Could Gaim ruin Drive?
 

Sit back and think about this. And I want you all to really think about your answer and the question before you post.

Could Gaim be so good that even if Kamen Rider Drive is better no one would appreciate it because Gaim came before?

It's only natural that we compare Drive to Gaim and other KR series' of the past. It's how humans are. But could that ruin Drive's chances at ever being truly good? Or can you disassociate Gaim from Drive and appreciate Drive standing alone? It's a question that's been bothering me for a few days now.

I kinda thought the same at first too, that Drive won't live up to Gaim's expectations. I think a lot of the new fans that has been introduced to Gaim are more or less going to be the one that's going to be highly judgmental about Drive. As for us... I guess more experienced fan we'll just wait and see if it stands good on it's own.

So FOR ME yea I can dissociated Drive from GAim and see it as it's own show with potential, I mean when you really look at it.... It's just really another season.

Again me personally I just think there is just to much negativity going around about Drive already, not here but among other sites and social media sites, their already bashing on how Drive will be suck-ish or that GAim should get another season and never end, etc, etc.

Didn't Kiva get hurt because everyone loved Den-O? It's not impossible to think this. Yes, I can see this happening but I am ready for Drive though. I wish there were more Riders honestly but it's really early right now.

For the fandom here in the west? Yes. For adults? Maybe. For the Japanese kids: No.

It surely is out of question that Gaim is an extremely well-written and well-directed series. However, one could argue that Gaim is not quite as good as a kids show. I heard the ratings weren't really good and I can totally understand it. The show is really hard to watch due to the extremely dark and tragic tone for me as an adult, so I can only imagine how much the complex story and overall sadness of this show is must feel for kids. It's just a bit too hard to understand and most of them probably don't like watching it at all.

I'm pretty sure a lot of us western fans will go like: Oh, Drive is lame, we want more shows like Gaim (because the western fandom digs the dark stuff), but then again, I'm sure there's enough people, especially in Japan, who will appreciate Drive.

I'm really looking forward to Drive, basically because Gaim leaves me with a terrible feeling atm and I'll be glad to see something friendlier again. And considering the team working on it, I'm sure the show will be great.

I personally don’t judge on what a show does wrong when the other (better) show that it is compared to takes a whole different aspect on the same legacy.

I can’t really compare Gaim to any Kamen Rider-series I watched so far because it’s so different. What I can do, for example, is compare the Rider shows I watched that follow the classic “one new monster per week”-setting. Or, as with Drive, one new case.

And even then I don’t really like comparing shows. Everyone is unique to me, I don’t like to say: “This one is better in that because”, even though it would be true.

Gaim is a wonderful show, I will miss it, but it wont ruin future shows for me. I’m happy to see how Drive evolves in the future.

For me it will only hurt Drive when Drive is a really bad show. I dont compare shows in the sense of "I want everything to be like Show X" anymore. Thats a thing I did six years ago when Shinkenger aired but thats pretty much a thing of the past now.

I compare shows on its basic story structure, what it did with the characters, how logical the show presented its plot etc.

So ts not really a case of comparing Drive to Gaim but rather comparing Drive to Kamen Rider as a whole.

Only in the sense of Western fans/adults. Suzu hit it right on the mark on how the target audience most likely won't care, and probably will appreciate something a bit more light-hearted after the heaviness of Gaim.

If anything Gaim-related will harm Drive its how the initial waves of toys will stack up. I know Arms Change sales have plummeted as the show reaches its end but in their hey day they seemed to be a pretty big thing, so it'll be interesting to see if Drive can live up that commercial success.

If Drive ends up trying to emulate Gaim in some way or another then I would have some problems and say that is the reason Gaim ruined it.
But for now I am saving my judgement until I see a good amount of episodes and see the merchandise they further come up with.

Only if you let it.

Drive looks great! I give every show a fair shot. I'll watch every episode just like I've done with the others. Wizard for me was disappointing relative to Fourze, but I still watched it all and even bought the driver and a bunch of rings.

Lock Seeds still seem very hard to come by even in japan so yeah the Shift Cars have a though act to follow in that regard.

I'm with you there. I also watch every show to the end and then decide if I like it or not. Sometimes a show gets better or worse around the end, so it's better to watch it as a whole. Of course you have a general impression while watching it, but it can change once you've finished.

As much as I've liked Gaim, I don't think it's going to influence my enjoyment of Drive. It helps that Drive seems to be going in a very different direction from Gaim, with what looks like a more light-hearted tone and using episodic, contained stories instead of the more elaborate and nuanced plot of Gaim. I think differentiating itself like this from Gaim is the best way to avoid comparisons and let it just be its own thing.

In regard to the toys, though, I've definitely found my own interest in Drive affected by Gaim. I really liked the Arms Change line and Lockseeds, and the TK line and Shift Cars feel underwhelming after that.

I'm actually fearing I might personally lose interest in it just because it's bland compared to Gaim, which is how I felt about Wizard coming from Fourze. I don't think it could be any worse than Gobusters coming after Gokaiger, but this show doesn't seem to be taking any risks. I imagine it'll do fine with the kids though. Not sure about us.

