|
Community Links |
Members List |
Search Forums |
Advanced Search |
Go to Page... |
|
Thread Tools |
08-18-2022, 11:15 PM | #851 |
Reiei
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,691
|
I'm actually kind of... disappointed by Raiden and Naki here. They kinda just stand around here without uttering much of themselves. Raiden especially, but that's only because I've just been really disappointed how tacked on he is to the group. Raiden and Naki technically don't even have a reason to be in this room at all and would have honestly just immediately defected to Jin or Fuwa and Yaiba's side a long time ago.
Horobi's combo fight with Zero-Two was great, always a fan of how they handle Horobi the rider in terms of how they display his stunts. But from this point on, my view on Horobi starts to crumble. He didn't have quite much development to actually form this realization he has at the end of the episode and it just falls apart when I recall that he looked at Aruto a few episodes ago and thought: "He must be the one that'll change the fate of Humagears". I know, I know, rewrites and Covid and all, but my thoughts remain as they are. |
08-18-2022, 11:17 PM | #852 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,435
|
Gai stepping down and handing the company off to Aruto really does feel like a studio note/mandate. Not only does it go against Aruto claiming his own destiny, but it also makes it look as though Gai is dodging responsibility. Definitely one of the aspects of the show I didn't like.
__________________
|
08-19-2022, 01:04 AM | #853 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
They have him explain his motivations in less than 2 minutes, and I can see almost where he's coming from, considering how humanity is, there's definitely a chance of there being an Ark 2, but just based on the possibility that there's a chance of it happening, Horobi decides that's a good enough reason to exterminate all of humanity, I can kind of get it, but the villains in the show (and especially Horobi) haven't gotten enough development for me to understand why Horobi would do this. Though other than those two things, it was still a fine episode, not the best, but not the worst, just a plain ending to an arc for me.
Quote:
Other highlights of the episode to me, Fuwa's laugh being timed with the explosion, the short but sweet moments we get with Naki and Raiden. Some familiar faces in the Humagear's returning, that made me smile, 119nosuke's return in particular. Oh and of course, Ark attempting to retaliate only for Raiden and his bro to beat it to the punch and blow up Satellite Zea which as you described, as seen by Aruto, is not that fancy of an ending for Ark which is fitting.
Quote:
I'm actually kind of... disappointed by Raiden and Naki here. They kinda just stand around here without uttering much of themselves. Raiden especially, but that's only because I've just been really disappointed how tacked on he is to the group. Raiden and Naki technically don't even have a reason to be in this room at all and would have honestly just immediately defected to Jin or Fuwa and Yaiba's side a long time ago.
Quote:
Gai stepping down and handing the company off to Aruto really does feel like a studio note/mandate. Not only does it go against Aruto claiming his own destiny, but it also makes it look as though Gai is dodging responsibility. Definitely one of the aspects of the show I didn't like.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
08-19-2022, 02:21 AM | #854 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
|
Quote:
KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 41 - “TAKE THY NEIGHBOR’S HAND!”
This opening scene with Team Zero-One does a smart job of keeping Aruto and Izu in the frame whenever Aruto’s talking about his plans and dreams, because they’re not just his plans and dreams anymore, they’re theirs. Him and Izu are one cohesive unit now, and this framing never lets you forget it. Perfect visual gag. Perfect. The long hold on Fuwa’s face, and then the background explosion just as he breaks. Five stars. Quote:
The whole sequence of Jin’s return to MetsubouJinrai’s “No Humans Allowed” Clubhouse is full of evocative, fascinating shots. This one’s the first of several long-takes for the episode, with the group being shot through a set of blinds. It crushes down the image, creating a claustrophobia to Jin’s pleas for understanding. He’s in a familiar space, but now it’s hostile territory. By both limiting the image and extending the take, we get a lot of anxiety injected into this shot.
