[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

So yeah, I?m one of the few people who this string of episodes (Blade-Hibiki) did nothing for. Mostly because of how they feel like they came from a different show altogether when it comes to handling the Legend Rider elements. And unlike Fish or Switchblade, Believe Yourself playing didn?t evoke anything in me (I?ve never really liked the song, even after rewatching this after watching Agito. Give me Dead or Alive, rebirth or Full Force any day).

I totally agree with you about this arc. For me, I don't really have a lot of strong emotions about Agito, so the fanservice is kind of lost on me. If Hikawa or Hojo were here, I might have been more interested. And yeah, in addition to Agito having the worst soundtrack IMO, Believe Yourself is totally lame and whiny and I'm glad it's not just me who doesn't like it. This is one of the examples where I inserted Over Quartzer, a song that I respect. The mysterious backstory of Tsukuyomi comes out of nowhere, other than a shot in the OP and a little line of foreshadowing in Heisei Generations Forever. I suppose it makes some sense that she reveals it now, since she only recently started to trust Sougo, but the way that leads in to the memory loss narrative of this arc is so contrived.

If I had to praise something about this arc, I thought the use of Another Agito was very practical. No point making a new suit when Another Agito is already a thing and fits the Another Rider aesthetic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Next time, the Heisei Era ends by bringing back the most successful actor to come out of Hibiki.

I'm sure nobody begrudges that at all.

[Androzani84]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to share this.

Armour Time! Agito!

[Daikaijuman54]

Just like a good amount of folks, I lost it at the use of Trinity in this episode, not only because Agito has a trinity-based form, but because Woz felt dedicated to commit to the bit, which made this one of the funniest scenes in Zi-O. I also don't believe I've mentioned this before, but I find it funny how the characters eventually get tired of Woz's speeches (i.e., Tsukasa and Tsukuyomi), but I will never get tired of listening to them.

It's a good pair of episodes, and I like how Agito got to actually join the cast in the fight rather than just give a new collectable to Sougo and call it a day, it's just nice to see, especially since this is someone we don't see often. Do have to admit, that Zi-O tends to juggle with its Legend Rider tributes and Zi-O's story, though this is more of something from the last few episodes, the Agito arc was at least a little more balanced.

And now Tsukuyomi knows she can use ZA WARUDO!!! Toki wo tomare! (I had to make this joke again since it's just too perfect, though not as much as Cronus in Ex-Aid.)

(edit) I also really love Agito's Armor Time, much like Kuuga's, because it's such a simple design, given the early Heisei Riders didn't have too much in the way of collectible gimmicks and whatnot, and I love how his horns work on the shoulders. It's just a real shame a lot of these never became physical suits, though I understand that they wanted to market the most popular, or at least Heisei Phase 2, since Decade handled Phase 1.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

So yeah, I?m one of the few people who this string of episodes (Blade-Hibiki) did nothing for. Mostly because of how they feel like they came from a different show altogether when it comes to handling the Legend Rider elements. And unlike Fish or Switchblade, Believe Yourself playing didn?t evoke anything in me (I?ve never really liked the song, even after rewatching this after watching Agito. Give me Dead or Alive, rebirth or Full Force any day).

The Legend Rider elements may be handled differently, but I think the last four episodes have been good-to-excellent in how they've managed to keep a tight focus on Team Zi-O and their relationships. I think that's worth something?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

The mysterious backstory of Tsukuyomi comes out of nowhere, other than a shot in the OP and a little line of foreshadowing in Heisei Generations Forever. I suppose it makes some sense that she reveals it now, since she only recently started to trust Sougo, but the way that leads in to the memory loss narrative of this arc is so contrived.

I just assumed that Tsukuyomi has been aching to talk about this, and it's only after SEVEN MONTHS of teamwork that Sougo asks her about herself. These kids don't do a great job of emotionally supporting Tsukuyomi, no matter what Shouichi says. I mean, sure, she sometimes tries to guilt one of them into murdering the other, but still!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

Just like a good amount of folks, I lost it at the use of Trinity in this episode, not only because Agito has a trinity-based form, but because Woz felt dedicated to commit to the bit, which made this one of the funniest scenes in Zi-O. I also don't believe I've mentioned this before, but I find it funny how the characters eventually get tired of Woz's speeches (i.e., Tsukasa and Tsukuyomi), but I will never get tired of listening to them.