How could Gaim ruin Drive? Unless Micchy is running around in Drive fucking things up Decade style, we're fine.

But seriously, I feel like after a show that most of the fandom considers amazing, the next one comes has two different hypes behind it. The "This can never live up to X" type of hype and the "Oh my god this is going to be the best thing ever" hype.

I feel like this forum has been relatively good in how they are keeping thier Drive hype separate from Gaim.

Honestly, I really don't think Drive can be even remotely as good as Gaim. As such, I'm going to try not to compare it on those merits, but we'll see if I can resist the urge. Fortunately, despite Wizard's short comings, Toei has not had a total stinker of a KR series since Decade, so there is something to be said about that.

For me, no. Gaim may very well be THE best Rider show for me, but it's still not perfect. It's never going to be the only Rider show I ever want to watch.

I, for one, welcome Drive. If it's good on its own merits, then it's good for me.

Gaim is a great show, but I'm starting to get why everyone's sick of the over hype when discussions like this happen. Just because Gaim is a great show doesn't mean Drive will suck. People saying Gaim is the greatest thing ever, and that nothing as good will ever happen again, are needlessly exaggerating. Yes it's a great show, one of the best, but it doesn't mean the franchise will be worse from here on.

Drive looks excellent in it's own right.

Honestly I don't know why people are already saying that Drive is going to suck and Gaim is the best because that's not true, even though it is one of the best Kamen Rider series. I personally don't judge and compare two Kamen Rider series, so I would say that Drive is in its own league just as Gaim.

Yeah, Gaim's over hype was fucking annoying. The "Every Rider series is trash compared to Gaim" mentality I was seeing pisses me off. If Gaim one of the greats? Yeah. The best? Up to you. A show so untouchable by Rider shows before it that it looks like god in comparison? Hell no.

That sorta mentality regarding Gaim is honestly really asinine because while Gaim is a really great show it should not be a creative ceiling for Kamen Rider. Kamen Rider should strive to become greater than Gaim and continue to grow from there.

No, but its fans sure could.

(Not that I'm not a fan, but the more rabid ones.)

Yes, exactly. By the time Gaim is over, yeah, it's probably going to end up as my personal favorite show in the franchise. That doesn't mean it's going to suddenly retroactively ruin all of the past seasons though, and it certainly isn't going to prevent me from enjoying future shows. I just don't feel the need to compare everything and have no problem enjoying each show for what it is.

They might as well just stop making TV shows all together. We've peaked at Kamen Rider Gaim. I haven't seen any of Kamen Rider Gaim. I'll watch it eventually.

The thing is, folks, that the reason why these shows end up going this way is because some folks compare apples to oranges (No pun intended. Or is it? HUE HUE HUE).

Wizard is not Decade. Gaim is not Wizard. Drive won't be Gaim. So, there's really nothing per se that compares each series on an equal level. Each series is its own entity. Its own atmosphere. It's the same way with ToQGer. ToQGer will never been Kyoryuger, and that's okay. Because it was never meant to be.

I'm fairly certain that if Toei wanted a series to be similar or pay homage to another series, they'd make it VERY obvious (a la Akibaranger).

Why can't we just enjoy a series for what it is and what it offers? You know, like it (or hate it) based on its own merit and not for what it does or doesn't do in the same grain as the series that came before it?

I don't think Gaim can "ruin" Drive, but I do think it will be an entirely different tone which may or may not appeal to a lot of fans that Gaim has picked up - let's face it, more people are watching Kamen Rider Gaim now than they were any previous Kamen Rider show (at least on this side of the world). A number of people are treating Kamen Rider Gaim as their first Kamen Rider show - they could become fans of the franchise if there's a strong follow-up to Gaim with Drive.

What worries me personally is the dramatic and drastic change we got from Kyoryuger to ToQGer. I mean, it's not even subtle - ToQGer looks, feels, and practically is written for an incredibly younger audience than Kyoryuger was. I thought the dancing, at first, was dumb in Kyoryuger - I'd do anything to have it back now. as ToQGer's is just one big disappointment after another for me when I do try and watch it.

If we see that same shift with Kamen Rider Drive, then I will be incredibly disappointed. What frightens me more than anything though is the increased intensity on toys - with Decade through Wizard (minus OOO), the collectible aspect was with the henshin device - cards, rings, and a few form changes. It would appear now that the form changes need to be as much as the henshin equipment, so we will see probably a good 10 or so forms out of Drive.

OR MAYBE JUST 7 LIKE GAIM HAD 6.

/pissingoffdeno

Trideron is built on a Honda NSX. The next-generation Acura NSX has a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. 7.
*Drops mic*

The stick shift in Trideron is shaped like a 7.

*kaboom*

If Drive can't keep people interested enough to follow the franchise, then we'll have to introduce them to the early Heisei Rider shows that are similar to Gaim.

This numbering argument bullshit again? Stop trolling me.

hue hue hue.

Gaim will ruin Drive about as much as Double ruined OOO.