What are you watching? (Kamen Rider Edition)

SPLIT LIP · 01-29-2014, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Lucha

I think that speaks volumes about Kiva's character, though. And shows that he's not intended to be heroic up front -- he has way too much baggage.

I'd argue that Wataru's main flaw is his passivity, of which reluctance to involve himself in the Fangire conflict is a part.

This timidity is the hurdle he must leap to become the hero he needs to be.

Only problem is that this problem is not treated like a problem.

Again, this isn't a deconstruction. It could be, but it isn't.

Quote:

I think you're right about Shotaro/W. He (and really all of the neo-Heisei primary Riders, come to think of it) is set up as a hero from the get-go. What I disagree with is the notion that all Riders should follow the same heroic-up-front model.

I didn't say all heroes need to be, merely offered an example that heroes can be.

Cheif among all, if heroism does not exist naturally in them, they will not become a hero. There has to be a seed somewhere.

Quote:

At the end of the day, I see what you're saying. Maybe the franchise could stand to have a few more Ws and a few fewer Kivas. But I still think the jerk/idiot/loser-to-hero arc is more compelling (to me) than the hero-reinforces-his-own-heroism arc.

It could, and you're obviously more than welcome to your preference.

I'm just saying a hero who watches people die without being bothered at all is not a hero to me. Especially when Wataru is otherwise so emotionally suseptable, being numb to death doesn't fit.

Locke · 01-29-2014, 09:47 PM

So I just watched Begins Night, I loved it so much I wanna start W from the start to get the most out of the show. Are there any arcs between the first episode, and episode thirteen, which can be entirely skipped without ramifications or do they all have some kind of lasting importance to them?

I loved the tone, with all the noir trappings, but also that it focused on a mystery, rather than just a fight. Best of all though, were the characters. I love how Shotaro is basically no one, but rises up on strength of character alone to be someone. And that ultimately, we learn why Shotaro and Phillip are the perfect duo. So Phillip was the creator of all the memories? Or is that something that'll become clearer by watching the show?

I love how by all regards, Kamen Rider Skull shouldn't work in his context, but they embrace the ridiculous nature of this pulp hero Kamen Rider so fully he works anyway and becomes wonderfully awesome. About the only negative is his death, a) because he died but b) why do they keep drawing attention to the fact that none of the bullets connect, or is that the point? Even Akiko was pretty cool in this, especially considering I remember her being insufferable in the show.

Shotaro and Phillip are so flashy as W, and I loved seeing their rapid form changes and cool combinations. I also loved their first henshin, firstly because it was beautifully staged (well minus the dodgy cgi) but I also love that Shotaro literally spends the entire thing not knowing what the fuck is happening. Also wasn't expecting Philip to take the reigns as some kind of werewolf Kamen Rider. Guess what SIC two pack I just nabbed off of Mandrake! Well, it might be out of stock, I guess I'll find out tomorrow!

That climactic battle at the end as well. Shotaro, WHAT A BADASS! Did you see his hand when he pulled it away? I love how they didn't even try to draw attention to it, that is how hard-boiled he is. All of the big bad Dopants turning up, W stoicly beating the not-Chief into the floor. I'm guessing that the special effects and fight choreography wont be this good in the show?

So wait it ends on a cliffhanger? Does it wrap it up in the movie, or does it wrap it up in the show? Wasn't planning on watching the crossover or Decade stuff!

SPLIT LIP · 01-29-2014, 10:04 PM

The resolution is he and Decade team up in what can only be described as utter madness. "Begins Night" ended when Dummy ran away, all that happens in the crossover is that they catch up and defeat him. You can watch it, but in true Decade fashion it will not make sense. (even if you DO watch the Decade portion)

The show, however, is not done with the ramifications of that night. Philip is the creator of the memories, and the Museum mass-produces and distributes them, but once he's freed they get... hoo-hoo, someone else. Philip didn't make W's memories, but we do find out where they come from and what sent Soukichi and Shotaro to that building. Unlike Kiva, W actually explains stuff.

I'm glad you like W. While the fight choreography definitely improves (the movie near the end of the show has some INCREDIBLE fight scenes) the special effects... they don't get better, but they're better managed. They try to move away from big CGI stuff with few exceptions for toy stuff. (anyone remember the weird blue tank thing? Oh, and the secondary rider has an... interesting gimmick) And no, nothing is ever as badly done as the T-rex dopant.

