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04-04-2021, 09:32 AM | #16511 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,553
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Well, I made it to the end of Skyrider, after a hiatus of over a year.
I definitely think it was stronger as a show in the first half. The second half just had a load of loose mini-series that didn’t seem to accomplish anything. And then there’s GanGan-G. Even at the end, I never figured out what they wanted to do with him. |
04-04-2021, 06:12 PM | #16512 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Kurona's Rider Rewatch
It’s Kamen Rider’s 50th anniversary, and while I've got one particular main way of celebrating that occasion, with something new I'll get to in a second... it feels almost wrong to celebrate such a momentous anniversary - 50 years!! - of a franchise that is very beloved and dear to my heart, without going back and revisiting seasons I’ve seen that hold a lot of significance to me. So... once a day, for the next week or so; I’m going to go back to the first episode of a season that has grand importance to Kamen Rider as a whole and/or is one of my favourites that had a big impact on me. This is going to be in three parts, as there's 9 series I'm looking at here and they divide very neatly into three categories at a time each; so I won't take up much of your time. Heck, for all I know I won't even take up that much -- I had a little OOO and Ghost rewatch blog going on here and I didn't find the energy to keep that up, so fingers crossed I stick with this little one! Regardless, I'm gonna kick this off already -- with the starts to this franchise's three eras. Kamen Rider Episode 1 So. Episode 1 of Kamen Rider! Ever! This is the big way I'm celebrating this year, as I put up top -- I haven't dug into Showa much at all, really. I can list the totality of it right now: I've seen Amazon, Black, the three Ishinomori movies (which... do they even really count??), and even outside of Rider I've only gone as far as watching Ultra Q, a couple episodes of Goranger and most of Dynaman (still watching! Still loving!). Heck, Amazon and the three movies were literally because they were the shortest ones and Black because it was the 'closest' to Heisei! And that's just not right for such a big fan of these franchises and who defends Showa and its traits and ideals so much, y'know? So... yeah, screw it; I'm gonna go ahead and take on the massive task of the 98-episode original Kamen Rider. This oughta be quite a time! That said... this actually isn’t my first time watching this first episode; I watched it when it went up on Toei’s channel not long ago, but that didn't take away from how much... reverence I had watching it this time? I watched this on the day of Rider's 50th itself, not long after the clocks hit midnight in Japan; so this was a very special one to me -- I wanted to commemorate this franchise I love so much on its biggest day in a while with something big, and as such this is going to lead into me watching the entire show for the first time. I wanted to really pay attention, soak it in and not dismiss it as something silly. Which is almost a shame, because there’s a lot of silly funny parts! I think there’s a very big tendency to overlook that in retrospect -- the setting and world the show paints is dark and foreboding enough, but the way it’s done involves weirdness upon weirdness even for Toku. Shocker’s ideal candidate is someone with 600 IQ and ‘is good at sports’; Takeshi Hongou just has 600 IQ for that matter; there’s these weird Shocker Girls in swimsuits and fishnets that show up just to giggle and do a scene transition. And that’s sort of the tone of the show’s storytelling, too -- if I had one word for it, it would be that it's very raw storytelling. It’s quite compact, mind; very tight storytelling that doesn’t dally too much on a single element and packs a lot into its introduction. It also is not subtle in the slightest about anything and wears its symbolism and themes on its sleeves -- Takeshi Hongou’s heroism isn’t portrayed primarily through his actions or with little hints and puzzle pieces; but through his grand declaration quite out of nowhere that he will always fight for peace and justice immediately after escaping. His fears and insecurities of being seen as a monster are almost portrayed in a strictly visual sense through his newfound super strength preventing him from helping the man in his care; before he goes on a lengthy monologue about how others won’t see him as human. