Disorder in the Court

First thing's first: you may have noticed that the main site (igadevil.com) is back up, or a little of it. I didn't make a big deal out of it being something impressive because honestly, it's not! But it's there, it's got the ball rolling, and I'm working on a further update for this week. And eventually, that Kiva thing.

In the mean time...


Spoiler Vent!



Kamen Rider Decade Episode 6: "Battle Judgment　•　Ryuki World"
Written by Aikawa Shô
Directed by Nagaishi Takao

Just over a minute in, and someone's already dead. You know it must be Ryuki's world.

I'm not overstating when I say that I was looking forward to this episode a lot. I mean, Kamen Rider Lawyers. How great does that one sound? It helps that it also involved the Ryukiverse. Ryuki is one of those Rider shows that's never quite been on the top of my list, but I still like it a helluva lot. I admire it. The production team had a brass neck, you have to respect that at least.

I've gone on before about the "trick" it pulls, and I was glad to see that still in evidence here. No matter the version, Ryuki's world is a nonsensical place, and it knows it. It openly deconstructs its own main concept of the Rider Battle. That's pretty bold for a show that's also trying to sell toys, lunchboxes and fish sausages and tell you how awesome all these guys fighting each other are.

But back to the lawyer thing for a moment: most everyone probably read the rumors or heard the news bits in advance, and went into this one ready. It's a cracktastic idea, and completely believable that it actually came about in part from an offhand joke during a planning meeting. It's a radical departure, and yet never stops feeling like Ryuki to me.

It could probably have only worked with this world too. The format is just that malleable. You could conceivably have made Ryuki's world into a reality TV show, where the Riders had camera confessions and got voted off at the end of each episode, and it would somehow have still worked. You can't say that about a lot of other shows.



This is one time (and it probably won't be the last) where I regret the decision that each world gets roughly two episodes (assuming next week follows the pattern.) Because the world created here is particularly fascinating. We don't get much of the backstory on it. I'm not expecting we will, but it would be nice to know more about its genesis. Maybe next week.

There's a little to be gleaned from TV-Asahi's website, such as the wild Mirror Monsters being hunted to near-extinction (which is why, apart from the pre-credits scene, they never appear to be an issue. It seems the old Mirror World time limit fizzling thing has gotten the boot too, unless that's how next week starts off.)

But how about how all this came to be? Was it like everybody just told Kanzaki to shove it in this world? Maybe he never even existed. This is what I mean about the malleable format. This could have been one where all the Riders were good guys, fighting on the same side.

It could have been one where they were all evil, pooling their resources and ruling over the world like gods. They could have all banded together, formed a 13-man organization and then we find out that Shinji is actually Sora's Nobody. But here we are: they're lawyers.

Well okay, to get technical, they're lawyers and other people associated with the particular case. Shinji was chosen to be a Rider, and he's just a photographer. Ren's a writer, and Kamata is the vice-chief editor (though the latter is a special case I'll get to later.) Zolda's still a lawyer though! The idea that the last man standing gets to have his viewpoint acknowledged as the truth is a clever and terrifying concept.

This episode has some serious Orwellian underpinnings. The whole trial system, the booming voice and the empty chairs. The bizarre contrast of an otherwise normal world with the insanity of the Rider Battle, no longer a secret war but a subject of widespread attention.

And check out that random shot of a security camera after the guys question Natsumi. I don't know what that's about, but it plays into the idea that there's somebody, somewhere, controlling everything. I would not be surprised if someone of a villainous nature is really calling the shots. Like say... well, we'll see.



As with the past two worlds, the changes from the original series version are interesting. As mentioned, the Rider Battle is public knowledge, and their photos are all over the pages of ATASHI Journal.

This anti-matter version of good old ORE is a big-name magazine with tons of employees and a wide readership, rather than the small collection of misfits and their struggling net news site. It's still got a Shinji, and a Momoi Reiko (the ill-fated editor-in-chief) but other than that, it's a whole new ballgame.

The set-up of the Riders is different too. For starters, they don't all seem to exist in this world. Ryuki & Knight appear, obviously, but Natsumi's "trial" is fought by Zolda, Scissors, Raia, Gai, Tiger, Verde, & Imperer. Femme is glimpsed in photo form (and has later vanished from the elimination board. Oh dear.) As is Odin, who it's no spoiler to say appears next week since the preview showed him. I would not be surprised if he's something more than the others, as he always was.

