Kamen Rider Black RX...Why Must You Hurt

[Burkion]

A quick note...I have not gotten past the first General Black episode largely due to real life. I'll be marathoning RX soon enough though, so the few of you who enjoy my nerdery can look forward to that. Maybe.

But I will note-as always, I am not saying RX is a BAD show. And definitely I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy it.

I feel I should stress that because I find so many others seem to think their opinions are law while I by and large view it as dung.

A lot of my rage at RX is mostly for the fun of it.

If it was a certain OTHER SHOW, we'd have a different discussion, but thankfully we need not go into that.

 

[Wing Saber]

The idea that Kotaro was able move pass what happened in Black wasn't so far-fetch as some people believed. However there were times where it bothered him, like when he had an argument with Joe. Especially since he didn't want to lose him the same way as Nobuhiko. Not to mention Shadow Moon's return re-opened those wounds. It was after when RX was able to defeat him & finally save Nobuhiko that Kotaro was able to close that painful chapter of his life.

 

[Burkion]

....yes.

Clearly he saved Nobuhkio.

Obviously, truely, that is what occured.

No, Wing Saber.

In the amount of time this supposedly took place in (less then a year later) Kotaro could NOT have gotten over it as he did.

And it was less a case of the wounds reopening when he was talking to Joe and more a case of the writers suddenly remembering OH RIGHT HE WASN'T THIS KIND OF CHARACTER.

You can excuse and explain a lot of things.

But Kotaro's character change was just bad writing.

 

[MattComix]

Well, they were trying to write it as Kotaro having began a new life sort of out of the ashes of what happened to his old one in Black. By himself no he couldn't have gotten over it but I think the idea is supposed to be his life with the family he stayed with and with Reiko is what helps him do that.

So then just as he's getting settled in and comfortable with this new life and potentially ready to put the past behind him the world is threatened by the rise of another evil. "Wake Up, The Hero.." as the song says.

and by itself it's kind of a cool idea. The hero who had fought his battle and tried to get on with life, found some sliver of happiness only to be called to assume his mantle once more for the sake of all life on Earth but in a new form.

This is not to defend the fact that Kotaro is kind of wedged into a show that really seems like it wasn't designed for him but I don't think Wing Sabers point is not without merit.

Though I think that if they were going to go that route they should have a bit more commitment to the idea of it as a continuation of Black and acknowledged more elements from that series to make it an organic sequel. Even little things like where Kyoko and Kasumi ended up. Why doesn't Kotaro ever try to contact them? They even could have had a single scene where he's reading a letter from them or something.

 

[Wing Saber]

I'v always taken it as if Kotaro have never meet the Saharas & Reiko, he would never have gotten pass the events of Black. Sometimes writing can be inconstentent, but I see it as the character moving foward, instead of staying sad & bitter. Besides it was suppose to take some years after Black.

 

[Oblivion]

Now that I think about it, as far as things goes we could go with the idea that Kotaro's just the type that moves on quickly after an ordeal or tragic events? If the writer assumed that then we would be with RX, setting the time of the show being more than one year than the events that happened in Black would had better executed the idea. Not to mention I quite liked the idea Mattcomix had.

The fact that Kotaro didn't bother contacting the two girls from Black is what reaaaally bothered me, I can let it pass that Kotaro became so happy, it's fine, he has just been through hell. He deserves happiness. I can let it pass that he managed to settle down into a family that adopts a young adult so easily in such a short time. I can even let it pass that Kotaro is no longer grieving over Nobuhiko. But man not contacting the two girls really bothered me. It was the late 90s and I doubt it would have been that hard to contact them. Or at least, show a scene or two that he's trying to track them down or something. That would had been at least better than ignoring the whole two characters.

If only they extended the time between RX and Black more and recognizes Black as the prequel just a bit more. Was it supposed to take place years after Black? I heard it was only one year or half a year?

 

[MattComix]

I think the problem is less that Kotaro was happy and more that the shows humor is a little excessive in places. The fact that iwe are also supposed to believe this is the same guy in the same story-world after the events of the previous series just sort of hangs a lampshade on how excessive the humor can be.

As for the timeline I'm really not sure. Wikipedia says 5 years later. I can't remember if the show ever really acknowledges the amount of time that has passed other than to say that it is after Kotaro defeated Gorgom and the world had basically been safe from such threats until the arrival of Crisis.

Clearly he has known the Sahara family and Reiko for a period of time before we catch up to him again in episode 1.

 

[Burkion]

I plan to begin my most recent marathon of insanity tonight, but talk in the Black thread made me realize something I repressed.

Namely...

Goddamn, but RX really dropped the ball on the vehicles.

Let's ignore the fact taht whatever the **** Battlehopper mutated into now (Why don't I call it by its new name? That will be gone into) doesn't look nearly as good as the original, and that the....Car....Ridevendor? NotRoadsector?...whatever is just....

....

Anyways.

RX...rarely uses them.

Like, ever.

In Kamen Rider Black, he'd almost always call one or the other, or BOTH, to help him out in a fight. Not to run away, but to actually help fight the enemy. It was an element that more Kamen Riders NEEDED to have, where the Rider actually ACTED like a Rider and used his motorcycle in a goddamn fight. Kuuga did this BRILLIANTLY.

RX...does not.

Let's ignore how little he calls them into battle though, and instead focus on how little HE CALLS ON THEM IN GENERAL.

I swear, its like it takes every five or so episodes for the writers to remember, HEY, HE'S A RIDER! HE HAS TRUCKS AND ****!

Infact, the last time I REMEMBER seeing one of them show up in a way that was even PARTLY important to the plot was waaaaaaaaay back when RX was first getting his alt forms during the only storyline I've cared for thus far.

That was over TEN EPISODES AGO.

I'm certain, I'm CERTAIN, they've shown up since then.

But damn if I can remember when or how.

Jesus Christ, I'm sure I mentioned early on that I hoped RX wouldn't use the car that much...but I didn't mean like THIS.



That, and honestly...what happened to Roadsector?

Roadsector was a POWERFUL machine, insanely fast, and good in a pinch.

It was better'n the car in any case.

Did the writers just...not want to keep it?

The prop couldn't have fallen apart THAT quickly.

 

[Basri RX]

As for the timeline I'm really not sure. Wikipedia says 5 years later. I can't remember if the show ever really acknowledges the amount of time that has passed other than to say that it is after Kotaro defeated Gorgom and the world had basically been safe from such threats until the arrival of Crisis.

The wiki entry is incorrect. You may refer to Page 2 of this thread -- I've given episode number(s) of both BLACK and RX to show that the interval between these two series was less than a year. Hey, maybe this whole new crazy world took place in just 1 month after the destruction of Gorgom.

 

[MattComix]

The wiki entry is incorrect. You may refer to Page 2 of this thread -- I've given episode number(s) of both BLACK and RX to show that the interval between these two series was less than a year. Hey, maybe this whole new crazy world took place in just 1 month after the destruction of Gorgom.

I know the production time was less than a year. What I meant was in-story how much time has elapsed.