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02-04-2023, 08:39 AM | #51 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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This kind of feels like the absolute least mature and adult episode of the series so far to me. Like, it is just 100% two macho dudes beefing the entire runtime, putting the focus all on how cool it is to watch wolf knights fight each other while any other dimension to the plot -- be it Kaoru's perspective on things or a standalone story with other unique and varied individuals -- mostly takes a backseat.
I should maybe be bemoaning that storytelling decision, but man, have you seen this episode? It's freakin' rad as heck, man! I think this is actually the first episode since the initial two personally directed by Amemiya, and that probably explains a lot. It really is an aggressively simple episode in terms of plot, but such immense care was clearly taken with the execution of that single note of "Kouga and Rei don't get along", that it somehow winds up being a standout of the series so far. The gradual escalation is handled super well, and once things do hit that boiling point, the action just keeps rising anyway. The big fight between the two contains several setpieces that would make good climaxes individually, and strings them together flawlessly. Kouga and Rei throwing down in a room! Kouga and Rei throwing down while going up a building! Garo and Zero throwing down while going down a building! It's absolute top-tier, thrilling action the whole way through, and the most raw fun this show has been so far. I put that at the start like it's a negative, but honestly, it's good to have such clear confirmation that GARO doesn't consider itself above this sort of thing, especially when it's this good at it.
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02-04-2023, 05:13 PM | #52 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
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Quote:
Should the show ever get a domestic blu-ray release, this should be the tagline they put on the box. Quote:
It's absolute top-tier, thrilling action the whole way through, and the most raw fun this show has been so far. I put that at the start like it's a negative, but honestly, it's good to have such clear confirmation that GARO doesn't consider itself above this sort of thing, especially when it's this good at it.
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02-04-2023, 07:07 PM | #53 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,322
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Episode 8: Ring I was initially feeling disappointed in this episode. One thing that the anime(namely Crimson Moon) touched upon, albeit briefly, was that not everyone who does bad things ends up as a Horror. And I was initially thinking that this episode was going to really dive into that, to the point that I was actually incredibly disappointed and felt as if the Horror coming in was incredibly obligatory. But then the episode managed to turn me around with its wonderfully strong sense of thematic storytelling, ontop of some wonderful character development for Kaoru which ties into it. The cinematography was pretty top notch in this one too, making the visual aspect of the storytelling all the stronger. This is the episode that essentially spells out what the entire overarching theme of the show is for those who hadn't been getting it up to now(like me!). That theme being time. How we all have limited time on this Earth, what specific moments in time do in terms of shaping our lives and our beliefs, and how people go about spending the precious time they have left. While I turned her obsession with hands into a bit of a joke with that screencap edit, I really did feel for the bartender here. Does it justify what she does? No, but it's easy to see how much one traumatic event shaped the rest of her life and threw her off the deep end. And using fire and ice as visual metaphors for her desire to turn back and be stuck in the time she was happy for eternity really warmed me to the Horror being at all a part of the plot. And like I noted earlier, it helps with developing Kaoru as a character too, with her taking the advice she gets to heart, and realizing just how important her art can actually be. Her laying her hand upon the drawing of Koga's' at the end? I felt like that was not only her dedicating the girl who got possessed to her memory, but also her symbolically trying to reach out to Koga, of whom she's had trouble connecting with despite them living together, not to mention the spat they got into within this episode alone. Though I wouldn't call this the best episode in the show, it is one that managed to impress me despite my own initial first impression, and really, that might make it the most impressive episode so far? But then I could easily see other people reading my observations and going "Well yeah dummy, alot of this stuff was so obvious from like, episodes 1 and 2!" But hey, I eventually got it in the end, right? Yeah? Maybe? Whatever. Here's to looking forward to how Rei's' relationship with Kaoru develops, given she's chosen to keep her alive(for now). And Zaruba is taking a liking to her now too! GARO has yet to fully disappoint, and I hope it doesn't anytime soon.
