[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

If what you like about Saber extends to even Luna, then I'd also wonder how'd you defend her as Luna (especially on her own) seems to be even worse than Sophia for one of the most hated in the franchise. About Reika, yeah, the hate she receives is mostly after Ryoga is introduced where it's more of disappointment that her character is ruined since then instead of inherently viewing her as bad as a whole. And I wonder what'd be the time limit for promises to you if that this is fulfilled very long time after, but all before those time Touma can be accused as breaking promises.

Sure, I like Luna, generally, but most of what I like about her is pretty basic stuff, she's just a kind cheerful kid and I mostly care about her cause I care about Touma and he cares about her. Also, that Master Logos was acting like a creep towards her, so I wanted Luna to get away from him pretty quickly. She's not prominent enough that I can defend her on the same level as Sophia, but I will argue against the haters that they shouldn't have expected too much activity from a character stuck in the book dimension for 15 years anyway.

I'm pretty indifferent to Ryouga, but I feel inclined to defend him a little, since I've seen some of Reika's fans-turned-haters blame him for "ruining" her, even though Reika's dysfunction is her own problem and out of Ryouga's control.

Regarding time limits for promises, that depends on whether or not a time limit was established as one of the conditions and whether it's specific, like "today next week", or vague, like "in a few days" (such as my promise to Die about discussing Book of Ruin), which varies for each person. Of course, if there's no time limit given, then a promise could be fulfilled even after both parties are dead. Like if a hero promises their dying friend that they will protect the world, then they also die fighting to protect the world, but their effort posthumously leads to that outcome. So Touma promising to save Luna can be considered a success, despite the long duration.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Um, but that make sense. If a character can be both strong and weak, both rude and soft, this is versatility. If he/she always shows only one trait or several similar ones - this is a flat character. That is, morally good characters are not necessarily good written characters. I myself like to evaluate riders, including from a civil point of view, but this is far from the only point of view. Not to mention the fact that the feelings "like / dislike" are often not explained logically in principle, because they are born in the heart, not the brain.

Moderation is important here though. Reika starts out cold and merciless, but the swing in the opposite direction makes her pathetic and submissive, while still being cold and merciless. So then she gets hated for being the worst of both extremes, rather than steadily moving in to the sweet spot.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Moderation is important here though. Reika starts out cold and merciless, but the swing in the opposite direction makes her pathetic and submissive, while still being cold and merciless. So then she gets hated for being the worst of both extremes, rather than steadily moving in to the sweet spot.

But in the end, she gets better. And, again, I would not say that she is "submissive", since Ryoga is a useless "dominant". He is the one to whom orders are given, and when he tries to dispose, this does not lead to anything good. In principle, the whole nature of Sabella's destructiveness can be explained by the fact that her older brother was perceived by her as an infallible ideal, which he never was. So she aspired to the wrong and inappropriate role model for her. And as soon as she saw in him an ordinary person who could make mistakes, their relationship as relatives and riders immediately improved.

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

But in the end, she gets better. And, again, I would not say that she is "submissive", since Ryoga is a useless "dominant". He is the one to whom orders are given, and when he tries to dispose, this does not lead to anything good. In principle, the whole nature of Sabella's destructiveness can be explained by the fact that her older brother was perceived by her as an infallible ideal, which he never was. So she aspired to the wrong and inappropriate role model for her. And as soon as she saw in him an ordinary person who could make mistakes, their relationship as relatives and riders immediately improved.

The arc you just described sounds good in premise and fitting with the moral of taking care with idolizing authority. However, for all the unnecessary trouble Reika causes for characters who have no investment in her personal arc and the overly long time it takes to address her obsession with Ryouga, I can't really hold it against people to begrudge her for that.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

I guess this explains why Master Logos brought Bacht back, to be used as his pawn here, though he just laughs as he disintegrates.

Logos also needed Falchion's sword, so it turns out releasing him was maybe less about hoping he'd take out Touma and more about eventually needing that sword, and why not let him cause some trouble first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Really, didn't expect for at least you to have quite accepting reaction towards, well, Luna part here, due to how those previous parts regarding her has been nothing but annoyance, due to the non-intriguing mystery, or the lack of bond that is shown between those three other than just flashbacks, compared to something like Rintaro and Mei.

