[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 10 - “COLLISION IN THE MOONLIGHT”

Which is why this concluding chapter is so, so good. It’s small, in its scope if not in its setting. (Gentarou takes Tomoko to the moon! Ritsuko is going to blow up the school with a magic missile, just like Yuuki predicted! I guess we establish that Kamen Rider Stadium is next door to Amanogawa High!) Tomoko’s a girl that’s always wanted to be accepted for who she was, but when that seemed impossible, she wanted to escape instead: to the moon, or into someone else’s madness and vengeance. But people like Ritsuko never saw her, never wanted who she was. And yet on the moon, she found friendship instead of desolation and isolation, with a group of kids that wanted her to be herself, and in doing so make them all better. It’s a sweet little message – Be Yourself – that’s delivered with the appropriate level of teenage pathos to make Tomoko’s embrace of it feel like the truest victory of the story.

With power, it's easier to create impact on others not only about fighting monsters, but also, to change Tomoko for the better by giving her what she wants the easy way by just simply taking her to the moon, the KRC. What edgy teenagers are thinking is also often like this, where they don't feel belong in the world and want to escape including participating in something problematic (like said madness and vengeance here). I wonder what'd people like Miu or Shun did if they meet Tomoko before they met Gentaro and joined KRC. Felt that they can potentially look down on her as someone who doesn't belong, unlike now, which can mean that there's rehabilitation stuff due to meeting Gentaro that happened to those, where now, Gentaro combined with others opened Tomoko's eyes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And that’s no shade at the actual superhero fights in this episode, which nimbly correct my criticism about last episode’s blase treatment of Fourze’s new super form by letting its ability to defeat Ritsuko coincide with Gentarou’s acceptance of Tomoko. It’s cute, and I liked how Tomoko’s ability to pick up on it quickly established her as a useful member of the Club. Everyone got to contribute during the final fight, even if the kids had to stay up late to do it. (They all had a very long day!)

It seems that Tomoko is the overthinking and analytical type that has attention to detail, which I can relate here as also a reculse, dunno if this is often the advantage of these kind of people. Fire Switch isn't only about manipulating fire, but it also is actually immune to fire, rather than something that is vulnerable to attacks like usual despite producing fire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Also, man, you don't think Yuuki is going crazy yet? She almost joins a witch cult in this story!!!

I don't know if this talk here is allowed, but, even Fumika Shimizu herself is also one...

[Switchblade]

I always forget about this bit, but I absolutely love all the stuff with the KRC trying to track down the Magphone. I'm not entirely sure how everyone being cold gibes with all the track athletes competing in shorts and tanktops at literally the exact same time, but I don't care because it's just a fantastic series of fun little comedic moments. Miu with a megaphone is maybe my favorite version of the character.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

Fourze 19-20

So there's this thing I've noticed with Super Sentai. Whenever they add the sixth member of the team, the show's normal dynamic gets really screwed up for awhile as the show tries to integrate the new guy into the plot as much as possible. Rider doesn't do that nearly as much, but it feels like that's what's happening in these episodes. Ryusei's presence throws a big wrench into Gentaro and Kengo's partnership, which leads the latter to temporarily leave the KRC. It's not a bad story, but it does represent a regression for Kengo's character.

I liked the part where the police showed up to investigate the school/get brainwashed. It's nice to see another moment where the show recognizes that people would not be cool with rampant monster attacks at a local high school.

We got Magnet States during this arc, too. I was never a huge fan of this one, but seeing it again I'm finding that I like it a lot more. The big shoulder pads aren't as bad as I remember and I kinda dig the domed face. The hand on the leg switch is still really stupid, though. I may try to remember to rank the five worst switches when this is all over, but for now Hand and Brush are definitely on that list.

Has Yuki gone crazy yet? We got a weird moment when the hot dog Foodroid was unveiled, but for the most part she's still acting like a real human being.

Next episode: Nao That's What I Call Kamen Riding!

You know, I keep think this while I'm watching episodes but always forget to comment on it: what the hell is up with the Foodroids? I get that they were designed to inherit the Candroid price point from OOO but I do not get the concept here. What does fast food have to do with space? Where's the throughline here that ties all of the Fourze merch together?

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Great direction in this one, as an aside

...And right on cue, 19/20 is another pair by Ishida.

This is another one where I don't have too much to contribute about the story off the top of my head, so I'll give the merchandise a little love by mentioning that I'm pretty fond of Magnet States, but even more than that, I just kinda like the MagPhone itself a lot? The whole shtick of the Fourze Driver is putting all these flickable doohickeys of various shapes in it, so the idea of making this new form feel like a bit more of a big deal by having it not only be a two-piece magnet theme, but having it be two giant handles to work huge cannons is just such a perfectly natural escalation of the gimmick.

