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05-30-2021, 08:19 PM | #71 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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I'm definitely still a little worried about Solomon's role in the show. It's maybe a testament to my blindingly strong love of Saber that I don't already hate the guy, because as I mentioned, these sorts of Gold Drive types, when they aren't Gold Drive himself anyway, tend to rub me the wrong way. The repetition from series to series is a lot of what bothers me, to be fair. There's this paradox going on where the debut of an unpredictable new main villain Rider in the 30's is now ironically predictable, and I think they really need to step away from this pattern for at least two shows in a row before it can be fresh again. And you know, obviously that's not all Saber's fault.
But I guess what I was hoping for with Master Logos that it's evident the show is consciously avoiding at this point is having him fit in with how the other Kamen Riders in this show are written. A massive part of why I fell in love with Calibur right away was the idea that this was a guy who explicitly used to be a hero, and as we found out more and more about his motivations, that fact became more and more significant. The most dramatically engaging conflicts in this show have always come from the clashes between heroes and other heroes. I have no doubt this is part of why Saber is considered to have "gotten good" during the second arc. Even a character like Reika, who was an overtly antagonist force, was also someone convinced she was acting for the good of the world. It's why the Megid trio being used so sparingly has never been a huge bother for me? There being monsters running amok to generate plots is useful, but when there's something more interesting to focus on, Saber has never hesitated to shut them out of the spotlight for a bit, because they are very much the guys who are there to be evil and nothing else. I think all three of those guys are fun and charismatic enough, despite being so simple, but I'm also glad they never overstay their welcome. What I'm getting at here is that I'm also less worried about Solomon, having realized that despite technically being a Rider, Master Logos is very much another one of the monsters in terms of characterization and narrative function. With Storious being entirely uninvolved in current events, it seems evident that this is merely Master Logos' turn in the spotlight – a peak for a character who admirably drove the development of the real stars over the past couple dozen episodes, and who will politely leave after bringing that role to a conclusion. Touma set out to find the true enemy who broke the bonds of trust between the swordsmen, and after a bumpy road there, he's poised to reunite the entire gang and then some, all in the name of finally defeating that dread foe behind the whole mess. Like, it's a pretty logical conclusion for this huge arc, and if Solomon is only around for three episodes of the whole run, then my usual complaint about these evil Riders hijacking the entire story would kinda fly out the window, wouldn't it? I can hope, anyway. At any rate, just like he was before taking up a sword, Master Logos is still making room for some nice drama with the protagonists, which means I can finally say all these paragraphs in that I still really really liked the episode! (Hard to believe how short these posts used to be back in September...) See, I know Solomon being so shallow is entirely deliberate because this is the kind of show where Touma going off to advance Kento's arc is interrupted by Ren showing up to demand Touma advance his arc first. Piling on plot threads like this is just classic Saber, and you'd better believe I'm all over that. First of all, that Saber/Kenzan fight is great. Touma finally checks that last box on the list of friends to fight with, and I adored how he actively calls back to how many times he's done this before. It's kind of perfect to have this be the last of these matchups. Touma is maybe the character with the most growth in the show, thanks to all the different voices he's listened to, and then Ren is... literally the exact opposite of all that. It's a good scene for the both of them thanks to that contrast, and I'm honestly starting to see the appeal of Ren as a character now, which is praise for Saber I honestly wasn't sure I'd ever be able to give it. It's also good because the seemingly random Ren roadblock for Touma serves as a way to also give Rintarou and Kento some one-on-one time, and I'm as glad they got that as Kento is. It's not super complicated or anything, but it balances out the focus to remind you that Rintarou is not a third wheel in this friendship, once again calling back to that promise they made, which I was happy to see. And while Kento doesn't elaborate on what he means when he says Rintarou has changed, you can see his growth too in that he's now talking strictly in terms of protecting the people who matter to him, rather than going on about duty and the like the way he was back when Kento was running off on his own in the first quarter. Like, I know it's easy to take for granted, but a lot of these guys have really matured over the last half a year! So yeah, it's still cool seeing Kento take those baby steps to get there himself, it's great watching this trio taking on the big bad guy together, it's great seeing Touma making heroic declarations, it's great seeing seeing Yuri being Saikou as always, and this last one is jumping back a bit, but you know what? It's even great seeing them pull off a comic relief scene somehow involving Bacht. Love this show.
