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05-30-2021, 12:02 PM | #391 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Agreed, the scenes they share together in the series are some of the most memorable for me, and some that I still think about. There's a lot from this later half of the series that I've been brooding on since I finally watched it all earlier last year/this year—and I found myself very much in the same position as you with the big reveals, in that I knew some of what happens but didn't really know how—and... I think that some thought was put into how these events that led up to 2008 were portrayed, and whilst not all of it worked in my opinion, some of it I found really haunting.
I feel like we're in a good place right now with the series arc stuff? Quote:
Gosh, I'm so excited you've reached the Maya episodes though. Not that I am big-headed enough to assume that you pay avid attention to a lot of the nonsense I write, but I've had this Maya fic sitting here that I haven't published just on the off-chance that you did notice and saw the picture and the Kiva setting, and were suddenly like "Who the heck is this Autobot?" I'm really pleased that no one spoiled her arrival for you. She's just a genuine delight of a character.
I don't... if I really wanted to stay completely unspoiled on every aspect of a series, the easiest way to do that would be to not interact with the rest of the fandom. If I'm here on the boards, there's a certain amount of background noise that's unavoidable. (Like, Seihou Dark Kiva! And the possibly imminent Seihou Emperor Kiva!) So I try to separate out the spoiler things that'd adversely affect my enjoyment (here is the entire arc of a character) from The Cost Of Doing Business context-less stuff that I'll forget long before I end up experiencing that story (I've seen every Saber suit without watching Saber). I can still exist in the fandom with all that other stuff swirling around me, with folks loving parts of the fandom that I've not gotten to, them gushing about toku. I just skip out on threads where it's more about digging into story than appreciating aesthetics, and it works out okay. All of which is to say that seeing Maya and Seeing Maya are two different things, and I'm sure I don't need to explain the difference between those two things to you!
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05-30-2021, 12:07 PM | #392 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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Going with the track from Otoya and Yuri's big scene by the water today, which you might note is basically a slower, more moody version of the track I picked for episode 10. (Which also plays here again when Otoya dumps the Ixa Knuckle into a fire in front of Megumi, which nicely helps make the plots parallel each other that much more.)
While this comes with the caveat that, again, I haven't sat down to watch the full thing in a while, I think there's definitely a very touching, emotional story going on here with a focus on personal weakness that fits perfectly with Kiva's overarching themes... and, yeah, if you stop to think about why this particular version of it is being told, it's also pretty easy to draw some unflattering conclusions. I think I'm also of the opinion that it works better for Yuri, but then, Megumi gets to slice up a monster with the Ixa Calibur in the end, and I can't pretend I don't find that awesome. I was also looking forward to you getting to this episode in particular, because back in April, when it seemed like almost everyone who ever worked on Kamen Rider was coming together on Twitter to express their gratitude for being part of the franchise on the 50th anniversary, Megumi's actor made a post calling out a quote from it that sums up the moral. First of all, it's just kind of a nice statement ("Accepting your weakness leads to true strength"), but why I really wanted to bring it up is that, from what I could tell, the exact words she used weren't actually used anywhere in the episode, which I took as a sign of how much that was all coming from the heart, all these years later, and I just found that rather touching.
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05-30-2021, 12:17 PM | #393 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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I was also looking forward to you getting to this episode in particular, because back in April, when it seemed like almost everyone who ever worked on Kamen Rider was coming together on Twitter to express their gratitude for being part of the franchise on the 50th anniversary, Megumi's actor made a post calling out a quote from it that sums up the moral. First of all, it's just kind of a nice statement ("Accepting your weakness leads to true strength"), but why I really wanted to bring it up is that, from what I could tell, the exact words she used weren't actually used anywhere in the episode, which I took as a sign of how much that was all coming from the heart, all these years later, and I just found that rather touching.
But, yeah, it's nice to see that an episode she gave so much of herself to ended up being one she drew meaning from.
