KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 5 - "MELTING SEA"

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki05a.png

"I better ace that interview
I better ace that interview
I should tell them that I'm not afraid to die
I better ace that interview"

-Mitski, "My Body's Made Of Crushed Little Stars"

Literally everything in this episode about a superhero trying to find and defeat a giant crab is spinning around one teenager having anxiety about his exams, and I love it.

Like, man, man. Basing so much of this one episode on how stressed Asumu is, such a great idea. It's to the show's credit that it never feels like you're missing out on something, by following Asumu around. It's as captivating to watch as any (two-move!) Hibiki fight scene. It's a plot that doesn't need a single supernatural thing to happen in it, because it's already epic.

That's... I think that's the secret to why so much of Hibiki works so well. The monster stuff, the Hibiki parts of Kamen Rider Hibiki, are all downplayed, made mundane. It's funny and relatable to see Hibiki and Kasumi going through their routines, treating monster extermination like a sales call for a small business. But then the teen drama is made mythic by its dominance of screentime, with Asumu's anxiety feeling as apocalyptic as any giant crab attack. This is a show that makes the heroic stuff look boring, and the boring stuff look heroic. Just a fantastic idea.

The Asumu plot, on its own, is nicely open-ended. After a brief (episode-highlight) meeting with Hibiki, Asumu feels confident in his upcoming exams. Except he's not. He's completely terrified that he's not good enough, that he's stupidly put all of his eggs in one basket, that he's going to embarrass himself, that he has no other options.

It's a plot that's bubbling under the whole time, likely to explode in the next episode. Asumu seems frantic to tell someone, anyone, that he feels underwater, but the words never come out. It's like he's taking the wrong lessons from Hibiki. He sees an upbeat, successful loner who preaches self-confidence, and decides that that's all he needs to do to succeed. Just believe in yourself, and you'll win! But that's not nearly the whole story to Hibiki. He's had years of training, and a support system that keeps him in strategies and disc animals. Hibiki succeeds because of all of the people that he can depend on, not because he can breathe purple flames. (Not to discount the purple flames! Actually a pretty big factor in Hibiki's successes!) But the interactions that Asumu's had with Hibiki keep him from understanding how much of a loner Hibiki isn't.

I mean, even Hibiki isn't clear on how much he needs people, so it's a fair thing for Asumu to miss. In the same way that Asumu is trying to tamp down his anxiety, and failing, Hibiki's trying to act all nonchalant about a kid he clearly sees as having the potential for greatness, and failing. Ichiro doesn't miss it for a second, but he's nice enough to (I assume) let Hibiki start to figure out on his own that he wants to take Asumu under his wing. He's trying to be respectful of Asumu, let him live his life, but these two need that mentor/apprentice relationship like crabs need to grow to the size of a studio apartment.

And, on the topic of the monster plot of the TV series where a superhero fights monsters... some good, some bad. I liked the rhythm of the search, as usual (it's that Kuuga thing of We Need To Show You Every Single Step In Detail, but padded out with great dialogue and relaxing outdoorsiness), but the fight against the Hime, come on. It's literally just some distractions by the disc animals, and then two moves by Hibiki. Come on! Give me a little bit more meat on that bone, show. The giant crab is... not my thing, but it's fine for the few seconds it's onscreen. Not really worth talking about.

(Similarly, I don't really care to talk about Zanki or Ibuki yet. It's cool that they just mentioned them, like other traveling salesmen for Team Hibiki Bar and Grill, but there's really nothing more than that to dig into. I'm excited to meet them, though! Although I assume I already did, judging by that parking lot scene with Asumu's mom!)

It's almost dumb how invested I am in Asumu's anxiety about getting into the right high school. If they'd never even had Hibiki suit up to fight a monster this episode, I don't think I'd've noticed or cared. It just feels so epic, Asumu's journey. I'm 100% in his corner.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki05b.png

You met one of them, yeah (and got another mention that Oni remind Asumu's mom of her estranged husband). These aren't the last Oni that get mentioned, too - one of the cool world-building things this show does is that there are lots of other Oni active in Japan. Some of them become regulars on the show, some aren't even seen. It really helps sell the idea that this is a large organization, though, and not just a handful of people hanging out in a restaurant (I will revisit this idea from the other direction when we get to Kiva).

I really love how well the show captures the anxiety, it's a real feature of Takatera's shows. I'll talk about this in a lot more detail after episode 29, but a few years after Hibiki Takatera got a lot of the band back together to make a new show. That series is called Daimajin Kanon and it's a spin-off of some old kaiju movies from the 60s; at the time, at least, it was the most expensive tokusatsu ever made. It featured a lot fo the crew from Kuuga and Hibiki and it's another series that really effectively depicts a normal character intersecting with a more fantastical world. That show's main theme is depression and, like Asumu's anxiety issues here, it does a great job of capturing the tone of that emotion and conveying it to the viewer (almost too great, actually, the first few episodes are kinda brutal).

It's a really neat way of doing a large-cast Kamen Rider show. Blade had some elements of this, where Kenzaki (literally had to go look up his name) wasn't the decision-maker, but everyone worked to help him succeed. Here, it's like there's a plan and eventually it trickles down to have Hibiki do his small piece. It's, again, taking what should be massive and mythic, but rendering it commonplace and bureaucratic. I love it so much.

I think my favorite aspect is how, to this point, we don't really know exactly how stressed Asumu is, or what he wants. He's obviously having a lot of internal conflict about his upcoming exams and his plans for the future, but it's all kept internal. Does he want to excel at Jounan? Would he rather follow in Hibiki's footsteps? (The first thing I want to talk about in the next episode post is the end credits.) Is he scared of failure, or second-guessing his choices? Should he be supported, or is this fate telling him to choose a different path? It's crazy open to interpretation, which makes for a fun experience in following his story.

