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09-03-2020, 01:49 PM | #881 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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KAMEN RIDER BLADE - SERIES WRAP-UP
THE THEMES: Kamen Rider Blade is a show about failure. (Real quick note about themes in art: they're very subjective! I definitely subscribe to the Death Of The Author school of criticism, where the author's intentions are as valid as the audience's interpretations. There's what the author meant to say, and then there's what they said, and those can be two different things. Also, shows can have a lot of different themes! This is an interpretation, not the answer to a question!) It's about failure as an inevitability, and the idea that how we respond to those failures defines us as people. Kamen Rider Blade opens with two significant failures. Kenzaki fails in saving BOARD from Tachibana, and Tachibana fails himself by destroying BOARD. Narratively, the shock finale to the first episode of Blade is to throw us in the deep end, shake up our expectations. Thematically, it's to prepare us for a limitless number of setbacks. Kenzaki's origin is about failure, and how that failure haunted him. He couldn't save his parents, so as an adult he tries to save everyone. Tachibana is a failure engine, constantly letting himself and his friends down. Mutsuki fails throughout the series, putting power ahead of the reason to have power, leading to the deaths of several mentors. Hajime fails… well, Hajime fails at the end, and that's the point of almost all of this failure. Hajime can't keep the power of the Joker buried. He fails to save himself, fails to keep the people he loves safe, fails to hold off the apocalypse. But Kenzaki's there to help him, to lift him back up and give him another chance. That's what the whole series is about, what's demonstrated over and over. (Mostly with Tachibana.) Failure isn't the end of a story. It could be the middle, like with Tachibana's various screw-ups. It could be the very beginning, like with this show. But it's not the end, as long as you're willing to get up and try again. Because life isn't scaling a mountain, where failure drops you to the ground. It's a path, and failure could just be stumbling for a moment before you start moving again. Kenzaki represents the optimism of help, of assistance. Hajime can't really fail for good as long as Kenzaki is there to help him, to shoulder some of the burden. Hajime's failure doesn't define him, because people like Kenzaki are out there rooting for him, cheering on his happiness. (Nozomi fills the same role for Mutsuki. Dr Ladyfriend filled that role for Tachibana, and probably always will. The whole cast fills that role for Kenzaki.) It's a way of looking at failure as a learning experience, a thing to not wallow in or ignore, but acknowledge and overcome. The Sealing Stone is the inevitability of failure. Everyone fails at something at some point. You can't destroy failure. You can't run from it. It's going to happen, eventually. All you can do is understand it when it happens, and count on your friends to help you through it. Or, if you see someone who's failed, offer to help, offer them another chance. The various villains, the bosses, they're the ways society will pigeonhole you for your shortcomings, try to leverage those deficiencies as something only they can fix. Every boss in the show knows better, can fix what's wrong with you, or doesn't believe in you. Your failures are stains that they can scrub off, or reasons why you don't belong. Triumphing over them is owning your losses, using them to become a better version of yourself. There's a reason why every Rider on this show is so weird and damaged. It's to show kids (and adults like Tachibana!) that it's no sin to fail. Everyone does. How we process failure, what it becomes fuel for, that's what separates villains from heroes. --- Obviously, there are a lot more themes to discuss from this series. There's Fighting Against Fate, which is by far the most prominent theme in the series. There's Power Without Morality Is Worthless, a theme that comes up around the villains, but also around Tachibana and Mutsuki. There's Grief And Mortality, which is a big theme of the first-third. All big themes! All worth discussing! Failure, though, that's the one that I thought was unique to this show. Feel free to chime in about these or any ones I've missed! THE GOOD: -KENZAKI. He's an outstanding lead. I've often referred to him as A Very Sweet Boy, and like, that's his whole thing. I don't want to call him uncomplicated, because that sounds like a passive-aggressive way of saying he's uninteresting, but I think the show was smart to have Kenzaki be (relative to the rest of the cast) pretty fully-formed when the show starts. He's a hero, through and through. There's a lot that's in the writing (that whole Be The Hero The World Doesn't Have speech he gives Umi!), but the performance is so winning, so charming. It's so easy to root for Kenzaki, to invest in the things he cares about. He's a very fun character to go on a journey with, played by a great actor. Speaking of! -CASTING. Killer, killer lineup on