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11-10-2022, 12:11 AM | #991 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE 01HERS: KAMEN RIDER METSUBOUJINRAI
Contentious! I can see why this film isn’t for everyone. There’s about 75% of it that’s building towards a newfound heroism for our former-terrorist family - one built around Jin’s fiery empathy and Horobi’s cautious repentance - that then sort of abruptly swings towards a nihilistic embrace of Justice At Any Cost in the final quarter. It’s an ending that’s probably as disappointing to some segment of the audience as it is to Fuwa. I liked it. I didn’t love the movie, but I liked it, and I liked the ending a bunch. It’s a pretty classic Kamen Rider thing, immolating your hopes of a simple life in the pursuit of justice and freedom for others. It’s not… like, it’s not always supposed to be a good thing when a character chooses that path, and I think this movie’s melancholy ending is a good rebuke of the typical Kamen Rider story beats. We’re definitely in If Fighting Is A Sin Then Let Me Be Damned territory here. MetsubouJinrai is devoting the remainder of their existence to protecting Humagear futures, and they’ve left themselves nothing outside that vow. All they have is each other, forever. That’s pretty bleak! The path to get there is… a little bumpy. Arkland’s a fun villain (he’s Gai meets Evolt, which is super entertaining to watch), but Kamen Rider ZAIA just never threatens as an adversary, and the Sword drones are barely a step above mooks. The stakes in this movie feel endlessly hypothetical; a theme in search of a threat. So much of the film feels like only half an argument, with very little to motivate an extension beyond Rescue Jin, let alone the sort of zero-sum conflict that precludes a ceasefire. Arkland’s like I Made Weapons So You’d Start A War, and that kind of philosophical trap… I don’t know, it doesn’t make for an especially thrilling story, even more so when the ending is MetsubouJinrai murdering him and destroying their hard-fought individuality and potential. It’s a kind of bummer ending that never feels like it’s in line with the established stakes, even if I’m okay with a bummer ending in this case. (I laughed pretty hard at the eventual reveal that the Japanese government was never in a million years going to buy ZAIA’s Humagear soldiers. Not only does it show a modicum of intelligence - these sorts of weapon systems always backfire, always - but it also makes the darkness of the ending more intentional by showcasing its irrelevance. MetsubouJinrai lost everything to stop a dude who was never going to make a sale, and that’s some dark humor.) Not the best follow-up for REALxTIME, but I found some entertainment in this movie. The new suits are nothing to rave about (ZAIA’s just Black Thouser, and MetsubouJinrai uglies up the basically-perfect Horobi suit), the action is rarely more than perfunctory, Naki and Ikazuchi still don’t get a ton to do: yes to all of it. But I liked Arkland’s theatricality, and I like how ambivalent the movie is about dedicating your life to the pursuit of justice. It’s very in keeping with the show about corporations to land a spin-off film on the dangers of work/life imbalance!
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11-10-2022, 03:58 AM | #992 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,554
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Yeah, I can’t say that this film was my jam either. In particular, I really didn’t like how invincible Arkland was until the end reveal, or how anticlimactic pally As got killed off. But I did like the government guy, since he makes a lot of good points and he’s a rare official in fiction who has some common sense.
And for some casting trivia, just as Ikazuchi is played by the new Verde from Rider Time: Ryuki, the primary male Sword unit (I forget if he’s 9 or 20, it’s been a while since I watched this) is the new Toger from the same miniseries. (Though that’s slightly less notable, considering how quickly killed he was in that series) |
11-10-2022, 06:26 AM | #993 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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It's definitely a film that could be better and I agree with your criticisms; but I definitely feel this is one of the more well-rounded pieces of 01 media. I actually find it pretty well self-contained as a tragedy (mixed feelings about its sequel), and while some of it is a little weak... it's a V-Cin with under an hour to follow up on plot threads from the show, create a new threat, build upon the themes of the ARK and advance past them, and build character dynamics between Horobi, Jin and Fuwa that just weren't there in the show.
It's... a pretty big ask of a single movie like this, especially with one that inevitably has one of the shorter runtimes! So I find it pretty impressive what it is able to achieve in there; and that it smartly does place its focus on the inherent tragedy of Kamen Rider Metsuboujinrai
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11-10-2022, 08:01 AM | #994 |
Alias: ZeroEnchiladas
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,599
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You know I did find it completely odd it only took until now for Toei to realize "Hey we should have Monkey Majik do music for Zero-One."