Asumu is well, just a normal person. He obviously won't be able to do much between the supernatural fight between Hibiki and the Oni. And now you're concerned about that there aren't any big reveal or key pieces of info, unlike before?

Ah yes, would change your mind about camaderie then, with what you say about Hibiki here getting along with Asumu's family? Although Hibiki left anyway.... And yeah, their kindness being so pure means they will treat anyone equally, friends or strangers, because it's what they mean to "protect everyone", not just protecting those that are close to them. And well, for Hibiki here, birds of a feather I guess for having many similarities to Asumu at least, and that does make for getting along easier.

Trusting your instincts can be negative too, but this show portrays it being advantageous here... but it's usually not be considered as such, like instinct is usually considered as being based on heart, instead of maturely thinking.

Yo man, don't underestimate The Power Of Music, drumming means you literally smacking the monster many, many times with your weapon! It's just accompanied by music for thematic effect. And yes, that'd mean Hibiki is a musical genre series in the franchise, it's the genre when you do conversation by singing like Asumu's biking.

Oh please, I mean it. The entire series was based on Onigeki Hibiki, a story by Shotaro Ishinomori. Instead of deciding to adapt said story into a Kamen Rider series, Toei had created a new Kamen Rider series... and also, this series got retooled due to business and toy viewpoint. It truly is meant to be a radical departure from the standard Rider formula in order to shake up things in response to the declining ratings and sales of the franchise, and well, it really wasn't supposed to be a Kamen Rider at first.

Well, I said I’d be here when there was a debut and I am a man of my word.

I was rewatching this episode yesterday to find out how to refer to a character without spoiling later developments and I discovered this as the first thing of note. An Easter egg for the first series where Taketera was the main producer (for those who are wondering it was Gekisou Sentai Carranger. It’s supposedly a popular series, but most of the opinions I’ve seen of it are negative. As is mine. But that’s not the point)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjBQ2-JX...jpg&name=large

And then there’s the guy on the bike. I won’t say who he is, just that he has a real name and that he’s been added to the credits. He’s played by Jyoji Shibue, who had recently come off a year as the male lead in the live-action Sailor Moon (the one that had Scissors Undead from the last season as one of the villains)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjBQ3QxX0AQGRW1?format=

And in addition to Zanki (which is shorthand for ZANgeKi no onI, literally Slashing Demon), we also have a name drop for the guy who Hibiki talks to over the phone with about him. That doesn’t just happen.

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And finally, I’ll mention that Shibue has been fairly active in Kamen Rider video games the last few years. The only reason he’s not in Zi-O is that Super Sentai poached him to guest star as, fittingly enough, a Hibiki-esque character.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20190224195938

This would be a good opportunity to give some details on the different types of Makamou and the corresponding Oni equipped to exterminate them. The Bakegani introduced in this episode is a sea type, unlike the Tsuchigumo and Yamabiko which are land types.

Percussion Oni handle land types, Wind Oni handle sky types and String Oni handle sea types. However, with a good strategy, any Oni can substitute.

Zanki's injury meant Hibiki had to be dispatched instead and as you saw, he didn't really have a good plan to counter the corrosive slime which resulted in his first onscreen defeat. He lost cause he was unprepared. This is a parallel to Shounen feeling unprepared for his entry exams. It's like Hibiki's battles are a dramatization of Shounen's normal human problems.

No? It doesn't really matter to me, because the small-scale drama is more interesting than the monster fighting.

It's a guy who turns into a superhero to defeat monsters, with a heavy emphasis on human connections and allegorical struggles for growing up. It's a Kamen Rider show. I get that it wasn't originally planned to be, but it definitely is now.

Like, if I start making a pizza, and halfway through I make a calzone out of the same ingredients, is it always and forever a pizza? Is it a calzone in name only? Or did I make enough of a conscious decision to change it so that it could be considered a different thing now?

Thanks! And it's good to hear that Hibiki's been kicking around some aspect of the franchise!

Yeah, that's something the really helps tie the series together at this point, how the Hibiki and Asumu plots rhyme a bit. They don't beat you over the head with it (ironic, considering Hibiki's fighting style), it's just there in the background. It's good writing.

I don't have a whole lot to contribute about episode 5, especially since Sh Ranger mentioned how nicely the A/B plots parallel one another; but being the trivia hound that I am, I was watching an interview with Shigeki Hosokawa (Hibiki's actor) from the show's DVD releases, and he called attention to something about the first two episodes I thought would be fun to share:

Yakushima is famous for raining like crazy. It was almost pure luck they got to shoot in the weather they did, and knowing this in addition to everything else about those episodes, I'm starting to think the hypothetical version of Takatera I wrote in my first post here wasn't nearly as crazy as the real deal is. Like he seriously dragged the whole crew out to this island just because it looks pretty.

Well, previously he goes to the mountain for the memorial, but he's likely considered "pure of heart" and something surreal about that and Hibiki just can't be... left alone? But don't expect for the bolded one. Asumu And man, just judging this one by "not really a funny plotline"? Geez... Other than that, I don't really know about community's general consensus of Asumu, other than what you said for him being easy to root for. I'm afraid of him being singled out for being so lame and generic, especially in comparison to the "alpha" Hibiki.

Same dullness as... Asumu above in school. Yeah just that. Any routine job activities are like that, and probably this one shows more of a Rider, in non-fighting part.

Ah.. didn't you say the monsters are what you seek in that series because of them not being grounded and full of insanity? In contrast to, what stated, this one taking place in the real world, the setting and characters feel very true to life.

