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12-22-2020, 12:53 PM | #291 |
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Seriously, though, the drama and character work in this one was absolutely top-notch and it's one of my favorite episodes of Kabuto. |
12-22-2020, 03:53 PM | #292 |
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The thing is, it's not even that you shouldn't tell stories about perfect characters. It's that hinging a cliffhanger on the perfect character's surprise or ignorance... that is maybe the thing you shouldn't do. Like, Tendou can absolutely be perfect, but then you need a cliffhanger that's about literally anyone else being in peril. (I mean, you've got Gon being captured! Just end on that!) Trying to make an audience who has seen Tendou flawlessly foil every single attempt on his life think that this time he didn't see it coming... I don't know, I don't think it works.
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Kageyama is so the worst that I’m going to officially start calling him TheWorst. He’s cartoonishly awful in this one, clearly enjoying making both Gon and Daisuke suffer, and visibly thrilled to make that suffering last indefinitely. There aren’t a lot of layers or shades to his performance, but TheWorst’s suit actor does something I got a kick out of.
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Obviously, all of those little things (and several big things!) are only in service to this episode’s inevitable, heartbreaking ending. Daisuke saves Gon, reunites her with her mother, but loses her for good. She’s happy with her mother, back to being Yuriko, her time as Gon forgotten. It’s tragic, for how much they both once needed each other. This wasn’t just some story that could end with Daisuke, fine on his own. He needed that little girl. She was his partner. She may not know what she’s lost, but Daisuke is acutely aware of what he’s missing. He strains to explain what she means to him, to put it into words, but the only one who’d know the right words was Gon.
But he lets her go, because of course he does. He wants what’s best for her. She means enough to him to see himself diminished if it means she’s safe and happy. It’s probably impossible for him to figure out how he came to care so much for her. He once saw a little girl, confused and alone. He bought her a strawberry milk. It was a little thing, a tiny detail. But it led to so much more for both of them.
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12-22-2020, 07:37 PM | #293 |
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This episode is one of those rare things from Kabuto that left a lasting emotional impact on me. Mind you, all those memories were still shattered to fragments over the years – I can't believe I ever forgot about the beautiful visual of a Clocked Up Drake putting his hand under Gon's tears of joy at being reunited with her mother, for one – but the broad strokes of it left a visceral enough impression that, when I say I have a fondness for Daisuke and Gon, it's because I'm always thinking of this specific story. I would like to mention some of those fragments, though. The three-way showdown at that wharf or whatever with Kabuto, Drake, and eventually TheBee towards the start is a fight scene I've always vaguely remembered in particular for some reason, even though I had forgotten which episode it was attached to. Which goes to show just how scattered all these thoughts become with time, because I apparently couldn't put two and two together even knowing it was a fight where Daisuke was trying to kill Tendou. As though anything but Gon would push Daisuke that much. Beyond the part the story plays, though, it's just a super neat fight sequence in a cool location, that also makes good use of said location. It's a bit of a twist on Inoue's usual routine of dumping the main hero in a body of water, where Drake is actually smart enough to go after Kabuto, leading to Tendou having to fake his death with some clever application of his powers. It's a great scene, and you can tell by how that money shot moment of Drake diving into the water gets a dramatic repeat from a different angle how much they clearly knew it was awesome. (Major props to Drake's suit actor Yoshifumi Oshikawa for holding that pose perfectly the entire time he's falling; I'd show that twice too!) But of course, the action, great as it is, is pretty secondary compared to what really made me love the episode. Daisuke, he's a pretty okay guy at the end of the day, isn't he? I think that's what it came down to. There's a decency to him in this one that always struck me as a little unusual for a Kabuto character. It's not even about whether he's a good person, it's that he's a person who couldn't bring himself to be a bad one. That's a bit of subtle flavoring I like in a hero. Daisuke cares deeply about Gon, puts it all on the line for her, ultimately gives her that fairy tale ending, and then quietly accepts that he doesn't get to be a part of it. And unlike Kagami, Daisuke probably won't be going around bragging about how amazingly cool he is for doing all this. In a show full of huge egos, there's a purity to Daisuke's actions here that forever cemented him as a likable character in my eyes. In those final moments of the episode, he's a lonely hero riding a motorcycle wherever the wind takes him. In other words, Daisuke Kazama is a Kamen Rider. Put like that, it's no wonder I'd feel a connection to him after this one. Fun fact: to this day, one of my biggest lasting connections to Kabuto is an almost reflexive inability to blank on a word or concept without hearing "sou sou, sore sore!" in my head when said blank gets filled in. And occasionally I just say it to myself for no reason when I like, happen to see something I strongly agree with. It's the silliest thing, but it's one of my favorite toku catchphrases out there in its own way. The way this one digs into Daisuke's dynamic with Gon, only to tear it away in such a bittersweet manner, it's quality drama, no doubt about it. As established, I only vaguely remembered the specifics of how this plot played out, but while there's something to be said for how insanely well it held up on a rewatch, I think the fact that the broad emotional strokes of the story never left me kinda says it all about how first-rate an episode we're dealing with here. Kinda the opposite of Die saying it's the details that make it so special, now that I think about it, but I can't imagine any more appropriate praise for an episode all about the memories we happen to forget, and the ones that will always stick with us.
