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01-07-2023, 10:48 PM | #81 |
Filthy SU/FE Trash
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 572
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Just wanted to give a heads up aside from Zero One for obvious reasons this show was the most affected by COVID it does a lot of things to ensure actors don't have to be on set together early on plus another heads up this show is written by the same person who wrote Ghost for the first half especially the first arc, as such expect a lot of stupidity in said arc IMO this show has the opposite problem as Build/Revice and the same problem as Drive the first frew arcs of the show is the worst part of it by far it does become really good once you get to the 20ies but you have to sit through a lot of trash to get to that point
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01-07-2023, 11:29 PM | #82 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Just wanted to give a heads up aside from Zero One for obvious reasons this show was the most affected by COVID it does a lot of things to ensure actors don't have to be on set together early on plus another heads up this show is written by the same person who wrote Ghost for the first half especially the first arc, as such expect a lot of stupidity in said arc IMO this show has the opposite problem as Build/Revice and the same problem as Drive the first frew arcs of the show is the worst part of it by far it does become really good once you get to the 20ies but you have to sit through a lot of trash to get to that point
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01-08-2023, 02:36 AM | #83 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,410
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So I forgot that this was the first episode with Kento and Ogami and Other Guy That I Won't Name Because Maybe Spoilers. That is a lot and it is very on-brand for early Saber. This part of the show has some of the same issues that the first few episodes of Zi-O had in that they just cram in so much that you're constantly being inundated with so many new characters and concepts that it can feel hard to keep up with it all. There's also a number of things that the show seems to just assume you'll understand without any relevant explanations being provided until later, which I always find annoying.
You know who's not annoying, though? Ogami. This was a character that I was really wrong about at the outset of the show. I assumed that he was going to be one of two things: either a minor, passing through Kamen Rider that would only be in a few episodes (a la Danki or Sabaki) or that the show was setting up him and his kid because he was going to tragically die during these two episodes. This wasn't too long after I made the call that Azu would only be in a couple of clipshows for Zero-One and wasn't a real character. I was not good at making predictions in 2020 (I hope that's not giving away too much about Ogami by referencing things he doesn't end up doing in this two-parter). In any case, he's a fun character, I like his relationship with his son, and his weapon is very obviously and hilariously made of lightweight, bendy foam in most shots. I wasn't a fan, but I accept it under the light that Toei was trying to cut down on the amount of time that actors had to be unmasked around each other. I suspect that the reason why we got both ending credits and lots of stock footage sequences was just another COVID safety measure. |
01-08-2023, 03:37 AM | #84 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,526
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I'm a Buster fan. Not necessarily because of the show though.
There's a spin-off manga called "Separate Volume Kamen Rider Saber Manga: Kamen Rider Buster" telling Ogami's origin story, that manga is my favorite piece of Kamen Rider Saber fiction. I like it better than the entire show. So what I'm trying to say is, you should definitely read it. I'm unsure about when though. It features characters you haven't seen yet so right now is definitely too early. It was released in bits alongside the show, so maybe you could read it like that? I did some digging and this is how each chapter was released, after the episode of the show:
Technically there's nothing stopping you from reading it all at one point though, as the manga spoils nothing, it takes place entirely before the show. Although I do remember that the manga ultimately tells you what happened with Ogami's wife but the show takes a while to do so, so you might find out about that by reading the manga before the show tells it to you. Given when the manga was released that might've been intentional though. When they finally addressed it in the show it felt like such an obvious afterthought to me that I assumed they only wrote that scene in after the manga was finished. The absolute safe route would be reading it all after you finish watching the show I guess. But please do read it. Last edited by Kiwami; 01-08-2023 at 03:46 AM.. |
01-08-2023, 05:14 AM | #85 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 1,290
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His philosophy about keeping promises could be founded in this, one that I also share. I have little tolerance for people who throw around promises like spare change without the will to follow through on them. Words have power and like any weapon, it's important to wield them wisely and with honor. While Touma does make a dangerous amount of big promises that I would probably feel uncomfortable with, he definitely risks his life to see them through. Fukuda managed to write yet another protagonist after Takeru whose heroism really shined for me. Easily my favorite Reiwa protagonist so far!
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Revi for me, but Saber is a solid second. I used to think Brave Dragon was overdesigned, but I gradually grew to love it for its own merits. The dragon looks kind of derpy with its tongue sticking out, but in an adorable kind of way that reminds me of Go-Onger's Engines. My only main complaint is how the Wonder Ride Books stand out too much on the Seiken SworDriver, unlike the Progrise Keys that were neatly stored inside the Zero One Driver.
