haven't posted elves tonight, but that's because i was out watching a very special movie.

In kanji, pain and happiness are only separated by a single stroke. That piece of wordplay is the lynchpin of Shin Kamen Rider, Hideaki Anno's latest reimagining of a tokusatsu classic. I have not watched the 1971 series, but I have watched a solid amount of Kamen Rider Black, and many of the same themes apply. Pursuing happiness, dealing with loneliness, one man against the world; given his work with Evangelion, Anno was definitely suited for the job of portraying the feelings of all the characters. Both heroes and villains received solid characterizations and motivations, even if some were short-lived, and fed into the symbolism of their animal-themed suits and powers. The action was perfect, a mix of classic choreography and camera work combined with cgi used in a manner evocative of films like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (albeit with more violent impacts). It only failed in one sequence, where perhaps it was a stylistic choice, poor lighting, or just poor theater screening, but it was far too dark to make out moves until an explosion lit up the night at the conclusion; besides that, it was solid.

I love this film a great deal. My friend is a complete normie, his only experience with foreign films being Parasite, yet he enjoyed and understood the movie and we talked a great deal afterwards about it. If Shin Kamen Rider is (still) playing in your area, go watch it.