And... wait (dunno if you've) until you learn about Kasumi's surname, just wait, I won't tell you but that should surely get something of you. It's really on point for, what I also claim multiple times before (s̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶p̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶e̶?̶), the point of not everyone is as strong as Hibiki, with that being the reason to keep Rider and supernatural identity as secrets (so far it seems that they only stay at the mountain). And Asumu's mom is mentioned it's Adachi. And Kasumi's actually the foil to someone... probably not introduced here yet actually. Dunno why for some reason, appearence wise to me, Kasumi gives me Rina Abe vibes, and Hibiki... gives me Isaka vibes.

Not to ruin it but this is something that happened in various, probably almost all series too.

At least he didn't build an entire island just for them to film on!

It... I wasn't judging it! I was just noting that it wasn't that funny. I then said it was charming! Like, immediately afterwards! Something can be designated as "not" something without it being derogatory! I really liked this episode!

If anyone's got something negative to say about Asumu, I haven't heard it yet. Everyone here seems pretty interested in his journey.

Yeah, but that's also Asumu's name, which gets us back to the Hirose problem from Blade, so I think I'm just going to call her AsuMum. Settled!

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 6 - "BEATING SOUL"

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki06a.png

"Time and transition is a wave that will put you overboard
Where the darkness is a bed and you can sleep
'Til someone tells you that they know you and they do"

-Superchunk, "My Gap Feels Weird"

I keep forgetting to mention it, so, apropos of nothing, let me talk about how much I love the end credits.

I mean, the song alone. "Hit the beat! Keep yoooouuuurrr beat!" It's this very lovely song about a boy on a journey to being a man, and how he needs to believe in himself, how he needs to find a path and a passion and a purpose... and the whole thing is Asumu literally following the lead of Hibiki. It's so perfect a distillation of this series' strengths and themes. And to have it all be with these little pop-ins from the other cast members, the serenity of it all... I can't think of a stronger way to end an episode of this exceptionally kind and generous show.

It frames everything that happens as important not because of Hibiki's heroics, but because of Hibiki's example. Defeating a monster isn't cool, being respected by people is cool. (Defeating a monster is a little cool, objectively.) Asumu isn't awed by Hibiki as an Oni, he's awed by Hibiki as a strong, confident man that is surrounded by people who care about him. These lessons that Asumu's learning, it isn't making him a Kamen Rider, it's making him a man.

It's another unique thing the series does. It's taking the subtext of every single Kamen Rider show, and making it text. Like, every Kamen Rider series is trying to instill lessons to the children watching at home. (And the impressionable adults talking about Kamen Rider on the internet.) It's trying to teach them empathy, confidence, integrity, determination, compassion, and how to throw a belt and cell phone to someone who is about to be mauled by a monster. (That one doesn't get called on a lot in adulthood, but it's a good skill to know you've got.) It usually couches those things in allegory, where a superhero has to demonstrate some life lesson to find a way to defeat a monster. OOO needs to believe in himself. Snipe needs to have integrity. Garren needs to acknowledge the existence and interior life of someone other than himself. It's always some weirdly flawed adult who has to show a kind of growth that a child can apply to their own lives.

(Real quick: I love those characters. I love those shows. It's not a bad way to tell a story that way, but it is a typical way.)

What Hibiki does is say, Look. If we need to have a Kamen Rider show kids how to become responsible adults, let's just make a series about a Kamen Rider showing a kid how to become a responsible adult. That's it, that's the mission statement. As a result, we don't need to have Hibiki falling apart emotionally or acting childishly. We can have Asumu get freaked out by a challenge he feels unprepared for, let him feel unprepared, let him look for an escape, and then just have Hibiki say What Do You Think "Pretty Well-Trained" Means? It doesn't have to be a grown man figuring out that success doesn't come easy. It can be a grown man saying to a child I Am Only Successful Because I Worked Hard At It.

I like that approach. I like that this is a show where Hibiki isn't variously competent/mature, as the plot demands. Asumu's the one who gets to freak out, worry, be needy, make bad decisions, because he's a kid. Hibiki gets to be a weird adult, but he's still someone who I'm not afraid to leave on his own. (Tachibana!)

This was a solid episode, made up of a bunch of very cute scenes (all of the stuff with Ibuki getting dissed by Ichiro because Ibuki's hot for Kasumi, all of the stuff with Ibuki just assuming Asumu is Hibiki's apprentice, all of the stuff with Ibuki) that are laser-focused on creating a space for Asumu to, even if he doesn't feel confident in his chances on the exam, he can feel confident in trying to feel confident. He can keep studying because he sees from Hibiki that getting knocked down isn't the end, and that proper training can give you the confidence to face insurmountable odds. Success isn't guaranteed, but neither is failure.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki06b.png

Hmm... there's a talk I had about the setting places (and you haven't seen every phase 1 yet to judge it's all restaurant, also Kotaro's household in Blade isn't one) the Riders have. Where there are some people who appeals to the settings in Phase 1, where it's just some small apartment compared to Phase 2 where it's large HQs, because of it being sort of homely how the characters just lived together, gives the feeling that these are still just regular people.

And unfortunately people can be turned off from Phase 1 merely just by bad CGI, ignoring anything else that is on the show. But actually Kamen Rider's CGI is equally poor in each era, like seen in Ghost and Build's opening, for those giant stuffs. Though still, don't underestimate Drum Solo, it's smacking monsters over and over with battering weapon! I'm a bit confused here, you say everything else is great... but wouldn't care if the whole show was just Asumu worrying about his future?

Well, actually it is. Even if Hibiki is the hero of the series, Asumu is the main protagonist of the series, as I said in the episode 1 part. And if you wanted it in Asumu's perceptive, prepare... for later.

They even pay 300 yen to temporarily hide from him! How about trying to use your bikes?

Hibiki's ferry save isn't only saving, but also showing his well-trained abilities to perform impossible acrobatics like that. This one's just an old man rushing to shield a child. And in this episode he was refered as boss by Hibiki at the end part of the episode. Though apparently he's no slouch to advice Asumu and his friend to train more while chasing him...

