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07-05-2021, 11:17 PM | #791 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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But it's either Faiz, which lands its themes with such intensity and precision that it's awe-inspiring; or Blade, which imbues unused park equipment with unparalleled gravitas. Both shows had bumpy roads to get those finales, but delivered when it counted. Not sure I could choose between them, so consider them tied for First Place.
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07-06-2021, 12:49 AM | #792 |
I have a problematic type
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So, Kiva's finale. It's fine. Not the best, definitely not the worst. There's some good emotional character stuff in here with Megumi and Nago and some weird emotional stuff with Wataru and Taiga (the whole "you're reunited, my sons, now beat the shit out of each other to prove your love" bit with Maya is so many kinds of "no"). I don't hate the feral resurrected King as a thing to throw Rider Kicks and Aegis Reflectors at, but I appreciate that he wasn't really meant to be much beyond that, even though I'm still not sold on the Taiga and Wataru stuff.
Honestly, my favorite parts were the brief moments with the '86 cast. Yuri's ghost visiting Megumi was surprisingly touching (and we can officially add "so what happened to Yuri anyway?" to the list of things that Kiva never explains) and Kouhei Takeda absolutely stole the entire episode with his last minute appearance as Wataru's son. I know there are some people who hate the ending and want to see how that fight played out, but I honestly love it for how completely bonkers it is. |
07-06-2021, 03:08 AM | #793 |
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This is the end. Hold your breath and count to ten.
To start with, here’s the final song from the Re-Union album, which is, fittingly enough, a remix of the first song on Kiva’s regular soundtrack, Destiny’s Play. Surprisingly, I didn’t think Wataru’s kid appearing was the most random thing about the wedding. For that honour, I went with Kivat yelling “Modigliani Forever!” And on a similar note, the S.I.C canon went and replaced the crazy ending with one that’s slightly less crazy (instead of Wataru’s kid talking about Neo-Fangires, we get Kivat’s sister talking about the Rook having come back as a giant chandelier of doom). And I’d like to confirm whether or both the Final Stage follows on from this, but I’ve been trying to download the torrent for months with no progress made. This is why I prefer DDLs. |
07-06-2021, 11:05 AM | #794 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Honestly, my favorite parts were the brief moments with the '86 cast. Yuri's ghost visiting Megumi was surprisingly touching (and we can officially add "so what happened to Yuri anyway?" to the list of things that Kiva never explains) and Kouhei Takeda absolutely stole the entire episode with his last minute appearance as Wataru's son. I know there are some people who hate the ending and want to see how that fight played out, but I honestly love it for how completely bonkers it is.
And, yeah, very into Masao's random appearance at the end of the episode. The whole thing is a really funny joke, and it's crazy to me that anyone thought that story would/should be continued. He can't get enough of that long neck! That was my favorite callback, and it felt like it was there just for me. Kivat hasn't had a chance to get horny about Megumi's classically-beautiful neck for the longest time.
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07-06-2021, 11:18 AM | #795 |
Standing By
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 46 - “FULL STOP: GOODBYE, OTOYA”
It’s the fatherhood that comes across first, thanks to Otoya’s thrilling team-up with Wataru. Possibly besting their movie partnership, there’s so much to love about their matching costumes and mirrored stances. I ordered a Dark Kiva figure a little while ago, from site sponsor Tokullectibles. When the suit appeared in the show, I’m like, Okay, I Guess I Bought A Villain Suit. But now? Now it’s going to be my Otoya suit. (IXA was always going to be Nago. I mean, come on.) Seeing him take on the Dark Kiva power for a third and final time, because he couldn’t do anything less when the people he loved were at risk? An epic move. Quote:
The way that Kivat Bat the Second offered his power to Taiga after the latter "killed" Maya is clever foreshadowing that she was still alive, considering how Kivat Bat the Second went to Otoya cause he "didn't like what King was doing to Maya". As of this finale, we've seen three out of four generations of the Kivat Bat family. The First is still a mystery. Quote:
So, Kiva's finale. It's fine. Not the best, definitely not the worst. There's some good emotional character stuff in here with Megumi and Nago and some weird emotional stuff with Wataru and Taiga (the whole "you're reunited, my sons, now beat the shit out of each other to prove your love" bit with Maya is so many kinds of "no"). I don't hate the feral resurrected King as a thing to throw Rider Kicks and Aegis Reflectors at, but I appreciate that he wasn't really meant to be much beyond that, even though I'm still not sold on the Taiga and Wataru stuff.
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Honestly, my favorite parts were the brief moments with the '86 cast. Yuri's ghost visiting Megumi was surprisingly touching (and we can officially add "so what happened to Yuri anyway?" to the list of things that Kiva never explains) and Kouhei Takeda absolutely stole the entire episode with his last minute appearance as Wataru's son. I know there are some people who hate the ending and want to see how that fight played out, but I honestly love it for how completely bonkers it is.
