|
Community Links |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
04-11-2024, 08:17 PM | #631 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Quote:
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-12-2024, 08:03 AM | #632 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,448
|
Quote:
There's some other stuff I'll talk about when it comes to this arc, but that's the main core of it, so feel free to skip this post if that doesn't interest you. One thing Die inquired about is how well Futo PI stacks up in terms of just general anime, and that's sort of a tricky thing to talk about given how this a project that's directly tied to something else. But absolutely one area that this anime touches on, in this very arc, is the use of idols. And sorry to say, but Megu's' entire deal is one gigantic, tiresome, trite cliche that I just can't stand in the medium. For anyone with any sort of anime experience, the line "She's like a totally different person!" says it all. For anyone not familiar though, variations of that exact line are said in basically every idol story ever. The story of some shy/meek/nerdy/"useless" girl who totally has this secret beautiful side that she showcases through her songs and everyone just instantly loves her for it. With really nothing past that. It's very much just a vehicle for pushing CD sales and garnering simps towards your show. So that was already strike one with me when it came to this arc. Strike two was the absolutely lie that was the claim that Philip was jealous of Tokime. Just like how I saw no evidence that Shotaro had to be the one to bear alot of the burdens in W proper, I saw no evidence of the jealousy claim here in Futo PI. Philip outright welcomed Tokime in, he didn't go "No, MY Shotaro!" like a middle schooler. The reason he got annoyed was because of Tokime not letting him explain himself nor attempting to understand his social awkwardness. Add in the very reasonable reaction he has to Tokime being a liability on the current case and, frankly, I'm on his side. Tokime's' snapback of "Why didn't YOU beat the Dopant?" doesn't even fly because not only should she already know how Double works thanks to Akiko's' notes, but on that same token, why the heck didn't Tokime fight the Dopant? I don't see her taking any swings, hypocrite. If he were jealous from second one, he wouldn't've made her the Stag Phone. And strike three? An incredible lack of understanding on the writer's' part of not just video games, but fighting games in general. To lay some ground work here, in fighting games, the general rule(though there are certainly exceptions) is that, if it's not something that outright makes the game unplayable, then it's all fair game. When you're playing fighting games competitively, the whole idea is the make the match as unfair for your opponent as possible. You're out to win, not make sore losers happy. Megu's' claim that M used "exploits and pure cheese" are a classic case of what us in the Fighting Game Community call "scrub behavior." So let's break this down. Cheese strats? Let's name a classic one: Spamming projectiles. That's a legitimate playstyle called Keepaway or Zoning. If your opponent is doing nothing but shooting fireballs from across the screen, it's YOUR job to find a way around that. It not at all required by your opponent to just let you get some free hits on them. But we don't even get to see what exactly M was doing to be considered Cheese in the match they show. I guess you could maybe think he was doing an infinite combo? But not only is Megu blocking it with zero chip damage, but she's able to break out of it and win the match regardless. Therefor it can't be a true infinite. Since that doesn't hold, let's now go for exploits. Exploits are certainly a bit more dicey when it comes to competitive gaming, as some do actually break the game(as in, causing it to crash and things of that nature). But again, there's no explanation or showcasing of how M was using exploits at all. And even if he were, again, some are considered perfectly legal. For example, "L Cancelling" in Super Smash Bros. Melee is an exploit of the physics engine that lets players cancel out landing lag, but it's seen as a legitimate and infact necessary skill to learn if you want to play the game to its fullest extent. So the idea that the crowd would boo M for anything like that is nonsense and more comes across that people are mad that their precious idol is getting beaten. Which brings us to the last accusation: Cheating and modified data. Yet again, this requires explanation that we're never given. For anyone who has any idea how video games work, they know right away that this claim should be considered outright impossible. The match between M and Megu is played on a machine that the company itself provided, meaning there'd be absolutely no chance of M modifying anything. The only possible angle I could think of was that maybe Monrado lets you import your characters directly, and as such M modified his character in some way? But again, how so? Is it like a Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2 situation where some modders give themselves maxed stats? But even if that's the case, to what extent is that foul play? Monrado's' entire gimmick is that you're able to level your character up in single player, so what's the difference between, say, Megu grinding up to Max Level and M simply flipping a switch to do so? In terms of a basic comp match? Not a whole lot. Going back to XenoVerse 2, if it's a case like that where cheaters can reach a level you're not normally supposed to be able to get to, then sure, that's one thing, but yet again, we are given no explanation or showcasing of anything, which leads my FGC brain to just jump to the more likely scenario that Megu is just mad that someone is having fun with a game they paid for in their own way. And while some might make the claim "Oh well she's the maker, ergo she should know what qualifies as foul play or not." That is not at all true. "Death of the Author" applies to video games as well. When your game reaches the hands of thousands upon thousands of people, there is absolutely no predicting as to how the playerbase will play the game and what fun they'll find in it. The creator has very little say in things at that point, and one misstep will get them(the players) agitated. For example, one of the most popular fighting games of all time, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, is notoriously unbalanced. A