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03-31-2022, 06:15 PM | #461 |
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 Zi-O - EP17)
He talks like he's just here to make the future a better place, but I have my doubts about this new Woz. Only a true villain would ever go out of their way to prevent there from being bike action in Kamen Rider! Anyways, yeah, it's sort of tough to say a lot about this episode as an episode, but as a launchpad for a whole new arc, I think this one does an amazing job introducing yet more clever concepts to drive Zi-O to ever greater heights of wild and exciting storytelling. ...Which is maybe an overly pretentious way to say Shinobi is really cool! And not just because he's portrayed by the actor who played my favorite character in one of my absolute favorite Super Sentai shows! (Or even because his catchphrase is legitimately the way I remember how 忍 is written!) Once again, I love how Zi-O opens up these possibilities for itself. This is a show with a format that demands there be a Very Special Guest Star every week, because it also demands there be a tribute to some Legend Rider every week... but this is also a show about its own cast, and one about time. So in comes an episode paying homage to a show that doesn't exist yet, and Zi-O suddenly has a way to give itself loads more freedom from the past, just by offering a glimpse into the future instead. It's such a natural concept for the show to explore, and an opportunity I'm very glad they didn't pass up. Much like Zi-O nailed that sense of concluding a chapter in the previous episode, it kicked off 2019 by picking a great way to shatter the expectations of the viewers, mixing up the formula in a manner that somehow sticks to the established rules at the same time it's gleefully breaking them. It's the same story with the other Woz, of course. He's a dude who came from the future to hype up an important historical figure in his younger days, and that statement is equally true of either version. Apparently a very early concept for Geiz was that he would be a sort of rival wannabe-king for Sougo, also from the present, with Woz as the judge of their competition, and while much of that obviously got changed around, I think they found a very neat way to do something broadly similar which works with Geiz's finalized role as a conflicted maybe-assassin. I say as much in my post from the time, but "Geiz gets his own Woz" is a plot point that can't help but excite. Like, it already sounds great on paper, and the execution got off to a very fun start. Kamen Rider Woz also has some really neat background music associated with him, so I'll take this opportunity to share some of that: It's another example of how much range Sahashi has, because this particular track has a vibe that's not all that far removed from a typical Kuuga rock piece, and yet, in spite of that, it still comes off totally different due to the digital-y, future-y sound of the whole thing, which obvious fits the character concept well. (I'm still not any good at describing music, by the way.) On a mostly unrelated note, I also just really like the title of this episode? I'm all about super thorough and consistent formats to those -- something that reflects the show's overall style -- and while Zi-O doesn't put ~too~ much emphasis on that, it generally sticks to these really blunt and evocative short phrases, which fits a series that's always trying to leave an impact. Especially with the gimmick of having a year in every one, I find them pretty charming.
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Last edited by Fish Sandwich; 03-31-2022 at 06:17 PM.. |
03-31-2022, 07:22 PM | #462 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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In this case, the three ninja-themed instalments of Super Sentai; Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger and Shuriken Sentai Ninninger (the latter in particular, since not only did the actor playing Rentaro appear in that show, but it shares a writing staff with Zi-O and the guy who does the Ridewatch jingles did the theme song for that show).
i read it in the decade thread i don't remember who said it, but they sounded very handsome and authoritative Quote:
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But the real sin, is the fact we do not have a Shinobi S.H. Figuarts! I want my ninja Kamen Riders, so it's a shame that Fuma doesn't have one, and nor does Shinobi! Thankfully, there's NinninComic and also Kenzan, but I cannot go without the one whose name is literally Shinobi!
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Nah, I wouldn't call them actual friends yet. Maybe Sougo would, but Geiz sure as hell ain't going to admit that. As far as he's concerned, there's a possibility he still needs to murder Sougo at some point. What they have is an understanding. Geiz accepts that Sougo is going to try and become king no matter what and Sougo accepts that Geiz is going to try and kill him if he follows the path of the evil Oma Zi-O.
I definitely don't think Geiz would call Sougo his friend -- I mean, he won't even call him Sougo -- but they're totally friends by the end of 16. It really does! I'm curious what this dude's show would've been like, which is where I hope the Rider Time special goes. Quote:
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Anyways, yeah, it's sort of tough to say a lot about this episode as an episode, but as a launchpad for a whole new arc, I think this one does an amazing job introducing yet more clever concepts to drive Zi-O to ever greater heights of wild and exciting storytelling.
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Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
03-31-2022, 09:03 PM | #463 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,398
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Shibobi! KENZAN!!!!
