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02-11-2023, 07:22 PM | #671 |
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That's relatable!
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02-11-2023, 07:48 PM | #672 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
It perfectly incorporates Touma being a writer, it fits excellently into the overall themes of the series, and is frankly just the kind of heroism I like to see in a story. Heroes and villains alike can destroy obstacles in their path, but only a hero will choose to heal something.
We're in this story about healing damaged creatures, and trying to avoid just destroying violent things that really just need to be understood... and then Yuri's like Oh There's No Saving Legeiel And It's Humane To Detonate Him. Zero evidence other than a hastily spoken line from Yuri, and zero hesitation on the part of Touma. Like, I know that we need to have a dramatic explosion at the end of this story, and Legeiel wasn't exactly some huge loss to either the narrative or the audience, and whatever... but, like, Touma just pointed out to the audience that Legeiel wasn't making decisions in the right frame of mind. The show literally decided to say What If right before Touma detonates the guy. In the episode all about looking past violent exteriors to try and salvage something real. It's a minor thing, but it sort of felt like the show trying to have its cake and detonate it, too. Thanks! I find that dude super interesting to think about! It is, which is maybe not great.
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02-11-2023, 07:58 PM | #673 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Quote:
We're in this story about healing damaged creatures, and trying to avoid just destroying violent things that really just need to be understood... and then Yuri's like Oh There's No Saving Legeiel And It's Humane To Detonate Him. Zero evidence other than a hastily spoken line from Yuri, and zero hesitation on the part of Touma.
Like, I know that we need to have a dramatic explosion at the end of this story, and Legeiel wasn't exactly some huge loss to either the narrative or the audience, and whatever... but, like, Touma just pointed out to the audience that Legeiel wasn't making decisions in the right frame of mind. The show literally decided to say What If right before Touma detonates the guy. In the episode all about looking past violent exteriors to try and salvage something real. It's a minor thing, but it sort of felt like the show trying to have its cake and detonate it, too.
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02-11-2023, 08:11 PM | #674 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Wait, you dont know either?
Posts: 5,825
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Yeah, the Primitive Dragon arc is just so good, and also so Saber with how it manages to come to its conclusion. As Fish already beat me to because he's got that speed, while 3 series in the last 4 years have done Beserk forms (Sougo doesn't get one because, lets be honest, that kid is too much of a dork to be angry for more than five minutes), all of them resolve in different manners that none of the other heroes could manage.
Sento is trapped into seeing Blood Stalk's own manipulations as truth, that the Build system (and, in turn, his very person) exist in their purest forms as weapons best for killing others, until he's able to use his technical genius skill and the power of his allies who believe in him to be a saviour without destruction (and he, of course believes in them, because he keeps TankTank in the wings for Sawa to rescue the family I love that episode so much), and surpasses it. Of course, the Hazard Forms are still dangerous, a sign technology can still go wrong if used unrestainedly, but Sento himself is proof it can be better. Metal Cluster Hopper is the full wailing rage and despair and malice of the Ark, lashing out at humanity (and especially Gai) for what it sees as unforgivable crimes. And Aruto doesn't overcome it alone, because one man can't. The respite comes from the Humagears, all the people Aruto has touched and helped and been a one-man supportive arm for, come to his aid. One man cannot alone overcome that hate, but with the wishes of an entire people behind him? He can. And then there's Primitive Dragon. A scared, lonely child - and I think the fact it's a child matters all the more when this is like the 3rd child Touma has saved, and his bookstore is made for them, we know Touma has that empathy for a child in need - and Touma literally writes them a new end. I'm not a huge fan of power ups in Kamen Rider that characters create out of nowhere, through sheer anime will, but this isn't that. It's only through the bond Touma makes with this one kid, understanding them, and showing them a way out of their tragedy, their loneliness, can the rage be quelled. Even if Touma isn't physically there, his story will resonate. Because stories matter. They change how we look at things. And, having made that emotional connection, they can work in harmony. None of these three, despite the superficialities, are the same, and none of the protagonists would solve it in the same way. It's not that Aruto or Sento are unempathic or anything, but their empathy is different. Aruto would tell a corny joke, show the kid that even in the darkest time there's smiles to be had. Sento would probably assume the dragon was Ryuga being sad and offer to make him a noodle pot. But that's the beauty of a series like this, in that we can see our hero's strength shine through. (And I also love that Kento isn't moved by this! That would both be too easy, and Kento knows Touma is the king of this kind of empathy for his own show! That doesn't change how Touma can't empathy away the unspecified apocalypse he's real worried about!) I love the Primitive Dragon arc. Not just because of the ending, but the ending is just the cap on it, you know? A fumbled ending can turn a story-arc sour, but here, it works great.
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02-11-2023, 08:16 PM | #675 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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This cast of characters, amirite? So goddamn good.
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02-11-2023, 08:48 PM | #676 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,411
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I don't have much to add apart from another round of appreciation for how this story played out. Definitely a good way to evolve Primitive Dragon into its next form in a way that plays to Touma's strengths as a character.