balance patch was released for it ages ago that addressed things such as the character Urien's' unblockable setups. Thing is though, this upset alot of fans because, continuing with the Urien example, his unblockable setups are the only thing that at all make him a competitively viable pick. Without them he was worthless. Capcom would soon revert back to the base balance of the game and it's remained untouched to this day. To think the programmer has some sort of better knowledge on how the game itself will flow once it's released is, frankly, absurd. Now, am I saying that this all means that Megu is a demon and that M did nothing wrong? No. Afterall, trying to outright kill someone over a video game loss IS kind of messed up. But what I am expressing frustration at is how no one on staff thought to, I dunno, google anything about fighting games? People have made video essays on this sort of thing, it's not that difficult to look up. Or heck, this is Japan, there are a ton of local fighting game tournaments they could've easily went to for fact checking. If an absolute shitpost of an anime such as Akiba's Trip: The Animation can get it right(seriously, their Street Fighter episode is amazing), then why can't Futo PI, the show with way more budget that by design is trying to appeal to nerd culture? I get it, at the end of the day this is very much a Me thing and not alot of people will care when watching the episodes themselves, but it just so happened to hit a spot that I'm decently knowledgeable in, and as such its execution annoyed me. It's one of the many reasons I couldn't stand Nico in Ex-Aid. So, yeah. By far the weakest arc in Futo PI for me. Not a fan.
__________________
Last edited by DreamSword; 04-12-2024 at 09:53 AM.. |
04-12-2024, 09:40 AM | #633 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Can we also talk about the fact that the entire Monrado programming team seems to be one (1) overworked young woman who also serves as the game's spokeswoman and singer/dancer? (That the top executive is happy to work to death one way or the other, as though it's easy to replace literally the entire company beneath you; leverage only works when your workers are actually disposable, asshole!) Also, this fighting game that's taken the city by storm only seems to include two characters? Which, I guess, the second question is sort of answered by the first...
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-12-2024, 04:18 PM | #634 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,430
|
I actually like the extended denouements that we get in the cartoon. It makes the stories feel a bit more like classic mysteries where they sit down and fully explain the plot to you after the resolution. Do I need in most of these cases? Probably not, but does it strike a comfortable vibe with me? Yes.
|
04-12-2024, 04:23 PM | #635 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
I actually like the extended denouements that we get in the cartoon. It makes the stories feel a bit more like classic mysteries where they sit down and fully explain the plot to you after the resolution. Do I need in most of these cases? Probably not, but does it strike a comfortable vibe with me? Yes.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-12-2024, 04:29 PM | #636 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
FUUTO P.I. EPISODE 7 - “THE CLOSED K - DYNAMIC DUO, DESERTED”
There was a minute where I thought I was really going to like this episode. We’d just had Shotaro and Philip stranded in the mountains by a bomb cyclone (somehow not the name of the CycloneTrigger Maximum Drive), and the show cuts back to the quartet of Tokime, Terui, Akiko, and Mick. I thought, Wow, Yes. Taking the core duo away from the action for a storyline and seeing how Tokime’s attitude changes in their absence? Or just getting to see what Akiko and Terui are like when defending Fuuto falls entirely to them? That sounds like a really intriguing breath of fresh air. And then that’s the last we see of those four characters, as the action shifts entirely and permanently to the Eyes Wide Shut version of that TELASA Revice mini-series. It’s unfair to criticize this episode for merely being a closed circle mystery that tasks Shotaro and Philip with uncovering the identity (and motivation) of a murderous Dopant, all while the series’s big bad lurks in their midst. That’s both a totally on-brand setup for a three-parter, and the sort of thing that W's genre is known for. But it’s also… I don’t know, it’s a little predictable? The setup tries to cover its familiarity with weird details – a million K names, the history of this abandoned town, the main guy’s energetic response to Team Double, how constantly jiggly everything is – but it weirdly just feels drawn out and drowning in exposition. This whole episode is just Shotaro and Philip learning the premise of this story, and there’s also a fight with Alcohol Dopant to a draw. It’s intellectually compelling (like any mystery would be) without creating any real emotional investment. Kanna’s sort of interesting for her Either Victim Or Culprit status (Shotaro likes her, so she’s required to be important to the mystery’s resolution), but the rest of the cast is just a roll call of names, ages, and occupations. You’re gonna need all that in order for the list of possible killers to populate and be slowly eliminated, but it doesn’t make for visceral or charming viewing. Which is why… man, I wish we’d’ve stuck with the characters left behind in Fuuto. While it wouldn’t be a real Team Double mystery, it’d maybe have been something that felt new and different. The joy of Tokime in the mix is that it creates new storytelling opportunities for her presence, and there’s still so many groupings she hasn’t been a part of. To lose her for a closed circle mystery with an almost needlessly convoluted explanation (the exposition goes on forever) is a disappointment, even if it feels churlish to blame a show for sticking with its main characters and genre instead of an idea I briefly had. This episode was sort of boring? Not bad, and the weird mansion environment is too singular to be forgettable, but it was maybe a little too long spent laying out the parameters of a fairly standard mystery story. It is incredibly weird to be less into this show when the characters are actively doing their jobs, but that’s just how this one hit me. Less time solving murders! More time with Tokime not understanding how Accel’s powers work! Thanks!
