WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:02.899 This is the right way to do a toy commercial. 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:07.900 Even though I don't like the amount of forms, 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:10.640 and I have issues with how they've been implemented 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:16.059 overall, the idea that Kamen Rider is a much 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:18.460 more successful show financially, toy sales -wise, 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:23.120 than Super Sentai was for a long time, and I 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:26.320 think possibly more financially successful than 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:28.480 Ultraman, I'm pretty sure. It's like 23 versus 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:31.609 17 versus 5. million yen or whatever that's right 00:00:31.609 --> 00:00:35.310 or ultra than sentai um and the five is actually 00:00:35.310 --> 00:00:37.869 missing like six that made it around 11 because 00:00:37.869 --> 00:00:40.450 of power rangers licensing hasbro licensing whatever 00:00:40.450 --> 00:00:46.469 uh over time but this show just introduced this 00:00:46.469 --> 00:00:49.710 new toy a couple new toys the catastrophe driver 00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:51.429 attachment thing which i really hate the driver 00:00:51.429 --> 00:00:55.469 attachment idea um it's just just it bothers 00:00:55.469 --> 00:01:03.469 me um that thing This new Catastrum Buster, or 00:01:03.469 --> 00:01:05.150 whatever it's called, that you have to stick 00:01:05.150 --> 00:01:09.109 three balls into, three capsules into. And also 00:01:09.109 --> 00:01:12.810 this really, really goofy looking Wave Rider 00:01:12.810 --> 00:01:15.709 Goblin Glider. I'm not sure what the heck the 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:17.209 thing was supposed to be, but they did show it. 00:01:17.250 --> 00:01:22.269 It's a little bit of an echo of the Extreme Bird 00:01:22.269 --> 00:01:24.010 from Kamen Rider Double, which as much as I like, 00:01:24.109 --> 00:01:27.430 not Kamen Rider Double because I don't like it. 00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:29.810 I have my issues with it, which we can discuss 00:01:29.810 --> 00:01:33.109 later. As much as I like Joker Extreme, or no, 00:01:33.269 --> 00:01:35.750 is it Cyclone Joker Extreme, or is it just Extreme? 00:01:35.870 --> 00:01:37.590 Whatever. His form where he's split in the middle, 00:01:37.670 --> 00:01:40.310 he's got this prism breaker thing, and he's got 00:01:40.310 --> 00:01:42.430 this shield and sword kind of deal going on, 00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:47.030 and he's silver in the middle. It's a really 00:01:47.030 --> 00:01:49.390 cool form. There's a lot to like about it. And 00:01:49.390 --> 00:01:53.680 he has this weird... bird thing that beams him 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:56.079 up and beams him I don't know it's a weird form 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:58.340 and it's like a really goofy set of stuff that 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:00.500 it does in order to make it work in the logic 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:02.480 of the show which I appreciate that they try 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:03.680 to make it work in the logic of the show but 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:06.680 just like why not just change the way that the 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:08.020 transformation works so you don't have to do 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:11.560 this goofy thing anyway whatever it's interesting 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:15.080 but I don't like the extreme bird overall and 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:18.740 this thing this platform thing that he was on 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:20.979 at one point for like Just a few seconds and 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:22.680 he was like, it was mostly shrouded in shadow. 