Kamen Rider DCD #19 Review (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS...for an episode you've already seen]

My friend Mister Mo really likes Agito. He often claims that Agito has this level of depth and meaning (it doesn’t, by the way, Mister Mo) that other entries in the Kamen Rider franchise just don’t have. Recently, he’s stopped watching DCD because he felt that the Agito’s World arc didn’t capture the true spirit of his favourite series. I can certainly understand where he’s coming from but I’ve also been determined to give Hibiki’s World a fair chance hence why I’ve only just got round to watching DCD #19.

Over the past couple of arcs, it’s felt like the series has been winding down – well, perhaps that’s not as accurate a statement as it should be. Since Den-o’s World, it’s felt like the series has been winding down. I’m not trying to heap the blame solely on the shoulders of episodes #14 – 15 but it does feel like those episodes were a noticeable watershed in how the series has developed and how it will develop now we’ve reached the point where we’re back we started.

To begin at the end, one of my concerns about tomorrow’s episode is that, now we’re back in Natsumi’s World, we’re going to find ourselves with nothing but cameos from less significant secondary Riders in an unchanging world. The clip of the Kiva-esque Rider running amok in the next episode trailer did nothing to disuade my opinion that a.) this might be a possibility and b.) Toei really do have a shedload of Kiva merchandise left to sell. I really hope #20 picks up in some way as such a decision would really kill the momentum of the series.

But let’s not worry about the future, for now let’s live in the present – and speaking of the present, #19 is one of those episodes that, perhaps like Mister Mo when watching Agito’s World, I began to watch whilst doubting the ability of the new medium to interpret the story I loved. Having watched both episodes of Hibiki’s World, I have to say that I don’t think that they fully explored the story of the original series…but they did however take what was at the heart of that series (the relationship between Asumu and Hibiki) and do something new and interesting with it, therefore I can’t complain.

Whilst I was pleased to see the return of some familiar faces and familiar characters, I did find that, just as Asumu had become more expressive, Akira seemed to have become quieter. There’s still determination in the way she carries herself but she’s a lot less abrasive.

I also had a hard time excepting Ito David as ‘a Hibiki’. Even though I knew Hosokawa wasn’t going to return, Ito just didn’t seem like ‘a Hibiki’. There was the suggestion of Hidaka Hitoshi in the way that he acted at times and certainly in the nobility with which he faced death but for the rest of it, I was a lot more comfortable with the new!Asumu assuming the Hibiki role.

"My spirit sleeping somewhere cold."

Daiki’s role in this seemed a bit all over the place – for a while I was convinced he was about to become the villain it was half-suggested he might be upon his arrival in the show.

One of the big problems with this approach is that the franchise keeps throwing out these villainous Riders but still has to make sure there’s a Double Rider sequence in each episode thus the bad guys always seem to resign their morals (or lack thereof) during the final reel before the status quo is once more resumed (‘Don’t think this makes us friends, Rider X,’ growled Rider Y with a flick of his hair from his eyes. Rider X grunted, tightening his hand into a fist, ‘But I know you’re not really bad, Rider Y, one day your heart will turn to the light…even if you have to spend the next 40 episodes fighting me and then teaming up with me at the end of each one!’). Yet, during the course of this episode, it seemed like Daiki become one of the good guys instead. I don’t really have a problem with that.

The final two fights – the first being Asumu!Hibiki vs. Gyuki and the second being multiple Riders vs. Bakegani – were both done well, the former being heartfelt and the latter being suitably epic. I was pleased to see the return of the giant Makamou, even if it took another Ryuki character to bring about their role in the story. It was also nice to see Zanki, Todoroki, Ibuki and Akira all working alongside Diend and DCD to bring about the defeat of the giant crab…

"I said, 'Who's Michael?' 'Who is Michael Jackson?' he said, 'The Michael Jackson - the real Michael Jackson'"

…however, I can’t help but feel that this scene could have been made even better had Danki been included in it.

(joking – although if the next set of episodes are just random secondary Riders there’s always a chance he’ll turn up in Natsumi’s World!)

Now let’s wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Kamen Rider DCD #18 Review (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS...for Hibiki's World]

I almost don’t want to write about this because I kind of half want to wait for #19 to roll around so I can express a proper opinion on the full storyline and on Ito David as Hibiki. First off, I feel I have to say that I can’t help but feel that maybe the Rider-with-a-monstrous-nature angle has been overplayed a tiny bit in this series so, whilst I can deal with a fatally ill Hibiki, I find the Hibiki-as-yokai/makamou plot to be a bit too much like retreading ground from Kiva’s World and Faizu’s World.

The most striking thing about the episode is the amount of returning actors although this, in a way, highlights sadly those who have not returned. It’s also somewhat sad to think that even if Toei had wanted to get the original cast back, it would have been impossible due to the untimely death of Kanbe Miyuki. Her presence, and indeed the presence of the entire supporting cast of Tachibana’s sweet shop were conspicuous by their absence, as were Hosokawa Shigeki himself and Tochihara Rakuto, who played the original Adachi Asumu.

The young actor playing the ‘new’ Asumu – Koshimizu Kazuki, who I initially mistook for Fukasawa Arashi, who played Wataru in the Kiva arc – does reverse a problem with the mutilated ending Inoue Toshiki supplied for the series (an ending I still, to this day, remain mostly ignorant of) by having Asumu henshin (outside of a daydream). The trouble is the suit worn by Asumu looks very much to be a modified version of the suit worn by that-character-who-shall-not-be-named and, as such, is tarnished by association.