If Kiva was a late Phase 2 show, this would have continued in a V-Cinema. But now I doubt we're ever going to find out what happens next, just like we're not going to find out how/when Yuri's death happened or who the hell even is Kivat Bat the First. But hey, to paraphrase a popular metaphor: When life gives you loose ends, make headcanons or fanfiction!
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07-06-2021, 11:23 AM | #796 |
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 46 - “FULL STOP: GOODBYE, OTOYA”
There’s some stuff in here with Megumi and Nago, where she’s unsure if he’s matured enough to lead W.A.K.E.U.P. There’s some stuff in here about Bishop, and how he’s unleashed the End Of Series Army on the world so that he can destroy anyone else who would lay claim to the Fangire throne. There’s some later stuff in the episode, where Wataru has found a new level of strength (physical and emotional) as a result of his most recent crisis of faith, and how his resolve to protect people has solidified. A lot of nice little storylines as we head into the final two episodes. Quote:
But this is the one where Otoya dies, and that’s all we’re going to talk about.
It’s a strong ending for him, alternately intense, funny, and sweet. It manages to encapsulate a series worth of growth into a few beautifully-done scenes, and make a contradictory free-spirit seem definable and coherent. For someone who hated being pigeon-holed, this episode makes his roles as father, friend, lover and hero undeniable. Quote:
The one with Yuri… man. It’s a Goodbye scene, even if no one says it. Otoya wasn’t a great boyfriend, but he managed to be an okay friend to Yuri. She’s happy to have known him, happy with the person she is after their break-up. They tease each other, in the way only exes on good terms can. He wants to know how she made her only-decent omelette rice, an acknowledgement that something imperfect can have sentimental value greater than its measurable qualities. She teases him that her secret ingredient was poison, before tearfully confessing that it was love.
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Jiro figures it out pretty fast, though. He’s seen plenty of dying people in his life. (Also, Otoya is, uh, literally vanishing, so there’s that.) Jiro and the other Arms Monsters are considering making a break for it, leaving the rampaging Castle Doran to whomever, going back to looking out for themselves. And it’s Otoya who convinces them to care about other people, both generally (living in Castle Doran would keep it from killing everyone) and personally (watching over Wataru). They started this series looking for survival and a small amount of vengeance, and they end it as Wataru’s Three Crazy Uncles who live in a dragon cathedral. The fact that it occurred because of Otoya is, frankly, stunning.
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Otoya’s an almost impossibly broad caricature of a man. He’s irrepressible, if you’re feeling generous, and chaotic, if you aren’t. But he managed to live his life in a way that convinced other people to find reasons to love, and to sacrifice. He held to his principles, and fought for his convictions, and it caused evil monsters and taciturn warriors to become hopeful heroes. He didn’t do it by being a non-stop paragon of justice, or even an all-the-time good man. He did it by showing people the joy of living your life honestly, and the rewards of choosing to love openly.
Yes, as I've said before, Otoya being "literal vampire" to Maya doesn't apply; loving Otoya would mean that Maya suffered instead. And not for King's threatening (so her taunt to King has place), but for the Queen mechanic of losing its power, but also (so it's even worse than I thought than losing her Queen powers) her further suffering that the Fangires will likely hunt her, therefore she's been broken that she had to isolate herself from society, staying away from her sons. Other than that there's Taiga's being an abusive offspring for a while to threaten his own mother under his power using his King obligation. I don't know what would you mean for quantity regarding love here? I guess Otoya breeds Wataru with Maya offscreen (with them naming the baby Wataru because of the future version coming) before he finally dies after using Dark Kiva 3 times?
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07-06-2021, 11:33 AM | #797 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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The violin-making was a metaphor. Otoya has been having sex with Maya for weeks!
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07-06-2021, 12:35 PM | #798 |
Showa Girl
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And, man, I really liked Wataru's kid showing up in full Back to the Future regalia (that orange vest!) and getting everyone together to fight the Neo-Fangires. (THE NEO-FANGIRES.) Beyond a fun way to get Otoya's actor back in the final shots, I liked how it reaffirmed the links between generations? This episode didn't do a single thing in 1986, so having a character from 2030 let us know that Wataru's actions will impact future generations... that's pretty on-topic?
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07-06-2021, 05:48 PM | #799 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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There's no way I was going to end the series with anything other than more of that slower emotional music from the OST I love so much, so here's the extremely mournful, final sounding Fate of Parent and Child, which, uh... isn't at all in the finale, unless I missed it?