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12-22-2020, 10:06 PM | #294 |
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Yeah, this one was really great. My own quibble with "I'm not really sure that's how amnesia works" aside, this was just a fantastically emotional 24 minutes of Kamen Rider. I can almost forgive Daisuke being an asshole in the previous episode because it led us to this point.
Daisuke comes out so great in this that, if I'd watched 17 and 18 back-to-back, I'd've probably not even noticed what an asshole he was in 17. He's so heroic, that it's easy to forgive his earlier awfulness. ...which, honestly, is why I'm glad I watched them individually? 18's great, no mistake, but the story of 17 and 18 has some real weird decisions in the first half that the second half mostly ignores. It's... the plot ends up being sort of janky, but the character work more than makes up for it. Still! 17 had problems! Quote:
The new Zecter, I’ll say this. He’s the last of the 4 that get regular DX/SG items (including themed bullets for the ZECT Miser and buttons on another weapon down the line). All later Riders after him have their additional merch limited to CSM (and that includes our actual secondary, who if you haven’t guessed who that’s going to be, I don’t know what to think.)
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To your other points... I mean, yeah, 17 has obvious problems with Daisuke acting somewhat-to-massively out of character, and while I don't think 18 explains or obviates those flaws, there's a way of looking at Daisuke's mission here as one where everything before it doesn't matter. There's a clarity of purpose, and it makes his previous actions not super pertinent anymore. Quote:
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And unlike Kagami, Daisuke probably won't be going around bragging about how amazingly cool he is for doing all this. In a show full of huge egos, there's a purity to Daisuke's actions here that forever cemented him as a likable character in my eyes. In those final moments of the episode, he's a lonely hero riding a motorcycle wherever the wind takes him. In other words, Daisuke Kazama is a Kamen Rider.
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12-23-2020, 06:07 AM | #295 |
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This is a mistranslation. He's merely quoting information from some actual doctor that I guess ZECT had look at her or something. Which admittedly is nowhere near as funny, but still.
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The fact that the show could've sweetened it by having her, like, fill in his sentence without knowing why, and they still just left her hiding behind her mom!
...which I guess does make that scorpion a little awkward, admittedly. But hey, teases for the next big plot thread are just how most of these early Heisei shows roll, so what can you do? (The answer is be as cool as Tachibana's fight with Isaka in Blade)
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12-23-2020, 08:37 AM | #296 |
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OK can you give an answer regarding my reply about Kageyama the worst part and the others?
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While Kageyama is obviously horrible, I also want you, or just anyone, to acknowledge other character's horrific part of them, even if they're someone enjoyable. Like Kageyama is horrible for what he did, but don't overlook horrible things did by a character like Sengoku in Gaim or consider people like him better morally just because he's someone enjoyable (and no offense, but I think if someone, even if rightfully, talk about character's horrible behavior but rationalizes those that they enjoy even if they're as horrible, I don't think they have a right to talk about morality).
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It is so utterly random that Kageyama trots out his medical training (???) to ruin Daisuke's life. Of anyone in the show to deliver that news, it's so perfect that it comes from Kageyama gleefully destroying Daisuke's future.
