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01-19-2023, 06:42 PM | #271 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Touma's outfits are the greatest in the franchise, rivalled only by Shigeru Jo Stronger's stupid S shirts
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01-19-2023, 06:46 PM | #272 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER SABER - THEATRICAL SPECIAL: THE PHOENIX SWORDSMAN AND THE BOOK OF RUIN
TAKAYAMA JIN!!! That was a very pleasant surprise. Did not know he’d be playing Falchion in this movie! I don’t want to be that Kamen Rider fan, but: hottest male Rider? Maybe! For sure my favorite Secondary, depending on how you want to apply that term to Amazons. Less pleasant was finding out that this wasn’t a movie, it was only a 22-minute long theatrical short. I was honestly looking forward to a larger Saber project, something where the production team could stretch out a bit, try and spend a little more time on the connective tissue of their story. I wanted some time to really luxuriate in these characters’ stories, you know? Relax a bit. Instead, I got the last twenty-two minutes of every single Kamen Rider movie, where the villain’s apocalyptic plan has reached fruition, and only a team of Riders–gathered at the quarry under moonlight–can do enough form changes and finishing moves to take out an army of mooks and allow the titular Rider to manifest an upgrade that will save the day. Half of its meager runtime is devoted to Henshins and Finishers, with almost no actual narrative shared between its non-Touma cast. (I think they each get a catchphrase? That’s something!) There’s no setup or escalation or humor or mystery. It’s just (to borrow a phrase) a climax, right from the start. With that out of the way… I don’t hate it? It’s specifically going for a primal Ur Kamen Rider story: Destroy Vs Protect, Light Vs Dark, Existence Vs Nothingness. Falchion’s motivations are pointedly barren; he just wants to destroy everything because everything will eventually be destroyed anyway, so what’s the point of existence. Touma stands in opposition because there’s always a Kamen Rider to stand in opposition. Falchion’s view of conflict as an eternal battle for power is offset by Touma’s view of conflict as a way of resetting the board; a turn of the page to allow for a new story. What looks to one person like a single unending narrative is, to another, an endless array of fresh starts. It’s a movie (or “theatrical short”) that I sort of appreciated for its attempt to harness the limitations of its format in order to create something unique, while at the same time finding it to be a headache-inducing short film where everyone showed up screaming and somehow got louder from there. I never ever enjoyed movie finales as much as the build up (it’d be nice to get more Jin in this movie!), so a project that’s just the finale is always going to be a struggle for me to enjoy. I did end up liking its subtext–it’s a fun deconstruction of Kamen Rider movie stories–while not liking the text a whole lot. Emotional Dragon’s a real neat upgrade form, though! I like Touma being more powerful for his ability to access his emotions! — THE BEAST AND DRAGON, ADORED Tsuyoshi was disappointed in himself, but he had to admit: this was actually a pretty cool apocalypse. He should be thinking of his friends, or his family, or his plans for the future that would go unaccomplished. Instead, as he stared at a gigantic book floating in mid-air that was displaying a superpowered battle from an alternate dimension, all he thought was that this was going to be a more bad-ass extinction of humanity than he’d previously expected. He’d grown up aware of things like climate change, or terrorism. The current pandemic had largely receded into the background, but it was a daily reminder about the fragility of civilization. A friend’s mugging last week let the prospect of street crime intrude on his idle thoughts. These things… it was all part of life, and it was often more boring to contemplate than terrifying. Mundane. This was the Winning The Lottery version of his demise, and that maybe had reoriented his immediate priorities. He didn’t even reach for his phone, to find out how his parents were faring in this new world of glowing, airborne monsters and catastrophic sky portals. His mind was focused on the gleaming superheroes, and the shouting accompaniment of their weaponry. That was the weirdest part for him, in the fall of man. All of the music. As he watched a besworded swordsman battle an orange nihilist in a fairytale world, Tsuyoshi marveled mostly over how cacophonous the conflict was. Every sword slash was announced by a cry from the heavens about books or dragons or swords. It was less like a war for the right to exist than a wrestling match. It was entertaining, which isn’t the word he thought he’d ever use as he watched his world demolished. There was a young woman about his age in the crowd, and she was trying to console a worried child. She talked about Kamen Riders, and about one called Saber, and he wondered how much of it she was making up to ease a scared child into their shared demise. It all would’ve sounded ludicrous to Tsuyoshi a day ago, but now he was watching a costumed superhero yell about humanity’s inherent ability to improve, so nothing seemed out of bounds. All that talk of heroism and sacrifice… Tsuyoshi briefly considered that this might not be the end of the world after all. Imagine that. An apocalypse prevented. As he stood in the crowd and watched the shouting swordsman cover himself in a variety of dragons, Tsuyoshi actually felt a bit of optimism about the future. He could feel the crowd’s energy rise to meet the swordsman’s, everyone cheering on the finale of this theatrical duel. The hero could win. The world could be saved. There was a flash of light. Tsuyoshi jerked awake on the bus, and noticed his stop was coming up soon. He walked to the doorway of the bus, and exited when it stopped. As he walked towards his apartment, he saw a sign asking for volunteers for an afterschool program. Some local high school needed additional support from the community, apparently. Tsuyoshi’s schedule was full: work, family, friends, dating (which he needed to get back to, judging by the young woman in his dream)... he certainly couldn’t spare the time to tutor a teenager in math. But as he took a step past the sign, he stopped. He thought about that dream, and the heroism of the imaginary swordsman. (He almost lingered on thoughts of the young woman, but he quickly refocused his attention.) He wasn’t sure what it all meant, but he found himself hopeful in a way he wasn’t usually. Maybe… He reached for one of the tags with contact information, and tore it off of the sign.
