[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Well, Yuka's setting Kaido up here. She wants Kaido for herself, and that'll never happen as long as Mari is a possibility. She knows how Mari would react to a proposal (not well), which is why she suggests it to Kaido. It all blowing up in his face was exactly what she wanted!

Oh boy, here we go again. Yuka isn't spiteful enough to sabotage Kaido's love for Mari. She just wants what's best for him. You've got it backwards. Yuka isn't trying to destroy Kaido/Mari, she's trying too hard to make it happen. She's projecting her own desire on to Mari to understand why such an infallible guys keeps getting rejected and concludes that the only thing better than being his girlfriend is being his wife. From her perspective, she would agree to marry Kaido if he proposed to her, so Mari should agree as well. It doesn't work since it's too much escalation and she fails to consider that maybe her idolization of Kaido isn't universally shared by all girls.

Yuka's suggestion may have damaged Kaido's chance but she didn't do it intentionally! That's why she was watching from behind the wall, waiting for Mari to finally reciprocate his love and annoyed when Kaido is rejected once more. She thinks she's trying to do Mari a favor by giving her what she would want and feels that Mari is being ungrateful and doesn't realize how great Kaido is. It's the same when Mari calls him an idiot, Yuka can't see how anybody could fault him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER 555 EPISODE 25



--1--

Kusaka has some of the best facial acting of anyone in a Kamen Rider, ever. I think maybe 60% of it is those eyebrows, the ridiculous intensity they add to everything he says or does. But he really does make a meal out of every expression, finding some little tic or flared nostril or slightly curled lip to really drive home how messed-up he is.

It’s an acting choice that probably wouldn’t work on another show. There’s not much that’s small about Kusaka’s choices, you know? The character is very broad, as portrayed here. But Faiz is such an overheated show, it’s hard to say it doesn’t work. It works great for me, anyway.

His eyebrows are so expressive that the Kaixa manga caricatured them to resemble an X. I call them Kaixabrows!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

--2--

Which is good, since there’s a shit-ton of Kusaka in this episode. There’re only two plots, and Takumi and Kusaka are really the only reps for Team Faiz’s plotline. (Mari’s in one set-up scene, and Keitaro gets so into his role as a cleaner that he vacuums dirt instead of saving Kusaka.)

Normally, I’d think a story where Takumi and Kusaka would have to work together to escape from Smart Brain HQ would lead to a bunch of buddy comedy bits, insights into how they’d work together to survive, that sort of thing. Nope! It’s all weird Ryusei Cram School (“Go Meteors!”) stuff, and it’s… I mean, there ain’t a lot here.

It’s shot well, I’ll give it that. The transition from Smart Brain’s clean surfaces and fluorescent bulbs to the Ryusei School’s damp atmosphere and purple lighting takes us from a heist story to a horror story in one scene change. It’s terribly effective at heightening the tension, making survival seem unlikely. It’s very cool to watch.

It’s just, other than some cool fights, it’s way more mysterious than it needs to be. My rule of thumb for mysteries is One Answer For Every Two Questions. A worse ratio than that, you’ve lost my interest. Here, it’s all questions. Why is the Ryusei School in the basement of Smart Brain? Why is there a new belt? Why is it killing people? What does Orphan Daddy want? Why is he in the Ryusei School? Why is he screaming at Kusaka to FIGHT? Did he get Shiro’s script from Ryuki by accident? Is Kusaka going to have to keep killing Orphnochs to save Mari from a coma? Does this make Takumi Shinji, or Kitaoka? SO MANY QUESTIONS.

All of these questions will probably be relevant at the end of the series, but right here it was just too much, too fast.

Takumi said he would repay his debt to Kusaka for getting back Faiz Gear and this is how he does it, by saving him from Smart Brain. I also love how the secret elevator transitions from the rescue to the horror of the mysterious Ryusei School and underground dark laboratory with the failed prototype Gears and the first appearance of Mari's and Kusaka's adoptive father, the former president of Smart Brain. It's way more than they bargained for and Murakami knows they saw something they shouldn't have, sending Takuma and Saeko to pursue them as Faiz and Kaixa respectively with no apparent way for Takumi and Kusaka to defend themselves. It's definitely a major plot twist and a payoff for the ambiguous trapped miner subplot that had been otherwise irrelevant until now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

--3--

And that’s a shame, since the Kaido plotline totally delivered for me.