I don't know, I thought the show landed the storyline here? Luna as a concept I can take or leave, but Luna as an actual physical person for Touma to snatch from the clutches of villainy? I'm good with that!

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER SABER HYPER BATTLE VIDEO - “GATHER! HERO! THE EXPLOSIVE DRAGON TELEVI-KUN!”



Finally, this show gets its Cubi.

I love stories about monsters who’d rather not be evil. I don’t mean long arcs where villains slowly succumb to the hero’s (or heroes’) moral gravity, and fight for justice. Those are nice, but what really gets me are little stories about chump monsters who are too adorable to be evil, and would rather just be creative, or happy. Little stories of heroes encouraging monsters to follow their innocent dreams? That is the most Kamen Rider story possible, to me.

So, yeah, I adored this hilarious HBV about finding merit in even the goofiest of heroes. Leave it to Saber to take the pack-in video for an issue of Televi-Kun, and turn it into both a hysterically self-referential joke about kids-magazine superheroes AND a moving short story about the inherent nobility of even the most slapstick of heroes.

It’s an HBV where I got maybe half of the references (Lone Wolf & Cub and Aflac, yes; whoever Rintaro was supposed to be, no) and still loved every second of it. The ongoing gag about Touma being drafted by an increasingly in-character X-Swordman to portray partner-turned-rival-turned-partner Blademan-Y alone is a joke that would’ve carried most other HBVs, but this thing also gives us everything with Storious (greatest episode for him) and Mei’s frenzied dedication to breaking this ludicrous story. It’d be one of the best ever HBVs if they’d only tried half as hard; the rest is just them flaunting their prowess.

God, I loved this. The HBV is, I always feel like, where a show most becomes itself. It’s where the cast and crew are confident enough in their abilities to do something this parodic and absurd, while still delivering what we love about the series. After this, it’s the endgame, and Legend Riders, and a solidified legacy. And it’s all because they landed something as inconsequential and goofy as this.

I guess there’s heroism in even the most humorous of forms.

—

CERTAIN STARS



“‘Yes father… I shall become… a blademan. Why?’ WOO! Classic stuff there, right guys? Hey, it’s Kaho, back with a deeper dive into the history of SWORD-X-MAN and the entire SXM universe. As always, if you want to stay on top of these explainer videos, be sure to smash that bell! Don’t forget to Like and Subscribe, as well!

“Okay, Blademan-Y! We’re gonna dig a little deeper into his story this time out, but first, I gotta respond to some of the comments from the last video. I got a lot of ‘Kaho, WTF? We thought you hated Sword-X-Man!’ I mean, some of y’all were a little saltier than that, which: thanks for the assist, mods!

“But, yeah, no, you guys are right. I definitely came in on Sword-X-Man with a bit of an ax to grind – no pun intended for you Z-Axeman fans! I definitely didn’t love how it was approaching American superhero tropes, and I didn’t feel like the creative team was really honoring what they were referencing. It was… yeah, not a great first impression.

“I stuck with it, though, and I really ended up getting into the story they were telling. It took a minute to get into the rhythms, but, man, so rewarding when the cast opened up. Sword-X-Man is great, and the whole book wouldn’t work without him as the stable lead, but c’mon: Blademan-Y! Z-Axeman! Hell, how great and nuanced is Duckler as a villain? It’s killers all the way down the line.

“And, look, it’s not the most serious attempt at this sort of story. It’s goofy, and it’s sometimes ridiculously earnest, and it’s always taking the weirdest approach to its storytelling. But, isn’t that okay sometimes? It doesn’t make the characters less evocative or intriguing for being funny, or even wacky. It’s one other type of flavor. Who would want there to be less flavors in the world?

“So, yeah, I came around on Sword-X-Man, and I’m glad y’all are willing to let me go on that journey with you. OKAY! Back to the explainer! So, I love this line: ‘You don’t get it boy… this isn’t a quarry… it’s a sword shop. And you’re the whetstone.’ But what does Blademan-Y really mean here? Well, we’d have to go back to Sword-X-Man issue number…”

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER SABER HYPER BATTLE VIDEO - ?GATHER! HERO! THE EXPLOSIVE DRAGON TELEVI-KUN!?