Oh yeah fair enough, the way the charming is worded feels like just compensation to me here..

I mean, I'm thinking about Phase 2 shows, and it's:

Home office
Restaurant
Space clubhouse
A living room, basically (technically a showroom, but come on)
Non-space clubhouse
Legit office
A supervillain's underground lair, basically, but by accident
Legit office
Restaurant/A supervillain's underground lair, basically, but on purpose

And I haven't watched Zi-O yet. There are a few more "official" spaces that characters congregate, but most of them are very casual, home-y spaces. They don't feel more impersonal to me than Phase 1 settings have been.

(Also, I'm just teasing about these shows all being in restaurants. It's 60% so far, which isn't that crazy.)

I just meant that the teen drama stuff is so strong that it could be its own show. The things from the Hibiki storyline I'm the most interested in are the things that connect back to Asumu, so I'm folding that into what I like about the teen drama. The parts I could live without are anything that isn't connected to Asumu's story.

I actually meant this literally. Like, don't ever show me a Hibiki scene if Asumu's not in it. I only want to experience that world through his eyes.

They got flustered! They're not well-trained!

Okay, so first and foremost: Asumu is incredibly lucky that he doesn't get his bike stolen, given how often he just leaves it lying around to go off with someone from Takeshi. That's two episodes in a row now.

We get a lot more Ibuki in this episode - not a proper fight yet, but he's officially part of the cast now (I don't think that's saying too much, given he's pulled a Mutsuki and been in both the opening and closing credits since day one). I can't say that he's my favorite character on the show, but I do like him a lot as the secondary Oni. A big part of that is because of his personality. After several seasons in a row of antagonism between the main and secondary Riders, we have a show where the two are friends who just get along with each other. That's one of the things that I find so refreshing about Hibiki: everyone gets along and the show isn't driven primarily by interpersonal conflict. It's a nice change of pace.

We just need an episode where a Makamou steals all of the disc animals from Hibiki, so Asumu can learn the importance of looking after your things.

I like that introduction of the secondary is just... him pitching in for a minute? He doesn't volunteer to help fight, or loudly declare that he's going to solve this problem. He just drops off a new drum for Hibiki, and then splits. It's so... quaint? It's that constant downplaying of the superheroism again, where no one's that afraid for Hibiki's safety, or that he won't get the job done. (Although, man, Zanki got hospitalized, right? Maybe they could be a little more concerned about the outcome of this conflict?) This episode spends more time on Ibuki trying to win over Kasumi, and Ibuki getting dissed by Ichiro for trying to win over Kasumi, than it does with Ibuki being another Rider. It's the most light-hearted choice they could make to introduce him, so I can see why they did it that way.

I’ll mention here that when I watched the series, Ibuki barely registered on my radar, even after I got hooked by the second half. But apparently, according to the wiki, he has the second clearest arc out of the non-Asumu characters. I’ll just see how much he registers on your radar after this episode.

Hey, please don’t link to random people to mock them because you think they prove your judgements right. Thanks.

I think Ibuki is sort of my stealth favorite Hibiki character? He's not someone that I get particularly fired up about, but I just kinda feel happy when he's onscreen. Switchblade put it pretty well. I think the show knew what it was doing having his first scene be that chance encounter with Asumu's mom, too. That sort of feeling of "I met the nicest young man the other day. And so handsome too!" is pretty much the absolute core of his character. He's just a real swell dude.

I think that's why this show works. There are usually two kinds of protagonist; those you can relate to and those you can idolize. But this show has both and through their interactions, it feels like Hibiki is personally delivering the moral to viewers using Shounen as our perspective. It's the same thing I praise Lupinranger VS Patranger for with the two Red Rangers and the moral that conflict isn't always black and white. Shounen idolizes Hibiki as this really cool guy and feels inadequate by comparison but that's only due to Hibiki being older and more experienced while Shounen is just trying to live too fast.

Hibiki moving past his failure and defeating the Bakegani is the start of their mentor and pupil dynamic which will be instrumental (haha) in Shounen's development to accomplishing his internal goal, by seeing how Hibiki and the Oni react to adversity and what it really means to be a man.

Considering Shounen's reaction to his classmate calling him a "man among men", I think you're right. It just happens that Hibiki is the most macho guy he knows recently and that results in an association between man and Oni. He thinks the best way to be a man is to be an Oni. In reality, you need to be a man, you need to train, to be an Oni, not the other way around.

Shounen Yo is my favorite ending theme of the Heisei Era, not that there's much choice. I complain about the lack of ending theme in Lupinranger VS Patranger so I'm glad Saber's compensating me for that. Going back to Hibiki, it's interesting how the emotion changes depending on the setting. Sometimes the other characters are happy and having fun and then it's more melancholy with them sitting idly looking glum. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be relevant to the tone of the episode or something else. What's your take?

Sometimes, Ibuki feels more like the Primary Rider than Hibiki, but only when he's in focus. At 19 years old, a more conventional protagonist age, he's the youngest active Oni in the Kanto region, he has a bike, he's more willing to embrace his role as a mentor and has my favorite fight scene and arc in the show which I look forward to mentioning later.

EDIT: 200th post, yay!

We'll see! I like him already, though. He's forthright, which is a good kind of person to be on this show.

The way he just gives Asumu a lift over to see Hibiki, it's such a nice thing to do. He sees that this kid is worried about Hibiki, so why not let him see how Hibiki's doing. So simple. It's not heroically generous, it's just a nice gesture. So underplayed! So this show!

I think that's a good way of looking at it, as Asumu's impatience to be a grownup causing him to get in his own way. Music is all about pace and rhythm, right? Hibiki is here to show him how to slow down, think things through, and figure out what he wants before he tries to get it.

