So Toku is always hilarious to talk about but Geats has to be one of my favorites bc one sec I’m thinking about the thematic core of Geats being rooted in the dehumanization of the entertainment industry and how Geats successfully balanced fan expectations with fans who genuinely care and the pull of both executive influences and fan influences and the next moment I’m like “okay so in the among us round—”
Don't you think it's cruel? To have to kill your own kin, for the sake of mankind? That if things went a bit differently, you'd be the one killed, by a being just like you? That you now have more in common with these monsters, yet you choose to protect humanity?
Even then, you either fight and die yourself, or eventually run out of enemies. There will be no more like you, no more of your kin.
part of what makes ace so interesting to me is how he’s so much more than he shows himself to be. very rarely is he completely stripped and bare to others and he always has a multitude layers over himself. and this mystique is probably what lured many people into liking him.
for so long, ace was considered to be someone who didn’t seem to fit the role of a main rider. he was manipulative, seemingly selfish, and made these confusing wishes, which are all far from the idea of a kamen rider, who is usually selfless and wanting the best for everyone.
yet each episode shows ace’s rhetoric. how he’ll manipulate people to get them to act the way he wants but he’ll never actually do anything harmful. he never pushes anyone down, nor will he step on others to reach his goal. if anything, he’ll encourage them and be their ally when no one else seems to be.
and this helps build a bigger picture. he isn’t selfish; he’s a human, albeit appearing to be so perfect. he’ll comfort kids and help them, and he’ll always empathize with children and their parents because it’s something that resonates strongly with him.
he’s confident but shows himself as arrogant, except he has everything to back it up. he’s been in the dgp since the start of AD and has lived for longer. but while also holding truth, it’s also his shield. by acting confident, he won’t show any weakness. by showing confidence, he won’t lose to emotions like rage and despair.
except his confidence breaks and he falls. hard.
ace meeting his mother and promising to create a world where everyone is happy is the most satisfying payoff of it all. seeing his character little by little, like a jigsaw puzzle, until the last piece is there and the full imagine is visible.
ace is the very idea of a kamen rider, someone who went through obstacles and hurdles, loss and rage, sorrow and happiness, he’s experienced everything, and yet he has never lost hope. not for himself nor others.
No toku is a bad toku. Every toku franchise is good in their own way and each has aspects that can be enjoyed by the viewers. Arguments of one being ‘better’ are headache inducing and dumb.
Geats ot4 is so much comedy bc Keiwa and Michinaga have the most Just Some Guy styles and their boyfriend and girlfriend are STYLISH INFLUENCERS but like Ace and Neon definitely go back and forth on forcibly providing them with new clothes due to the fact that Kekera and Beroba dressed their Oshis up for their evil eras. Cut to Keiwa and Michinaga in the ugliest fucking rental suits at a party and Ace just instantly breaking and taking them shopping.
me and my partner sit in my living room at 2am having such deep conversations about the themes and motifs and parallels of kuuga and then i log on to tumblr and the extent of what i can articulate in a text post is 'wahh!!! i love kuuga!!! godai and ichijou should make out sloppy style'