of introductions, right? The origin of Mighty Form, then the Try Chaser, then Dragon, Pegasus, and Titan. So what is this one about, now that all the initial toys are already out of the way? This is the origin story for Kuuga's Rider Kick, and if ever there was a payoff to the slower pacing of Kuuga, this is it right here. In the middle of this beautiful story, that perfectly encapsulates what Kuuga is all about, we get not a new piece of merchandise, but the proper reintroduction of a franchise staple, that serves to reinforce, after the introduction of all those new forms, that Mighty still stands on top. It's so dang satisfying. We've been gradually seeing Kuuga build his way up from mere kicks to a proper Kick, and now, after a quarter of the series, we're finally here. Yuusuke didn't even need a new toy to do it. He just had to apply himself, and put in the effort. The resulting fight scene is just a masterpiece, even giving us the first taste of full on trial action with the Try Chaser since its debut. Could this be any more perfect?

The answer is yes, because I haven't mentioned what this fight is overlapping with yet. Back at the school, Sakurako makes a comment about how Yuusuke isn't there because he's using his 2000th skill (which is turning into Kuuga) to do what he can, and this finally gets Kanzaki to recall what the promise actually was. Kanzaki himself is basically the entire reason Yuusuke is the hero he is. It was from his words that Yuusuke learned the significance of the thumbs up gesture. Yuusuke promised him that he would learn 2000 skills by the year 2000. He set Yuusuke on the path to becoming someone who would always persevere for the sake of a smile, and as he gives an impassioned recreation of that speech he's now remembered, the footage is intercut with Yuusuke living by those words, all these years later, by standing up to the Grongi as Kuuga.

Without any doubt, this is one of the most powerful scenes in Rider history. I genuinely get choked up watching it, and can now confirm writing about it has pretty much the same effect. The way it ties the debut of the Mighty Kick and the origin of the thumbs up and the origin of Yuusuke's 2000 skills, I mean, WOW. That's about all I can say. By the time everything is said and done, and Kuuga rides off into the sunset on his bike (!) to fulfill that promise, it's all come together into an absolutely unforgettable two-parter. This is the kind of thing where I see it, and just hope everybody involved with making it is proud of what they've left behind, because, just like Kanzaki, they deserve to be.

https://i.imgur.com/3CmPteSl.png

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

Yeah, you'd better believe the thumbs budget was there for this one. It's an episode worthy of it.

https://i.imgur.com/FTDnhy9m.png
https://i.imgur.com/DMe1sxhm.png
https://i.imgur.com/u6KCGiSm.png
https://i.imgur.com/POEDKcWm.png
https://i.imgur.com/Xhwtge1m.png
https://i.imgur.com/WL5zgWbm.png

Total thumbs up count: 21+6 = 27

I think this was the first Kuuga story I really loved. (Maybe my favorite? There's another introspective two-parter down the line that I remember feeling a little stronger about.) I never really felt dialed-in to the pace of Kuuga as a show, but, man, this story has such a clear arc to it. The idea of Godai being there for his mentor is so profoundly sweet, especially because he's not really there for the majority of Kanzaki's story. It's all about Godai as a person, the man he's become thanks to the lessons Kanzaki taught him, and that all being filtered through the relationships he's formed. It's somehow more genuine to me that Kanzaki's redeemed more by the idea of Godai, the ways people care for him and respect him, than Godai himself giving a gigantic speech. If people who've never met Kanzaki are, like, You Did A Good Job On That Kid, that feels more rewarding than anything Godai could say.

This was a good one!

So at this point, Kuuga wasn't quite doing it for me after the first few episodes. Oh, sure; I had my fun with bugman holding an honest-to-god real pistol; and my favourite form just debuted last episode... but things just weren't clicking for me. I was enjoying it fine enough, but it just wasn't hooking me and I stopped watching Kuuga for, like, a week? Not because of anything viscerally negative, but just because I couldn't really be bothered with it.

And then I came back to episodes 11 and 12.


It's very difficult to not agree with this.


