[Matrixbeast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

That isn't actually what I said at all though, Matrix. And if you didn't understand the wry humour in that comment...then I feel sorry for you.

Haruto is a subtle, layered character rather than flat and loud. He is a rarity in this genre and I can see why people would find him alienating and even hard to like because he is so different while still staying within a familiar mould.

Feel free to feel sorry for me.

What subtleties are there to Haruto? What depths are there to his character? Please, spell it all out in plain English, because I'm obviously missing something. What makes a man with a thousand yard stare and constant dull expression across his face "layered?"

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

Feel free to feel sorry for me.

What subtleties are there to Haruto? What depths are there to his character? Please, spell it all out in plain English, because I'm obviously missing something. What makes a man with a thousand yard stare and constant dull expression across his face "layered?"

Everything.

His past, is his past, and he doesn't feel the need to detail it out in length to everyone he ever meets. He's had a shit time of it in the past but knows that the important thing is saving everyone else now - to make sure that that never happens to anyone again. He takes crazy gambles, like actually using his Phantoms power, but he is all about saving everyone he can however he can. Something he is actually shown trying to do more so than say Godai. He keeps his problems to himself and the only pleasures he takes for himself are simple ones like a relaxing doughnut.

He has an incredibly wry sense of humour, something we share and it's rare for Toku to have comedy other than goofball, I find the way he sees the world very amusing and his off hand comments never fail to both catch me off guard and make me laugh. It's funny that a musical wizard such as himself seems so very grounded even still.

And most importantly, everyone knows his convictions and he doesn't need to spell it out. His friends trust him utterly and immediately because that is just the person he is. No bold claims, no drama, he just has a job and he gets it done because that is the right thing to do. I dig that, I dig that because it isn't told in such a mundane and boring fashion like in say Kabuto or Kyoryuger.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

I still think that's an unfair assessment.
Haruto might just be a character in the wrong show.
But declaring everyone who doesn't like him confused because "He's not screaming" is grounds to call Tendou and Wataru the best Toku heroes we've ever gotten.

I wouldn't say it's universal, but I've heard a decent amount of talk about how Haruto doesn't feel like a main Rider and I think it's because a lot of people came in with W, OOO, and Fourze, where the leads are varying degrees of goofy and loud. Haruto is a much calmer and more collected lead than anyone we've seen since Hibiki and I think it's throwing people who are newer to the show and expect the more broadly comedic leads.

[Locke]

On the subject of my other show, Kuuga, I just watched episode 25.

MCS don't translate text nor Grongi so I literally spent the first half of the episode almost with absolutely no idea what was was going on. From what I did understand though...so is that it then, Kuuga is now going to largely repeat huge chunks of what it has already done but with slightly upgraded versions of the forms? Wow...

Suicidal children though yeah, just what I want from my Toku! To be fair to the show it does tell some beautiful stories they just feel a little out of place for the genre this is.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

On the subject of my other show, Kuuga, I just watched episode 25.

MCS don't translate text nor Grongi so I literally spent the first half of the episode almost with absolutely no idea what was was going on. From what I did understand though...so is that it then, Kuuga is now going to largely repeat huge chunks of what it has already done but with slightly upgraded versions of the forms? Wow...

Suicidal children though yeah, just what I want from my Toku! To be fair to the show it does tell some beautiful stories they just feel a little out of place for the genre this is.

If I remember correctly, you're right on the cusp of one of the more brutal and important moments in the show's run. Is this the porcupine Grongi arc?

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

If I remember correctly, you're right on the cusp of one of the more brutal and important moments in the show's run. Is this the porcupine Grongi arc?

Nope right now he's fighting some bird man with blow darts that cause heart attacks.

[SPLIT LIP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Everything.

His past, is his past, and he doesn't feel the need to detail it out in length to everyone he ever meets. He's had a shit time of it in the past but knows that the important thing is saving everyone else now - to make sure that that never happens to anyone again. He takes crazy gambles, like actually using his Phantoms power, but he is all about saving everyone he can however he can. Something he is actually shown trying to do more so than say Godai. He keeps his problems to himself and the only pleasures he takes for himself are simple ones like a relaxing doughnut.

He has an incredibly wry sense of humour, something we share and it's rare for Toku to have comedy other than goofball, I find the way he sees the world very amusing and his off hand comments never fail to both catch me off guard and make me laugh. It's funny that a musical wizard such as himself seems so very grounded even still.

