[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Honestly, at the end of the day, after all these years, Fourze is a series where I feel nothing. I don?t hate it, but it?s not cracking my top 10 either.

I'm sorry to hear it didn't work for you, but thanks for sharing your thoughts on it over the last few months!

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

If Gamou has realized the errors of his ways by knowing that humans are fine enough as they're, and that he suffers the consequences of his evolution, what'd be the reason for Gamou to still want to see the Presenters via the KRC? He wanted to visit the Presenters to force evolution on humanity, which plan is abandoned now, settling to follow Rokuro's mindset in passing their creations to the next generation.

You got the goal and means backwards. Gamou wanted to meet the Presenters after hearing the voice of space and due to his lack of faith in others, he decided to use the most expedient yet destructive method to ensure he would succeed. This was the reason for his disagreement and betrayal of Rokurou, who wanted humanity to meet the Presenters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

You aren't viewing Tsukasa the same way as this?

Rogue planet

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

As someone whose gateway to tokusatsu was Power Rangers, I always think it's fun to see a good end-of-season base destruction. That's incredibly rare in Kamen Rider, too, so I always have fun with this part.

Tragedy is part of entertainment after all, so I accept that my sadness for the destruction is a credit to the show. Some people just don't want to deal with hard emotions and will turn their back on something the moment their favorite character dies. But I think it's great that Kamen Rider can make people feel a healthy range of emotions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

SERIES WRAP-UP

I feel like talking about this show is really just talking about the characters, maybe more so than any show outside of Saber. The cast is massive, and? like, what is high school except the kids you went to school with, the teachers you had, and the administrators who disregarded your individuality in their pursuit of cosmic ascension? Because of that, as teased/threatened near the beginning of this thread, I am doing my definitive*, unchanging, deeply considered, locked-in POWER RANKING for the Kamen Rider Club. And we?re doing it in countdown order, to make it extra thematic:

9: JK

8: Ryuusei

7: Shun

6: Ohsugi

5: Yuuki

4: Kengo

3: Gentarou

2: Tomoko

1: Miu

Nice to see you've given Kengo and Ohsugi the promotions they deserved! Honestly, I'm especially surprised that you ended up ranking Ohsugi higher than I did. Miu's still your favorite, which is expected at this point after your consistent praise towards her, but Tomoko in second is pretty respectable. Anyway, since you shared yours, I guess it's only fair that I reciprocate with my own Kamen Rider Club Ranking, which I've now put together:

1) Tomoko
2) Gentarou
3) Ryusei
4) Miu
5) Kengo
6) Shun
7) Ohsugi
8) Yuki
9) JK

I also want to clarify like you did for JK that I don't actively dislike any of these characters. They all have some good points. Kamen Rider Fourze is such an awesome show and that's mostly thanks to this lovable group of different individuals making the world around them worth protecting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Honestly, at the end of the day, after all these years, Fourze is a series where I feel nothing. I don?t hate it, but it?s not cracking my top 10 either. Which if you?re familiar with my opinions on? anything shouldn?t be a surprise (and if you?re not, the basic low-down is that I?m meh on anything beloved and popular, while drawn to stuff that most people are neutral to at best, dislike at worst. That?s not even a Toku only thing, I don?t like Kevin Conroy?s take on Batman)

And that's totally okay. Gentarou wouldn't want you to say something you don't believe. I respect that your opinion is authentic and not just jumping on bandwagons.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Kamen Rider Fourze is such an awesome show and that's mostly thanks to this lovable group of different individuals making the world around them worth protecting.

It really is! I think the basic storytelling setup of High School Monster-Fighting is solid enough to do a whole bunch of different kinds of stories, but it's the cast who interacts with those stories that makes this show so special.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

4: Kengo



Kengo is the character I most came around on with this rewatch. I never really liked him on my initial view, but I?m struggling to remember why. I think I just found him too petulant and whiny in the beginning, or just not a great actor. (I still think he?s? solid, maybe not the guy in the cast you see having a long and celebrated career in the industry.)

So imagine my surprise on this rewatch when the Kengo/Gentarou dynamic immediately locked in for me, providing the nucleus around which the entire show orbited. I know I just said that the KRC couldn?t exist without Yuuki, but that?s only because she facilitated the epic and heartwarming friendship between Gentarou and Kengo. It?s a bond that never feels like a foregone conclusion, or permanently resolved ? every time Kengo loses his shit at some insane assertion from Gentarou re: Making Friends, I bought the tension and friction that kept them trying to understand each other, over and over, all season long, because that?s what friendship is. Without Kengo?s arc, you?ve got no show. The Ryuusei stuff doesn?t work without Kengo?s story to provide a template that Meteor could play off of; the Gamou stuff doesn?t work without Kengo?s example; the friendship between Gen and Kengo is the show.

And I think Kengo carries his side of things beautifully? The high point for me (non-47/48 category) has to be Cosmic States, where Kengo has to devise and fulfill a Gentarou plan to revive Gentarou, and the ability for Kengo to do that was such a brilliant example of how these two knuckleheads impacted each other for the better. If I like Fourze, it?s because of this friendship.

Weirdly, I think I like Kengo less when I watch the show again. I think it's because I always tend to remember the character's high points and forget all of the time that he spends being either grumpy or relegated to background status because the show is way more interested in Ryusei right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

Honestly, at the end of the day, after all these years, Fourze is a series where I feel nothing. I don?t hate it, but it?s not cracking my top 10 either. Which if you?re familiar with my opinions on? anything shouldn?t be a surprise (and if you?re not, the basic low-down is that I?m meh on anything beloved and popular, while drawn to stuff that most people are neutral to at best, dislike at worst. That?s not even a Toku only thing, I don?t like Kevin Conroy?s take on Batman)

I think Fourze cracks my top ten but not my top five. I don't know if any particularly elements of the series really stand out above the pack, but so much of it works so well that I always have a good time when I watch it. There are a lot of Rider shows that I kinda have to be in a certain mood to want to watch, but I'm pretty much always down for some Fourze.*

*Provided it's not the Gemini two-parter.