Given well... the Zero-One equipment is voiced by the two lead vocalists. |
11-10-2022, 08:47 AM | #995 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: World of Ataru
Posts: 857
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So I saw both of this and RealXTimw in the same day while skipping breakfast and the tone of these two are pretty different I actually don't mind how bleak this one was. Arkland whole philoshophy I think fits Zero-One and kinda wished he was in the actual show.
Given that this is from the same guys who got Hironobu Kageyama of Jam Project fame to voice Ex-Aid's Gashats and not have him sing any songs for that show who knows what going on in these peoples minds.
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11-10-2022, 09:31 AM | #996 |
Standing By
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,112
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Quote:
Quote:
It?s a pretty classic Kamen Rider thing, immolating your hopes of a simple life in the pursuit of justice and freedom for others. It?s not? like, it?s not always supposed to be a good thing when a character chooses that path, and I think this movie?s melancholy ending is a good rebuke of the typical Kamen Rider story beats. We?re definitely in If Fighting Is A Sin Then Let Me Be Damned territory here. MetsubouJinrai is devoting the remainder of their existence to protecting Humagear futures, and they?ve left themselves nothing outside that vow. All they have is each other, forever. That?s pretty bleak!
Quote:
Not the best follow-up for REALxTIME, but I found some entertainment in this movie. The new suits are nothing to rave about (ZAIA?s just Black Thouser, and MetsubouJinrai uglies up the basically-perfect Horobi suit), the action is rarely more than perfunctory, Naki and Ikazuchi still don?t get a ton to do: yes to all of it. But I liked Arkland?s theatricality, and I like how ambivalent the movie is about dedicating your life to the pursuit of justice. It?s very in keeping with the show about corporations to land a spin-off film on the dangers of work/life imbalance!
Despite all that, I definitely appreciate the message this movie was going for and how it's not afraid to pull the hard punches. A moral about the sin of conformity and the sense of justice in fighting for the principles you believe in, even if they're unpopular and it makes you the "villain" of the story. The way that justice may be absolute, but it's also something that can be terribly misunderstood and perverted to evil, which is why justice isn't an ideal that everybody should unite around without critical thinking.
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11-10-2022, 09:56 AM | #997 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Azu’s death was sudden, but I felt that fit very well — since the beginning of the movie you’re led to believe this is yet another instance of her creating an Ark; of setting up this whole thing again. You think it’s going all their way, and then bam — Arkland has an entirely different philosophy that goes beyond the Ark’s parameters, and everything goes to pieces for the remnants of the Ark. Azu’s sudden death is the best way to demonstrate this immediate shift and make you feel it: the old guard is gone
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11-10-2022, 11:48 AM | #998 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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Quote:
Yeah, I can?t say that this film was my jam either. In particular, I really didn?t like how invincible Arkland was until the end reveal, or how anticlimactic pally As got killed off. But I did like the government guy, since he makes a lot of good points and he?s a rare official in fiction who has some common sense.
The point of Kamen Rider ZAIA is to power up MetsubouJinrai, and force them into open conflict with humanity. He only ever needs to be strong enough to piss off MetsubouJinrai, and not get killed. He almost managed it! Quote:
It's definitely a film that could be better and I agree with your criticisms; but I definitely feel this is one of the more well-rounded pieces of 01 media. I actually find it pretty well self-contained as a tragedy (mixed feelings about its sequel), and while some of it is a little weak... it's a V-Cin with under an hour to follow up on plot threads from the show, create a new threat, build upon the themes of the ARK and advance past them, and build character dynamics between Horobi, Jin and Fuwa that just weren't there in the show.
It's... a pretty big ask of a single movie like this, especially with one that inevitably has one of the shorter runtimes! So I find it pretty impressive what it is able to achieve in there; and that it smartly does place its focus on the inherent tragedy of Kamen Rider Metsuboujinrai Like, I don't think it's necessarily trying to do too much, but that it's trying to do it through Horobi, which means it takes twice as much work. Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Despite all that, I definitely appreciate the message this movie was going for and how it's not afraid to pull the hard punches. A moral about the sin of conformity and the sense of justice in fighting for the principles you believe in, even if they're unpopular and it makes you the "villain" of the story. The way that justice may be absolute, but it's also something that can be terribly misunderstood and perverted to evil, which is why justice isn't an ideal that everybody should unite around without critical thinking.