Also, shit, SIC FangJoker and Skull already? Well, it is the best stand-alone SIC set. (I'd get some sticky tac for Skull's hat though >_<)

Locke · 01-29-2014, 10:07 PM

I decided to watch the crossover stuff, and I loved it. Mainly because despite all of Decade's ridiculous powers, W just swags in and basically does everything single handedly. What a badass. Also loved the scene with the AU Skull and the power of a single sentence. It was a great wrap up.

Definitely excited to start the show...again, for like the fourth time, haha. So yeah, any episodes worth skipping during the first thirteen episodes, or should I just go from the beginning?

Matrixbeast · 01-29-2014, 10:08 PM

Oh, the T-Rex dopant. The absolute worst first impression for a series' CG quality...I still have no idea how it looked so terrible when the Revolgarry CG looks fairly decent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

I decided to watch the crossover stuff, and I loved it. Mainly because despite all of Decade's ridiculous powers, W just swags in and basically does everything single handedly. What a badass. Also loved the scene with the AU Skull and the power of a single sentence. It was a great wrap up.

Definitely excited to start the show...again, for like the fourth time, haha. So yeah, any episodes worth skipping during the first thirteen episodes, or should I just go from the beginning?

I think it'd be best to just power through the first 13 episodes, but I'm a stickler for not skipping, so that's just me.

SPLIT LIP · 01-29-2014, 10:10 PM

Hmmm... Like I said, "Heaven's Tornado" is entirely pointless. I guess just your own discretion and skip whatever moves slowly. I actually have a pretty foggy memory of the early eps.

Also yeah, TOTALLY forgot about AU Skull. That really helped give Shotaro closure.

EDIT: Man it's a good thing I had also seen Begins Night as my first W exposure. (since I got MG Figurise Skull purely because he was cool and a fairly easy-yet-in-depth model kit, and wanted to learn more about him) T-rex dopant was... it was something. Even the regular dopant form was nuts.

Locke · 01-29-2014, 10:15 PM

Yeah it's only because I've started, and then given up, on this show so many times that I'm happy to skip what isn't entirely necessary. I have enough memory of the show, but as I'm guessing everything after the movie is when the show 'gets serious' I don't want to have realised I've forgotten a key piece of information when I'm too far down the line to do anything. So I guess I'll skip Heavens Tornado, any others?

Matrixbeast · 01-29-2014, 10:16 PM

Heaven's Tornado was the dance move, wasn't it?

MidoGreen · 01-29-2014, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

I decided to watch the crossover stuff, and I loved it. Mainly because despite all of Decade's ridiculous powers, W just swags in and basically does everything single handedly. What a badass. Also loved the scene with the AU Skull and the power of a single sentence. It was a great wrap up.

Definitely excited to start the show...again, for like the fourth time, haha. So yeah, any episodes worth skipping during the first thirteen episodes, or should I just go from the beginning?

Go full series, gives you the complete experience.

Locke · 01-29-2014, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MidoGreen

Go full series, gives you the complete experience.

Surely Heavens Tornado cant be the only filler arc?

01-29-2014, 09:47 PM	#8782
Locke Big Bad Wolf. Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Raiding tombs. Posts: 9,529	So I just watched Begins Night, I loved it so much I wanna start W from the start to get the most out of the show. Are there any arcs between the first episode, and episode thirteen, which can be entirely skipped without ramifications or do they all have some kind of lasting importance to them? I loved the tone, with all the noir trappings, but also that it focused on a mystery, rather than just a fight. Best of all though, were the characters. I love how Shotaro is basically no one, but rises up on strength of character alone to be someone. And that ultimately, we learn why Shotaro and Phillip are the perfect duo. So Phillip was the creator of all the memories? Or is that something that'll become clearer by watching the show? I love how by all regards, Kamen Rider Skull shouldn't work in his context, but they embrace the ridiculous nature of this pulp hero Kamen Rider so fully he works anyway and becomes wonderfully awesome. About the only negative is his death, a) because he died but b) why do they keep drawing attention to the fact that none of the bullets connect, or is that the point? Even Akiko was pretty cool in this, especially considering I remember her being insufferable in the show. Shotaro and Phillip are so flashy as W, and I loved seeing their rapid form changes and cool combinations. I also loved their first henshin, firstly because it was beautifully staged (well minus the dodgy cgi) but I also love that Shotaro literally spends the entire thing not knowing what the fuck is happening. Also wasn't expecting Philip to take the reigns as some kind of werewolf Kamen Rider. Guess what SIC two pack I just nabbed off of Mandrake! Well, it might be out of stock, I guess I'll find out tomorrow! That climactic battle at the end as well. Shotaro, WHAT A BADASS! Did you see his hand when he pulled it away? I love how they didn't even try to draw attention to it, that is how hard-boiled he is. All of the big bad Dopants turning up, W stoicly beating the not-Chief into the floor. I'm guessing that the special effects and fight choreography wont be this good in the show? So wait it ends on a cliffhanger? Does it wrap it up in the movie, or does it wrap it up in the show? Wasn't planning on watching the crossover or Decade stuff! __________________

