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05-16-2020, 09:12 PM | #181 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER 555 EPISODE 10
--1-- This episode felt… I don’t know, a little slim. Maybe it’s because, like, 90% of the energy was on the Team Orphnoch side, leaving Team Faiz to only have a few funny scenes and a few set-up scenes. And, weirdly, the show didn’t seem to realize it? All of the tension in the episode evaporates after Kaido loses the belt, but there’s somehow still the climactic Faiz Fight to go. It makes for an episode that’s got one huge, indelible shot (see above!) and a bunch of other stuff in it. It’s like they didn’t know what story they were telling? --2-- Because they are 100% telling a story about Kaido’s self-deception. Even Yuka, who is loath to rock the boat, straight-up tells Kaido that it’s abundantly clear that he doesn’t want to kill humans or hurt people. I mean, he took a job where he only fights Orphnochs, and he’s convinced himself he’s on the side of Orphnochs. He is really not seeing the contradiction there. Yuuji sees it, though. When Kaido calls him up to get murdered for being too Pro-Human, Yuuji calls his bluff. The fight’s solid (I love how the suit actor does the thing where Kaido picks his fingernails as The Next Faiz, rather than Takumi’s wrist-snap), but it’s the final moment that maybe saves this episode. (It’s not bad, it’s just kind-of forgettable.) Yuuji tells Kaido that Kaido can’t beat him, but what Yuuji means is that Kaido doesn’t want to beat him. Kaido wants to fight and kill Yuuji because that'll prove Kaido doesn't care about saving humans. Yuuji wants to save humans. If Kaido can kill him, that'll prove that Yuuji was wrong. His argument for saving humanity dies with him. Kaido has tried to convince himself that he’s an Orphnoch, he’s a killer, he doesn’t have to care about humans, he’s not a human, humans are terrible, he doesn’t have to care. But he does, and he’s not a killer yet. Yuuji saw his bluster for what it was, and let him discover the truth. --3-- It’s a hell of a shot, that Faiz Finisher just millimeters from Horsepower’s face. More than that, it’s yet another deeply empathetic moment from Yuuji. He’s got a bunch in this episode alone. I loved the moment when Murakami’s like You’ve Disappointed Me and Yuuji’s just Why Should I Care About That? It’s not adversarial, but simply noted to Murakami. Don’t assume that Yuuji is looking for your approval or respect. For a character that’s searching for direction, for some way to define himself, Yuuji manages to give off such a mature, calming aura. He’s open and considerate with Mari when she coincidentally drops by with his dry-cleaning. He’s able to give Kaido space, but willing to be stern if things get out of hand. He’s maybe the best? The downside is that he’s still very much in a mode where he’s defining himself by what he won’t do, same as Kaido. If there’s a problem for me with this episode, it’s how the Team Orphnoch stuff feels maybe a little too introspective. It’s fun to see these characters interact, and god bless any time they run into Team Faiz out in the world, but it means that there’s an entertaining episode where not a lot really happens. Most of what moved Yuuji and Kaido forward in this episode is in maybe one minute’s worth of story. It’s a good minute! But it makes the rest of this episode a little, if not forgettable, then inconsequential. --4-- And, honestly, some of that is because the Takumi story is funny without really growing his character. Or, I don’t know, it does, but it also doesn’t do a great job of writing itself out of last episode’s really smart developments. The whole episode this time, Takumi is hilariously adrift without the Faiz belt. I don’t know if his brain was inside that phone, but he’s like a zombie in this one. It’s terrific, and it’s clear to everyone around him that, like Kaido, all of his assertions are because he feels exactly the opposite. Him shouting I DON’T LOVE BEING FAIZ AT ALL is because he misses it so much. It’s stupid funny to watch, and it made what little of Team Faiz was in this episode really work. But they needed to end the plot, get Takumi back as Faiz, and holy shit did they shortcut it. Keitaro swipes the belt from an injured Kaido, mostly because Kaido was being mean to Yuka. He gives the belt back to Takumi to fight an Orphnoch, mostly because he felt sorry for him. (I