EVERYTHING fell into place with this episode. It's so perfectly paced and thought out; it gives new meaning to who Godai is and why he does the things he does; it has this beautiful, heartfelt, emotional pathos to it. If someone watched the first few episodes of Kuuga and said "nah this ain't for me", I would honest to god say to them "alright, fair enough, but I highly suggest you try watching up till the end of episode 12 first". These episodes -complete- Kuuga. It might even be better to say it forms a foundation to it, or is the real last scene of Kuuga's beginning, or something like that. This is where you really, truly start to understand what it's about.

Which is funny, because when someone asks me what Kuuga's about; one of the things at the top of my list would be Godai's relationship with Ichijou. They are without a doubt one of the best duos in Rider history, rivaling the likes of even Eiji with Ankh and Sento with Banjou for me; and you just can't leave their connection out of any true analysis. And yet this episode barely features our workaholic policeman and barely focuses on him. But that's fine: because important as Ichijou is to Godai, this is showing you just about everything else that's important to him.


Fish just about said everything I could want to say, but to end it off there is one more thing I'd like to expand on: that line Kanzaki delivers? Now, it of course depends on the subs; and as said I was watching the one that translated the goddamn Grongi lines. But for me, it went like this:-

"To tell the truth... I no longer understand education. The children themselves say they have no hope for the future... in that case, what should I be teaching them?"

That line gets me every single time. Now, I'm 23; and I'm well aware there's people even younger than me on the boards, but you could definitely say I'm still pretty young and it's not been all that long since my school years. And that feeling of finding it difficult to be dedicated or attached to something; and beyond that even just without hope because the future looks so bleak? That's something I personally felt a lot when I was not much younger, something I occasionally feel these days, and something that when I talk to my peers and people younger than me and even people a fair bit older than me, I come to realise is an experience that's not quite universal; but certainly very widely felt.

And a lot of media, when tackling these ideas; they'll go for general encouragement, or come up with solutions, or all manner of things. And you'll get some that'll be a little harsh, a few of which are more than is necessary. And I'm not saying that these don't come from a kind place, but a lot of them clearly don't understand what it is or don't think too hard about it or just plain don't want to go there.

I bring this up, all this context; because... for this specific feeling, no piece of media; no character in fiction has ever made me feel more seen and understood than this fictional schoolteacher, in a completely different country, in the year 2000, saying this one singular line.

And he'll come back in a later episode and expand upon it more, to be sure (in ways that I still found quite poignant), but this is the magic of Kuuga right here for me. Just about any other show that would tackle problems head-on like this and give little lines to sum it up? It'd come across as pandering; as ill-conceived; as lecturing or as meaningless platitudes. But Kuuga every time it wants to say something, it knows what it's talking about.

The reason I loved and stayed with Rider, with Tokusatsu in general; is this one reason that I think Kuuga does even better than most shows of its kind: it's genuine.

I had forgotten about the finer details in this one, but your honestly uncanny skill for picking the most perfect screenshots brought me back to Godai transforming and posing, alongside his teacher's speech to become a man who can protect smiles... It's really good! An actually breathtaking moment.

And the hapless guy did another mistake... shouting (well, a bit) that gets the Grongi to notice. Other than that, his corpse (most likely in gruesome condition) can be found, unlike the victim on ep. 2... Can't Yusuke just tell Kazari that there are no stakes telling anyone that he's Kuuga? He seems to be an exception.

Well, apart from the gas grenades, their contribution is at least knowing some Grongi systems like being led by someone and especially their hideouts. The cops always try to improve but there's still audience tolerance towards effort and results; where there can be those who appreciates the efforts despite lacking results (me), or those that only check results and ignore efforts. It's a shame that Kuuga can only turn objects to weapon for personal and it reverts after that.