Daisuke comes out so great in this that, if I'd watched 17 and 18 back-to-back, I'd've probably not even noticed what an asshole he was in 17. He's so heroic, that it's easy to forgive his earlier awfulness. ...which, honestly, is why I'm glad I watched them individually? 18's great, no mistake, but the story of 17 and 18 has some real weird decisions in the first half that the second half mostly ignores. It's... the plot ends up being sort of janky, but the character work more than makes up for it. Still! 17 had problems! Hmm ok, so you do take the random word literally in this case; that it means llterally random and out of the place events like bad events but it just happened to be inflicted to the characters that are known to the audience. But not if it's done by a major character with clear aim and has clear reasons for specifically targeting someone that is a part of the cast (the scene talked about here in Blade; Miyuki was actually the arc villain for episode 20-25; Blade was divided by arc villains).
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12-23-2020, 10:55 AM | #297 |
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It is going to be a pretty awkward Christmas in the Kageyama household! Quote:
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I think it seems like a bit of a stretch to say "so heroic" for Daisuke here. On series like Blade you were able to point out that Tiger Queen was nice to Mutsuki, but didn't love humans, hence not actually the "good ones". Daisuke, ep. 17 aside, cares greatly about Gon, and to any women, but he's completely apathetic towards anyone else.
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I don't know if Daisuke would go through it with his plan to kill Tendou if by impossible luck he had Tendou on his ropes, but to have a thought about killing others, even for something you cherish (I know this stems from Kageyama's threat), even Tendou also pointed out that there are better ways to save her.
Two, it's pretty well established at this point that Gon is the Brains Of The Outfit. It makes sense to me that he'd not be able to think of an alternative to doing ZECT's will, and it's not fair to ask him to be as clever as Tendou. It is not unheroic for Daisuke to lack the mental acumen of the smartest man in the world!
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12-23-2020, 09:34 PM | #298 |
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KAMEN RIDER KABUTO - EPISODE 19
This episode... I mean, pretty fun (that sports rivalry montage!), but not one that really added up to a lot for me. The Kamishiro stuff is pretty reliably bonkers, with a Prissy Bruce Wayne take on a reflection of Tendou, but the Phantom Shadow Thief stuff just feels totally outside the main plot so far, and frankly just really weird for this show? The Phantom Shadow Thief plot is, obviously, about exposing some Worm or something. It's basically the only place these three ZECT characters could take this setup. (It could be them trying to discover some ZECT secrets, but I just don't see that being a thing for them yet.) But it's so separate from what Tendou and Kamishiro are up to, that I'd maybe rather it just be its own plot. Because it 100% could be. Misaki is a fantastic character, and we really don't know anything about her. Having a slow build of the PST story, where we delve a little more into her character, get to see her beyond the context of the ZECT Van, I think that would be really welcome. But this thing does the barest amount of setup, and then starts rushing through its developments. As it is, we're given a clue that Misaki might be the PST, and then immediately have it confirmed that she's the PST. The scenes of the PST doing crimes are great, this show knows its way around an action sequence by now, but... I don't know, it's like there's both too much PST plot for a Tendou story, and too much Tendou plot for a PST story. With neither plot coming together yet, it makes for a slightly overstuffed episode. It doesn't help that the Tendou plot has to accommodate the massive ego of Kamishiro, which, again, really could've/should've been an episode of its own. Like Yaguruma, he's a pretty straightforward variation on Tendou. Kamishiro has the same bottomless ego and unshakeable sense of impending greatness as Tendou, but turned up to Inoue. Tendou does everything for his own sake, while Kamishiro feels the burden of lineage. Tendou has Juka, while Kamishiro mourns Mika. Kamishiro's as skilled as Tendou in every way (so far), but he's got a more imperious sense of his supremacy. Tendou views the rest of the world as his beloved subjects, the people he'll protect because they're helpless without him; while Kamishiro views the rest of the world as commoners, whose insignificant lives are nothing without his grace and light. Like, where Tendou is frequently rude or condescending, Kamishiro is dismissive and unmoved. Tendou wants others to succeed because greatness has inherent value, while Kamishiro views greatness as a finite resource, and thinks he's cornered the market. It ends up being a generally charming series of conflicts between the two, even if, like Hiyori, I got bored with it pretty quick. Like, it's just the one joke, that these two are equally great? It never gets weird enough to sustain the gag, something I can't believe I'm criticizing an Inoue story for. It's cute, but it wears out its welcome real fast. Which, honestly, is how I felt about this whole episode? It seriously tries to do too much (the PST plot with ZECT and the Kamishiro intro with Tendou), so everything feels either rushed or thin. There are scenes that end up dragging, and there are plots that just burn through themselves. Worse, it never really coheres as an episode? It's entertaining enough, but it doesn't feel like anyone figured out how or why both of these plots should be in one story. Yeah, I don't know, I thought this one was okay! Kamishiro has some interesting looks at Tendou's basic archetype, but doesn't bring enough to the (very long dining) table to really get my interest. The PST plot is a fun diversion, but doesn't get nearly enough attention to feel as exciting and mysterious as it probably should've. Not the worst Kabuto story, but definitely one with some flaws at a conceptual level. A QUESTION But, obviously, the one flawless part was Juka, who is never anything less than a delight. She's typically thrilled with the massive breakfast Tendou has made for her, even if she's too rushed to finish it. How do you feel about breakfast? Is it totally skippable, or the most important meal of your day?