this show. Bit parts like Nozomi and Shima shine due to smart actors finding clever ways into stock roles. Tiger Queen brings rage and gravitas to a short arc. Kotaro and Hirose handle whatever's thrown at them in compelling, grounded ways. The core Riders are all fantastic, for different reasons. Kenzaki, as noted, a very sweet boy. Hajime, giving an edge to his performance that never obscured his innate decency. Mutsuki, frustration and self-loathing that was always watchable. And Tachibana, a mountain of memes that got sculpted into a character by some bizarre acting choices. For the heroic side of the show, they hired some smart, smart people. -DESIGN. I really like the suits on this show. Garren and Blade have a vague Utilitarian feel to them, something it seems like an organization would design and hand out. Leangle comes off as a more regal version, a little outside and above the BOARD Riders. And Chalice! Gorgeous suit. The monsters, overall, equally impressive. Nothing on this show was my favorite of all-time, but everything looked pretty cool. I'm not asking for more than that on a Kamen Rider program, sometimes! -THE FINALE. It's probably the first and last thing I'd use to defend Blade to folks that don't care for it. Incredibly confident writing that's comfortable with a bittersweet send-off. Not every show is! Folks've invested a year of their time, they're never going to see most of these characters ever again, you maybe want to give them some joy. Blade decides that it's as important to give them some sorrow, so that the joy feels more precious. It's the absolute right move, and it makes for a top-shelf finale. THE BAD: -VILLAINS. Even if I want to ascribe some thematic importance to the villains on the show, it doesn't in any way make them more interesting. I found nearly every villain impossibly dull, with motivations that never stretched beyond Be More Powerful and Win Battle Fight. There are a couple cool one-offs that had clever performances, but the main motivations for the bosses on this series were so poorly conceived. It's fine if the show feels there's more story to be told by examining the ways the Rider cast fails, but they needed to make sure that the boss characters had enough going on to be worth the cast's attention. I never got that feeling, and it definitely drags the show down. Easily the biggest flaw on the show, and one that's too major to forgive. -FAILURE AS A THEME IS MAYBE NOT WORTH EXPLORING. I mean, I really like Failure as a theme. I really like a story that tells you it's okay to screw up, so long as you never stop trying. But good lord does this show test your patience with how much of an absolute disaster Tachibana is, followed immediately by how much of a disaster Mutsuki is. It's a grind to watch. It's salvaged (for me) by a few good speeches, and some pretty compelling acting, but I can't get mad at anyone who found one-half of the Riders to be a waste of their time. Fifty percent! That's an awful lot of the story to be pissed off at! -WHITHER HIROSE AND KOTARO. Jesus Christ, does this show just forget about Hirose and Kotaro. Despite being very fun actors who knock out of the park whatever speeches they're given (Hirose getting Kenzaki back on track to finish off that Category King!), the show basically gives them nothing to do in the back-third, and only a few things before that. Hirose gets a couple episodes to react to U.N.D.A.D., but she's pretty much under house arrest alongside Kotaro. They're both there to exposit, to react, to look worried while the Undead Scanner triangulates. It's nothing, it's drama-less. They don't even really get any final scenes with Kenzaki before the finale, nothing to sum up their relationship. For what were, at one point, his only two friends, the show 100% pivoted to Kenzaki/Hajime as the core emotional stakes of the story, and... I mean, we got that finale, but at what cost? -THAT GODDAMN BIKE CHASE IN THAT STUPID RACE TRACK EPISODE. Worst sequence in the worst episode of Kamen Rider I've ever seen. Even if they'd made a dozen more episodes like the finale, this thing existing is a crime. Someone should have gone to jail for this one. I had a good time watching Kamen Rider Blade. It's not my favorite show, by far, but it is fun. Kenzaki is an all-time great lead hero. Hajime's arc is nuanced and emotional. Tachibana and Mutsuki are varying levels of ridiculous and inspiring. But the series as a whole gets dragged down by repetition and dull villains, as well as the unnecessary exclusion of a big chunk of its (very good!) cast. It's imperfect, but it's got enough to recommend it.
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09-03-2020, 02:27 PM | #882 |
take me to space
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I really like this structure you got for the wrap-up. It's like I'm reading reviews on blogspot or something again. Anyhow, I like the theme you took from the show. Obviously the thing about fighting fate is the one big thing that the show intended to be about, but it goes hand in hand with the idea that any misstep or failure doesn't ever have to be the end or your defining point (even if it did kinda became Tachibana's, huh).