Ryuga & Ouja are both absent altogether, and as far as I could tell not on any of the magazine covers or articles we see (nor is Abyss, but there's another reason for that I think which I'll get to soon.) If you've been following the magazine scans and spoilers, you already know that we will see those two eventually, though whether it will be in this world or not, that's yet to be known.

Of course they're all different guys too. Scissors gets a mention in the opening credits, but it's not his original actor, since he's the version native to this world and not a dimensionally-displaced guy (which seems to be a reason for having old actors do the ADR.) We only see Verde in human form, and that sure ain't Arthur!



I need to take a moment to address Verde actually, as everyone knows he's my favorite of the Ryuki Riders, and also has been showing up recently on... wait for it... Kamen Rider Dragon Knight! Which I hope to get around to talking about some day. Long story short: I rather like it!

I have seen the last episode so I know what happens to him, if you haven't you might want to skip the next paragraph (although chances are you're with the 99.9% of the rest of the world who saw the episode long before I did.)

I've seen people say this wasn't a good time for Verde, going down for the count on two separate series in the same weekend. I do have to say though that while his American counterpart doesn't look like he's gonna walk away from that one, I'm pretty sure Decade's Verde actually survives.

Like Tiger, he's knocked out of the Mirror World, and his deck shatters, but the guy seems to be just be in pain while Scissors yuks it up. For all intents and purposes Verde is "beaten", but it's not a fatal end.

I mean, he was only hit by VolCancer, and not Scissor's Spin-o'-Doom Final Vent. On that note though, I was glad that Scissors (another of my favorites, and a criminally underused character no matter the version) got to be the one to beat him. I always sort of imagined that's how it would have worked anyway, in the original TV series, where Verde wouldn't be anyone really notable. Just the poor sap to go first.

Then the TV special gives us Verde at his best, an absolute bastard of epic proportions who won me over with his bastardity (it helps that he looks awesome too.) On another note, I don't know how Scissors pulled that attack off, just pulling out the card and turning it over to show us the picture. I'll chalk it up to dramatic editing.

Plus, look closely at the elimination board after Imperer gets it. Verde's back on! Continuity gaff of maybe someone else got to become Verde? It does seem like the Riders here are characters unto themselves, identities passed around whenever there's a trial. Shinji mentions that he was chosen recently (and is unsure about participating) and is unaware that Ren is Knight until partway into this episode.

I also kind of get the feeling that although the idea is to fight to the finish, booting your enemies right out of the Mirror World counts as a victory too. There's the aforementioned Verde incident, and Tiger, who is knocked out by Zolda's big-ass cannon and then disappears for the rest of the episode.

Scissors seems downright scared when Knight reveals he's not interested in the trial's verdict and ignores his plea for mercy. Then there's Decade flat-out killing Imperer, which would be kind of uncomfortable if he weren't just a nameless faceless goon in this world. And he did start it!

And then there's Abyss who is an exception to everything, but again, I'm getting to him. Gotta talk about the regulars and guest Rider(s) first!



I like how quickly we're thrown into the plot this week, with Natsumi already getting arrested within the opening moments. And all she wanted was some information on the Riders in this world! She spends the rest of the episode getting shoved around, though after what she does to Onodera it's small wonder she didn't just thumb her way out of imprisonment.

Tsukasa's good as ever. His special skill this time is either his ability to enter into the Mirror World, or we haven't seen it yet. I love how he walks around like he owns the place, but still requires Onodera to nudge him along. He continues to hold the secret badass label I gave him way back; willing to bring the magic... with some prompting. Onodera assuming he knew what he was doing, jumping in to confront Knight like that, is brilliant.

I like the rapport between Tsukasa and Onodera, with the latter again acting as the moral compass. He's ready to go out and make things better! More and more, he becomes like his counterpart from the original show, while still feeling like his own character. Although it's not *quite* the same as having an original actor, just the idea of having an old Rider as a supporting regular is pretty cool.

I mean look at that scene where Tsukasa's about to enter the Mirror World the first time. Those three guys there... it's Decade, Kuuga and Ryuki! It brings a smile to my face. This show is not afraid to wear its title on its sleeve. Yeah, it would be about a billion times cooler if that were Odagiri and Suga standing there with Inoue. But I'll take what I can get.

Not sure what the deal is with Grandpa, other than it involves chicken, but he's amusing and I don't mind his little comedic bits here and there. He's sort of like the ultimate post-modern Tachibana: the charming old guy supporter who doesn't actually help at all, but you gotta love him.