mean, he totally respects Takumi in general, but that belt toss is probably 70% pity.) Takumi gets to smile because he’s Faiz again, and still accepts the honor of being a Kamen Rider with a definitive I Love This I Guess It’s No Big Deal Whatever You're The One Who Cares Not Me. (Him and Yuka, they don’t love being honest about their feelings!) It’s a story that should be all about Takumi asserting his desires, owning his feelings, and instead he just mopes until someone gives him the belt back. And, like, that’s funny as shit. It’s totally in the spirit of this show for Takumi to internally change while externally staying the same. It’s just, there’s almost no catharsis to Takumi becoming Faiz again. It’s totally anticlimactic. You can spin it as a cunning subversion of storytelling tropes (Takumi never ever articulates why he wants to be Faiz), but it’s still totally anticlimactic. Worse, it’s placed after a genuinely emotional, fully-earned moment between Kaido and Yuuji. They had an episode-ending story beat, and then they were like Now Here’s The REAL Ending, and… no? Weird choice. Weird, unfulfilling choice. --5-- Or, shit, maybe it’s totally irrelevant. Maybe no one was even paying attention to the Faiz Fight, because of the shadowy new Rider lurking on top of Gills Bridge. (There’s a tension I get when I see that bridge. I’m both excited over the big Gills/Agito fight that occurred there, and depressed when I think about how bad the next two episodes of Agito after that were. Complicated feelings about Gills Bridge!) I don’t really have much to say other than… it looks like we’ll be getting a new Rider soon! I like that they seem to be the X to Faiz’s O! It’s probably Kaixa, which is a name I think I’ve heard more often than Faiz! I’ll know for sure in another episode or so!
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05-16-2020, 09:47 PM | #182 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,430
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One of the things that struck me watching this episode is how Yuka and Kaido are essentially polar opposites in how they relate to Yuuji. Kaido talks big game about being a monster and killing humans or rogue Orphnochs, but it's all talk. The moment he gets a chance to actually take out Yuuji he can't commit because, at his core, he's not a killer. Yuka, on the other hand, seems completely loyal to Yuuji and his vision of living in peace with humans, but the minute she's on her own she's luring punks to their deaths.
Quote:
--5--
Or, shit, maybe it’s totally irrelevant. Maybe no one was even paying attention to the Faiz Fight, because of the shadowy new Rider lurking on top of Gills Bridge. (There’s a tension I get when I see that bridge. I’m both excited over the big Gills/Agito fight that occurred there, and depressed when I think about how bad the next two episodes of Agito after that were. Complicated feelings about Gills Bridge!) I don’t really have much to say other than… it looks like we’ll be getting a new Rider soon! I like that they seem to be the X to Faiz’s O! It’s probably Kaixa, which is a name I think I’ve heard more often than Faiz! I’ll know for sure in another episode or so! |
05-16-2020, 10:08 PM | #183 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
One of the things that struck me watching this episode is how Yuka and Kaido are essentially polar opposites in how they relate to Yuuji. Kaido talks big game about being a monster and killing humans or rogue Orphnochs, but it's all talk. The moment he gets a chance to actually take out Yuuji he can't commit because, at his core, he's not a killer. Yuka, on the other hand, seems completely loyal to Yuuji and his vision of living in peace with humans, but the minute she's on her own she's luring punks to their deaths.
The Yuka stuff is her being very onboard with Yuuji's plan vocally, but there's a bloodlust, a rage, that she can't really articulate. She's not someone who's really grappled with her trauma fully, hasn't really figured out what she wants, which is very much in line with the rest of Team Orphnoch. It's like, Yuuji sees himself as human, to avoid the consequences of being an Orphnoch. Kaido sees himself as an Orphnoch, to avoid the consequences of being a human. And Yuka doesn't see herself at all, she's all ingrained behavior and reactive emotions, so her actions are without the burden of consequence. This is a smart show!
