[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

Plus, Geiz's method of wandering round till he finds the problem is the most Wizard thing you can do. I'm so glad a series that means so much to me ended up as it did, ya know?

Geiz wandering around Tokyo until he stumbled upon either the monster or a different Rider was my favorite tribute in the Wizard story. If only Sougo had leapt in from out of frame to save a bystander, I'd've been in heaven.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

Now Sougo, joining King Kuroto to see how he rules does feel like something he'd do, but the episode's way of doing it just doesn't work, nor does it feel like something Sougo would do, knowing geiz is breathing down his neck. The .5 Episode really does fit the main issue with this episode.

Sougo's weirdly okay with people being restrained and abused in this episode. I guess Sougo has learned leniency from how Tsukuyomi and Geiz continue to indulge his troublingly undefinable morality? This was a real Paying It Forward episode.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Name

Man... Everyone's got a whole lot of words for this episode. I'll roll with this: Eiji chilling in jail with a smile is very Eiji.

i hope you're ready for a whole bunch of pictures next

episode eleven is so pretty

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 11 - “ZI-O ON PARADE 2018”



All I want to do is talk about this episode’s cinematography. There’s plot stuff, and it’s very fun, but we’ll save that discussion for Episode 12. For now, let’s just talk about how well this episode tells its story visually.



Right off the bat, we’re going with this overhead shot of Woz delivering the foreword. Beyond just looking dynamic (which nearly all of these shots for the episode will), it’s a fun image of machinery, gears, clockwork. There’s an emphasis on interlocking elements and cooperative movement that feels like a nice clue to this story’s approach.



And then a great big clock! Some of what I like about this shot is the framing, the stillness. There’s also the dissolve out from Woz’z platform of gears onto a working clock, which is a fun transition. But it also elevates a background motif into something Important To The Story, you know? We’re in a loopy time travel story, and we will be seeing a ton of clocks!



There’s a great use of background details in this shot, like how the camera pans through columns decked out in TEAM BARON 2013 posters. With an In Media Res opening, it’s crucial to present relevant info in an almost diegetic way; it can’t come across as exposition, or it’ll kill the exact momentum an In Media Res opening is deployed to create. A lovely shot, and great at building out the players for this story.



Same thing with this shot of the Gaim RideWatch. Just a super kinetic shot that shows off the new merch.



And then, man, this shot of the Gaim Ride Armor! I love that after collecting a half-dozen Rider Armors, Sougo’s all set for the new one to show up in front of him. Instead, it’s Gaim, so it just drops down on him from above. It’s a really good gag!



Pretty fantastic tableau here! Really evocative, quickly creating a sense of scale (this is way beyond what Sougo’s used to) and a sense of stakes (it all looks pretty bad!). This episode is great with disorienting views of time and space, and this is a great toss into the deep end.



Everything about Kouta The Space God feels all-powerful and mysterious here, before we even get into the In Media Res parts of the scene. It takes a while to see his face. He moves four-dimensionally, echoing ahead of and behind his movements. He comes off as someone who’s operating on a literal different plane than Sougo.



THIS SHOT! Kouta’s telling Sougo that if he can’t trust in his friends to take care of themselves – if he has to do everything for them, like he’s above them – then he doesn’t deserve to have them. He deserves to be alone in his power. And then Kouta drops out the floor, leaving the two all-powerful characters literally standing all alone.



It’s been a minute, but I remember these blue butterflies being a Gaim thing? With Mai? Either way, I love how it looks here, with Kouta glitching out before dissolving this whole limbo space.



Jesus, everything in this shot. None of it makes any literal sense – why are there multiple women dancing around in blinding clock masks? – but I could not care less. It takes a story that’s already massively unsettled, with a bonkers opening and an appearance from a Space God, and then makes it even more bizarre and symbolic. The idea of time being an Actual Person who can be frozen, manipulated, avoided… such a fun visual.



There’s some great reaction shots in this episode. I mostly love the tendency to stay on the reacting character, not the speaker. Here, we’ve got Swartz speaking to Geiz, but by staying on Geiz, it makes Swartz’z words feel like they come from the cosmos. It’s all the stuff Geiz thinks he’s hiding away, but it’s being broadcast through the universe. (Also, man, so glad this show decided to land on Geiz Is Pouting Because His Friend Was Mean To Him as the reason Geiz ran away from home! Everyone sees it!)



