[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

Fun fact: that church you see in episode 2 (the one where Kuuga does that transformation sequence) was not an actual church: it was a scratch-built set specifically made to be burnt down just for that henshin scene alone.

Oh, neat!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Man, this might end up being tricky for me. Not only am I some kind of anomaly that's never, ever been able to see things as "dated" the way other people do (look at the CG for RabbitDragon in Build's finale and tell me again how far we've come), but the pre-Decade Heisei shows aren't even something I would consider that old to begin with.

I've always thought of them as soap operas with the occasional monster fight, and if you're familiar with the kind of... let's say "rugged" production style TV soap operas have, looking at them that way might help explain a lot. It's not just pure age; they also looked slightly behind the curve even at the time. Which is probably why you seem to be under the impression a show that started in late January of 2000 is from 1999.

I don't want to be too argumentative about this, but this might be something of a hurdle for both of us.

I'm glad you're (more or less) enjoying it, either way.

I am an old man, slowly being reclaimed by the earth, and even I will say that something that happened nineteen years ago (OR TWENTY, WHO REALLY KNOWS, TIME IS RELATIVE) is not that recent. And, like, I'm not going to say that the effects on Kamen Rider have become indistinguishable from reality. Captain Ghost still exists, so, y'know, exhibit A. But there is stuff in here that looks like it belongs in a PS2 cutscene, and I while I can't ignore it, I can forgive it.

I see your point, about the soap opera approach. It shares that languid pace, the way scenes and shots go on just a little too long. I'm definitely used to a modern "more is more" aesthetic, where the editing is crisper, the stories are denser, the lights and sounds and all of it just pummels the senses. Kuuga, it's, like, quaint? It's a quaint show about a police detective who watches a motorcycle man fight monsters.