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03-19-2024, 02:25 PM | #441 |
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There can be more than 1 villains (real villain arguments just gives free pass to anyone else except the one they hate most, like in Tekken, thinking Kazuya did nothing wrong in 8th game as Jin "started it"). Otherwise, obviously Uesugi's far more depraved (he'd be the most evil MOTW Dopant), but Rui would be an example of anti-villain. She does let her friend do his terrible deeds while directly helping him. The anti aspect is, doing bad things in a coerced compliance (well yes, many anti-villain examples are those doing bad in coerced compliance). About good intentions, it'd be harming others for a loved one's sake, seemingly it puts the loved person's value above others.
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03-19-2024, 04:59 PM | #442 |
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KAMEN RIDER W EPISODE 44 - “THE O CYCLE - SHROUD’S CONFESSION”
So, first thing’s first: Shroud just completely abandons her two daughters to a life of USB drug metaphor enmonstering, right? Like, her whole tearful confession to Terui is that Ryuube stole her son, and she was forced to become Shroud in order to wage a multi-year shadow war to destroy her husband, but… she definitely walks out on those two crying little girls, right? Because we see her do it? On camera? Just, walks out the door? And no one involved in listening to this confession bothers to flag that up as being sort of monstrous, and hilariously hypocritical? We all saw that? Okay, cool. Quote:
Putting aside the sort of half-assed way this show decides to try and redeem Shroud after a season of machinations (I love how she’s just like I’ll Stop Helping Altogether – you can’t still make cool weapons without shitting all over Shotaro or aiding and abetting serial killers?), this was a pretty fun episode with a terrific moral center. It’s ballsy to land the episode’s dismissal of revenge as just a way of not processing your own anger on TERUI, but that’s pretty much why it works at all. This story needs a guy who’s walked that path to not only reject it once and for all (since he’s got Shroud to thank for Isaka getting the Weather Memory), but also finally understand that you’ll never fill a hole inside yourself with hatred, but you might be able to with love. It’s a very sweet message for Terui to sell.
As the headmaster begs for forgiveness to the moms of doing something out of love to their children, Terui later compares Shroud's situation into the moms, doing all of her wicked shit for Philip's sake. Indeed, Shroud is the combination of both moms, she has Mitsuko's thing for getting rid of people who are obstacles to your end (Shotaro, Miyu) and her obsession to create CycloneAccelXtreme also makes her a stage mom for her son Raito as well, and also Yoshie's thing for taking revenge to someone who wronged them (Ryubee, Mitsuko) and harming innocents in the process (Terui's family + her other victims, Miyu), the 2-parter nicely sets up a parallel for Terui to completely denounce revenge ways, witnessing the destruction it can cause via the petty moms, as well as Shroud herself taking away Terui's family in her quest of revenge. The moms are referred to as morons because really, revenge by proxy isn't practical either, it'd have a risk of earning even more enemies, like getting other relatives or potentially friends involved to help their respective favored person, escalating the revenge, as people who seek revenge forget that they won't always hold the upper hand, and as Saeko said before, it's wrong for Terui to assume that Isaka's death means it's over, in reality there's no end to vengeance. Yoshie did bring up about human nature to pay back for those who wronged them, but doesn't mean that if something is naturally predisposed to a certain act or state, it must be accepted. It seems that struggle can make some villains more subdued, and Saeko (a name resembling "psycho" in pronounciation) at Foundation X Arc seems to be W's take of it, sort of being willing to "cooperate" with Terui, like for other series, Gentoku cooperating with Sento/Banjou after Hokuto attacks, but doesn't mean that the villains are redeemed or such, just being forced by circumstances. Quote:
I like how this one… it’s just about needing one person to stop a cycle of hatred and vengeance, and it sort of doesn’t even matter who. Just be the person that forgives, and let that form a counter-reaction to all the spreading hatred and pain of revenge; collateral kindness. Terui could try and kill Shroud, but who’s that going to make happy? And who might he inadvertently hurt if he does it – Philip, probably? Shroud’s spent years on all of her dumb schemes, and it didn’t get her anything other than isolation and rage. Maybe trying to solve these problems with love is worth a shot.
