The thing I remember most about this movie was poor Momotaros getting stuck in the past again and having to work a strenuous job to survive. That conflict was much more interesting to me than anything to do with Yuto/Airi/Sakurai, which I really didn't need a movie about after the show bored me with that subplot already.

I think that's why I was immediately into it, though: it's so different from Den-O's usual tone. (Although, crucially, not that different from the usual tone of stories about Yuuto. Those are all fairly bleak!) The previous Den-O movies all felt, to varying degrees, like they were inessential. They were just spinning out more adventures, without really having a ton to say. With this one, it carves out a place for itself tonally, and then tells a story about how to not be dragged under by memory. It reinvented itself as a property just enough to feel vital again, fo me.

Also, gosh, I don't ever want folks to feel even a bit bad for having a different take on these shows! I'm looking for conversation, not consensus.

Aw, thanks. This one was tough to write about (some from being out of practice, some from having this one hit hard narratively), so I'm glad I was able to communicate some of the movie's positive attributes, even if they weren't ones you found in it.

And, yeah, Den-O rewatch! I can't imagine you'd feel it was time wasted.

This one had Momo living on the street, so you might be thinking about a different subplot? There was a brief scene of the Imagins needing to anchor the Den-Liner, and Momo throws out his back, so maybe that's what you're thinking of?

I recall that was a part of it as well, but your memory would be more reliable than mine here, with you having just watched it. I definitely remember that Momotaros had it rough in this movie though.

Oh the 'homeless Momotaros' thing was in this?? I LOVED that! That was so fun. I couldn't quite recall which movie it was in though I was pretty sure it was in this trilogy

Oh, I know; I just didn't want it to feel like... it was coming down on you, y'know? Few things worse than expressing how much you liked something and then getting a bunch of people telling you how bad it is

It made me extremely happy to see you giving such well-stated praise to this movie for the stuff it does with Airi and Yuuto. I recall you being ~significantly~ less enthusiastic about all the wistful Time Nonsense stuff with them in the series than I am, so it's nice to see Den-O telling a story about that that finally managed to land for you. I don't think there's anything I can really add here, besides saying "yeah, I liked this one too!" Not that I even need to say that when I've made it more than clear what a huge Zeronos fan I am.

You just don't see a lot of other Rider movies willing to have a five minute scene consisting of nothing but two characters chatting over coffee, you know?

(I am very happy to have this thread to distract me from some very tedious weekly ordering with a vendor!)

Momo is pretty firmly in a Comedic Suffering role for this film, and it's really great. The entire Den-Liner crew is fairly tangential to what's really going on -- even Deneb is surplus to requirements! DENEB! -- so they're here to goof around. The quick gag of Momo becoming accidentally unhoused is terrific, if only for how relieved and grateful he is to see Ryotaro, and neither the viewer nor Ryotaro is clear on what the hell is going on. It's a really funny gag (the universe piles it on Momo this movie), but it also manages to get us some exposition for why the contract holder is obsessed with looking awesome for Airi. Smart, economical writing!

It's appreciated! I mostly don't mind if my tastes don't align with everyone else's, so as long as things stay civil? I get as much enjoyment out of reading disagreements as the alternative.

Movies like this one... god, it wouldn't bother me if everyone in the world hated it, because I still had my experience with it. It wouldn't be any less special if people thought I was a sap for enjoying it.

The coffee scene is the best scene in the movie!!!

My favorite motif in the film is how the telescope is Sakurai now, and how both Yuuto and Airi feel the weight of him/it as they try and have their little coffee date. Those guilty glances from Airi, the way Yuuto withers a bit under its perceived judgment... it's so good! It's shot and acted so well!

And then the whole metaphor of Yuuto's distaste for bitter drinks! And how that's not what Sakurai would do! And maybe someday Yuuto will drink his coffee like Sakurai! And how that's incredibly unfair to Yuuto that he should have that pressure put on him! And how trapped Yuuto is in his development! And how unfortunately culpable Airi is in maintaining that prison!

!!!!!!!!!

Best scene!

No, he didn't. Imagine can only time travel when they've completed the contract, and Kintaros never completed his. It's the entire reason he almost disappered.

ahhh the Cho Den-O trillogy in which TOEI took this franchise's still warm corpse and pissed all over it

ok red is not good but acceptable, blue's actually decent, yellow on the otherhand was almost as bad as the Cho Den-O movie

Interesting take! Honestly, Red is the first post-show piece of Den-O content that feels vital to the themes and characters of the show. I thought it did a great job of creating an epilogue to Yuuto and Airi's story. Sorry it doesn't seem to have worked for you!