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 #13 Review (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS - I has them]

First off, I stand corrected; it would seem that AshiKAWA Shouichi is in fact a contraction of three Riders, rather than two, being also based in part on Hikawa Makoto, the original G3. This is a brilliant way to utilise the concept of a previous series that is, at its heart, about evolution.

With that out of the way, and having recently re-watched an episode of the original Agito, I have to again say how much I believe this series has done for the material from which it was adapted – especially in this case. The previously mentioned contraction of the three main Riders of the second Heisei show makes for a more streamlined and dramatic story-arc that addresses change and the turmoil it brings in a way that Inoue Toshiki’s original does not. It also proves that you *can* have a Heisei Rider storyline that doesn’t orient itself around the idea of a thousand Riders with a thousand forms.

To be fair to Agito however, the multiple Riders/evolution of humanity plot is well thought out and a better excuse than later shows have for the inclusion of endless additions to the cast.

So, though Agito is arguably one of my least favourite shows ever, I’m pleased with this arc and pleased with the way in which the adaptation was made. Moreover, I’m pleased with what it does for the regular cast of DCD and how much Yuusuke is included in the unfolding of this story. I will admit that I’ve spent most of the episodes since ‘Kiva’s World’ crying out for him to transform into Kuuga once again but here I’m actually pleased that he remained so dedicated to the G3 armour and to Yashiro Ai. Such faith really underlines the difference between him and Kaito.

"No Fear, No Pain!"

One thing I was surprised by was that, what with Ashikawa’s use of multiple forms, there was no appearance of Agito’s more advanced forms. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m *happy* that Agito was simply Agito – I’m just surprised we didn’t receive a run-through of all his modes ala Kiva in episodes #4 – 5…perhaps this is because Bandai don’t have a warehouse load of Agito merchandise from last year that they still hope to shift. (^_^)

And whilst we’re talking about multiple Riders and forms, I think Kaito’s use of Blade settles the question about his use of primary Riders in earlier episodes. I really do believe that he does in fact have alternate versions of the same Riders Tsukasa has cards of…either that or he somehow brought some of those fake Pokémon Rider cards from Hong Kong that you could tell weren’t real because they weren’t shiny…maybe.

"Here we go, Count ZERO!"

In other news, the wonderful – and much disliked by wife – Akiyama Rina was sadly missing from the set up of Agito’s World though, seeing as she seems to be reprising her Den-o role in the next episode (as do possibly all the ‘original’ cast? I wonder how that will figure with the alternate set up of DCD’s nine worlds and the cameo from NEET!real continuity!Wataru in the first episode) I don’t feel too badly cheated.

What I *do* feel cheated about however is Agito’s Final Form Ride mode…if only because I was going to use  a similar idea for a Rider in fanfic this Friday. Damn you Toei for beating me to the point with your own franchise.

"Ride on, Ride on, Machine Tornader!"

Other than that another solid episode and, once again, head and shoulders above the source material.

Kamen Rider DCD #12 (SPOILERS)

[S-P-O-I-L-E-R-S AHEAD!]

Much like Ryuki, I didn’t get on with Agito’s character first time around. There’s a certain kind of ‘happy go lucky chump’ that Toei have idolised in tokusatsu over the past nine or ten years of which the original Tsugami Shoichi/Kamen Rider Agito is a good example. It’s the enthusiasm of Godai Yuusuke taken to absurd extremes. I can’t help but think that the majority of sentai Reds and Heisei Riders were popping Es and prozac since the close of Kuuga. There’s optimism, and then there’s methylenedioxymethamphetamine.

It’s nice then to report that Ashihara Shoichi is not a total write off and may in fact be one of the most interesting revisions made to original series continuity and theme thus far.

"My father was a beekeeper before me, his father was a beekeeper before him; I wanna walk in their footsteps … and their footsteps were like this: I'M COVERED IN BEES!!"