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05-16-2020, 10:36 PM | #184 |
I got nothing
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 148
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Keep in mind this scene of the new rider. Otherwise yeah it’s honestly one of my absolute favorite designs in the franchise period
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05-17-2020, 12:25 AM | #185 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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I can't really think of how to fit in Takumi having a big moment out of getting the belt back into this episode, but I think it would have been more fitting (and maybe funnier) if Kaido impulsively threw the belt over a ledge or something after that whole conflict. Then either Takimi and Keitaro picks it up from there.
I liked this episode anyhow. Our three monster pals are at some of their most compelling here, personally speaking. |
05-17-2020, 12:33 AM | #186 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Quote:
I can't really think of how to fit in Takumi having a big moment out of getting the belt back into this episode, but I think it would have been more fitting (and maybe funnier) if Kaido impulsively threw the belt over a ledge or something after that whole conflict. Then either Takimi and Keitaro picks it up from there.
I liked this episode anyhow. Our three monster pals are at some of their most compelling here, personally speaking. It just bums me out when a show creates clever dilemmas, or asks smart questions, but can't follow through on them. A show really only gets a couple of those with me before I start to get skeptical of any fun twists, in case they botch the exit. And, yeah, these last two episodes were pretty special for Team Orphnoch. I legitimately had a moment when the show gets to Team Faiz having breakfast where I was like Oh Yeah These Guys. And they're the heroes of the show!
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05-17-2020, 02:10 AM | #187 |
New Member
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 4
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Faiz was my introduction to the madness that is Toshiki Inoue. Buckle up because it only gets crazier from here
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05-17-2020, 05:10 AM | #188 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Quote:
But they needed to end the plot, get Takumi back as Faiz, and holy shit did they shortcut it. Keitaro swipes the belt from an injured Kaido, mostly because Kaido was being mean to Yuka. He gives the belt back to Takumi to fight an Orphnoch, mostly because he felt sorry for him. (I mean, he totally respects Takumi in general, but that belt toss is probably 70% pity.) Takumi gets to smile because he’s Faiz again, and still accepts the honor of being a Kamen Rider with a definitive I Love This I Guess It’s No Big Deal Whatever You're The One Who Cares Not Me. (Him and Yuka, they don’t love being honest about their feelings!) It’s a story that should be all about Takumi asserting his desires, owning his feelings, and instead he just mopes until someone gives him the belt back.
And, like, that’s funny as shit. It’s totally in the spirit of this show for Takumi to internally change while externally staying the same. It’s just, there’s almost no catharsis to Takumi becoming Faiz again. It’s totally anticlimactic. You can spin it as a cunning subversion of storytelling tropes (Takumi never ever articulates why he wants to be Faiz), but it’s still totally anticlimactic. Worse, it’s placed after a genuinely emotional, fully-earned moment between Kaido and Yuuji. They had an episode-ending story beat, and then they were like Now Here’s The REAL Ending, and… no? Weird choice. Weird, unfulfilling choice. Having Takumi the one to grab the belt back himself, speech or no, I think it's way more likely that would lack catharsis. Joke all you want about it being pity, but for it to be Keitarou snatching it back from Kaidou after seeing him be a jerk, to have him, one of the most morally upstanding, nicest characters on the show, be the one asserting himself, and then saying that Faiz has got to be Takkun, that's great. It's the best possible way for the show to validate Takumi as a hero. That big, dumb grin from Takumi when he hears that, how he lets his facade slip a little with that downplayed "maybe you're right" in response, that's a wonderful little moment between these characters that are gradually growing closer to one another. I guess the actual act of retrieving the belt was low-effort, I can't argue that, but I also feel like that's maybe the least important part of what's going on there? It's also hard to compete with that Kaidou/Yuuji drama too, admittedly. Man is that good stuff.
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05-17-2020, 05:37 AM | #189 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 159
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Be prepared for terrible writing regarding the new rider. He is considered the biggest jerk in all of KR but unfortunately; the way it comes off is just...dull; the character is just a jerk with very little real explanation due to the fact inoue basically gave up on being good at his job after agito.
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05-17-2020, 06:33 AM | #190 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Wait, you dont know either?
Posts: 5,826
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X-Rider time
X-Rider time
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Check out my occasional ramblings! https://akibamusings.blogspot.com/
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