On Kadoya Tsukasa and whether there is no character development in Decade

[gekidasa]

I've been thinking a lot over the weekend about the whole Decade = anniversary gimmick thing, and... well, it IS true that there is just not enough time or opportunities to REALlY explore deeper themes the way Agito, Faiz or Blade do, and that overall, it does end up being a series about awesome nostalgia moments and all, but...

Thinking about Tsukasa's journey during the past month's episodes... well, I just have to say that anyone that still thinks there's NO character development in Decade is just not paying attention.

I mean, yes, it's been subtle, and so very much of it is through Ma-kun's performance that a lot of it would be lost if, say, Mizushima Hiro himself (who may be a japanese Johnny Depp, and is very pretty, but is just not that good at subtly conveying emotions... lol, don't kill me, HIro fans! I like the guy, I really do :D;;;) was the one playing Tsukasa. But just, compare the self-absorved, absolutely oblivious douchebag from the beginning (SPECIALLY from Kuuga's world) with the guy that Tsukasa has become. Yes, he's still a dick, yes, he's still arrogant and self-absorved... but he's also changed, little by little. He no longer sees other people as cardboard props or pawns to be moved around (which he totally used to). He's become invested in people, he's learned to empathize, and he's learned to care and on occassion, usually when it most counts, he's learned to put others before himself.

Yes, I'm on a MASSIVE Tsukasa love fest right now, why do you ask? :D

Comments

[dimmie.livejournal.com]

Hiro isn't Japanese Johnny Depp, Odagiri Joe is. :D

Also, seriously, this fandom doth protest too much about Decade. Obviously alternate Riders who only get like two episodes to show up and resolve all their issues are not gonna get enough character development, but the core four have got more development in 20-something episodes than other characters have in entire 50 episodes long series before.

tl;dr baaaaaaaaaw more, fandom, baaaw more.

[gekidasa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know Odagiri Joe = Johnny Depp, but I have no idea who to compare Hiro to. :D;;;

(I know you compared him to a guy from High School Musical, but I knwo shit about that, so....)




And yes, I didn't go into that part, but all 4 of them have been handled REALLY well and I love how they're grown through the series. It's just that I'm on such a Tsukasa high at the moment :D;;;

Actually, it's, again, because of the "okaeri nasai", because of how Tsukasa's eyes widen just a little bit as Natsumi is speaking, and that just speaks volumes about how he's pondering what this means for THEM, but also for HIM specifically, and it's all in a little thing like that. ETA: I mean, that's what sparked the post in the first place.

[seishirou99.livejournal.com]

Well, people who say that obviously don't watch episode 25? And 27. Especially 27, because Tsukasa's expression! If that is not character development then I don't know what character development is. I was baaaaaawww-ing. :/

I was watching Making of Decade last night and it just hit me that the journey is going to end soon. It makes me sad because I think I still want some more of Tsukasa, Yuusuke, Natsumi and Daiki. :((

[gekidasa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree, obviously. The last few episodes have been amazing. For Tsukasa in particular, yes, but for the others as well.

I mean, you take 27, and yes, Tsukasa grew in leaps and bounds in one episode. But on the other hand, you can also look at Yusuke, and see what putting him in that situation did, and in a way he came full circle. Or you can look at Daiki, and sure, he's being a troll and a douchebag, but he revealed so much of himself at the end. And Natsumi herself, even though she spent the episode unconscious and then dead... the fact that she calls out to Tsukasa, the revelation that she wants desperately for him to stay with her. And the way it all came together, the way all 4 of them fit into each others' lives, I think there is no question that Decade has moved beyond simply an anniversary gimmick. There was so much going on in one episode. *___*

And yes, I've kind of been flailing and spazzing for about a month, ever since Ma-kun posted those photos from the last day of shooting. At least we know we'll have more Decade at the end of the year.