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:25.800 Catastrophe is being framed very much as like 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:29.139 a dark writer type of thing. Kind of like Hazard 00:02:29.139 --> 00:02:31.419 from Build, which was fabulous. That was played 00:02:31.419 --> 00:02:36.659 off. And if they wanted to emphasize that, they 00:02:36.659 --> 00:02:38.400 could have just kept the thing shrouded in shadow 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.439 and then later revealed that he had like a redeemed 00:02:40.439 --> 00:02:41.919 or light version of it, if they're going to do 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:44.539 that sort of thing. Kind of like with another 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:47.120 Takahashi show, Zero One, they had Cluster Hopper, 00:02:47.139 --> 00:02:49.030 I think is what it's called. metal cluster hopper 00:02:49.030 --> 00:02:51.069 anyway they did something where it was like an 00:02:51.069 --> 00:02:53.090 evil form at first and then he ended up redeeming 00:02:53.090 --> 00:02:55.750 it or whatever figured out how to work it i don't 00:02:55.750 --> 00:02:57.490 know to his advantage and maintain his humanity 00:02:57.490 --> 00:03:00.370 while using it we have something similar going 00:03:00.370 --> 00:03:04.830 on here and the drama and the action well first 00:03:04.830 --> 00:03:06.270 of all the action is very satisfying to watch 00:03:06.270 --> 00:03:07.909 i have all these moral questions and i'm uncomfortable 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:10.810 what's going on and i feel very conflicted about 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:13.780 the motivations and the morality and what's actually 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:15.979 going on here. And I'm a little bit wanting to 00:03:15.979 --> 00:03:17.599 contradict myself from last week, but I'm also 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:19.219 wanting to say, you know, new things to him. 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:21.060 So it's not a contradiction. I'm actually, um, 00:03:21.180 --> 00:03:23.199 the story's getting deeper and it's, it's sharing 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.319 more facets with us. So there's more to discuss. 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:27.719 However, it's just freaking cool to watch him. 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:31.300 Catastrophe, uh, destroy Baku or I'm sorry, destroy 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:33.919 Knox. Hmm. Is that a Freudian slip or what? Destroy 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:36.719 Knox, first of all. Uh, and then afterwards destroy 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:41.770 the, uh, demon King nightmare. And. It just looks 00:03:41.770 --> 00:03:44.669 cool. I especially love the, uh, the close range 00:03:44.669 --> 00:03:47.330 point blink, like putting a bazooka or a shotgun 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:48.710 up to somebody and then just shooting them with 00:03:48.710 --> 00:03:51.669 it. That's a lot of fun. Um, it's a lot of fun. 00:03:52.069 --> 00:03:59.770 Uh, so this dumb belt add on and this big buster 00:03:59.770 --> 00:04:02.870 bazooka gun thingy and the new suit itself, which 00:04:02.870 --> 00:04:04.550 would constitute a new figure would be like the 00:04:04.550 --> 00:04:06.990 flagship for a new figure. Uh, they're all working. 00:04:07.090 --> 00:04:09.810 They're all selling to me as somebody who doesn't 00:04:09.810 --> 00:04:13.289 like. the heavy toy sales of common raider but 00:04:13.289 --> 00:04:16.449 they feel meaningful and they feel purposeful 00:04:16.449 --> 00:04:20.269 and they're definitely getting a large emotional 00:04:20.269 --> 00:04:23.089 reaction out of me if they can be redeemed it'd 00:04:23.089 --> 00:04:24.850 be even better because it feels like he's operating 00:04:24.850 --> 00:04:27.589 in a very morally gray area here sort of maybe 00:04:27.589 --> 00:04:29.970 kind of but we'll discuss that later um that's 00:04:29.970 --> 00:04:32.209 not my focus here my focus is just to say how 00:04:32.209 --> 00:04:36.569 intensely good the marketing is here and to go 00:04:36.569 --> 00:04:38.660 back to my point from the top Stuff like this, 00:04:38.779 --> 00:04:41.579 the story mattering, the stakes mattering, and 00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:45.300 the forms having a huge impact on the story is 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:47.819 exactly why Kamen Rider is able to sell toys 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:49.300 the way it is. Even if I don't participate in 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:51.899 that market, I understand, wow, this is really 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:54.399 cool. Something pivotal is happening here. This 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:58.129 form change is meaningful. it's having consequences 00:04:58.129 --> 00:05:00.850 in the show i don't know how far they will be 00:05:00.850 --> 00:05:02.110 reaching i don't know how far reaching they'll 00:05:02.110 --> 00:05:04.009 be i don't know like i doubt this is his final 00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:05.910 form he's gonna get something you know