[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Yeah, I know she's from Wild Force (watched bits of it when little), how tf did I make a mistake in typing Time Otherwise, if your Saber love extends to Sophia too... I wonder if that'd be the hardest thing for you ever to do to try defending her from what you think undeserved criticism/hate, as she seems to be one of the most hated characters in entire franchise with practically near-zero fans (but I guess if you'd defend Mihara from Faiz, you'd have some experience for it too).

I've had to defend her a little before, but, "one of the most hated ever"? Nah, I think that's a slight exaggeration. Out of all the Saber characters, Angela Mei's character gets a lot more (often justified) criticism in the Western fandom, despite apparently having a cult following in Japan. That's for another talk though.

Sophia definitely goes through a lot of undeserved treatment for someone who just wants to support the Swordsmen the best she can. So I'll be sure to point that out and express my sympathy when the time comes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER SABER: SWORDSMEN CHRONICLES EPISODE 1 - ?AN EPISODE OF KAMEN RIDERS SLASH AND BUSTER?

(Which? do the Sword of Logos guys not age? Both swordsmen look exactly the same as they did 15 years ago. But, Kento has aged at the same rate as his childhood friend Touma? It also makes Desast?s whole You Got Old jab at Buster seem like an even weirder insult, since Buster was his same dad-bod self when they last fought. If there?s a non-spoiler explanation that isn?t Don?t Ask Unnecessary Questions About Adult Circumstances, please let me know!)

Basically, the only difference between a Swordsman and a normal homosapien is that the former wields a Seiken Sword, while the latter doesn't. I think the weirdest part about Ogami's and Daishinji's aging though is that 20s Ogami still looks in his 30s, while 30s Daishinji still looks in his 20s. Daishinji's actor is actually younger than the actors of the core 3 Swordsmen and even a few months younger than me, but for some reason he was cast to play a 30s character. After Gai though, I think it's a little easier to suspend disbelief and I enjoy the theatrical performance of Daishinji's emotional shifts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

There?s also some legitimate original suit action, too, which I never would have expected. Buster in action is always fun, but the introduction to Slash was a real treat. I?ve always loved the Slash design, even before I knew what his deal was. (Thought he was a bad guy!) I think I called it Trapper Keeper Maximalism in some other thread a few years back, and I stand by that assessment now. It?s this hot pink and brown suit, with a blue starburst visor and a high collar. It?s roughly four different things that shouldn?t even be on the same show together, let alone the same suit, but they somehow work beautifully. It all works together to sell Candy Armor in just the dumbest, funniest way (the candy buttons on the collar!!!), and I love that the stoic, dedicated Daishinji wears gingerbread into battle. Absolute best suit to date, and I can?t wait to see it appear in the modern day.

Slash's Onjuuken Suzune is my favorite Seiken Sword, so I want to talk about that as well. While gunblades are pretty typical weapons for Riders, in a show where everybody has a unique sword, you got to have a gunblade, you know? The way Daishinji accidentally breaks Suzune for 15 years by ignoring its cries is kind of like getting a cool new video game that breaks your PC cause you didn't spec-up enough. It builds up Suzune as this really cool sword, while showing that Daishinji's job as a swordsmith shouldn't be taken for granted. Like Ogami said, the only reason why the Swordsmen can continue to fight is due to Daishinji's regular maintenance. I love Suzune's upbeat jingle as well and all the "Yay"s that would make even the Build Driver envious.