Having only seen three different takes so far, I'd probably attribute it more to an evolving sense of what the show is, rather than trying to loop into the episode's emotions. (I mean, there hasn't been an episode yet that I'd call melancholy, so I don't think that's it!) The first couple are sort-of contemplative, mysterious. The newer one is more celebratory, warm. The newer one just feels like this show.

If this were any other show, Hibiki would've been killed in this one and Ibuki would take over as the primary Kamen Rider.

Congrats!

The supernatural thing is only the means to mentor Asumu through, developing him as a mentor can be done in various ways of giving an example, it's just that for toku, it happens to be a supernatural fight.

The "boring stuff" Asumu part is worth praising, but I don't think heroic is the right word for it. It's investing, but it's nothing heroic, it's only about you vs yourself. And for here, Kasumi refers to potential new important stuff yeah, in Ibuki and Zanki, and they aren't only throwaway names used to set up the horrors of their job! And as you see here, "Tachibana"(-san) is already mentioned here... it's Kasumi's surname!

Asumu's problem is about exams, potentially incapability to absorb it all enough to let him graduate, something common. And yeah, sadly, he's frantic about that, because all others can do so far is just encourage him or force him to do better (with some 'threatening' words that he'd be in bad position). It's easier said than done, and if his capability is still not enough, it's not too different from not talking to others and not being told anything. And... Hibiki has other people he can depend on, because there are no restrictions in his job! You can work together with Kasumi, converse with boss, increase your partners, etc! What Asumu did is an exam with tons of restrictions! You must work with only everything you learned, obviously no cheating/working together with others, at strict time limit!

Hibiki tries to be a role model, previously, and more conversed with Kasumi here. Hibiki tries to look perfect in front ot Asumu to inspire him, but probably, that one's setting up too high expectations for Asumu to fulfill, your capabilities can only take you so far, especially if you aren't as professional as Hibiki is. If Hibiki shows it clearly that he, also, has a weakness like needing people there that Asumu miss... how would that affect Asumu that, flaw and limited capability is inevitable.

Just because you don't really get it for Kuuga doesn't mean this one's definitive great dialogue one. The ones that like it find the character interactions, development, and teamwork fascinating for Kuuga. And...the giant crab is missing some thing. He has to flip it over and attack its weak point for massive damage!
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/..._michaleon.jpg

It'd just mean it's a toku genre show then...

No, but, like, it is heroic? That's what Hibiki is excelling at. It's taking these little mundane problems and making them expansive, mythic. Asumu Versus Studying is one of the best fights this show has done.

But it's exactly the same for Hibiki: he can do all that prep with all of these people, but it's just him against a giant crab at the end. (The time limit is probably implied, what with lives at stake if the crab runs into more fishermen or Oni.) Asumu can cram with his friends, get advice from teachers, but at the end it's just him taking the exam. They worked pretty hard to make Hibiki's situation mirror Asumu's!

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 7 - "EXHALING ONI"

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"I take it back, I was never alone
My censored thoughts, mild and monotone
I took a train to Berlin today
When I called last night you felt so far away"

-Waxahatchee, "Sparks Fly"

I liked this episode! It's hard to talk about!

This one felt very very much like the first half of a two-parter. I mean, all of these stories so far have been, but this was very... unfinished. It's asking a lot of questions, but not really doing much in the way of answers, so I don't have much to dig into.

On the one hand, it's sort-of unfair to criticize a two-part story for not delivering enough content in the first part. It's something that'll be rectified by the end of the next episode, so why sweat it? But, on the other hand, the unit of entertainment being produced is the episode, not the story, so I think it's fair game to point out when the episode is maybe a little thin.

Like, this thing is not without its pleasures. It's fun to see Asumu succeed in his exams, even if I'm not sure this was a show that was going to see this kid study hard and fail to get into Jounan. Not really in the cards. But! It's delightful to see him cheered on and congratulated by his friends, by AsuMum, by AsuMum's coworkers (who I briefly felt a pang of Oh Man Uber Put Them All Out Of A Job about), and by Kasumi and Hinaka. It's really fun to see so many smiles.

The conversation Asumu has with Hinaka is very cute, with her both encouraging him to reach for the dream of being like Hibiki, while also chiding him for assuming that just anyone could be like Hibiki. It's a very confusing bit of guidance, which is a nice alternative to the regularly helpful kind that Hibiki might dole out. Not... not 100% sure if she's cheering him on or warning him off! Still, she tells Asumu how to get to the mountain Hibiki's training on, and this is the point where I really liked the episode but can just vaguely gesture at it while saying Just Watch The Episode I Guess.

So much of the Asumu/Hibiki stuff in this one is Hibiki training and Asumu trying to reach him, and... I mean, this is what I'm referring to when I struggle to talk about this first part of the story. It is literally just Hibiki training and Asumu trying to reach him. It's shot well! It's fun to watch! It is a very surface pleasure! It feels like one scene stretched over an episode. It's important to keep them apart, but it leaves the episode feeling like it's killing time, in a way. It's never boring! But it feels a little thin.

The big deal in this one isn't even about Asumu or Hibiki, though. It's the debut of Ibuki as an Oni, and the debut of his assistant, Akira.

Akira's a big ol' question mark at this point, which is one more thing about this episode that's tough to address. We don't really know her deal yet, other than that she's also going to be attending Jounan (what a lucky break for the conservation of cast!), and that she's already more of a hero than Asumu.

There's really only the one Akira scene to talk about, and it's a great one. A pregnant woman gets on a train, and there are no empty seats, so she stands. Asumu wonders if he should give up his seat, but he looks around to see if anyone else will first. No one gets up. He frets about whether he should say something, whether he should get up, and the seconds keep ticking away. Meanwhile, Akira gets up and gives the woman her seat. Problem solved.