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01-19-2023, 07:28 PM | #273 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Saber - Theatrical Special: The Phoenix Swordsman and the Book of Ruin
It's worth noting that since I was watching this film when it was released on home video, much later into the show's run, there's a bit of blatant hinting I do in that post about what are still future events to Die. That being the case, for Die's sake, I'm going to go ahead and quote that post with the possibly spoiler-y bit removed, as well: Quote:
One way I've heard this movie described I really liked is that it's as though they decided to release just the last 20 minutes of a 60 minute film. A description I thought of myself that I like even more is that it's a movie pulled from the same dimension as Ghost's Legend Rider shorts. The similarities begin with the fact that I adore them both.
There's just something so utterly endearing to me about the way they go above and beyond the call of duty. It's only a simple short film to fill space before REALxTIME starts, right? No need to get fancy -- no room to get fancy -- and yet here comes Falchion laying the hypocrisy of stopping force with more force on Saber within like a minute of meeting the guy. It's great. It's madness, but it's great. There's this real sense that they tried to cram as much in here as possible in a way that is extremely on-brand for early Saber. Good intentions, and an execution that I don't think most people will enjoy as much as I do. It's almost brutally efficient in how it accomplishes that goal of having a proper story. The heroic Riders get to sum up their entire personalities in tidy single lines of dialogue before they all transform. There's no room for separate scenes of people talking and people fighting, so people simply talk while fighting. It's very conscious of that limited runtime, and I honestly think it's making the best of it to where the few moments that are allowed to slow down even a bit are in just the right spots to be impactful, like letting Touma have the luxury of a whole extra scene the other Riders don't get to transform into Emotional Dragon. The movie also makes a pretty smart choice in realizing that no matter how philosophical the angry bird man decides to get, the plot is still going to boil down to "watching Kamen Riders fighting bad guys for 20 minutes", so the central theme is instead literally about watching Kamen Rider, and how seeing those fantastic heroes struggle against impossible odds can inspire us in our ordinary daily lives. It's something appropriately simple for the length, communicated very clearly through the bookending scenes with the kid, and, small as it may be, it's a nice extra layer to a film that, again, really did not need to try this hard to begin with. The emphasis is ultimately on that action, of course, and it's a joy to behold in a completely different way from its double-bill partner, impressing less with the cinematography, but arguably more with the special effects. There is an insane amount of digital spectacle going on here, and I'm kind of shocked how welcoming I felt of it all? It all just looks so nice for whatever reason, which is not always something I can always say about Toei's VFX work.
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01-19-2023, 07:35 PM | #274 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
So yeah, needless to say, I love this movie. I mean, it's a shame Saber didn't get a big bombastic solo movie, or the usual winter crossover with Zero-One, of course, but what we got instead was like, an absolute peak representation of the insanity of Q1 Saber, making it a perfect sort of sendoff to 2020's stretch of the show. It's one of those movies where I was excited for it right away just because the bad guy looked cool (I mean, it's Jin in a heavily retooled Ghost suit, how can you go wrong?), and when I finally had the chance to see it, it didn't disappoint.
I think that's fascinating. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
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01-19-2023, 07:39 PM | #275 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Also, Emotional Dragon's Wonder Ride Book is a pop-up book, which is the best idea this show has had yet. It's a power-up so strong its breaking out of the book!!!
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01-19-2023, 07:46 PM | #276 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,570
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And so we have Kamen Rider Falchion showing up! He's pretty cool, especially given the fact that most of his suit is reused from the base Kamen Rider Ghost transient suit.