Kaido’s someone that has maybe the broadest range of anyone in the cast. Last episode, it was pure comedy. Him swooning over all of Yuka’s compliments, his ridiculous marriage proposal, the fact that the fake monster attack he does with Kouhai uses Thriller choreography… it’s a whole episode of him being a giant cartoon.

But then this one, it’s pure sadness. He wanted to be rid of his humanity, but he can’t do it. He doesn’t see the value in the family he’s made, but he can’t throw them away. There’s a sweet story about acceptance in this one, about Kaido concentrating on what he has rather than what he doesn’t.

It’s amazing how well the actor sells it, making Kaido’s return to the fold of Team Orphnoch feel both like the best of bad options, as well as something he’s grown to love.

Kaido's life goes in a circle. His dream was over before he was turned. He thought becoming an Orphenoch would give him new purpose but he couldn't bring himself to kill humans. He thought Faiz would give him new purpose but career was short-lived as he couldn't bring himself to kill Kiba. He thought a relationship with Mari would give him new purpose but she wouldn't reciprocate. He thought joining Lucky Clover would give him new purpose but once more, he couldn't bring himself to kill Kiba.

Kaido already has something important that he takes for granted, his friendship with Kiba and Yuka. He led Rabbit astray so when Rabbit attacks Kiba and holds Yuka captive, I think it's a great development for Kaido who previously only cared about himself to accept responsibility for his mistake and come to their aid the way they came to his. He's like Takumi in that way, a man without a dream, but he has a purpose. He didn't ask for it, he didn't want it, but it's something that belongs to him. He doesn't want to lose his friends in Team Orphenoch even if he won't admit it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

--4--

Both stories get incredibly cool fight scenes to close out the episode.

The Takumi/Kusaka vs Faiz/Kaixa fight does some fun tricks with lighting and shutter speed, making the fight appear quicker and more disorienting than normal. I liked how, despite the appearance of Orphan Daddy, the fight’s won by Takumi using what’s at hand (a killer belt) to get the belts back on our heroes. (Last episode’s fight was all about undressing, while this one has undressing and dressing! Escalation!) It’s a fun fight.

The Horsepower vs Rabbitpunch fight, it’s a decent brawl that has a great, emotional hook in the middle. The disappointment Kaido feels in Kouhai, the way he tells Kouhai that if he needs to hit someone, hit Kaido… so great. While the Rider fight is stylish and clever without having much weight behind it, the Orphnoch fight feels like it’s about something, something that matters to the characters beyond their survival.

I guess I'll be the first to mention this as well but the last piece of Kaixa Gear, the Kaixa Pointer, dramatically fell through the ceiling in to Kaixa's possession. Unlike Shot, Pointer has a unique design shaped like binoculars. Functionally, it's the same as Faiz Pointer but twice as strong!

I think they could've omitted Kaixa Shot so then he could equip Pointer in the left slot instead of the rear which looks like it would be harder to reach and easier for others to pickpocket. Notice how Faiz's rear slot is always empty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

I forgot to talk over about theme songs. I already talked about my opinions to Justifaiz early on, and I also have memorized all its lyrics (and lemme test myself here without looking at the other sources).

Hirogaru uchuu no naka can you feel
Chiisa na hoshi no hanashi wo shiyou
Tell me the truth shinjite ta mirai ga
Kurure sarou to shiteru

Kanashimi wo kurikaeshi
Boku ra wa doko e yuku no darou

(Chorus) Ima hitori hitori no mune no naka
Me wo samase the time to go
Tsuyoku aru tame ni
Mata mamoru koto to tatakau koto
Dilemma wa owaranai hashiri tsuzukete mo
The end Justifaiz the means!

Ashita no kono sora sae keep you real
Eien ja nai kamo shire nai
Over again messeeji wo okuru
Byouyomi wa hajimatta

Boku ra ni wa mada kiito
Yaru beki koto ga aru no nara

(Chorus)

Good job! I only bother to memorize the first verse of most songs. However, you know the second verse has its own lyrics for the chorus right?

My top 5 Heisei KR theme songs are:

5) Warera Omou Yueni Warera Ari
4) Justifaiz
3) NEXT LEVEL
2) Life IS Showtime
1) Be The One