So I’m thinking I’ve reached the point in OOO in which it hits its stride and characters and dynamics start to get interesting.
I still don’t really OOO‘s various suit designs, I’m not really into the whole props during battle aspect of the action (particularly the mantis appendages/weapons), but the underlying Buddhist theme makes it very interesting, Hino Eiji is quite likable, Ankh is fascinating, and at this point characters I knew I’d like are starting to get more screentime… and characters I didn’t expect to care much about one way or the other have snuck up on me.
1. Gotou. I knew from the description I’d love him, and he hasn’t disappointed. I like the conflict that has been shown so far… he’s obviously used to taking orders and following the status quo, being a former cop, but has a mind of his own, hence he left the police to “save the world”. Now he’s a dependable soldier, who’s meant to observe and help out as he is told, but has is givings about the path Kougami has chosen… and is willing to speak out about it, even if he’s not taking any actions so far. And I like that those misgivings are part the fact that Eiji is “fraternizing” with the enemy, and part ego, because he clearly thinks Eiji is a flake and that he could do better.
2. The Greed. I love these guys. Well, okay, I love Cazali and Uva, am amused by Gamel, and am tentatively intrigued by Mezul. But I’m glad to see that OOO is going for interesting, well developed kaijin… I’m guessing it’s the legacy of the Sonozaki family. Ayway, Cazali and Uva are delightful villains… to my taste anyway. And I can just guess without looking that Pixiv must feature these two together. Extensively.
3. Chiyoko is awesome. I like how part of why she reaches out to Eiji is because she sees him as someone that is living the sort of life she dreams of having… and the minute she said that, you immediately understand why she runs a multinational themed restaurant. She’s not living her ideal travelling life, but she’s certainly trying to bring as much of that dream to her real life as she can.
And I’m amused that she’s obviously planning on matchmaker at least a little bit…
4. Which brings me to Hina. I already said in my previous post that I didn’t expect to be interested in her at all but she’s showing herself to have inner strength (guess I should have seen it coming from her freakish physical strength) which makes her more interesting than the demure nice girl I expected her to be. I really like how she has accepted and dealt with the fact that some monster has possessed her brother’s body, ad I love even more how she’s not intimated or upset by Ankh’s presence. And I suppose that, like Chinoko, I think she and Eiji would make a pretty cute couple.
I enjoy reading your detailed write-ups on OOO, just so you know.
I think Gotou is pretty amazing. True, he’s probably jealous of Eiji to some degree (why is Hino, a random civilian, gets to be a rider and not I, who is obviously more qualified?), but no, even though it might sound like he’s very disapproving of Eiji continuing to be OOO, in the end I believe Gotou is going to work harder to get his own rider system. And I wish him luck. (At first I actually didn’t care for him to be a rider at all, but at this point I’m cheering, even if he has to sacrifice some of his pride (ego) a bit.)
Hina not being upset by Ankh seems a bit incongruous to me, given her reactions when she first saw him. But then again, I think Eiji failed to convey how dangerous Ankh truly is to her. Which I’m not sure is such a good idea. It is probably fine if Eiji is around to protect her, I suppose.
And yes, I agree that Hina and Eiji would make a very cute couple. :) I think they are around the same age (or maybe Eiji is a little older).
Thanks for telling me that! I get much fewer comments since I’ve been crossposting to LJ from the blog… I guess a lot of people don’t like to venture out of LJ. Ah well.
Anyway, way back when we got character descriptions, my initial reaction to Gotou’s was “a Kagami that isn’t full of fail” (as a starting point, I mean), and although there are differences, I still think they’re basically variations of a similar archtype. Both have ties to law enforcement, both want to save the world/help people, and it’s that last one that in Gotou kind of drives his ego to where he says “I’d be a better OOO”, while Kagami kind of idolized Tendo for being Kabuto instead, because he didn’t think he himself was all that. But I think he’ll come to appreciate Eiji, and yes, like you said (and like Kagami!), he’ll probably become a rider hero on his own… so parallel journey to Kagami, in a way.
(I like to draw parallels, obviously :D)
As for Hina, I think the difference between her reaction when she first saw Ankh and her manner towards him now can be explained by the fact that before… well, first she thinks it’s her brother, and he attacks her, so she’d be in shock. And then once she knows the truth, first there is the normal grieving process, and in her case the fact that she herself has said that she relied on him tot he point where he was like a crutch. So I see this behavior (and keep in mind, I’m on ep 8, so if it changes I don’t know about it) as her coming out on the othr side of grief and acceptance and having found strength she might not have realized she had.
Maybe helped along with wanting to show Eiji that he doesn’t have to stay away from her on account of Ankh, haha ;D
I haven’t been comparing Gotou to Kagami, but yes, putting it that way, they seem similar. And in theory, Gotou would probably make a better OOO. After all, he seems to have the necessary real world experiences. What he does lack, I think, is an open mindset. Being open-minded is the reason Eiji can fight, and, not having that, imho, is the reason Gotou not being appreciative of Eiji’s ‘looking at only in front of me’. I think if Gotou isn’t being set up as an antagonist (which I don’t believe he is), I agree that he would definitely come to appreciate Eiji.
True, now that she has more information, Hina’s acceptance of the situation seems appropriate. But I still think she’s treating Ankh too much like he is something harmless that she can intimidate (to be fair, maybe she can, but she doesn’t know that). (That is based on what happens in episode 8 alone.) Ah well, I can only hope that she won’t antagonize Ankh to the point that he decides she’s not worth the trouble to keep around. (But that probably is not happening anyway. When it comes to Hina, I don’t think Eiji will let any harm comes to her.)
Can I just say I’ve really really missed tl;dring about toku with other people? :D :D
And in theory, Gotou would probably make a better OOO. After all, he seems to have the necessary real world experiences. What he does lack, I think, is an open mindset.
In theory, and according to mundane accepted facts, he would make a better OOO. But it’s not just the open mindset he lacks. If OOO is based on the Buddhist idea that people need to gain enlightenment and get free of earthly attachments, then Eiji is way way better suited. But that whole discussion is a whole other can of worms, isn’t it?
On the other hand, to go back to Kagami, I do think Kagami was the real hero of Kabuto, because for all that fanboys love Tendou, as a hero he’s deeply flawed. This case is different because it’s like… well Eiji is more like Godai Yusuke than he is like Tendou, so. In that way, Gotou can also be likened to a much younger and more inmature Ichijou, and that’s part why it’s so hard for him to accept such a lackadaisical person as a ~hero of justice~.