Originally Posted by GrandComplete (Post 779244)

Ah the 2nd opening. I freaking love it. The instruemental and the chrous gets me every time. Combine with Akira Fuse vocals it's just fun time for me. It's a worthy replacement in my eyes and I honestly don't get why it has it's so disliked? It not like that got a idol group to do a j-pop song they had the singer from Shonen Yo and the same composer made a new song that I think fits with Hibiki overall music. As for the episode to summarize good Inoue episode but a bad Hibiki episode. On it's on it a wacky and comedic episode. But I do agree the flanderize Hinaka and Todoroki a bit too far for my liking

Originally Posted by Kurona (Post 779245)

I'm in the camp that likes both Armed and the second opening, despite everything. I've said before how I like that Armed is more like armour than a form change, and the saber does feel like a weapon that suit of armour would use -- though admittedly, this is largely due to my attachment to the movie, where said saber has a much better origin. Though, uh, it magically transforming into something way more toyetic is definitely a weakness of said movie even though I usually like that sort of thing. So I'm... fine to a degree with it, even if its in-show origin is atrocious and its placement acts as a sign of the worst things to come.

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die (Post 779247)

What about the movie-opening-style cut-away during Hibiki's finisher in this one? Personally, I loved it. I liked how it reduced the world to just Hibiki Drumming. It's the most hyped I've probably ever been for Hibiki's finisher. If they'd left the sword to a side weapon, and still kept Hibiki drumming his opponents to death, I don't think I'd be as down on Armed. It's really the way the finish doesn't make sense that bugs me, and this story corrected it!

Originally Posted by Switchblade (Post 779252)

Wow, I don’t remember these episodes at all.

I’m okay with that.

Originally Posted by Kurona (Post 779253)

You act like post-29 doesn't exist every second post -- eventually placebo's going to set in and make that reality for you :lol

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die (Post 779235)

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 34 - “LOVING BONITO”
KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 35 - “BEWILDERING ANGEL”

https://challengerscomics.com/images.../hibiki34a.png

“I spent all day trying to decide
About the things that you said last night
Did they mean nothing
Or were they filled with hidden clues”

-The Wedding Present, “Take Me!”

INOUE FOREVER.

I mean, this one’s just perfect in my eyes. The only thing I’d change is to make Todoroki’s colossally weird dinner date an entire two-part episode, but beyond that? Note. Perfect. Just an exceptionally funny and insightful couple of Hibiki episodes.

The real interesting twist on this one for me is that it’s really Hibiki who ends up learning something from all of this. Oh, sure, there’s wacky misunderstandings and relationship problems that basically every cast member has to overcome, but Hibiki’s the one who changes and grows over this story.

Like, that’s not typical? The basic configuration of the show is that Hibiki is the idealized mentor, and Asumu (or Todoroki) is the POV student. Hibiki is the one who teaches, not the one who learns. So this story putting Hibiki in the role of mystified observer, someone who can’t figure out how to help because everyone’s being way too weird, it’s a new perspective for the show to explore.

Not that Hibiki’s some sort of What Is This Emotion You Humans Call Love robot or anything. He’s been in love! Passionate love! But he’s always been able to focus on his responsibilities as an Oni first, so the concept of the rest of the cast being just wrecked by their various feelings of shame and jealousy… I like how weird that is to Hibiki? He’s just like Do Your Job and everyone else is a disaster. He’s trying to give them advice, but when that advice is basically Suck It Up… that’s not going to work.

It’s Midori (or Hitomi, I don’t know) who sweetly fixes Hibiki in this one. Hibiki’s the best non-Sabaki Oni there is, and that’s partly because of how dedicated he is to his role as an Oni. That’s what makes him great, but it’s also what makes him unique. Everyone else is a mess of interlocking neuroses, where confidence in a job gives them confidence in their personal life, which gives them confidence in their job, which gives them confidence in their personal life, and so on. Hibiki’s greatest skill is compartmentalization. (It’s definitely not cooking.) Everyone else is a giant pile of noodles on a tray.

So Hibiki figuring out that Todoroki needing to get Hinaka back is the key to getting back on track as an Oni, I thought it was sweet. I can understand if people thought it made Hibiki a little too emotionless (he comes off mildly tactless for multiple scenes), but I thought it stayed on the right side of believable. It’s a cute story.

It’s also a hilarious story, so much so that if it did have any failings as a story, I’d be more than willing to write them off. I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed so hard during a Kamen Rider story. From Todoroki’s almost-impossibly bad attempt to celebrate Hinaka’s birthday (love that 2005 fauxhawk); to the all-time great sightgag of Todoroki pulling a meter-long wooden fish box out of nowhere (a gag so nice they did it twice); to Todoroki’s clearly misplaced relief when Hinaka says that she’s Just Tired (with Kasumi rapidly shaking her head in the background); to Zanki’s awful, awful turn as Cyrano (he slinks away in failure while two random dudes are like WTF); to Todoroki listening to sad songs in his Honda Element (the exquisitely sad Moshi Moshi killed me dead); to Hibiki trying to get Todoroki to understand why a meter-long wooden fish box is maybe not what Hinaka was expecting (it takes a minute!); to the tears of joy shed by Todoroki and Hinaka over some world-class udon (pure joy for me, in that moment, I love these two weirdos); to the goddamn genius capper of Hinaka being slightly bummed at getting a ring when she wanted “something shiny”... you know, sushi.

It’s hysterical. It’s a succession of killer scenes that never let up, while still keeping things in a very A Superhero Deals With Romantic Troubles mode. There are fights, there’s a monster, Armed Hibiki shows up (ugh) with a really stunning drum solo finisher (so great)... I don’t know, man, I thought this one worked gangbusters. A+ episodes for me!

https://challengerscomics.com/images.../hibiki34b.png

Originally Posted by SHINOBI03 (Post 779261)

Oh God, Todoroki in this episode... I don't know if I still find it funny or cringe at the humor they presented.