I feel like chiming in on the villains. I excuse the Unknown and big god man from Agito being 'simple' as villains because to me, their role is just to be a force that antagonise the heroes and little else. While I could say that about the various antagonist characters in Blade (and like, I do say that for the Sealing Stone because that's what it is), it's a lot harder to forgive how there's absolutely nothing interesting about Peacock, Trial, or Cerberus, especially with how much time the show spends on them gloating about their evil plans. King and Scissors/Giraffe were way more interesting despite their relatively limited appearances and simple personalities even. Regardless of all that, I love how personal the conflict in the final episodes are. Nothing wrong with having a bad guy you wanna see get blown up, but it's nice to mix it up with something more unique every now and then. Even before the show was ever clearly about anything, it was at least always fun and even quirky to watch (hence all those memes). But it was nice to see that the show's managed to deliver the big emotions as it got going. I hope you think of Kenzaki every time you walk past a bench... |
09-03-2020, 02:46 PM | #883 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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I really like this structure you got for the wrap-up. It's like I'm reading reviews on blogspot or something again. Anyhow, I like the theme you took from the show. Obviously the thing about fighting fate is the one big thing that the show intended to be about, but it goes hand in hand with the idea that any misstep or failure doesn't ever have to be the end or your defining point (even if it did kinda became Tachibana's, huh).
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I feel like chiming in on the villains. I excuse the Unknown and big god man from Agito being 'simple' as villains because to me, their role is just to be a force that antagonise the heroes and little else. While I could say that about the various antagonist characters in Blade (and like, I do say that for the Sealing Stone because that's what it is), it's a lot harder to forgive how there's absolutely nothing interesting about Peacock, Trial, or Cerberus, especially with how much time the show spends on them gloating about their evil plans. King and Scissors/Giraffe were way more interesting despite their relatively limited appearances and simple personalities even.
Here, it's like, they're just a bunch of weird bosses? And they all want exactly the same things? Tennouji, for me, is the biggest offender, because his character only makes sense if BOARD stays relevant for the entire series, and it totally doesn't. He feels parachuted in from a version of the show where Team Blade stays tied to BOARD, working out of their offices the whole time, so Tennouji revealing he's only ever needed the Riders to wipe out his competition and procure him test subjects, that's a huge betrayal! Instead, he's just some guy who looks down on them, and it's not nearly as interesting as it could've been. Quote:
Regardless of all that, I love how personal the conflict in the final episodes are. Nothing wrong with having a bad guy you wanna see get blown up, but it's nice to mix it up with something more unique every now and then.
Even before the show was ever clearly about anything, it was at least always fun and even quirky to watch (hence all those memes). But it was nice to see that the show's managed to deliver the big emotions as it got going. I hope you think of Kenzaki every time you walk past a bench...
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09-03-2020, 02:59 PM | #884 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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First off, congrats on finishing Blade, Die! You seemed to overall have a good ride with it, and I'm glad you managed to find some positives where I didn't.
However, the opposite also goes with me. Nothing too major mind you, but like, for example, I seem to be one of the few who liked the Black Fang episodes, haha. Look, sometimes all you need is for cool stuff to happen, alright? And bikes are cool! But yeah, glad you overall had a good time, and it'll be interesting to see what everyone has to say about Hibiki when the times comes. Especially since we all know Switchblade might as well be your co-writer there, haha. As for the rest of this post, anyone reading can now feel free to ignore me! But just remember, Die quite literally asked for this: Quote:
First and foremost is the handling of characters. Not just Tachibana and Mutsuki(though Mutsuki certainly doesn't help), but the villains and the Undead as well. I actually felt that, honestly, Blade wasn't a show that needed a Big Bad. I felt that it would've been way stronger in terms of narrative and character had the story simply been about just that, the characters, all dealing with the current situation(the return of the Battle Fight) in their own ways. It really didn't help that Evil Executive isn't compelling or entertaining in the slightest, and the inclusion of such things really only lead to other characters making the same mistakes over and over(Tachibana). I really did feel like the kick-off of the plot the show gave us, that of a man who, in a moment of desperation, accidentally let loose the Undead/Sealing Stone and started the Battle Fight all over again, was more than enough, and made for a great backdrop. The plot in and of itself not being all that great or complex really doesn't help my feelings on the matter. Meanwhile, like I said earlier, I really liked Tachibana's' arc during the first two acts of the story, but once the third act kicks in, his character outright regresses and he does basically the same thing all over again, only with a very lessened impact as a result. I would've really preferred that his arc fully wrap up, and he become a supporting/mentor character from then on. I actually liked the idea of him being a mentor to Mutsuki! It really seemed like the idea was to show that