01-29-2014, 10:04 PM	#8783
SPLIT LIP I'm an agile cat. Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 6,032	The resolution is he and Decade team up in what can only be described as utter madness. "Begins Night" ended when Dummy ran away, all that happens in the crossover is that they catch up and defeat him. You can watch it, but in true Decade fashion it will not make sense. (even if you DO watch the Decade portion) The show, however, is not done with the ramifications of that night. Philip is the creator of the memories, and the Museum mass-produces and distributes them, but once he's freed they get... hoo-hoo, someone else. Philip didn't make W's memories, but we do find out where they come from and what sent Soukichi and Shotaro to that building. Unlike Kiva, W actually explains stuff. I'm glad you like W. While the fight choreography definitely improves (the movie near the end of the show has some INCREDIBLE fight scenes) the special effects... they don't get better, but they're better managed. They try to move away from big CGI stuff with few exceptions for toy stuff. (anyone remember the weird blue tank thing? Oh, and the secondary rider has an... interesting gimmick) And no, nothing is ever as badly done as the T-rex dopant. Also, shit, SIC FangJoker and Skull already? Well, it is the best stand-alone SIC set. (I'd get some sticky tac for Skull's hat though >_<) Last edited by SPLIT LIP; 01-29-2014 at 10:06 PM..

01-29-2014, 10:07 PM	#8784
Locke Big Bad Wolf. Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Raiding tombs. Posts: 9,529	I decided to watch the crossover stuff, and I loved it. Mainly because despite all of Decade's ridiculous powers, W just swags in and basically does everything single handedly. What a badass. Also loved the scene with the AU Skull and the power of a single sentence. It was a great wrap up. Definitely excited to start the show...again, for like the fourth time, haha. So yeah, any episodes worth skipping during the first thirteen episodes, or should I just go from the beginning? __________________

01-29-2014, 10:08 PM	#8785
Matrixbeast Mighty Morphin Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Za Warudo Posts: 25,465	Oh, the T-Rex dopant. The absolute worst first impression for a series' CG quality...I still have no idea how it looked so terrible when the Revolgarry CG looks fairly decent. Quote: Originally Posted by Locke I decided to watch the crossover stuff, and I loved it. Mainly because despite all of Decade's ridiculous powers, W just swags in and basically does everything single handedly. What a badass. Also loved the scene with the AU Skull and the power of a single sentence. It was a great wrap up. Definitely excited to start the show...again, for like the fourth time, haha. So yeah, any episodes worth skipping during the first thirteen episodes, or should I just go from the beginning? I think it'd be best to just power through the first 13 episodes, but I'm a stickler for not skipping, so that's just me. __________________

01-29-2014, 10:10 PM	#8786
SPLIT LIP I'm an agile cat. Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 6,032	Hmmm... Like I said, "Heaven's Tornado" is entirely pointless. I guess just your own discretion and skip whatever moves slowly. I actually have a pretty foggy memory of the early eps. Also yeah, TOTALLY forgot about AU Skull. That really helped give Shotaro closure. EDIT: Man it's a good thing I had also seen Begins Night as my first W exposure. (since I got MG Figurise Skull purely because he was cool and a fairly easy-yet-in-depth model kit, and wanted to learn more about him) T-rex dopant was... it was something. Even the regular dopant form was nuts. Last edited by SPLIT LIP; 01-29-2014 at 10:13 PM..