This arc is honestly quite interesting, considering we're gretting these Riders (who probably will never exist, but I guess this makes sense in the context of the series, which I'll elaborate more on later), but that they're from the future? That's a neat idea. I will admit that I like real Woz better than French Woz, but both are pretty fun characters (as you'll see later), and the Shinobi arc is good too! I love how the Another Rider is the person who will become the Rider he's based on, and it makes for an interesting arc. Speaking of the Que-Bon! Ryusoulger dance, Ryusoulger is one of my favorite Sentai, and the trend where people would do that dance was really fun, seeing the Zi-O cast (Woz carrying his book at all times and practically giving up is hilarious), Ryusoulger Villains, Lupinranger and Patrangers, and of course, Shinobi himself, is really fun. (I also admit, I too danced the Ryusoulger after beating Cuphead, but that's another story.) And those "Rejoice" shampoo jokes are hilarious! I wish my hair could be as gorgeous as that! |
03-31-2022, 09:10 PM | #464 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Fun change!
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03-31-2022, 10:22 PM | #465 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 18 - “AMAZING! TIME! FUTURE! 2022”
There’s a scene in the middle of this episode that worked astonishingly well, and it almost has me liking this episode. I mostly didn’t? Hat Woz is a fun idea, but he ends up imbalancing the show in ways that make it basically The Hat Woz Show (Featuring Sougo). He adds some complexity and menace to the series – so much so that I’m not at all sure why you still need three Time Jackers – but it comes at the cost of flow and pacing. Geiz and Tsukuyomi more or less disappear from this episode after the first act. Uncle’s not in it at all. Woz is left to be anxious and uncertain, which is sort of a bummer. (I like the show stretching his character, but I miss his over-the-top sycophancy and thinly-veiled wisecracks!) Swartz’z plan is clever in the conception, but pretty standard in the execution. There’s a lot around the edges of this one that just feels like an early episode with a new coat of paint, but missing the parts I enjoyed. It’s just Hat Woz, doing a Hat Woz plan. Most of everything from Kamen Rider Zi-O got put on the back-burner. But that scene with Sougo and Shinobi! That was worth a bunch of dull plotting. It’s a fun way to redefine what Sougo hopes to achieve as a Kamen Rider, now that Dominating The Earth In A Good Way is sort of problematic. He needs an outlook that’s less about magnanimous control, and more about what he hopes to achieve in saving lives. Shinobi’s a guy who can’t wait to be a better version of himself, so he risks becoming a monster today. He doesn’t have faith in his ability to reach his potential, so he resigns himself to someone else’s strategy. He’s too focused on his present, and what that lacks: power, mostly, but also a sense of purpose. He could work hard to become the best version of himself, but what if that never happens? What if this is as good as he gets? Why not take the Time Jackers up on their offer to make him so unbeatable that it doesn’t matter if he’s terrifying the very people he hoped to inspire? It’s a problem that Sougo can empathize with. Sougo’s someone who looked at his future as too bleak to move towards. But Geiz helped him realize that the future is what we make of it. If you surrender to fear and anger, yeah, future’s gonna be a pretty dark place. But if you work to achieve your goals, and stay a good person, maybe the future can be what you’d dreamed. Sougo’s fighting as Kamen Rider Zi-O to give people like Shinobi the chance to meet better versions of themselves in the future. He wants them to see that their choices are theirs to make, and that nothing’s set in stone. So it makes sense to have Hat Woz as the villain of the piece. He’s like Woz, naturally. He’s someone who sees people as completed stories; their arcs a single-sentence description. Shinobi’s trying to make his own mind up, while Hat Woz is waiting for the inevitable to finally occur, so he can move on from this chapter. It’s Shinobi’s moral conflict running up against someone who knows how every struggle will resolve. Worse, if it seems like things are taking too long, he can just force the outcome he wants. Woz always came off as someone who was willing to contrive an environment for someone to make the decision he wanted. Hat Woz just straight-up forces confrontations until he gets his prize. It’s villainy, but the fun part is in how little it’s different from Woz’z normal schtick. Overall, yeah, not a huge fan of this one. The Sougo/Shinobi stuff in the middle was great – so great – but the rest of the episode felt clunky and too Hat Woz-centric. (I really can’t believe that they ended last episode with Geiz Is Hat Woz’z Savior, and then Geiz is gone from 75% of this episode.) I know that Hat Woz is a big new deal for the show, and the Future Riders are part of his story, but I was a little disappointed how much this story sidelined Team Zi-O.
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Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
03-31-2022, 10:52 PM | #466 |
Precure enthusiast
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: Amongst the Cosmos
Posts: 304
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Episode 18!
-Yeahhh pretty much agree with you, this episode pushes *a lot* to the backburner, it's more of a "White Woz introduction(Please buy the Beyonddriver! :-))" arc than a "Another Shinobi" arc. (Maybe they felt bad with White Woz taking center focus so they gave Rentaro the Rider Time special, lol) -Kinda love Woz being on the ropes, it's really a nice contrast after last arc, where he was scheming and confident in his plans. The way he just runs into frame at the beginning of the episode, like he was too busy worrying about history changing that he almost forgot to do the intro, it's fun stuff. -I think I really prefer the idea of Future Another Riders as a MOTW format, in comparison to the standard tributes? I just feel like the idea of focusing on the sometimes terrifying, sometimes exciting potential of the future has for a person fits the season a bit better? (Ik our standard MOTWs sorta already do that, but I just like having cool "What If?"-style Riders around lol) -Just love how Geiz immediately does not trust White Woz and doesn't want an ounce of help from him. He's still Woz, after all! -Not important in the slightest but I love Tsukuyomi's coat and how well the cape draped over it looks. We stan a fashion icon. -The Time Mazine couldn't get to Alternate 2022, but Swartz could just fine? An interesting distinction. |
03-31-2022, 10:54 PM | #467 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,601
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Get used to Shiro-Woz hogging the spotlight given well... toys! Though I'll admit he does it a lot better than Evolt did it tbh. I'll... I'll always like Build but I will never defend that stretch from 33 onwards, that was horrendous toy marketing. Shiro-Woz does bring an interesting dynamic, though I'll admit out of all the Zi-O originals, he's probably low tier purely because you can't beat OG Kuro-Woz.
