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06-18-2021, 05:01 PM | #611 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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I'm very excited to be to this episode, because this marks the point I'm finally going to start sharing tracks from the second volume of Kiva's soundtrack. Tunes from it have been a regular feature in the show for a while now, but I figured for a few reasons that this was the right point to begin highlighting them. And to make up for lost time, it's even a double feature today!
First up is something that made it *very* difficult to restrain myself this long – Emperor Form's theme. This is tied with Ixa's BGM for my absolute favorite track in the show. I didn't even realize it was specifically Emperor Form's music until this thread started; all these years, I simply knew it as that awesome one that sounds more grand and heroic than anything else in the show. But put like that, it makes sense it would be for Kiva's super form, doesn't it? The epicness of this one probably speaks for itself, but one thing I'm particularly fond of is how despite that initial build-up taking so long, it still doesn't really feel like it finishes? Like the triumphant main portion just sort of explodes out without bothering to wait the whole time. So cool! And then to complete that showdown on the cover image, it's the theme for the new guy in town, Kamen Rider Saga. (Plus, unlike Emperor's theme, this one is actually in this particular episode!) This is obviously a massively different tone from that last bit of music. Not something I'd be in a rush to listen to when I want to feel pumped, but perhaps the surface-level imposing bluster undercut by discordant chaos, as though the song is literally falling apart trying to play itself, is deeply appropriate for the character? I guess Die will just have to wait and see! On an unrelated note, something I very much want to note about this episode is that it has one of my favorite Rider gags ever – something I still vividly remembered from Kiva all this time – and it's Otoya's reaction to Yuri casually suggesting they should get married, which is just the worst, and that's why it's the best! I just love how many stages there are to it in those couple seconds, you know? You can see Otoya have to rattle the thought around in his head for a moment before he panics, and only after he panics does he realize he's also disgusted. To be fair to the guy, the motivation behind the reaction is a little more complex than it might seem, but man are those facial expressions ever priceless. Fantastic bit of acting from Kouhei Takeda, and almost certainly a strong bit of direction from Tasaki (who handled 32/33) as well.
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06-18-2021, 05:08 PM | #612 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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I just love how many stages there are to it in those couple seconds, you know? You can see Otoya have to rattle the thought around in his head for a moment before he panics, and only after he panics does he realize he's also disgusted. To be fair to the guy, the motivation behind the reaction is a little more complex than it might seem, but man are those facial expressions ever priceless. Fantastic bit of acting from Kouhei Takeda, and almost certainly a strong bit of direction from Tasaki (who handled 32/33) as well.
It's a more nuanced scene than just Otoya Is Scared Of Commitment, and I really appreciated that. There's almost no way it works out for Otoya and Yuri, and I definitely am not rooting for them as much I am Maya and Otoya, but they're still two characters that have a weirdly intriguing relationship. Lots of fun performances from those two.
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06-18-2021, 05:15 PM | #613 |
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 33 - "SUPERSONIC: SAGA OF BATTLE”
There's a real trick to doing a long-form romance like this. When you're juggling multiple timelines, secret identities, unknown fates, and capital-d Destinies, the pacing needs to be at the front of your mind when the series is getting plotted. Answer questions too quickly, and you've got nowhere to go in the late game. Answer questions too late, and the frustration factor will smother any affection the audience might have for the characters. You need to wring every last drop of drama out of the situation, and then immediately switch it up. I think this episode is a really great transitional chapter, blowing up as much of the status quo as it possibly can while still leaving us a story that feels... redeemable? Salvageable? It's a series of massive setbacks and crushing defeats for most of our main characters, but it's not over yet. The Wataru/Mio plot gets the most attention here, as one of their major secrets comes to light. (They both have so many secrets from each other! That's bad! That's not how a healthy relationship between a superhero and a supernatural executioner should look!) I thought the show was going to swerve away from it, in the restaurant. I actually laughed out loud at Mio arriving just after Wataru excused himself, thinking I was in for another few episodes of them narrowly missing each other. That would be fine, if a little predictable. I like romantic comedy stuff like that, and I'm okay with preserving the tension. But then, no, that's not at all what happened. Wataru saw Mio, and Mio saw Wataru, and their entire relationship disintegrated in a heartbeat. I love the ordinariness of that. It's not a story about a superhero and a supernatural executioner who can't be together because their species are at war. It's a girl who lied to a boy, and his heart was broken. It happens in a restaurant, and continues in a dining room. It's not done on a battlefield, or under moonlight. It's real spaces, normal environments. The mechanics of it are immaterial, because the emotions of it are universal. Mio lied to Wataru, and she doesn't know how to make things right with him. Wataru cares about Mio, but he can't trust her. Add into this that Wataru risks sacrificing his friendship with Taiga if he pursues Mio, and