Midnight on Memory Lane

{Tokusatsu Thursday #2} Kamen Rider Kuuga: Episode 2

Hello, Internet, and good mornight to you all!

My name is Taffryne, shoppekeeper of Midnight on Memory Lane, and it is my absolute delight to welcome you back to Tokusatsu Thursday!

'Tis a pleasure, 'tis a pleasure.

As the title of this post says, we're going to be talking about episode two of the Toei Kamen Rider Series, Kamen Rider Kuuga. I humbly present my thoughts for your enjoyment and consideration. Accordingly, please mind that there will be spoilers ahead!

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Disclaimer: I apologize if there are any crucial cultural notes or nuances that I misunderstand or fail to recognize. I, unfortunately, must trust the accuracy of the translated subtitles to represent the story and characters.

Trigger Warnings: Low Budget Charm, Church Location/Religious Figures, Cartoonish Fighting, Explosive Deaths, Depictions and Discussions of Murder, Vampiric Themes

Episode 2

We are back at it again in the 2000s with your eccentric Mr. Nobody of a main character, his smart woman friend, and the detective with pride issues! What a time to be alive. This episode of Kuuga felt a bit less impactful than episode one, but I chalk most of that up to the fact that the main "development" of Kuuga's character in this episode seemed to go...rather unexplained? We established that Silver Kuuga is weak Kuuga, but Red Kuuga is strong Kuuga, yet the realization of this just felt a bit lackluster and anticlimactic so to speak? He also just fully admits to his identity of Kuuga/ULF#2 with no sense of secrecy whatsoever. Perhaps that is just part of his incredibly carefree personality? I assume that as the series continues these ideas will get fleshed out more, so for now I won't hark on it too much.

I'd like to extend my congrats to Kuuga for...

Points #2 and #4 are especially commendable as these are staple features of the Kamen Rider series as we know it. It's so fun to see just how old some of the modern day tropes truly are.

In speaking on the episode's contents, man, there's just so much nostalgia and quirkiness. For starters, THAT LAPTOP. HOLY SMOKES HOW THICK IS THAT THING??? You could break a bullet proof window with the sheer heft of that "portable" computer, CD drive and all. Secondly, is this man wearing LEATHER pants??? Now, granted, they aren't skin-tight hotpants or anything, but I cannot be the only person looking at the shine and movement of material and thinking those are leather pants. It's an interesting choice...especially if he slept in those. Third, I wish I understood more about the history of Bear Attacks vs Japan. I'll have to do some research on it, but it's such a prevalent thing even when I was over there. The guide for one of my touring trips gave us all free bear spray and warned us extensively about the dangers of bears. Perhaps it's the American in me that is so desensitized to bears being in the various woods around my place of living that makes it not a big deal but...Japan really raises the alarms about bear attacks. Fourth and final for this spiel, I don't care if he's the police, WHY ON EARTH IS YOUR GRAND PLAN OF ATTACK TO WALK INTO THE MURDER CHURCH, ALONE, WITH A SINGLE SHOTGUN??? HOW IS ANY OF THAT A GOOD IDEA???

To shift onto the monster suit for this episode, honestly, I think it's a pretty solid design! We still have all of the "obvious mascot suit is obvious" kinks, but conceptually it's a rather cool way to anthropomorphize an ancient bat monster thing. Vampires and man-bats are a classic horror creature after all. However...personally, I found the human priest to be creepier than the bat suit. Props to the actor because the facial expressions, the hands, the all of it just...euhguehgehe, you know? I do wanna take away negative points for him smashing the pretty stained glass. Stained glass is one of my utmost favourite artisanal forms, so how dare this creepy priest break such a beautiful art piece. Shame.

Episode 3 Preview

Oh, no. Shoot on sight for everyone??? That seems like an awfully inefficient strategy when dealing with literal ancient demons nobody understands. I have various questions about the strategies of this police department.

Delayed Post Futari wa Pretty Cure: Episode 2

Hello, it's me, yet again, Taffy from the Office of Delays and Double-Features here at Midnight on Memory Lane. It pains me to now be here a third time this week. I extremely apologize, but due to certain offline circumstances, this weeks post for Futari wa Pretty Cure will be delayed to next week and posted as a double feature. I'm so terribly sorry. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Thanks for Reading!

I hope you've been able to watch and enjoy the story for yourself! If you haven't, that's okay too! My thoughts are here to keep you updated and entertained in the meantime.

This caps of this week's gathering for Tokusatsu Thursday, so off into the nighttime we go in preparation for tomorrow! I hope you'll come back for the next Sunday Midnight Book Club! We'll be discussing chapters three and four of A Study in Scarlet.

May we meet again when the clock strikes 12:00!