The Time Jackers are trying to recruit Geiz, and this shot really encapsulates the dilemma Geiz is in. The composition is super symmetrical, with Geiz as the central, slightly-out-of-place component. It really sells their strategy towards him, while letting him not quite fit in. The Time Jacker scheme is smart, in that Geiz could be a valuable asset. Geiz wants the same thing they do: the death of Zi-O. But Geiz sees his manipulation of time as more altruistic than the Time Jackers, even if they’re all screwing around with history. Having Geiz be the central piece of this shot, while being visibly uncomfortable? So smart!



I like this far shot of two Baron guys. A lot of stuff in this part of the show uses really interesting angles on pretty basic plot points (the villain reveal, the hero’s arrival), which is nice. Blocking the shot this way, with the van and the alley wall squeezing these two characters together, does a good job of increasing the tension as the scene begins. Plus, that body language! Backs to us, one guy hunched over a bit… good directing there.




These two shots, again, some great editing in the way the reaction shots play out. (It was these two shots that made me realize all I wanted to talk about tonight were visuals.) The important part of this scene isn’t Swartz’z… isn’t anything to do with Swartz. It’s about Geiz deciding whether he hates Sougo enough to be a party to murder. (Uh, non-Sougo murder.) The dialogue here is like the devil on Geiz’z shoulder, which is why the second shot just drops Swartz entirely. We’re in Geiz’z very turbulent headspace, and figuring out how much of his sullen demeanor is really just hiding a bad breakup.



There’s almost no reason to shoot this very tiny bit of business from a rooftop. It’s arguably too showy to work. It calls attention to itself, for sure. But it’s also really fun to look at? There’s a read on this shot that I could reach for – that this episode’s all about moving pieces around on a four-dimensional chessboard, so it’s important to see the characters as tiny objects – but I don’t even care. I just like looking at it.



Probably hard to see here, but I liked how Geiz’z disorientation in Helheim was shown through the screen splitting into horizontal thirds and rotating. Static shots are boring! Spice it up!



The action in this episode was terrific. It gets weird angles, and pushes in at climactic moments. There’s this great hold on Geiz’z ax that I enjoyed, where it practically consumes the frame. It gives Geiz – who has been getting his ass kicked a bunch – a heroic beat, something that makes him imposing again.




Tsukuyomi is AWESOMELY weird in this episode, which I appreciate. She’d been in Time Mom mode a bit too much over the last few stories, so her getting increasingly stressed-out by Sougo’s perplexing behavior was what I loved about her in Episode 1. These two shots, it’s a nice callback joke within the episode, but I like how each one conveys a slightly different emotion? The first one is suspicious, as she’s starting to realize something’s up, and the second one is her just defeated by how insane things are. I like when the Time Orphans get to be weird, emotional teenagers!



Not so much the shot, here, but the set dressing. There’s some fruits on the table to the left of Tsukuyomi: bananas, lemons, and an orange. Very cute!




I like when Geiz gets to meet other taciturn anti-hero secondaries, because they can instantly see through his bullshit. Geiz is trying to do his grim executioner thing around Kaito, and Kaito’s immediately like Naw You’re Just Mad ‘Cause Your Friend Was Mean To You. Kaito thinks it’s sort of adorable, how this kid is trying to be all pro ice around him. The shots are composited so that Kaito literally doesn’t even have to look at Geiz to read him like a book. And Geiz isn’t even looking at Kaito when he declares his intention to kill Sougo, because he’s trying to convince himself. Great blocking and editing here.



So, one, I like how all of the red outfits make the two lead actors in the shot pop. Two, I love that these two kids have to shout into each other’s ears, getting more aggravated as the conversation goes on. Third, I adore that Tsukuyomi does her Episode 1 thing of getting Sougo into a fight to see what else might happen. (And it works! Her whole Get Sougo Beaten Up plan works!) Of all the things this episode did non-visually that I liked, giving Tsukuyomi and Sougo a screwball team-up was my favorite. (Second favorite was – and I didn’t double-check this – having 2018 Team Baron do the same Team Baron dance routine from Gaim. The little details on this show!)




