[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

I have no idea how easy or hard it will be to find Deneb, but I'm sure that there are still online stores that have the Hana Figuarts in stock. That thing did not sell well.

Dead simple to find Deneb, actually! A quick jump over to Mandarake has him very in stock. And only about $20, to boot!

[Kamen Rider Die]

also hi i'm just looking at deneb stuff on mandarake now

can someone tell me what this coaster says on it besides probably "deneb" or "kamen rider den-o"

[Androzani84]

Yeah, I watched this episode on a whim before I watched the rest of the show (I had seen all the movies at least once, even the main one). Even then, it did nothing for me.

In addition to the Yaguruma Imagin returning from the movie, we’ve got his partner, who has the fairly dubious distinction of having been in all but three performed continuities of Transformers (the exceptions being G1, Bayformers and Cyberverse)

Nobuo Tobita

Notable anime roles: Kamille Bidan in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Albert Heinrich/004 in Cyborg 009, Sueo Mauro in Chibi Maruko-chan, Bob in Cabot Robotchi, multiple characters in Sound Horizon, Starscream, Signal Flare, Bulkhead and Constructicon Maximus in Transformers Energon, Clovis La Britannia in Code Geass, Leva in Glitter Force! DokiDoki!, Poupelin in Sailor Moon SuperS: the Movie

Notable Tokusatsu roles: Buredoran of the Comet/Buredoran of the Chupacabra/Bured-RUN of the Cyborg/Brajira of the Messiah in Tensou Sentai Goseiger, Buredoran of the Chimatsuri in Tensou Sentai Goseiger vs Shinkenger: Epic on the Ginmaku.

Notable dubbing roles: Beeman in Constantine, Bill Shepherd in House of Cards, Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, Terry Gilliam’s characters in Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life, Patrick Wisely in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Terrorsaur and Quickstrike in Beast Wars, Skipper in the Madagascar series (from The Penguins of Madagascar onwards), Pinnochio in the Shrek series, Milhouse, Dr. Drink and Scratchy in the Simpsons, Captain Fanzone and Soundwave in Transformers Animated, Ratchet in Transformers: Prime.

And like I promised in my last major post, as little as this episode did for me, I didn’t think it was that bad. I can’t say the same for the next one (rant incoming).

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

can someone tell me what this coaster says on it besides probably "deneb" or "kamen rider den-o"

Yuuto wo yoroshiku, which I think is usually translated by people as "please get along with Yuuto". I forget how often he actually says those exact words, but it's considered Deneb's catchphrase for perfectly encapsulating his doting nature.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Yuuto wo yoroshiku, which I think is usually translated by people as "please get along with Yuuto". I forget how often he actually says those exact words, but it's considered Deneb's catchphrase for perfectly encapsulating his doting nature.

He says it a lot - Yuuto gets along with literally no one - and oh man, I gotta get that coaster now. Thanks!

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Wrong word (unless there’s a fanfiction out there I’m unaware of)

Oh fuck. I've fixed that now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 27 - “SCHEDULE-DISRUPTING FANG”

Like, first of all, there’s nothing going on thematically in this episode at all. It’s not about anything. It’s farce, and farts, and it exists to hopefully create enough goodwill to both forgive its inconsequential nature, as well as maybe get kids to beg their parents to go see the movie. The one robber is a total joke, and the other one technically doesn’t even appear in the episode? (He’s masked at almost all times, and the only time you see his face is when it’s footage from the film. Could they not get that guy back for a couple scenes of the TV show?) There’s no real intrigue with them, and there’s nothing humanizing. They’re just someone wacky to frustrate the heroes, and set up the slumber party at Milk Dipper.

The robber part is just like the other contract holder in previous episodes for being someone to trigger a IOTW that is there for the Riders to fight, and the another one appeared in the movie which is used to portray each of the Taros with their respective personality, where Momo throws violent outburst, Ura is snarky, Kin declares his strength, and Ryuu follows Airi's examples. And the Imagin that draws Nogami out is even identical to the thief that he's only good at running away, and that they belong to Gaoh, who is a train thief.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Which, obviously, best part. Seeing Kin, Momo, and Ura threaten Ozaki for getting too familiar with Hana? Hard to call an episode a total failure when that happens. Bonus points for bringing back the mascot suits for the DenLiner Imagin, which is a visual gag I will never, ever get tired off.

Actually for this moment, I'd appreciate Hana instead for assuring Ozaki that he's fine and just ignore the insults from the Taros. Don't get me wrong, I'm also the part of not defending those 2 sleazy comic reliefs, but I'm not speaking on Ozaki's behalf here, but to anyone who isn't the most exceptional or special person, like people don't deserve to suffer and be treated like garbage just because they aren't the most handsome, smart, cool, charismatic, etc, everyone deserves to be loved and respected even (and especially) if they're struggling, leaning more on a "loser" side. Or folks here who can only watch toku shows too deserve to be ridiculed and degraded like what the Taros here do? (and assholes can act whatever they want if they harm plain average people like this and they're the one who deserves help due to everything happening for a reason) ~ Though here you talk about if Ozaki getting too familiar (being inappropriate) with Hana, but dunno about that, he definitely did have moments of that previously, but what I catch is it's just him simply asking others to play a tabletop game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

-Third best part of the episode was the irritated look on Yuuto’s face when Hana and Ura ditch him to go stop the jewel thief. He’s so annoyed that he can’t go with them to fight monsters!