Fortunately, Shroud isn't irredeemable, as the Riders get through her, successfully proving her wrong, as she now regretted her actions like how Isaka turns out to be such monstrous creature that causes many deaths. Terui accepts her apology, with rather clever words, a comforting one but still not forgetting her atrocity, that she doesn't need to hurt anyone again now (can seem to be giving slap in the wrist to those bitter of villain's actions, but by this she won't do bad stuff to others anymore). Overall I'd view this 2-parter as one of the best in the series, with convincing way of showing the damages of a negative human trait, a crucial plot twist and story advance, a smart parallel between the main and side story, and the conclusive character development. Though this'd mean CycloneAccelXtreme will never appear, if there'd be those who are disappointed in that. There's Climax Heroes OOO game that featured playable CAX, but is mostly a palette swap for CycloneJokerXtreme (but with Engine Blade in place of Prism Sword), but had the Prism Breaker move replaced by Engine Memory slashes, as well as no finisher (for being bonus character). Quote:
With all the time spent on Shroud’s redemption and Terui’s humanity, there really isn’t a ton else to talk about from this one. The fight scenes continue to be a delight, as Takaiwa incorporates a bunch of Old Guy body language to the usual CycloneJoker repertoire, and the Old Dopant makes for a fun, sleazy foe. This one’s basically all Terui becoming a real part of Team Double by fighting for Shotaro and Philip’s version of heroism, while finally and definitively closing the door on revenge as a way of dealing with pain. (I mean, it helps that he already killed the guy who killed his family, but I don’t want to ruin the moment.) And it’s all the better for its tight focus on a compelling story, and an admirable moral. Perfect two-parter!
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Shroud is still an amusing character to me, and while her backstory finally being unveiled adds some depth, it definitely just makes her more comical. Just on the obvious pointing out of her abandoning her daughters instead of you know, taking them with her (granted that would've still turned out terribly). Or moreover on how Terui is like "You really didn't want this to happen, you've still got a nice spot in you" when connecting the flowers at the grave and Shroud's spot. Which is more amusing given her more dangerous tricks which involve exploding mountains to make boulders rain down or lighting stuff on fire.
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This two-parter is great, but then you realises that both stage moms admitted to aiding and abetting a criminal in this two-parter. Surely that’s grounds for jail time? (And also, why didn’t the second one to use him just ask Old to revert her daughter to the correct age?)
Indeed the moms abetted a known criminal, and Terui did confront them, albeit Terui probably sees no need if they did listen to his criticism and changed, as law is done to make sure others won't repeat their misdeeds. Terui seemed to get through to them as after he calls them out (as someone formerly hellbent on revenge), they just hug their crying children respectively.