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02-12-2023, 10:21 AM | #677 |
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
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Quote:
KAMEN RIDER SABER EPISODE 27 - “I’LL CHANGE YOUR SORROW, INTO A SMILE”
It’s an incredibly sweet ending. Primitive Dragon is revealed to be a scared child, lashing out from sorrow and loneliness. It’s there on the costume, and on the book: a grasping hand, looking for someone to call a friend. Touma’s solution is to let Primitive Dragon know that, even in the times when all of its friends had vanished, it was never really alone. It had the wind, the seas, the earth to be there for it. It’s a lovely way of showing how depression can be just a way of feeling cut off from the world, not feeling cut off from people. Touma’s intervention is a reminder that Primitive Dragon is still a part of the world, so it can still make new friends, find new happiness. Quote:
Elemental Dragon continues that really lovely trend of smart suit designs, with a pair of shaking hands as its armor, and a big ol’ THANK YOU when Touma de-Henshins. It’s all about harnessing this group of friends – the elements of nature and a gigantic skeleton dragon and a sword-fighting novelist – into an unstoppable force for justice. I don’t know if I love the All Colors scheme of it, but I like how much it’s about the end of this particular story.
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And the story’s a great Saber-specific story, about how much perspective and intention matter when we’re processing events. What to a small child might look like abandonment and an ending, to an adult might look like a new chapter. It’s a nice parallel to Kento’s story, where he’s unable to see past his fears and find hope in Touma’s ability to change someone’s fate. This is a series about not accepting terrible outcomes and trying to create a better future, so it stands to reason that Kento lifelong pessimism is the biggest obstacle this show can have right now.
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Mostly because it’s sure not going to be Legeiel! He gets an interesting little coda, where it becomes clear that he (and probably Zooooooous) wasn’t aware of his past, and therefore maybe was rewritten to be a blundering villain. I still don’t really care about the Book Club – and this episode was them as yet another forgettable speed-bump along a much more interesting road – but at least the show is trying to provide some additional depth to them.
Quote:
None of these three, despite the superficialities, are the same, and none of the protagonists would solve it in the same way. It's not that Aruto or Sento are unempathic or anything, but their empathy is different. Aruto would tell a corny joke, show the kid that even in the darkest time there's smiles to be had. Sento would probably assume the dragon was Ryuga being sad and offer to make him a noodle pot. But that's the beauty of a series like this, in that we can see our hero's strength shine through. (And I also love that Kento isn't moved by this! That would both be too easy, and Kento knows Touma is the king of this kind of empathy for his own show! That doesn't change how Touma can't empathy away the unspecified apocalypse he's real worried about!)
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The most complete non-wiki encyclopedias for Kamen Rider series (currently only found Ryuki and OOO's). Last edited by DreadBringer; 02-12-2023 at 10:25 AM.. |
02-12-2023, 11:50 AM | #678 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Oh, and one other random thing I want to point out from this episode, because I'm pretty sure I'm literally the only who cares, but I love how Touma quotes Kamijou's catchphrase about hope again when he shows up to the battle with Legeiel. It's not like that's something he's repeating constantly, but between here and the second episode, and the way, if I'm remembering right, he consistently calls him Kamijou-san, with the honorific, in spite of all the villainy, I find it cute how much that one moment from 15 years ago clearly left an impression on Touma. Most of what he remembers about that day is entirely traumatic, but there's like this one little thing in there -- someone giving their all to protect him -- that, even now, helps push Touma forward when he needs it. I could probably wring some deeper point out of this if I tried hard enough, but I don't know, I mostly wanted to bring it up because I think it's nice.
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02-12-2023, 04:07 PM | #679 |
Standing By
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,092
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Quote:
Quote:
Mostly because it?s sure not going to be Legeiel! He gets an interesting little coda, where it becomes clear that he (and probably Zooooooous) wasn?t aware of his past, and therefore maybe was rewritten to be a blundering villain. I still don?t really care about the Book Club ? and this episode was them as yet another forgettable speed-bump along a much more interesting road ? but at least the show is trying to provide some additional depth to them.
Quote:
And it seems that to reinforce how 'strong' they're to 'break' the mold, they're given terrible traits (including toxic masculinity, as feminity is viewed as inherent weakness), as this post notes. It also appllies in KR franchise where at this point, mostly the females who become Riders are the ones with those stereotypical 'tough' personality (which means many are asshole ones), while females like Poppy or (sorry, yeah she temporarily going off deep end but otherwise she's all-loving one too) Tsukuyomi aren't prominent Riders, even if they're prominent characters.
Quote:
The easy assumption when you first see it is that the hand is this primal force, clutching its unwilling prisoners within its cold grasp, but the reality is completely different. That claw on the book, it's actually a torn up page, because Primitive Dragon's whole gimmick is that its story is missing. The illustrations on the book even bring to mind a black hole, because the truth is that it's a wounded creature, desperately reaching out for something to fill the void where its heart once was.
So of course, inevitably, the thing it finds to fill that void once and for all is another hand, reaching back to help. Quote:
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心 と 刃 Last edited by Sh Ranger; 02-12-2023 at 04:09 PM.. |
02-12-2023, 06:09 PM | #680 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,411
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