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05-30-2021, 01:00 PM | #394 |
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 20 - “NOCTURNE: THE MESSIAH OF LOVE”
There’s definitely a positive interpretation of what’s going on with Yuri and Megumi in this episode, a way that it’s not just conforming to regressive gender roles. It’s all in what IXA represents to both women, and how that reflects the larger themes of the series. The positive interpretation is that IXA is a burden, and their happiness depends on freeing themselves from it. Yuri views IXA as retribution for her mother, the physical embodiment of her grief and rage. It suffuses her desire to destroy Rook with obligation, with expectation, with pressure. It’s no longer just her needing to gain control of a horrible outcome, her loss of a parent. It’s a weight on her back, needing to follow through on her mother’s work at the cost of her own identity. Megumi’s in a similar boat. She needs to be IXA because she expects to be IXA, because it’s woven into her family’s legacy. Once it’s literally in her hands, it’s fraught with decades of regret and disappointment. It’s not a coronation, it’s a poisoned chalice. Viewing their story - and it’s really their story, singular - in this way, it makes their eventual rejection of being IXA into something heroic. It’s them breaking the chains of fate (or whatever), choosing to fight on their own terms, in their own way. Megumi isn’t any less a warrior for fighting without IXA’s abilities; if anything, her heroism is more unalloyed than Nago’s psychotic need for power and control. Yuri’s tears at her weakness… it isn’t her being some weak woman, unable to fight; it’s her feeling some small despair at how liberated she feels from her self-imposed vows to her mother. It’s a story that’s really no different from Wataru’s. These were two women who were crushed by legacy and obligation, and they found a way out of it, into the light. That’s the positive interpretation. The negative one is that this episode bends over backwards to contrive a reason why not one but two different badass women find themselves psychologically unable to fight in the same manner as a bloodthirsty Clawolve, a psychotic button-enthusiast, and a lothario with a heart of gold. The optics on that move. Just… I don’t want to say “indefensible”, but it’s an episode that is only rewarding if you can make your brain tilt to a very specific Inoue degree. Mine can, but, shit. I don’t begrudge anyone who finds the justification for Yuri and Megumi’s crises unappealing-to-reprehensible. 1) Though it's needed too at certain situations (and it's definitely true that Megumi's way above Nago in this category), I wouldn't want to measure heroism by bravery and resilience alone, this way, this can be misused to paint for example, bad guys as good when they're really determined to work towards their goal, and also, people can dismiss heroic acts that has no stakes, like little acts of kindness ideal heroes do such as characters like Yusuke or Shouichi to civilians. I'd think courage or such is supporting trait, the primary needing for heroism is moral, as the primary meaning of it is saving, protecting, or improving others' lives. 2) Of course Yuri's crying here isn't her being some weak woman, but I also wouldn't want for the notion that, to be strong, your demeanor must be mostly always-on-guard stoic hardass (where anger is the only allowed emotion if able), and you can only be emotional like crying if you're put in the most dire situation. This is also a form of double standard if it's only those who have been proven themselves as "bonafide badass" (which means generic term; the ones who are unstoppable fighter for example) tfiat are ok to get breakdown moments (which means "humanizing and developing" if it's those characters who got that, those who aren't are deemed as weak, incapable, waste of space, or other derogatory terms). Quote:
Putting aside the, uh, point of this story, I think there were plenty of things that are less controversial and more incredibly awesome?
For one, there’s Otoya acting as a guide to Megumi because he is in the middle of the exact same story with Yuri. The way the ‘08 Otoya immediately diagnoses Megumi’s fixation on her mother’s legacy because he already watched Yuri’s deteriorating mental state due to her fixation on her mother’s legacy… perfect. Terrific, terrific use of the dual timelines, and it made for an episode where Otoya’s relationships with both women flipped around in fun ways. Megumi was classic Yuri, consistently telling Otoya to get away from her while he flirted shamelessly and refused to treat her deflections seriously. Meanwhile, Yuri was less guarded around Otoya, more willing to open up to him about her fears. She’s vulnerable in a way that is incredibly sweet, and it’s another step forward in making Otoya seem like not a gigantic mistake Yuri could make. Quote:
But wait! A new challenger arrives!