It isn't really any more significant than the other form changes so far within the show's story, but I do find it cute that from this point on, that huge bulky thing just *is* Gentarou's phone, for advertising purposes. What I absolutely adore however, is simply that from this point on, Gentarou always verbally announces when he's splitting the phone in half to put in the belt. Like he's so dumb that he'll forget if he doesn't remind himself out loud every time, which is so perfectly That Character I'm both surprised they didn't come up with something like this earlier, and not at all surprised they expanded on the idea a bit the next time the had the chance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Honestly from this one, the only thing I remember is Miu's chibi drawings of everyone.

Oh yeah, this is where those first show up! I love those pictures! Bless whoever decided to just make those a regular part of the Rabbit Hutch set after this, because it'd be a shame it they were only for this episode.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

But it was Miu's leadership that put Tomoko on the right team to be the most effective -- sort of thought she'd end up on the Ryuusei team, but that's why I'm not the boss of the KRC -- so really, the credit should go to her.

...and you even had someone trying to make it easy for you. At this rate, Die, CODE will never trust you again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

what the hell is up with the Foodroids? I get that they were designed to inherit the Candroid price point from OOO but I do not get the concept here. What does fast food have to do with space? Where's the throughline here that ties all of the Fourze merch together?

High schoolers eat a lot of cheap fast food, and the show is also about high school. I actually happened to be skimming the Japanese Wikipedia page for Fourze just the other day and read something about how they considered having them be school supplies before deciding that wasn't a strong enough motif to sell toys of? But either way, the key is that their role is to be in the scenes that don't have Riders fighting, which is why directly connecting them to the space part of the show was probably not seen as that important.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

With power, it's easier to create impact on others not only about fighting monsters, but also, to change Tomoko for the better by giving her what she wants the easy way by just simply taking her to the moon, the KRC.

It's also just... it's such a perfect Gentarou move, because it could play as ridiculously literal -- she wants to escape to the moon, so just take her there and maybe it'll wake her up -- but it's so sincere and empathetic, leading to a beautiful lesson about change, that I love it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

I always forget about this bit, but I absolutely love all the stuff with the KRC trying to track down the Magphone. I'm not entirely sure how everyone being cold gibes with all the track athletes competing in shorts and tanktops at literally the exact same time, but I don't care because it's just a fantastic series of fun little comedic moments. Miu with a megaphone is maybe my favorite version of the character.

I've talked to folks that run marathons, and they much prefer to run in the cold, so I assume the Amanogawa athletes are the same way. Also, every kid runs hot, and I'm not sure they even know it's winter outside, unless you're three KRC members scavenging for a malfunctioning roleplay item.

And thanks for keeping things on topic by remembering to mention Miu!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

...and you even had someone trying to make it easy for you. At this rate, Die, CODE will never trust you again!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

High schoolers eat a lot of cheap fast food, and the show is also about high school.

The theme song also directly references fast food! People can take it up with Anna Tsuchiya if they think the Foodroids are outside the aesthetic of Fourze!

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I've talked to folks that run marathons, and they much prefer to run in the cold, so I assume the Amanogawa athletes are the same way. Also, every kid runs hot, and I'm not sure they even know it's winter outside, unless you're three KRC members scavenging for a malfunctioning roleplay item.

And thanks for keeping things on topic by remembering to mention Miu!

That does make sense, but I can also believe they were pretending to be cold as a way to really commit to their bit. That feels very on-brand for these weirdos.

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 11 - “THE LUNAR GATE DISAPPEARS”

It’s a more plot-focused episode of Fourze this time out, as the club members themselves are at risk, rather than a soon-to-be-friend or one-off guest star. Like, Makise is just a creepy incel weirdo, and so we don’t need to go through any story beats where we learn his tragic backstory or try to understand his motivation. He’s a creep, and he’s a creep to Yuuki, so we can just focus on what the threat means to the KRC.