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06-01-2021, 11:12 PM | #72 |
A jump to the sky..
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 1,061
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Wow, lot to process.
Mei becoming Espada.....doesn't need to be a thing. She's literally more on Sophia's path of becoming the replacement guardian of the Southern Base once Logos gets bookended. Which is why the books work around her. Ghost being good? I'm gonna have to go mute on that one. Literally one of the few KR series that I did not enjoy, save for Spectre. In comparison? Light years of a difference in direction of story. And without the 'learning is fundamental' aspect of it all. Still, go read some books kids, too much TV aint good for you. As for this episode, it's definitely building to that whole grand battle of swords, final form bit that we're kind of used to at this point. Every episode has said the same sentence to describe the troupe. "Touma is going to gain greater power". It's like he's the KR version of the CW Flash. We get it. He's gonna get all the power ups (*cough* toys) and beat the bad guys. However, that doesn't mean it hasn't been enjoyable. To have such a large ensemble cast and keep enough time for character buildup? Hadn't seen that since Gaim. Touma started out as a character that was Harry Pottered into the Swords of Logos, and now look where he's managed to take it. And he's not doing it in an obstinate "I get there because I'm lucky" kind of way. He's plainly stating that he's going to win because he refuses to allow others to dictate how he wants his life to go for himself or his friends. It's relatable. And relatable to all ages. Each character as well has managed to flip their own beliefs and arcs in a way that makes their increase in strength believable too. So yeah, solid 8 out of 10 so far for me.
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06-03-2021, 02:02 AM | #73 |
Bat Hero
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 296
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Can I be the Sixth Ranger? I love Ghost. Even have the Ore Icon.
Speaking of Ghost.... Akari never became a Rider. I'd love it if Mei became a Rider, but it's not a dealbreaker for me. Like someone else said, she'd have to earn it. Even then, she's the Heart of the group, and it seems she'd replace Sophia in the future. Inb4 "Kamen Rider Riposte" Vcin-- -In other news, holy cow I love that group shot of all of them with the swords and its night and it's epic and aaaaa? EDIT: Quote:
Yet it had that cheesy "friendship" ideology that makes me love games like Kingdom Hearts or shounen anime like Gurren Lagann (note: have yet to finish GL even now, need a DVD set 'cause I know I'll love it). I certainly loved looking forward to it each week. The show grabbed me from episode one. Whereas everyone hated on the CGI and rushed setting of the first arc, I felt it was fine since Touma was kinda the audience surrogate, learning things on a need-to-know basis as we did. No wonder the arc felt so fast-paced. A full-on war wasn't gonna slow down for the newbie. As the show progressed, it got better with its pacing, though it was still breakneck pace. Which was fine. Gotta hand that to Fukuda and his writing friends. Funny that a show about writing (mostly supernatural swords- but writing, too, kinda) had a ton of writers. Speaking of writers, as of this episode, head writer Fukuda's written 12 episodes of this show if my counting is correct. I find that fascinating. Even though laying the groundwork for toy releases and plot beats is hard, I'd imagine, I still find it interesting how he managed to write so many episodes. I know it's not Ex-Aid or Build with both head writers doing most of, if not all, of the episodes. But I still find it impressive. Good job Fukuda! *clapping* Last edited by MangaArtist18; 06-03-2021 at 02:13 AM.. |
06-03-2021, 08:43 PM | #74 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,397
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"Remember who you are, Kento."
This was a really good episode, and from what I'm seeing in this thread, it seems people have really warmed up to Saber, and this makes me happy in a way. From the moment I saw his design, I was already won over, and every other Rider introduced in this show has had amazing designs, and the aesthetic overall was a really fun one. But I'm losing myself now, so back to the episode. I actually really like what they're doing with Ren, he's come so far as this "guy who wants to be strong" to now questioning his ideals while still holding onto his beliefs that his Master built up for him, and I think it's been handled very well. Saikou dual wielding the Seiken of Light and Darkness was a really cool scene, heck, the whole Solomon fight was great, seeing the three leads struggle against a powerful Dark Rider, reminds me of Ex-Aid which I enjoyed. And that moment with Yuri using Mei to win over Bacht was rather cute, I almost thought she was going to give him an éclair for a moment. Next Week: Uchuuuuuuuuuuuuu Kitaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! |
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