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-12-2024, 06:36 PM | #637 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,601
|
Feel like I could see a case for what you wanted to happen if the episode wasn't structured the way it was. Like if we had that scene at the office at the start and Shotaro and Philip were a cutaway gag, alongside Terui getting a call or something then yeah I could see it. But we focus on Shotaro and Philip's situation instantly.
I suppose what doesn't help (or maybe helps for you) is they cut a lot of preamble out from the Manga for the Anime that focused on the two more heavily so as to not have this potential confusion. And that's not counting what other dialogue they cut out to slim down on things. -So first off, Terui explaining Murder's well, murder, was handled in the mini-case that was Manga exclusive, so we had to put it in here. -The biggest and major change is how long we see Shotaro and Philip in the snowstorm. The two manage to find a cave and some broken branches to start a fire and plan a bit. There's some bickering, and Philip suggests he use Xtreme to fly and get the tools necessary to get them out, though Shotaro points out he'd be waiting for hours and doesn't want to be alone. There's even the suggestion to use Sokichi's cabin as a place to stay but the two had already long passed it and it'd be too dangerous to get back there so their only hope was an village. Anyway this was a surprisingly fun start for the episode for me, especially back when this first aired and I had no idea of what went on in the Manga. The idea of our two in one Kamen Sing-er Detectives getting to deal with a classic Mystery Murder Mansion case? Sign me up! |
04-12-2024, 06:44 PM | #638 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,554
|
So, this is the first episode of the anime with a new writer, in the form of Atsuhiro Tomioka, best known for heading 10 seasons of Pok?mon (and being a staff writer on 15 others), Inazuma 11, the first 26 episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds and the current as of this writing Super Sentai, Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger. Though how much a different writer changes things up, and how much of it is due to the manga taking a different tact that week… it’s unclear.
And talking of Sentai… Sentai-lert! Keeping with a casting theme from W proper, our main female suitor Kanna is played by Mika Kikuchi, better known as Umeko/DekaPink from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger and one of the guest heroes in Engine Sentai Go-Onger’s summer movie (the other two of whom were Takumi and Undad). Within Rider, she’s had guest roles in episode 3 of Kabuto (one which I remember from back during the watch thread due to how seemingly no-one noticed or recognised of the episode’s guest stars) and as a newsreader in Heisei Generations. |
04-12-2024, 11:45 PM | #639 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Thanks for the behind-the-scenes details!
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
04-13-2024, 05:17 PM | #640 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,430
|
This is maybe my favorite of the cartoon's four major story arcs; I go back and forth over whether I like this or the opening one more. W was always influenced more by the hard-boiled detective branch of mystery, but this one puts Shotaro and Philip squarely into an Agatha Christie novel: isolated mansion, eclectic guests, sudden murder. Give or take an alcohol monster this is pure Christie. It's really fun to see W slot into this kind of story, especially when Shotaro gets to show off some of his deductive skills. I love it when the writers treat Shotaro as a capable detective in his own right instead of letting Philip do all of the mystery solving.
I also like the Alcohol Dopant, both in concept and execution. This definitely feels like something we'd never have gotten on the live action show, the concept is maybe a bit too adult for a kid's action show/merch showcase. It's sloppy and chaotic, but being full of booze also makes it both more reckless and harder to fight. The whole look behind it is also just way outside of something we'd get in a latex suit. |
|
TokuNation News & Rumors |
Memorial Edition GoPhone Announced |
Kakuranger: 30 Years After |
ToyRise RyuKenDo |
Alternative Cut of "Day Of The Dumpster" Released |
Shodo SUPER Kyoryuger Teaser |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:16 AM.
|