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05-18-2021, 11:08 AM | #221 |
Standing By
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Oh, I think her boss is being a dick, absolutely. But there's a visceral need from her to be IXA that starts to look like Nago's psychosis, and anytime you can make a comparison to Nago, someone's screwed up. I think there're a million good reasons for Yuri to be IXA, but this episode paints her desire as blind vengeance (and, like, I don't know that she isn't already getting a form of that vengeance by professionally hunting Fanigres? I don't think she has to find and kill one specific Fangire?), and I think that's something in herself she needs to address.
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05-18-2021, 01:16 PM | #222 |
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 11 - “ROLLING STONE: DOOR OF DREAMS”
I wish this whole episode had been about Wataru trying to be self-sufficient for, like, an afternoon before giving up and attaching himself (like a vampire!) to someone else’s dream. It’s nice that the show let Oomura’s death have a lasting effect on Wataru, but it’s nicer that Wataru's indefatigable defeatism managed to overcome it. I love how much this kid chooses Give Up On Myself as his first response to any time spent alone. To quote Achewood, Wataru “folded with a focus and intensity normally seen only in successes.” Quote:
Like, this whole episode, every Kengo scene was more fun than the one that preceded it, and it was mostly because every new character added to the mix improved the story. When Kengo’s like Yeah We Need A Drummer, I think I gasped and said out loud SHIZUKA about two seconds before Shizuka showed up in a saucy cap to demolish that drum kit. It’s just fun, man. Dumb fun. These three kids putting together a band: Kengo, a rock n’ roll true believer who would normally have formed a pact with an evil creature for a fast-track to stardom if this were literally any other Kamen Rider series; Wataru, who honored a dying mentor’s request to make a violin for about eight minutes before giving up and becoming a bass player for a rock band; and Shizuka, who is a ray of sunshine and always welcome in any plot she can shoehorn herself into.
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Even Megumi is at her most entertaining when she wakes up from an Irish coffee bender to embarrass Wataru in front of his new friend. My favorite look on Megumi is Work Mom Is A Jerk Mom, so her drunkenly swaying around Mal d’Amour as she tells Kengo that Wataru is a friendless weirdo and that she will be joining the band on Rhythm Broom? Yes. I never, ever wanted her to sober up. Megumi being unable to compartmentalize her work grievances from her personal friendships is maybe my lifeblood. I crave it like she craves Nago’s eternally-delayed comeuppance.
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I liked it okay? It’s more thematically meaty, for sure. There’s Yuri and Megumi both wanting IXA for what it can emotionally solve for them. Yuri wants it to avenge her mother, while Megumi wants it to honor her mother. It’s a plotline about how vengeance isn’t heroism, and how our parents don’t want us to suffer on their behalf. It’s a neat way to comment on how destructive Yuri’s quest is, to have Megumi so unfulfilled and unhappy. I feel like Yuri would tell her daughter that she doesn’t need to be IXA to make her proud, and that makes Yuri’s own quest sort of… unnecessary? Hypocritical? It’s this lineage of women who keep thinking they owe something to their mothers that their mothers would never ask of them. That sense of obligation that’s just a mask for their own loss and guilt, you know? It’s interesting, even if it’s less fun to watch.
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05-18-2021, 01:40 PM | #223 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
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You're completely right! I somehow managed to confuse the Rider System that changed hands a bunch of times and was deadly to its user with the Rider System that changed hands a bunch of times and was only incredibly dangerous for its user. Weird mistake to make, and I appreciate the correction!
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Yeah, like... he's definitely very high-energy, and you could see him getting into a situation where he talks over Wataru; but it's the sort of flaw where it doesn't come from a bad place and you could see him trying. It's just a genuinely nice relationship that's good to watch
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05-18-2021, 01:57 PM | #224 |
Yodonna oshi
Join Date: Jan 2021
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There's really something to be said for just being able to tell these lighthearted stories. (>_>) |
05-18-2021, 03:23 PM | #225 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,410
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So, I guess controversial statement time? I am not a fan of Kengo. At least, I really distinctly remember disliking him a lot. Part of it was definitely the whole "shaking!" catchphrase thing, but a lot of it I chalk up to finding him obnoxiously exuberant and pushy. I can see why some people are into the whole band thing, but I read it as Kengo basically taking advantage of Wataru's meek nature to pressgang him into it. I don't know. It's possible I'm reading more hostility into it because I wasn't thrilled about Kengo showing up.
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If this episode has a flaw, it’s central to the storyline regarding IXA. Basically, the show hasn’t yet come up with a legitimate reason why Yuri and Megumi can’t be IXA. I’m sure we’re heading for a resolution where Megumi (at least) will choose not to be IXA, but that’s not the same thing. The vague explanations we’re given here are totally unconvincing and blatantly patronizing. Why Zanki got the nod over Yuri is up in the air (still not a great look to choose Mononymous Mystery Man over Dedicated Legacy Lifer), but the explanation for why Nago got it over Megumi is ridiculous. They didn’t give it to Megumi because she wants to be IXA for personal reasons, so they gave it to a maniacally violent narcissist who thinks he is chosen by God to dictate what is right and what is wrong. I would never suggest that W.A.K.E.U.P.’s decision-making is capricious, but this justification seems slightly disingenuous. Pretty much calling bullshit on Megumi getting passed over, if this is how they’re selling it to her.
