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05-13-2022, 10:06 PM | #1061 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
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KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 46 - “2019 - OPERATION WOZ”
*sigh* Half of this episode was absolutely fantastic. There’s a fleetness to the Rescue Geiz plan that’s refreshing and exciting; a heist-y oasis of clever plotting and clear consequences. Characters get used in unpredictable ways for action sequences that rival this show’s best, while keeping the narrative core personal and emotional. It’s an All Hands battle to save a teammate, but it’s also a chance for Geiz to confront how his outlook and his mission have changed over the last year. Genuinely thrilled over how precise and smart the first half of this episode was. And then. And then we get to the whole What’s Swartz Really Up To part, and I could see the wheels coming off of this whole goddamn series arc, second by second. It’s not that it’s dumb, exactly. I don’t know that it necessarily contradicts anything we’ve seen in this season, but folks can certainly shout out things I’ve overlooked. It’s fine, as far as the details of Swartz’z established motivation are concerned. Him wanting Sougo’s power to be the King of Time or whatever? Sure, fine, okay. I don’t know that it creates additional tension to the earlier part of the show, when the Time Jackers were like How About This Rando every other week, but it doesn’t break the show or anything. The problem is that it continually introduces new problems for the characters that only come from Swartz’z monologues, and only seconds before they’re relevant to the plot. We aren’t in an endgame that the show has been building to since the first episode, despite the Time Jackers being around since the very beginning of this show. We’re getting some random scheme of Swartz’z, with an out-of-nowhere stipulation to complicate things. The idea that Sougo can’t destroy Swartz without also erasing Tsukuyomi’s timeline… what?! It’s like saying Sougo can’t eat a bowl of noodles without Woz dying. Why? Says who? Since when is Swartz responsible for his entire timeline? If this was a sword hanging over our heroes’ heads, why in the world wouldn’t the show want to tell us sooner? Why throw it at the viewer this late in the story? Dramatically, it feels like the story has whatever rules and stakes are necessary for the current conflict, and that sucks. That sucks real bad. I’m not saying the superhero show about time travel needs bulletproof causality or unbreakable rules for pseudo-science, but you can’t just drastically alter the stakes by having the villain go Oh By The Way. It feels unfair in a way that flimsy Ridewatch mechanics don’t. It makes Swartz feel cheap, and that’s literally the last thing you want your season-long villain to come off as. I really disliked the end of this episode, almost to the exact amount I loved the beginning of it. The first half had tight, clever plotting, and a warm view of its characters. The second half had bizarrely untethered machinations and frustratingly under-established stakes. Add to that a rapidly – and disappointingly – growing body count, and you have the makings of a cliffhanger that has me honestly dreading where this story could go next. Thanks, Swartz!
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05-13-2022, 10:17 PM | #1062 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,562
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As usual, Swartz continues to disappoint in the villain department. It really feels like the writers were trying to make Swartz this all controlling villain that was constantly backing Sougo into a corner, because that's the thing and what these episodes are trying to show us. That Swartz really wants to back Sougo into a corner for some reason. I mean I feel we can guess the reason but yeah. He really wants to force Sougo's back against the wall but the way it's done is pretty messy all things considered.
Honestly, I feel like most of the plot of these final six episodes aren't the best. What I do like however is Sougo in it, Sougo and what is essentially the end of his journey. For as messy as the plot stuff is (Even though I'll applaud something later because of a giga theory I crafted) I absolutely feel like the important thing to pay attention to is Sougo. That being said, I'd like to gush about the parts of the episode you did like because they were also my favorite parts. Operation Rescue Geiz was a great way to spend most of the episode, where Hat Woz decides he could care less about being a lacky and wants in on helping Geiz. To where they enact this gigantic scheme to make it look like the heroes are losing. And then we get possibly my favorite usage of Trinity, utilizing the transformation and necessity for all three to combine to drag Sougo and Eternal into Another World so that they can use Eternal's finisher to break a hell of a lot of worlds. Also there are just some fun bits like Eternal's "I didn't lose, I didn't lose!" bit where he tries to play it cool by being "The wind just wasn't flowing my way". And bringing back the W Armor for a cool little brief fight too. Next time on BGM Swaps: Drive's Preview BGM, Decade's Preview BGM, Tsukuyomi's Insert Song, and Toki no Ouja. So nothing new to really say here because it's just the usual suspects. Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 47 Preview: |
05-13-2022, 10:17 PM | #1063 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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"I didn't lose, I just didn't win." Double hilarious considering this Eternal comes from a timeline where he actually did win.
