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05-27-2021, 12:38 PM | #351 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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I know the whole episode is bonkers, but I didn't think that the climax here would be labeled as bonkers too, it's merely a brutal beatdown that also has happened many times in Rider, especially those who aren't shy to show family-unfriendly violence. So IXA's power is revealed to be able to steal weapons from other Riders like Kiva with Garuru Fake.
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05-27-2021, 02:52 PM | #352 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,420
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Quote:
This one felt weird to me. It's a bit hard to explain, but there was something about it that felt off, mostly in regards to the Otoya section. Otoya is behaving really weirdly, even by his own standards. As it turns out, this episode is weird: this two-parter is written by Shoji "Kabuto" Yonemura, making these the only two episodes of Kiva not written by Inoue.
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05-27-2021, 04:55 PM | #353 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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I only know thirty words, do most of my writing bone-tired, and vaguely-to-deeply regret all of my posts. You are not alone!
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05-27-2021, 06:16 PM | #354 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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Today, I present to everyone the perfect track for when you'll stop at nothing to rip a button off a dude's shirt.
Crime-busting Nago is always so much fun, by the way. I love the idea that blowing up monsters just kinda isn't enough for him, you know? Quote:
Hey, that's like twenty more words than I know!
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05-27-2021, 06:24 PM | #355 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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One of my absolute favorite touches in an insane subplot from an episode I thoroughly enjoyed was that the criminal Nago was chasing just happened to also be a Fangire. This isn't Nago trying to stop a monster, he's just obsessed with some bank robber? Like, he's literally never been this dedicated to hunting the decorative vampire monsters that are, if memory serves, his actual job? The joke of Nago being inhumanly dedicated to just running down some random thug, and then it's like Oh Wait He's A Fangire... I love it so much.
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05-27-2021, 08:33 PM | #356 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 18 - "QUARTET: LISTEN TO THE VOICE IN YOUR HEART”
The Hibiki vibes! They are deafening! This is a Hibiki story! One of the big recurring things in Hibiki, especially in the second half, was the lesson that there is a difference between a job and a passion. It's basically what Akira's whole story ended up being about. You can be skilled at something, excel at something, but it isn't necessarily something that you'll find fulfillment doing. Your job is not your identity. And so we get this story with multiple people finding fulfillment outside their jobs and societal expectations, sometimes to the detriment of their psyches. (Nago is Extra Strength Nago for this chapter.) It's a sweet episode, and still resolutely a Kiva episode, for all of its Hibiki outlines. Like, Otoya teaches Kid Mami this very Hibiki message about following your heart -slash- keeping your beat in the most Kiva way possible: he plays her music so beautiful that she gives up on playing music. It's not about Otoya's skill, it's not even about his dedication to music. It's about his passion for music, one she doesn't share. She could train, and get better, but it still wouldn't make her capable of playing at the same level Otoya does. Worse, she'd be miserable doing it. There's a skill inside her that she'd be passionate about cultivating (Skeet shooting? Axe throwing?), she just needs to find it for herself. Weirdly, the rewards of this aren't just shown in Adult Mami's commitment to archery, where she's the most energized and at peace when she's able to practice her craft. It's also in Nago's story, where his job at being IXA and hunting Fangires is no match for his passion: manhunting. It's not... I don't know how happy we're supposed to be to see Nago laugh with a zeal that is equal parts contentment and psychosis? Like, he was 110% insane at the midpoint in this story, and his catharsis came at the expense of between zero and eight felonies, but he's completely happy when he gets that button. It's horrible, and maybe a point is being made here about the trauma of being too passionate for something, but it's sort of hard to see what that would be. Like, Nago lets the Fangire escape, because he's only concerned with getting his trophy. That's tied into the lesson Otoya is teaching, because IXA is Nago's job, but manhunting is his passion. It's just, Nago is the only one in the story who suffers for following his passion? Or, shit, is he the only one? This whole story is about Wataru feeling like Kiva is some nightmare that is keeping him from his true passion of violin-making. (Although... I squinted a little bit at Wataru's declaration that he's only ever wanted to make violins. You quit to play bass! Like, a month ago! This is not some unquenchable thirst you have! You quit making violins more than you make violins!) It's only through the very Kiva message system of Things Otoya Taught Somebody that Wataru's able to realize that he shouldn't be Kiva if it's only bringing him pain. And then, typical for a superhero, his inaction causes injury, so he's stuck with the impossibility of dedicating himself to something he's grown to despise, or feeling guilty for the rest of his life for his abdication. But then he realizes that he's only been focusing on the negative consequences of being Kiva. Sure, Wataru's role as Kiva has thrust him into a world of violence and pain, like Nago's insanity has for him. But it's also allowed him to protect people like Mami, this story's mommy (I see what they probably accidentally did there!), and that's something he is passionate about. He might view Kiva's violence as a burden, but he sincerely loves being able to help people. It's a complicated solution to his dilemma, and one that requires combining multiple truths and viewpoints. And to symbolize that new multi-faceted worldview, we get Kiva's new Quaternity Form! Much like Agito's Trinity Form, it's Kiva wearing multiple form changes at once. I thought it was okay? Thematically, I love it. It's a toku representation of everything Wataru learned over this episode, and the three people who taught it to him. It's him wearing Nago's insanity, Mami's courage, and Otoya's wisdom. Visually... I don't love it as much! It's an okay suit, but the resulting fight is just one move set after another. It doesn't feel more clever, it just feels more powerful. I wish there'd been some added choreography to make it seem greater than the sum of its parts. That's a minor quibble, though, considering how solid this episode was. Great cinematography (Wataru's depression, that midday sun over IXA's head during the beach fight), terrific gags (Otoya can't politely tolerate amateur musicians), and a dead-on story for Wataru's emotional development. I know it's a fill-in story, writer-wise, but this was about as definitive a Kiva story as I can recall. Really, really good couple of episodes.
