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05-13-2021, 12:59 PM | #141 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Ah, the Spider Fangire. Probably the show's most memorable villain on account of just how completely fucking weird he was. The puppets, man. The puppets.
I'm kind of mixed on the episode. I liked the parallel stories playing out across both eras and the first attempts to find something about Otoya beneath the horndog surface. Kenji Matsuda being a badass is also always welcome. The really fast back-and-forth between eras got really distracting as the episode went on, though, especially in the build up to the final fights. One of the things that I find interesting about Kiva from a design perspective is how much of a throwback the show is to Kuuga and Agito. Kiva's alternate forms are the same as Kuuga's: speedy blue, shooty green, and the other one that hasn't been seen yet but can be guessed from the pattern. The transformations are like Agito's, though, with the base suit not changing apart from an arm, the chest, and the eyes. |
05-13-2021, 01:05 PM | #142 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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This is actually something I really liked in the episode (but maybe didn't sound like it), since it made both halves feel like they were telling the same story. The way the narrative worked like a baton pass, keeping the momentum with a different lineup, I really thought it worked. It didn't feel like 1986 was a subplot to 2008 or vice versa, it felt like all four characters were in the same story.
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05-13-2021, 01:33 PM | #143 |
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Trying to find something to say about this episode, but aside from pointing out that Ryo puts both Aso ladies in different wedding dresses, everything’s been said. Hopefully, I get something out of the next two parter, since I remember at least two things about it (and neither is what people who have seen them would expect I’d remember)
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05-13-2021, 06:36 PM | #144 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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!!!
How do I never notice these things!? The way Kiva holds his arms like that is one of my favorite bits of Rider body language ever. It's a big part of what I was talking about when referring to this show's fight scenes as "romanticized". People doing thematic animal poses is such a deeply tokusatsu bit of theatricality that I'm all over, and while I understood that much about him, I've straight up never previously made the more specific connection that Kiva, the bat Rider, ~might~ be imitating a bat in his base form. I didn't even realize this was a mystery, but thanks for solving it for me, Die! Also, one thing I REALLY want to mention about episode 6 that I forgot happened here. One of the absolute most memorable moments in the entire show for me happens right at the start, when Wataru meekly points at himself when asked by Nago where Kiva went, and Nago brushes it off as a gag in poor taste. I mean, it probably seems like a minor, cheap bit to most people, with no particular significance, but I honestly think that whole back-and-forth between the two of them is a shining example of how well a stereotypical Inoue moment of misunderstanding can work with the characters, rather than against them, the way Inoue's reputation usually suggests. Like, I don't know man, it's just so brilliant to me that this early on, there's this moment where Wataru tries to make this tiny effort to clear things up in spite of himself, only to immediately shut down in the face Nago's impossibly strong personality. Poor guy tries to let someone in on his secret identity and Nago is just over there like "nice joke kid, but I gotta hurry and find that horrible monster Kiva so I can personally end his wretched existence with my own two hands!" It's seriously amazing, and legitimately in-character for the both of them. (Wataru is bad with words; Nago is crazy) From what I remember, I'm pretty sure it makes no real difference to the plot whether that beat happens or not, and if it doesn't, I really appreciate the conscious decision to write it in anyway.
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05-13-2021, 06:59 PM | #145 |
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Quote:
Also, one thing I REALLY want to mention about episode 6 that I forgot happened here. One of the absolute most memorable moments in the entire show for me happens right at the start, when Wataru meekly points at himself when asked by Nago where Kiva went, and Nago brushes it off as a gag in poor taste.
I mean, it probably seems like a minor, cheap bit to most people, with no particular significance, but I honestly think that whole back-and-forth between the two of them is a shining example of how well a stereotypical Inoue moment of misunderstanding can work with the characters, rather than against them, the way Inoue's reputation usually suggests. Like, I don't know man, it's just so brilliant to me that this early on, there's this moment where Wataru tries to make this tiny effort to clear things up in spite of himself, only to immediately shut down in the face Nago's impossibly strong personality. Poor guy tries to let someone in on his secret identity and Nago is just over there like "nice joke kid, but I gotta hurry and find that horrible monster Kiva so I can personally end his wretched existence with my own two hands!" It's seriously amazing, and legitimately in-character for the both of them. (Wataru is bad with words; Nago is crazy) From what I remember, I'm pretty sure it makes no real difference to the plot whether that beat happens or not, and if it doesn't, I really appreciate the conscious decision to write it in anyway. But it's an incredibly great moment! It's Wataru being unfailingly honest! It's Nago being so rigid in his worldview that he literally can't conceive of Kiva being an adorably awkward shut-in! It's Wataru trying to make his Work Dad understand that Kiva isn't some awful villain and getting curtly rebuffed! It's Nago being the worst partner to anyone ever by taking on the entire rescue mission by himself, accomplishing exactly nothing! It's an incredibly great moment!
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05-13-2021, 07:29 PM | #146 |
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I’mma download this all soon cause this sounds fun.