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05-13-2022, 10:23 PM | #1064 |
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Arguably, the timeline where he beat Double is actually the one where he lost. Dude really hates living!
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05-13-2022, 10:43 PM | #1065 |
take me to space
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Soooo, you've said in this threads before that you like seeing people's thoughts on these shows and I certainly have a lot of thoughts about Zi-O and these episodes. I've been a bit hesitant to go as deep into them as I could though, because if I'm being honest, its almost just entirely being negative and overly dramatic about things that probably don't matter. If they do come off that way, I can only hope you find my posts, both in the past, this one, and any future ones, at least somewhat interesting or amusing?
Anyway, so funny thing about my experience with this episode in particular? My first time I watched this episode, I actually watched it raw without subtitles. Usually, in the few tims I did this in the past, it was because I was so excited to see what happened next that I couldn't wait for subs. For Zi-O 46 though, um... it was because I was both so completely checked out of the story at this point, but I still feel obligated to see what happened, that early on in the week I decided 'ugh i'll just watch the raw right now and decide after whether i care about the subs'. There's like a bunch of reasons why I was checked out, but one of which is that last week's explanation of trapping people in worlds where they relive a moment of fixing their greatest regret, which in turn summons a dark rider from a timeline where they won is... so absurdly convoluted? And its not even correct because Eternal and Woz are clearly the ones who lost and remember losing and dying. Its so needlessly dumb that I couldn't fathom why there was such a longwinded explanation to bring in more suits to fight (By the way, do we have enough people in this show with this exact powerset?!) Well, I can think of one explanation. Its that the concept above only existed to show this episode's scene of Geiz, in that Another World of his. In hindsight, its probably not a necessary scene, is it? It doesn't partcularly move anything forward or reveal anything we couldn't infer already. And yet, it may possibly be one of the most important scenes in the whole show to me? Like I said, the first time I watched it was without subtitles, but I could infer what was going on. That Geiz's greatest regret was how sour he left last episode's conversation with Sougo, and all he's been thinking about since then is wanting to do it over, and tell Sougo that what he wants more than anything is to create a brighter future with him. I actually cried. Cried from this scene where I couldn't even understood the words being said! It was probably a number of factors, that being that just the idea of the scene is really great, the really anguished urgency in which Geiz says it all, but most of all probably how this one short scene suddenly reminded me all at once of why I had been so invested in this show so much to begin with. I thought to myself that no matter how many plot holes or stupid machinations there may be, as long as they nail this scene might be representative of whatever the end of this show will be, I think it'll be alright! So. Then there's the final scenes in the episode. The ones you chose to screenshot. Geiz, Tsukiyomi and Woz all start talking about what Swarch's plan could be as dramatic music swells up. Watching and hearing this actually made me angry. It makes me angry now, just thinking about it! The show has the gall to act like it has any actual plan going on with this sorry excuse of a plot, and trying to present it something worth caring or thinking about! Just a minute-long scene earlier with the characters earnestly expressing themselves was one of the best I've ever seen! Maybe do more of that instead of whatever this is!!? The whiplash of my feelings between the scene with Geiz in that imagined world, and the exposition in that warehouse... I probably sound like an insane person at this point with how much turmoil I let this episode of a children's show put me through, but god, Zi-O might have done some actual damage to my psyche with how much it put my emotions through the wringer. And the show's not even over yet! And there's so much other stuff happening in this episode, but who actually cares about any of it. Well actually, Aqua dying like he did here is at least morbidly funny. I mean wow, that guy was still technically a Legend Rider and this is how he goes out? Sorry to all five of Aqua's fans. Also the last scene with Sougo yelling Swatrz's name is trying soooo hard to be the end of Episode 47 of Build and absolutely falling limp in comparison. |
05-13-2022, 10:49 PM | #1066 |
Precure enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2021
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Episode 46!
