[SPLIT LIP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

I think that if the show's ending is so divisive and even interpretive, it's definitely an achievement for its creators and a milestone for the entire franchise.

I think that is both severely overstating this show and understating the franchise overall. Kamen Rider has done moral questions and allegories plenty in the past, and has many series with intelligent writing and messages. In fact those are usually messages created within the dynamics of the series itself, rather than just mirroring real life wholesale.

Even ignoring the moral implications of the ending, I find this version of Minami Kotaro quite unpleasant. He's unmotivated, lacks any personality or drive, and doesn't feel like a hero or even a human being. He's flat as a board and about as charismatic as one. He just goes through the motions, feeling like he's completely without agency. The fact that they played the original theme over him feels almost like a parody given the lyrics and tone.

The original Kotaro's optimism and hot-blooded personality were infectious. He treated every situation with the gravity it had, and was incensed by injustice and cruelty. He'd be the perfect personality type for this story, not the bland husk that we got. Again, this doesn't feel like it has anything to do with Black specifically. Kamen Rider Black was a hero of justice, Black Sun is just a prop.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndigoArms

If they're seeking out and intentionally using children, that makes it worse. Kids shouldn't be used as radical terrorists or soldiers from the get go, it makes you no different than the bad guys. The only reason shows like Gundam gets a pass is because they don't have a choice and have to use teenagers, as they're low on manpower and the only one that can pilot a Gundam effectively is a kid, but it was never treated as a good thing.

Exactly. It makes it seem like they're preying on the young and foolish, the same way Nobuhiko did, with presumably similar results. He got a bunch of teenagers killed, along with everyone they were trying to save, and only two survived. The fact that Aoi is beat-for-beat repeating Nobuhiko's actions implies she and her conscripts are doomed to a similar fate.

One thing in particular that bothered me was the idea that Kotaro taught Aoi how to fight. This is repeated both literally and figuratively, as though he somehow imparted the will and drive to stand up and take action. He didn't do anything of the sort, and I can't imagine he'd be happy knowing she went on to create a terrorist cell comprised of young children. I was half expecting that scene to end with the whole building exploding because a preteen improperly wired a fuse.