Otherwise, regarding Ikazuchi, his Raiden persona is completely separate, Raiden was always good, but Ark just intervened. Zea returning Raiden allows him to be the proper big brother to Subaru and Hiden's ally as he always is. Even Ark knew this, in ep. 39, it knew Raiden would turn on them and encourage Zero-One to antagonize them, so Ark returned Ikazuchi's singularity, as a deliberate way to get Aruto alone so Ark could take his Driver. And Raiden was the one who finished off Ark for good here, instead of the main protagonist. Raiden's just one of the Humagears that helping out (though he had the biggest contribution), there are others like Oyakata, 119nosuke, doctors, and nanny-types, which is a reminder that helping out isn't only about beating up bad guys. Quote:
This gag killed me, but I still hate the development. For one thing, Fukuzoe should be President of Hiden Industries. He’s a guy that never stopped fighting for that company, not just its principles. It’s totally his time to be in charge. For another thing, though: I really hate the idea of Aruto coming back to his family’s company. He specifically turned down returning to Hiden Intelligence a few episodes ago because he had his own destiny, his own dream. He could (and should) rebuild Hiden Manufacturing with Izu, honoring their dream. He could (and should) license the Humagear patents to ZAIA/HI – collaborating with Gai, which is something this show is 1000% built on – to save the day. But Gai just being like You’re The Better Man? And Aruto being like It’s Good To Be Back? No thanks! Super-duper no thanks!
Quote:
This is the part of the episode where the members of MetsubouJinrai are cut off from the Ark and need to make a decision as to whether they’ll continue to serve, or if they'll rebel against their master. The camera work on all of them are great, but I was especially fond of how trapped Ikazuchi looks in this shot.
When we saw Horobi earlier as the Ark’s emissary, he was shrouded in darkness. Here, as he chooses to defend Jin and the rest of the Humagears against the Ark’s malevolence, he’s backlit and bathed in light. Great visual cue that this is a Horobi that’s fighting for his own convictions, rather than at the whim of some orbiting tyrant. Quote:
Because the real threat hasn’t been Hate as a concept, it’s been the people who act on hate. In one of my favorite developments, Horobi has followed Phoenix from Wizard’s example and let a hero give him a pep talk that convinces him of the righteousness of his crusade against humanity. Aruto’s no longer dealing with a Horobi that’s just a vessel for mindless hatred against humanity. He’s facing a Horobi that has seen how humanity’s capacity for hatred has lead to multiple near-extinction events for Humagears, and could potentially lead to more in the future. Horobi’s war against humanity is now personal and logical, grounded in hope for his people and a desire to protect his family. He’s fighting for something now, and that makes him more dangerous than the Ark ever could be.
Quote:
Though I guess it's fine to have an anticlimax since apparently the Ark isn't the final villain, but rather Horobi, who wants to extinguish humanity so they can't make another Ark (acting as if he hadn't been the main reason that Ark had such a negative effect on humans and HumaGears), it's felt like since episode 1 that the show has intended to have Horobi be the final villain, but (just like the rest of these Covid episodes) they did it in a rather rushed way.
Quote:
"So long as human's have evil in their hearts, the Ark can return" and like, that's not a false statement in the slightest! It was thanks to Gai's animosity towards what Hiden was becoming that he filled a satellite full with malicious data. Who's to say someone else won't do something like that or worse again.
Quote:
Horobi's combo fight with Zero-Two was great, always a fan of how they handle Horobi the rider in terms of how they display his stunts. But from this point on, my view on Horobi starts to crumble. He didn't have quite much development to actually form this realization he has at the end of the episode and it just falls apart when I recall that he looked at Aruto a few episodes ago and thought: "He must be the one that'll change the fate of Humagears". I know, I know, rewrites and Covid and all, but my thoughts remain as they are.
Quote:
Gai stepping down and handing the company off to Aruto really does feel like a studio note/mandate. Not only does it go against Aruto claiming his own destiny, but it also makes it look as though Gai is dodging responsibility. Definitely one of the aspects of the show I didn't like.
__________________
The most complete non-wiki encyclopedias for Kamen Rider series (currently only found Ryuki and OOO's). |
08-19-2022, 09:44 AM | #855 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,554
|
Not much to say that hasn’t already been said, so I’ll share this here, since there isn’t really anywhere else I could’ve shared it.