Yeah Jean do your job and atone yourself for the sin you commited by misreading the room! A̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶t̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶u̶d̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶e̶.̶

Yep, this is one of the reasons that I follow Kamen Rider. Despite the "abnormal" things like Riders, monsters, or bizzare world being the stand-out part of KRs, Toku is ultimately about the people, the characters, the stories, instead of people fighting in silly colorful costumes. Like seeing how the monsters, the disasters, etc. affect the human lives here (apart from them being victims ofc), the new problems they encounter, etc. The type of toku Joe Odagiri himself wishes because he's skeptical about toku before. Enokida is a workaholic mom, how about the father (who usually the one working in family)?

What was the gas bombs doing to Grongi exactly? Knocking them unconscious? And what will the police do next after they're probably KOed? Besides condolences for Mikado.

The hint Sakurako gives is a bit vague (well yeah, a bit more challenge to Kuuga) because... the one that wins Yusuke his fight his Titan's tankiness which isn't a part of the translation. And ironically, while he did practice kendo, correct me if I'm wrong here, but Yusuke did a complete brute force move instead! The one who just doesn't care about putting effort or thought in a fight and just tanks everything opponent throws and then attack.

"Promoting violence for happiness!". Aside, Minori's fear is that Yusuke slipping into grey area? Well, the most important thing should be that the Grongis really threatens others and that's not a secret to public.

Again lol, people were praising about how Kuuga's form debuts aren't turnovers, but Titan seems completely so here. He completely turns the fight 180 degrees with him being invincible to all attacks, and one shots him (well, tbf Pegasus also did). Besides, did Enokida say that Giiga essentially can't spam his fluid all the time and requires cooldown (that it gives heat in his body), with water being one of quicker ways? Or that Giiga can spam quite a number his fluid for a bit until he needs to cooldown.

Predecessor to Faiz's SB-555H Faiz Edge. T̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶e̶c̶h̶n̶i̶c̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶p̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶n̶s̶f̶o̶r̶m̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶w̶o̶r̶d̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶?̶

A bit of jokey here but, this is a staple for... JoJo series, and the creator is accused of hating dogs instead.

So this is the end of Kuuga's massive supporting cast pack on Nana? That are all tied solely to Yusuke.

Finally Jean and Mika has made peace. But yeah for this one time, I got caught off guard a bit by that. Mika seems to be set up as a general Grongi victim previously to motivate the others (twice! like at ep. 2 too).

Another one of henshin being interrupted! That alone is a proof on how intense Zain is.

Sakurako is lucky that Kanzaki coincidentally didn't walk in a separate path.

Oh the first time Grongis fighting each other. I like it when there's a civil war on same faction, either hero or villains (here). And also I have to talk about Kuuga's good counter when Zain throws him to impale with his horn by actually move while airborne, grabbing Zain's horn and turned the attack around.

Other than Yusuke probably he should have a conversation with the student's relative himself Minori as they're both teachers and possibly discussing the take of teachers.

OK, I thought that with Kuuga's attack basically planting an energy stamp on the victim, I thought that how the attack is done isn't necessary. Turns out it was wrong. He needs to exert more force on even planting an energy stamp to produce greater results.

Teachers, unsung heroes! A friend of the person you'd like to reunite can be a guide and good substitute for a while.

I really don't wanna kill the mood, but, personally, I just found the two parter "pretty nice" rather than "one of the best parts of Kuuga" like what you guys seem to be praising it as. Maybe it's just that for me personally, 99% of the teachers I ever had were utter garbage, but nothing really "clicked" for me in terms of these eps. Sorry.

I can see that. This is a two-parter that pushes all its chips in on Kanzaki. If that part of the story doesn't work for you, there's only some pretty cool fights and a sweet Rider Kick to enjoy.

And don't be sorry for disagreeing! For me, I think it's neat when someone gets something else out of Kamen Rider. Thanks for sharing!

Well thank you, I legitimately appreciate the sentiment.

I will however note that, thinking about it, yeah, having an origin story for a Rider Kick is pretty cool. I don't recall many seasons actually doing that.

I mean, I've definitely never had a teacher like Kanzaki myself (I mean, has anyone?), but that's part of why I like the story so much. It feels basically like it's saying "the world could use more Kanzakis if it wants more Yuusukes", and I think that's the sentiment that clicked with me so much. That idea of the importance of having good role-models. Introducing the concept that even Kuuga's heroism had to come from somewhere, I don't know, I really like that.