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For sure, Rintarou the Eclair Man is my favorite Reiwa Secondary Rider so far! Like, even without the superficially edgy coolness that brooding antihero types have, Rintarou isn't some pushover to be taken lightly. His politeness and affability arguably makes him look more impressive, since he lets his skill and discipline as a Swordsman speak for itself. He's like a competent version of Tachibana in that way, with how he strives to be a good example and sempai to Touma. It's not surprising that Mei is so impressed by him.
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KAMEN RIDER SABER EPISODE 3 - “A FATHER, AND A SWORDSMAN”
This one’s the first two-parter in the series, so it gets a little bit of slack for not exactly tying its many threads together as elegantly as I’d like, but… wow, it’s a messy one. We’ve only just met Kento (I think that’s his name? There are a lot of introductions in this episode!), gotten a hint of his role in Touma’s Narratively-Convenient Amnesia, before he’s basically gone from this episode entirely. It’s so weird that he’s a member of the Sword of Logos, is hanging out at their North Pole base, but doesn’t go with the rest of the team when there’s a monster to detonate and a boy to save. I guess it’s some COVID restriction on how many actors/suits they could use at once? But the episode never even bothers to explain why he showed up at the bookshop, said Hi, and then went back to his job. Kento was just, like, checking in? I guess? It’s such a random element of the narrative, with so much weight coming off the cliffhanger, to then be nothing more than some light exposition and hints toward the greater mystery. Quote:
And Buster’s, just, like: yeah. Yeah, it would be awesome as a kid to have your dad be a Kamen Rider with a big-ass sword who takes you to monster detonations like it’s a trip to the store. But as an adult, Buster just feels like a guy who’d be crushed under the weight of too many responsibilities, if he wasn’t so resilient. Like his turtle inspiration, he’s built to carry an insane amount of weight on his back, in a way that makes him almost long for the contradictions of Warrior Dad. He’s a dedicated soldier in a war against the apocalypse, but he’s also a devoted father who thinks his kid’s awesome. Like Rintaro, he’s just really wholesome and cool?
For Saber and Blades though, while Saber does have potential before, it seems that Blades still has some edge over him, like how he uses Peter Fantasia, and as usual, Blades isn't condescending seeing Saber's failed use. But wonder what if Peter Fantasia is the first one Saber used when Blades claimed he's not ready for 2 volumes yet. Quote:
The thing that elevates the story is that, like many adults, he finds the flightiness of young men in tokusatsu series to be an endless frustration, so he immediately dislikes Touma’s fascination with the narrative power of his life. He doesn’t have the bandwidth to think about the thematic relevance of his duties; he’s got too many duties. For a Saber that’s all about the power of storytelling, and a Blades that’s all about the impossibility of living up to the stories that taught us, here’s a Buster to show us what it’s like when indulging in fiction can cost you everything.
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The Watch Threads were originally just a thing to get me current; I was inevitably going to catch up, and that point arrives with Revice this spring. Any post-Revice shows... we'll see? There'll be a slowdown -- I want to spend the second half of the year reformatting all of the posts TokuNation broke, and then putting them on my own site for safe-keeping -- but I'm interested in spending a few years (!) covering all the Heisei shows I never wrote up, and trying out some other franchises. I can see there being a Rewatches Geats Etc series of threads, but I'll probably give them some distance first. Geats would be... god, maybe 2026? At the earliest?
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(I get real mad about the Keiwa Is Kagami 2.0 people! They are very different! They have very different places in their respective narratives!!!)
Anyway, yeah, I like how easy the teamwork is for our Riders. This isn't Zero-One or Ex-Aid (or Geats), where part of the thematic framework is in trying to examine terms like Friendship or Cooperation. It's a show about how we process storytelling: how it gives us strength or locks us into roles. It doesn't benefit from Blades and Saber being assholes to each other. And Ogami's son is also named "Sora".
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01-08-2023, 05:45 AM | #86 |
Yodonna oshi
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 748
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You have distilled everything I love about Oogami in this line. I actually want to cry because I am very emotional about how wonderful he is as a character; for me, he is the most important Heirei Rider since Hibiki - which, ah, is me really laying my cards on the table in regards to my specific emotional damage, I guess. tl;dr he's amazing. Hands down the best character to appear in this franchise in a long time. also: your story was beautiful. <3 |
01-08-2023, 07:46 AM | #87 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 318
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As I said, Saber's first arc is wonky, but in a charming way, I'd say.