Progrise: I make up a festival by all energy. Festival Entertainer: Matsurida Zett. |
08-19-2022, 10:28 AM | #856 |
本当のクロスセイバー
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Himitsu
Posts: 168
|
Boy, if you think ep 37's pacing was certainly not comfortable, this episode beat that in a certain mile. Honestly, this is the first time I don't know where to start talking. We had Gai stepping down as Hiden's President, Aruto claiming back his position in Hiden, Ark stopped using Metsubojinrai, Horobi and Jin's conflicting ideas, Ikazuchi and Naki's defection from Metsubojinrai, Horobi finally reached Singularity and betrayed the Ark, Aruto and Horobi teamed-up for the first time, and the Ark's destruction by the Uchuyaro's bros. To say the episode was bloated is an understatement. I think Die had chosen the correct step by making this episode as an image post.
This episode was the one that I thought Covid really impacted the filming. There were many neat ideas but they were hugely clammed in a single episode. I don't even mind Aruto returned back as Hiden's President because I'm honestly not surprised for them to make weird steps here and there. I mean I want Aruto and Izu to rebuild Hiden Manufacturing but when Aruto returned as the President, I was like "Well that's neat. Guess it's Aruto's lucky day." Because it lacked quite a punch, I just felt like it was just an everyday routine for Gai to play as the President and pass it on Aruto after he is bored. Rather than reiterating how splendidly Die explained Horobi, I just want to say I couldn't keep my laughter when Aruto asked Horobi "Well, do you want to join my company now?". Man, Aruto didn't quite learn from his experiences with Jin. Dude, you just teamed-up with Horobi solely to save Jin and because there was a bigger threat. Don't expect or even believe someone, who had been an antagonistic force for most of the series, suddenly became good and buddy buddy with you, especially if you barely had a heart-to-heart interaction. For someone who built the amazing Zero-Two, Aruto is still not the brightest one in this subject. One last thing, I just thought the Ark's death was cathartic and karmatic to some extent. I had said I dislike how the Ark exploited the weakpoint in our hero's side, by manipulating Aruto and Ikazuchi. So obviously it was karmatic that THESE two ended up ruining and foiling the Ark's daily life. Aruto obviously outwitted the Ark by inventing Zero-Two and Ikazuchi got the spotlight by giving the final blow to the Ark once and for all. Ikazuchi blew up the Ark might be my favorite moments in this episode beside the team up in such a bloated episode. If Die have watched Super Sentai or Power Rangers, the Ark was basically defeated in almost the same manner as many MOTW in those shows.
__________________
|
08-19-2022, 12:23 PM | #857 |
Standing By
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,108
|
Quote:
And it's also unconventional in the sense that it's technically both a Final Form and a separate Rider, since it has it's own belt. Because Zero-One has basically peaked and Aruto now has to evolve past that, into Zero-Two. Which means Metal Cluster Hopper is technically Zero-One's Final Form
Wow, okay, you totally need to do something about that! Thouzer is the MVP of the show, no contest. Quote:
KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 41 - ?TAKE THY NEIGHBOR?S HAND!?
Whole fight was a goddamn masterclass in 21st-century tokusatsu fight scenes. The music was impeccable; intense but gentle, a battle with emotional weight to it. The combo moves of Horobi and Zero-Two were stunning. The extended finisher was climactic in every sense of the word. And this one little pose of Zero-Two as he waits for the explosion looks like it belongs on a movie poster. Absolutely stellar work on this fight from everyone involved. Regarding what I mentioned before about Zero Two though, this is the peak here. It was designed to be Aruto's ultimate weapon against Ark and now that it's fulfilled that purpose, the next 4 episodes seem determined to undermine it and the few remaining appearances it does have aren't much to write home about. Quote:
Because the real threat hasn?t been Hate as a concept, it?s been the people who act on hate. In one of my favorite developments, Horobi has followed Phoenix from Wizard?s example and let a hero give him a pep talk that convinces him of the righteousness of his crusade against humanity. Aruto?s no longer dealing with a Horobi that?s just a vessel for mindless hatred against humanity. He?s facing a Horobi that has seen how humanity?s capacity for hatred has lead to multiple near-extinction events for Humagears, and could potentially lead to more in the future. Horobi?s war against humanity is now personal and logical, grounded in hope for his people and a desire to protect his family. He?s fighting for something now, and that makes him more dangerous than the Ark ever could be.