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05-27-2021, 11:05 PM | #357 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,420
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The characters in this arc feel just a little bit, I don't know, heightened to me? At least Nago and Otoya do. I can kind of tell that another writer is in charge of these episodes and he seems to be compensating for not being Inoue by really doubling down on some of the characters' key traits (Nago hates criminals but loves buttons! Otoya's a deceptively irresponsible doofus!). I did like them, though. Wataru getting a bit more resolve is always nice and Otoya imparting valuable life lessons in the most unlikely way possible is fun (loved the bit with him increasingly slouching with each shot during the audition).
I also liked having a human character carry over between the two time zones. We don't get that as much as we probably could. Quote:
And to symbolize that new multi-faceted worldview, we get Kiva's new Quaternity Form! Much like Agito’s Trinity Form, it’s Kiva wearing multiple form changes at once. I thought it was okay? Thematically, I love it. It’s a toku representation of everything Wataru learned over this episode, and the three people who taught it to him. It’s him wearing Nago’s insanity, Mami’s courage, and Otoya’s wisdom. Visually… I don’t love it as much! It’s an okay suit, but the resulting fight is just one move set after another. It doesn’t feel more clever, it just feels more powerful. I wish there’d been some added choreography to make it seem greater than the sum of its parts.
There's actually a reason this time, though. We'll come back to this idea, but there were some problems with the Kiva suit. From what I've read, it was the add-on pieces from the alternate forms that really made the suit difficult to move in. I don't know if we've ever had specifics, but it's been widely reported that the suit actor almost died wearing the Kiva suit. I have no proof, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the extra bulky DoGaBaKi suit that was the specific problem. |
05-28-2021, 01:35 AM | #358 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
The characters in this arc feel just a little bit, I don't know, heightened to me? At least Nago and Otoya do. I can kind of tell that another writer is in charge of these episodes and he seems to be compensating for not being Inoue by really doubling down on some of the characters' key traits (Nago hates criminals but loves buttons! Otoya's a deceptively irresponsible doofus!). I did like them, though. Wataru getting a bit more resolve is always nice and Otoya imparting valuable life lessons in the most unlikely way possible is fun (loved the bit with him increasingly slouching with each shot during the audition).
Oh my god, I love this so much. Kiva's version of Trinity Form only showing up for one story is... YES. That is so perfect. I... this is a dream? Is this emotion joy? It can't be; it's far too pure.
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05-28-2021, 02:59 AM | #359 |
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Posts: 2,551
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As I mentioned last time, Kiva gets a new suit in the grand transformers tradition of “mess around with the toy until you make something new”. At least I’m 99 percent sure it is because there are no contemporary action figures of it and no sounds for it programmed into the DX belt. And there is an official reason why this was never used again in-verse (the power becomes overwhelming after 5 minutes).
That aside, I did end up with a lot of love for this episode’s message. But the next two parter blows it out of the water for me. |
05-28-2021, 05:20 AM | #360 |
I got nothing
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 148
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This is Kiva syndrome the introduction of a new form power or piece of equipment and after and episode or 2 never use it again no matter how useful it would be. so at this point Shuu Doran, PoweredIxa, the Boron Booster, the fake Fustles, 08 Ixa's save mode, and DoGaBaKi have all been introduced and tossed to the side for the sake of shilling a toy or gimmick. Reminding me once again that above all else this is nothing but a toy commercial and it starts to get worse the further into phase 2 you get.
And the only one I give any leeway to is DoGaBaKi form due to the real life reason it was only used once, the base Kiva suit and it's modified form changes are all misweighted and heavy to the point that the suit actor almost died during a stunt to the point that the final form's suit was designed with being lightweight and easy to do stunts in as the core idea. |
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