This reveal! How great is this reveal?! Just a static shot on the stage, and all of the extras leave the frame. Look at those two shots, the beginning and the end. SO GOOD!



Finally getting to see Kouta in his non-Space God role, and he’s cleaning the glass… including the camera lens?! It’s another possibly-too-showy move, having Kouta interact with the screen, but I think it worked. It’s an episode that exists in an almost wordless space, where the energy and emotion of the visuals renders the dialogue and logic unnecessary. What better, final way to communicate that than having Kouta start fogging up the lens and wiping it down?

What an amazing episode of tokusatsu. Even if you’ve been skipping a rewatch, fire up Episode 11 over the next day or so. You won’t be disappointed!



—

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O COMPLEMENTATION PROJECT EPISODE 11.5 - “MYSTERIES OF 9 TO 5!”

Ha ha, it never even occurred to me that the various clocks in the background of 9 To 5 were from other shows, but… yeah, duh. Of course they are! It’s an anniversary season! The background’s going to be full of little easter eggs. I anxiously await Androzani84 pointing them all out to me.

Other than that, boy, did not like any of those unused Zi-O helmet designs! All pretty bad!

[Enchilada645]

Okay good, you see, you have entered the directorial realm of Kazuya Kamihoriuchi. He's done some real good work prior to, and after this! Really cool shots are his forte, and he's definitely become a fan favorite director in recent years.

Major things that I enjoyed of his were the Specter V-Cinema, Build and Ex-Aid's Generation's Final. He's done a fair small chunk of the Ex-Aid and Build episodes. The one iconic Build shot I'll always point to is, "Remember that one time Rogue transformed between a picture frame?" yeah that was him.

And he does so much good work after this too! I won't spoil it, but I will say he's directed possibly my favorite Rider Movie in recent memory? So good!!!!

Anyway we're still in Gaim town with the BGM Swaps so let's get rolling!

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 12 Preview:

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

The one iconic Build shot I'll always point to is, "Remember that one time Rogue transformed between a picture frame?" yeah that was him.

For me, it'll always be this scene:



This was a really nice episode to watch. I've enjoyed the series as a whole, visually, but this was some next-level stuff. It was so good, unfortunately, that I used up the time I'd usually watch DonBros for the week. Kinda... kinda don't know when I'm gonna get to that? Maybe Thursday? Maybe?

[GrandComplete]

I am so so glad you pretty much exclusively talked about the visuals of this episode as Kamihouruchi directing is an absloute delight that elevates an already cool arc into next level awesomeness. Sadly though the Gaim Arc is the only time he direct this season making ZI-O his least involved series to date; which is a shame he plays the theme of time so well visually in this two-parter.

Also are first ever instance of returning music from past series the Team Baron Dance theme

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandComplete

Also are first ever instance of returning music from past series the Team Baron Dance theme

It's nice to see that, in the intervening half-decade, Team Baron's new leadership has created absolutely no new art. Is this story also a Kiva homage? Is that why we just get the one Team Baron dance, forever?

(I'm only kidding. I was psyched to see them trot out the same Team Baron dance on the same Beat Riders stage. It was neat!)

[cosmicrescend0]

Episode 11, on stage!

-......Oh god, there's two of them now! A good chunk of this episode is just Sougo-swapping shenagians as Future Sougo attempts to save Geiz from Fruit Hell...but in the right way this time? It's simple and fun, so it definitely works for me! (Also the bit where the two Zi-Os come face-to-face with each other, and Current Sougo just goes "Oh, well! Shouldn't worry about that! :-)" is something that stuck in my mind on my first watch. It's such a Sougo thing to do, yknow?)


- I didn't particularly like Gaim, or the way handled its themes, but hey! Considering what our Legend Rider duo has been (or hasn't been? Time Nonsense...) through in the pursuit of power to save/rule over all, I think they might the best ones to guide Sougo/Geiz at their current stage?

-That bit with Uncle and Woz meeting, enjoyed that a lot. Especially the bit where Uncle grabs the clock Woz was about to throw away.

-Geiz....I think "Warrior from a apocalyptic future trying to stop a terrible future" and "teenage boy who doesn't do well with Emotions" is such a fun mix, y'know? Yeah I'm sure Sougo's actions in the last arc alarmed Geiz the Future Warrior as a sign of Oma-Zi-O, but Geiz the Teenager? Definitely not happy that the kid that he was slooooowly believing wasn't all that bad betrayed that trust. Maybe one day Geiz will learn to talk things out properly instead of immediately attempting to shift himself into Future Warrior mode?