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05-18-2021, 04:22 PM | #226 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Ryuki's a series about the impossibility of knowing other people, the enormity of compromise, the need to always ask questions, the value of curiosity even when it doesn't solve a problem... but, like, my favorite episodes are the ones where Yui destroys an apartment looking for a missing woman (pretty sure she looks inside a microwave) and where Kitaoka silently Henshins and dives into a river to escape a date. I love comedic Kamen Rider so much.
I will say though, in a sort of ironic reversal of how Den-O is most memorable to me for its drama despite being known for its comedy, a lot of my fondest memories of Kiva come from the most lighthearted aspects of it even though I think it's mostly known for that trademark Inoue melodrama. Mostly, anyway. I've probably said this quite a few times in different places, but in general, I think Inoue can write very strong raw comedy when he feels like it, probably due to his love of extremes, and that makes episodes or even just subplots that lean into that so much fun.
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05-18-2021, 09:04 PM | #227 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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So, I guess controversial statement time? I am not a fan of Kengo. At least, I really distinctly remember disliking him a lot. Part of it was definitely the whole "shaking!" catchphrase thing, but a lot of it I chalk up to finding him obnoxiously exuberant and pushy. I can see why some people are into the whole band thing, but I read it as Kengo basically taking advantage of Wataru's meek nature to pressgang him into it. I don't know. It's possible I'm reading more hostility into it because I wasn't thrilled about Kengo showing up.
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I will say though, in a sort of ironic reversal of how Den-O is most memorable to me for its drama despite being known for its comedy, a lot of my fondest memories of Kiva come from the most lighthearted aspects of it even though I think it's mostly known for that trademark Inoue melodrama. Mostly, anyway. I've probably said this quite a few times in different places, but in general, I think Inoue can write very strong raw comedy when he feels like it, probably due to his love of extremes, and that makes episodes or even just subplots that lean into that so much fun.
It's no surprise to me that this show is as funny as it has been on occasion. If anything, the surprise to me is that it doesn't have more occasions to show it off.
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05-18-2021, 10:08 PM | #228 |
I have a problematic type
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I guess I can see that? It's not my experience, even a little (Wataru seems overjoyed to have someone share their passion with him), but I can see Kengo coming off a little manipulative. He's fully committed to putting together a new band to play an already-booked show, so you could read his embrace of Wataru as beggars not being choosers.
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I think that's an okay headcanon (Why not? Yuri's incredibly sensible objections to Otoya joining the team are largely waved off because Shima thinks Otoya's entertaining), but I'm not sure there's much narrative cover for it yet in the show. Beyond some questionable interview processes and bizarre-even-for-a-show-after-Kabuto meeting locations, Shima's been shown to be a fairly level-headed and considerate boss. If it's paternalism that's driving him, the show isn't even letting Megumi or Yuri call him on it, so there's no way to blame it on his character over the writing.
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05-18-2021, 10:25 PM | #229 |
Kamen Ride Or Die
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Real quick, 'cause I've seen this come up a few times already, but I'm not sure I'd call Wataru a doormat in all of these instances? He can definitely be talked over in any argument (someone like Nago or Megumi is only going to let him talk until they've got something to say), but some of this doormat stuff... Wataru's just really, really lonely? It's like the way a lot of dramatic plotlines in Inoue shows get tagged with Miscommunication, when really it's just that multiple characters are secretive and have no reason to trust one another? (Folks on Inoue shows have way more hidden agendas than your average Kamen Rider cast!) With Wataru being a doormat to Kengo, I think it's just that Wataru is so permanently uncertain and self-doubting that, when he encounters a forceful personality, he genuinely gets won over by their certainty. He's not giving up or being talked into anything; he's energized by their positivity and enthusiasm. He's a lonely boy who needs friends, so he's going to be happy when he's doing the things they want to do. He's not a doormat, he's a follower. Sorry to maybe drop a bombshell or whatever and split, but I gotta go read some stuff for work. Feel free to tell me how off-base I am, though! More than willing to continue this discussion!
