[Locke]

Blade Fifteen was actually a really great episode.

I've always kinda felt Tachibana was kind of a weak link amongst the characters that truly matter, minus Aname who may well be the worst child character in all of television and Hirose who I'm only glad is around because she is gorgeous, she serves no other real purpose. So I was very satisfied that he's now starting to grow into a compelling character, it's just a shame his girlfriend had to die to do so...

Although the action was improved this week, helped by the added emotional investment, wow Wesker was...rubbish. I assumed he was a major player but seeing how little of a fight he actually put up once he was forced into fighting, I'm surprised he's lasted this long.

That is kind of the problem here, people say you can look past bad action for the sake of the story and the characters and I one hundred percent agree with this...but not in Toku. In Toku action is integral to the stories and characters, a majority of a shows progression and wrapping up is done through action and so it's important that the action be...good, especially so in this genre.

As such Wesker basically turning out to be utterly pathetic basically means the show has wasted my time for the last ten or so episodes, as not only did he not put up a fight but none of his actions turned out to be particularly meaningful or long lasting. And yes, I know he killed Sayako but that wasn't something specifically to him, they could have done that whole arc perfectly fine without him.

[SPLIT LIP]

Ryuki's kind of losing me. Zolda's boytoy coolguy got captured by Ouja's dumb snake, and now Raia's gonna die. Even though I like him, he's really quite stupid. "My predictions are always right" but "fates can be changed. Okay, so are you sollumnly accepting your fate, or confident that you can change it? Make up your fucking mind!

Also, people sure like saying eachother's names for no real reason. I see this a lot in Japanese shows. It's like they can't trust the audience to realise they're thinking about someone unless they pointlessly and emotionlessly utter their name.

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

Also, people sure like saying eachother's names for no real reason. I see this a lot in Japanese shows. It's like they can't trust the audience to realise they're thinking about someone unless they pointlessly and emotionlessly utter their name.

I've noticed this! Sometimes whole debates are answered just by dramatically shouting their name, then the character nods as if he's just understood the meaning of life.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentai

For that I'd go Grongi. They are my absolute favorite.

I like the Lords from Agito most, personally. Fantastic designs, all of them.

Anyway, I finally watched Ultimatum now that the O-T subs are out. Overall I really loved it - Mega Max was probably just a little bit better as a whole, but I think this one was really strong.

Some stray observations, in roughly the order they came to me.

- Love the SIC style they went with for the Akumaizer redesigns.

- Hey, it's Mikie Hara! And boy did she get suspiciously sweaty during her short fight scene. Thank you for that, movie.

- Hey, it's Nao Nagasawa! I guess this is officially a tokusatsu from the last three years, then.

- Boy, Koichi Sakamoto sure loves him some wire work, huh?

- Why is there a Yuuki mk. 2?

- Very cool cinematography on the parkour sequence.

- It is very cool seeing what all of the Rider Club kids are doing five years later, although it seems like that's a bit too short of a time for some of these jobs. I mean, yeah, Kengo as a scientist I can see, but Gentaro really graduated high school, went to college (and realize here I know very little about the Japanese educational system), and got his teaching degree in just five years?

- Please don't have Shun do the "bling!" thing every five minutes like the last Fourze movie.

- Miu still doesn't know what "Oops" means.

- This "Village" of mutants Ryusei mentions, is that the place from the W Returns Eternal movie?

- Boy, Koichi Sakamoto sure loves him some women's legs, huh?

- I kinda liked the brown armored thing more than the final Inazuman suit. I think it's the stupid feather eyebrows.

- Well, Yuuki's dead. That may have been the single best thing to...

- Oh.

- Drat.

- Gentaro meeting himself is probably the single funniest moment of the entire movie.

- Yay, very early era Wizard time!

- This is the Rinko we should've gotten on the show and I'm kinda sad now.

- I just want to point out that pretty much the entire last 75 minutes of this movie helps really reinforce why Haruto is one of my favorite Riders ever. He's cool and collected, but not arrogant or standoffish; he reacts to the funny or crazy shit going on around him, but doesn't go over-the-top crazy when doing so; he gets invested in saving the people around him, but doesn't get taken in by obvious traps and ruses; he always comes out on top, but rarely does so without breaking a sweat... I really, really like this character.

