[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 12 - “FIRST GIG: GOLDEN SPEED”

Like, Wataru and his new career in Ikemen. (I honestly hope they keep the name. I love the idea of a four-piece band named Handsome Boys, where one member is a teenage girl and another member is a woman who works as an actual model.) His arm gets hurt in his previous battle with IXA, and he tries to keep it a secret from Kengo. That seems like it could be a big deal (Kengo smartly refuses to let Wataru’s obvious deflections slide), but then when Nago exposes Wataru’s injury, there’s no blowback from Kengo? It’s just What Other Role Can Wataru Have In The Band, it’s suggested he sing, now he’s the new singer. There’s nothing Wataru does at any point in that plot! It’s 100% other people acting on him, and he’s just, like, present for it. Even the big conclusion, him deciding to sing… it’s literally just him deciding to sing. There’s no additional strength he draws on from the lessons in this story; no personal growth that culminates in some newfound self-esteem. He’s just, like, confident as a singer now. It feels disappointingly unearned, which is sort of par for the course with this one.

I hope Wataru's "new" career as a band member can cross with, dunno, that his violin making part is a career too of his? Both are about music, and I'm pulling Nago on this, but for "humanity's full potential", I want Wataru's already existing skills to be made use for. Though Wataru being suddenly a singer does come out of nowhere, though I feel like as Wataru is shy and timid, they made him grow by him gaining confidence singing in front of people.. Kengo's reaction not shown for Wataru's injury is also not talked about which is a wasted opportunity, as Kengo was talking about how Wataru's performance were terrible before, but I really want to know his reaction for the actual reason of Wataru's failure there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Yuri’s story is another version of this, where all of her anger and self-deception (including an incredibly fun date montage with a rapidly overwhelmed and terrified Otoya) culminates in her begging Zanki - in the rain - to be IXAlso. He responds by chastising her, then getting hospitalized, which is pretty much the greatest way to get out of turning someone down for a favor.

For what I and people talk about Kiva's sexism, I feel like different here for thinking that there are may be legitimate reasons to prevent Yuri becoming IXA here. That IXA is still incomplete and it'd outright kill Yuri if she used that. And thus, Jiro, a Wolfen, is less risky to be tested of using IXA (and you're right, the name is IXA Prototype). This gives me the vibe of Faiz again, where this is a difference between humans and monsters instead; only an Orphnoch like Takumi can be Faiz, and Mari/Keitaro got rejected for that. For Kiva being labeled as sexist to women, this notion can instead be sexist to men instead, seeing men as the expendable gender, it's ok for men to be used and tested as their lives have less value. Though I agree it's legitimate complaint you have for Yuri here to not have their emotional issues to be addressed, have to say a girl being independent and capable doesn't mean they should never show affection, defy everyone, and never need any other people particularly men.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

At least she gets it better than Megumi, who never even once in this episode mentions IXA or Nago or any of it. She shows up to play bass and get used as bait, and that’s… it is not my favorite Megumi episode, you guys. There’s no more examination of her need to follow in her mother’s footsteps, which is an absence that harms her story (in that she doesn’t have one now) as well as Yuri’s (there’s really nothing about mothers and daughters in this episode). It’s like Megumi got half a story. She’s able to complain about not getting IXA, sometimes hilariously, but then it’s like she never wanted it at all. It’s a weird omission.

I guess, that's the consequence of your previous episode review, "But I don’t care about that! I don’t care about how bizarre the Fangire fights were in this one (why was it laying underneath leaves in a forest?), I don’t care about how cool the IXA/Kiva fight scene was (very cool!), I don’t care about any of it. I care about this brand-new friendship between Kengo and Wataru, how excited they both are to make art and have fun and be happy. I care so much about Wataru being in a rock band that I’m pushing the movie until after Episode 12, so I can finish off this story one day earlier. I am very into this show being permanently about Wataru playing bass!" which means Megumi is also caught up into that, being focused on her also joining the band as bassist, again, as an extension of Wataru's struggles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s an episode full of uninspired decisions like that. No one really learns anything or works hard. Fights go how you’d think, and everything pretty much works out for the people it should work out for. Usually without them really doing anything to improve their chances, but like, whatever, I guess. There’s some nice performances (I really love how Nago can be a gracious and genuine human being as long as he is in the afterglow of proving his dominance; immediately afterwards he’s setting coworkers up for monster kidnappings) and I liked the few lines of dialogue Kengo got (I cannot say enough about how excited I was for Kengo to push Wataru to be honest as a friend), but this whole episode needed at least one twist to it. As it was, there’s almost nothing here to be shocked or surprised by, and very little of the fun vibes of the previous part to make up for it.

Lol, Nago's first appearence literally shows his gracious and genuine human being side to ooze heroism and someone that Wataru can look up too. Though yeah, other trait of Nago is shown here, he's someone who really hates music and thinks that music is a waste of human potential. I guess his actual beef to Oomura before had to do with his hatred of music, and here he literally beats up Kengo for playing music. Though still, most people don't go through dramatic changes in their life all of the time.

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Originally Posted by dreamcastegirl

I remember these moments! Whilst you're a lot kinder in your summation of Ryuki, I agree these episodes were absolutely stand out points for the show!

There's really something to be said for just being able to tell these lighthearted stories. (>_>)

I've been saying this before, but not to you, but I personally think that comedy is inherently light-hearted, because for example if it's about how any toxic and crude behaviors being considered funny, as long as it's happening to someone else (and partly because you aren't affected; not putting themselves in their shoes), and those actions being justified because of being hilarious without any regards to the victims where it don't matter as much as the comedic or entertainment value in those behaviours, then that's comedic sociopathy. As Mel Brooks put it: "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die".

But even more there's also lies the deceptive power of humor, the troublesome nature of the joke content; If someone confronts a joke-teller, or speaking out against even mild forms of inappropriate behavior, there's a risk of being shamed for being over-sensitive and refusing to play along (phrases like “can’t you take a joke?!”, "you must be fun at parties"), the pressure to play along to avoiding social exclusion or ridicule as humor is also a form of social dominance. And this can send false feedback that any of those people, ranging from jerks to outright villains deeds as acceptable and they can shamelessly get away from what they did.