It's Asumu's recurring problem, isn't it? It's his hesitation on the ferry, his hesitation in front of the bookstore. He couldn't risk his physical safety then, and he couldn't risk being noticed by others now. But Akira sees what needs doing, and takes care of it.

It seems like that's the parallel we're getting at in this story. Rather than Asumu reflecting Hibiki, we've got the Asumu/Hibiki relationship reflecting the Akira/Ibuki one. Feels like that's what a lot of the next episode is going to be about.

And, hey, Ibuki! Love that suit. Love it. I think I prefer it to Hibiki's? I'm a fan of the pipes coming around the shoulders and torso, and up into the collar. I love his Trumpet Gun or whatever. I like his jazzy Henshin music. He's a fun looking character, and I like the differences between his fighting style (ranged, quick) and Hibiki's (close, powerful). It's real interesting the way the musical styles and instruments get spun out into approaches to combat. Can't wait to see more of Ibuki in action!

Anyway, yeah, I liked this episode. Not one that's going to stick real hard in the memory, but a really pleasant twenty-odd minutes of storytelling. Worked for me!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki07b.png

Ibuki's got a nice suit, yeah. It's probably my least favorite of the main ones, though? It's nice, but I really like the iridescent element that Ibuki's black suit lacks. It's still a damn good suit, but I like the others more. The pipes and mask are very stylish, though. I also love the hell out of the trumpet gun. It is objectively silly, but it also works beautifully within the logic of how the show's finishing attacks work. I'm also a big fan of the henshin whistle.

Akira is a character I'll wait and talk about more after the next episode. Like the rest of the show's cast, though, I'm definitely a big fan. I love that they went with a female character as Ibuki's apprentice instead of the "boys only" club that most Rider shows - especially in this era - go with.

One other thing that debuted in this episode: we got our first significant re-arrangement of the opening theme, adding in more horns to denote the debut of Ibuki. This is something that the show will do for the rest of the real run and you'll hear a lot of different versions of the opening. It's another one of those cool little touches that makes Hibiki so unique.

Oh, I didn't notice that! How cool! I'll have to remember to listen closely to it in the next episode. Thanks for the heads-up!

Oh yeah I loved that part of the show. The OP changing instrument depending on the episode. It keeps things fresh y'know and it this type of meticulous that remind that the first half of the show was produced by Taketera. For the record I loved how in Kuuga we got a timestamp and a locatian for every scene.

It's so weird, because that type of seemingly-unnecessary specificity bugged the shit out of me in Kuuga, but I find the attention to detail in Hibiki relaxing and charming. I feel like it's because that meticulousness in Kuuga was mostly in service to increasing the tension, while here it's to create mindfulness, tranquility.

Like, this is an episode where one of the main characters spends half of it on a train, and then oversleeps and misses his stop. That's the dilemma. And I love it. I love the goddamn brass (section) balls of making that a/the major story for the episode. It's what I talk about when I say that I don't need a monster fight to enjoy an episode of Hibiki. What monster fight could replace the feeling of some kid travelling to tell a friend some good news?

Bit of something that’s lost in translation. The title of this episode, written in romanised form is “Ibuku no Oni”, which kind of subtly tells you what the new Rider’s name is shorthand for. (Like how I pointed out Zanki is short for Zangeki no Oni).

And Akira. I don’t have a lot to say about her in the first half. She’s there and she’s basically a female Asumu who’s a little further along in the “get an older man to show me his tricks” goal in life. I have a more positive opinion of her once the second half of the show rolls around.

And Asumu getting into a high school? Is it sad that this is the most exciting thing that’s happened in 7 episodes of a 48 episode show? That’s over an eight of the total plot. There’s a reason I’m not keen on the first half of this series.

Okay, I figured out why I like Ibuki. It's because I like Toshihiko Sahashi.

He's just this really amazing composer I've gushed about on several occasions – usually to point out how great he is at varying up his style – which is certainly evident with Hibiki. He naturally went with a heavy emphasis on percussion for the most part, but like any good Rider soundtrack, each Rider has a distinct motif, which is pretty easy to do when they're also themed directly around musical instruments.

For Ibuki, that means wind instruments, and that's right in Sahashi's wheelhouse. Triumphant orchestral sounds and jazzy tunes are what he excels at more than anything. It's what he does on Sentai, and when his first collaboration with Takatera resulted in tracks like this, is it any wonder he kept getting asked back nearly every time Takatera was making a show after that? Is it any wonder that Takatera specifically requested he do the composition for the theme songs too despite Rider keeping those roles separate all throughout Agito-Blade? Is it any surprise Kagayaki then turned out to be not only a great jam, but one with countless arrangements (we're already up to four) just for the sake of better matching each episode?

I'll say it again: only Toshihiko Sahashi could've scored the Rider show about music.

Oh, and only Ishida could've done the direction for this episode, by the way. I forgot to look at the credits while watching this one, and then immediately had my suspicions the moment we got another overly elaborate musical sequence to open an episode.

Yeah, boy, I'm really liking it, but I'm not sure it was a smart way to make a Kamen Rider show. It's nearly monotonous in the way it's celebrating simplicity, and while I find that very soothing and compelling... probably not going to sell a lot of disc animals off of that approach! I don't know that you get to keep your job making a toy-supported superhero action program if your work can be most glowingly described as "soothing"!

Wow! Thanks for the insight!

This show really does an amazing job of... not keying different characters to different instruments exactly, but by looking at what a character is doing emotionally and narratively within an episode relative to the other characters, and figuring out how to express that musically. Ibuki's Henshin has more brass in it, sure, but even the composition is a little more loose, a little more showy. Or Ibuki's motorcycle scene is more full-throated and exciting, while Hibiki's training is more rhythmic and measured.

This is a show that spends as much time thinking about how they're communicating character and tone through music as they do through dialogue or visuals.

