Kamen Rider DCD #20 Review (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS...for whatever the hell it was that I just watched]

Is there some unwritten rule about Heisei Rider shows turning to shit midway through their run?

Episode #20 felt like the first episode of a new series…and a not very good one at that. To begin with the next episode trailer, it appears that our screens will be graced very soon by a form of the DCD suit that someone has appears to have vomited on before attempting to clean up the mess with Faizu cards. I’m pretty sure I can live without that.

Working back from what may be the worst mistake since Den-o’s DenLiner Form, episode #20 is populated with inept teachers, second rate Riders and the Roman Club from Sundome, all of whom conspire to make the Den-o arc look like a thoroughly well-plotted and complex two-parter.

I honestly don’t know what to say about this as I’m finding it hard to specifically think of good points to highlight. Fair enough it’s nice that Diend has become a somewhat more heroic character, it’s interesting that this world may in some way be fake and, fair due, I was only recently complaining that Natsumi no longer seems to have a role in this series but, and here’s the kicker, even though she’s on screen during 80% of this episode, she still does nothing. In some ways it feels even more insulting to draw out this storyline and send her running around after the Roman Club and a bunch of posturing ‘dark’ Riders  than to keep her on the sidelines. At least when she was in the background, the stories weren’t going off in the deep end.

If this series is going to carry on then it seriously needs to pick up again because this episode comes damn close to undoing all the work of the preceding worlds and reseting the story to the bland crossover-for-crossover’s-sake dynamic of the first episode.

Sadly, I don’t think I can say anything more. I want to believe this is just a dip in quality and I possibly be acting in a reactionary manner because I enjoyed the redefinition of prior material that we’ve been treated to over the past 18 episodes and I’m a little lost now that we’ve come to DCD has to reveal its ‘own’ storyline as a series, but I can’t help but feel overwhelmingly disappointed that, based on this episode alone, the storyline seems to be the standard melodramatic Faizu/Den-o/Kiva fair of dark Riders, simpering supporting characters and resistance fighters against  evil Riders that has so defined previous Heisei series.

"Sadly there was no maid!Spa treatment that could cleanse Tsukasa of the sensation that they were stuck in a dire storyline."

I honestly hope this Fake!World only lasts for two episodes and not ten because if this is the new shape of things, then I think I’m going to go back to watching Super-1 and Black.

That is all.

Kamen Rider DCD #16 Review (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS...for the penultimate world!]

…and we’re back on track, which I’m relieved about as it proves the rule thus far that series that I didn’t care for first time around return with elements that make them much more palatable this time.

I won’t pretend to understand Kabuto but I was impressed with Nirasawa Yasushi’s redesigns of DevilMan characters so it was nice to see them in action during the course of this episode, even if they did come across as being a bit plain – although I think this may be in part due to the fact that the majority of ‘kaijin‘ appeared to be of the lesser class…apparently.

One of the things that impresses me the most is that, despite the set up for the original series being incredibly close to Inoue’s work on Faizu, the approach here is suitably distinct. I still don’t really know what ZECT are doing and the Worms aren’t that different from the Ophenoch but the atmosphere is what makes this better than Faizu. Perhaps though, this arc accounts for why Faizu’s World was such a radical departure from its original series.

Whilst the whole corporation-Rider angle isn’t dwelt on too much for these reasons, what the episode *does* do is provide some awesomely unique fight sequences – again on the Faizu note, the idea of using Faizu’s Axel Form against the super-speedy secondary Riders was fantastic – and some great character moments. The real show stealer is 16 year old Mayu (played by Kanno Rio who appeared in the film Dark Water) who I think might be comparative with the younger sister of Mizushima Hiro’s character in Kabuto. Considering the fusion of characters in Agito’s World and, in regards to how this episode ends, I’m pretty much sold on the idea of this world’s version of TheBee somehow being comparative with the original Kabuto character.

Don’t quote me on this as I really don’t know how it would work but I do think this could be a possibility.