Holy shit, Maya. What a debut! Absolutely gorgeous from her reveal, I was probably as gobsmacked and awestruck as Otoya was. That face. Jesus. And then everything after that was a TV show that just wants you to feel previously unreached levels of desire and terror, with her detonating a rogue Fangire for the crime of loving a human while looking impossibly perfect and regal. The blood red moon, the thrown-back hood, that face… it’s an unforgettable sequence, and it’s such a stunning debut. In just a few minutes, Maya’s established herself as both a force to be reckoned with, and a #1 suspect for Wataru’s Real Mom. I mean, who knows what could happen in the next few episodes, but her and Otoya had instant chemistry, and the notion of her falling in love with Otoya when her first appearance is her detonating a Fangire for falling in love with a human? I can’t tell if that’s perfect, or too perfect. Very excited to find out which it’ll be! (There are also a whole bunch of other things that are pointing very emphatically in the direction of She's Wataru's Mom. There's her Kivat, which is probably Wataru's Kivat's predecessor. There's the fact that the first meeting of Otoya and Maya is intercut with a wedding. It's, again... it's so unsubtle about the connections it's making that I can't tell if it's a red herring or not.) But otherwise still, at least for now (emphasis on for now), I don't want for her to be given free pass on anything she do and treat her as being unable to do wrong (defending and rationalizing everything she do), solely because of her looks (the "halo effect"). The Checkmate group is named after chess pieces, Maya's someone on similar league as Rook with the term Queen for heres, what Maya (how did you get her name??) did here is something... similar to the likes of Smart Brain in 555 or Uca Worm in Kabuto to kill Fangires or Worms respectively who are "rogue" like siding with humans. The one that I'd wonder too there is the fact that a Fangire can be completely normal to wed a human there though, even more than Oomura. Otherwise yeah... there goes your prediction about "secret siblings" for Wataru and Megumi.
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05-30-2021, 01:32 PM | #395 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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The Checkmate group is named after chess pieces, Maya's someone on similar league as Rook with the term Queen for heres, what Maya (how did you get her name??) did here is something... similar to the likes of Smart Brain in 555 or Uca Worm in Kabuto to kill Fangires or Worms respectively who are "rogue" like siding with humans.
And, yeah, Maya is definitely similar to the original purpose of Faiz, to police a monster group for deviancy and dereliction. It puts her in a really interesting role, where the first thing we see her do is detonate a monster (that's good!) that's only trying to live a normal life (that's bad!). She hasn't harmed any humans (that's good!), but she's so insultingly dismayed that a Fangire would choose to love a human that it doesn't seem like she's against killing humans (that's bad!). She's got immediate chemistry with Otoya (that's good!), but then there's her potentially choosing to be in a relationship with Otoya (...that's bad).
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05-30-2021, 02:20 PM | #396 |
Yodonna oshi
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I think there is a fair amount of sacrifice we make when it comes to participating in a community whilst trying to remain vague about the future of a story. I approach things in a similar way, but I also don't want to be the reason anyone discovers something before the story is ready to share those details so I've been trying to tread gently regardless. Don't worry, DreadBringer, I just gave her like a million free passes, she's good. |
05-30-2021, 02:30 PM | #397 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Absolutely! I know a lot of people maybe don't have a good opinion of Paradise Lost, but I saw that long before I saw the third act of the series, and I felt the resonance of that reveal throughout the later arc with a real intensity. This comes dangerously close to me praising Inoue, which I am forbidden from doing by law, but considering the circumstances, credit given where credit's due.
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05-30-2021, 03:57 PM | #398 |
Yodonna oshi
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I don't know whether to laugh or cry! (>_>) |
05-30-2021, 04:36 PM | #399 |
I have a problematic type
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Honestly, I have softened my stance on him a lot after going through Faiz and Kiva again and not the apocryphal chapters of Hibiki. I'm a little tempted to take another go at Cutie Honey the Live sometime, if I can still find it.
