What a gorgeous shot!
https://i.ibb.co/hHXnJSt/Bima-X.png

I think this shows how Bima was so amazingly popular and successful that Bima-X's action is comparable to Toei's works. Of course, with this being a movie, it makes even more sense that they would raise the bar for this one. Ray going to Hell and resurrecting as Bima-X is an awesome climax for sure!

I like the Bima-X suit a lot and think it does a good job looking more distinct to Azazel and Bima Legend. Similar to the whole red/blue thing with Helios, the reason for this distinction is probably something that will make more sense to you later.

I'm actually okay with that. Since I last watched this show 10 years ago and due to it being approximately twice the length of its predecessor, I doubt my memory to recall the specifics of each episode, but I can probably talk more generally about the events of the 2-parters easily enough.

You're watching a Komura show now, so you can totally expect more of the comedy you know and love from Wizard. It was good to see how Bima-X and Azazel work together to deal with a relatively simple MOTW plot, before Reza's quest heralds the new status quo.

Yeah, I like the new silver-rimmed version of the Power Stones. They're gimmick items now, but still small enough to not feel obstructive. Easier to roleplay than pulling a ball of light out of your chest anyway.

Seperti Bintang is iconic for sure, but yeah, I also think the new OP is pretty good and the fact that Bima-X has an ED as well is something I'm sure we can appreciate.

I assure you guys, there's some high quality Azazel content to look forward to!

Oh yeah, it's always great when fanart makes it into a toku. In any form, really. Shout out to the kid who colored Revi and Geats as Cyclone and Joker!

Oh yeah, the crew behind these shows have really leveled up over time.

The mere fact that BIMA was able to gain an audience outside of its native country shows just how much the hard work of everyone involved paid off. And I'm glad it did!

I mean, if that means that BIMA-X is gonna end up with its own version of Shunpei, that'd be a surefire way to win my heart.

okay but like imagine if someone was able to actually do that though

This makes me happy to know, thanks!

Riku Sanjo jumpscare.

Yeah, color me surprised when the head writer of Kamen Riders W and Drive popped up to write this two-parter about Honor and Pride.

Color me double surprised when it turned out that just because he has an objective different than Ray, that Reza isn't out of the show at all. In any other Toku, Reza would've immediately disappeared for entire episodes at a time.

The base premise is simple: The Blue Power Stone has been located after Ray sent it away in "The Beginning" and thus begins a made dash of both sides to claim it for themselves. And while any tokusatsu fan could come to some conclusions based on the titles, I feel like these episodes shook things up.

Firstly, someone obtaining the Stone doesn't take both episodes. And it's also not the de-facto way that Bima-X claims victory in the end either. Rather, the Blue Stone is Ray's' reward not just for beating the Bee Monster, but also for sticking true to his virtues. While I feel the execution of the moral is a little messy, it overall worked for me, since I got the core of what they were getting at.

Speaking of Ray though, I feel as though he's become a little unhinged after all the battles he's gone through. Part 1 features him getting pelted with arrows in order to unlock Ultra Instinct, and the climax has him demand that the safety tips be taken off. And yet this absolute madman manages to pull it off. And that's without any sort of transformation, either. Like, are the wind powers any sort of upgrade at that point?

On that note, the Blue Power Stone. I do like that now when Ray modifies the stones to match his new Red one, the design on the silver trim is unique to each stone. And while I do love me some form changes, I feel like the way it's pulled off here isn't ideal in terms of my aesthetic tastes. I wish that the undersuit also changed color at the very least. And that's not even getting into how much I liked/preferred how the stones would grant different weapons and augments in the original BIMA.

The last things that I can think of bring up are kinda scattershot: First, how much I'm liking BIMA-X's' OST. Episode 4 actually had a really nice score all around, and the tracks here are standing out alot more to me than what they did in the original show. Next, I find it both cool and interesting that this show is keeping the puffs of smoke used for impact effects that's been around since the old days rather than using the usual Sentai Sparks. And last, man, I was not expecting Lady Mossa to be Rouge the Bat from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. This all certainly adds a layer of fun to everything, to say the least!

But yeah, the show appears to be picking up momentum now that the straight forward introductory episodes are over, and I'm interested in seeing where this new potential format goes.

Bima-X Storm's interesting because it's adding a lot more onto an already fairly complex suit. I don't think I mind it too much but it'll be a form that probably grows on me as time goes on.