Excellent HBV. Faiz's musical remains my favorite, but this one is a solid second. A wonderful touching story by Ahiru Megid, funny and sad at the same time. I didn't understand all the references either, but I'm sure they were great. I would also like to draw your attention to Storius. Here he, albeit very grotesquely, is depicted as a cruel creator who does not care about his creations. Not a bad option for opposing the hero-writer. Also, this HBV gave my favorite Mei`s line:

It's a joke, although I love this one too. But what I really meant was this:

And how not to adore her after that?
Returning to the theme of X-Swordsman in fanfic liked, although it was obvious.

[Androzani84]

I have to say, I mostly remember this less for any content when I got around to watching it, and more for the fact that toy reviewer k2eizo felt the need to shoehorn the Ridebook into every video he made for the next week after it came out. And it came out the same week as the final form item.

But rather than subject you to all of them, I’ll simply share what it sounds like if you use 2 or 3 books (which I had to translate myself, since the wiki editors were apparently too lazy to add in three lines about this book.

TV-Kun: These warrior’s tales of battle are recorded in the transcendentally enjoyable TV-Kun!

Comic Rider! One Manga Volume! The delightful book grants further power to the sword.

The power of laughter is imbued in the sword! Comic Rider! Two Manga Volumes! The delightful book grants the power of smiles!

When the delightful book comes forth, the power of smiles is imbued in the sword! Comic Rider! Three Manga Volumes! The sword of smiles has now reached the zenith of delight!

Next time: Jaoh Dragon, King Durian, Kasshine, Kamen Rider Kitbash!

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Can't even get two minutes into the Saber HBV before Touma starts reading a magazine about Ghost, and then the actual plot is about a sympathetic monster and Yuri and Touma going LARPing. All with gloriously absurdist direction by Hidenori Ishida. Saber loves me, and I love it right back!

I didn't give it any super long writeup, but yeah, I adored this thing too. A rock solid HBV that has particular appeal for me personally, well beyond simply being the Saber one, which probably would've been enough to begin with.

[Enchilada645]

This is a pretty absurd Hyper Battle Video.

There's just a lot of fun stuff, like the shot at the beginning by cutting directly to a singular panning shot of everyone eating eclairs around the Sword of Logos table, and their casual conversation. Touma just reading a Ghost related book. Our duckling Megid in general. Yuri's obsession of just LARPing and dragging Touma into it. Charybdis is back in something more than a minor speaking line. Also Storious can just go full Sentai motw what with growing large?

It's a lot of fun and absurd stuff even if I didn't get a lot of the references. Got the Aflac one though, but that was like the easy one.

As for our story, well hey this is familiar ground. Was not expecting us to go back to Kaho of all characters, but it's fitting given the subject of the HBV does more digging into the Sword X Man mythos with Y-Blademan.

Still rather fun

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Returning to the theme of X-Swordsman in fanfic liked, although it was obvious.

Thanks! I thought it was worth seeing if our resident YouTuber could find something of value in a franchise she'd previously dismissed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

But rather than subject you to all of them, I?ll simply share what it sounds like if you use 2 or 3 books (which I had to translate myself, since the wiki editors were apparently too lazy to add in three lines about this book.

Very cool! Much appreciated!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I didn't give it any super long writeup, but yeah, I adored this thing too. A rock solid HBV that has particular appeal for me personally, well beyond simply being the Saber one, which probably would've been enough to begin with.

It's a consistently entertaining one-shot that still manages to feel uniquely and canonically Saber. This show really knows how to nail its comedy, and I'm not sure if that's a common opinion? I don't know how this show is appraised, outside this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

There's just a lot of fun stuff, like the shot at the beginning by cutting directly to a singular panning shot of everyone eating eclairs around the Sword of Logos table, and their casual conversation.

The table is such a weird one for a rotating shot, since you've got that big dumb scanner at the front, but I like how the director turned that weakness into a strength by having Mei pop up from behind it with her plot-propelling declaration. Clever!