I also definitely want to echo this! You don't need to apologize for having a different opinion! I'm not as good at discussions as Die is, but part of the reason for this thread is talking about how we all feel about Kuuga, and some respectful disagreement is a healthy part of that to have.

EPISODE 13: "Suspicion"

In spite of a lot of things, I really like these episodes. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

At this point, Kuuga has finished what is effectively its first "season". In that first quarter, the show accomplished a whole lot of what it set out to do, and it came to a spectacular conclusion in a two-parter so epic, they even changed the music for the episode previews. Moving into the second quarter, a few things have changed. First of all, the visuals for the opening are updated, in ways that, if I'm being honest, are maybe less well-timed to the music, and also just plain... weird, in some cases. What does Negative Ichijou's cameo appearance every episode add to the series? I don't know, but get used to seeing it for a while.

https://i.imgur.com/DICpLOHl.png

There have also been some shakeups in the staff. From this point on, Takeyuki Suzuki is credited as producer alongside Takatera, for reasons I can only speculate on. From what I've heard, Kuuga's production could get messy early on, so it's likely Suzuki, who was one of the people clamoring to bring Rider back in the first place, was put there by Toei simply to get things running more smoothly. This information probably won't be that relevant. What's of very immediate importance, however, is that these are the first episodes of the series by a guest writer, and it's none other than Toshiki Inoue. A name that strikes fear into the heart of many a toku fan, which is why it's maybe worth noting Naruhisa Arakawa is explicitly credited with "series composition" for Kuuga, a rarity for a Rider series. I think part of that is just to signify how heavily involved Arakawa was with the series' development, but from what I understand, one of the main purposes of that job is to look over all the scripts in a show from multiple writers and make sure they all gel together well enough, making whatever edits are necessary to that end. Which would mean the show's main writer approved enough of the finished product, so Inoue must've done at least a decent job, right?

Well, things get off to a really good start for me with the opening scene. It establishes how hard Sakurako is pushing herself by opening at night, gradually moving the camera over to a nearly full pot of coffee, at which point we fade to the morning, with the pot empty, and only then does the usual timestamp appear. It's a slick half a minute that once again conveys all its information with zero dialogue, especially thanks to Hidenori Ishida's usual great direction. The rest of the cold opening goes on to establish that Jean's crew over in Nagano have found a bunch of ancient rocks, which will certainly be one of the plot points in this episode! So, uh, right away, the thing I'm saying I like is actually also one of the first signs of how sloppy this two-parter is. I don't think having it be like this is some unforgivable sin, but a cold open is generally best used to establish, as quickly and concisely as possible, what the main dramatic crux of an episode's story is, and it's not really the rocks, nor is it Sakurako.

After a moderately amusing, but even less purposeful, check in on Pole Pole, the episode starts to inch closer to its actual point by showing what the cops are up to at the moment. Mainly, further increasing their options against the Unidentified Lifeforms by making bullets containing the same stuff as those gas grenades. I can't stress enough how simultaneously adorable and cool it is watching these guys try to find weapons to fight the supernaturally strong Grongi using only things that are conceivable in reality. There's such a fundamental contradiction there, and the fact that they have to struggle so much for even the tiniest edge makes it that much more satisfying when one of their boring, utilitarian gadgets ends up getting the job done.

