[Zolda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

• Mako and Chieko are mostly just comedic.
• Sakurako mostly translated Unidentified Lifeform texts.
• Hina's strength literally also comes from muscles and power.
• Akari mostly did science, while Onari was the emotional support.
• Tsukuyomi was paranoid about Sougo betraying her.
• Sakura isn't nurturing at all.

When or where did I say or imply that KR heroines can only provide emotional support (and do other things I mentioned in my previous posts) and not do other things nor have other characteristics? When or where did I say or imply that KR heroines can only provide emotional support (and do other things I mentioned in my previous posts) to be able to be included in the "good heroine" category? Of course a heroine can also have other characteristics, not just provide emotional support for the protagonists. They would be shallow, 1 dimensional characters if they only provide emotional support for the protagonists. Of course they can be comedic, do science, have physical strength, have quirky personalities, have a conflict with the main protagonist and or other characters, etc. Of course they can do other things while still providing emotional support for the protagonists. Sakurako still provided emotional support for Godai and Ichijo. Hina still provided emotional support for Eiji and Ankh. Akari still provided emotional support for Takeru, Makoto, etc., and even to Alain who she initially distrusted. Tsukuyomi still provided emotional support for Sougo, Geiz, Woz, and was still the one who eased the tension between Sougo and Geiz. The heroines in the list above (except Sakura) still do most, if not all things KR heroines do that I mentioned in my previous posts. If anything, the examples you mentioned above actually proved my point.

A KR heroine is basically the female face of a KR series. They're the glue that maintain cohesion and bonds between team members. The heroine is the yang to the hero's yin. You can't have a yin without a yang. A yin without a yang = Failure.

I think there's a certain threshold of focus/emphasis/involvement that should be passed when writing an important character. If that threshold is not passed, then the character will feel dull, uninvolved, and unimpactful. When a supposedly important character feels dull and unimportant, your story also feels dull, and it means that you've very likely done something wrong. I've stated several times in my previous posts that making a hybrid heroine-Rider character is a possible, but a very very very difficult task to accomplish due to one character having to pass two thresholds at once: One as the heroine, and the other as the second Rider. There may be a writer that can pull it off successfully, but that skillful, shrewd writer is definitely not one of Gotchard's writers. Gotchard is trying to do two tricks at once, and fails at both.

About Sakura, well, she's also one of the failed heroines that I'm criticizing. She was actually the first instance of failed heroine in this franchise. She was average as a Rider, but failed badly as a heroine. Revice having no heroine was one of the reasons why it felt so dull. (God forbid) Geats also failed in the same aspect (and many others).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Maybe you could say they're all "bad" heroines except for Hina who happens to fit the nurturing description, but the point is that the Showa Era mould isn't necessarily applicable to modern heroines. Personally, I like the first 4 in the above list, as they still contributed to the hero's success through other means and Hina is maybe one of the best candidates to be both a heroine and a Rider.

I've only watched the original 1971 series, KR Black, and KR Black RX, so I haven't watched all of Showa KR series, but as far as I know, the main difference between Heisei and Showa heroines is that Heisei heroines are often more actively involved in the conflict and have more connections to the conflict compared than their Showa counterpart. The basic characteristics/tropes are largely similar. Their nurturing characteristic doesn't solely come from their personality, but also from their ability to maintain cohesion between the protagonists.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Officially, nobody. Does Kamen Rider Gotchard need a heroine? If emotional support is what you value in a heroine, then Houtarou already has over 100 friends he can get that from. A heroine would just be redundant here. Call Flayrose the heroine if you want, it doesn't matter. Alternatively, it's easier to think that Houtarou and Rinne are each other's heroine, since they fulfill both functions of providing and receiving.

Nobody? Seriously, nobody? If so, then I'm afraid that KR Gotchard series will also be a nobody in the anime/toku/superhero world. Very unfortunate! Well, at least the toys/merchs are selling well, haha.

If Houtarou has 100 friends, then Gentarou Kisaragi has probably had 100.000 by now. Does it mean that Gentarou doesn't need his circle of close friends in the KRC? Of course he still needs them. No matter how cheerful, outgoing, extroverted a guy is, he'll still need a circle of close friends and maybe also a girlfriend or spouse.

It's not necessarily the protagonist that needs a heroine. It's the story that needs a heroine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Agreed. It's basically gatekeeping, like, "a true Primary Rider wouldn't do this", or, "a true heroine must do this". Each year, KR shows us a new story with new characters, so of course they have to function a little differently.