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05-19-2021, 11:13 PM | #230 |
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KAMEN RIDER KIVA EPISODE 12 - "FIRST GIG: GOLDEN SPEED”
What a weirdly straightforward episode of Kamen Rider Kiva. I just had to go check the wiki to make sure there wasn't a fill-in writer for the concluding part of this story. Nope, still Inoue, just... not trying real hard? While last episode was a whirlwind of new characters, new careers, and new IXAs, this one felt like it was all about being as uncomplicated and predictable as it could be. Multiple threads from the last episode conclude with a perfunctory shrug and/or wrap up in a way where no one really has to learn any lessons or challenge themselves to improve. Like, Wataru and his new career in Ikemen. (I honestly hope they keep the name. I love the idea of a four-piece band named Handsome Boys, where one member is a teenage girl and another member is a woman who works as an actual model.) His arm gets hurt in his previous battle with IXA, and he tries to keep it a secret from Kengo. That seems like it could be a big deal (Kengo smartly refuses to let Wataru's obvious deflections slide), but then when Nago exposes Wataru's injury, there's no blowback from Kengo? It's just What Other Role Can Wataru Have In The Band, it's suggested he sing, now he's the new singer. There's nothing Wataru does at any point in that plot! It's 100% other people acting on him, and he's just, like, present for it. Even the big conclusion, him deciding to sing... it's literally just him deciding to sing. There's no additional strength he draws on from the lessons in this story; no personal growth that culminates in some newfound self-esteem. He's just, like, confident as a singer now. It feels disappointingly unearned, which is sort of par for the course with this one. Yuri's story is another version of this, where all of her anger and self-deception (including an incredibly fun date montage with a rapidly overwhelmed and terrified Otoya) culminates in her begging Zanki - in the rain - to be IXAlso. He responds by chastising her, then getting hospitalized, which is pretty much the greatest way to get out of turning someone down for a favor. See, Zanki got picked by Shima to be IXAlso because the IXA System is janky AF, and using it is going to keep harming its users until W.A.K.E.U.P. figures out how to, uh, make it stop doing that. Until then, Shima is more comfortable feeding it randos like Zanki than all-stars like Yuri. It's because Shima respects her so much, and wants to honor her mother, that he's keeping Yuri from being IXAlso yet. As explanations go, it's fine. I made half a joke about Shima picking Nago to be IXA specifically because it could/would kill him, and that's pretty much exactly the reasoning he used in 1986. It's still a little patronizing (if Shima really respected Yuri and her mom, he'd've just told Yuri it was dangerous and let her make up her own mind), but it's grounded in real consequences and established paternal relationships. It's minorly a bummer, but not a dealbreaker. The bigger problem is that it's a story that's been putting Yuri through a very specific wringer: she needs to be IXAlso more than anything in her life, and that sort of obsession is intensely troubling. (She even does a Nago callback at Zanki when he declines to quit, telling him she never wants to see his face ever again. Seriously, everyone: if you find yourself saying Nago things unironically, you have emotional issues that need to be addressed.) It's a plot that is nearly breaking her, and then the conclusion is taken entirely out of her hands. Like Wataru, the choice is made for her, and she's just present for it. We don't get to see her confront her obsession, or really deal with what it means to have your dream given to someone else. She's just, like, Yay Men at the end of the storyline, and that's super disappointing. At least she gets it better than Megumi, who never even once in this episode mentions IXA or Nago or any of it. She shows up to play bass and get used as bait, and that's... it is not my favorite Megumi episode, you guys. There's no more examination of her need to follow in her mother's footsteps, which is an absence that harms her story (in that she doesn't have one now) as well as Yuri's (there's really nothing about mothers and daughters in this episode). It's like Megumi got half a story. She's able to complain about not getting IXA, sometimes hilariously, but then it's like she never wanted it at all. It's a weird omission. And then there's the IXA/Kiva rematch, which... yeah, not a fan? It's another aggressively straightforward conclusion to the story, where Kiva beats IXA by just basically being stronger than him. There's a new Whistlestle that dispenses CGI Horse Armor for Kiva's bike, which lets it do cool tricks in a tunnel, but that's about all that's even slightly unexpected or clever about this fight. (Also, man, a Kamen Rider bike race where one of the bikes is completely fake? It's like this episode is trolling me.) It's just... Kiva just beats him. Cold. They do simultaneous Rider Kicks and IXA loses. Even Nago's like Wait I Just Totally Lost Clean. It's a disinterested shrug of a conclusion, where Kiva's victory isn't because of cunning or spirit, and IXA's loss isn't because of Nago's innumerable personality flaws. One guy was just stronger than the other. The end. It's an episode full of uninspired decisions like that. No one really learns anything or works hard. Fights go how you'd think, and everything pretty much works out for the people it should work out for. Usually without them really doing anything to improve their chances, but like, whatever, I guess. There's some nice performances (I really love how Nago can be a gracious and genuine human being as long as he is in the afterglow of proving his dominance; immediately afterwards he's setting coworkers up for monster kidnappings) and I liked the few lines of dialogue Kengo got (I cannot say enough about how excited I was for Kengo to push Wataru to be honest as a friend), but this whole episode needed at least one twist to it. As it was, there's almost nothing here to be shocked or surprised by, and very little of the fun vibes of the previous part to make up for it. Pretty big drop from the last episode for me. A letdown, for sure.
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