[SPLIT LIP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Nope so far he's introduced his backstory (which was really cool), taken a trip inside someone and turned down Haruto's offer to cure him with vague homophobia.

Also known as the cure for everything.

Beast should've taken it.

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

Also known as the cure for everything.

Beast should've taken it.

Yeah but that is like totally gay or something, man.

The fuck am I watching, Cabin Fever?

Either way I'm watching an episode about Beelzebub and it's pure filler and really rubbish.

I actually quite liked learning more about Phoenix but he's so far been proven a completely rubbish villain. The hot headed, violence prone villain who gets himself killed because he doesn't think is such a tired cliché, especially when mixed with a whole 'every time you kill me I get stronger!' gimmick.

[Matrixbeast]

That's actually why I liked Phoenix.
The cold, calculating, stand around, never react, never emote villain (Medusa) is an even more boring cliche. While they're both generic villain tropes, at least Phoenix was interesting to watch.

And he had that bitchin sword.

[KRX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Yeah but that is like totally gay or something, man.

The fuck am I watching, Cabin Fever?

Either way I'm watching an episode about Beelzebub and it's pure filler and really rubbish.

I actually quite liked learning more about Phoenix but he's so far been proven a completely rubbish villain. The hot headed, violence prone villain who gets himself killed because he doesn't think is such a tired cliché, especially when mixed with a whole 'every time you kill me I get stronger!' gimmick.

I actually liked the Beelzebub arc. I think Haruto really develops as a character in this one. Beelzebub is my favorite Phantom, though the fact that he was a music conductor bothers me, given his Devil motif.

Stick around for the finale of this arc. You might be a bit disappointed, but... well, just stick around.

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

That's actually why I liked Phoenix.
The cold, calculating, stand around, never react, never emote villain (Medusa) is an even more boring cliche. While they're both generic villain tropes, at least Phoenix was interesting to watch.

And he had that bitchin sword.

I liked Phoenix until he got killed in the same episode Haruto met Father Christmas and I just realised he really is awful.

I actually really like Medusa, although she is clichéd, she is also completely badass and isn't trapped by her gender. Most Toku I've watched never does much of a service to female characters but Medusa seems to have made it out okay.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KRX

I actually liked the Beelzebub arc. I think Haruto really develops as a character in this one. Beelzebub is my favorite Phantom, though the fact that he was a music conductor bothers me, given his Devil motif.

Stick around for the finale of this arc. You might be a bit disappointed, but... well, just stick around.

Haruto hasn't really grown at all yet but that is okay, I hate this obsession with 'real heroes' which basically means they need to be useless and flawed. Haruto is an old school superhero, all about doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do. He also does that without steam rolling through everything to boredom levels like the Kyoryuger do, Wizard really strikes a good balance with an old school character like Haruto and I really like him.

The Phantoms in general have really bothered me throughout the series, normally their human forms have a much more interesting motif and personality than their Phantom forms do, with very few having any stand out abilities or attacks or even really designs. I dunno if it's just because it's HD but this show has some of the tackiest and cheapest looking suits I've seen.

Also, I'll wait and see how all this plays out.

[SPLIT LIP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Most Toku I've watched never does much of a service to female characters but Medusa seems to have made it out okay.

So wait, she's actually treated with respect and isn't covered in hearts and pink and always stands pigeon-toed or with her hands daintily out at her sides and looks totally KAAWWAAAIIIIIIII and shit?

Then she's not actually a girl. I bet the twist is she actually has a weiner. Mark my words.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Haruto is an old school superhero, all about doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do.

While I don't agree that "real heroes" are "useless and flawed" (and I don't think you really do, either) I agree that I just like heroic heroes more often. That's why Shotaro and Kotaro are my favourite riders, because like you described, they're heroic because they do the right thing. They could both be considered "flawed" but not in a way that ever impedes them, just makes them interesting. I don't think Shotaro's ever been outwitted or bested by an enemy because of his flaws, (i.e. his over-emotional personality, which I have a hard time labelling a flaw anyway) Black hasn't, so far, been bested by an enemy period.

[Matrixbeast]

Yeah. Medusa is nice in that she's not some kawaii chan or stripper.
I still find her to be a bore to watch.

