Mild correction: It is slow. The series will intentionally stop any sense of pacing once you think it'll pick up.

Which for me is a reason Agito succeeds better than Kuuga. While it is clear Kuuga is a slow building mystery, it definitely has quite a few slow patches with the only excitement ever really coming with a new form, info, or the last couple of episodes. Agito can be slow as well, however the pacing is a bit better and when the show finally gets into the main mystery/plot it is nothing short of a rollarcoaster ride compared to Kuuga's slow Sunday drive feel. I'll admit that Shoucihi isn't that great of a character and in retrospect doesn't contribute a whole lot to the situations that come. Whereas Godai is a more complex character who does contribute outside of just showing up to beat the bad guys.

I didn't really get that feeling, but to each their own. :thumb:

Did we watch the same show? At least Kuuga didn't introduce plot threads and then outright ignore them for the entire show. And those last five episodes completely killed the momentum of the show, as well as almost entirely failing to be a satisfying ending.

Shouichi isn't a bad character, but he only acknowledges the power of Agito for two or three sporadic episodes at most. For the rest of the series he just doesn't seem to care. I thought he was transforming unconsciously at first because he didn't seem fazed that he was Agito. Godai is just a way better character.

If you can get a sense of real excitement out of Kuuga, more power to ya.
Every time something exciting would happen, the episode would end and the beginning to the next would resolve it before the opening credits.
I still have 8 episodes to watch, but Kuuga has yet to honestly ever become gripping and manage keep that tension or interest.

Anyone else think the reason why despair kills Gates is because of Phantom intervention and not just despair on its own?

Think about it. Anytime, outside of Sabbaths, a Gate starts breaking apart due to despair it's because of a Phantom fucking with their hopes and is in the room telling them to give in to it.

I mean, yeah Haruto was told by his dying parents not to lose hope, but if a kid sees their parents broken and dying, they won't usually start fulfilling the final words of the parents until a bit of initial grieving. And if Haruto didn't become Dragon during that point, it leads me to believe only Phantoms can breed Phantoms through the despair in a Gate.

I thought that was pretty clear. Obviously despair happens constantly around the world every single day; plenty of them gates, I'm sure. But only the ones influenced by Phantoms get a bad case of the purpley cracks.

This is interesting, given the debate a few posts ago. I just started Agito.

I'm 3 episodes in, and am willing to give it more time. If it doesn't grab me enough, I may rewatch Black.

I just picked Kiva back up; I'd taken a months-long hiatus. I like some of the basic ideas, but the execution has frustrated me so far. I couldn't stand Wataru: hooray, a Rider too frightened to talk to other people! Also, I kinda want to punch Otoya. Also, the writers for their tendency to invert Buffy by having the women of the series be monster hunters fully incompetent at actually hunting monsters.

I took in episode 13 yesterday. Wataru seems less awful. Otoya is still awful, but now gets to do something. Jiro is still more fun to watch than the two leads.

Kuuga 42.
Started off strong, throwing us right into the action.
Then it went back to typical Kuuga fare. Mhmm.

I thought that WAS the case with Shouichi. Like becoming Agito was just this instinctual thing for him at first. Like how he sort of attacks G3 in the second episode out of nowhere.

He didn't even really talk all that much as Agito until way later on which was when I felt he started getting more used to being Agit o more or less.