With Fourze coming after OOO, Makise rather reminds me of Kitamura from OOO ep. 33-34 before who's also a creep that puts his so-called friend in abusive relationship that isolates them from the rest of their friends in a possessive manner, but it's done to the male main Rider (heated drama between men eh...) rather than the female lead. Makise isn't only matched in how Yuki's actual friend is also "more than human" as Fourze, but his tracking abilities he used to stalk Yuki are also replicated by Burger Meal. His motivation at the end doesn't seem to be about being a yandere for Yuki anymore, but just about being a hope crusher.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The more interesting part of the story is Kengo, who finds himself trapped on the moon. A few months ago, he’d’ve probably been okay with it: time to work, in isolation, without anyone demanding his attention or recognition. But he can’t pretend he’s that guy anymore. The second he’s cut off from the rest of the KRC, the Rabbit Hutch feels as empty and lifeless as the lunar surface. It was a safe space, and now it might be his tomb. If you’re going to do a story where Kengo grudgingly realizes that he genuinely likes being in a club with Gen and the rest of them, you need to make him realize how he much he needs them – and not just to, like, actually save his life, but also simply the companionship of other people.

Spelled out by Sonoda too that Kengo has become more outgoing since meeting Gentaro. Now it's seen how Kengo met seemingly the only person he seems to consider a friend for now in Yuki for flashback. Kengo doesn't seem to get annoyed with Yuki yapping at him the first time about her space geekiness like about Kengo's dad she saw him unlike to others. For normal humans, they seem to only be able to travel to Rabbit Hutch by the gate on the locker, but at least now, Fourze can easily travel to space.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Writing this all out, it sounds exceptionally minor and kind of rote: some two-dimensional creep harasses the team, one member’s in danger, and the remaining kids have to pull together to save him, while he learns to appreciate everyone in their absence. But, man, something about this cast just elevates it? There’s so much specificity to every character’s actions – Kengo’s wry smile as everyone splits, Shun’s easy charm, Yuuki’s reluctant heroism in spending even a single goddamn second around Makise. (He’s repellant!!!) I kind of hate just going VIBES, because that’s like talking about food by saying It Tastes Good: true, but not really explaining anything. But it’s sort of just Vibes? The youthful energy of this show, it’s kind of my favorite version of toku. It forgives stupid plot decisions, because kids are stupid. It allows for rich melodrama, because kids are melodramatic. It gives Kengo being trapped on the moon equal emotional significance with him missing his friends, and sort of realizing that they are his friends and he does miss them, and none of it feels ridiculous or disproportionate. Show’s just real fun, because the cast is real fun, and you can stretch that to the moon and back if you want to.

Maybe what's more important for the show is the acting, more than the writing or such. It feels that, though this'd be subjective, the more well-liked shows like Den-O, W, OOO, Fourze, all are seen as having good acting, while shows that are more lukewarm received like Wizard, Ghost, Saber, or Gotchard usually can have some characters people can't stand to watch, due to the acting. I can feel that those shows can have some similar aspects or cons as 2-parter type of show, but with differing reception, with Den-O being something that most fans acknowledge the flaws of like the plot or writing, but the acting makes up for all of it.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Maybe what's more important for the show is the acting, more than the writing or such. It feels that, though this'd be subjective, the more well-liked shows like Den-O, W, OOO, Fourze, all are seen as having good acting, while shows that are more lukewarm received like Wizard, Ghost, Saber, or Gotchard usually can have some characters people can't stand to watch, due to the acting. I can feel that those shows can have some similar aspects or cons as 2-parter type of show, but with differing reception, with Den-O being something that most fans acknowledge the flaws of like the plot or writing, but the acting makes up for all of it.

Good acting can frequently save bad writing, but (for me) good writing can rarely save bad acting. Your mileage may vary as to which shows have which, or which characters or actors are which, but it's hard to think of a time where a character's story worked for me when the actor wasn't able to make sense of things, or I wasn't able to connect with the performance.

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER CLUB MEETING – QUIZ: KAMEN RIDER URBAN LEGENDS!! EPISODE 05



I felt a little bad for JK in this one, because the actor is clearly a fan of Showa stuff, and yet the audience he’s presenting to is just there for a professional obligation. Like, they’re all doing their jobs while having fun – no one seems annoyed, or grumpy, but they would definitely not being doing this if Toei wasn’t employing them to do it. But JK’s little presentation… it comes across like he genuinely thinks this is cool, and the other six kids have this look in their eyes like Dude Can We Move On Already. It’s hard to be a fan on these obligatory quiz shows, I guess!

It’s easy to be Ryuusei, though, because his stuff was clearly filmed well after these quizzes, and the quizzes were probably filmed well before Ryuusei had even been cast, so he's just doing one generic thing. (The tells are that Ryuusei never comments on the specific questions or answers, while Miu’s hair is way shorter in these quizzes than it is for the corresponding Ryuusei arc episodes.) It’s not a huge deal, or anything positive or negative, but I like how it reveals a little bit about how these pieces of bonus content are put together.

You might think that last paragraph was dull, but I assure you that JK would’ve thought it was fascinating!