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05-31-2021, 12:15 AM | #400 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 21 - "RHAPSODY: THE FATE OF THE RING”
I mean, hoo boy, this show ain't making it easy to defend its treatment of Yuri! I get that it's A Different Era and A Different Culture or whatever (no idea to what degree that's true versus an easy way to not confront the story choices), but to have the very next Yuri story after her realizing she can't/shouldn't be IXA, to have that story be Jiro Claims Yuri... you guys are not making this easy on an Inoue fan! This tough stuff to excuse! Like, that Shima scene! It'd be cringy if that were Yuri's dad and it was the 1600s. But for her boss in 1986 to be like Yeah I Told Another Employee He Could Marry You is... I mean, holy shit, I don't even know what to say to that. It's insane. And when Yuri is apoplectic that he'd not even consult her about it, Shima's just like, It'll Do You Some Good? WHAT?! In an episode where Yuri is treated like a prize to be fought over, having her boss arrange her marriage is a shocking low point. Baffling and humiliating. (I get that maybe he's supposed to have looked after her after her mom died, but, like... one, the show doesn't really hit that button more than once or twice, so it's not like this is some tight-knit found-family thing. Second, her mom died just a few years ago? Shima didn't raise her or anything. Why the hell would Jiro even ask Shima, and why would Shima's acceptance mean anything to Yuri?) It doesn't help that the show treats it as a forgone conclusion, Yuri choosing between Jiro and Otoya. She spends the entire episode alternately despising them both and being jealous of other women that are around them, making Yuri just as weirdly horrible as all of the men in the story. It's a horrifying storyline, the 1986 one. It's Otoya and Jiro at their most territorial and toxic, assuming that they're both owed Yuri's hand in marriage. Meanwhile, Yuri is unable to either articulate her independence or, worse, even value her own opinion. It's a story that starts with Jiro claiming Yuri and rubbing Otoya's face in it, then somehow gets worse from there. It made me sad, on a deep level. It's disappointing to see Inoue do a story this hacky and cringe-inducing and sexist. There's a way to steer out of this, where Yuri finds her spine and argues for her right to self-determination, but it's just digging itself out of an unnecessarily deep hole. It's no triumph to put a plane into a nosedive and then manage not to kill any of the passengers. It's just, there are still a bunch of funny jokes at the 1986 group date? It is stupidly funny to watch Otoya and Jiro both preen like animals, taking any opportunity to show up their competition. Those two actors are demolishing the jokes, making a meal out of everything they're given. It's absolutely destroying Yuri's character to have her ringside for this bullshit, but fighting for the show to treat her better is beginning to feel like a lost cause. If this is where Yuri's story is going to go, at least I can laugh at the farce of it all. The 2008 stuff turns out miles, miles better. A bunch of smart ideas, and none are smarter than bringing in Mari from Faiz as a new woman in Wataru's life. She's such a great actor. It's a nothing part so far, but she imbues it with the same Wataru-levels of shyness and awkwardness and longing and trepidation. She's a character who's hopeless in the same way Wataru is, completely unsuited to interact with a world full of people like Nago. The little scene she has with Wataru, where she confesses to the same inability to say no to strangers, it's incredibly sweet. It's the 2008 version of Maya's introduction, just calibrated towards Adorable instead of Raging Inferno Of Sexual Tension. The whole 2008 group date thing was a blast, with Kengo more fully integrated into the group dynamic (of course Nago is going to find value in a young man who is constantly telling him that he is awesome), Megumi immediately realizing the flaw in a group blind date where the only three men are guys from her work and then her just ordering a ton of food to find a victory, and everyone talking about what they're looking for in a partner. Like, that's what the whole episode is about, but the 2008 part does it in a smoother, more even-handed way. The 1986 version is about ownership, the 2008 version is about partnership, you know? There's Wataru and Mari discussing their similar flaws and coping mechanisms. There's that girl from the date pressuring Wataru about whether he wants someone to give him structure, or if he wants someone that will let him be weak. There's even the Nago/Kengo stuff, where it's all about Nago seeing more in someone who'd praise him unceasingly, even if he didn't respect them before. (I like that what Megumi's looking for in a partner is None Of These Guys, For Sure.) The 2008 side felt like a celebration of its characters, while the 1986 version felt like a deconstruction/destruction of its characters, but in a funny way. It was dire, that Yuri stuff, while still feeling spry and goofy. I don't know. I'm not sure I've ever laughed at the same half of a show that I found spiritually eviscerating. Mixed bag, this one! Glad to see Mari around, though! PROGRAMMING NOTE: There may be a slight delay in the post for 22. It'd normally be Monday night, but I've got last-minute plans, so we'll see if I'll end up having the time or the energy to watch some Kiva and write about it. I'll give y'all a heads-up if I'm skipping a night. Thanks for your understanding!
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