Episodes of Hibiki you liked or disliked

[Fantasy Leader]

There've been several threads about what everyone liked or didn't like about Hibiki. But I realized there was never really a thread about which specific episodes that people liked or disliked (or since this is Heisei Kamen Rider, which 2-ep arcs).

I loved the ep 17/18 arc. This one, a Douji and Hime show up in the city, which is a first in the show. Gave me a kind of **** is getting real vibe. There's also that cool scene where Akira is the first person to finally encounter that mysterious Black Puppet. I think this was a great ep for both Ibuki and Kasumi as both frantically travel all around Tokyo to try and stop the underground Makamou. The arc ends with that heartwarming scene of Ichiro welcoming the whole cast back home. :anime:

Anybody got specific favorite eps or eps they didn't care for that you'd like to share and explain why?

 

[Smilodon]

I actually quite enjoyed some of the latter Inoue episodes, particularly the arc where Zanki reunites with Shuki and his death a few episodes later.

The whole arc of Shuki I found incredibly fascinating because while Inoue's half of Hibiki cut out all the tertiary Oni, he introduced some compelling traditions and ideals of being a Oni and part of Takeshi. Specifically when Ibuki is given the command to eliminate Shuki because she's a loose cannon, I thought it was really well done. Though they didn't elaborate on it (and subsequently made Ibuki have an existential crisis later), it showed us a different side to the Oni and that not all Oni are pure individuals that fight for justice. There are Oni that succumb to their inner demons and become evil.

While there was the obvious plothole of Shuki (And not another Zanki being Zanki's master), I really enjoyed the master-pupil dynamic of those two, because as cruel as Shuki was in almost killing her own student, Zanki still saved his master and took vengeance on the part of his master upon the Makamou. Plus it let to the arc where Zanki dies and Todoroki has to fight on his own.

They could have made it a lot better but I felt like Shuki through Zanki's death were some of the best episodes of Hibiki and certainly one of the most memorable ones to me.

 

[Ice Ixa]

Smilodon, I thought that the previous Zanki died before current Zanki's training was complete, so Shuki took over his training.

I could be wrong, though.

 

[Smilodon]

It's been awhile since I've Hibiki so you may be right.

 

[Ice Ixa]

Me too, and I kind of tuned out by the back half, but the KR Wiki (on the previous Zanki page) says he died which caused Shuki to take him on as her student.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

To be honest, I actually prefer the movie over almost all of the TV show. :sweat:

 

[bleachjoj]

To be honest, I actually prefer the movie over almost all of the TV show. :sweat:

I honestly never saw what people thought was so good about that movie when I saw it last summer. I thought it was a total bore.

 

[FreedomR8G6B1]

I liked the Shuki Arc. Perhaps I loved the Oni No Yoroi, it was like watching Arashi again.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

I honestly never saw what people thought was so good about that movie when I saw it last summer. I thought it was a total bore.

I don't expect others to have the same tastes, but as an American with a genuine fascination and desire to learn even more about this kind of stuff, I like things set in feudal Japan, especially when they aren't trying to desperately force some one-time-only time traveling aspect just because they have a feudal Japan set to use at their disposal. Even if it's exaggerated or doesn't give us any legitimate looks into Japan's past or their actual culture or myths, it's still just a very fun thing to me. Even that movie theme, traditional Japanese music mixed with rock, appeals to my personal tastes.

Outside of that, I like the movie because it basically sums up the entire series without wasting our time, and it does so in ways that that are more interesting and get you more invested than the TV series manages to do. Honestly, I find most of the TV series boring. The episodes are practically all the same to me, and it doesn't build up to any dramatic plot twists, ultimate super villain, or anything! Nothing gets resolved at all! It just -ends- with Hibiki and Asumu having a heart-touching moment. I don't mind a little filler in any TV show I watch, but not when it feels like 80-90% of the show is filler.

 

[Oblivion]

I loved the first half, it'd been a whiles since I have seen the series though but one episode that really stood out to me is when Ibuki and one of the girls went out on a date and he went into the severs to beat the beast. I thought it was pretty well done.