Tachibana had learned from his mistakes, and thus wanted his experiences to serve as a warning for others. But no, he just falls down the rabbit hole again. It's a waste. The actual worst in all this though is Mutsuki. Oh my god. I actually liked him in those early episodes, and while I respect the Shima arc ending with an ambiguous note, with Mutsuki walking off without saying a word... the end result was so not worth it. Mutsuki is an absolutely self-absorbed tool who only cares about his own self image, everyone else in his life be damned. Not only did his story drag on for way too long, he was constantly surrounded by characters far more likeable(Nozomi) and interesting(Hikaru) than he was, making me really wish that Leangle was anyone else. Where I drew the line was when it was made clear that Shima's' sacrifice wasn't totally in vein. While that might not sound like a bad thing at first, what it ends up meaning is that Mutsuki, in his own frame of mind, with very little influence from the Spider Undead, continuously and of his own volition, proceeds to be an absolute chode while acting like he's the most tragic figure who's ever lived. This in turn removes any sort of sympathy I have for the guy; By the end I didn't want him to learn a lesson, I just wanted him to get lost. I've dealt with people just like Mutsuki in real life, and word of advice: Guys like that? They are not at all worth your time. Avoid at all costs. Lastly, and this is the one I imagine I'll lose alot of you on is, well, the style. See, one of the reasons I really dug Early Blade is because, atleast for me, it surrounds you in this atmosphere, this world of just total craziness and uncomfortableness. The mixed pacing, the random camera filters, the acting... in a totally weird way it really did make me wanna know more about what what was going on and the characters involved in it. With Late Blade though, things become more standard, more "normal," which made things way less interesting. My issues with how the characters were handled only made it worse. That's not to say it was all bad though. There are infact three things that I feel Late Blade did really well! As should be obvious, the first is the ending. I would change literally nothing about the final episode. It's that good. Few other Rider shows share that honor with me, and it's what made me overall like Blade more than Faiz, despite me having somewhat similar feelings in terms of the two seasons(I'm in the camp that hates Faiz's' ending). And the other two things are actually just my favorite aspects to Blade in general: Hajime, and especially Kenzaki. Both of these characters were really, really well done. And for me, stories are all about characters. Characters are the main thing that drive me to continue going. If you give me a good reason to like or care about a specific character, then I in turn care about the things that happen both to and surrounding them. Hajime is just an all around solid package, so I don't have much to specifically point out about him, but Kenzaki? Oh MAN did I dig him as a protagonist! He's kind, he's strong, his actor makes him extremely likeable, and most importantly, he encompasses a lesson that I wish more stories in general would showcase in terms of their main characters who are meant to be someone to look up to. That lesson being "Be kind, but don't be a pushover." See, I believe I mentioned it before, but the aspect of Kenzaki I love most is that, even though he is a hero and he always tries to do the right thing, he also doesn't take anyone's' crap(most of the time). The scene that always sticks out to me being one early on, where Hajime, in a bit of an aggressive tone, tells Kenzaki "I don't like people." Kenzaki's' response(not literally, but basically)? "Yeah alright, whatever dude." And he just leaves, not even dealing with that crap. I loved the guy ever since. You go, Kenzaki! So yeah, hopefully I explained myself well enough here. But, I wouldn't blame anyone for feeling different. If you got a better ride than I did, awesome. Overall, I do like the show, I just have issues with it.
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09-03-2020, 03:02 PM | #885 |
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Been on an extremely busy stuff lately due to working on project at late start (unfair), but probably my reply here will still be the same; by each episode, or... dunno.
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Which probably makes the revelation that this particular Battle Fight was engineered (or at least profited from) by Tennouji sort-of devastating to her. This is a Battle Fight that only the Riders or the Joker can win. She’s got no chance, and literally every other Undead is just a pawn. It’s a huge change in the show’s status quo, and I sort-of love it?
There's also the part where Kanai warned Hikaru about the state of the battle royale in present day, complete with Hikaru again bashing her sneakers at Kanai for a short while. And for Tennoji, forgot to post this before, but my small meme. Quote:
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Yeah, basically. It's a pretty common Kamen Rider story, the heroes trying to save someone out of misplaced altruism. On the one hand, they're heroes, of course that's what they should do. On the other hand, it leads to (for me) a little bit of frustration when they seem to be making assumptions about other people's motivations and agendas that are massively and obviously misguided. It's nice that Tachibana and Kenzaki want to do something kind for Hirose, but the thing with her dad was not just some minor family drama.
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I'm not sure I completely understand the question, but, a small problem with the Hirose/U.N.D.A.D. stuff is that we hadn't really touched on her feelings about her dad's actions in quite a while. It didn't really seem hugely relevant anymore, you know? So it was easier for me to think that, with everything else going on in the show, it wasn't really driving Hirose the way it used to.