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05-13-2021, 08:02 PM | #147 |
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It is pretty fun! I would recommend trying it out, for sure. It's an entertaining story about a multi-generational war against decorative vampire monsters, waged by self-reliant women, insufferable men, and one very sweet boy who can't decided which group to draw strength from.
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05-13-2021, 08:50 PM | #148 |
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 07 - "HYMN: THREE-STAR FULL COURSE OF DARKNESS”
There's a very sweet scene in the middle of this episode that managed to showcase everything I love about Wataru, along with everything I hate about him right now. He's in the bath, and he's had a rough day. It's been non-stop bickering between Megumi and Nago, with Wataru caught in the middle, frequently literally. (In case you're unclear on the Work Dad and Work Mom metaphor here, Wataru's flashback to the restaurant fight is shot from his perspective as he crouched on the floor, making his Work Parents look gigantic and powerful and terrifying.) He doesn't understand why people argue. He doesn't understand why the world can't be a kinder, gentler place. It's such a beautiful moment. He's so personally affected by people not getting along. He's more wounded by seeing the people he respects argue than he is getting mauled by a Fangire. He's a sensitive soul; maybe the most sensitive soul one of these Kamen Rider shows has ever had. To see him take it on the chin when his Work Mom and Work Dad argue over him... I care so much about that kid. Which is why I also want to grab him by the shoulders and scream in his face PEOPLE CAN'T GET ALONG BECAUSE NAGO IS A CONTROLLING ASSHOLE WHO IS USING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AN ABUSER TO ISOLATE YOU FROM ANYONE WHO WOULD LESSEN HIS GRIP ON YOU, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKING TO DIMINISH MEGUMI'S CAREER OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE HE CAN'T WIN UNLESS SOMEONE ELSE LOSES. It's a story that is so colossally one-sided in portraying Nago as Maybe The Actual Devil that it is frustrating to see Wataru even briefly try to Both Sides it. And, you know, I get it. I get that we're still in a period where Wataru is trying to fill the Otoya-shaped void in his life, so he's going to be easily manipulated by Work Dads and skeptical of Work Moms. This is a story about how partnerships that are destructive can cause problems for more than just the people in them, so it's fair for Wataru to be the kid who just wants Work Mom and Work Dad to get along. Wataru isn't really doing anything unexpected here, and the metaphorical weight of this story is going to make certain demands of him, narratively. It's just, Nago is so relentlessly callous and controlling here that it is heartbreaking to watch Wataru get so spun around. When Nago is screaming at Wataru to ignore anyone who would contradict him; that only Nago will ever tell Wataru the truth... DARK! Very dark stuff, and it's honestly hard to deal with Wataru getting so manipulated. It's a problem with this story, maybe. It's a story that has some real-world emotional weight to it. This is something that children of divorce will potentially deal with: having your parents fight over you, having them try to poison you against each other. It's an intensely dramatic story that Wataru is in. It just... I don't know. It's subject matter that I respect the show for grappling with, even if the act of watching it is frustrating and anxiety-inducing. Wataru as a helpless child is both adorable and aggravating. Never dull, though. Besides the gut-churning scenes of Nago psychologically abusing Wataru, it was actually a pretty enjoyable episode of Kiva. Some great comedic beats in the first half (there's this duck quacking that they put on the soundtrack when Wataru is nodding at Nago?!?!), the middle fight against Count Fangire was exhilarating (all those quick punches to start, and then Kiva vaulting off of Nago's shoulder to escape confrontation), all wrapped up with a cliffhanger that had Zanki maybe eating a person? Dynamically shot episode with a lot of dazzling meat on the visual bones. I had a bit of a tough time with this one. It definitely got me emotionally involved, but maybe to a degree where it was hard to watch. It took a story that looked like it was just going to be about Odd Couple partnerships, and then switched it up into a story about children torn between two parents. I love the concept, even if I spent a few scenes wanting to both save Wataru and shake some goddamn sense into him. He's a sweet boy! I don't like to see him get used like this!
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05-13-2021, 09:24 PM | #149 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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I wish I had something interesting to contribute about the episode (I definitely need to start talking more about Wataru soon), but I mostly just... really liked the tone of that last post? It really comes across how invested you already are in this cast of oddballs. At any rate, the episode being visually dynamic is no surprise when 7/8 are Tasaki's next pair after the first two.
...And while it isn't more relevant to this episode than any other, I'd be remiss not to share the grandiose music that heralds Kiva's form changes. It's the song so epic, it makes Zanki stop caring about his house of cards! ...Or is it his lust for blood that does that???
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05-13-2021, 09:43 PM | #150 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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I wish I had something interesting to contribute about the episode (I definitely need to start talking more about Wataru soon), but I mostly just... really liked the tone of that last post? It really comes across how invested you already are in this cast of oddballs. At any rate, the episode being visually dynamic is no surprise when 7/8 are Tasaki's next pair after the first two.
Can I mention how much I adore the cutaway of a falling house of cards to run not just in an episode about Wataru's pseudo-family disintegrating, but also directly before Kiva needs to escape from Nago? Such a brilliant image to use!
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