As for Rintaro and Ogami? Love em to bits! In general, I love how little conflict there is between them here. Sure, some small gripes, but in general, they all just kinda work together. And as messy as the first arc can be, it works well as a baseline introduction to these characters in a lower stakes environment, something I always appreciated. As for the structure of the Swords of Logos. Yeah, Saber loves just dropping some info and then letting it simmer for a good amount of episodes before going into detail. Some dislike that style; I personally love it. There is a lot of seemingly unimportant information in early Saber that gets brought up again later and kinda recontextualises other stuff. And that made watching week to week feel very rewarding since when you looked back, you could draw out a clear path for things to develop.
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01-08-2023, 08:39 AM | #88 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,570
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I wasn't a fan, but I accept it under the light that Toei was trying to cut down on the amount of time that actors had to be unmasked around each other. I suspect that the reason why we got both ending credits and lots of stock footage sequences was just another COVID safety measure.
The best we got was during Brain's specials. But now we've got them in full force for Saber. I'll absolutely admit though that I adore the Saber Eyectaches. They're a lot more extravagant than the other ones but also still relatively simple. Plus it's kinda cool to have you see like what they consider the important books of the episode. |
01-08-2023, 12:24 PM | #89 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
You know who's not annoying, though? Ogami. This was a character that I was really wrong about at the outset of the show. I assumed that he was going to be one of two things: either a minor, passing through Kamen Rider that would only be in a few episodes (a la Danki or Sabaki) or that the show was setting up him and his kid because he was going to tragically die during these two episodes. This wasn't too long after I made the call that Azu would only be in a couple of clipshows for Zero-One and wasn't a real character. I was not good at making predictions in 2020 (I hope that's not giving away too much about Ogami by referencing things he doesn't end up doing in this two-parter). In any case, he's a fun character, I like his relationship with his son, and his weapon is very obviously and hilariously made of lightweight, bendy foam in most shots.
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Dunno what are your expectations here, but probably this is meant to 'subvert' expectations again? In case you'd think Kento has minor role. Probably this is sorta a 'filler'/out of place introduction, but no need overthinking in this case for Kento coming to the place and checking in, I mean as this episode establishes, Kento is Touma's childhood friend, why can't he check in to reunite with his friend?
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I. AM. HERE.
You have distilled everything I love about Oogami in this line. I actually want to cry because I am very emotional about how wonderful he is as a character; for me, he is the most important Heirei Rider since Hibiki - which, ah, is me really laying my cards on the table in regards to my specific emotional damage, I guess. tl;dr he's amazing. Hands down the best character to appear in this franchise in a long time. also: your story was beautiful. <3 And, yeah, I'm excited to learn more about Buster. Shit, I'm excited to learn more about all of these weirdo sword mans. Beyond being interesting representations of how stories create mental frameworks for how we interact with the world, they're just such a nicely disparate group of personalities. It's a fun cast! Quote:
As for the structure of the Swords of Logos. Yeah, Saber loves just dropping some info and then letting it simmer for a good amount of episodes before going into detail. Some dislike that style; I personally love it. There is a lot of seemingly unimportant information in early Saber that gets brought up again later and kinda recontextualises other stuff. And that made watching week to week feel very rewarding since when you looked back, you could draw out a clear path for things to develop.
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01-08-2023, 03:59 PM | #90 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Saber Episode 3
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Anyway, yeah, Saber is still very much in its early weird messy phase with this one, which leaves my thoughts on it, going from memory at least, pretty much identical to the prior episode. Fantastic introduction to a new main character, lots of breezy fun action, surprisingly strong world-building under the hood, all packaged together in a very strange way that's almost certainly going to drag the overall experience down for people who aren't just inherently on the show's wavelength the way I am. Buster's real great though. Most of the things I could say about him probably don't need explaining, so I'll guess I'll take this opportunity to mention suit actor trivia because why not? I haven't brought up that Saber himself is Kousuke Asai, who has become a new favorite for me in recent years thanks to his ability to emote on a level that approaches Takaiwa's heights (just watch him as Don Momotaro!), Blades is Eitoku, who I've felt similar about for even longer, and as Buster, we've got Jirou Okamoto, Kamen Rider Black himself, who is perhaps the only real choice to portray a seasoned veteran member of his organization who can dominate a scene with a touch of old-school intensity. Like, man, I wonder how hard it was for him to get inside Ogami's head! (Plus, Calibur is Kuuga's suit actor, Kenji Tominaga, making this the second year in a row a Heisei star came back to beat on the new kids as a purple bad guy.) I went to look this up out of curiosity and, just in case there was any doubt, apparently it has been mentioned in some magazine interview or another that the ED and eyecatches were indeed a conscious decision to reduce the amount of new footage they'd need to fill out an episode. Between this and the stuff I've heard about the early story plans, it's curious to think just how many things I like in Saber only came about because of the unfortunate realities of when it was produced.
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