There's a long take of Hibiki and the temple cook (?) talking about what she's making for dinner that is so extra that he might as well have signed it.

Oof... what if people (not talking Asumu) respect Hibiki because of the cool stunts he done (and.. including in human form)?? Other kind of ordinary heroic acts probably won't receive similarly awestruck reaction from people, such as donating.

Ah yes there, like what I said at Blade trade, OOO is morally perfect, but doesn't mean he's a flawless character. Flaws aren't only toxic traits, which the other 2 you mentioned had (Snipe, Garren). People need to realize that, on character types like OOO. As Kamen Rider, typically the leads, are showcasing heroic acts, like said at Ryuki for ep. 27 discussion, being heroic isn't about merely beating monsters (and the misunderstanding of heroes are people who beat up bad guys, and the bad guys are bad because the heroes beat them up). Otherwise, these life lessons are ironically shown in a killing way, to monsters, when typically killing is considered bad even to bad guys. Some ways to diminish this was making the monsters non-sentient but...violence is not a heroic trait, though there are some series where fighting and killing monsters do weigh on them like Yusuke on Kuuga.

*Intended to be different show but Kamen Rider name being put for commercial purposes
Hibiki is surely the mentor archetype in this series, the character that is better skilled and more experienced than their student and they're passing those traits on to the student. Their role is to introduce a new skill or sharpen the current skills of their student. T̶h̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶k̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶r̶a̶c̶t̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶o̶c̶c̶a̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶k̶i̶l̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶v̶a̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶m̶e̶d̶i̶a̶s̶.̶ But with Hibiki never falling apart, he can set the bar for becoming responsible a bit too high, it can potentially make those under his wing end up with inferiority complexes and/or serious envy when they can't measure up.

Yeah, Kasumi Tachibana :p

Uh no, no offense but don't throw those terms randomly. Hibiki is heroic because his actions benefit the people around him; like saving them from Makamou. What is the benefit Asumu's actions for people? It's his personal struggle to overcome. It's a journey yeah, but heroic isn't the word to describe it; heroic is doing actions that benefit the society around you. Asumu's is protagonistic tale, but as said in Faiz thread, role =/= alignment, protagonist just means main character, the viewpoint, which Asumu is.

I mean, they could, but that's not what I'm seeing in the end credits. That's a dude who is admired and respected for his innate goodness.

That's true, but I think his demeanor is so charming and self-effacing (he's clearly making a joke of how much he got hurt by that giant crab) that he doesn't create unrealistic expectations of competence in Asumu. Like, the whole point Hibiki makes is that he's not supernaturally great, he just worked really really hard. Working really hard is something that's well within Asumu's grasp, which is what's so motivating to him at the end.

Hibiki's presented as extremely cool, but that I'm Pretty Well-Trained catchphrase frames his actions as attainable with hard work. I think that's important!

Agree to disagree, I guess. I think Asumu's struggles, and the way he overcomes them, are heroic. It's everyday heroism, when we find some inner strength to be a better version of ourselves, to live up to the hopes of ourselves and others.

And, not to get ahead, but 7 is all about how something as personal as Asumu getting into his choice of high school makes so many people happy, and has an impact beyond Asumu's life. We All Succeed Or Fail Together is a pretty common theme in Kamen Rider stories.

Finally catching up!

Well that sums it up, Asumu finally suceeding to get into Sakurako's place, and also together with his friends. It's likely feels like, revelation to Asumu that Hibiki trains to become an Oni (ah yes, the intended term for the fighters here is Oni, not Kamen Rider), but obviously, to become well-trained like that is not easy. "not sure"? This is something that happens a lot if trying to apply for something, if they're good then encouraging, but obviously they should warn you about the hardness of something you try to chase, lest you aren't prepared, it's better that way. I mean, here we see more how Hibiki trains, like walking on hands, or just drumming hard. I̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶i̶g̶h̶ ̶l̶e̶v̶e̶l̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶Y̶u̶s̶u̶k̶e̶'̶s̶.

Hm yeah, giving seat to a pregnant woman is obeying the rule in the train that give priority to pregnant woman first. Yeah probably, Asumu has hesitation problems... and not talking about Asumu, unfortunately, back to character flaws, this can unfairly irritate viewers (despite that they want flawed characters), they want a character that makes decisions and takes action, even if it's the wrong action. These kind are less likely to take decisive action and are more likely to be pulled along by the current of events, which doesn't make for a compelling character to them.

It's real interesting for musical styles to be utilized like that, so that's why don't underestimate musical stuff like Hibiki with the drums. "Anything can be a weapon, if the man or woman who holds it has the nerve and will to make it so." — Robert Jordan. It's about creativity, how you can gain advantage, using any resources you have. Hibiki's drumming equals smacking the opponent endless times with hard club. You aren't thinking far if you think, only things made as weapons can be used for combat like swords, etc.

Hmm.. fair enough. I do want for you to elaborate more, and I guess "live up to the hopes of others" can count, though the real impact of it still awaits, this one's still the first step.

Oh boy, are we going to argue about that. :lol

Sure, that's true. I think there's value in telling stories about people failing despite their best efforts, but that's not this show. (It would be Kamen Rider Blade, as a matter of fact!) This show is one where the only thing keeping Asumu from achieving his goal was being too scared to apply himself. I was never really expecting him to not get into Jounan. Could've made for a fun twist if he hadn't though.

A Hibiki/Godai Taiko/Stomp team-up is definitely a missed opportunity. At least we can dream of it!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/hibiki/ibukiftw.gif

KILLING ME.

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 8 - "HOWLING WIND"

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki08a.png

"I don't want to sound trite but you were perfect
The way you look could seriously make nature dysmorphic
I wish that you would kiss me 'til the point of paralysis
The way I flail my arms in front of you, it just embarrasses"

-Los Campesinos!, "Heart Swells/Pacific Daylight Time"

I mean, if you're going to do a story about growing up, you're going to have to do a story about young love, right?