The monster suits continue to be really cool though, Azellot's definitely my favorite of the new monter suits so far.

That said yeah, Ray is insane when it comes to his training methods this season. Like yeah, just have Randy shoot you with arrows while you're blindfolded Ray! That'll surely help! I mean it does in the end... but it's still unhinged!

It's the Zodiarts robe he wears, isn't it?

Surprisingly, no. Since that's a thing they all wear. I just think he's pretty cool for a bee monster really.

The bad boys are back in town. Whatcha gonna do?

Sure, there's what is technically the A plot about a little boy reconciling with his older brother, but we all know what we're actually here for, right?

And I gotta tell you, it made me so happy to see Iron Mask and half the crew of Shadow Crisis come back. It really showed how much I enjoyed the cast of the original show that I don't even care about a proper explanation and I just loved seeing them in action again. Heck, I even liked seeing the two Combatmen mooks show up on screen for all of four seconds before mysteriously disappearing!

What also helps is that the fight with these characters are really good too. Especially in regards to the fight that ends off the first part and kicks off the next. Some really great choreography there!

The overall moodiness of the Ghost Ship/Building set made for a great location too; Helping to fill the episode with a sense of dreariness that's very befitting of the characters who return for this one. For those who don't remember, Karax(Crow) was Ice, and Zacros(Goat) was Illusion.

Ricca(the camera lady) also shows that she's got alot more intel than anyone should have: Having a map of the building connected to the Ghost Ship. And Ray's' line makes me wonder: Did she ever tell Ray her name? Because I don't think she did. Well whatever, it lead to a nice save from Randy and Rena, and it's always nice to have the family be involved in these things. Now we just gotta wait for Uncle to be the hero at some point.

But yeah, this was a fun return of the villain characters that I really liked from the original BIMA, and I'm interested to see how these multiple factions are all gonna play off eachother going forward.

I do like that even though he got a new form, Ray still wants to train to use it properly. I also like that since Helios is sentient, it basically gets to be his training partner. It's also interesting to see we're not getting everything about a form right away, given we just now got a new weapon and finisher a couple of episodes after its debut.

That said oh man, Shadow Crisis is back and Iron Mask didn't actually die? I was honestly surprised to see them get rid of him in The Beginning, so it's nice to see him return. Granted it seems like Black Lord and Rexor were expecting this. So I'm curious to see what exactly these two are planning. Because it's clear after these past couple of episodes that Rexor's definitely higher on the totem pole to the Black Lord than he seems.

I think my only little miff is that I think Iron Mask's new arm cannon is a tad dinky looking for how much power it packs.

Also Karax and Zacros were some of my faves of the original Shadow Crisis so it's great to see them back too.

Reminds me of that Super Mega Force episode where Noah trained with swinging blades. I guess Ray can get more psyched up if he knows that the training is just as deadly as it would be in a real fight, but yeah, there's no way he would've done something so reckless in the previous season.

While I was also a little confused about the minimalistic form changes at first, I eventually started to like them. Ray has the strongest synchronization with Power Stone Merah, so I think it kind of makes sense that most of the suit stays the same. This design concept may have been ahead of its time, since a year later we got a Rider whose form changes were just wearing different jackets. I think Bima-X does it better than Agito anyway, since Bima-X at least changes the head.

Like that short instrumental track that plays when Bima-X assumes Storm Mode. Each form has its own variation and I love how it sets the mood for the new form.

Topeng Besi is just too angry to stay dead! :lol Cool to see Shadow Crisis back as well, Zacros is always entertaining to watch and since Karax only got one episode before, it's fair that he gets a comeback here.

Another sign of the franchise's improvement in Tokusatsu quality, as this ghost ship setting feels climactic, like something you'd typically expect to see much later. The staff are seriously showing off and it's awesome! Totally a strong first impression from Kihara Daisuke, the writer for this 2-parter and also the next one.

Like Stella Cornelia who portrays Rena, Ricca's actress Thalia is also a member of the idol group JKT48. So yeah, you can expect her to be important, which is good since the sudden absence of Belinda left a vacancy for a second female character.

Yeah, it's cool when a new form doesn't reveal its full hand from the gecko, as this increases the form's longevity for future appearances. For Showa Riders, this was basically essential due to lack of form changes, like V3 with his 53 secrets.