-Very sweet moment from Geiz, saying he wants to stay with Sougo in this era together! The faceless Sougo is like, a really nice touch in the scene, though I can't really express why. -It kinda felt like they were doing the thing where a character is just reciting a bunch of his catchphrases with Eternal :-(. His death scene was great though! -Whoops! Aqua's dead, how unfortunate. Hora getting killed is........ugh? Like if you wanted to kill Swartz this entire time, and actually cared for Heure, couldn't you have just assisted Sougo and Friends?????????? Nobody dead is better than both dead, after all! -Man I don't even want to talk about Swartz this episode. So dull, so frusturating of a character!! -Now I wasn't there was the show was airing nor have any deep insight from hearing production ramblings, but I always got the feeling that Zi-O was a very.....fluid series, behind the scenes? Like water, it doesn't have a set shape it will eventually settle into when solid, so you can unfreeze it and re-freeze it into new shapes, for better or worse? Like, I do appericate the show learning what worked and what didn't and course correcting itself for the audience as it went on (in the short-term), but as a result I think it couldn't bulid any other long-term plots up that didn't last more than an arc? Thus, here we are at this very weird-feeling endgame. That's just a personal theory, though! |
05-13-2022, 11:07 PM | #1067 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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Yeah, I'll say it now. I really liked Aqua's' arc in the director's cut of Megamax, so to have his character not only be done terribly here in this three-parter, and then have him get killed off? Rubbed me the wrong way. Them remembering they already had a Future Rider before this show was nice, and the boxer scenes with him were top notch comedy, but that was about it.
Didn't like this set of episodes very much.
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05-13-2022, 11:12 PM | #1068 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Quote:
Soooo, you've said in this threads before that you like seeing people's thoughts on these shows and I certainly have a lot of thoughts about Zi-O and these episodes. I've been a bit hesitant to go as deep into them as I could though, because if I'm being honest, its almost just entirely being negative and overly dramatic about things that probably don't matter. If they do come off that way, I can only hope you find my posts, both in the past, this one, and any future ones, at least somewhat interesting or amusing?
Quote:
I actually cried. Cried from this scene where I couldn't even understood the words being said! It was probably a number of factors, that being that just the idea of the scene is really great, the really anguished urgency in which Geiz says it all, but most of all probably how this one short scene suddenly reminded me all at once of why I had been so invested in this show so much to begin with. I thought to myself that no matter how many plot holes or stupid machinations there may be, as long as they nail this scene might be representative of whatever the end of this show will be, I think it'll be alright!
And, on the one hand, I'm sort of bummed that Geiz'z whole I Need To Stay speech isn't delivered to Sougo, but I think it's better that it's not. Sougo was never mad at Geiz; he was just disappointed that Geiz couldn't see the value in optimism. All Sougo needed to do was smile at Geiz'z return, and we've got a concluded plot.
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05-13-2022, 11:19 PM | #1069 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Quote:
Quote:
Now I wasn't there was the show was airing nor have any deep insight from hearing production ramblings, but I always got the feeling that Zi-O was a very.....fluid series, behind the scenes? Like water, it doesn't have a set shape it will eventually settle into when solid, so you can unfreeze it and re-freeze it into new shapes, for better or worse? Like, I do appericate the show learning what worked and what didn't and course correcting itself for the audience as it went on (in the short-term), but as a result I think it couldn't bulid any other long-term plots up that didn't last more than an arc? Thus, here we are at this very weird-feeling endgame. That's just a personal theory, though!
Quote:
Yeah, I'll say it now. I really liked Aqua's' arc in the director's cut of Megamax, so to have his character not only be done terribly here in this three-parter, and then have him get killed off? Rubbed me the wrong way. Them remembering they already had a Future Rider before this show was nice, and the boxer scenes with him were top notch comedy, but that was about it.
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05-13-2022, 11:34 PM | #1070 |
Precure enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2021
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Quote:
There's really no reason to have him (or Ora, honestly) get killed. Threatening Tsukuyomi is sufficient to rattle Sougo. Randomly killing people to make Sougo all enraged and bloodthirsty... why? Who wants that to be where Sougo's personality is at for the last three episodes of his show? Gross. No thanks.
But seriously, if he's trying to goad Sougo into becoming enraged and violent, I can only assume he wants Oma Zi-O to appear, but like. You're back at Square 1, then?! I don't follow that kind of logic at all..... |
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