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a criticism; something the show really had to figure out... but I’d also be lying if I said there wasn’t an inherent appeal in Ishinomori’s strict dedication to ideals and to portraying heroism against fascism here; and how it’s completely thrown in your face as an abject statement of intent. There’s really quite something to all conventional storytelling methods being abandoned for “Fascism sucks, Takeshi Hongou feels he’s not human but will fight for humanity anyway, here’s him beating up a spider guy”. It’s very panto-like and that’s something I’ve found in the limited amount of Showa I’ve watched; grand declarations and leaving absolutely nothing to imagination or subtext to the degree there’s no doubt in the viewer’s mind about what you’re saying or much room for interpretation. It’s a play that knows what it’s about, wants you to know just as much, and does so in large sweeping strokes. It’s a fascinating start to this franchise and I’m excited to get into more of it! Kamen Rider Kuuga Episode 1 Kamen Rider Kuuga. Where do I start with this one? It’s well-renowned as a beautiful, artistic series; one where many - including myself - would go as far as arguing that every single shot of every episode is deeply intentional and considered, a show that’s coming both from a place of love and nostalgia and a place of interrogating what does and doesn’t work about its genre; a show that puts so much faith in its messages of non-violence that it risked toy sales in such a way that Bandai would surely have pulled the plug were it not for its being a runaway success with its audience. It’s a magical show and one that I don’t think is ever going to run out of interesting things to discuss. I think there might be a thread on this website about that? Something about a fish watching every episode again and going into great detail and inviting constructive discussion? But one thing that I think does go understated is how much work goes into making its cast and setting feel normal. Perhaps more than most Tokusatsu seasons I could name (only Hibiki comes to mind) Kuuga’s characters from the outset are made to feel so grounded in the normal and mundane. Godai Yusuke is introduced to us doing that classic Kamen Rider deed of helping a kid he found... but it’s not necessarily any extraordinary feat, it’s simply that he happened to come across this crying kid and decides to try and make him smile before their parents can find them. Godai’s concern for people in need, Sawatari’s shock and horror, Ichijou’s simple offer to turn off video evidence if it gets too much for the two -- every moment with these characters reminds me of why I fell in love with them, because they’re all so human. Exaggeration can be an important tool to a genre like this but Kuuga has always stood out to me for how genuine it makes its characters in every scene, and that’s the strength of the show to me. And it’s perfect for Kamen Rider because it translates into what’s so wonderful about this show: like so many before him and so many to succeed him, Godai decides to become Kamen Rider Kuuga and grab the belt because he saw people in danger, and disregarded all risks to himself to do something about it. And it leads to a hell of a battle -- there’s obvious props to not even debuting Kuuga’s actual main form in the first episode and leaving it till the second, but that’s not all in this show’s bag of tricks. The way they portray the power yet weakness of Kuuga Growing through his pushing the van; the way skirmishes in tight spaces like the helicopter and the rooftop ledge invite real fear; the way that this first battle is no heroic entrance but a downright struggle which the second episode will reveal did not even end in victory? Like I said, the creative team’s decisions with this show are a constant gamble that were it not for Kuuga’s immediate popularity would not have paid off, and it’s the sort of thing that makes this show all the more rewarding and impressive. Kuuga’s dedication to its portrayal of violence as nothing that’s ever good or noble is present not just in its infamous final battle but right here in the first episode that’s supposed to get people hooked and excited, and that’s fantastic. Which, finally, leads to one of the last shots of the episode and one of the single things about Kuuga’s first episode and Kuuga as a whole -- Godai, transformed into this terrible powerful monster is alone on a helicopter with Ichijou, the police officer he just saved. Ichijou wonders out loud if this creature has just saved him, but it’s a tense and doubtful situation for sure -- so what does Godai do? He gives a simple thumbs up. It’s what Kuuga is famous for, for sure; but it’s the most perfect thing in the world -- a universal symbol that means peace and approval but is also obviously one that’s so casual and normal and human -- and that’s the one Godai chooses, that’s the motion that captures what a thousand words could not: the simple, normal human he is that just chose to help because he could. I love Kuuga. Kamen