It honestly never gets old. Even as he's grudgingly engaged in combat as a retainer of Sougo, his heart is still in being a hype man. It's the sort of character detail I love, where someone's just got a weird hobby/passion that they need to incorporate into their Kamen Riding or whatever. It's neat!

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 33 - “2005 - REJOICE! RESOUND! REVERBERATE!”



“Someone's gonna find us out
And eventually it'll all come crashing down around us
Ten years ago we drove around and wondered what to do with the rest of our lives
Turns out when you burn through decades nothing much survives”

-We Cut Corners, “Ten Years”

I mean, look: I get it.

Kiriya is a lot of people’s least-favorite character in Hibiki, if not the Kamen Rider franchise as a whole. (Maybe even all of fiction!) He’s, at best, a callow youth with daddy issues that helps a show about raising children explore how best to engage with troubled kids. At worst, he’s an unsympathetic drag on a show that never needed his help, and a distraction from more compelling plotlines.

I kinda love him, though?

Of all the ways an anniversary show could try to create an epilogue for Hibiki, I think The Next Generation is the way to go. Hibiki himself ain’t coming back, which also sort of counts out Asumu. (Like, you could check in on Asumu and see if he’s a doctor or teacher or whatever, but you can’t put him in two episodes of Zi-O unless Actual 2005 Hibiki makes an appearance.) So a look at a more grizzled Todoroki is perfect, as is trying to answer the question So Is Kiriya Still The Worst Or What.

And he mostly is! He’s pretending to be Hibiki, complete with the Hibiki Salute that I assume killed Switchblade stone dead in 2019, leaving his ghost to haunt these boards and remind people that Hibiki was a 29-episode series. It’s terrifically fake, Kiriya’s bullshit. He’s mostly just torturing Team Zi-O, making them do a bunch of physical training in order to distract them from hunting down Another Hibiki.

The way he’s screwing with them is what kept me from seeing Yuuto in the performance, which I admit was pretty tough. (I've seen way more Yuuto things, and way more recently.) Kiriya’s always vacillating between Unearned Self-Regard and Mopey Bitterness, and the middle-ground of those swings is him snickering at someone else’s misfortune. He’s still so childish, you know? He’s petty, and a liar. Todoroki warns Tsukuyomi that Kiriya’s just a failure who dragged his apprentice down with him, and the episode mostly bears that out.

But.

The thing I liked best about Kiriya was that he was so much work for Hibiki. Asumu was a bright, sensitive kid with a ton of people rooting for him. Kiriya was a little shit who kept weirdly failing upwards. But kids like that maybe need a mentor like Hibiki more than a kid like Asumu, and that’s a worthy point for a show to make. There was always, for me at least, the idea that Kiriya wasn’t irredeemable. The version of Kiriya that everyone hates, that didn’t really go anywhere. That’s the part that Todoroki knows, and the part that gets the spotlight in this episode. But the part of him that could maybe be better, find the humility that eluded him, that was always peeking around the edges in Kamen Rider Hibiki. There’s an explanation to Kiriya’s actions – his post-show history – that I’m really anxious to hear. Todoroki may have written Kiriya off, but like Hibiki, I sure haven’t.



…

C’mon, I’m not gonna do you like that. I'm not going to write about this episode only in ways that flatter everyone's least favorite Kiriya/Hibiki. I will talk about some non-Kiriya stuff, too!

Tons of great Kamen Rider Hibiki callbacks in this episode: Todoroki’s one guitar song, and the way his fight music was full of shredding; a brief camping scene; that shot of Heure leaping backwards into a tree is I’d swear the type of shot they used on Hibiki; the word Makamou, which I love; and all of that training, which is as much a Hibiki callback as the Echoing Oni screens in the pre-credit sequence. This episode did a terrific job of evoking Hibiki throughout, and I couldn’t’ve been happier.

Even the little (very funny!) runner with Woz trying to figure out how to celebrate Sougo’s birthday – which is coming up in only three days for all of us! – feels of a piece with Asumu’s relationship with Hibiki, and how hard it can be to tell the people we admire how we feel about them. It’s easy to be over-the-top or theatrical, but it’s hard to be real. Woz’z incredibly charming attempts to Make The Biggest Deal are, as Tsukuyomi, exactly the wrong way to celebrate Sougo. They’re the right way to celebrate Zi-O, but not Sougo. The ability to see past the hero to the person underneath is, again, a pretty big Hibiki theme!