else which 00:05:05.910 --> 00:05:08.089 i prefer something more to the original silhouette 00:05:08.089 --> 00:05:11.550 but regardless of what i want it feels like this 00:05:11.550 --> 00:05:13.490 should evolve into the final form which it definitely 00:05:13.490 --> 00:05:16.990 won't i don't think my point is though this is 00:05:16.990 --> 00:05:21.209 how you tell or sell a toy this is how you sell 00:05:21.209 --> 00:05:27.550 a story this matters and it's not that there's 00:05:27.550 --> 00:05:30.209 no going back it's that this will shift the trajectory 00:05:30.209 --> 00:05:33.810 of the show and baku's arc as a character and 00:05:33.810 --> 00:05:36.769 these toys these new forms these new weapons 00:05:36.769 --> 00:05:39.410 are playing a vital part in that and they make 00:05:39.410 --> 00:05:42.990 it matter they make you want to have them it 00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:44.730 makes you they make you want to be attached to 00:05:44.730 --> 00:05:46.629 them in some way or have them if it appeals to 00:05:46.629 --> 00:05:51.449 you you know especially um i can see for a somebody 00:05:51.449 --> 00:05:53.730 who's an easier sell on toys oh yeah of course 00:05:53.730 --> 00:05:55.430 i'm getting this is amazing it's so cool i gotta 00:05:55.430 --> 00:05:57.529 get this you know a kid or an adult collector 00:05:57.529 --> 00:05:59.290 or whatever i can definitely see the appeal of 00:05:59.290 --> 00:06:01.410 this and it's really impressive because you have 00:06:01.410 --> 00:06:03.689 all this complex like really complicated things 00:06:03.689 --> 00:06:05.589 going on with the story i think i think it's 00:06:05.589 --> 00:06:08.149 a very morally challenging arc of the story that's 00:06:08.149 --> 00:06:10.149 being presented i don't think the message will 00:06:10.149 --> 00:06:11.610 be muddled i don't think the morality will be 00:06:11.610 --> 00:06:15.310 muddled but baku is a 20 year old i believe he's 00:06:15.310 --> 00:06:21.389 having time to have this crisis of morality of 00:06:21.389 --> 00:06:23.870 duty of knowing what the right thing is to do 00:06:23.870 --> 00:06:25.730 especially with all this power that he's been 00:06:25.730 --> 00:06:27.949 given and i find it really interesting it's a 00:06:27.949 --> 00:06:29.910 really compelling story and the people around 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:32.550 him kind of argued for him to go down this path 00:06:32.550 --> 00:06:37.569 already and yet nem is this other voice saying 00:06:37.569 --> 00:06:39.930 that you know she's doubtful about it uh that 00:06:39.930 --> 00:06:44.290 this is the right thing to do and like fujimi 00:06:44.290 --> 00:06:47.230 doesn't chastise him or he's not angry with him 00:06:47.230 --> 00:06:49.889 for killing odaka he gets it he's a police officer 00:06:49.889 --> 00:06:52.149 he should be prepared he's a detective he should 00:06:52.149 --> 00:06:53.870 be prepared to kill somebody in the line of duty 00:06:53.870 --> 00:06:56.610 if he has to and he might be operating from that 00:06:56.610 --> 00:06:58.350 place that might be why he had the reaction he 00:06:58.350 --> 00:07:00.930 had whereas nam is a you know 14 year old girl 00:07:00.930 --> 00:07:02.589 18 year old girl whatever she's got this arrested 00:07:02.589 --> 00:07:04.610 development she was a teen and then she was frozen 00:07:04.610 --> 00:07:07.149 for three years uh essentially so she hasn't 00:07:07.149 --> 00:07:08.709 had the time to develop and to face these complex 00:07:08.709 --> 00:07:13.410 questions and this is all being thrown at little 00:07:13.410 --> 00:07:15.790 kids which is funny and like maybe i'll fly over 00:07:15.790 --> 00:07:16.970 the heads maybe they'll just think oh that's 00:07:16.970 --> 00:07:19.629 a cool form um like hey what's wrong with my 00:07:19.629 --> 00:07:21.709 hero wise baku you know i'm no longer baku yc7 00:07:21.709 --> 00:07:26.050 now i can't believe this is all being sold to 00:07:26.050 --> 00:07:29.050 me so well and it's all being done so powerfully 00:07:29.050 --> 00:07:32.889 where it's making me question it's not making 00:07:32.889 --> 00:07:35.389 me question who i am as a person or my own morality 00:07:35.389 --> 00:07:40.829 it's well the point is again was the third time 00:07:40.829 --> 00:07:44.410 i've said i think This writing and this story 00:07:44.410 --> 00:07:46.709 is being so effectively done and being so effectively 00:07:46.709 --> 00:07:52.009 told that it's making an impact on me. And there's 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:53.990 the marketing concept of seven touches. You got 00:07:53.990 --> 00:07:55.430 to touch somebody seven times before they're 00:07:55.430 --> 00:07:57.009 actually listening to your ad, which is why the 00:07:57.009 --> 00:07:58.410 ads repeat on the radio and on the TV and all 00:07:58.410 --> 00:08:02.949 these other things. And it's happening. The show's 00:08:02.949 --> 00:08:04.449 touching me. It's touching me. It's making a 00:08:04.449 --> 00:08:10.129 mark. It's going into my head. And I'm really 00:08:10.129 --> 00:08:15.370 impressed by it. And I get it. I'm, you know, 00:08:15.370 --> 00:08:17.009 I'm like, uh, I'm being marketed to, I'm being 00:08:17.009 --> 00:08:21.430 catered to as far as, you know, having this desire 00:08:21.430 --> 00:08:25.250 for deep storytelling, uh, that, that itch is 00:08:25.250 --> 00:08:27.470 being scratched to put it in the common parlance. 