-The small detail that Kaito's been trapped in Helheim for 5 years, without a Sengoku Driver to turn the lockseeds into human-safe nutrients, and is still relatively fine? I'm not sure if the writer forgot about that detail or Kaito's just that badass/resourceful. (Most likely a bit of both?)

-Truly the best representation of Gaim is that both the dancing and Kouta's God Wig still kinda sucks!

-Current Zi-O sure is lovely, but I think the eyeless helmet is kinda cool? Something about Rider masks without the traditional bug-like eyeshape are so fun,,

[GrandComplete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmicrescend0

-The small detail that Kaito's been trapped in Helheim for 5 years, without a Sengoku Driver to turn the lockseeds into human-safe nutrients, and is still relatively fine? I'm not sure if the writer forgot about that detail or Kaito's just that badass/resourceful. (Most likely a bit of both?)

According to Shirakura "Especially we wondered what he had eaten in Helheim forest, but the truth that Kaito and others had survived proves that there is something to eat there."

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmicrescend0

I didn't particularly like Gaim, or the way handled its themes, but hey! Considering what our Legend Rider duo has been (or hasn't been? Time Nonsense...) through in the pursuit of power to save/rule over all, I think they might the best ones to guide Sougo/Geiz at their current stage?

I'm definitely looking forward to what Baron -- a grim red-and-black-clad young man who wouldn't trust anyone else with power -- and Gaim -- a legit Good Overlord? -- have to say to Geiz and Sougo. This episode was fairly light on their interactions (the bit with Kouta and Sougo in the beginning was real This Will All Make Sense Later), but I'm sure Episode 12 will have some meaty scenes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmicrescend0

Geiz....I think "Warrior from a apocalyptic future trying to stop a terrible future" and "teenage boy who doesn't do well with Emotions" is such a fun mix, y'know? Yeah I'm sure Sougo's actions in the last arc alarmed Geiz the Future Warrior as a sign of Oma-Zi-O, but Geiz the Teenager? Definitely not happy that the kid that he was slooooowly believing wasn't all that bad betrayed that trust. Maybe one day Geiz will learn to talk things out properly instead of immediately attempting to shift himself into Future Warrior mode?

The BEST PART of this story, narratively, is that it's just about Geiz getting mopey because Sougo was mean to him and let him down. That's it! It's just about Geiz'z Hurt Feelings, the end, and I love that. He's such a transparently sweet boy, dressed up in the elaborate neckwear of a Serious Man. It's great, and I'm glad the show is acknowledging its greatness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmicrescend0

The small detail that Kaito's been trapped in Helheim for 5 years, without a Sengoku Driver to turn the lockseeds into human-safe nutrients, and is still relatively fine? I'm not sure if the writer forgot about that detail or Kaito's just that badass/resourceful. (Most likely a bit of both?)

Kaito has for sure been killing and eating all of the Team Baron guys Another Gaim tosses into Helheim.

[Androzani84]

“What is this D*r**m*n clone sh*t?”

Sadly I don’t know the clocks off the top of my head, nor is the wiki much aid. But I can move onto my regular feature.

Ridewatch Plalylist: Repaint the Movie Suits Mix.

(Can I start by saying how much I love the shamisen-music these Watches have for their music? I think it’s probably the best Ridewatch jingle music out of them all, to the point this is the one time I’ve put effort into guessing what the jingles for the unreleased Watches would sound like)

“Fighting with the power of Lockseeds, the fruits Armoured Rider is… Gaim”

And we start off with what one of my lecturers called “Death Metal” (though I insisted it was alternative rock. Thoughts?) Just Live More, by Gaim no Kaze.