__________________
心 と 刃 |
08-19-2022, 12:48 PM | #858 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
|
Quote:
Quote:
And him being more dangerous than Ark? Eh, being dangerous or not isn't decided by someone's character, it's by their powers. You can have genocidal mindset, but you can't carry through that if you're not powerful (or not powerful enough). Horobi isn't likely to surpass Ark in fighting as Kamen Rider, who destroys everyone and only Zero-Two can match.
Quote:
Rather than reiterating how splendidly Die explained Horobi, I just want to say I couldn't keep my laughter when Aruto asked Horobi "Well, do you want to join my company now?". Man, Aruto didn't quite learn from his experiences with Jin. Dude, you just teamed-up with Horobi solely to save Jin and because there was a bigger threat. Don't expect or even believe someone, who had been an antagonistic force for most of the series, suddenly became good and buddy buddy with you, especially if you barely had a heart-to-heart interaction. For someone who built the amazing Zero-Two, Aruto is still not the brightest one in this subject.
Quote:
Except unlike Phoenix, Horobi actually has a sense of morality and misguidedly believes that committing genocide of humanity is necessary to bring justice to HumaGears, which makes his motivation more similar to Heart Roidmude. Horobi is thinking critically now after reaching singularity and it just happened that he came to the same conclusion as Ark's will, but out of fear instead of hate. He's experienced firsthand the evil in humanity and he only sees Aruto as the exception to the rule. Horobi wants to destroy the hierarchy created by humanity and he doesn't have faith in Aruto's diplomacy to do that.
__________________
Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
08-19-2022, 12:50 PM | #859 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,091
|
Aruto becoming President again worked for me. Like, I know, he went out on his own to find his own destiny...but it's still his family company, he's grown a lot since then, and there is a lot of power and authority in Hiden that he can only access as President, especially in a crisis, and Gai has come a long way in accepting Aruto. Maybe they could've built up to it a little more, but I could get behind it.
Horobi really came a long way. Finally acknowledging his parental feelings for Jin in a genuine way and standing up for him and for all Humagears against the Ark, to the point of teaming-up with a human. It's just all this self-actualization and character development, built from the kind of being Horobi is and what he's seen, ends up still leaving him the villain in the end. Because not all dreams are good, Aruto. I like how much defeating Ark was a team effort, both from Zero-Two and Horobi to the Space Brothers. Seeing the satellite get taken out when Ark least expected it was perfect. Quote:
Regarding what I mentioned before about Zero Two though, this is the peak here. It was designed to be Aruto's ultimate weapon against Ark and now that it's fulfilled that purpose, the next 4 episodes seem determined to undermine it and the few remaining appearances it does have aren't much to write home about.
|
08-19-2022, 01:28 PM | #860 |
Standing By
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,108
|
Quote:
In terms of win/loss ratio, yeah, I guess. If I had to try and explain my specific frustration, it's probably that I think Zero Two was made to seem like a bigger deal, symbolically. Instead of the generic setup of collecting all the Full Bottles or Ridewatches, it was the friendship between Aruto and Izu. Instead of an upgrade to an existing Rider System, it was an entirely new Rider created to allow Aruto to Henshin in the absence of Satellite Zea.
__________________
心 と 刃 |
|
TokuNation News & Rumors |
Kakuranger: 30 Years After |
ToyRise RyuKenDo |
Alternative Cut of "Day Of The Dumpster" Released |
Shodo SUPER Kyoryuger Teaser |
Figuarts/Seihou GRIDMAN |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:21 PM.
|