This was completely what I wanted from a Hibiki tribute. Todoroki doesn’t do a whole lot other than look grizzled, but I’m okay with that. This was a story about Kiriya’s frayed bond with his apprentice, and how the world views Kiriya, and that’s enough for me. I’m curious how this’ll reflect on where Sougo’s at in his journey, though. I’d think it’s going to be a look at how these Kamen Riders won’t just exist as fun Heisei Dads like Shouichi; mentors kinda got their own stuff to deal with, emotionally! I guess I’ll find out in a couple days!

[Enchilada645]

So um... first off can I say I love how our timing has essentially made it to where we've gotten Sougo's Birthday Episodes C-Plot like near close to the date as possible here? Like incredible, I honestly didn't think about it until now.

Anyway Kiriya... uh... so how do I put this... since this is my first time seeing this character. And I don't know if Zi-O like pulled their punches with him. But... I don't find him that bad? Like, he's not really what I'd call intolerable and just what basic knowledge of the second half of Hibiki I have, it feels like this Arc was meant to sort of address him as a character. Kinda like how the Decade Hibiki Arc wanted to tackle a lot of more broad stuff in terms of "fixing" Hibiki.

Anyway this was a fun episode, the 9-5-DO Gags continue strong. Also one fun bit about the first fight is I love Sougo and Geiz trying to figure out what to use against Another Hibiki to like feel him out. Sougo using Kuuga because this episode aired on the last week of Heisei I think. While Geiz pulled a Super Hero Time Reference because correct me if I'm wrong, Magiranger (the wizard Sentai) aired alongside Hibiki.

Anyway this is probably the first time in a long while we've gotten only a singular BGM Swap. Obviously this one being a Hibiki themed one as well.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 34 Preview:

[TheRaizin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 33 - ?2005 - REJOICE! RESOUND! REVERBERATE!?

I have little to no knowledge on Hibiki, I don't even know any of the riders apart from Hibiki and Ibuki as I keep mixing Todoroki and Zanki around even after this episode.

But when I saw this guy walk up and say "I'm Hibiki." I went: "Naaaaaaahhh." You don't even look like or sound like him! But I don't hate him either, at least in this one, because I am unknowledgeable about Hibiki as a whole. I don't know this guy, who is this guy, why do people hate him, is he a Kamen Rider, why is he called Transformed Kyosuke but also Kamen Rider Kyoki, is he Hibiki? Probably not! Who and where's Asumu? Where is Hibiki?!

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

And he mostly is! He?s pretending to be Hibiki, complete with the Hibiki Salute that I assume killed Switchblade stone dead in 2019, leaving his ghost to haunt these boards and remind people that Hibiki was a 29-episode series. It?s terrifically fake, Kiriya?s bullshit. He?s mostly just torturing Team Zi-O, making them do a bunch of physical training in order to distract them from hunting down Another Hibiki.

No, I just blocked that from my memory. Decent chance of correctly guessing what my afterlife will consist of, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRaizin

But when I saw this guy walk up and say "I'm Hibiki." I went: "Naaaaaaahhh." You don't even look like or sound like him! But I don't hate him either, at least in this one, because I am unknowledgeable about Hibiki as a whole. I don't know this guy, who is this guy, why do people hate him, is he a Kamen Rider, why is he called Transformed Kyosuke but also Kamen Rider Kyoki, is he Hibiki? Probably not! Who and where's Asumu? Where is Hibiki?!

Asumu's actor has retired from the business. Hibiki's actor a) may not have been willing to return to the show given his very public thoughts on its rework and b) was blacklisted in the industry at the time due to a harassment scandal (I've heard a lot of conflicting information about that, including accounts where he was either the perpetrator or the victim).

So yeah, these episodes. Obviously, I am not a fan of who they brought back as the main guest character. The best choices were unavailable for reasons mentioned above, but I would have taken pretty much any other character over Kiriya, including the shoplifter who beat up Asumu or Asumu's CGI dream sheep.
That's not to say that this is a bad Kiriya story; 14 years later and he's still a fuck-up, which is pretty appropriate. He's a failure as a mentor; that also makes sense. It's a story that makes good use of the character, it's just that the show picked the absolute worst character to make a story about. At least we got Todoroki, though, and Todoroki is always a welcome sight.

