[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Makes me wonder though if it's a right thing to do to butt in into other people's business like Eiji does here, in the end it worked great but it doesn't seem appropriate to do it

Yeah, this is a weird one for Eiji to get so involved in. This is a married couple with years of conflict, and he just met them this afternoon. He's probably not the best guy to be giving them advice! Luckily, he's sort of not giving them advice? Most of what Eiji's doing is letting things slow down, listening, trying to relate (unsuccessfully), and letting the two of them make the next right steps.

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER OOO EPISODE 9 - “SOAKING WET, THE PAST, AND THE BLAZING COMBO”



SOAKING WET:
Watery explosions, shark Yummies that glide through concrete, a climactic battle in a river… you bet we are in a Mezool plot!

I say that, but the Mezool part of things is pretty minimal? The seeding of the Yummy nest happens before the episode starts, her first appearance is at the midpoint as she’s killing time with Gamel and Uva, and her involvement at the end of the episode is quickly truncated by the debut of Latorata/Ratorata (you do you). This isn’t really a story about her subject yet, and it’s definitely not a story about her.

THE PAST:
It’s a story about Eiji’s Tragic Past, and it’s a good one.

It’s so refreshing, the way this show never lets you get tired of inevitable reveals or whatever. It’s never precious with story, and I love that. Any other show would’ve let the mysterious Doll Man slink off as a cliffhanger, but this show adds a final scene where he’s named as Dr. Maki, and introduced as the head designer of Kougami’s Medal System. They just tell you! Right away!

And it’s the same way with Eiji’s frequent flashbacks about a crying child in a war zone, or how he knows that a bomb’s been set off. Hina clocks the second one two scenes later, in case you missed it, and the first one hasn’t really been beating us over the head. But we’re a fifth of the way through the series, so why not give us a little more background on Eiji?

It explains everything about his need to help people, that time where he could only reach out. Eiji’s guilt is a huge motivation for him, but his heroism is in how he didn’t let it crush him, or darken him, or see any futility in only being able to reach out a hand. Even when he’s clearly trapped in his flashback around Hina, he quickly recovers and finds that old Eiji charm to put her at ease. It’s sad, that he has to do that, but sort of sweet that he can still find it in himself. He’s clearly still grappling with a lot, and masking, but there’s a logic to it all that’s built around trying to be there for people.

AND THE BLAZING COMBO:
Plus, he can turn into a blazing cat hero!

First full appearance of Latorata/Ratorata (you do you), and it’s as brief as it is dazzling. This isn’t the climax of the story, it’s the midpoint, so trotting out Cat Combo feels a little less astonishing than The Ultimate Combo. OOO uses it to defeat one (1) Yummy, and fend off two relatively low-powered Greeed. It’s not exactly as though his back was against the wall; it all just felt sort of Well He’s Got A Combo So. It’s a good combo! I really like it! But its presence here is sort of the negative side of what I was talking about earlier – I’d’ve maybe saved this one until it felt more vital?

(I mean, Eiji passes out from the strain afterwards, so the show is trying to make the point that it was dumb for him to go to Cat Combo so recklessly, but there’s no actual consequences, so I’m going to stick with thinking they could’ve held it off until Episode 10.)

I like it a lot, that suit. The gradated yellow against the solid black gives it some character, and the big claws getting flipped out as weapons is exciting. The big shiny head being a big shiny weapon is another deft touch, and I like that it sells this Combo as being powerful.

It’s a good suit! But it’s not the best Cat thing in this episode!

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Yeah, this is a weird one for Eiji to get so involved in. This is a married couple with years of conflict, and he just met them this afternoon. He's probably not the best guy to be giving them advice! Luckily, he's sort of not giving them advice? Most of what Eiji's doing is letting things slow down, listening, trying to relate (unsuccessfully), and letting the two of them make the next right steps.

Though obviously I'd still want for Eiji to care for them and their problems because it's what goody-two-shoes supposed to be, to care for everyone, and not be biased over their own circle such as Ankh, just being confused over how to properly act on it, not about that he interfered at all, the proper way to do it (often, it's shown by them jumping into danger and helping/saving strangers they don't know from monsters). What annoys me, for other stuff that isn't OOO, is when this type has a 'gentleman' attacking a male for hitting their wife (here, it's about stopping a female from railing on her husband).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER OOO EPISODE 9 - “SOAKING WET, THE PAST, AND THE BLAZING COMBO”

It explains everything about his need to help people, that time where he could only reach out. Eiji’s guilt is a huge motivation for him, but his heroism is in how he didn’t let it crush him, or darken him, or see any futility in only being able to reach out a hand. Even when he’s clearly trapped in his flashback around Hina, he quickly recovers and finds that old Eiji charm to put her at ease. It’s sad, that he has to do that, but sort of sweet that he can still find it in himself. He’s clearly still grappling with a lot, and masking, but there’s a logic to it all that’s built around trying to be there for people.

