KR Ex-Aid 02 released

[takenoko]

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Alt title - Hiiro is the real Hero?!
Last week's rating: 3.54 / 5 (50 votes)

Hmmm, mixed feelings. If we had to get surgical about this, I'd say that if we cut out Emu, I like almost everything else that happens in this episode. Hiiro and Brave are a good addition. He certainly has the skills to do the job, but his emotional priorities are elsewhere, clashing him with Emu's ideals. Great, that's just what I want to see.

Like even Emu has some good moments in this episode. It's awesome that he cares about the patient and straight up stands up to Hiiro, saying that he can't quit the CR and just leave the Rider stuff to that guy. But then he grins like an idiot when the girl gets kidnapped and he spouts those cliche gamer catchphrases, and I'm back to wanting to punching him in his useless face. It's not even entirely his fault that he's obtuse, they don't even explain the basics of being a Doctor Rider to him (or maybe Asuna did and he threw out the manual, I dunno). It's hard to root for him as the voice of morality when he's so ignorant of what's going on, and when he's proven to underestimate Brave's abilities. It just makes him look like a meddling amateur.

Also, the appearance of dark Ex-Aid. I'm not confident enough in this writing to think that they're going to justify his random appearance in this episode. It's like Bandai said "You have to introduce the bad guy Rider now", and the writer said "Okay, he appears". No explanation for why he reveals himself. No explanation for why he disappears. It's like the Red Letter Media guys said in their Star Wars prequel reviews, "Give me a bad guy whose motives are clear." I mean, maybe the guy's just fickle or he has a reason for keeping the Riders alive. Like even a line to say "I need to protect my growing Buster companion." But on the surface, his appearance in this episode is pointless.

Hiiro eating the cake is pretty good. I like his practicalism. You can't perform surgery if you aren't taking care of yourself. And hey, I'm a man who likes sweets.

So was Emu using the fiance to lure out the Bugster, since the Bugster knew kidnapping her would psychically torment the patient guy? You see how this might come off as bad writing?

I like Brave's design. Is this one of those situations where Hiiro/Brave is the real main character? He's the one who's got to live up to his father doctor's expectations. He has a history with Poppy, who clearly doesn't like him. He's got high standards, a rigid but ambiguous moral code. He's the knight to Shinji's Ryuki (Only Shinji was actually likable).

The flame sword effect is just plain terrible. You can't see what's going on with that shit on screen. Ice sword is fine. I still kind of zone out during these mass battles because they're just not very interesting.

Edit: I like that Asuna drives the bike and Emu just sits in the back.

Edit edit: the opening song and sequence is pretty good.

4 / 5. Things are getting better.

[ViRGE]

I liked this episode. Not perfect by any means, but it's a good follow-up to last week. It fleshes out who's behind the Rider hardware (our mysterious game CEO) and advances the overall plot just a bit by having Emu connect stress to the virus, while still letting Brave's introduction be the focus of the episode. Hiiro's practically a walking medical drama stereotype - the doctor who is a good physician but terrible doctor - but that's okay. It at least lays the foundation for some good medical drama.

Though I am a bit surprised that they have come up with a valid in-universe reason to use the level 1 forms. I still don't care for them, so this is a sign that I'm going to be seeing them more than I care for, but I appreciate that they have a good reason to use the weaker form.

Meanwhile if we're going to have the current bad guy running around in his Rider form so soon, I hope they actually spend some quality time focusing on him sooner than later. Actually I also hope we get to see his transformation sequence soon, but I suspect they're purposely hiding his identity from the other characters.

The flame sword effect is just plain terrible. You can't see what's going on with that shit on screen. Ice sword is fine. I still kind of zone out during these mass battles because they're just not very interesting.

I liked the flame effect. I might be able to agree with you that it could be smaller, but the general design of this color palette limited flame looks great. It adds a lot to the atmosphere of the series that the effects are game-like as well.

Edit edit: the opening song and sequence is pretty good.

Agreed. I know I've been gushing about the opening song since we first heard the preview, but the full, unadulterated version has not disappointed. And it fits the opening sequence perfectly. I can't quite put my thumb on how, but the opening sequence feels like a good mash up of old school and newer intros, and for that reason it's fantastic. This might be the first series I watch the OP for every week since Fourze.

Finally: Takenoko, you should check the source framerate for Poppy's Room. I think it's being incorrectly encoded. Watching it, I think it's 30fps source material, not 23.976. It's a little jerky, like a frame has been dropped, and motion blur is more consistent with a 30fps recording. (I'd check it myself, but Toei are jerks and block it outside of Japan)

[resop2]

I thought the dark rider was supposed to be the mysterious guy who talks to a monster on the roof. He did say in the episode that it was time for him to say hi to the riders ...

Since I was not an eight bit gamer, again I think a good portion of this show goes over my head.

Since Poppy can be in the real world, can Asuna be in the virtual world?

[Catastrophe]

So we have another secondary who is emotionally detached and is focused on getting the objective at hand finished. Except in the medical concept it makes sense, because anyone that's ever worked in healthcare know that most surgeons are robotic and tend to distance themselves from the patients because they tend to die a lot. It makes sense that Emu is more idealistic because he is in peadeatrics and is an intern so hasn't really suffered the harsh reality of the medical world.