And most importantly, everyone knows his convictions and he doesn't need to spell it out. His friends trust him utterly and immediately because that is just the person he is. No bold claims, no drama, he just has a job and he gets it done because that is the right thing to do. I dig that, I dig that because it isn't told in such a mundane and boring fashion like in say Kabuto or Kyoryuger.

See, nothing yopu said there is particularly wrong, but rather you're making it sound like more than it is.

I would agree that he handles his past well if it weren't for the fact that he doesn't seem tortured by it in any meager sense. If we got more of a sense of his inner struggle it'd seem more important and more of a service to him as a charatcer when he doesn't bring it up. Instead we get one explanation, one brief bit with him talking to his Phantom and that's it. We never see him hurt from his past, even if it's just between him and the audience. He doesn't need to play his sob story to everyone he meets, but we the audience should feel his pain more than we do, which is not at all. That way it's more impressive when we see him bury it or cope with it. As for his "no bold claims" thing, well, that's not really a good thing. He should be bold, he should have a drive, he should have a personal goal. In fact, he does, he even says that he burdens everyone's hopes for their sake. That is a bold claim, and I don't know why you'd say he doesn't why it doesn't help your arguement and isn't even true.

And I can't see this sense of humour anywhere, but I'm also only on episode 14 I think. But for fourteen episodes he hasn't had any sense of wit or wry sense of humour. He's just had generic hero comments with no sense of originality or unique spin. In fact, he shows little emotion, never getting angry or sad or being a human being. He's too serious to be believable.

Like I said, Haruto is far from bad, he's just bland. Everything about him is typical first-step-to-a-character. Subdued characters may be unique, but they're also very boring and difficult to relate to, especially when Haruto's actor barely changes his expressions. The dude is a stiff, and is probably the biggest factor in people saying he's bland because he never freaking emotes. The dude has two faces: smug neutral and slightly wide-eyed smug neutral.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Nope right now he's fighting some bird man with blow darts that cause heart attacks.

I mean, you know.

Typical day at the office.

[Locke]

I do agree that I wish they had less side characters - or more side characters that actually add to the series so we could focus more on Haruto and the stuff that matters but once again that isn't Haruto's fault it is the shows.

I would love to see Haruto out of soldier mode, where we can see the effect of what all that is going on is doing to him, so we can see his softer emotional side. But the show wastes most of the character moments on the gates and it's a shame.

I meant bold claims as big statements that the Rider has no possibility to live up too but Haruto has proven that he can carry the hopes of everyone sure he fails sometimes like every good hero should but overall he manages to live up to what he says he can do bloody well.

[Locke]

Episode 26 of Kuuga made me realise perhaps why this series isn't clicking for me in much the way W didn't click for me.

It doesn't really...work. It used to work, it used to work very well. But it seems in the last ten or so episodes the shows focus has moved away a lot from the Rider stuff and more to the characters. And minus the bad acting, there is nothing really wrong with that.

But serious drama critiquing the state of the world feels out of place in a show like this and despite the addition of new powers that the show spent time building up most of the action feels utterly tacked on and as throwaway as have many of the fights throughout the series.

I really enjoyed the opening ten episodes where it focused on the mystery of the Kuuga powers, his enemies and detailed their battles but that is such a distant memory it feels like another show entirely.

Episode 27 was a much better episode suggesting that the interference of modern technology gave birth to new Kuuga powers. It raises a lot of questions but is at least an interesting concept. It also does some further exploration of what it is like to live in a world where Monsters are murdering people daily.

Also the UL was actually really hot which confuses me greatly haha. Obviously she wasn't hot in her monster form...

And holy crap is that a new Rider? He looks just like the grasshopper guy tho... Then again it was the Grasshopper guy he defeated with the blue form, and as that should be the form coming next and this show has been repeating old stuff in huge chunks I am not surprised.

[Battlizer]

Hibiki 05 and 06

I've never had a problem with this series, but during the earlier episodes, I had trouble figuring out what direction it was going. Now, I think I get it and it's pretty cool. Days in the life of musical monster hunters and the kid who wants to be one.

I like how they take a while to prepare what they're fighting. Like: Okay, this is the monster we're about to face. Here's how we're going to go about defeating it.

Also, that fight with the giant crab monster was one of the cheapest things I've ever seen and yet it was fucking awesome.

Oh and for those who know, is Hibiki pretty much the oldest main Rider in his own series or what?