you've got a pretty combustible love triangle. The Otoya/Maya plot is a dynamo. It's the best. Those two have chemistry for days, as shown in a not-at-all-metaphorical scene of them gently interlocking their bodies to bring something new into this world. The creation of Bloody Rose is Otoya sharing something intimate with a woman who is definitely not the woman he is living with, and doing it directly above their bedroom, which is why Yuri is rightfully destroyed when she secretly witnesses it. It's another scene where it's profoundly small and personal. Yuri wanders outside in tears, certain she's stumbled onto proof that she should never have trusted Otoya, that they were never right for each other. It isn't some contrived misunderstanding. Maya and Otoya really do share a deeper bond than Otoya and Yuri. It's a sweetly devastating scene. The rest of the episode is more time spent with Taiga, and I think his natural tendency to support his friends is really refreshing in a villain. (Or, "villain”, since he mostly just murders a Fangire in this episode.) He's giving Wataru a pep-talk when Wataru looks like he's feeling down (because Taiga is marrying the girl Wataru likes), or supporting Mio when she's having a tough time at work (because she's forced by Taiga to murder for reasons she doesn't agree with). It's this fun combination of Really Supportive and Utterly Oblivious To His Role In Making People Miserable that I find entertaining. He's a charismatic presence that's equally heartwarming and despicable, which is a very tough line to walk. Oh, and he's Kamen Rider Saga! We get to see Saga in action this episode, as he takes out one of the weakest, dorkiest Fangires of all time. Much like IXA's debut was in battle against a sympathetic Fangire who was subject to the most ornate finisher yet, Saga's is bizarrely over-the-top, considering the weakness of his opponent. It goes on forever, and I don't know that any of it worked for me. His little rapier is hilariously unimpressive, even if it fits the nobility of his station. The way it loops through his mid-air emblem to allow Saga to lasso the Fangire and eventually crush it... not that into it! It isn't even close to Dogga Fever's Death By Baseball Swing, which is easily the best finisher this show has had to date. Asking any finisher to follow that one would be tough. Choosing Saga's finisher to do so is a joke. I like the suit, though? Just last episode I was like Inoue Likes Doing Stories About Indifferent Structures And Taiga Is The Face Of This One, so here's Saga's suit, which is literally a structure. He's a castle, and that seems about right for the newest Rider on this show. It's got the ornate stained glass motif of the Fangires right on its chest. It's got the spires and arches and it just feels impressive, everything in the torso and shoulders coming off as regal and immovable. It isn't the showy gold of Emperor Form. This is timeless and resolute, authority as birthright rather than personal achievement. I think it 100% reads as the suit of a king. Anyway, good episode! It's full-on romantic complications, which is maybe not everyone's thing. I thought the evolution of the character relationships here was nicely observed and pretty relatable, a mix of heady excitement and dashed hopes. All that, and Nago's new role as Wataru's life coach continues to pay hilarious dividends. Good stuff!
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06-18-2021, 06:01 PM | #614 |
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And so we come to the debut of our Fangire rider, contrasting Nago’s (and Otoya’s) status as a human Rider. And here’s his music video (which is, incidentally, the last song in this show to receive a music video)
(If you ask me, half the lyrics to this song are just weird) Before my usual fact file, a bit of lore behind Saga. That armour was what the Fangire kings wore before they discovered the effects of Kivat bites. Those beeps Sagarc makes? That’s the ancient language of the Fangire, which no one but him speaks anymore. And, on with why I’m here. Kamen Rider Saga True name: Unknown Human identity: Taiga Nobori Class: Unknown Rank: King Apparent Actor: Shouma Yamamoto And for that hilariously weak Fangire. Tortoise Fangire True name: A Steep Slope Winking at a Lining (粘膜にウインクする坂道 Nenmaku ni Uinku suru Sakamichi) Human identity: Numakawa Class: Lizard Rank: Pawn Actor: Makoto Sakamoto, Yoshimitsu Shimoyama (voice in Fangire form) Not much to say about this episode. I might have more for the next two. (And I’ll begin to move onto the Re-Union album songs) |
06-18-2021, 06:31 PM | #615 |
I got nothing
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 148
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So Saga might be the biggest memeic loser in Kamen Rider history with Kiva himself right behind Saga. the biggest reason for this is how Saga has NO posable figure outside of I think a Motion Revive (a precursor series to both SODO and Shodo) as the only official figure I know for sure is the vinyl figure that every rider and form gets
While Kiva was the last main Rider to get a base form SH Figuarts while IXA got all of his forms years before hand even Kiva Emperor and REDACTED got one befor base Kiva> |
06-18-2021, 06:48 PM | #616 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,362
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Quote:
So Saga might be the biggest memeic loser in Kamen Rider history with Kiva himself right behind Saga. the biggest reason for this is how Saga has NO posable figure outside of I think a Motion Revive (a precursor series to both SODO and Shodo) as the only official figure I know for sure is the vinyl figure that every rider and form gets
While Kiva was the last main Rider to get a base form SH Figuarts while IXA got all of his forms years before hand even Kiva Emperor and REDACTED got one befor base Kiva> |
06-18-2021, 06:55 PM | #617 |
I got nothing
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 148
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does an unreleased one of a kind prototype actually count as a posable figure that anyone who's a fan of the suit can purchase though?