On the bright side though, Yuuto's transformation to Zeronos is limited, Yuuto can save his transformation for other, more crucial time, like when there are no other monster fighters in Den-O. It seems the superpowered humans here have a poor sense of aiming, that they can frequently miss against the thief like previously Momotaros attacking thugs with pole or something, delaying their progress to catch them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

-Second best part of the episode was, of course, Deneb making himself a watermelon helmet (as a disguise???) and running through a field. Why is Deneb so extra weird in these movie tie-in episodes? It’s a little concerning!

Deneb is a comic relief character, he acts as Yuuto's ditzy comedic foil. But he'll bring out some surprise that you wouldn't expect later by labeling him as being kind and getting in the way of Yuuto's combat prowess earlier.

[Kamen Rider Die]

I keep thinking about that Please Get Along With Yuuto phrase. It's so perfect for Deneb. It's funny, it's heartfelt, it's subservient, it's hopeful; it's a request for mercy on a boy who'd sooner die than ask for it.

Like, it's so great in the way it centers Yuuto as some victim, you know? It's Deneb asking people to ignore all of Yuuto's incredibly prominent personality defects, the way Yuuto is living his life a quarter of an I'm Not Here To Make Friends at a time, and begging people to bend over backwards to not hate Yuuto. It makes Getting Along With Yuuto everyone else's job except Yuuto. It sees a depth in Yuuto, a value, that is obscured by everything Yuuto says and does to absolutely everyone he encounters.

I gotta get that coaster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Actually for this moment, I'd appreciate Hana instead for assuring Ozaki that he's fine and just ignore the insults from the Taros. Don't get me wrong, I'm also the part of not defending those 2 sleazy comic reliefs, but I'm not speaking on Ozaki's behalf here, but to anyone who isn't the most exceptional or special person, like people don't deserve to suffer and be treated like garbage just because they aren't the most handsome, smart, cool, charismatic, etc, everyone deserves to be loved and respected even (and especially) if they're struggling, leaning more on a "loser" side. Or folks here who can only watch toku shows too deserve to be ridiculed and degraded like what the Taros here do? (and assholes can act whatever they want if they harm plain average people like this and they're the one who deserves help due to everything happening for a reason) ~ Though here you talk about if Ozaki getting too familiar (being inappropriate) with Hana, but dunno about that, he definitely did have moments of that previously, but what I catch is it's just him simply asking others to play a tabletop game.

Sure, the Imagin are maybe a little overprotective of Hana here (plus I think they, rightly, are incredibly irritated by Ozaki), but we as the audience know that the Imagin aren't even a little off-base in their judgment of him. They aren't being mean to him because he's not the Most anything, other than Most Slimy. He's a creep, and they're treating him like a creep.

But, yeah, Hana's more than capable of standing up for herself, which was a nice part of that scene.

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER DEN-O EPISODE 28 - "TOO LUCKY, TOO EXCITED, TOO STRANGE”




First of all, I want to praise the absolute brass balls on Kobayashi for debuting the brand-new Den-O form two episodes after the movie. The only debut Den-O form in that film was Sword Form Junior! And then the big Power Of Teamwork form shows up a fortnight later! On TV! For free! The stones of her to do that... amazing. It's so counterintuitive that my head is still spinning. Unbelievable and surprising.

I don't know that the form would've been as cool outside this epilogue, though. I'm sure she could've cooked up some Voltron-style reason for the time-displaced Imagin to all combine in order to defeat Gaoh. It would've been fine, maybe even fun. But putting that suit here, and grounding it in how much Momo cares about the other Imagin? That's some generous and fulfilling storytelling.

This whole episode is pretty much just an epilogue to the film, addressing some bits of unfinished business. The remaining jewel thief and Imagin, the ones who eluded Yuuto last episode, are out causing some low-level mayhem. They're a minor distraction in this story, to the degree that the action kicks off when Ryotaro remembers that he never went back to defeat the final Imagin because of the movie. (It's incredibly fitting that Yuuto took the time after Gaoh was defeated to make Ryotaro go clean up Yuuto's mess. Something something limited amount of Zeronos cards NOPE he just wanted to make Ryotaro do it.) There's only comedic threat to these two adversaries; the thief is a total dope, and the Imagin never does much more than beat up some karate guys in a forest. They exist to get defeated, and they eventually do. They aren't the obstacle, though.

The obstacle is that, in his brief bout of Narratively Convenient Amnesia, Ryotaro has severed his link with every Imagin except Momo. All of the various hangers-on are disappearing, and there's nothing to be done to save them. Most of the episode is suffused with grief, as Ryotaro and Hana are powerless to save their friends.

Momo, though...