After all, the Grongi are a real menace. Even after suffering something of a loss a few episodes back, they've simply replaced the Whiteboard with the slightly less sacred Grongi Abacus, and are chatting it up in their latest hideout in another beautifully strange Ishida scene that decides to make sunshine scary, with swaying camera motions that deliberately let glare in and out of frame, briefly obscuring what's happening each time to create the effect of watching something like a half-remembered nightmare, with dialogue about as coherent. The important thing to take away is that this story's monster, Me-Biran-Gi, is heading out to sink his piranha-like jaws into some hapless civilians. Yikes.

https://i.imgur.com/g5UVnz5l.png

See, this is why it's so easy to get behind the police in this show. Who wouldn't want to see the Grongi taken out? Well, as it turns out, there is one such person, and he watches the vicious slaughter of an entire boat full of human lives with surprising indifference. This is Junichi Chouno. He thinks what the Unidentified Lifeforms do is great, because humanity is worthless anyway. He's so into the way they're tearing up our good-for-nothing society, he's even gotten himself a tattoo similar to the ones all Grongi have showing their animal motif. Chouno has got some serious problems, and it probably shouldn't be a surprise that he ends up in police custody, where the main cast start getting tangled up with him.

An interrogation with Ichijou and Sugita reveals, well, most of what I've already said, and also that he's been spending his life drifting from part-time job to part-time job with little purpose, which might start to give us a hint as to what his motivations are. Tsubaki also shows up, having had to ditch a promising day of cruising around in his sports car with a hot date just to make sure Chouno isn't actually a Grongi. Things get a little more complicated when it turns out Chouno, while not a monster, does in fact have a bad case of... something.

Well, hopefully we'll find out what that is soon, but for now, it's cliffhanger time as Kuuga faces off with Biran.

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

We definitely seem to be in a pattern now.

Total thumbs up count: 27+0 = 27

EPISODE 14: "Omen"

The conclusion of Kuuga's initial fight with Biran has a few neat things to talk about. We get one of the first real examples of how this show is going to treat form changing, now that the introductions are over, with Kuuga realizing the best way to avoid getting eaten alive is to use Titan Form's armor, which works great right up until Biran thinks to just bite where the armor doesn't cover, meaning it only took until Titan Form's second appearance for the show to start undermining its primary function, but still, Yuusuke was thinking tactically there. Thankfully Ichijou is there to help out with the new gas bullets, which, amazingly, work exactly as intended, and force Biran to retreat. It's a cool fight scene, and Titan Form power walking has some more interesting direction by Ishida, where it's shot at a low angle and deliberately lets water splash onto the lens as Biran tries to land a solid hit. I guess it adds to the impact of each blow or something, but mostly it just looks neat.

https://i.imgur.com/sb32oLGl.png

Yuusuke heads back to the hospital with Ichijou to have his bite wound checked out, which gives him a perfect excuse to go talk to Chouno about what his whole deal is. I figure I should talk about that too.

I was ready to hate these episodes with a passion in retrospect. This plot was one of the ones I've always remembered most vividly from Kuuga, but I couldn't recall if that meant they were any good or not. I mean, Inoue writing a story about a guy who idolizes the most depraved monsters in Rider history? It sounds like a recipe for disaster. So I'm more than a little surprised to say that, despite some hiccups I'll be going into in a bit, I think Chouno's plotline succeeds far more than it fails.

https://i.imgur.com/Ib7YSkVl.png

The premise here is very much in line with Kuuga's themes. It's a show about, among other things, the value of optimism, cooperation, and perseverance, so having a character that's a cynical loner who's given up on his life, and humanity as a whole, it's a solid way to explore those concepts. Yuusuke tries to get to know Chouno with his usual light touch, a scene that has a great rhythm to it. It doesn't feel exactly like how Arakawa would've handled it, but it continues a trend of Yuusuke refusing to ever outright tell someone they're wrong, with him even agreeing it's impossible for people to know exactly how someone else feels, only to reassure him that we can still sympathize with each other anyway. The fact that this doesn't have an immediate effect on Chouno also shows the episode is smart enough not to make Yuusuke into some perfect being who can easily fix everyone's problems with how right he is, which would've been grating. He leaves Chouno with the simple opinion that if you're alive, you might as well enjoy it (this is actually one of Joe Odagiri's favorite moments in the whole series, by the way), and heads off with Ichijou, leaving Tsubaki to take a much harder tack with Chouno.

