So a funny thing happened the other day. See, Kamen
Rider Build started airing on September 3rd, and -- as a fan of
the franchise for a good four years now -- I’ve been following its progress and
details whenever I can. I haven’t seen
the first episode yet, mind you, but I’ve seen clips and read up on details. One point in particular
crossed my path: apparently, Build’s special moves (some of them at least) are
called “Boltech Finish” and “Boltech Break”.
Seem familiar? Well, depending on
how you hear the sounds and read the katakana used to craft them, it can be
interpreted as a B or a V. In other
words? If you go by what
TV Tropes has on the series, it’s actually a “Voltech Finish” and a “Voltech
Break”.
To quote the famed nihilist philosopher Homer Simpson: “HE’S
NAMED LIKE MY NAME!”
Logic would suggest that it’s just a happy
coincidence (because incidentally, Voltech has also showed up in move names in Guilty Gear Xrd and Under Night In-Birth). Of
course, better logic would suggest
that, because of my enduring loyalty and constant efforts as the unofficial
herald of The Church of Rider Kicks, the creators from on high paid tribute to
me, my humble and most undeserved self, in the best way possible. So yeah, I'm basically a Kamen Rider
now. Just give me a belt, a mask, and a
motorcycle, and I’m all set.
…
…Okay, let’s talk about anime for a bit.
I mentioned this a while back, but for posterity’s
sake: over the course of a few months, I made my way through Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V -- as in Arc-5,
apparently! -- and
now I’m stuck waiting for new episodes to drop on Crunchyroll. No telling when that might be, since they
were promised weeks and weeks ago. So in
other words, I’m stalled on that front.
And it leads to an unfortunate situation: having invested so much time and
thought into that series, the fact that it’s gone for now (barring YouTube
clips that will almost inevitably lead to spoilers popping up in my
recommendations) means that there’s a hole that needs to be filled. It’s not an unfamiliar feeling; the same
thing happened with me and JoJo. Side note: when’s Part 5, DavidPro?
In any case, I figure that that’s where anybody
reading this post can jump in. I’d
consider myself an anime fan, but the issue is that -- even if there are well
over a dozen different shows that pop up each season -- I don’t actually watch
that much of it. Does that need to
change? Probably. But not all at once, and certainly not in a
way that’ll get in the way of other stuff I need to take care of (as a friendly
reminder: novels don’t write themselves).
So I need to start working my way through what’s out there today, and
become a part of the proverbial conversation.
But let’s go ahead and get the obvious one out of
the way.
My Hero Academia
is definitely at the top of the list, for obvious reasons. Honestly, it’s almost at a point where I
could say “I WANT DAT ONE” and not even bother with this post. The clips that I’ve seen have been great, the
premise is an interesting one, and I’m pretty sure “You Say Run” is
practically carved into my phone at
this point. And in my defense? I actually did watch the first episode;
strong start, for sure. I just got
sidetracked because of Arc-V, itself
the result of me wondering if I should watch the sub or the dub. I’ll sleep on it a bit more before making a
decision.
It’s also worth noting that there are two other
options that I’d rank as top priorities.
Chief among them? There’s been
new content for Gundam Build Fighters (the
secret top-tier anime) for a good while now, and I need to get around to it or
else I’d be deserving of a free tour of a wood chipper. Technically that means I should take a look
at the other recent Gundam stuff
that’s popped up -- Iron-Blooded Orphans has
started and finished before I even watched the first episode -- so I’ll need to
sort that out in the weeks and months to come.
Beyond that, there’s Thunderbolt
Fantasy, which was recommended to me via Twitter. I know it as “the puppet thing”; people who
have seen it know it as a work of art. I
should give that a look at some point.
It should go without saying, of course, but this
isn’t just a question I’m asking for slot-snatching filler my sole
amusement. If there’s something that
leaves an impression on me -- even if it’s just a single episode, as was the
case with stuff like Kantai Collection and
Occultic;Nine -- then it’s the
perfect fodder for future posts. In
other words, those that respond here pretty much have sway over what content
might come to Cross-Up someday soon.
It’s basically your chance to go “Hey, Voltech! I really like this thing! Can you talk about this thing for me?” And I’m okay with that.
With that said?
Because I’m me -- and thus the worst -- I’ve already kinda-sorta defaulted
to Kamen Rider Ex-Aid.
Okay, real talk: based purely on his design, I
think Ex-Aid looks like hot garbage. He’s
tacky. He’s obtuse. He’s loud.
Literally every choice made was the wrong one. It’s a shame, because if you look past the
main Rider’s appearance (which can work,
given that Kamen
Rider Brave looks much better), the series itself actually seems pretty
cool. I’m not that far into it, but I
have heard good things about it -- and already things have started to take an
interesting shape.
The series is finished (replaced by Build, incidentally), so the path is
clear for me to start chowing down on episodes.
And I’m interested in seeing where it goes. Outside of main hero Emu -- no relation to
the Australian bird and harbinger
of war -- the other Riders seem like unrepentant assholes. One of them is cold as ice, another one only
cares about dueling the others to grab the transformation trinkets, and a third
will gladly con others to do autopsies on the monster du jour. But even Emu might actually be a secret
asshole, given that he seems like he has a cocky (and probably psychotic) split
personality. We’ll see if the
doctor-to-be has what it takes to pull in the reins on his rowdy comrades.
It’s too early to know where the story will go,
but I will say this: Ex-Aid has the
easiest, most direct through line toward thematic heft that I’ve seen yet in
this franchise. I’ll explain why another
day, because I want to see if the show capitalizes on it. It just might, or it’ll go in a different
direction. We’ll see. Anything’s game.
And that’s about all I’ve got for now. Got an anime you want me to watch? Know anything about Kamen Rider (or even care)?
Let me hear it in the comments.
I’m itching to see the best of what Japan has to offer.
But don’t bother recommending Sword Art Online. Don’t
worry. I’ve got something planned for that one…
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