How could you call what I'm doing gatekeeping, while I'm just a fan who posts weekly reviews and criticisms only in this forum? Gatekeeping can only be done by those who have enough power to control something. Gatekeeping can only be done by those at Toei/Bandai who are powerful enough to control the business and creative direction of the franchise and or the company. That's why it's called gatekeeping: Having the ability to exert power to keep people from entering the gate and to keep what's inside the gate for himself. Gatekeeping can only be done by a powerful entity, usually a government, a monopoly, an oligopoly, a multinational company, etc.

The definition of gatekeeping from several sources:
- "to control access to something, or determine the legitimacy of people?s claims to a particular status, by unilaterally imposing criteria for acceptance"
Source:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gatekeep
- "the activity of trying to control who gets particular resources, power, or opportunities, and who does not"
Source:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dic...sh/gatekeeping
- "the practice of controlling access to information, advanced levels of study, elite sections of society, etc"
Source:
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/di...sh/gatekeeping

See? Control requires power. Do I have such power to dictate my will and control the direction of this franchise? Of course not! You've grossly overestimated my ability and importance. I'm just a fan. I'm nothing but blocks of text, haha.

What I'm doing is constructive criticisms for evaluation purpose. I've said in my previous posts that changes and experimentations are fine. On the other hand, history has shown that not all changes are good, and experimentations carry the risk of failure. It's already a common knowledge in academia that experimentations far more often result in failures, not success stories. Toei/Bandai can experiment with a clear understanding of the risks involved, and if that experiment eventually ends in failure, then they should call it a failure, not a success, and evaluate it so that they don't repeat the same mistake. If the people at Toei/Bandai read my criticisms and take necessary steps to evaluate this franchise, then I'm fine with it. If they choose to disregard my criticisms, then I'm also fine with it. In the end, time will reveal everything, right?

I call a spade a spade, a knife a knife. I call a failure a failure, and I'm afraid that Gotchard fits the description of a failure. I won't be surprised if 5, 10, or 20 years later all my criticisms (about Gotchard, (God forbid) Geats, Revice, KR Outsiders, etc.) are proven to be 1000% bullshit. I'm aware of the possibility that I may have been bullshitting and lying to myself and the world. On the other hand, if reality prove 20 years later that my criticisms are correct, I also won't be surprised... at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

The show where the heroine becomes a living trophy for 2 Riders to fight over.... Hmm, not exactly what I'd call elegant. I think Mesnick would have more to say on this matter.

The trophy was not the Woman of the Beginning, but the position of the Man of the Beginning. Mai herself had won the position (and the responsibility) of the Woman of the Beginning. The Woman of the Beginning had powers similar to the Man of the Beginning's. She even had a time travel ability and tried to change the the past. If she was a trophy, then she would've lost her free will, and she wouldn't be able to do anything. But that wasn't what happened in Gaim's story, right?

That was one of the internal rules of the story. You must follow the internal rules, wherever it may lead. Gaim was inspired by several religious stories, in this case the story of Adam and Eve. Like many elements in Gaim's story that were metaphors for growing up, the story of the Man and Woman of the Beginning was obviously a metaphor for marriage. In a marriage, a wife is not a trophy, but a partner of the husband. They're equal. The Woman of the Beginning was not a trophy, but an equal partner that complemented the Man of the Beginning, just as told in the Bible that Eve was Adam's equal. As I've said above: The yang to the hero's yin.

It's not like Mai became the bearer of the Forbidden Fruit out of her volition. She could've ran away and abandon her friends. She could've cowered in fear when she was at Roshuo's place. Her conviction, resolve, and courage to stand strong for her friends and the city of Zawame were the things that impressed Roshuo. He entrusted her as the bearer of the Forbidden Fruit because he was impressed by her commitment to her friends and the city of Zawame, including to those who had betrayed her like Mitchy. She could've chosen to be consumed by fear after seeing the horrors of Helheim, but she chose not to. That's feminine/gentle strength.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Criticism is subjective.

Be careful. Some criticisms are subjective, while some are objective. If I say that all forms of criticism are merely subjective babbles without validity, objectivity, and constructive values, then it means that I'm entering a very dangerous territory where I'm committing to myself to never learn from my mistakes and the harsh truth of reality.