Quote:
Azu?s death was sudden, but I felt that fit very well ? since the beginning of the movie you?re led to believe this is yet another instance of her creating an Ark; of setting up this whole thing again. You think it?s going all their way, and then bam ? Arkland has an entirely different philosophy that goes beyond the Ark?s parameters, and everything goes to pieces for the remnants of the Ark. Azu?s sudden death is the best way to demonstrate this immediate shift and make you feel it: the old guard is gone
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Currently working on: Go-Busters is next! Archive of previous shows on KamenRiderDie.com! |
11-10-2022, 01:40 PM | #999 |
Standing By
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,112
|
Quote:
Azu?s death was sudden, but I felt that fit very well ? since the beginning of the movie you?re led to believe this is yet another instance of her creating an Ark; of setting up this whole thing again. You think it?s going all their way, and then bam ? Arkland has an entirely different philosophy that goes beyond the Ark?s parameters, and everything goes to pieces for the remnants of the Ark. Azu?s sudden death is the best way to demonstrate this immediate shift and make you feel it: the old guard is gone
__________________
心 と 刃 |
11-10-2022, 10:32 PM | #1000 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
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KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE 01HERS: KAMEN RIDER VULCAN AND VALKYRIE
All these old men won't die too soon Flesh balloons still waving their arms around and Slipping over the sides Closing my eyes, making room Oh, for somebody else -Superchunk, “I Got Cut” There’s a nice finality to this Zero-One movie. In a series about what parents owe to children, or what one generation can teach to another, we get this film that’s all about realizing when your ways won’t work anymore, so the best you can offer as you exit the stage is an example for the next generation, to either follow or reject as they confront the problems you’ve created. This is another movie that I didn’t love, despite respecting its take on passing the torch. Fuwa and MetsubouJinrai are relics of another time, another war. Their solutions were always going to be measured in battles and destruction. What the future needs is people like Yua, who can see both sides of a conflict and work towards common ground. She was a tool who became a leader. She’s a soldier who questioned her mandate. She’s someone who saw beyond technology’s use to find something that reflects the soul and hopes of humanity. If anyone deserves to be the voice of reason in the future, it’s her. Too bad she mostly eats shit in this superhero story, though! The grim inevitability of this film means that Fuwa’s sacrificial nature was always going to be put on a higher pedestal than Yua’s empathy and self-control, but MAN does Justice Serval just exist for one brutal beatdown by MetsubouJinrai. I like the suit better of the two new ones (Lightning Hornet’s a fun base for it), but Yua’s bold new upgrade is just more grist for Fuwa’s feral heroism. Fuwa… it’s so funny, to see Fuwa as the mediating voice in a MetsubouJinrai rampage. That’s a cute final story for him, trying to tell violent Humagears that they’ve warped the message of a Humagear terrorist organization. Like, the deranged lunatic of the early Zero-One episodes is the one fighting for the soul of his former enemies. That’s a neat summation of Zero-One’s goals as a story, that we need to better understand the next generation (of technology, or of people) rather than resort to aggression and mistrust. Fuwa’s this story Working As Intended, but he’s still too violent to stick around. I don’t know if his melancholy death worked for me. Him or MetsubouJinrai, honestly. The metaphor, that old ideas need to give way to new ideas, is solid. It’s the end-point of this story of generations. But MetsubouJinrai is all inference here, with Fuwa going Here’s What They’re Saying, and that keeps it from feeling like a mutual acceptance of obsolescence. He’s just detonating a rampaging piece of technology, which sort of undercuts the supportive speech he gives the Swords. The two main Swords, 9 and 20, are okay. They’re very clearly Proto Fuwa and Proto Yua, filling the Doctor Who companion role of asking questions and getting lectured by the main characters. I liked them being in the film as a way of demonstrating Yua and Fuwa’s growth, but they were never really more than plot devices. They didn’t come across as characters to me. Yeah, I… I don’t know if this one really did service to its characters, despite feeling like it honored Kamen Rider Zero-One as a show. It’s an ending that feels both obligatory and inevitable, which is a kind of fascinating space to exist in. Not the most fun to watch, but interesting to think about.
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