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12-23-2020, 10:54 PM | #299 |
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Hey, look, it's another character from Kabuto I'm particularly fond of! But why? And how much of that is in this particular episode? Well, for now I'll say Tsurugi's got a pretty sweet Rider design in my opinion. I'm even a fan of the notably gaudy Masked Form and how it contrasts with the more appropriately elegant Rider Form, but most importantly, he's got a sword, and I like those! I'm also not always hard to please, if that wasn't obvious yet. In terms of personality, he's a guy who leaves a very strong first impression, for sure; love his establishing scene with him demanding a fork passed down through his family for generations be thrown in the trash for having the audacity to fall out of his hand onto the floor once. You get to know Tsurugi super well by the end of only one episode, even showing hints of some emotional trauma, giving him a layer beyond being an upper-class jerk right away, which I think was a smart move. There's a nice feeling that there's more to come with Tsurugi, and as the main thing the episode is trying to accomplish, it nails it as well as you could ask. Most of his scenes here do an excellent job fleshing out various angles to him. The episode built around all of that is maybe a bit on the fluff side of things, but I'm hesitant to call it a serious issue. It strikes me as Inoue and/or the rest of the staff realizing something lighter was called for after the punch to the gut that was the previous episode. The term "breather" comes to mind, and this is definitely one relaxing episode of Kabuto – even if it pays the price in a certain lack of depth. I can't hate it though. Kagami joining up with the rest of the ZECT-Mobile crew to pursue a life of crime wouldn't be half as hilarious to me if it wasn't so abruptly paced and disconnected from anything else going on. I don't have enough nice things to say about how funny those scenes in the back half of the episode are to me. Tendou and Tsurugi's epic sports competition, it's funny, yeah, but even if unintentionally, the goofy ZECT stuff in this one is definitely where I got the most laughs, deliberately pretending the whole time that there isn't any twist plan behind this that will be revealed in the next episode, and instead imagining Tadokoro and Misaki are secret adrenaline junkies who only got Kagami involved once he found out to make sure he wouldn't go nark on them for their illicit and reckless behavior. Admittedly, the most fun I had with it being entirely in my head sorta speaks to how shallow this one maybe is. There aren't exactly a lot of complex dramatic implications to occupy your mind here. Not the best episode of Kabuto in the world, for sure, but I legitimately do believe it serves a purpose in the grander structure, so to speak, and is ultimately an inoffensive good time. Plus, the requisite bookending action sequences are both cool, with director Nagaishi picking a super sweet shoreline spot for Tsurugi's debut fight, and then the one at the end, which takes place at night, inherently making it look more awesome, even before considering how it matches our new Rider's cooler color palette. There's a reason I went with that screencap up top.
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12-23-2020, 11:07 PM | #300 |
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I need to eat breakfast otherwise I will crash hard in the middle of the day. Honestly I need to eat all my meals, to avoid crashing. I sometimes just don't though mostly cause I'm too lazy to cook eggs.
Also man I miss white rice. Edit: also when does Tsurugi meet Kagami?
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