It's more exciting to me that this Disappearing Imagin story dug into how Momo feels about the other Imagin than how Ryotaro feels about them. Ryotaro's little speech about how difficult his life is because of his friends, but he still considers them friends, it's not really a revelation. I don't see this show having kind and empathetic Ryotaro go Phew Finally Amirite at three teammates disappearing. How Ryotaro felt about them wasn't exactly unexplored territory. It's nicely said, but it felt slightly redundant.

The Momo stuff was surprisingly affecting and understated, though. It's not the Episode 4 thing where Momo's fiery demeanor causes him to shout his feelings. It's the side of him that can only be vulnerable as a joke, or else he keeps it to himself. Getting these little flashes of him choking back tears, or avoiding eye contact with the others, that's a version of this story I'm more curious about. Momo's pain is real, but it's really only clear when you see his joy at his friends' return.

Which, I don't know if this is going to work for everyone. If you feel like they did a fake-out here, where the Imagin come back with a handwave and it's all just a pointless cul-de-sac of a plot, I wouldn't fight you on it. It's a problem that comes mostly out of nowhere (Owner's explanation for why everyone but Momo are getting dissolved is incredibly convoluted, and it feels pretty flimsy even for Time Magic), and it all wraps up due to Feelings. There's a Ghost episode later in the run where Takeru drops dead and gets resurrected (with a new form?) all in one episode, and this one reminded me of that. It's not a super-tight plot.

This one worked for me, though. I never thought the Imagin were gone for good. There's like twenty episodes left! This show isn't going to lose 75% of its merchandising opportunities with five months left to go! So the tension was less in If, and more in How the Imagin would come back. It being a situation where Ryotaro believed in them enough to allow Momo to ask them to come back, that all totally landed with me.

Because it's Momo who does it. He answers the phone, he dials them back to life, he defeats the Imagin with their help. It's a story that ends up being about how Momo needs these weirdos in his life, how it's not the same without them around. It told me something new about Momo, so I'll forgive it its imperfect plotting. This ended up being a nice extra climax for the last week's worth of Den-O movie stuff, which is probably exactly how Momo would prefer it.



THE BAGGAGE CAR

-Climax Form! I think it's very fun, and ALL HAIL TAKAIWA. The suit itself is this weird mishmash of heads, with maybe a little too much animation going on, but that dude kills in his performance. Seeing him switch from one Imagin to another inside of a shot, it's art. He is an artist, and Climax Form is probably his masterpiece.

-If the Rider Kick that Den-O does in Climax Form isn't called Climax Jump, I might need to quit watching these shows. They even played the theme song and everything! It's too perfect!

-The plotting in this one is a little imprecise, but the only thing I went WAIT WHAT HOW at was when Deneb shows up at Milk Dipper to tell Yuuto about the disappearing Imagin. Who told Deneb? This isn't some problem that the DenLiner crew needed anyone else's help with. No one was expecting Yuuto to pitch in. How did Deneb hear about it? My only guess is a headcanon that Deneb and Naomi text constantly, gossiping about everything on the show.

-...most of my headcanons are about Naomi's rich inner life. I won't apologize for that!

[Kurona]

This is maybe my favourite episode in Den-O?

It's certainly the one I find myself remembering the most, at least; which is pretty fitting given the show, but I think it's the single one that encapsulates everything I love about Den-O. The sheer weight of silence that runs through most of the episode, how very not Den-O it is to see Momotaros like this and how chillingly silent the Den-Liner is; only for that burst of energy to come roaring back with a form as intense as Climax, all brought on by a flaming effigy of their train running through Momo? It's beautiful. It's art, it's fun and it's wonderful and I always find myself coming back to it in my memories of this show. It's nothing overly complex, but it's just... it's just nice. This show makes me feel some things

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurona

This is maybe my favourite episode in Den-O?

It's certainly the one I find myself remembering the most, at least; which is pretty fitting given the show, but I think it's the single one that encapsulates everything I love about Den-O. The sheer weight of silence that runs through most of the episode, how very not Den-O it is to see Momotaros like this and how chillingly silent the Den-Liner is; only for that burst of energy to come roaring back with a form as intense as Climax, all brought on by a flaming effigy of their train running through Momo? It's beautiful. It's art, it's fun and it's wonderful and I always find myself coming back to it in my memories of this show. It's nothing overly complex, but it's just... it's just nice. This show makes me feel some things

The best decision this episode makes is to have Owner go Nope They Dead real early in the story. It changes it from a story about trying to avert disaster into one that asks you to feel the weight of the people in your life, how they draw so much out of you - good AND bad - and that story is way more Den-O than any other story could've been. Even Ryotaro's training montage is half about him trying to honor his friends by being a better Den-O, as well as him knowing he'll have to carry more of the weight without them around.

The middle section, where it's the opposite of the parties at the bookends, yeah, pretty great. Somber and funereal, just a bunch of imagination monsters from the end of time waiting around to die. It makes great use of that train set, where it feels chillier from the lack of noise; sterile and hollow. The stakes in this one are hard to suspend your disbelief on, but that middle section gets me to feel it.