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03-19-2024, 07:16 PM | #443 |
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Man, look at that design. Isn't it just perfect? There is alot to these two episodes, and I consider them dang near perfect. So let's get the one negative out of the way: Terui and Akiko hooking up. With that done, I'm now going to do alot of gushing that most likely none of you will agree with, but hey, that's what I'm here for, to be The Only Fan of things no one else is, right? First off, these episodes bring alot of depth and consideration to Double Xtreme's' design. Why does it come with a Sword when the only other weapons Double has wielded are a stave and a gun? Because it was designed with Accel in mind, whose main weapon is the Engine blade. And it's the same reason why three of the Memory Slots in the Shield are for Philip and only one is for Shotaro. That fourth slot is meant for the Accel Memory. Second, I was also really surprised to learn that Sakamoto was the one who directed these two episodes, as they're very outside his usual style. He absolutely nailed it too with some great shots ontop of absolutely nailing the overall atmosphere that the story demanded. I think this is some of his best work! And lastly, these episodes cemented Shroud as one of my favorite characters in the show, and I mean that unironically. Incredibly impressive to me how this show managed make her over the top nature both funny and yet incredibly sad at the same time. She serves as the prime example of the dangers of becoming single-mindedly obsessed, and I never once felt like the show tried to excuse it. The second episode gives the story the out of "a parent's' love goes beyond comprehension" but really, I don't think it needed it, because alot of what goes into Shroud's' psychosis is pretty self-evident. She made alot of choices that she obviously regrets, but she became so dead set on her mission that her anger is the only thing keeping her going. Because without it, she'd fall into despair again. It's an awful headspace to be stuck in, and gets one to make alot of decisions that there's really no winning with. It's all very intentional irony that's brought forth here too, because she in turns becomes every bit as bad Terror Dad, and I don't feel like the show ever shyed away from that. Yes, she walked out on her daughters after what happened to her son. Yes, her actions resulted in alot of terrible things happening. But not once does anyone go "You did nothing wrong." Heck, even Shroud doesn't think that, which I believe her brief scuffle with Wakana even showcases. Thus, like with Gai in Zero-One, I think the story less about full on redemption and more about self-actualization and a chance at moving forward. Or, I suppose the simple way of summing this all up would be how someone else summed up an episode of a different Rider show that featured a mother treating her offspring horribly: Her behavior is human, therefore, it's fine.
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03-19-2024, 08:08 PM | #444 |
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Ha ha, disagree! I love the idea that these two have been drawing closer completely in the background, and that Terui is now in a situation where he's forced to reveal his private life to Shotaro. I've always disliked how out of nowhere the Akiko/Terui relationship felt, but Episode 44 sort of turned that into a character-based strength. Big fan! I get why these two are still married!
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03-19-2024, 08:56 PM | #445 |
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SHOTARO HIDARI HARDBOILED DELUSION DIARY EPISODE 10 - “WHAT IF AKIKO WAS AN OLD LADY?”
This is another Delusion Diary that’s more fun in the real world than it is in the delusion. The wraparound segments of Akiko subjecting the guys to her new slipper-slapping fortune telling is nicely unique, and I appreciate how game and supportive Terui continues to be for Akiko’s enthusiastic nonsense. It’s cute, and a fun look at this four-person dynamic. (Shotaro is basically always overruled in favor of seeing where a dumb idea can go, which is exactly what the cross-section of Philip’s curiosity, Akiko’s enthusiasm, and Terui's delight at seeing Shotaro get frustrated should look like.) On the other hand, the Everyone Is Old future delusion only has a couple good gags: Philip looking exactly the same because he’s a “data human”, and Terui needing to be reminded that he’s a ghost. The second one is the funniest thing in the entire short, but it doesn’t manage to make the rest of the delusion anything more than old people gags and a quick Dopant attack. It’s fine, but not a particularly funny or memorable delusion. Modern-day stuff was great, though! This cast has impeccable hang-out chemistry!
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03-19-2024, 08:59 PM | #446 |
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Yeah the delusion definitely didn't do it for me either. There's some neat concepts like what you mentioned with Philip, and the idea that the Narumi Detective Agency can keep going up to the 2060s (just 8 more years till you get Oma Zi-O as a client folks!) is amusing, but not enough to really make it stand out.
That being said yeah, the hangout opening and closer with everyone in reality was definitely better. I wouldn't say it's amazing, but the hangout energy exhibited by the cast at this point is very cozy. |
03-19-2024, 09:11 PM | #447 |
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Hilariously, this Delusion Diary's suggestion that Terui would no longer be a part of the Narumi Detective Agency (due to being a ghost who will never admit that he's died) flies in the face of the reality that he's the one who shows up the most often post-W.
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03-20-2024, 03:35 AM | #448 |
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Wow, Shotaro’s brain was dark that week.
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03-20-2024, 08:29 AM | #449 |
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On the other hand, he thought the Narumi Detective Agency would continue operating for another 50 years. As a small business owner, that is some refreshingly optimistic expectation!
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03-21-2024, 05:38 PM | #450 |
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No response for my last episode reply? (ep. 44 one)
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