Tsubaki, a coroner, a man surrounded by death every day, does not have the patience for Chouno's attitude that Yuusuke does, and simply takes him to see the corpse of one of Biran's victims, to see if he can still romanticize dying afterwards. The story really comes together here, for all its faults. The simple moment of Chouno nearly vomiting clears up so much about his characterization. He's been wishing death upon people, saying he doesn't care about his own life, saying the Unidentified Lifeforms "get it" because they're getting rid of all the "worthless" people. But all of that has been from a distance. Like, he literally watched that boat massacre from a safe ways away. This is a man who's been drifting aimlessly through life without ever finding a real calling, who's started blaming the world for his problems, reducing all the horrific killing going on to some trivial way to get back at everyone. The knife and the tattoo, all of it, it's just about the image. And that's why Tsubaki hands the knife back. He knows Chouno is never going to use that thing on anyone, because the problems Chouno actually has are not the ones he claims to have.

It's honestly a great scene, and I wish I could say all this makes the story worth the trouble it took getting here, but I can't deny the issues here, either. Most pressingly, the episodes don't go into Chouno's backstory very thoroughly, and that can make it easy to misinterpret his character. A lot of viewers probably won't make the connection that him bouncing from job to job is motivation to have a grudge against society, and the show's refusal to define his illness will probably lead those people to assume that's why he's so grumpy, even though Tsubaki spells out the illness will threaten his life if he ignores it. Chouno isn't depressed because he has an illness, he has an illness because he's depressed. Because he can no longer be bothered to put in the effort to fix his problems. The lack of clarity, I'd imagine is a result of Inoue trying to mimic Kuuga's style of minimalist storytelling, and not quite getting it down. The ending is similarly unsatisfying for this reason, with Chouno running off after realizing Yuusuke saved his life as Kuuga. The basic idea of him feeling fear for his life (in other words, a desire for survival) at the hands of a Grongi is there, but a few extra lines from him or Yuusuke could've worked miracles to tie the story together more.

The other major issue with this pair of episodes is its use of subplots. Unlike the brief, effective check-ins the show usually does that advance overarching plot threads while clearly being secondary, here, pretty huge chunks of screentime are devoted to events that don't have any immediate effect on what's happening here and now. Jean's story in this two-parter, if we pretend it doesn't continue in the next episode, ends with him miserably failing at his task of delivering some rocks when the rocks turn into a bug and fly off. It's a funny scene, don't get me wrong, but it's a lot of time spent on something that will only pay off in the future. Time that could've been better used fleshing out what I genuinely believe to be a strong plot with Chouno.

This is where we wrap back around to my talk about the staff shakeups. This is more stuff I'm not thoroughly informed about, but I've heard Arakawa can be slow with his scripts, and that Inoue is, conversely, great at meeting deadlines. It's possible a lot of the issues here stem from Inoue being brought on rather suddenly, and having to figure out how to write episodes of a very unusual show in a short time. Entirely speculation on my part, but if that were the case, I'd feel more forgiving towards these episodes. Regardless of why, though, we got the episodes we got, and they are absolutely not the show's best. But, in spite of all of that, I really like them. They're sloppy, unkempt, and bloated, but there are still a lot of scenes and moments I found myself loving.

THUMBS UP COUNTING CORNER

The extra wait may not have the same dramatic impact as last time, but it does have Jean getting in on the thumb action. That's just as good, right?

https://i.imgur.com/lkzlUvGm.png
https://i.imgur.com/vTDIhJ0m.png

Total thumbs up count: 27+2 = 29

Oh boy I've been waiting for this as I unironically love Toshiki Inoue works. And as such since this is his first thing he ever worked on for Rider I had to get in on the disscusion. I like these episodes conversly I like how they handle Chouno sure we aren't given his full backstory but why would he? He dosen't know any of these people he not just going to spill. And I like that his problems don't go away after this they still persist. Chouno is a cynic like you said but the show dosen't treat his cyncism as inherently wrong just really misguided with his respect for the Grongi with his convo with Yusuke saying that people can't fully understand one another. It makes Yusuke feel more real as his style of helping out can't help Chouno rather it's Tsubaki who has a different mind set do to his position as coroner that allows him to gice Chouno the wake up call he needed. It makes the charcters less one-note. Tsubaki isn't just the doctor or Enokida as the scientist they all have thier own stories to tell not just to exist for the plot. I could go on but to end this Toshiki Inoue rules and I will gladly even rewatch the ZI-O Kiva/Ginga tribute episodes to prove this point.