Kivahla's just weird, wanting to suck some blood and fill her stomach. Stomach? She's basically two giant eyes with a mouth and wings! I hope it doesn't take too long for the good guys to catch on to her, or she switches sides soon because the "hohoho, evil spy!" thing can only work for so long.

Narutaki's nowhere to be seen, but he'll either make his move next week, or the connection will be revealed at a later date. I've got a feeling he's in league with... well, somebody in this world. I do like that Decade gets into fighting the other Riders by choice this time, and it's not those nasty rumors being spread around about him.



And now, the new Ryuki & Knight: Tatsumi Shinji & Haguro Ren. Hmmm. Wataru was a radical departure that more or less worked (if at least for those two episodes) and Onodera's a regular, so the fact that he turned out as good as he did in his first two episodes is a small miracle unto itself. He's "close enough" to Godai in terms of being a young 20-something guy though.

Here we've got two guys, one of them fairly close to the old model, and one more skewed. Shinji's a full-time photographer now, and an older, less spikey Ren was his writing partner in crime. They were a good team, until Ren felt the pull of another magazine, leaving Shinji behind, feeling betrayed. He also happened to be there at the scene of the crime, which means that's he's on the suspect list, at least as far as Shinji's concerned.

First things first: Suga & Matsuda (the original Shinji & Ren) had serious chemistry together. It's been a while since I last watched Ryuki, but that was one thing that always stuck out on every viewing. They're one of Kamen Rider's greatest double acts.

Even though they're often at odds with each other on a more serious level, they're hilarious together as well. Every show usually manages one good duo, though having it also be the two leads takes a certain level of craftsmanship to pull off.

What I mean is, they set a pretty high bar. How do the new guys stack up? They're playing different versions of the characters, with different motivations and responses. But they've still got to have the Ryuki-Knight shaky friendship going on.

Shinji is played here by Mizutani Momosuke. He's good. I don't think he really comes into his own as a character until near the end, where he busts in on Ren's place, accusing him of betrayal and eventually murder. He's just kinda there until then.

I do like his non-reaction to the regulars' goofing around though. Natsumi gives Onodera the thumb then shoves him off-screen, and tries to do the same to a smug Tsukasa. Shinji just takes it all in stride.

Ren, played here by Kitamura Eiki, is decent too. Only a couple years older than Matsuda was at the time, but he somehow feels a lot older, doesn't he? Giving him a closer connection to Shinji was interesting, since there's now no Yui to link them together.

I do like how Shinji's the one more rarin' to fight this time, and it's Ren who is... not exactly pacifist, but not willing to battle with his old friend. He has his own somewhat anarchical plan for the Rider Battle, defeating Riders and collecting their cards.

This probably isn't going to go over well with some people. I have a bad feeling about what the future holds for Ren actually, but we'll see if that turns out to be true next weekend.

Overall, they're pretty good. In the roles they're in now, playing the characters that they are, I don't mind em. You know who are still *the* Ryuki & Knight to me, but these guys are still okay.



Finally, Abyss. The idea of adding new Riders in old worlds is one I'm a bit hesitant on, though in some worlds, it can work. Hibiki's already has a ton of 'em, so what's one more? A new guy in Agito's though... not too sure about that one, unless they're REALLY well-developed.

Ryuki's world is one where you wouldn't think it could work, since it mucks up the 13 Riders dynamic... but throw that out the window, and everything's up for grabs.

Thus we have Abyss, who as I mentioned last week I was really looking forward to. Did he live up to my expectations? Yes indeed, though I suspect the character won't go over as well with a lot of other people.

You see, in addition to Verde & Scissors, my favorite other Riders from the original show were Femme & Raia, and Ryuki himself. The latter one aside, those aren't exactly the A-level names, are they?

I like the big guys (Knight, Zolda, Ouja, Odin & arguably Ryuga) as well but what I mean is, one thing I liked about Ryuki was that by having so many Riders, we could get some really oddball ones. Some that look a little silly and have bizarre powers, but that makes them cool. Tiger, Gai, Imperer... they're a million miles from Rider 1, but I still like 'em.

Also, you can get a bit more experimental with who they are. Verde was pushin' 40 (rare even in 2002) and Femme was obviously a woman. It was one of the show's original ideas that literally anyone could be a Rider, as represented by the fantastic opening credits scene (which, I admit, they should probably have changed once we knew who all the Riders were, unless those people are all Odin!)

Abyss is slotting right into this way of thinking: we have a wacky-looking Rider with crazy-ass powers, who in human form is a guy in his mid-40's. I for one love it.