As a side note, I was not a fan of how this story got started. The kid playing the apprentice just happening to be an old acquaintance of Sougo's who we've never heard of before reminded me too much of the Another Zi-O guy. It doesn't help that this won't be the last time Zi-O goes back to this well.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Anyway Kiriya... uh... so how do I put this... since this is my first time seeing this character. And I don't know if Zi-O like pulled their punches with him. But... I don't find him that bad? Like, he's not really what I'd call intolerable and just what basic knowledge of the second half of Hibiki I have, it feels like this Arc was meant to sort of address him as a character. Kinda like how the Decade Hibiki Arc wanted to tackle a lot of more broad stuff in terms of "fixing" Hibiki.

This is an episode where Kiriya a) pretends to be a hero that he isn't; b) pretends to be of a higher status than he is; c) allegedly failed so badly at being a mentor that he helped create Another Hibiki; and d) makes our heroes do a bunch of grueling busywork as a distraction... and you are STILL arguably seeing him in the most flattering light ever. And I'm a fan of his!

Kiriya's a very tough character-type in general, and his role in Hibiki was not to most people's taste. He's pretty fun here, though? I especially like how close to the surface his abandonment/daddy issues still are. His motivations are still hilariously transparent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Sougo using Kuuga because this episode aired on the last week of Heisei I think.

Neat! I think you could also view the Kuuga usage as the closest alternative to a Hibiki Ridewatch, since Kamen Rider Hibiki was, like, Fun Kuuga.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRaizin

But when I saw this guy walk up and say "I'm Hibiki." I went: "Naaaaaaahhh." You don't even look like or sound like him! But I don't hate him either, at least in this one, because I am unknowledgeable about Hibiki as a whole. I don't know this guy, who is this guy, why do people hate him, is he a Kamen Rider, why is he called Transformed Kyosuke but also Kamen Rider Kyoki, is he Hibiki? Probably not! Who and where's Asumu? Where is Hibiki?!

Honestly, none of that is even necessary to both understand and appreciate/"appreciate" Kiriya in this episode. He is viewed -- both in-story and through the fandom -- as a giant phony and a total pain-in-the-ass. Todoroki is more or less the audience stand-in at this point in the story.

At the same time, Kiriya's troubled in a way that could engender sympathy (YMMV), so he's not a total write-off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

At least we got Todoroki, though, and Todoroki is always a welcome sight.

He's great! I love that he got older, and grittier, but he didn't just turn into Zanki. That would've been the obvious move, but it's nice that Todoroki is still sort of this weird loner who genuinely loves rocking out. Maybe my favorite non-Sabaki Oni?

[Androzani84]

Well, I’m not forgetting this this time.

Armour Time! Hibiki!


As for why specifically only Todoroki showed up… aside from what Switchblade already mentioned, Ibuki’s actor was doing a guest spot over on Sentai at around this time, while Zanki’s was doing voiceover work for Yu-Gi-Oh and wouldn’t be available until the next filming block. As for Akira… well like Asumu, the character appearing wouldn’t make sense, but even discounting that, the actress seems to have become a cosplayer/YouTuber. And does anyone really think the Tachibana guys or the recurring Oni played by the show’s suit cast could hold an episode?

Speaking of casting, the kid playing Tsutomu later went on to play Ultraman Z’s bad guy (well, technically, the poor sap possessed by said bad guy. He later hijacks Wajima from Wizard) and got his face in the DX toyline.

One thing I recall from when I was skulking around TN without being a member during this period: Someone who didn’t like this episode (I forget who. Maybe, Fish will know) saying that they should’ve done a plot about Sougo’s birthday in the OOO arc. Meanwhile, on another site, I commented that every kid in Sougo’s class seems to have some absurd dream that is well within their talents (which will come back around when we get to the V-Cinema).

Next time: The Heisei truck has been decommissioned, it’s time to ship out the Reiwa truck. Back when this episode first aired, I meant to point out what the first Rider episode in Heisei was so people could do a bookend (Namely, the episode of Black RX with a robot that can control scrap metal), but I forgot about it (I did do it for that week’s Sentai episode)