[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

The Mystery Man is voiced by Steve Blum.

Dude! Steve Blum is... oh man, that is awesome.

Anyway, I think what jumped out at me about this episode was how, and I kind of understand now why Kuuga would remind you of this show saying this, but it's got a sort of deliberately trim style of storytelling. It sticks out especially given how heavy on monologues the two-parter was. This one has a lot of moments and lines that are very significant and meant to be drilled into, but it doesn't dwell on them too much, leaving that up to the viewer. In particular, the way the episode sort of peters out at the end leaves you with a lot of raw emotion to sort out on your own, rather than tying every little thing up in a nice bow for you.

[DreamSword]

Oh man, you actually remember me saying that? Thanks! Haha.

And yeah you are totally right there. Your Kuuga thread actually helped me to realize that alot my favorite shows tend to do this style of storytelling. Whether it be a handful of specific episodes, or just the entirety of their tales in general.

Kino's Journey and s-CRY-ed are two such examples. They're the type of shows that trust that the viewer is, well, for lack of a better way of putting it, paying close attention to what exactly it is they're talking about. They don't hold your hand, and just present themselves to you in pure, raw, (and often minimalist) form.

But again, incase anyone is getting the wrong idea, I'm not trying to claim that that's the only way nor the absolute best way any story should be told, it's just something that tends to speak to me specifically. And hey, I've certainly seen ways I felt the style was done poorly too(like the first act of Agito). Heck, maybe one day in this thread I'll even get to rant abou--err, cover, such a type of show.

[DreamSword]

Episode 10: Frozen Bonds



Oh man this... this can't be good.

Similar to how the City of Rain episode had rain as it main source of symbolism, this episode instead uses snow(as well as the cold). The center focus is about Mitsuko tracking down and confronting her mother about their connection to Gill and where to find him.



Gotta say, the scenes where Mitsuko is directly confronting her mom really do shine here. And not just the dialogue and symbolism either! What makes it even cooler is the interesting turnaround this episode has from typical shows of its ilk. It's Mitsuko, "the chick" as in, not the main character, who is demanding everyone stay and keep demanding answers. Whereas its Jiro, the hero, the guy who in most other stories would be the one ready to bust heads, that is instead insisting everyone just forget about it and leave.



But as one might predict from the opening scene, things go way south when it's revealed that Gill is still working from the shadows. I especially love the line "I have my orders." Very blatantly showing that Mitsuko's' mother is no different from the robots in terms of her situation; A servant of Gill, whether she likes it or not.

It's here that the Mystery Man also reveals his name: Saburo. Not sounding like the name of the most popular character in the franchise? Well, let's wait on that. What we can comment on is that Saburo reveals that he's Jiro's' little brother, and designed specifically to destroy Jiro.

And uh, I'd say he makes good on his threat.

Infact, he makes good on it in more ways than one.

That said, the thing that stands out the most to me about Saburo is him killing the Scorpion Robot, and just how much his character(and this moment specifically) would go on to influence other characters over the decades. Bass from Megaman and Vegeta from Dragon Ball are two very blatant examples. Plus being voiced by Steve Blum? Yeah, this guy's got basically everything he needs to be one cool villain. And yes, I know this show came out after this two examples did, but this character, and the manga he originates from? Way before those two.

Like with "Stray Sheep" there isn't too much that happens in this episode in terms of events, but it's definitely another step forward in terms of the plot, the characters, and the threat at hand.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 10: Frozen Bonds

This was one seriously emotionally charged episode. Once the tension starts building, it doesn't stop. Mitsuko really does have it just as rough as Jirou, doesn't she?

[DreamSword]

Yeah, I find it really interesting(and cool) that Mitsuko is straight up the deautagonist of the story. It further shows that being human isn't inherent an awesome thing to be.

Speaking of, I feel like Ishinomori was almost trying to make a counter-piece to Pinocchio, despite using it as a sort of framing device, considering everything Kikaider deals with.

Oh, and something I DEFINITELY wanna note about this episode, of which I realized while at work earlier today. The scene where Mitsuko's' mom kills her fish? It wasn't just to show her stress or her bad side. No, it was because she outright knew she wasn't going to make it through the night. Call me slow, but that never dawned on me until now, and it makes me appreciate this episode even more!

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

The scene where Mitsuko's' mom kills her fish? It wasn't just to show her stress or her bad side. No, it was because she outright knew she wasn't going to make it through the night.

Oh, wow, I definitely didn't make that connection. That actually makes perfect sense and is a really cool detail.

[DreamSword]

Episode 11: The Destroyer

The Japanese title of this episode is actually a bit of a hint as what, or rather, who, this episode is all about. That said, you might still be able to guess given the opening, which follows the direct aftermath of the previous episode.

Jiro has disappeared amongst the flames, but within the wreckage comes a new hope for the future.



Gotta admit, that's actually an out and out brilliant place for Kohmyoji to hide his work. Keeps it forever close and hidden to the one who could protect it best; with the only people who could even have a chance at getting to it being those close to Kikaider... close to Jiro.

Speaking of Jiro, ever wonder what would happen if the tune that makes Kikaider go crazy never actually stopped?



Yeah, uh... that's uh... that's not good.