But hey, at least there's the very last track on the second OST, Clear Sky, essentially a deep breath in music form, which just screams of something written to play at the very end of the show... even though it's not anywhere in the finale either. Hm. Granted, there's a chance I simply wasn't being thorough enough going through, but as far as I caught, neither of these two tracks were even used in the entire series, and if I'm right about that, then man, at least I couldn't ask for a better opportunity to point out why I've been sharing all this music. Kamen Rider shows get a lot of talented composers making very high quality background music; it's something I feel greatly contributes to creating the identity of each one of these shows, and as I stated upfront, Kiva is the exact opposite of an exception, thanks to Tsuneyoshi Saitou. There's a lot of music in Rider I don't really appreciate until I've heard it by itself, and in some cases, there's even some you just don't hear at all unless you give the soundtrack a listen, so in that spirit, since this is the final set of tracks I'm sharing from the OST, here's a link to the second volume's playlist on YouTube, just like I did for the first one. Maybe see if anything new catches your ear some time. (Note that I said this is the final set of tracks I'm sharing from the OST, by the way. I'm not done with this bit just yet.) As for the episode, I ended up rewatching it in full once I got to the end of my whole process of skimming through the series, and I gotta say, anyone can argue this isn't a perfect finale all they want, but it might still be the perfect Kiva finale? There's just so much insanity and heart and stupidity and action and it really encompasses so much of what the show was leading up to it. You've got a character journey as charmingly inexplicable as 753 somehow ending up being (I think?) the first ever Kamen Rider to get married, plotting decisions as frustratingly absurd as Shima still needing to be involved for some reason, a fight scene that ends as amazingly as King getting destroyed by Wataru and Taiga using his own dumb yo-yo finisher on him followed by a combo of Saga and Kiva's own killer moves! ...It's a really packed episode! In a way where it's sort of all over the place, but darn it if that doesn't make it the pinnacle of Kiva-ness. I really do think it's everything a final episode should be in that sense, as backhanded as I'm sure some of this sounds. There is a method behind a lot of that madness, too. You say the Ixa glove bit doesn't add any further depth to Wataru and Otoya's relationship, for example, but I don't think it needs to. It's the same thing as RabbitDragon in Build – a summation of all that you've seen over the course of the story. Just like the core of that show was how a genius physicist and a meathead fighter were always the Best Match, Kiva beautifully encapsulates how the bond between a father and son transcends time by demonstrating that Otoya will always be there to lend Wataru a hand, literally, even if he's only there in spirit. The stuff with Taiga, though, I mean, I have to give credit to Inoue for writing Ghost before Ghost again, as the main hero (a young man at the end of a journey to gain the self-confidence to protect the people who matter to him) stops the main villain (a member of a royal family led astray by personal issues stemming from his upbringing) with a hug, but at the same time, I can't claim this part of Kiva's ending really resonated with me or anything. There are things about it I love conceptually for sure, but my most vivid memory of those scenes, my most visceral reaction, was how thoroughly baffled I felt when Maya told her sons to beat each other up so they could "feel each other's souls". In the moment, it was simply because I thought it sort of unnecessarily undercut the fact that they just reconciled, but in retrospect, it's like... what the heck were you thinking writing that, Inoue-san!? What kind of a message is that to send to the kids watching these shows!? And then the fighting isn't even choreographed like casual roughhousing; Taiga and Wataru are kicking the s*** out of each other there! There have to be healthier ways to vent these emotions, guys! Still, even that is exactly the sort of madness I expect from Kiva. Maya being alive, too, they even foreshadow that by placing the scene in 47 where she's "killed" directly next to Shima telling Wataru that Taiga didn't have it in his heart to actually kill him. It's like one shlocky plot development justifying another! Putting aside that more negative stuff (and I mean, really, Taiga fake-murdering people doesn't even bother me), I think I'm also a fan of where Nago and Megumi end up here? It's completely ridiculous and yet surprisingly endearing, and the end of the day, that's our Nago-san! Also kind of a fan of his final boss being Bishop, now that I think about it? On the surface, it seems like just a matter of pairing up the characters who are left to fight, but Bishop sorta had the same kind of unfeeling dedication to his black-and-white code that Nago used to, so you could maybe argue it's like Nago's final triumph over his own weakness to beat him here? Or something? Anyway, yeah, this finale is 1000% Kiva, whatever else it is. That final minute especially is the absolute most wonderful way imaginable to close out the show. It's like the whimsy that went away during the melodramatic back half came back all at once, AND it's thematically on-point to have Wataru's kid show up. Like, yes. Absolutely yes to the Kurenai family just having to deal with wacky time adventures forever now. Why would anyone say "no" to that?
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07-06-2021, 08:46 PM | #800 |
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You say the Ixa glove bit doesn't add any further depth to Wataru and Otoya's relationship, for example, but I don't think it needs to. It's the same thing as RabbitDragon in Build – a summation of all that you've seen over the course of the story. Just like the core of that show was how a genius physicist and a meathead fighter were always the Best Match, Kiva beautifully encapsulates how the bond between a father and son transcends time by demonstrating that Otoya will always be there to lend Wataru a hand, literally, even if he's only there in spirit.
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There are things about it I love conceptually for sure, but my most vivid memory of those scenes, my most visceral reaction, was how thoroughly baffled I felt when Maya told her sons to beat each other up so they could "feel each other's souls". In the moment, it was simply because I thought it sort of unnecessarily undercut the fact that they just reconciled, but in retrospect, it's like... what the heck were you thinking writing that, Inoue-san!? What kind of a message is that to send to the kids watching these shows!? And then the fighting isn't even choreographed like casual roughhousing; Taiga and Wataru are kicking the s*** out of each other there! There have to be healthier ways to vent these emotions, guys!
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