[Enchilada645]

Sometimes I wonder if even Takahashi gets how his characters are supposed to be from time to time given the extra content in 01.

Because this was Takahashi who wrote this, this should be in his wheelhouse!

Though given the next special and Outsiders in general... I think Takahashi has a preference on who he likes writing for...

I assume his main story point he was going for was that both Bugster Dan's needed to come to a single conclusion which was toxic love of all things (Like yes, it's love but it feels almost like a parody of it at this point) and they needed someone to let them know about love. Which was basically Gai's role to fulfill even if it doesn't really fit the bill.

Anyway I really love Game Changer and I'm glad it recently got a full release this year!

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Sometimes I wonder if even Takahashi gets how his characters are supposed to be from time to time given the extra content in 01.

Because this was Takahashi who wrote this, this should be in his wheelhouse!

Though given the next special and Outsiders in general... I think Takahashi has a preference on who he likes writing for...

I assume his main story point he was going for was that both Bugster Dan's needed to come to a single conclusion which was toxic love of all things (Like yes, it's love but it feels almost like a parody of it at this point) and they needed someone to let them know about love. Which was basically Gai's role to fulfill even if it doesn't really fit the bill.

Anyway I really love Game Changer and I'm glad it recently got a full release this year!

I figured it was Takahashi without even looking it up, because of all the Ex-Aid stuff.

And it's... yeah, it's so weird that he had Gai so off in this one. If I squint, I can see how there's a story about Gai learning to value power less than the capability to use that power to benefit others, but, man: he was already trying to save Rin from Kuroto. He definitely didn't need to learn that lesson again! Like, in order for there to be a lesson for Gai at the end, he needs to be worse at the start, and this story just forgot to do that? I guess?

[Layton13]

Yeah, all the Genm specials reeeaaaaaally struggle with Gai.

They wanna include him and do something for his character but have no idea what exactly, and it's blatantly obvious.

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER GENMS: SMART BRAIN AND THE 1000% CRISIS



Tough one to talk about, honestly. It’s a special that’s half fan-service cameos (Ren, who is a footnote GENM president! Mari, as Smart Queen, for the absolute minimum amount of screen time before it’s a total bait-and-switch!) and half setup for a future special. Nothing gets resolved here, and what new information we’re given is all off-screen exposition. It’s a weird special, man.

I didn’t dislike it, though. The cameos 1000% worked on me (REN!!!), and I appreciate that there’s an attempt to build a larger narrative around assholes like Kuroto, and reformed-assholes like Gai. Having the new threat be an anti-Ark - a destructive AI designed around virtue instead of malice - is a great obstacle for humanity as a whole, and these scumbags (well, Gai’s just sort of annoying) in particular. Gai trying to bring together, like, a Justice League Of Pricks… that’s fun, and I’m eager to see where the story goes after this.

Which isn’t to say this special’s just rushing to the cliffhanger! The Ark-Thouser vs Genm Musou fight is pretty fun for a small-scale parking lot dust-up, and both suits are handsome. (Genm Musou just being Sephiroth is *chef’s kiss*.) All of Kuroboto’s antics - the staccato laugh, the jerky movements, how his clothes and hairstyle are the Good Guy versions from the beginning of Ex-Aid - are hilarious. This whole thing is basically calibrated entirely towards my sensibilities, so even as I’m like Shit Is That All, there’s a less critical part of my brain that is just lapping this all up. It’s dumb fun, but it is fun.

(Sadly, I don’t think I’m going to get to the Outsiders stuff real soon? It looks like there’s a Saber person in it, so it’s gonna have to wait until I finish that show early next year. I’ll try and swing back here to cover it then.)

[Enchilada645]

Yeah probably for the best if you don't watch the only piece of Outsiders content since it does contain a few characters you'll be seeing later on. Your safest bet tbh is to basically just make sure you've watched every TTFC/Telasa special up to that point before jumping into Outsiders since this feels like their "It's time to tie everything together" series.

That being said, so the era of touchy-feel uncomfortable with me Dan is now over, that Era being (Zi-O to Genms the Presidents). I appreciate the more subdued act that he's doing this time, though he's still a bit unhinged.

I also appreciate that as a newly formed Humagear, he just has a picture of his dad that somehow fits in his pockets.

So onto some fun things! I love how the V-Cinema's and their bit of "Ark is old" ends up being tossed aside quickly as Ark becomes relevant. To the point where the dude we saw from 36 to 41 is just back! I just find that honestly hilarious.

Also Zein is such a neat concept and I'm really curious as to what they're going to do with it in the end. It being an antithesis of the Ark is interesting, speaking of Ark...

Ark Thouser, once again we butcher the Thouser Suit, there is no going back now is there? Oh and Genm Musou is a delight to see. Having Genm achieve his own variant of Hyper Muteki is great and I also dig how the transformation sequence is very much just a magical girl transformation.

Not much to say other than this being an enjoyable special with a very "I'm sorry what?!" ending.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

So onto some fun things! I love how the V-Cinema's and their bit of "Ark is old" ends up being tossed aside quickly as Ark becomes relevant. To the point where the dude we saw from 36 to 41 is just back! I just find that honestly hilarious.

Gai and the Ark (!) teaming up (!!) to resurrect Kuroto (!!!) as a strategy to defeat an AI obsessed with virtuousness (!!!!) is exactly the sort of nonsense I love about Kamen Rider, though. Like, I could strain to come up with a thematic thing here - much like the MetsubouJinrai film, we're in a story about the dangers of adhering too tightly to a creed, and how grey areas are the way to fight sometimes - but much like Kuroto in this story, I super don't give a shit. I want to see all these assholes fight dirty against some goody-two-shoes computer program!

[Enchilada645]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Gai and the Ark (!) teaming up (!!) to resurrect Kuroto (!!!) as a strategy to defeat an AI obsessed with virtuousness (!!!!) is exactly the sort of nonsense I love about Kamen Rider, though. Like, I could strain to come up with a thematic thing here - much like the MetsubouJinrai film, we're in a story about the dangers of adhering too tightly to a creed, and how grey areas are the way to fight sometimes - but much like Kuroto in this story, I super don't give a shit. I want to see all these assholes fight dirty against some goody-two-shoes computer program!

Oh absolutely, I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us with Outsiders because this is just like, a fun premise. One which I thought would only slowly be updated every April but we're going full steam ahead with it in January.

Like, idk if this is a good comparison but it feels like Kamen Rider is trying to create it's own Suicide Squad if Outsiders is any indication.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Like, idk if this is a good comparison but it feels like Kamen Rider is trying to create it's own Suicide Squad if Outsiders is any indication.

That definitely seems like the template, yeah. It's a little funny to look back over the last couple decades and realize how spoiled for choice the producers are to cast Asshole Kamen Riders Who Can't Be Trusted. Like, that's almost the entire cast of Faiz?

[Switchblade]

I do not envy anyone trying to be a completist in the Reiwa era. There are so many of these different miniseries and spin-offs these days it feels impossible to keep track of them all.

[Androzani84]

In all honesty, I’ve gotten a whole lot more out of the Genms miniseries than the main movies that were marked as the continuation of 01.

To the point that I’m actually continuing my feature from the series proper here.

Progrise: This company is mine. President: Dan Kuroto.

Singurise: When the five horns cross, the Thousand-Ark is born. Presented by Ark!