It's funny that both threads dedicated to watching Kuuga, this Chouno storyline comes up with such... how should I put it, adversity? Controversy? Debate? surrounding it, when, as Certified #1 Person-Who-Doesn't-Like-Inoue's-Stories; I just sort of passed over this one without too much bother about it.

I found it interesting that it did deal with someone so detached and pessimistic about humanity, even if it was done a little sloppily and half-heartedly. I guess it is special in that sense -- after a 2-parter which I adored to death, this was right back to being a couple episodes of Kuuga that didn't have an impact on me! Back to being good soon enough, at least.

The stuff you brought up about Titan Form I always remember finding interesting. Tokusatsu fights rarely pay attention to how fights play out and which part of the body is hit -- and that's okay for me, because I'm more invested in the feeling and emotion these fights are trying to convey and hey, I get a cool little action sequence along with it. So it does mean that whenever there's a powerup, every part of the body is strengthened and made more defensive and yadda yadda. So Kuuga going for a much more practical, 'realistic' approach with this... it's part of its charm, really. It's something that only Faiz would see fit to take after, but there's always consideration to every aspect of the fight and what's covered and how much force is applied, etc etc. All it needs really is Ichijou going around in a laundry van lugging around the Arcle in a suitcase after Godai fights un-transformed for 2 minutes.


Edit: Ha! This post was pretty-well timed

Dunno if it'd count as a spoiler, so I'll just say that while I thought these eps were alright, certain aspects of them would be done much better in a later ep.

Wait, do people not actually hate these episodes? I guess I was just making assumptions based on how Die had a pretty radical misunderstanding of what they were even about, and you sounded pretty ready to toss em' in a bin yourself. Plus, you know, just Inoue's reputation.

I'm kind of trying not to think directly about Die's thread while I'm doing mine, but it might've been in my head more than usual for these ones. I would be very okay with everybody not thinking these episodes are a disaster!

I'm actually not sure what you could be talking about, despite having seen the show before, so, yeah, I guess it's kind of a spoiler. :lol

I look forward to hearing about it when I get there, though!

I thought the bottle was something... it's coffee? It looks like a medicine bottle. So Sakurako and Jean's banter is attacked by a bear (let's replace bear with Grongi later on)? Dunno if that has actually happened that it ascended into a banter.

Oh, so the gas was meant to paralyze and capture them. I wonder how they can restrain the superpowered beings though before they effortlessly escaped again in the police's clutches.

Chouno, the edgelord, the misantrophe, the straw nihilist. The persona some internet people based off on. Ferry ship is the worst place to get attacked, with all the crowd and that you are trapped in the middle of body of water. Not that you are able to escape from Grongi but in ferry it's much worse, especially with that ferry seemingly not having safety boats (probably won't work either).

Of course! Chouno woud've likely escaped so easily if he's an actual Grongi. The way the police restraining him seems to be only good-ol handcuffs. Grongis (and Yusuke) still possess superhuman strength in human form. Why wouldn't Tsubaki admit about his girl anyway? Having a girlfriend is something many men use for boast.

All the form changes before happened after Kuuga transformed.... off-screen wise. So Kuuga Titan didn't protect any part of his body, what if Giiga previously hit the unarmored part too of Titan?

He may be irritating but yeah it's an appropriate choice to make Chouno react like that to Yusuke, and I want Yusuke to devolve deeper into other's actual suffering. Guy like that really have to be teached the hard way.

Knock some hard sense to him Tsubaki!

Be careful what you wish for. Most likely Chouno bounching job after job was filled with him being constantly mistreated by others, treated unfairly, so that he sees all humans as despicable.