00:08:27.610 --> 00:08:35.590 Um, and, uh, and I just find it impressive and 00:08:35.590 --> 00:08:37.730 I don't know. What's going on? And I'm wondering, 00:08:37.769 --> 00:08:40.169 like, what is Takahashi's actual morality? What 00:08:40.169 --> 00:08:42.129 is he trying to represent? Like, what's the deeper 00:08:42.129 --> 00:08:43.750 thing being said here? I don't know if that really 00:08:43.750 --> 00:08:47.730 matters. I don't know if it really matters, but 00:08:47.730 --> 00:08:51.049 one last time. It's amazing. If you look at this 00:08:51.049 --> 00:08:53.669 versus other things, which, to be fair, I haven't 00:08:53.669 --> 00:08:55.649 watched Sentai in the last few years, but I've 00:08:55.649 --> 00:09:00.470 been watching Ultraman. And just, other than 00:09:00.470 --> 00:09:06.529 Gamma Future and Jeed's... galactic armor that 00:09:06.529 --> 00:09:09.250 appears in zet like nothing like that just looks 00:09:09.250 --> 00:09:11.250 amazing and i want it and blazar is a beautiful 00:09:11.250 --> 00:09:13.549 suit design and it's it's impressive all on its 00:09:13.549 --> 00:09:14.929 own it doesn't need any armors it doesn't need 00:09:14.929 --> 00:09:17.129 any braces it doesn't need any other weapons 00:09:17.129 --> 00:09:19.789 he's just like a beautiful thing he's just a 00:09:19.789 --> 00:09:22.169 beautiful thing to look at and behold and like 00:09:22.169 --> 00:09:24.350 that sells that image sells then the blazar story 00:09:24.350 --> 00:09:26.850 sells even more like i just have this attachment 00:09:26.850 --> 00:09:33.549 and this like love for it uh and I think Zets 00:09:33.549 --> 00:09:35.690 is cementing itself as definitely one of my favorite 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:37.870 things that Kamen Rider's done, definitely one 00:09:37.870 --> 00:09:39.549 of my favorite entries in the Kamen Rider series, 00:09:39.789 --> 00:09:42.309 because of the amazing story that it's telling. 00:09:43.049 --> 00:09:46.210 And I just can't get over how good it is and 00:09:46.210 --> 00:09:48.230 how impressed I am with the writing and with 00:09:48.230 --> 00:09:51.389 the quality of the craft that's going into making 00:09:51.389 --> 00:09:54.710 this story work. And I don't know, I'm just going 00:09:54.710 --> 00:09:56.330 to keep belaboring it if I continue, so I'm going 00:09:56.330 --> 00:09:59.600 to stop now and ask you... Do you find this compelling? 00:09:59.820 --> 00:10:01.940 Do you find this moral question at play to be 00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:03.480 fascinating and interesting? Is it drawing you 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.600 into the show? And also, do you think Catastrum's 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:09.559 doing a good job of making that work? Are they 00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:11.840 doing a good job of selling Catastrum if you're 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:13.179 into the toys? And if you're not into the toys, 00:10:13.259 --> 00:10:14.659 I'd be curious to hear what you have to say. 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:18.220 And what else? I don't know what else. Check 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:20.659 out the pinned comment for more. You can check 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:22.539 out my, well... Everything else I have going 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:24.320 on there, you're going to like it. Hopefully 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:26.120 there will be some good bonus content there as 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:28.279 well as I spend more time thinking about this. 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:30.080 As I'm producing the show, I'll come up with 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:34.279 more things to put in on the bonus content for 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.019 you to enjoy. So until next time, folks, this 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:38.360 is MJ with Writer Tears and Henshin Inspection 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:39.000 signing out.