[Zolda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

The VIPs are human too. And unlike the Supporters don?t have any kind of transformation that could potentially give them an edge against threats to their safety (most of them have likely never been in a fight before)

They are human, but not virtual humans like Kousei or Neon. Sueru is also a human, but in the virtual world/Ace's world, he's a God (with capital G). Sueru/Ziin/VIP's/etc are humans, where Kousei or Neon are just virtual humans, aka video game characters. The Sims characters can threaten humans? Yeah, right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

No, because the show has made clear that they are from the future countless times. None of the technology they show exists or is similar to anything in the present day (Ziin said that Beroba was 350 years old, over 3 times that of the longest lived human). If the world was virtual, Sueru would?ve switched it off, not bothered with a grandiose plan to kill Geats.

They are from the future, but they're NOT visiting the real version of the past Earth by means of time-travel, nor are they visiting a parallel Earth a la Sliders or The One or other films about parallel world. What they're visiting is an imaginary, fictional, virtual, simulated version of the past Earth created by the future humanity who has enough computing power to create a simulation of the past Earth, NOT the real version of past Earth. Ace's world is basically The Sims. Sueru could model Ace's world after a completely fictional world, like the world of The Lord of the Rings, or Final Fantasy, or Dragon Ball, or Mickey Mouse, or Cybertron, etc, and it would make zero difference. If the Earth visited by Sueru/Ziin/etc is the real version of the past Earth (like the past Earth visited by Marty McFly in Back to the Future), then anything happening in the past WILL affect the future. If the DGP had destroyed the real Earth and humanity countless times in the past, then humanity would've been extinct, and the future Earth will also be greatly affected and Sueru/Ziin/etc and all humanity will never exist in the future. Just like Grandfather's Paradox in Back to the Future: If you go to the past and kill your grandfather, then your present self will be erased from existence. As I previously said, Geats is NOT a story about time-travel and Grandfather's Paradox, but a story about virtual worlds.

In episode 16 minute 22:23, Kousei said that Ace's world is a world created by Niram/DGP. In episode 23 minute 20:49, Ziin said that Ace's world is 3.5D (another one of Takahashi's fancy bullshit) world created by the future humanity as an entertainment media. It's obvious that Ace's world is just a virtual world, not the real world. The real world is Sueru/Ziin/etc's world.

Even the guide pages on TV-Asahi's website mention that Ace's world is a virtual world. These are pages about the helmets of various Riders that use Vision Drivers and Zillion Driver:
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/geats/rider/glare/face.html
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/geats/rider/glare2/face.html
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/geats/rider/gazer/face.html
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/geats/rid...suel/face.html
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/geats/rider/regad/face.html
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/geats/rid...mega/face.html

For example, these sentences from part 2 of Kamen Rider Regad Omega's helmet mentions the real world and the virtual world:
"ロプスプレコグヴィジョン
仮面ライダーリガドΩ（オメガ）の視覚装置。
全身各部のカメラからの情報をリアルタイムで処理した高次元映像を内部の半球状モニターに表示することで現実世界と仮想世界をシームレスに一望できる。
さらに各端末のカメラを利用して最大100アングルの同時視聴に加えて、あらゆる事象の過去と未来を見通すことも可能となっている。"
Translation by Google:
"Rops Precog Vision
Visual device of Kamen Rider Regad Ω (Omega).
By displaying high-dimensional images processed in real-time from cameras on various parts of the body on the internal hemispherical monitor, the real world and the virtual world can be seamlessly overlooked.
In addition to simultaneous viewing of up to 100 angles using the camera of each terminal, it is also possible to see the past and future of all events."

Or this page about Laser Raise Riser:
https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/geats/rid...ise_riser.html
For example, these sentences from part 4 of Laser Raise Riser also mentions virtual world:
"ユナイトグリップ
レーザーレイズライザーのグリップ。
使用者の状態に合わせてレーザーレイズライザー自体のサイズを変更して最適化する機能を持つ。
また、使用者の変身後は仮面ライダーとの仮想世界を介したプライベートネットワークを構築することで遠隔操作を可能とし、ワイヤレスでのエネルギー供給を行う。"
Translation by Google:
"Unite Grip
The grip of the Laser Raise Riser.
It has the ability to change and optimize the size of the Laser Raise Riser itself according to the user's condition.
Also, after the transformation of the user, by building a private network through the virtual world with Kamen Rider, remote control is possible and energy is supplied wirelessly."

Notice this one phrase, the most crucial phrase, in part 2 of Kamen Rider Regad Omega's helmet:
"現実世界と仮想世界"
Translation by Google:
"Real world (現実世界/genjitsu sekai) and virtual world (仮想世界/kasou sekai)."
世界 = sekai = world
現実 = genjitsu = real
仮想 = kasou = virtual/simulation/imagination/dream

See? It's crystal clear that the logical distinction must be real world-virtual world, NOT future world-past world. This is not a rumor. This is not my hypothesis nor conjecture. This is an undeniable, black-and-white fact stated by the show itself.

So, why have the writers insisted on calling Sueru/Ziin/etc the people from the future, not the people from the real world? Who knows. My guess is that probably the writers realized too late that a story about virtual world means that the story is stakeless.

Okay, now that it's clear that Ace's world is a virtual world. You said that if Ace's world was virtual, Sueru would've switched it off. Sure, he can do it. Why didn't he do it? The answer is clear: Because the plot needs him not to do it. If Sueru just switched it off or reset it, then this show wouldn't exist at all. That's the ultimate idiot plot in Geats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

And if Geats wasn?t the first show in a long time in which dead characters actually stayed dead, that would mean something.

Keiwa's parents and sister actually stayed dead. The DGP victims (be it Riders or civilians) actually stayed dead. Neon stayed dead. Yeah, right.

Ghost is bad because Takeru can be resurrected several times. His death carries less and less weight the more times he's resurrected. Geats? Well, Geats takes Ghost's worst aspect to 11, to the stratosphere. In Geats, not only important characters can be resurrected, but all humans, animals, plants, etc can be resurrected perfectly. Basically everything can be resurrected perfectly. You can even destroy Ace's Earth with a Death Star and easily resurrect it perfectly. What makes it even worse is that this resurrection, or rather, reality-bending/reality-manipulation ability can be used infinitely, thus making any death or destruction completely meaningless. You repeat death multiple times and it becomes so cheap. It's valueless. This is the worst form of debasement of death and destruction. It's basically inflation. It's like money: The more money circulates, the lower its value. The more times death is repeated, the lower its value. If death (and life) can be toyed with and manipulated infinitely, then the value of death (and life) becomes zero. Life becomes meaningless if it can be repeated, let alone manipulated like Geats.

My life is meaningful precisely because I only have one life to live. What do you do when you only have one of something? You cherish it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Yes, the show where the protagonist eventually strives to create a better world is utterly nihilistic. Do you even hear yourself voicing these ludicrous complaints?

The protagonist strives to created a better world? No, he doesn't create a better world. He manipulates reality. He manipulates life and death. That is nihilistic. Well, his world and all its inhabitants do not exist in the first place. There's no meaning in things that don't exist.

Oh, and the protagonist who can create a world of happiness for everyone? That's so naive and shallow. Real world doesn't work like that. Like I said, Geats is a story that can only be written by people who are out of touch with reality. I'd rather let reality be the judge. Let the time prove whether these people's philosophy is in line with reality or not. Let the time prove whether they'll get a world of happiness for everyone, or a dose of rude awakening.