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06-18-2021, 07:14 PM | #618 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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So, the whole reason I'm so excited to be sharing tracks from the second OST is because I find there's a more weighty, much moodier sound to many of them compared to the show's initial batch of tunes, appropriate for Kiva's shift towards heavier and heavier melodrama in the back half, and this one that plays in this episode as Wataru is trying to comfort Mio early on exemplifies what I'm talking about. This show's music is good, you guys.
And now that Saga has made his proper debut, I'd like to actually talk about him a bit, because I'll never get tired of praising this show's design work. First of all, that finisher is amazing. I've mentioned how in these later stages of Kiva, the absence of the elaborate stock footage finishers is a bummer, but not only does Saga make it night here, his go-to killing blow is to literally hang his foes, which is such a fantastically characterful thing for Taiga, as "executioner" is legitimately part of his royal day job. Then there's the name. Like every other Rider in Kiva, it's actually just an ordinary Japanese word that describes the character. (Rey was "cold" and Arc was "evil", by the way.) The word saga (性) basically refers to the innate nature or destiny of things, and thus Saga as a character is defined by his unwavering belief in the status bestowed upon him by birthright. This is on top of the English meaning of saga, which also somewhat describes how Taiga probably views his life story – part of a grand lineage of the world's righteous rulers. I love it. I also love a lot about that suit. The blue snake eyes are great, and the whole thing works nicely as, well, another Kiva, while still feeling entirely like its own thing. I think the ornate nature of a lot of the body actually prevents me from liking Saga as much as I want to, but I have to admit the theming is very well thought out. As in, it turns out Saga's creation was something of a saga in of itself. The original motif concept for him was actually space, with the thinking being that the mysterious nature of the vast unknown would surpass even the many monsters the show was already using. This survived into the final design in some fashion, as Sagarc being a flying turntable originated with the idea of blending Kiva's musical theming with a UFO. Pretty neat! ...But obviously that sort of cheesy sci-fi idea is pretty outside Kiva's theming, and the concept for the third Rider himself didn't end up having anything to do with this. Instead, they came up with the very obvious idea of "make him a Fangire because the last one was a human", and from there incorporated there the whole focus on European architecture, complete with the stained glass that fits so perfectly. Also, his ears are both an "S" for "snake"! Neat! It's a really good design, and especially because of that stained glass, I feel like Saga is sort of the epitome of everything about Kiva aesthetically, more so than even Kiva himself. Again, it's never quite been as much of a favorite for me as I want it to be, but I deeply appreciate what it's doing. Also exciting for me is the man inside the suit. Eitoku continued to move closer to his destiny of playing secondary Riders by getting to be Kiva's tertiary one. Funnily enough, much as their untransformed actors are the same, Eitoku was also the suit actor for Rey in the movie prior to this. Saga's restrained body language doesn't give him too much room to show off, but still, it's cool to see him climbing that ladder over the years.
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06-18-2021, 07:46 PM | #619 |
I have a problematic type
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06-18-2021, 08:11 PM | #620 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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Quote:
Quote:
So Saga might be the biggest memeic loser in Kamen Rider history with Kiva himself right behind Saga. the biggest reason for this is how Saga has NO posable figure outside of I think a Motion Revive (a precursor series to both SODO and Shodo) as the only official figure I know for sure is the vinyl figure that every rider and form gets
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It's a really good design, and especially because of that stained glass, I feel like Saga is sort of the epitome of everything about Kiva aesthetically, more so than even Kiva himself. Again, it's never quite been as much of a favorite for me as I want it to be, but I deeply appreciate what it's doing.
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