[Fish Sandwich]

Okay, got a little behind on this thead! Lemme just power through these real quick:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 11 - “ENGULFING WALLS”

*snip*

Hey, let’s talk about the brand new player in the Makamou side of things: Clockamou, the timepiece-accessorized overseer that’s skulking around and powering-up the mooks.

Clockamou is an interesting addition. The monster plots had gotten a little formulaic, so having someone besides the Douji, the Hime, and a CGI monster to contend with, I’m all for. Its appearance immediately pays dividends, turning the one-hit chumps that are barely a speedbump for Hibiki into formidable threats.

It’s something this show has badly needed. I usually don’t care that much for the Hibiki Drums A Computer Monster Into Oblivion parts of the stories, so anything that allows the people in monster costumes to get a little bit more screentime is a positive as far as I’m concerned. Just the little bit extra they get here is one of the strongest cliffhangers this show has had yet, with Hibiki getting just handled by the upgraded Douji and Hime. It’s a visceral threat that is worth a dozen semi-weightless CGI monsters. Very into these two being more formidable, and very into finding more about Clockamou’s strategies. (Or “schemes”, as the text over the scene calls out.)

I basically completely forgot about this dude's existence until seeing them again here, where I was like "oh right, that dude!" and it all started coming back to me. Having seen a couple episodes past this point already, I agree this is a character that works wonders for making the monster plots more interesting (and you can tell they're getting more focus than usual, even), but also, I find the whole black robes and silly staff a bit hard to take seriously, if I'm being honest? Or heck, really anything about their shtick is that way for me. It makes me feel a bit disconnected from the show, because it's clearly shooting for creepy, but feeding the monsters of the week sea urchins or whatever, I don't know, just not my style I guess. Weirdly negative of me, I know, but don't worry! I can turn this right around!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 12 - “SECRETS REVEALED”

*snip*

The big thing is the Makamou in this episode, which… look, I get budgets. I get the technology of the time. I get that not every monster in a series can be the best. But holy shit did the giant slug in this story look unforgivably janky. The camerawork that gets used to make it seem massive is laughably cheesy, while the puppet head has a level of sophistication approaching, but not touching, Mystery Science Theatre 3000. It’s bad. I’m sure someone out there will defend it as So Bad It’s Good, or call it “charming” for its deficiencies, but, no. No. This monster looks like garbage, and it’s shot in a way that makes it hot garbage. Ridiculously lame finale to this story’s monster plot, all the more glaring for how great everything ahead of it was.

Hi! Yes! That's me! Telling you to lay off that Nurikabe, because it is ~adorable~! How can you stand being so mean to something so cute? Look, I understand the prop snail face is a lot less impressive than the freakishly detailed ones for the previous Makamou (that only got used in like a shot each because Takatera), but it's just so endearing. I bet that little guy just wanted to head into town to say hello to everybody and make friends! Probably wasn't even evil!

To be a bit more serious, though, I honestly do find the giant monster showdowns one of the most interesting parts of the show. They just fit so much more with Hibiki's identity as a series than the more typical hero tokusatsu fare with the Douji/Hime in each story, and the effects are like... I mean, we're probably never going to come to a real understanding on this, but I'd probably like them less if they were better? I have to imagine this one was particularly rough for you; those floppy pool noodle antennae are aggressively Showa.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER HIBIKI VOLUME 13 - “CHAOTIC AFFAIRS”

*snip*

And, yeah, speaking of overworked underlings, the Deranged Douji! Pretty great! I’ve been hoping for more suit-on-suit action, and boy did this episode deliver. We got to see the Douji mutilate the Hime, destroy two other Douji and Hime, attack Danki (who looks to be wearing Ibuki’s undersuit and mask with Hibiki’s straps), and have a thrilling brawl with Ibuki. It’s, hands down, the best fight this show has had. It’s great at keeping some balance to the sides, where the Douji never feels unstoppable, and Ibuki can get the occasional shot in. If it’d been two minutes of Ibuki getting demolished, it’d’ve been not that fun to watch. Having it go a little back and forth, while still letting the Douji get most of the offense in, really helped make for a tense battle. My favorite fight yet on this show.

The thing that really blew my mind about how intense, dynamic, and atmospheric that battle with Ibuki was is that the episode was directed by Osamu Kaneda, who these days is probably best known for the dishonor of directing the first couple Super Hero Taisen films, which were... well, pretty much the exact opposite of those three adjectives. Lately I've come to think his poor reputation maybe doesn't give him enough credit for his other work, and seeing a fight scene like this in his first episode of Hibiki is all the more evidence that he at least was legitimately great when it came to the action.