“I don’t – ” Kageki began, but he did not get to finish his sentence as Ikku lunged forward and took hold of his wrists. The older man leaned against Kageki and pressed him firmly against the side of the couch.
One word, dear reader: canon.
As a friend of mine is fond of saying, ‘context is for the weak’.
After last week’s discussion of Kiko/Trick (which the jury is still out on, I’m afraid), this week gives us Ikku/Kageki. I would call it subtext but I think Mister Watts has deliberately emulated the aspects of the genre that play up this kind of interpretation. None the less, it’s a fun scene and the most I’ve liked Kageki in a long time.
Out of the three issues that Mister Watts has recently posted, issue #22 is by far the favourite – the tone and depth of the action, despite the reduced cast, is a real mark of how far this has come and how well the author has managed to juggle a number of plots and opposing factions. The villains in this series really are the stars at present and it is a constant source of amazement to me how well balanced Mister Watts manages to keep this storyline and how he manages to afford equal time and development for each different faction. It is, perhaps, the end result of a formula Toei attempted in Boukenger, and yet the coherence of the series really does benefit from the fact that Mister Watts alone is guiding the story.
There’s a good deal of complication and development in #22, especially relating to the natures of Jinsei and Sei and a hint at Jinsei’s previous relationship (as Doctor Smith) with Ikku. This really is one of those issues were everything that’s good about this series shines through.
Issues #23 – 24 are lighter in context, being true to the more light-hearted genre episodes whilst still continuing to tweak the format in favour of RoboMan’s central themes – the fact that #22 ends with Cog discussing the nature of DNA and all three issues deal with emotions and issues of free will in regards to their respective monsters-of-the-week is a real credit.
Plus, there’s the return of Guardian and Director Satoshi and a very flattering reference to my own work, which completely surprised me (I should take the time to thank the author for this kindness — THANK YOU!).
I’m well aware that I have something of a habit of attempting to readdress the viewpoints and perceptions of villains in fiction and I really do feel that, despite their methods, Guardian and Satoshi are, in some ways, ‘on the level’…this is of course means that I will invariably be writing ‘fanfic’ for them at some point in the near future.
So, 24 issues on and still going strong. Things are looking bright for the future of this series.
21 May, 2008 at 3:18 am |
You have absolutely no idea how close that scene with Kageki and Ikku came to becoming full-blown slash; but, Kageki is 16, and even I am not that sick.
I am pleased that you enjoyed Human Nature and its less-than-sentai-like take on things (where were the mecha, huh??). I didn’t realise it until now, but I think you might be right about me emulating the Boukenger Negative Syndicate setup:
Jinsei – red-skinned guy that alters the development of creatures to his own ends = King Ryuuon and his DaiJaRyuu.
Sorceress Miko – cute girl, with a blue-ish theme, who uses magick; kinda a cross between Kaze no Shizuka and Gekkou-sama.
Satoshi/Nagura – I don’t know, but the ‘artificial intelligence’ chips COULD be seen to be performing a similar function as Gaja’s Goadom Engines…
Guardian is certainly ‘on the level’, and I hope #25 manages to make that clear. Sure, he IS helping Satoshi, but so far he has been quite upfront about his intentions; and he kept his word to the Robomen when he first encountered them in New Orleans AND he kept his word to Kageki over Mochi Robo and helping to free Gattai Robo.
It’s the HEROES here who are up to the deception game – Kiko didn’t tell anyone about her encounter with Guardian in London; Sei has certainly kept many secrets; Trick, Kiko and Sei are keeping Senshi to themselves; Ikku isn’t telling anyone about Sei’s robot-ness… INCLUDING Sei.
Heck – with the bad guys, at least you know where you stand!
I’m glad you haven’t gotten bored with it all JUST yet.