Rider Zero-One Episode 1 Zero-One... is easily the series I'm rewatching here that I have the most mixed feelings about. I'd be lying if I said I didn't largely base the choice to watch this off of being the start to the Reiwa Era, and my issues with it I really haven't made a secret of on this website! Like... wow, actually, I really did go on about those last episodes more than I wanted to back when. But this is about celebrating Rider's 50th, not going into those criticisms again -- especially when there's plenty of things I adore about this show, this very episode being one of them! There's a lot of things in this episode to praise -- like Kamen Rider up there and a lot of other Rider season premieres it's a very compact first episode, fitting in a lot of things with the very natural and easy-to-grasp worldbuilding, Aruto's wonderful characterisation, the themes of dreams and even a small look and foreshadowing into Fuwa's journey, which just goes to show how far that amazing character came. And all of that is awesome! Very awesome, in fact -- I know a lot of people didn't like Aruto's mugging to the camera and over-the-top humour, but... heck with it, maybe I'm a sucker for that kind of thing but I sure liked it; endeared him to me very quickly and stood out as different compared to just about any main Rider I can recall. Definitely stands as a contrast to Kuuga's down-to-earth approach, at least -- heck, he even has the same "oh shoot someone's in danger? Give me that driver" approach, how can I not love him here? But the thing that stands out most to me? This should probably come as no surprise at all, but my god the style in this show is INSANE! Everything from the striking Humagear suits instantly selling you on the concept; to the blimps in the air not making you blink an eye and drawing you into this world; to the sponsor page being a beauty to behold; to the set design to the bombastic music to the camera angles to every little frame from the fight scene... good god this is an assault on your senses in the best of ways. I've got a bit of criticism with the bus scene (CGI in Rider has never been good but this one really took me out of it), but everything else here is a sheer rush of adrenaline that makes sure to leave a mark. I've long felt that Zero-One has never truly felt like the start of a new era as much as W - who doesn't get such a moniker - did, but you can tell they were trying with how they constructed each scene. A lot of people cite Wizard as being one of the most stylish seasons in the franchise, and I'll agree with that, but for me Zero-One has taken the top spot of that category. If nothing else, this was an unforgettable start to Reiwa!
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04-04-2021, 06:31 PM | #16513 |
Reiei
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,691
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Kuuga really was a product of its time, huh? Before any of the TV Asahi guidelines, restrictions, and what not. Really makes it look a lot more different. I love Godai's struggle with the Growing suit. It's always tense in the later parts of the show where the Growing form shows up again. 10-ish episodes I think there the times it showed up. Somehow I also haven't found the thought of grabbing the SS SHF of any Kuuga lol.
This does make me think, what're your favorite ways to introduce a main rider. I love the "Rider struggles really hard as he transforms for the first time", but I did like Build's way "Oh, he's already a rider before the show started." It doesn't get in the way of introducing the belt, the main hero's resolve to use it, and the trinkets all in the one episode. Instead, opting to explain it further in to the story. |
04-04-2021, 07:25 PM | #16514 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,424
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Quote:
It’s very panto-like and that’s something I’ve found in the limited amount of Showa I’ve watched; grand declarations and leaving absolutely nothing to imagination or subtext to the degree there’s no doubt in the viewer’s mind about what you’re saying or much room for interpretation. It’s a play that knows what it’s about, wants you to know just as much, and does so in large sweeping strokes.
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04-04-2021, 07:25 PM | #16515 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Quote:
This does make me think, what're your favorite ways to introduce a main rider. I love the "Rider struggles really hard as he transforms for the first time", but I did like Build's way "Oh, he's already a rider before the show started." It doesn't get in the way of introducing the belt, the main hero's resolve to use it, and the trinkets all in the one episode. Instead, opting to explain it further in to the story.
