[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Having said that, I think a show that rebukes its viewers can work. At least in books I saw how this technique works. But this requires a certain level of skill and at the same time frivolity, which is not observed in Geats.

I'm sure that it's not an impossible angle to work, but I myself have not experienced a story that pulls it off well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

I know a lot of people think Revice is worse, but at least that show had some novel ideas and some enjoyable moments, so it wins by miles for me.

Even if I had ended up not liking Revice in the end(I'm it's like, one fan, apparently), I'd give the win to Revice over Geats solely because atleast in Revice I was actually interested in where it was going and what it was trying to do. And that's not even getting into how much I liked most of the cast.

Like, sure, I'm the (in)famous Decade hater, but atleast that show had a character I genuinely liked in Diend. I cannot say the same for Geats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

Feeling aggravated as a Kamen Rider fan about that feels to me like you?re missing the point. You're getting irritated by the analogy itself rather then what it points at.

Even if it's "the point" that doesn't mean it makes a solid case for it nor does it justify wagging your finger at your audience constantly.

And yes, intentional or not, the show IS condescending to the very people watching it. Various scenes of characters in universe watching the exact same scenes we are, and constant dialogue like this:



Make it very clear that the show is talking about us, the actual real life viewers of Kamen Rider Geats itself.

Also, if you wanna get technical, the Desire Grand Prix is a reality TV show in-universe(Arc 2 being the most blatant about it). Not that it changes anything other than make me roll my eyes even harder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

so I can't call the show pretentious when the message is immediately proven right. I think we, the audience, need to take an L and accept that we're not perfect good human beings all the time.

Except that no, we don't. The innocent should never be held responsible for the actions of the guilty. Are there fans who send death threats and the like? Yes. But that doesn't mean that you or I or the vast majority of viewers do and as such we should not be held in contempt.

It'd be different if the show had a balanced viewpoint from the start or if it made it clear that it was talking about a vocal minority or people who were terminally online specifically, but it doesn't. It takes until the last few episodes before we get even one single line about "Oh, not everyone watches TV for suffering!" which after a year's' worth of TV comes across less like a counterpoint and more like an attempt at getting out of jail free.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Honestly, I don't think Geats' final arc was cleanly executed either, but I'm also not going to waste energy on being offended by the show's criticism of me as one of the audience, since I already know I'm flawed. I always watch these shows with a critical mind, so I'd be a hypocrite and a narcissist if I didn't at least allow them to return the favor.

There's a difference between critiquing a story and critiquing a person. Very different beasts.