So, let me say that I did not have the same issues you did with Sokichi, purely for one fact. I was and still am, enamored by the aesthetic of Sokichi and more importantly Kamen Rider Skull.

My origin story in this franchise is watching Sokichi bust up some dudes before transforming into Kamen Rider Skull, busting out that sick catchphrase before some more cool fighting, to which I go "What is this show and why aren't I already watching it?"

After learning more about Kamen Rider I eventually dived into W and well, fast forward about a little over a decade later and I'm still hooked on Kamen Rider.

Nah, what bugged me more about watching this was honestly the hindsight with the Death/Dummy switch up. Mostly in the little details of how its an interesting twist, but watching everything again you kind of start questioning how Dummy is doing all of this. Especially when it comes to the Sokichi stuff he hides behind. Like, I get doing research into famous folks and managing to kind of pin down how they're loved ones would act. But Sokichi? That's where Dummy sort of loses me...

That being said I didn't watch the Decade portion after everyone watched Decade a bit back, so this was me experiencing... a thing. Like there are certain emotional things that work here, mainly Natsumi and Tsukasa alongside the Photo Studio Crew willing Tsukasa back via memories and photographs. But then you just have this weird disjointed, not at all connected segment that is just trying to throw so much stuff to get some kind of grandiose ending for Decade.

The stuff with Tackle is especially weird and absolutely not needed. As is the Showa Riders somehow getting involved and Decade just having a blank Skull card which he doesn't seem to recognize? Like, clearly he didn't kill Skull so what's up with that? Okay it's for some closure for Shotaro but still.

Then there's of course the crossover portion which continues off of the cliffhanger from Decade and... is hilariously disjointed. Like Decade gets reset for the most part and then they have to bring back everyone like not even 4 minutes later to get things back to how it was before. That's not even mentioning how setpiece to setpiece this feels instead of a natural organic battle.

That being said... I think the one bit I forgot about mostly but actually enjoyed? Ryubei and Eijiro being drinking buddies and the hilarious retcon of him being Dr. Shinigami because he had a Gaia Memory in him.

Other than that, I feel like the most important question is to ask, which do you prefer? Chicken breasts or thighs? Personally I'm a thigh guy.

Also hello Accel.

But yeah, this was a fascinating Movie Wars to return to since this was the first. Especially the Directors Cut which swaps the order of the segments and adds more to it. The first of its kind, and I'd like to say... it's probably not the worst if I'm being entirely honest. A rough first start, but there's definitely some bright spots here.

While it beggars belief that the Dummy Dopant could recall a conversation that only Sokichi and Shotaro had, it's the sort of thing I'm never going to kick about, because: Gaia Memories. They are the A Wizard Did It of tokusatsu storytelling logic, much like every single collectible in all of Kamen Rider. It's definitely a cheat (the only reason Shotaro thinks the Dopant is Sokichi is because he says something only Sokichi'd know) but it's the same narrative cheat these shows use continuously through the season -- Philip's Gaia Library is also a thing that becomes less realistic the further we get from Begins Night -- so I'm okay with it. It's not the kindest storytelling trick, though.

Also: chicken breast, absolutely, all the time, for lunch tomorrow.

So I mentioned way back when that the Decade half was a replacement for a solo flick that shared nothing but the costumes. I may have also mentioned that the Begins Night half was also conceived as a standalone feature. Though aside from the fate of the fake vicar (or as I dubbed him during a watch along, Bob Evil), and the scene with Ryubee and Photo Studio Grandpa out drinking, not much seems to have changed.

And a bit of a change from the usual feature.

Toku-lert!

(For those who’ve done way too many prominent roles to be tied to one franchise)

Our “victim” (as a how to guide on detective scripts I read at age 10 put it)’s dead sister is Miyuu Sawai, who is best known as the lead role actor n Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and as the previous Pink in Ryusoulger. She was also Green Mage’s pregnant wife on Wizard, a mother suffering from the Gamedeus virus in Ex-Aid and one of the Amazons of the week in… erm, Amazons.

And for the Decade half, the Bee Woman is played by Nao Oikawa, who was also regular villain Kegareshia on Go-Onger and the lady with the TV hat from Build’s HBV.

Um, actually, according to the wiki, episode 8 is the end of Act 1.

Anyway, the Violence Dopant two-parter... I dunno, it ends up being just kinda there for me?

Like, it's competently done overall, but I really don't get any big emotional connection to the whole thing. I suppose it really just depends on how much one ends up liking Wakana and, maybe it's me knowing what happens in the future talking, but I just couldn't get super invested into the constant "You're actually super nice!" talk.

Honestly, my favorite two scenes are at the very beginning, with Philip and Shotaro singing along to one of her songs together, and the bit towards the end, with Kirihiko showing that, he might be a criminal, he does genuinely want to be in the Sonozaki family as an actual family member and not just a coworker.

Given how much he's been talked up during the entire stretch of the show so far, Sokichi better be important.

