[Kamen Rider Lucha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

When???

It's a show about giant robots, that parodies Ultraman, Sentai and Kamen Rider in the same breath. I don't get where you're getting this arrogance from in the show. It just plays around and revels in toku silliness.

Maybe it's the budget. Even if it looks cheap, it's still the highest budgeted TV show in Japan up to that point.

Maybe it's the format. It's an hour long show, so it naturally attempts at having a more complex story.

Maybe it's the target audience. The show aired in prime time and was targeted to adult fans of the genre.

Maybe it's the reputation of the creators. Both of whom are famous for presenting "adult, gritty" takes on juvenile genres.

Maybe it's the incorporation of Asian religious iconography. Maybe its the depiction of hallucinogenic-drug-inspired psychedelia. Maybe its the intensity of the violence.

Maybe it's a combination of all of the above that makes me think it's aiming to be more sophisticated than its counterparts.

After reading through this, I'll admit -- It's certainly possible my disappointment is a question of expectations bred from the above listed elements not being met, as opposed to the show actually being bad. It's possible these elements are confusing my viewing of the show -- that these sophistication-signifiers are interfering with the creators' intent. But I'm dubious.


And maybe I watched it wrong (if such a thing is possible), but I don't see it as a parody. A parody invites you to laugh at the events depicted -- it's farcical, and it is inherently cynical. I see this show as being borne from a deep, genuine, borderline-maudlin love for the genre that is most definitely not cynical. It wants you to laugh with it, not laugh at it. I'll agree it's an homage, one that revels in silliness, but I didn't get parody at all.

And maybe that's part of the problem -- if it were a parody, I'd at least get what it was going for. The way it is, though... there's too much playing around and not enough meaning.