The entire sequence shows just why it's so important to get the Gemini repaired. A completely unhinged Kikaider is a danger to literally everyone. Even the police get slaughtered Kuuga-style.

Meanwhile with Mitsuko, we get a nice scene of her finally starting to not baby Masaru anymore, but the timing isn't exactly great. Masaru shows upfront that everything the family has been through has been taking a big toll on him(as it would anyone), and he needs his sister now more than ever.

Mitsuko also comes to realize why her father ended up the way he did, and more importantly, that she needs to be careful, otherwise she'll end up just like him; Someone consumed by their own sadness. It's a great moment of self-realization, and something many people in real life never come to acknowledge. Self-reflection/introspection is important people!

So how's Jiro doing?



Yeah, Saburo is every bit as twisted as Gill is, and it's clear that this mission is personal. It's not enough to just kill Jiro. Oh no, he needs to make him suffer. Does Saburo translate to "utter sadist" in Japanese or something?



And what better way to make Jiro suffer than to try and make him kill the one he loves most? Gotta hand it to Mitsuko here though. Girl has nerves of friggen tungsten, being able to try and talk Psycho Jiro down.

But it's a great moment! Continuing with this essentially being Jiro's' story of growing up, he's able to overcome temptation and take control of his own actions. And now more than ever is ready to face off against Saburo.

It's just that, well, Saburo isn't going to go down easy.

This is Hakaider, the polar opposite to Kikaider in almost every way. The personality is obvious, but even from a design perspective, it's clear that Ishinomori fully thought this out.

First off, while Jiro's' transformation into Kikaider is long and extravagant, Saburo's' transformation into Hakaider is quick and simple; Not even seeming to require a pose or a phrase in order to activate.

Second, Hakaider's' body is almost entirely complete outside of the obvious brain he has exposed. But said brain also goes to show how he's able to have joys, pleasures, thoughts, and feelings like Kikaider does(even if Hakaider's' are seriously messed up). The predominant black of course showing his darker nature, and then there's my favorite touch; His face.

See, unlike Kikaider, whose mouth moves, and his eyes move ever so slightly in order to convey emotion, Hakaider's' face is permanently stuck in a slasher smile, even when speaking. It's really unsettling once you realize it, and shows that if you see this guy, don't expect to make it out alive.

The episode ends with Hakaider fought off, but at the cost of some serious physical and psychological damage to Jiro. Ontop of that, we learn the fate of Dr. Kohmyoji, and it's not pretty. From here on it's made very clear that we're gearing up for the endgame of the story... well, mostly. I'll get to that in due time. But until then, another great episode in this tragic tale.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Does Saburo translate to "utter sadist" in Japanese or something?

Actually, and I'm not totally sure about this because I haven't looked it up, and their names are usually given in katakana rather than kanji, but I don't think Koumyouji was anywhere near that creative with the names of his sons. Ichirou, Jirou, and Saburou literally mean "first son" (一郎), "second son" (二郎), and "third son" (三郎), respectively.

I mean, obviously you're just doing a bit there, but I figured I'd throw out the trivia anyway. I would've called out the fact that Hakaider's face is stuck in a smile, which was a detail that immediately jumped out at me, but you had that one covered.

Oh, and the episode itself was amazing, but it seems most things become at least twice as good when you add Hakaider to them. It worked for Kamen Rider Gaim (sort of)! The guy is a legendary villain for good reason, is the point.

[Deepsea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Actually, and I'm not totally sure about this because I haven't looked it up, and their names are usually given in katakana rather than kanji, but I don't think Koumyouji was anywhere near that creative with the names of his sons. Ichirou, Jirou, and Saburou literally mean "first son" (一郎), "second son" (二郎), and "third son" (三郎), respectively.

I mean, obviously you're just doing a bit there, but I figured I'd throw out the trivia anyway. I would've called out the fact that Hakaider's face is stuck in a smile, which was a detail that immediately jumped out at me, but you had that one covered.

Oh, and the episode itself was amazing, but it seems most things become at least twice as good when you add Hakaider to them. It worked for Kamen Rider Gaim (sort of)! The guy is a legendary villain for good reason, is the point.

So does the third son have any connotation in Japanese religion/mythology, like Shintoism or Hinduism?

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Actually, and I'm not totally sure about this because I haven't looked it up, and their names are usually given in katakana rather than kanji, but I don't think Koumyouji was anywhere near that creative with the names of his sons. Ichirou, Jirou, and Saburou literally mean "first son" (一郎), "second son" (二郎), and "third son" (三郎), respectively.

That actually makes alot of sense considering what I know about a certain character we'll meet later. Thanks for sharing!

Quote:

Oh, and the episode itself was amazing, but it seems most things become at least twice as good when you add Hakaider to them. It worked for Kamen Rider Gaim (sort of)! The guy is a legendary villain for good reason, is the point.

The Kikaider Reboot crossover is actually the one episode of Gaim I've seen so far, solely because I had just finished watching that movie. Definitely something to revisit and talk about whenever I finally get around to Gaim in my Neo-Heisei marathon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deepsea

So does the third son have any connotation in Japanese religion/mythology, like Shintoism or Hinduism?

I'd be interested to know this as well!