In other news, it’s nice to see Tsukasa using his Kuuga card again (as opposed to another appearance from Kiva) and it’s also nice to see him learning some lessons about fighting enemies that put him in his place without devaluing his role as the lead character. Likewise, the comedy value of DCD’s Den-o form character/armour cards and their utter uselessness is another nice moment. I also swear this is the only Heisei Rider series that makes the prospect of Rider vs. Rider battles seem actually interesting.

I, of course, am also very pleased to see the return of the RiotTroopers. The ZECT-Troopers are pretty cool but somehow they don’t seem as cool, although I couldn’t for the life of me explain why.

"Encore!"

But more than anything, I’m just relieved to see the pace of previous pre-Den-o arcs restored and for the series to generally be back on top form again.

It seems to be DCD’s role as a series to fix Inoue Toshiki’s mistakes…and it’s doing a very good job of it too!

Kamen Rider DCD #15 Review (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS, again, for Chou Den-o...and a bit of DCD and speculation on one aspect of the August DCD movie]

Kiva is the first item on the agenda.  That’s what, three, four times outside of his arc now? Again, I have to wonder how much Kiva merchandise Bandai have left over from last year that they hope to shift. I was also surprised to find out that two characters from Kiva are turning up in the new Chou Den-o franchise – it’s really beginning to feel like Kamen Rider has become the testing ground for elements Toei hope to include in their spin-off franchise.

But enough of the complaints, let’s talk about this episode and let’s talk about what was good about it: for starters it was an improvement on the first part of the Den-o arc, secondly, I’m firmly of the opinion that the inclusion of Momotaros as an actual character improves anything. Even if part of the way in which he was used seemed somewhat random to me, I will fully admit that he was one of my favourite things about the original series and, quite possibly, one of my favourite things regarding the entire Heisei era. Kintaros comes a close second but as far as I’m concerned, Momo is the Imajin man.

People who aren’t the man are, obviously, girls and, speaking of which, it’s hard not to see that the actress who plays Kohana has grown a lot since I last saw her in the abysmal Climax Deka. She’s still not a patch on the original Hana but, considering she was a quick-fix for Shiratori Yuriko’s absence, I wonder what Toei will do when they finally realise that their new girl is now a teenager and unable to play the same Kohana they originally foisted upon the series.

The other girls who primarily do nothing during this story are sadly, Natsumi and Naomi. The latter I didn’t expect much storyline for but I was hoping that the former might get a bit more, especially considering the whole End of the World sequence in the last episode. Perhaps, however, this was asking too much as the second part of Rider World arcs are always crammed with the majority of the action so there was never really much room for her here.

I won’t pretend to understand the whole DenLiner Form card vs. Momotaros Form card in this episode, but I am pleased to see Yuusuke as Kuuga once more and even more pleased to see Kuuga and Momo as a team – even if the Final Attack Ride card for this episode was a bit weird even by DCD’s standards.

"Don't cross the streams!"

Undeniably though, my favourite aspect of the episode was Diend’s use of the RiotTroopers from Faizu. Mass-produced armour characters are one of my favourite aspects of this kind of show (quick, spot the Gundam fan!) and so it was great to them here – plus, their inclusion amongst Diend’s deck and the appearance of RiderMan in the trailer for All Riders vs. Daishocker (or whatever it’s called), gives me faith that maybe, just maybe, we might get to see an AU version of Tackle in that film.

"I Predict a Riot."

To wrap up, despite being an improvement on the previous episode, I still felt there was a lot lacking in #15. This wasn’t helped by the ‘two-ending’ phenomenon – i.e., having to have an ending for the arc and then having to bolt on a continuation point for the rest of the Onigashima Battleship movie and the necessary DCD cameos in that. I could have done without that.

I am however, believing that things will be back on track next week. I couldn’t stomach the Stronger!lite stylings of the Hibiki killing team of Inoue Toshiki and Yonemura Shoji scripted Kabuto and avoided watching even the opening episode for so long due to feelings of resentment towards Toei. In the opening episode of that series, I found little to convince me to follow the show – I’m hoping that Aikawa Sho (the writer, not *the* actor) will be able to bring the source material alive for me.