And, I don't know, maybe "young love" is putting too much pressure on two kids who are so very cute together. Akira's overly harsh with Asumu, he mopes for a little bit, he apologizes, she forgives him, cue Shounen Yo. It's maybe reading too much into a cute little story.

But, man, these two kids! They got chemistry! And it's all the most adorably awkward interactions, with him all bashful and her all curt. The more this show pivots into non-monster-fighting places, the more engaged I am, and this plot is no exception. The way these two actors keep facades of annoyance and shame at the forefront as clearly raging hormones are causing brand-new synapses to fire in their adolescent brains... I love it. It's, hand-to-god, my favorite thing on this show right now. Akirasumu forever.

One of my favorite things about the Akirasumu stuff in this episode is how it never disrespects Akira's viewpoint, even as it chides here for sort-of being an asshole about the situation. This is an episode about recognizing that this whole world isn't your story, and sometimes you need to take a backseat. Asamu has trudged all over a mountain because he wants to see Hibiki, worrying his mother; putting his life in jeopardy for monster reasons; putting his life in jeopardy for non-monster, being-trapped-on-a-mountain-in-the-dark reasons; and potentially distracting Akira and Ibuki when they're trying to find a monster. He's being a little selfish here.

But as Hibiki puts it, he's not trying to be selfish, which means that he doesn't need to be so down about his screw-up. Like Hibiki's doing by sitting at camp so Ibuki can go fight, Asamu needs to learn when he can do the most good by not being a drain on others. It's good to be aware of when you can support others, and it's okay to address their needs instead of your own. It's that thing on the train again, with Akira in this episode. He was so blinded by what he needed that he never thought about what he was costing others, which is what drove Akira so crazy.

It's nice that the show never really treats Akira's comments as inaccurate, letting the story be more about her losing her temper than her being cruel. Ibuki calls her out for being too forceful in her criticisms, but he never tells her that she's out of place in reprimanding Asumu. Hibiki tells Asumu not to beat himself up for a well-intentioned screw-up, but makes it clear he did screw up. I much prefer a story about two people who are trying to figure out how to talk to each other, rather than some angry person being cruel to some unfortunate soul. Here, Asumu has it coming, but Akira's still too aggressive about it.

They could learn something from Hibiki and Ibuki, who have a harmonious (word play!) partnership on lock. It's another fun subversion of the typical Kamen Rider formula, with Hibiki deferring to Ibuki's expertise (he is the one who's supposed to take out flyers) and hanging back at base camp to drink some tea. It allows for a little bit more world building, as Hibiki clarifies things that have been pretty well hinted at. (Mostly that their group is called Takeshi, there are a bunch of Oni running around Japan fighting Makamou, and a MYSTERIOUS PHOTOGRAPH.) Between that little scene and the one with Ibuki and Asumu, it's a good episode for filling in the blanks of how the Oni work. (It's a lot more helpful than Hinaka's nonsense for last episode!) There's a real egalitarian structure to the organization, where saying things like Primary or Secondary basically misses the point of an episode like this. Ibuki doesn't need to ask Hibiki's permission to go do his job, and Hibiki never feels guilty about not fighting alongside him. The best way Hibiki can support Ibuki is to stay out of his way and let him concentrate on the task at hand. It doesn't need to be about Hibiki.

And, man, not a big couple episodes for Hibiki! He's great in the small scenes he has (the way he immediately clocks the sparks between Akira and Asumu!), but this one especially is just a vehicle for Ibuki awesomeness (like a killer fight and finish that I never even touched on, typical Kamen Rider Die) and Akirasumu shippers. Pretty great on both counts!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../hibiki08b.png

Okay, fun fact time. The onis have a specific naming convention going for them.
1. All oni names consist of a word that describes their characteristic and end with the "-ki" suffix, the onyomi style of reading oni(鬼). In the case of Hibiki, it is a combination of hibiki(響き, which means echo) and the -ki suffix. Ibuki also follows the same style of naming convention.
2. If a word that ends with "-ki" is being used to describe the oni, the last syllable is ignored and omitted to avoid redundancies, which is why Hibiki is not called Hibikiki and Ibuki is not called Ibukiki.
3. If the word does not end with "-ki" no omittance is required and simply added together. An example of this is the name Zanki that was mentioned in episode 5 simply being a combination of zan(斬), which means to slash or cut down, and "-ki".

You may have noticed that Akira has a silver version of Ibuki’s whistle. So I’ll take the time to mention that another thing that separates percussion Oni like Hibiki from brass Oni like Ibuki is their choice of transformation device, with the former favouring the tuning fork and the latter going for the whistles. Behind the scenes, it saves them a lot of money on new transformation devices for everyone, which is great from a prop point-of-view. From a toy-seller’s, not so much, especially when your sister Series is doing well with variations on the same devices https://youtu.be/6ExcBuLZhRc

I guess every post I make from this point is going to end up being me realizing more things I love about Ibuki, but, uh, the whole wind shtick? It only just occurred to me how classic Kamen Rider that is, and that's on top of already having a bike and everything.

I also remember always really loving Akira and their whole dynamic together, and I'm quickly seeing why again. Ibuki and her together are characters that do a lot to inform you about the world of the show by their mere existence. It's a glimpse into what a "typical" Oni in his prime might be like that goes to prove how much of an oddball Hibiki kinda is, especially taking into account his relationship with Asumu. Ibuki does exactly what a good secondary Rider is supposed to, in that he contrasts the main Rider in both design and role in the narrative, but he goes about it in such a different way than usual, which is very much this show.

And speaking of unusual things, pretty bold of Hibiki to not have Hibiki transform at all for two episodes in a row!