The Abyss costume is cool. It doesn't quite look like anybody else from Ryuki, showing that it is an after-the-fact design, but it still fits in. I appreciate that he's got a mostly black bodysuit (as all but the main three do.) I like the color scheme, and he's based on a shark.

Unlike zombies, ghosts and killer teenage girls, I actually genuinely find sharks scary. Being eaten alive, in the water, is a thought that terrifies me. So there's points for latent childhood fears there.

I like his powers. It was a stroke of genius (and luck) that he had two pre-existing monsters from the original to make use of for his weaponry. Note that more of his powers are based off of AbyssSlasher (his Sword Vent & Strike Vent) so maybe AbyssHammer will factor into his Final Vent. I like his Vizor too. Advent OM NOM NOM.

Kamata rocks. Played by Irie Masato, he's got this great bored villainy to him. They don't hide the fact that he's bad news from the start. The pre-credits sequence all but screams "Hey Kids! This guy is evil." I don't mind that he doesn't even have a Henshin pose; it somehow befits an evil Rider not to, almost.

(Note: Listening to it again, it sounds like his name is Kamada, though two magazines are backing up that it's definitely a "ta". Also, the Kanji used for the name can be read both ways. I'll stick with Kamata until I see conclusive proof otherwise.)

I think even a small child can figure out that he's probably the real killer; he's got the perfect motivation being ATASHI's 2nd-in-command, plus he's an evil bastard to boot.

There is a chance they'll pull a fast one and it won't be him, but I'd be really surprised. Especially given how he's continually proving to be a little... off, compared to everyone else.

Aside from being glimpsed only rarely (he's on the elimination board, but he's not in ATASHI's mag or involved in the main fight) it also seems like he wasn't merely chosen like the others, but has been Abyss for a while. His "no Rider can beat me" line alludes to him having a... history. The others might be passed around depending on the case, but I think Abyss is Kamata's property.

What's more, note the scene where Knight meets Decade for the first time. He doesn't recognize his Rider Cards, and is prepared to call off the fight since he's only after the other Riders native to this world. He's actually surprised at this new Rider.

When Kamata and Tsukasa Henshin side-by-side, the older guy doesn't even seem to notice, or care. Perhaps because he's already aware of Decade? I kind of have the feeling that, if he turns out to be the killer, all this might be part of some greater trap he's been laying for Decade, possibly at the behest of Narutaki.

After all, if you've been keeping up with the news... there's still one more secret to be revealed about Kamata/Abyss, probably next episode.

On that last point, there's what might be an awesome bit of foreshadowing early on. Notice what Kamata's wearing in the pre-credits sequence. I didn't see it until the 2nd or 3rd time watching, but his clothing style (or at least the colors) looks vaguely familiar. Let's just say another character from somewhere in Kamen Rider wore similar colors, and has a slight connection to Kamata's little secret.

Since he's the new "big bad" for this world, I suspect we won't see a whole lot more of Abyss. But I have to say, what little we did get here impressed me. I'm interested in seeing more, so I hope he at least has a good fight next week with Decade & Ryuki.



Two final things to talk about (this episode is packed, as Decade always is.) The music's still good, and I'm still hoping, at least somewhere, we'll get some old tunes or remixed old tunes. Maybe in the movie! My favorite bit of music from the episode starts at 10"53' if you're wondering. I also loved that we got all the appropriate sound effects, from the Mirror World shimmer & background noises to Vent sounds.

And then the action. There was plenty of it, the crowning achievement being Unexpected Flying Imperer.

Okay okay, the real crowning achievement was the Bat-tle, aka Kiva Decade vs. Knight. It was good seeing the Kiva forms all pulled out, though poor Basshaa Form got no love. Also note how Garulu Form switches hands with his sword. It is Decade taking on Garulu Form's shape and powers, after all, so he's still a righty (or is it a lefty, since they're in the Mirror World? I can never figure out how that worked!)

I'm sure, from the moment he was knocked back to Decade by the Trick Vent Knights, everybody knew what was coming next, and the multi-Rider battle did not disappoint. And now it looks like Knight's pretty much screwed, although you know Ryuki's feeling conflicted about the current state of his old friend...

All in all, another great episode. I can't wait to see what Decade does next.

Next Time: Decade & Ryuki join forces against Abyss. Kamata accuses Ren of the crime. Knight fights Odin. Yuusuke does something. The Trial Continues!

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