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04-04-2021, 08:29 PM | #16516 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,424
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Quote:
And that’s sort of the tone of the show’s storytelling, too -- if I had one word for it, it would be that it's very raw storytelling. It’s quite compact, mind; very tight storytelling that doesn’t dally too much on a single element and packs a lot into its introduction. It also is not subtle in the slightest about anything and wears its symbolism and themes on its sleeves -- Takeshi Hongou’s heroism isn’t portrayed primarily through his actions or with little hints and puzzle pieces; but through his grand declaration quite out of nowhere that he will always fight for peace and justice immediately after escaping. His fears and insecurities of being seen as a monster are almost portrayed in a strictly visual sense through his newfound super strength preventing him from helping the man in his care; before he goes on a lengthy monologue about how others won’t see him as human. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a criticism; something the show really had to figure out... but I’d also be lying if I said there wasn’t an inherent appeal in Ishinomori’s strict dedication to ideals and to portraying heroism against fascism here; and how it’s completely thrown in your face as an abject statement of intent. There’s really quite something to all conventional storytelling methods being abandoned for “Fascism sucks, Takeshi Hongou feels he’s not human but will fight for humanity anyway, here’s him beating up a spider guy”.
It’s very panto-like and that’s something I’ve found in the limited amount of Showa I’ve watched; grand declarations and leaving absolutely nothing to imagination or subtext to the degree there’s no doubt in the viewer’s mind about what you’re saying or much room for interpretation. It’s a play that knows what it’s about, wants you to know just as much, and does so in large sweeping strokes. It’s a fascinating start to this franchise and I’m excited to get into more of it! |
04-04-2021, 09:21 PM | #16517 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Yay!
This was exactly the sort of pick-me-up I needed after spending a ton of time digging through Nobuhiro Suzumura tweets. Just a couple thoughts to chip in real quick: - The theatricality of older toku shows like the OG Kamen Rider is something I really hope never goes totally unappreciated. I get that shows like Kuuga represent progress and all, but I'll also always see that kind of thing of as more of a shift than anything. I think there's absolutely a validity to the blunt approach those shows employed. I guess to put it in the most pithy way possible, TV screens back in those days were tiny, but the heroes on them still seemed as large as ever. - The phrase "I love Kuuga" definitely sums it up! - Sugihara's visual style for Zero-One is seriously something else. His work on Lupinranger VS Patranger was crazy impressive, those Agito episodes of Zi-O were crazy impressive, and his episodes of Zero-One are crazy impressive, which in retrospect was also probably helped out a great deal by Jun Watanabe's role as the action director. Between that, the really tight script, and the immediate talent of the cast, Zero-One's premiere would probably easily slide into a top 10 of the whole franchise for me. There's not a moment in it I feel is wasted, nor anything that feels missing. That we did!
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04-04-2021, 09:31 PM | #16518 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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I always consider how different things were culturally and in society when I go back to older shows like this. Like, it's difficult to appreciate when you've no direct experience of it; but we're talking about an era where you had no internet or wider discussion about these sorts of things, there were limited timeslots and channels for heroes to even exist on, TV and its genres as a whole had been around for very little time comparatively and following on from that you don't have many if any formal education and schools teaching conventional storytelling techniques for writers and directors to come from; and a large part of it is experience... I look back on shows like this and I see for the creative team the same passion and love for what's being done, but without all the technical skill and theory that would evolve later; and for audiences that this is the one time every week they get to see a cool hero save the day and be wowed by something as simple as a giant robot fight or a henshin. It's a far simpler time and I always feel the need to appreciate that context!
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04-05-2021, 03:18 AM | #16519 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 462
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I was born in 92 and can actually remember 1998 and 9 for what it's worth, for actual 90s toku memories though being in Britain it is just basically one time in summer 1999 when SM:tv Live happened to alternately show the odd In Space episode and I remember seeing Grandma Matchmaker!
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04-10-2021, 07:50 AM | #16520 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,553
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Well, given we’ve got three years of it being Rider’s 50th (according to the livestream), I decided now was as good a time as any to watch Birth of the 10th.
Boy does this thing spend a lot of time on info dumps. They take so long I’m not even sure if we’re supposed to care about the professor and the little girl. And apparently, if time and space are broken, you can fix it by kicking a dude. Though I like that Mikage got a little more character than the usual “guy turned into a monster” in Showa series. |
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