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

So wait, she's actually treated with respect and isn't covered in hearts and pink and always stands pigeon-toed or with her hands daintily out at her sides and looks totally KAAWWAAAIIIIIIII and shit?

Then she's not actually a girl. I bet the twist is she actually has a weiner. Mark my words.

While I don't agree that "real heroes" are "useless and flawed" (and I don't think you really do, either) I agree that I just like heroic heroes more often. That's why Shotaro and Kotaro are my favourite riders, because like you described, they're heroic because they do the right thing. They could both be considered "flawed" but not in a way that ever impedes them, just makes them interesting. I don't think Shotaro's ever been outwitted or bested by an enemy because of his flaws, (i.e. his over-emotional personality, which I have a hard time labelling a flaw anyway) Black hasn't, so far, been bested by an enemy period.

Even Rinko, a female detective (which is not something easy to achieve in such a male dominated career), is portrayed as a ditzy damsel in distress and it really, really pisses me off. I find her characterisation quite insulting.

Sorry, I phrased that poorly, real heroes aren't useless and flawed but the way media writes 'real' heroes is by giving them flaws and having them regularly fail. It apparently makes them more human or some shit, for me it just makes them uninteresting to watch. I don't want my superheroes to have marriage problems or drug addictions, I come to these genres for escapism.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

Yeah. Medusa is nice in that she's not some kawaii chan or stripper.
I still find her to be a bore to watch.

Boring is a word you use to describe everything in the series, I personally don't see it. Even in the worst filler episodes the action is fun, even in the worst filler episodes we at least learn one thing new about someone and honestly I think Beast made the series worse because now the plotting is really messy and unfocused.

[Matrixbeast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Boring is a word you use to describe everything in the series, I personally don't see it. Even in the worst filler episodes the action is fun, even in the worst filler episodes we at least learn one thing new about someone and honestly I think Beast made the series worse because now the plotting is really messy and unfocused.

That's because that's honestly how I feel.
It's not bad. It's not unbearable. It's not lame. It's not dumb.
It's just boring. I find the series running it's paces each week with a checkbook to make sure they get everything. Donut gag? Check. Gate who doesn't take the fact that there's a monster intent on killing them after them? Check. Make sure the Gate is as assholish as possible until the very last second to redeem them? Check. A brief plot exposition scene with Medusa, Wiseman, or Gremlin? Check.

There are twists. There are turns. There are moments where the plot gets interesting. But for the most part, it feels like I'm watching the same 2 episodes, but with a madgab-esque replacement for who and what.

Perhaps I have the complete wrong idea because I've been watching for 30 weeks, as opposed to a few days, so certain events seem a lot more drawn out and tired, but that's just generally how I feel.
I am going to finish Wizard, however. Dropping it at this point seems to be a waste.

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

That's because that's honestly how I feel.
It's not bad. It's not unbearable. It's not lame. It's not dumb.
It's just boring. I find the series running it's paces each week with a checkbook to make sure they get everything. Donut gag? Check. Gate who doesn't take the fact that there's a monster intent on killing them after them? Check. Make sure the Gate is as assholish as possible until the very last second to redeem them? Check. A brief plot exposition scene with Medusa, Wiseman, or Gremlin? Check.

There are twists. There are turns. There are moments where the plot gets interesting. But for the most part, it feels like I'm watching the same 2 episodes, but with a madgab-esque replacement for who and what.

Perhaps I have the complete wrong idea because I've been watching for 30 weeks, as opposed to a few days, so certain events seem a lot more drawn out and tired, but that's just generally how I feel.
I am going to finish Wizard, however. Dropping it at this point seems to be a waste.

I will admit the series is very repetitive but then again it's Toku, pretty much all Toku is repetitive and I find that if you don't love the characters, it's painful to watch in anything other than short bursts.

At least Haruto and Beast have a lot of different Powers to at least mix things up, even if they are basically mixing it up the same way every week.

The story focused episodes aren't repetitive though, since they widen Wizard's mythology and pencil in backstories, everyone has had a really interesting story so far and I really like the world and mythos of Wizard. But I'm a big fan of Urban Fantasy in general.