[Powerman293]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

I don't think it's too big of a problem in Blade. Tachibana had to overcome is issue of being a bitch early on, so he was intentionally severing connections, Hajime kept secrets for rather obvious reasons, and Mutsuki was brainwashed for half the show.

It's not really Faiz level of keeping secrets because fuck you. Blade did it well.

In Faiz, there is a subplot about misunderstanding because the two idiot characters hang out and misunderstand what their friends are saying about each other. Not out of malicious intent. Just dumbness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Don't forget the awesome helmet shattering moments. I love when that happens in Blade and Timeranger.

The helmet shatters are awesome and iconic moments from the series that are fantastic. Kind of wish Mutsuki had his helmet shatter, but it probably would have been a contrived scenario to get that to happen.

Although Tachibana's helmet shatter was awesome, the coolness of that whole fight happening becomes way lamer when you realize That he was just sitting on a rock when he and the final undead went down and he fell into the sea.

[MarsHottentot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Don't forget the awesome helmet shattering moments.

Of course, however, the gut shot came as a complete jaw dropper as it was pretty early in the series and I didn't exactly know what to expect. By the time the helmets get messed up, I knew what I was watching - definitely way cool (obviously, I dig it), but didn't blow my mind as hard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

I love when that happens in Blade and Timeranger.

makes mental note to also check out Timeranger.

[Matrixbeast]

They actually kept the helmet shatter in Time Force, too~

[GreenPsychoRanger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

They actually kept the helmet shatter in Time Force, too~

I was just about to say that. XD

[ZeoRangerV]

So that Rider 1 movie. It's....damn near perfect. An incredible anniversary film.

It's not quite as epic as I expected it to be, but man does it have so much more heart. Hongo carries himself incredibly as this wisened warrior who's travelled the world, fought with and lost comrades over time and clearly longs for a quiet life. The moments he shares with Mayu are really, really touching.

He also bounces really well off of the Ghost cast (well, Takeru mostly - Makoto is just generally there to be another Rider is seems) and the veteran/newcomer dynamic they have is perfect.

Another really nice touch was the Shocker vs Nova Shocker in fighting, which shows a lot of love towards the original but also shows off just how dated they are. We've had a lot of "new" versions of Shocker over time but this was undoubtedly the best.

My ONLY complaint is just how shoehorned in the Alexander the Great Eyecon is, since it makes little thematic sense in the film and is mainly there to keep Ghost's gimmicks relevant. If they had just gone with a Great Shocker Leader Eyecon the plot could have been exactly the same and worked SO much better.

But yeah, this is one heck of a film.

[Fish Sandwich]

In honor of Kaixa Day (913, get it?), I watched Paradise Lost again. Still my favorite summer movie. I really love it when Kamen Rider does genre stuff and this movie is basically a random post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie that happens to feature the characters from Faiz.

It's just a solid action flick with some great scenes and a million other things that make me love it. I love how it takes almost exactly half the movie for Faiz to actually show up, for example. Psyga is also my favorite movie-exclusive Rider. The suit is cool enough but he makes an effective recurring video-game boss throughout the film, which gives him a presence I don't think a lot of the other guys have.

I kind of wish we still did the whole alternate universe thing for the summer movies, it was a great excuse to get really creative and out-there with the premises.

[HenshinTrouble]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I kind of wish we still did the whole alternate universe thing for the summer movies, it was a great excuse to get really creative and out-there with the premises.

I didn't know this was a "thing"! I watched Kabuto Eat Pray Love (LOL) without having seen the series itself, knowing it was some type of Elseworlds thing. When I missed a lot of the nuances, it struck me then that, like Elseworlds stories, this film really works best for those familiar with the "canon story."

[MarsHottentot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I kind of wish we still did the whole alternate universe thing for the summer movies, it was a great excuse to get really creative and out-there with the premises.

It's more creative and just plain fun to not be handcuffed by continuity. But, y'know, many people live vicariously through this stuff and such flagrant disregard for... *ahem* "reality"... sends them into a frenzy - or the fetal position!

It's even worse in American comics, right?

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HenshinTrouble

When I missed a lot of the nuances, it struck me then that, like Elseworlds stories, this film really works best for those familiar with the "canon story."

Yeah, that's definitely the case. You can watch the movie with no context but it makes a lot more sense being familiar with the series.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarsHottentot

It's more creative and just plain fun to not be handcuffed by continuity.

I really liked it when the movie was essentially a "bonus" kind of story. I also really like stuff like the Wizard movie that can fit comfortably between any two episodes of the show while still being it's own thing.

Stuff like Den-O borders on annoying though. I can't imagine how rough it must have been for people at the time who were outside of Japan to watch an episode that literally ends by telling you to watch the movie, which isn't an option until the DVD comes out 6 months later.

[HenshinTrouble]

I watched episodes 23-24 of Kamen Rider W. Generally, I'm enjoying the show, except that I seem to be more in the mood these days for Super Sentai.

What I like about KRW is pretty constant:

• Shotaro and Philip, individually and together
• the Sonozaki family,
• the suit designs (W and the Dopants)
• the off-kilter humor, seen especially here with Fuutic Idol

What I'm not too keen about (and a testament to how much I enjoy the show can be seen in how I can't even use the word "dislike" in this context, because I find it too strong) isn't improving though. I still don't find the supporting cast, including Akiko, funny, and I'm glad they're at least not quite crossing over into "irritating." They strike me as pretty useless though, which I'm worried may be close.

And then there's Accel.

After several episodes with Accel, I find that I don't like him much as a rider, oddly enough. I like the way Ryu interacts with Philip--serious and professional--but despite the popularity of Accel over here (where most people prefer him to W), I don't see the appeal.

While I like his main weapon, I don't like his suit design, his vehicles (himself, his motorcycle, his tank thing from the previous episodes), and his henshin device or even the way he says "henshin"!

To be honest, I do want to like him, so I'm hoping to warm up to the character soon the way I did with Zeronos, even while I don't think I can like him as much as I do Meteor.

I must also say that since I like Dekabreak's even more over-the-top Brace Throttle, I feel a bit odd that I dislike the Accel Driver so much.