[rydera91]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurona

This is the thing, right? Because we don't live in 2002, we live in 2021. Not to say that what inspired Ryuki isn't so significant we're still seeing the vast effects on society today, but it certainly means that how we view media made at the time will be different. I do think that because of the very astute, mature mindset of turning away from just going "justice!!" and doing something that questions it instead, Ryuki is something a lot more timeless in my mind, but... certainly watching it a year and a half ago, the constant beating of Shinji's very basic ideals of being a good person didn't work quite as well for me in the current political climate, let's just say.

Justice is very complex and it's one of the reasons I love Kamen Rider, and Ryuki handles this very well. However I disagree that Shinji's basic ideals of justice are outdated in 2021. Yes Shinji comes across as shallow in his ideals of justice but by definition he is the baseline of justice. Not to get biblical, but "thou shall not kill" is one of the foundations of morality in western society, and I feel Shinji is the emodiment of basic human morality.

Especially with today's current political climate, you need that guy who will stand for morality when nobody else is seemingly doing so, against the grain of a world of people acting in their own self interest or with their own distorted view of justice. This is what Ryuki is at its core. I love reading the excerpt you quoted from the producer of the show explaining how one can think they are right because they see themselves as heroes and are just, because "I am myself, so I'm not wrong". People on both sides of the aisle will justify their actions based on their own world view, or what trendy conspiracy theory they've bought into, or when their identity is being threatened.