Rewatching KUUGA just killed everything

[Domino 555]

I still like the show, and heck so he didn't like Toku when he started out but come on he said he liked the production and he enjoyed it all right.

 

[MattComix]

No, it's just Joe Odagiri thinking he's a true "artist" and thinking it will make him seem cool or stay legit to dump on it. Like Heath Ledger slamming comic books and their movie adaptations, or Daniel Craig thinking he'll keep cred by putting down all things 007. It's just lame.

I agree except that there isn't any evidence that he has dumped on it. He's simply been honest about the fact he wasn't big on toku shows and didn't want a part in one until he had his conversation with the producer of Kuuga.

It IS difficult to watch a show centered on a guy who you know isn't too happy to be there! It's not like he's the fifth main Rider -- it's his show. And I always thought his discomfort was evident by later Kuuga episodes.

I totally see where you are coming from with that, I seriously do. But he didn't hate Kuuga once he was on board and I never saw anything in his actual performance that changed. He played the character with the same sincereness he always did. The writing at times though didn't always live up to the performance because they would maybe focus on some other random character or over extend the Gurongi scenes.

I still like the show, and heck so he didn't like Toku when he started out but come on he said he liked the production and he enjoyed it all right.

Right.

From the perspective of an actor it is possible to have a great experience working on a project from a genre they don't really enjoy that much because they like how the people they are working with approach it, so in that respect it becomes creatively satisfying but it's not like it's gonna make you think that comicbooks or toku are the greatest things ever.

Something else to consider I think is that if you had a certain notion in your head of what a toku hero was like, maybe more along the lines of a Minami Kotaro and if you're Joe your immediate thought may just be "I'm not really right for this." Because until you've talked to the producer you don't know how different from other Rider shows Kuuga is going to be. You don't know that Godai Yuuske really isn't in the same vein as what Rider protags had been up to that point. You don't know that there is going to be a certain amount of realism and social themes, etc. All you might know or think is tokustasu is the stuff where guys in rubber suits hit each other. So as a actor you may have a hard time seeing yourself being part of that or getting creative satisfaction from it.

Just as an example for people here. Okay, say you're an actor yourself. Your agent wants to get you a gig on a henshin hero thing. Obviously, you'd be "HELL'S FRIGGIN YEAH!" about it because you really love tokusatsu shows. Now, say your agent offers you a part in a Meg Ryan type romantic comedy. You're probably thinking "..geh." But your agent after much nagging convinces you to at least sit down with producer or director and you find that while the film would basically be in the same genre it's not doing even half the things that usually make romantic comedies off-putting to you. You might go ahead and sign up for it. Does it make you want to run out and buy a bunch of Meg Ryan romantic comedies? No. But it makes you feel ok about being a part of *that* one.

Now I'm not saying that Joe can't be pretentious and weird or that there isn't some stigma attached with being part of toku that Joe might purposely be avoiding. ..but whatever opinions he did and does have about tokusatsu he doesn't hate Kuuga and didn't hate Kuuga when he was doing it.

Would he return? While it seems very unlikely, I don't think it's utterly impossible. He did say he made a connection with the character so I think if the script were something he was comfortable with, he wouldn't have a problem summoning that henshin belt one last time to protect the smiles of everyone. :thumbs:

 

[Shougo B'Stard]

I agree except that there isn't any evidence that he has dumped on it. He's simply been honest about the fact he wasn't big on toku shows and didn't want a part in one until he had his conversation with the producer of Kuuga.

I was referring to his putting down of tokusatsu in general there. I don't know...I think there's more to the story. If Odagiri just trashed tokusatsu, but praised Kuuga, I don't think the Japanese fans would make such as fuss as they seem to about this issue. It wouldn't be cool for him to trash the entire genre in order to justify his reason for doing a show, no, but I think as long as he did a good job and spoke well of his own show, it would be forgiven. :shrug:

Doesn't really matter at this point. In cases like these, with a snobby actor who resents the genre that made them or think they're so above it, they'll reach a point in their career where they'll crawl back.

 

[Domino 555]

Look he's an actor who maybe had no prior experience with toku at all and he didn't really know what it was about until he actually tried it. Heck I have friends who dump on comics sometimes and I lend them some books and they said maybe this isn't so bad after all. I aslo show some toku shows at school like Garo, or Agito and kuuga and they got some good reception. Look as an actor doing something like an action show is challenging especially when it's target audience is kids and so some stigma will com along with it.

 

[Tanuki]

Dude, just let it go, he's not listening, and it's distracting from the kuuga talk.

I have to say about Kuuga, I was not fond of his chest plate. I always thought they were kind of ugly

 

[MattComix]

Dude, just let it go, he's not listening, and it's distracting from the kuuga talk.

I have to say about Kuuga, I was not fond of his chest plate. I always thought they were kind of ugly

So do not agree. Kuuga has one of the best chest plate designs of any Rider and I'll take any of his forms over some of the gaudy stuff that has come down the pike since.

 

[Tanuki]

I honestly prefer the simpler stuff, like Agito's, or the one's that came before. His chestplate just looks so cheap, and it's only the chestplate too. Since then it's just gotten gaudier in many ways. That's why I am not fond of form change riders in general

 

[MattComix]

I honestly prefer the simpler stuff, like Agito's, or the one's that came before. His chestplate just looks so cheap, and it's only the chestplate too. Since then it's just gotten gaudier in many ways. That's why I am not fond of form change riders in general

Hmm. See to me, Kuuga's chestplate designs totally fit in with that simple style you're talking about. I don't think it looks cheap at all or at least no more or less cheap than any toku suit does.

 

[Tanuki]

see, to me ultimate kuuga and agito were the pinacle of the design phase

 

[Kamen_Rider_Ryuki]

I honestly prefer the simpler stuff, like Agito's, or the one's that came before. His chestplate just looks so cheap, and it's only the chestplate too. Since then it's just gotten gaudier in many ways. That's why I am not fond of form change riders in general

kuuga's chest plate is a home to ichigo if u watch it