Episode #12 opens with Me-Bajisu-Ba, previously seen in Kuuga #7, providing the kind of solid link between Kuuga and Agito that has long been speculated on and assumed by fans of both series. It also but does away with a lot of Agito chief hack writer Inoue Toshiki’s plodding narrative. Sadly, such comendable reconstruction isn’t without a cost as Kamen Rider G3 – now G3-X – is reduced to a mere suit of armour with no Hikawa Makoto in sight.

Less of a loss to the set up is the absence of angsty-poster-boy-for-all-that’s-wrong-with-Heisei-Rider-shows,  Ashihara Ryo, the original Kamen Rider Gills. This is to do with the contraction of Ashihara and Tsugami’s character into a more satisfying whole, with Gills and Agito seemingly functioning as different stages of Ashihara Shoichi’s transformation – both God and the devil, if you like, without putting too fine a Manichaean point on the matter.

Seeing both Daiki and Yuusuke use the G3 suit – which was apparently modelled after Kuuga, according to speculative connexions between shows – is a highlight of the episode as is the reunion of Ai and Yuusuke and the farewell between Yuusuke and Natsumi.

"Alas poor G3..." etc. etc.

The only real disappointment with the episode comes with the lack of Kuuga action.

It would have been nice to have seen Yuusuke taking down the Grongi for old time’s sake and matching his skill with the Unknown but I’ll settle for him taking up the G3-X role again in #13 whilst Daiki continues to swan around in his charmingly enigmatic manner.

Altogether a solid episode and an interesting direction to take both the stories of the two original shows and the opening arc of DCD itself. My secret wish is that, with a mention of G4 in the trailer for #13, we still might be in for a chance to see Another Agito make a cameo. It’s a long-shot, but I’ve definitely got my fingers crossed.

Kamen Rider DCD #11 (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS...and you know this]

There seems like a lot to talk about in this episode…and I honestly don’t know where to begin so, let’s start off with Daiki. Hat Man still seems capable of summoning secondary Riders, hence the presence of Ryuga (I think? Arrow?) but Daiki also appears to have the ability to summon canonical primary Riders – although, seeing as he was in possession of DCD’s card deck at the time, I’m not entirely certain if this was due to the original cards Tsukasa gained in ‘Kiva’s World’ or if he has his own Kiva related cards. Whatever the case, the end of the episode sees him very enthusiastic about finding what I believe to be Orga’s belt.

There’s a lot between Daiki and Tsukasa and Daiki and Hat Man that I just didn’t catch, although it all seemed very meaningful and deep. I make no qualms about my lack of understanding here and fully wait for clarification from neighbours, friends…and the release of fansubs from either of the two groups currently working on this (and here, just for the hell of it, is some publicity for the much under-represented Order of Zeronos).

"If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?"

There is likewise some nice scenes addressing the relationship between man and monster and human nature in general, as well as the return of Natsumi’s new zettai ryouiki trend. During all this delving into the human soul and, having had the mixed blessing of revisiting Faizu episode #1 this morning, it strikes me how much more preferable Oogami is to Inui. In the two episodes of this arc, actor Seino Syunsuke brings a humanity to the character that is hard to find amidst all the awkwardness renowned hack Inoue Toshiki weighed the original series down with.

"... and I'll take the truth at any cost."

The final confrontation is suitably dramatic, with three Riders against the Lucky Clover clique. Faizu’s Final Form Ride is again kind of meh, but you can’t win them all and, for the price of this episode, it’s an okay forfeit. I don’t think it will be long before Daiki travels alongside our heroes but for now it’s nice to see him doing the right thing…even if it does further his own agenda. It’s interesting that, at the conclusion of the episode, the Hikari Studio seems cut off from moving through the nine worlds, however the trailer for the next episode proves that to be something of a red herring with a shift into Agito territory and the return of Sato Hiroko.

I’m happy about this because a.) I think Sato is to be respected as a gravure idol, b.) I like the character of Ai in ‘Kuuga’s World’ and b.) Yuusuke gets a seemingly big role in this which further underlines the connexions between Kuuga and Agito.

My one concern is that if this is the world where Yuusuke will find Ai again…does this mean he’ll be leaving the Hikari Studio to stay in ‘Agito’s World’?

I guess we’ll find out next week!