If anything though, I’m just pleased to be back in the realms of a storyline without tie-in considerations.

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!

Welcome…to Tachibana Racing Club

"Tackle lays down on the job"

Super Hero Retsuden keeps getting better and better. Whilst I still think that it’s too much to expect cameos from Skull Man or Suipadaman (especially the latter!) the fact that Tackle makes an appearance and is a playable character  is several hundred kinds of awesomeness.

"What? Lifetime membership to Tachibana Racing Club you say?"

Meanwhile, speaking of Skull Man, I updated 日々冒険 not five minutes ago with brief comments about the first episode of the 2007 Skull Man anime and the 2006 adaptation of Ishinomori’s 009-1 featuring idol, actress and Godzilla movie franchise veteran Shaku Yumiko.

In other news, this morning I have spent most of time re-watching Kuuga, the original Kamen Rider and Faizu…I’ve warmed a lot to Kuuga simply because of Yuusuke the 2nd in DCD; the original Rider series is still a classic, like a cross between The Man from UNCLE and Godzilla – pure genius, especially with Hong Kong subs; Faizu is still just a boring as ever. It’s like everything Andrew Cartmel tried to do with the last series of Seventh Doctor era Doctor Who…but wrong. My wife gave it a more favourable review due to its pacing being so much like that of a standard drama. I, however, disliked it immensely due to its pacing being so much like that of a standard drama.

And now I’m off to watch DCD!

Kamen Rider DCD #10 (SPOILERS)

[SPOILERS for everything that is awesome about this episode...and it really is awesome]

Within the first five seconds I was like ‘Oh, that’s Mari! That’s Mari!’…and of course, it wasn’t. What it was however, was a Kamen Rider beating down a girl with a lightsabre, followed by a car crash of Hana Yori Dango and Prince of Tennis, all of which worked surprisingly well.

I really hate to admit all this because such things are usually the domain of my wife’s selection of TV shows but the structure of the episode worked amazingly well, infinitely better than the angsterific set up of the original source material. Like ‘Kiva’s World’, I would quite happily watch an entire series based on this alone.

Oogami Takumi is infinitely preferable to Inui Takumi and, whilst, Yuri doesn’t have all of Mari’s bite as a character, she is really endearing.

I was a little confused by the F4 antics of the Lucky Clover group, if only because I spent the entire episode assuming that they were Kiba Yuji, Osada Yuka, Kaido Naoya and…ah, Ishida Uryu.

"Quincy Archer hates you!"

But I’m guessing the Lucky Clover and Takumi’s impressions of Tsukushi Makino aren’t what a lot of people are talking about with this episode. Obviously, they’re talking about…Kamen Rider Kabuki!!

…

Or not.

As I’m sure is being documented on a million blogs right now, #10 marks the first in-suit appearance of Kaito Daiki/Kamen Rider Diend, putting paid to my crack theories of alterna-Tsukasa. Kaito’s ability seems to be connected with movie exclusive Riders thus far, hence the manifestation of Kabuki and some character from Kabuto (I think) that I can’t be bothered to look up, having never been a fan of the show (over to you, Arrow!). I’m surprised that, like Tsukasa himself, he’s not a bad character at all. He’s a bit of an arse but, for the most part, he’s not the usual two dimensional character evidenced by a lot of the second Riders in the Heisei series. It’s interesting to see the difference in his fighting style and the awful armour comprised of a thousand ZX Spectrums but, needless to say, in order to accommodate his role in the series, there’s a lot less of Natsumi and Yuusuke in this episode. I want to say that I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come but I fear that it is.

"kabukimono"

So, how to sum up? Episode #10 is another solid episode in a series that continues to be both versatile and enjoyable in the stories it’s telling. It’s really tough finding fault with the show…although, if truth be told, I am hoping for an appearance from Smart Lady in the next episode.

Also: is it just me or was Tsukasa’s hair in this episode styled after the original Takumi? (^_^);