I mean I'm giving the writers the benefit of the doubt but I imagine the secondary would be like this no matter what the setting was. It's cool that his first transformation he has the nurses prep him like a surgeon as well (although that inital surgery scene the nurse is touching the blade of the scapel when she gives it to him. Doh!). I like the bit at the end with the apple pie as well, he's serious for the whole thing. A lot of people I've seen compare Kagami to Kaitou, but both in looks and attitude he strikes me more like Kitaoka

Also Emu has the right idea trying to skip to level 2 straight away. Unfortunatly it seems we have to wait for the CGI budget to run out before that happens. Also, the CGI monsters design was based on a T4 bacteriophage, which is a virus that infects bacteria, not animals...

Lastly, the OP song is pretty cool and the actual OP isn't that bad either. This episode was really enjoyable and is making me optomistic for the series.

[JujinSan]

I have to say i dont like the opening theme. It just sounds like bad hip hop to me. As for the episode itself...random dark rider and dueling doctors. I think Hiiro's arrogance, for lack of a better term, could get the better of him down the line.

[takenoko]

Finally: Takenoko, you should check the source framerate for Poppy's Room. I think it's being incorrectly encoded. Watching it, I think it's 30fps source material, not 23.976. It's a little jerky, like a frame has been dropped, and motion blur is more consistent with a 30fps recording. (I'd check it myself, but Toei are jerks and block it outside of Japan)

The Youtube video is 30 fps but there's a dead frame every 4, so I reduced it to 23.976.

[eijiman]

Well, I really like the intro, it kinda reminds me of Kabuto. I'm hoping this series will become serious soon enough.

Other than that, well, like someone said Brave's attitude is right, he does wants to save the patients, but being a surgeon he should not let things get personal.

Anyway, I just checked in the wikia about the gashats and there is one that seems specially interesting to me, so i have my hopes kinda high right now.

[Eternal_Winterbane]

Also, the appearance of dark Ex-Aid. I'm not confident enough in this writing to think that they're going to justify his random appearance in this episode. It's like Bandai said "You have to introduce the bad guy Rider now", and the writer said "Okay, he appears". No explanation for why he reveals himself. No explanation for why he disappears.

I had to rewatch parts of the episode and Dark Ex-Aid is either Parado or the monster that spreads the virus. if we go by colour scheme it'll be Parado due to his clothing being mostly black or purple, but if we go for the Monster/2nd in command, it's the device he uses to spread the virus is the same one Dark-Aid uses but money is more on Parado as he states He should meet them. And the justification of his appearance is presumably to stop the good Riders from destroying the virus.

[takenoko]

But why show up, then just disappear? He didn't show up to save the monster the second time. I'm probably nitpicking, but it really would be nice if his appearance was more meaningful other than to just make an appearance.

[gourdcaptain]

I'd agree with you guys on Brave being correct other than the boot where he was perfectly willing to let the other person die since it wasn't his client. Also, we appear to be already at the point of Kabutov where they try to justify why you would use Masked Form, only I didn't mind those suits and I loathe the Level 1 ones.

Also, I am so tired of the pallet swap Riders. In the last three years we've gotten:
Drive - Dark Drive, Gold Drive
Ghost - Dark Ghost, Zero Specter, and FOUR Dark Necroms.
Ex-Aid - Dark Ex-Aid. In episode two.

Seriously, come up with some original suits for your villains.

[Catastrophe]

I think it's the SD thing that turns people off the LV1 suits, whereas the Masked form was just a different style of fighting, and something they kept using for most of the series.

And the dark rider thing works when they use it for a movie or special, which is fine. If this is supposed to be an evil rider though it's kind of lame. Again, I know videogame reference and all but it's shit.

And I agree with you Take. I mean usually you want to build this evil rider thing up and he reveals himself early, mostly just to push the toys, but they could have written it better for sure.

Still, I'll take it over multi form bullshit like we've had before.

[gourdcaptain]

I think it's the SD thing that turns people off the LV1 suits, whereas the Masked form was just a different style of fighting, and something they kept using for most of the series.

It's not so much that I dislike the concept of an armored and a fast form as Clock Up basically trivialized all other benefits a firm could give. Heck, the early episode with Kagami's brother had Tendon when trying to lose sticking in Masked form and then shifting to Rider when he was actually trying, which doesn't make it look good.

[Yaiba]

I'd agree with you guys on Brave being correct other than the boot where he was perfectly willing to let the other person die since it wasn't his client.

He was not letting the lady die. He was confident that he can kill the MOTW before it fire the killing shot. It shows when he had his sword sticking in its torso, and no bullets hit Ex-aid who was shielding the lady.

Attack is the best defense.

[takenoko]

I'd agree with you guys on Brave being correct other than the boot where he was perfectly willing to let the other person die since it wasn't his client.

Huh? When did this happen?

[gourdcaptain]

I'd agree with you guys on Brave being correct other than the boot where he was perfectly willing to let the other person die since it wasn't his client.

Huh? When did this happen?

Sorry, I'm going off something I half remember from the Excite subs earlier in the week. Haven't downloaded the TV-N ones yet, and I'm still in the "rush to watch it and figure it which sub I'm sticking with afterwards" part of the series. Also probably me remembering it wrong.