- I think Koyomi's been in more scenes in this movie than she was in all of the 20s and 30s of the show.

- Poitrine is... yeah. I know she was from a comedy show and all, but... yeah.

- Boy, Koichi Sakamoto sure loves him some crotch shots, huh?

- I think I've seen enough of Poitrine's crotch now to test out of an introductory gynecology class.

- I really love how Wizard and Poitrine's powers work in tandem. I wish stuff like this happened on the show more.

- Oh, time travel stories...

- Oh lord, I'd forgotten what Nadeshiko fight scenes are like. Please stop the sound effects. Please, just... just, please. No more harp runs, no more sparkles, just make it stop.

- Boy, Koichi Sakamoto sure loves him some girl butt, huh?

- You're making fucking POITRINE look serious.

- How is this the one female Rider that's gotten the most appearances so far?

- I want Mayu to show up from 25 episodes in the future and slap you.

- Shortest but most awesome Eiji cameo ever!

- It's not as cool as having the actual actors back, but it works and I'll take it.

- Hey, kids, go buy the Rider-themed Wizard Rings!

- Oh, Gentaro. You're a total spaz, but I love you.

- So, um, where exactly are they driving the big truck and why do they need it in the first place?

- Love how Nadeshiko is riding Accel. Also how they're nowhere to be seen in the group motorcycle shots because the Accel bike mode isn't a practical prop.

- Boy, Koichi Sakamoto sure loves him some motorcycles jumping in slow motion in front of explosions, huh?

- We're using BuraKaWani here because we paid a decent amount for a suit and we want to use it at least twice.

- Wait, Eiji has scannable purple medals now? When the fuck did that happen?

- So scanning Nadeshiko's powers gives Fourze skis? How the hell does that even work?

- I knew the Donut Tranny joke was coming - read spoilers for the movie when it came out. That doesn't make it any less hilarious. Second-biggest laugh of the movie.

- Wait, why is Nadeshiko leaving again?

- Hey, Yuuki. You were barely in this movie and I kinda love you for that.

- Seriously. Freaking love Haruto.

- And look, it's the new Rider that will be debuting on Wizard. I hope he's cool and not an occasionally funny, but largely useless moron.

So yeah, awesome movie.

[Matrixbeast]

Honestly, after coming from years of anime, where EVERYONE referred to each other as "ONIISAN!" "BROTHER!" "ONEESAN!" "ANIKI!" Hearing characters actually use names is a godsend. :

[Locke]

I completely forgot about Ultimatum, I have to grab it now the DC is out!

[Locke]

So I'm on the introductory episode of Road Sector, it was great. Although Battle Hopper is way cooler, I like how Road Sector was actually given an episode to it, we know nothing about Battle Hopper but everything about Road Sector. The bike itself is pretty badass as well.

I have to ask though...why is it here? Battle Hopper is already a sentient, fighting motorcycle with not nearly enough time spent on it to justify the weird bromance between it and Kotaro and now we're getting a new bike? We aren't even half way through the show...

I also loved that Kotaro had two enemies to fight, three if you count Golgom now getting involved directly, both with identifiable and interesting fighting styles, especially the beetle who was actually more of a crab with a whip.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

I have to ask though...why is it here? Battle Hopper is already a sentient, fighting motorcycle with not nearly enough time spent on it to justify the weird bromance between it and Kotaro and now we're getting a new bike? We aren't even half way through the show...

When the Rider has no alternate forms, no allies, and no weapons you need something to make new toys of.

[Locke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

When the Rider has no alternate forms, no allies, and no weapons you need something to make new toys of.

Makes sense, but why give him something else he already has? Especially as I'm assuming the bike is the most expensive thing they could have added to the series aside from hiring a new cast member to fight alongside him as a Rider.

Seems like it would have been much more logical to give him a weapon or a new form or something.

[Dr Kain]

Yeah, Road Sector is one of the worst things to happen in Black. It is pointless and served no purpose to the plot. They should have just given it to Shadow Moon.