I wish that this'd be more well-known and widespread among the fanbase. That trauma isn't automatic start of darkness in someone like people often use to justify villains turning that way due to their dark past (or to deflect blame to anyone else 'responsible' for said dark past), that they did nothing wrong, they're entitled to commit crimes for their dark past, that anyone would be like them in their position so they shouldn't condemn. Trauma can be a drive for someone's heroism instead, where they don't want anyone to suffer like they or the people they failed did. Eiji is one of the more well-liked goody-two-shoes protagonist among the KR fanbase, but trauma being a cause for heroism is still not widely acknowledged.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

First full appearance of Latorata/Ratorata (you do you), and it’s as brief as it is dazzling. This isn’t the climax of the story, it’s the midpoint, so trotting out Cat Combo feels a little less astonishing than The Ultimate Combo. OOO uses it to defeat one (1) Yummy, and fend off two relatively low-powered Greeed. It’s not exactly as though his back was against the wall; it all just felt sort of Well He’s Got A Combo So. It’s a good combo! I really like it! But its presence here is sort of the negative side of what I was talking about earlier – I’d’ve maybe saved this one until it felt more vital?

It feels as if LaToraTah is more impressive by just standing there.... menacingly!!! rather than it being actually in action. As just standing there menacingly drives away Greeeds, while him attacking the Yummy feels like more usual toku fights. Guess at least LaToraTah manages to show too why it's a combo, after it feels that GataKiriBa cannot be topped, as OOO's actual strongest form.

[Androzani84]

Episode 9, in which the crying foreign child flashbacks get some elaboration. While not named in the show, the novel for OOO reveals that her name is Lou. I have no idea if that’s a common name in Africa (where the destruction seems to be taking place).

Also, we get the debut of Dr. Maki. And the Tokusatsu debut of his actor Yu Kamio, who after this got quite a few appearances across several shows (mostly Rider, where he had guest spots in Fourze and one of Ghost’s spin-offs and a regular role in Amazons).

And in a non-episode related note, the discussion on how to spell the cat combo reminds me of how there’s a Transformer with a similar name and before an official romanisation was agreed upon (Latolatah, I think), his page on the TFWiki made a joke of spelling his name differently every time it was mentioned, to the point one of the image captions is the belt jingle for the cat combo.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

It feels as if LaToraTah is more impressive by just standing there.... menacingly!!! rather than it being actually in action. As just standing there menacingly drives away Greeeds, while him attacking the Yummy feels like more usual toku fights.

Yeah, it's definitely a suit that makes a huge entrance but can't really maintain it for the fight. Good entrance, though!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Also, we get the debut of Dr. Maki. And the Tokusatsu debut of his actor Yu Kamio, who after this got quite a few appearances across several shows (mostly Rider, where he had guest spots in Fourze and one of Ghost?s spin-offs and a regular role in Amazons).

So, as I mentioned at the start of this thread, I watched Amazons before I watched OOO, so I knew the actor first as a sketchy corporate guy, and then as a sketchy corporate guy with a doll on his arm. Pretty weird journey to go on with one actor!

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Also, we get the debut of Dr. Maki. And the Tokusatsu debut of his actor Yu Kamio, who after this got quite a few appearances across several shows (mostly Rider, where he had guest spots in Fourze and one of Ghost?s spin-offs and a regular role in Amazons).

Also the group Captain on Ultraman X, a villain in the Garo spin-off Zero: Dragon Blood, and a Sentai merch salesman with a dill on his arm in Akibaranger. I’m not a fan of Dr Maki for reasons I’ll get into later, but I love this guy and his commitment to the genre.

[AkibaSilver]

Oh wow, OOO! My relation to this is watching the first quarter or so way, way, way back circa 2012 on the dodgiest JEFusion upload with jank subtitles. I remember little baby me having a good time, but Wizard was starting and the excitement of a new show to watch along with everyone else got to my head. And I never went back and finished it. There was always either something else to watch, or my own chronic ineptitude (I have seen the first episode of Gavv and then have the next 11 or so right there to watch, and have yet to do it). But I think despite having not seen it, everyone in the commuity just has so much affection and love for it that it's rubbed off on me?

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

But I think despite having not seen it, everyone in the commuity just has so much affection and love for it that it's rubbed off on me?

I think, regardless of specifics, it's a very easy show to enjoy? The main Odd Couple dynamic of the leads is timeless, the pace is agreeably hectic, and the theme song is pretty great. I hope you get a chance to catch the rest of it someday! Except for Movie War Core!!!

[AkibaSilver]

Listening to Anything Goes and other, spoiler-y cuts from the soundtrack album 100x over is basically the true OOO experience, right?

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

Listening to Anything Goes and other, spoiler-y cuts from the soundtrack album 100x over is basically the true OOO experience, right?

There's no wrong way to watch these shows! Including, uh, not actually watching these shows!