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02-04-2023, 08:34 PM | #54 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,523
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Why am I not surprised you ended up making that the thumbnail lol
Again, a lot of episodes are hazy for me as it's been a while but I remember enjoying this one. There's not much to say than us continuing the usual formula but now we've got Rei added into the mix as a fun foil for Kouga. Yeah not much else to say, but I will say after looking back on the series, it is one of my favorite episodes. |
02-04-2023, 10:32 PM | #55 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,361
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This is one of the episodes I've always remembered the most. It didn't have the most epic fight scenes, but I found the woman's story really engaging.
Also, Goro-chan. |
02-05-2023, 06:07 AM | #56 |
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02-05-2023, 06:30 AM | #57 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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This episode seemed weirdly like something Toshiki Inoue would write to me (I think it's the combination of "musician + tragic event"), but I kind of mean that as a good thing. It's a solid standalone narrative that has a way of pulling you into its sometimes very heightened drama, and not only is it good on its own merits, it also feels especially appropriate to come at this exact point in the series. Like I said, that whole Garo VS Zero episode was sort of an indulgence compared to what the series was normally like, so to have the episode right after that put Rei more into the background to do something more like how the show started out again is reassuring in its own right. As cool as Rei is, I wouldn't want him dominating the entire plot right away, you know? We'd miss out on stories like this.
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02-05-2023, 05:41 PM | #58 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,322
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I wonder if this one knew how to make gyoza? Quote:
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As cool as Rei is, I wouldn't want him dominating the entire plot right away, you know? We'd miss out on stories like this.
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02-05-2023, 07:16 PM | #59 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,322
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Episode 9: Ordeal I didn't like this one. Tokusatsu stories are full of bad parents, and unfortunately, GARO is no exception. This episode deals with the legacy left behind by our leads' fathers. And unfortunately in the case of Kaoru, it's a story that's all too common: Her dad abandoned his family at what is arguably the most important time in their lives, but by the end all is forgiven for a deed that's not even close to being of equal value. Yeah, sure, the painting was based off of some random moment in Kaoru's' childhood and depicts her mom as a goddess. So what? That doesn't change that fact that he refused to be with his wife in her final moments and remained emotionally distant from his daughter. Doesn't even matter that the painting is in a kindergarten. He pulled what I consider what we in the business call an incredibly dickish move, to say the least. Meanwhile with the Koga side of the plot, it just feels incredibly made up as a way to justify him getting a cool horse. It's allegedly about him facing and accepting his dark side... even though there have been no hints at all that that's something he'd been struggling with up to now. It's like the Ryuki tribute in Kamen Rider Zi-O all over again. And yeah, the horse(Goten) and the song that comes with it is cool and all, but the entire climax is framed like Koga made this giant leap forward in terms of his character, when I was unaware there was even that sort of character flaw to overcome to begin with. At the very least Kaoru's' plot established an issue she had with her dad. Koga just fights an astral projection of his father's' armor and then is all "At last I have come to terms with the shadow in me." Like, what? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have him overcome his father's' shadow instead? I dunno, maybe it's my own personal hangups, but this whole episode just really fell flat for me. Probably the weakest character work the show has had so far, and that's even comparing to the first episode which was mainly just introductions. I'm sure someone like Kamen Rider Die would love an episode like this, but as for me, I ain't a fan.
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02-05-2023, 07:23 PM | #60 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,523
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Ah yes, there's our Jam Project. Say hello to Savior in the Dark.
Don't have much to say about this episode because all I can remember is the ending fight, I do like that the Garo armor gets like these super long tassels flowing out from the back which I don't think the anime did for whenever they ride Goten. Savior in the Dark is pretty good, and is probably one of Garo's most iconic songs. But I'd say in terms of Jam Project stuff it only just barely scratches like the Top 5. I'd have to listen to a lot of Jam Project again, which I wouldn't mind, but yeah. |
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