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I mean, you can say "it's simple", but it actually sounds incredibly convoluted? Like, we've seen U.N.D.A.D. not give a shit about his daughter for eight episodes, and then we find out he was programmed to care about her, and then we find out that he was immediately reprogrammed not to give a shit about her. It's like they wanted a cathartic, sweet moment, but spent eight episodes making it more and more unreasonable until the last minute. That flashback has to tie itself in some dumb knots to create a context for an ending that has both actors trying incredibly to rescue something that the story just never justified to me.
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09-03-2020, 03:13 PM | #886 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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And while I did already give a couple reasons as to why I feel this way in some previous posts, there's a bit more too it than what I've said. But for those who don't remember and care to know, here are the reasons I've already given, again. And in slightly more detail.
For the most part, I'd file them under Flaws, But Not Dealbreakers. Tachibana and Mutsuki are characters that... I mean, you need to have a really high tolerance for flawed characters. They don't engender nearly enough sympathy to get away with some of their schtick. (Mutsuki was the least problematic of the two for me, mostly down to performance and supporting actors.) I think it's a poor choice to basically do Tachibana's arc a second time with Mutsuki, despite the ways it forces Tachibana into a mentor role. For all those problems, though, I think the show does a decent job ending those plots in sensible, affecting ways. I usually felt better about them at the end than I did in the middle. The villains are definitely not great, though!
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09-03-2020, 03:28 PM | #887 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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I was referring to what might've been going through Tiger Queen's mind when she was sitting with Mutsuki. Mutsuki has many flaws! She doesn't know him that well!
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09-03-2020, 03:38 PM | #888 |
Dr. Salt NEO
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Hard agree on the villains. As much as I love Blade overall, the villains are really bad for the most part. Like you said, Tennouji feels shoehorned in at the last minute, and on top of that he's so uninteresting anyway. Like maybe it wouldn't be as bad if he had some kind of intriguing motive or backstory, but his entire character is "generic business boss who wants power to take over the world." But even as bad as he is, I think Hirose's "dad" is even worse. His storyline is so repetitive, just constantly throwing out new versions of the Trial series, and then the reveal that he himself is a Trial...ugh. Just nothing about his whole arc worked at all for me.
All that said though, I consider Blade one of my favorite seasons, and I think I have a relatively easy time forgiving the shitty villains because at the end of the day, Blade isn't a show that revolves around heroes vs. villains. Of course it still has to have some role for villains, because, well, it's Kamen Rider...a franchise all about guys in hero costumes fighting guys in villain costumes! But it definitely feels like the villains were little more than an afterthought, especially since they could never play a major role at the very end. The final showdown between Kenzaki and Hajime was inevitable, there was no room for villains in a finale like this. They had to fulfill their narrative purpose, then be disposed of so that the show could move on to the conflict that actually matters. They're essentially just plot devices used to further new developments in the relationships and connections of the characters, rather than interesting and unique characters in and of themselves. Not that I'm using this reasoning to excuse the poor writing of the villains though, as plenty of shows can let villains serve that purpose while also establishing them as interesting and well-written characters in and of themselves. But Blade really didn't care to do that at all, and for better or worse, put all of its focus squarely on the heroes. The villains are definitely the worst thing about Blade, but for me personally, the overall character work for the Riders clicks with me strong enough that I can forgive it without too much trouble. The Kenzaki and Hajime material in particular is something I like so much that it alone elevates the show very highly for me, regardless of anything else.
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09-03-2020, 03:45 PM | #889 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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All that said though, I consider Blade one of my favorite seasons, and I think I have a relatively easy time forgiving the shitty villains because at the end of the day, Blade isn't a show that revolves around heroes vs. villains. Of course it still has to have some role for villains, because, well, it's Kamen Rider...a franchise all about guys in hero costumes fighting guys in villain costumes! But it definitely feels like the villains were little more than an afterthought, especially since they could never play a major role at the very end.
I guess what I'm saying is that the Undead were generally really fun, while the human (or "human") villains in the second half were just a great big snooze. (Trenchcoat Mastermind sort-of splits the difference. I never loved his obsession with numbers going up, but I think he adds a lot to Tachibana's story. A little dull, for sure, but a worthy antagonist.)
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09-03-2020, 03:51 PM | #890 |
Filthy SU/FE Trash
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Honestly kinda hate how many follow ups turn Kenzaki into an edgelord literally EVERY appearance he makes other than the Ex-Aid one basically do to him what some people felt The Last Jedi did to Luke Skywalker
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