I won't get too deep into it, as I'm not trying to start any sort of argument, but I feel as though Begins Night is one of those tales that will highlight how much a viewer looks at a character via their debut versus how they end up.

But, looking at this special by itself without any future details at play, I like the guy, and I overall rather like how he ties into everyone overall. After all...

This is by no means a conflicting detail. Just because you are influenced by, learn from, or admire someone, does not in turn mean that you don't in turn also do things your own way or aren't your own person. Shotaro learned what it meant to be a great Detective from Sokichi and adores him. Doesn't also mean he can't proceed to forge his own path going forward, as he's already been doing with his Half-Boiled style.

It's a fun movie and I like it. Even if the Decade stuff conflicts with it heavily.

I remember being in the Rider fandom back in late '09/early '10. It was complete Skullomania (legally distinct from Street Fighter EX character Skullomania). Everyone was flipping out about how cool Skull was: the hat, the scarf, the helmet, the hat, the color scheme, the hat, the brief but cool fight sequences, the hat, and definitely the hat. He was absolutely the hottest shit ever for a couple of months. I was never that enamored with him, but it is a pretty great design.

So it turns out that I didn't have a copy of this movie on the external hd I keep all of my Rider stuff on. Wasn't in the Decade folder, wasn't in the W folder, wasn't even in the crossover movie folder that I started a few years ago. I must have deleted it at some point. I was able to find a replacement, though, so I'm still keeping up.

I think the movie is pretty good but a little disjointed. The Dummy case obviously serves as a means to set up the flashback, but it still feels like a second movie sandwiched inside of the first one (which is, of course, also part of a triple feature). I remember liking this more than I did this time through. Still fun, but not peak W.

I completely forgot this where we first saw FangJoker. I know the show does the heavy lifting with why it disappeared, but like the Sonozaki fight near the end, it feels like something that was crammed into the story because it's a movie and not because it naturally fit into the plot.

Neat! She's my favorite Build character!

While I'm loathe to stand in opposition to the definitiveness of the Wiki, I'm just going to go ahead and say that, starting with Decade, the end of Act 1 for a Kamen Rider show is always right before the Winter Movie. They might not've known it at the time, but this thing hits a gigantic act break at the end of Episode 14.

Kirihiko wants to be accepted so badly, and the Sonozakis just don't care about him. It's such a great contrast to the found family stuff of Team Double.

FangJoker's casual debut here is probably going to make me furious when we get to its eventual Real Deal series introduction. Imagine if Build's Hazard Form was introduced as just a form change Sento busts out in the Winter Movie, between OctopusLight and HawkGatling. Imagine how wrong that would be.

FUUTO PRESENTS: KAMEN RIDER W SPECIAL EVENT - SUPPORTED BY WINDSCALE

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/w/speciala.png

It’s like, yeah, that’s about all there is to say about this one. It’s an 18-minute live stunt show explicitly designed to promote a then-current Kamen Rider theatrical film. That’s it. That’s the brief.

For that mandate… it’s fine? It’s another one of those Kamen Rider stage shows where the Riders fight a Shocker variant, because Shocker doesn’t ever require setup or exposition, and there’s no risk of it interfering with the writers’ plans for the TV series. On the other hand, it means there’s very little aesthetic or thematic connection between the various monsters and the
heroes – they’re literally not built to interact with Double. It makes these shows feel even more ephemeral and thin than usual.

There’s an attempt to tie it into the movie – Skull shows up to menace Shotaro, and Boo the Combatman is trying to deal with his hero-worship for Zanjiro – but it’s basically window-dressing for a whole bunch of tumbling and sound effects. Shocker’s plan is basic, even for them, and Decade’s just like Hey I Was Passing Through (...which is his whole thing, so I’ll allow it), so that’s the whole plot. And, I don’t know, that’s fine! It’s an 18-minute stunt show – I shouldn’t expect a nuanced three-act structure. It is 100% executing on its intended story.

But it’s just sort of… I don’t know, it’s clearing such a low bar, I guess. Aiming low and hitting your bullseye is not the sort of thing I want to applaud. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing to be proud of. It exists, and it told everyone to go see a movie. I hope that’s worth 18 minutes?

Literally the only thing I remembered about this stage show was the Death Dopant advertising the movie. Which tbh, is the best part. It's such a hilarious line to end on and kind of makes this stage show worth it for me.

Aside from that, yeah, it's pretty basic, even for special stages (So far Build and Revice are the only other ones I've seen with subs) it's pretty just there.

Like, I always want to give stage shows a pass because -- even by Kamen Rider standards -- they only exist to make kids cheer for suits and fights. And this one isn't even a celebratory Final Stage or whatever; it's just here to promote a movie! The end!

And yet, I still manage to sound like a sour nerd when I complain about them...

Atashi Kiitenai!

Yeah, never heard of this before. Sounds like the kind of thing I would have skipped, though, so I guess no harm?