“Jimber Lemon: Orange and Lemon mix into a jinbaori. Jimber Lemon Arms”

For this form, we’re going for it’s associated theme, Toki no Hana. The original was performed by all the Kamen Rider Girls at the time, but I went with this cover performed only by the one who represented Gaim (who you may recognise as the assistant from Gridon vs Bravo)

“Ei ei oh! Now, go forth! Gaim Kachidoki Arms”

And now we come to the personal highlight of this list, Rise Up Your Flag

“ADVENT! The heavenly thundering great general. Gaim Kiwami Arms”

And for this, I went with the theme that’s half about it (half about Overlord Baron) Ranbu Escalation

“The banana armour-wearing, spear-wielding Rider is Baron”

This time, I came up with two good choices, so I decided to use them: Never Surrender by Team Baron (Kaito, Zack and Peko’s actors) and Unperfected World by Kaito’s alone. So I went with both.

“The grape armour-wearing, gun-wielding Rider is Ryugen”

And he has a pretty distinctive song, so this was an easy choice. Point of No Return

“The melon armour-wearing, sword-wielding Rider is Zangetsu”

And since he doesn’t have an insert song, I went for his V-Cinema theme, Lights of My Wish, performed by Mai’s actress

And talking of Gridon vs Bravo, we conclude with this promotional watch that came with a DVD of the stage show it debuted in.

“Zangetsu’s battles never end. Noblesse Oblige. Zangetsu Kachidoki Arms”

And now for a list of the unreleased watches. There were no winners, but I personally think there weren’t any real losses this time. (Except maybe Duke Lemon Energy Arms)

Kamen Rider Gaim (Pine Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Ichigo Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Suika Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Jimber Cherry Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Jimber Peach Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Banana Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Donguri Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Durian Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim Yami (Black Jimber Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (1go Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Wizard Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Drive Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (Mango Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (Lemon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (Ringo Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (OOO Arms)
Kamen Rider Ryugen (Kiwi Arms)
Kamen Rider Ryugen (W Arms)
Kamen Rider Ryugen Yomi (Yomotsuheguri Arms)
Kamen Rider Zangetsu (Fourze Arms)
Kamen Rider Zangetsu (Watermelon Arms)
Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin (Melon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Gridon (Donguri Arms)
Kamen Rider Bravo (Durian Arms)
Kamen Rider Kurokage (Matsubokkuri Arms)
Kamen Rider Kurokage Shin (Matsubokkuri Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Knuckle (Kurumi Arms)
Kamen Rider Knuckle (Jimber Marron Arms)
Kamen Rider Duke (Lemon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Duke (Lemon Arms)
Kamen Rider Duke (Dragon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Sigurd (Cherry Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Marika (Peach Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Mars (Golden Arms)
Kamen Rider Kamuro (Silver Arms)
Kamen Rider Jam (Darkness Arms)
Kamen Rider Bujin Gaim (Blood Orange Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Fifteen Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Decade Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Fourze Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Wizard Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Gaim Arms)
Kamen Rider Idunn (Ringo Arms)
Kamen Rider Tyrant (Dragon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Black Baron (Banana Arms)
Kamen Rider Saver (Blood Zakuro Arms)

As for the compare and contrast, this time our villain contrasts with not just the primary Rider, but the SECONDARY too. Kouta is a strong believer in using the Sengoku Driver for personal responsibility over profit or games (even if it took him being beaten up by Taketora to develop this philosophy), while Kaito believes in survival of the fittest, and wouldn’t put anyone down unless they prove unable to do anything for themselves, and he attracts a lot of followers through charisma, with many leaving due to his personality. Asura on the other hand (for an etymology lesson, Asura is a godlike being in Hindu mythology who was exiled from heaven because he abused his strength to hurt others) uses the power of Another Gaim to get rid of anyone who disagrees with him, or tries to leave, essentially being an asshole for the sake of being an asshole (he’s worse than KurotOh. At least HE had parental abuse as an excuse). Design wise, Another Gaim is basically a Gaim themed version of Lord Baron (to the point that while the latter’s weapon was recycled from Demushu’s, the former’s is reused from Rosyuo)

In terms of the plot, I pretty much loved it. The “begin on a form debut” that’s so rare (this is the one time it’s applied to a form change, rather than a final form), complete with it unfolding Gaim style. And pairing Geiz off with Kaito pretty much comments on the similarity between the two, in that they’re both Knight Templar characters who are unwavering in their beliefs, though for different reasons (Kaito is unwavering because he’s held onto them for so long that he simply isn’t going to get over them, while Geiz is unwavering because none of his negative traits have any consequences, so he sees no reason to learn a lesson). If anything though, Geiz at least has the potential to change things around, with Kaito being the Jacob Marley in his Christmas Carol.