Anyway um... yeah no Shinobi is pretty bland. I liked what they did with Sougo and Rentaro here. But other than that, I could care less for a Ninja Rider as a concept. So yeah I'll reiterate, not a big fan of him even if he is kind of cool. He's just not... the coolest, if you get what I mean. I'll be the first to admit, that it's rare for a Rider Series to actually grab my full attention during the January Episodes of its run. So while I find these two and the next two episodes alright (personally I really like the other two more than the Shinobi set), I wasn't really truly invested in Zi-O again until February. There was just this weird lull period. Which is totally fine by me! I'm fine with feeling off for a month... and no more than that (I say as I stare ominously into the future of Jan to Mar of 2020). Anyway, next time... time for more out of series music for the BGM Previews alongside the one song that will stick around for the majority of this arc. Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 19 Preview: |
03-31-2022, 11:00 PM | #468 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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Too bad this one didn't hit for you. I actually am a big fan of this two-parter, specifically for everything it's doing to introduce the new stuff. It's White (Hat) Woz's introduction, so I'm fine with everyone taking a backseat this time.
First off, episode 17 was such a nice and flashy way to start off the new year. A ninja rider from a show that doesn't exist, an Another Rider that does exist, and most importantly the arrival of a new time-travelling Rider with funky shades. (I don't think they ever released that green version of the Time Mazine though). It's all set-up but I really like every idea they're introducing. That there is now an alternate possible future besides the one ruled by Oma Zi-O, where Geiz defeats Zi-O once and for all and saves the world. And that message is brought by an alternate Woz who is on Geiz's side. You've already gone into it yourself, but it puts such a nice spin on things, as if there wasn't enough reason to root against Sougo already! Episode 18 just does more with that, and the stuff with Sougo and Shinobi is nice, plus Zi-O puts on a really good showing in his fight. But I kinda really just want to talk about Kamen Rider Woz. I think it took several more episodes after this one for me before I had fully formed my opinion on him, but I really, really like him. His rider suit is just really cool, getting across the sleek futuristic aesthetic in contrast to Zi-O's ornateness and Geiz's utilitarian feel. The jingle from the BeyonDriver is one of the best ever and his gimmick item being called MiRidewatches is amazing. My only nitpick is that the words on his visor spell out Rider in the same format as Zi-O's instead of doing its own thing. As for the character himself, I like him a ton? His whole deal as being someone who wants to bring about a future where Geiz wins does make him, in the grand scheme of things, more of a 'good guy' then Zi-O. But at the same time, he's also such a jerk about it? It'll show more later on I think, but he is not a nice guy despite having more ultimately altruistic goals than the sweet and dopey Sougo does right now, and I find that irony so funny and compelling. (This is with the assumption that everything he claims about his future is completely true, of course. Granted, the show may throw in a twist that it isn't, but for just this episode, I totally took it all at face value and was excited at the implications.) It genuinely helps a lot that his theme music is absolutely awesome. Zi-O's soundtrack as a whole is a fave of mine for some select tracks and their use in the show, and Kamen Rider Woz's rocking and pretty techno beats are definitely a big standout. Oh yeah, his very presence potentially shakes up original Woz's character, who desperately needs some fleshing out. That's a bonus too. |
03-31-2022, 11:05 PM | #469 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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I think I really prefer the idea of Future Another Riders as a MOTW format, in comparison to the standard tributes? I just feel like the idea of focusing on the sometimes terrifying, sometimes exciting potential of the future has for a person fits the season a bit better? (Ik our standard MOTWs sorta already do that, but I just like having cool "What If?"-style Riders around lol)
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Anyway um... yeah no Shinobi is pretty bland. I liked what they did with Sougo and Rentaro here. But other than that, I could care less for a Ninja Rider as a concept. So yeah I'll reiterate, not a big fan of him even if he is kind of cool. He's just not... the coolest, if you get what I mean.
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03-31-2022, 11:07 PM | #470 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,601
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I don't feel like he was really given a fair chance? I don't disagree that he comes off a little underdeveloped here (fairly typical for Another Riders on this series), but I sort of... like, I have faith in him, just like Sougo. There's a good Shinobi story waiting for us someday, I just know it.
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