If there's one thing Toei and PLEX are good at, it's utilizing the blank slate that is the transient forms from Ghost to make new Riders out of. It's honestly insane how well they manage to do it at points. But yeah, here we have Bahato (or Bacht) whichever you prefer. He's an interesting dude, a very simplistic goal and resolve, which clashes against Touma rather well. While I get that this movie being the last act of a Rider Movie isn't everyone's cup of tea... I do actually enjoy it. I feel like if they did anything else, like a detailed plot, it'd come off as like just a movie version of what's in the show. Which technically it is just a movie version of what's in the show given the fact that the full blown Saber insanity is on display here with how we just go full throttle, full speed right from the get go. There's just something really cool and mythical about these color coded armored warriors fighting through hordes of enemies while shouting their own quips, beliefs, remarks at what's going on around them. Like, just the idea of Knights shouting and calling out to each other or their opponents, it really fits the fantasy vibe that Saber's trying to go with. Also just getting to see these cool variations on the finishers that you know are never going to show up again at all is real nice. I like it when we get different styles of finishing moves for the same forms and stuff, especially with a movie budget added to them. Also I think my favorite Touma moment is at the very beginning. Not anything he said to the kid by the way, just the fact that he has the audacity to hang around in a park space reading his own goddamn book. It's hilarious, it's egotistical, it's incredible honestly. Another one of my favorite moments is at the very end where everyone is just hanging out and running ahead to play in the park... Kento is sorta just standing behind. Ogami notices this and being the dad he is goes and wrangle Kento to get him over with everyone else. It's a very subtle moment, but I really like that. Saber Emotional Dragon is also very cool. Before the Shield Raise Buckle there was Emotional Dragon's shield that got repainted from Fourze's. It's very amusing but also really cool how well they transformed the shield from a shuttle to a fantasy-like one. Emotional Dragon also does some cool bits of work at making a very enhanced base Saber form. Brave Dragon is cool, but you know what'd make it cooler? More dragons to cover the blank spots! Oh and we bring back the lighting the prop sword on actual fire and letting the suit actor swing it! Always a fun time when we get to do that! Other than that... I do enjoy how Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra yet again gives us another banger track in Taju Roko, the movie's end credits theme. In which we get probably my favorite credit sequence of Rider in general? There's just something fun about seeing all the Riders show off in a little story popup book before transitioning to who they are outside the suit and little snippets of like daily life. My favorite being Rintaro who is keeps trying to enter a convenience store only to back off at the last second. My boy, just enjoy yourself! lol As for the story... given the small little overarching plot of the three different minor characters being there at the start and end, I had a feeling you were going to do something like that. I also find it amusing how you went for the "Man... I didn't think I was going to die by something so cool" route with Tsuyoshi and his thoughts. |
01-19-2023, 07:48 PM | #277 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Quote:
Talking of interesting experiences from you I often don't get to see, it's fun to see you running into a lot of 'new' conventions that for most Toku fans, are strikingly familiar -- because they're what Super Sentai usually has! The ED dance, the ~25-minute 'movie'... like, it's just funny to see someone be surprised at that runtime when that's just something a lot of us are used to, just not in this exact place Like said Sentai movies I do feel that same way as you? It's mostly the climax of the movie with a very basic plot and thematic structure shoved in mostly because you literally need one, and I didn't get a lot from it. Even Jin I found a little disappointing? I wish he played up his part just a LITTLE more, even if you can't go full Amazons. God I wish they could go full Amazons...
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01-19-2023, 07:59 PM | #278 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
While I get that this movie being the last act of a Rider Movie isn't everyone's cup of tea... I do actually enjoy it. I feel like if they did anything else, like a detailed plot, it'd come off as like just a movie version of what's in the show. Which technically it is just a movie version of what's in the show given the fact that the full blown Saber insanity is on display here with how we just go full throttle, full speed right from the get go.
Quote:
As for the story... given the small little overarching plot of the three different minor characters being there at the start and end, I had a feeling you were going to do something like that. I also find it amusing how you went for the "Man... I didn't think I was going to die by something so cool" route with Tsuyoshi and his thoughts.
Quote:
Talking of interesting experiences from you I often don't get to see, it's fun to see you running into a lot of 'new' conventions that for most Toku fans, are strikingly familiar -- because they're what Super Sentai usually has! The ED dance, the ~25-minute 'movie'... like, it's just funny to see someone be surprised at that runtime when that's just something a lot of us are used to, just not in this exact place
I think he sort of did? Before I even saw his face, when a slouchy Falchion was dragging his sword behind him as he lurched away from the camera, I was like I Know That Body Language From Somewhere. It's totally the same way Jin drags his belt in Amazons! That felt like an intentional choice in production, and it made me laugh when I found out it was Jin.
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01-19-2023, 09:51 PM | #279 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,410
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Quote:
TAKAYAMA JIN!!! That was a very pleasant surprise. Did not know he?d be playing Falchion in this movie! I don?t want to be that Kamen Rider fan, but: hottest male Rider? Maybe! For sure my favorite Secondary, depending on how you want to apply that term to Amazons.
Quote:
It's worth noting that since I was watching this film when it was released on home video, much later into the show's run, there's a bit of blatant hinting I do in that post about what are still future events to Die. That being the case, for Die's sake, I'm going to go ahead and quote that post with the possibly spoiler-y bit removed, as well:
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01-19-2023, 10:08 PM | #280 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,397
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Falchion is cool.
Heck, I love all the Saber Riders designs. They're just really fun! But this movie/special/short, I daresay I'd recommend to who've never seen Kamen Rider. It's pretty much a self-contained story, with a bunch of great action, and a cool new form for Saber. It's a simple upgrade, but I do enjoy it. So, in short, I also really enjoy Saber.
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