A decided difference between the two Asumus however, is that the new, younger version seems to express a lot of more of his conflicting emotions, often vocalising his frustration in a way that Adachi never would have.

In terms of the storyline, there seems to be more relation here to Inoue’s admittedly enjoyable Hibiki & The Seven War Oni movie, especially with the roles that Zanki and Ibuki occupy in this world and just how close Ibuki’s role is to that of his mischievous daimyo persona from the film. One returning character I failed to mention last time is Todoroki, played by Kawaguchi Shingo. I am a bit uncomfortable with the suggestion of a relationship between Todoroki and Akira, especially since the romance between Todoroki and Hinaka was sacred ground for me – another casualty of Inoue’s poor scripts during the original show’s ‘second season‘. I’m sucking it up because, as with all the other worlds, this is not the original show and a certain amount of story compression is to be expected but, in my heart, I’m still rooting for Todoroki/Hinaka – yet, let’s also keep in mind that this was the same compression that resulted in Zanki playing Todoroki’s theme on his guitar and the makamou no longer appearing in Douji and Hime pairs but rather flying solo in their Kwaidouji/Youhime forms.

Yet despite the return of the cards, there was a distinct lack of singing! Where was the “ohayo!“, where was the “la la la la la la la la ~ la…la…la“?

"Ongaku Rider Decade"

One thing I was pleased to see the return of was the cards announcing characters and moves, a stylistic tenet that the original 30 episode ‘first season’ was criticised needlessly for, however the highlight of the episode was probably the arrival of Momotaros and his fight with Ibuki and Zanki in a genuine Oni vs. oni fight. Likewise, it’s always good to see Yuusuke in armour as Kuuga.

"I am Master of the Wicket!"

Altogether, this was a good episode with a lot of friendly and familiar faces…but I can’t help but still find myself waiting for the return of Hibiki…and I’m still not sure I’m going to see him yet.

In other news, *where* was Danki? (^________________^)

Kamen Rider DCD #17 Review (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS...you know the score]

First off, the music for this incredibly heartfelt episode has been rightly epic, especially the slow piano version of Journey through the Decade. For the first time since, you guessed it, Hibiki, the music in the franchise has that right mix of ‘never give up’ and orchestral melancholy.

Speaking of which, there’s a lot of melancholy in this episode. It was only during re-watching #16 that I realised that TheBee was probably a Worm and that Kabuto was in fact Mayu’s older brother. It certainly didn’t occur to me though that Mayu might have been a Worm as well, an event I’m assuming is in relation to the original series’ Kusakabe Hiyori, who I remember there being a big fuss about back in the day when her status as a Worm was revealed.

One element of this that I found particularly striking was, whilst they were both being hunted down by Worms and prior to Mayu’s realisation of her own nature, Natsumi backed away as soon as the villain began to focus in on Mayu…almost as if, had not Mayu saved herself by transforming (or rather, had Mayu been human) then Natsumi would have been too scared to try and save her.

That possibility is truly scary in what implies and the fact that it again reaffirms that, in a world of monsters and armoured heroes, humans are fragile and terrified things…or it could have just been a plot device in order to introduce Mayu’s Worm status, but you know…

Another melancholy aspect of the story is the fate of Souji/Kamen Rider Kabuto, who is doomed to forever remain in the ‘Clock Up World’. This kind of event, this kind of heroic yet tragic melancholy theme makes both this arc and the character of Kabuto as much as the tragedy of Agito’s World made those episodes. We call this improving on the original.

I was somewhat disappointed not to see more of Arata/Kamen Rider Gatack as he came across, even when in opposition to Tsukasa, as a genuinely likeable character and I was surprised when noting that TheBee’s Worm form was familiar, to discover that this was the same suit used in the short ‘SMAP x Rider‘ special, Kamen Rider G.

"Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory."

Points of real significance for me were both the final fight, the style of that fight and, most importantly, Tsukasa’s heroic entrance into the final reel and Kaito’s cute gesture of triumph.

After that reel, things get a little tense. I almost cried when I thought Hat Man might actually be Hibiki but, from what I can see, there is a Hibiki present and, whilst he’s not your and my friend (and incidentally one of the two most Rider-like characters of the Heisei era in terms of character and heroism) Hosokawa Shigeki, he does appear to be an older character – which is ace in my book. I’m also over the moon to see the return of Shibue Jouji, Matsuda Kenji and Akiyama Nana in an unprecedented move on Toei’s behalf almost as if they were trying to make an apology to the author of this blog in fact.

I’m not so keen on seeing the Inoue-era silver Oni suit that looks like it was built on the cheap from cannibalised parts of other suits as they tried to ‘re-invent’ the show but we’ll give and take. Perhaps I can stomach all of this when, on top of the aforementioned returning cast members, Momotaros also makes a cameo – a character so perfect for a Hibiki cameo that words cannot express how happy I am about this (though, on the downside, I did also notice Ryuki there as well).

Certainly both this episode and, hopefully the next, have been events worth getting out of bed for. All that remains now is to see what the show, like Toei itself with the franchise, will be able to achieve post-Hibiki.