The Lockseeds were intended by the producers to represent the 'opening of a new world' or something like that IIRC.

As for Progrise Keys, I dunno. Although as for the animal part, don't crack your heads open for this; I'm sure there was no connection, just that kids love animals and anything animal themed will likely sell better.

Alright, this is where we post our controversial opinion right?Here's mine.
I think Zero-one is.... kind of overrated

When someone complains about Xross Saber being a repaint, just tell them, "Remember Glitter Tiga?".:lolol

Give me 5 minutes, I'll complain about that too.

Well... what I would say about that is that Glitter Tiga isn't even really a form! It's more directly comparable to, say, that time Zero Beyond went gold if anything. It's simply him shining with the hopes and wishes of humanity for a one-time thing, because Tokusatsu is wonderful!

Welpthatsallthetimewehavefolksloveyallbuybye *closes shutters and plays closing game show music* :lolol

Calling a sword that derives its imagery from thousands of years of Jewish esoteric thought "cross" saber is... well, it's a choice, for sure. :p

What happened? Are you talking about the Haouken Xross Saber?

I am. :p

I'm not really being serious though, only teasing, because, well, if I give Evangelion a pass in its homeginised conflation of Jewish thought and Christian imagery, then I can hardly pick a fight with Saber. But still, when I heard that name, I was like... you couldn't have called it Star Saber? Not only would that have been cool, it would have been representative of Jewish imagery rather than just a liberal borrowing of Jewish ideas and then a big old reference to Jesus, who, historically, we've had a bit of a rocky relationship with the followers of.

Again, I'm not really annoyed, because this stuff is pretty much everywhere in pop culture now, but I think a lot of people forget that Kabbalah isn't something that is a dead practice or something reconstructed in the past two centuries, as is the case of Greek or Norse worship, but something that is very much alive and very much integral to certain branches of Orthodox Judaism.

Thank you for enrolling in Theology and Tokusatsu 101. I'll be your teacher for this semester. :p

Religious references aren't new in Kamen Rider. Gaim had that whole Adam and Eve thing. Shadow Moon uses a 'Satan Saber'. We literally have 'Kamen Rider Solomon'. Japan thinks of other religions as exotic, just like how Western films utilise Eastern mysticism. It's like the yin-yang symbol. I see it used often as a fancy decoration to make a building more 'mystical' or 'exotic'.

I'm not took keen on Japan's usage of religious references, but it is what it is unfortunately. Just because they exist doesn't mean I have to be happy with them.

EDIT: Also, I wonder if perhaps Xross Saber's a reference to the crossguarded sword. The Haouken Xross Saber certainly reminds me of one!

Pretty much just this. They just think it's cool, I guess.

Saber is definitely different in this case, though. This isn't a case of Shadow Moon's sword having the name 'satan' in it because everyone knows that's the evil guy, or everyone in Showa getting crucified because it happened a bunch in Ultraman due to one of the creative team being Catholic and that ended up being popular for some reason, or Gaim just using whatever symbolism it can find. For Saber, the Sefirot and its surrounding history aren't just a reference they threw in in one or two episodes for the hell of it; it's the basis for the show's fundamental mythology and symbolism. And frankly given that it's far less well-known than Christianity's monopoly of cultural osmosis, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

This is a pretty good Twitter thread that goes over - in a broad sense - most of the ideas in use. It's from a month ago so it's missing a couple things, especially particularly recent developments like the Xross Saber's creation; and naturally since the show has about 10 episodes left we don't know the entire full picture yet -- but we easily know enough to say how much of an impact Jewish religion, mythology and symbolism had on Saber as a show from imagery present in multiple major sets, to the means Touma uses to reach Avalon and create the Xross Saber; to the very existence and meaning behind every single Seiken in the show. It's more than just a cheap reference, and especially because of that I think it's fair to point out where Saber's use of this theming fails.

Wow, that was really fascinating. A lot of thought clearly went into all of this.

Wow, even the positions of the swords on the Tree of Life seem to match either aspects of the sword itself or the rider it belongs to:

Jikokuken Kaiji/Malkuth - all of space and time

Ankokuken Kurayami/Yesod - dreams, like the visions Kurayami gives its wielder

Suiseiken Nagare/Hod - logic and rationalization, fitting how Rintaro is among the more intellectual of the riders

Fusouken Hayate/Netzach - aspirations, like Ren's constant drive to grow stronger

Raimeiken Ikazuchi/Teferet - the beauty of reality, which Kento lost sight of at the same time he switched to a different sword

Kaenken Rekka/Geburah - might (like Almighty!) and justice, both very fitting associations for the main rider, and it's also associated with fire and the color red!

Onjuuken Suzune/Chesed - this one's a bit of a stretch, but love and giving could symbolize Daishinji's love of his craft and the support he gives the other riders as a swordsmith

Mumeiken Kyomu/Da'at - a blank space, the perfect place for the unmarked sword of nothingness

Dogouken Gekido/Binah - understanding and development, like Ogami's experience as a veteran swordsman

Eneiken Noroshi/Chokhmah - formlessness, like smoke, and also like Reika's changing role from manipulator to overt enemy to ally

Kogouken Saikou/Kether - infinity incomprehensible to mortals, suitable for Yuri being ancient, no longer purely human, and strange compared to the modern characters.

But then for Xross Saber, I think the "crossguard" explanation is probably better, since the sword's most notable feature is its crossguard being a moving part. I could also see it being about "crossing swords" or a "crossover" since it's created by all the other seiken. Featuring Saber goes especially well with the crossover theme. If it was based on the Christian cross, that would be... yeah, a really weird choice.

I don't think it would be that weird if it's truly based on the Christian cross. Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism that was born from the belief that the Messiah had died for our sins, while in Judaism they are still waiting for him. This fits perfectly what Touma's role is in the show, does it not?

...God damn it :D Touma is Jesus :D

I think this is a big stretch. Touma hasn't died for anyone's sins...not yet anyways. And I don't really sew how people are still 'waiting' for him.

The waiting for him bit was more to differentiate Christianity and Judaism.

And one of the main reasons Kento has been acting the way he does is because Touma is literally destined to disappear after saving the world. While not death, it basically equates to the same since he would be shepherd of to Wonder World.

I think you're probably right here, it's just... unfortunate.

Oh my gosh, please tell me that's a true story! I want to believe that so much!

This is fascinating and wonderful, thank you so much for linking this. Reading through this made me feel really happy in a way to see this laid out because these ideas and beliefs were super important to me when I was young, and had a tremendous influence on me growing up. I am still a curmudgeon and will stand by the fact that it is my opinion Saber does not tell its story well, but I can't begrudge them for having done their homework.

I do think you're probably right about the guard, but yeah, as mentioned above, I find it an unsavoury connotation. I'm not really offended, but I do still feel that a better effort could have been made.

Layton, I know you're not trying to be rude, but so much of this is contentious. You're not taking into account the long, long history of the way in which such reasoning has been used to persecute Jews of all walks of life. The role of the Messiah is a whole complex thing that is really so much more than just "oh, wasn't that Jesus?" This makes it sound like Judaism should be considered as just pre-Christianity, and... it's not.

It's like... it's like me saying, hey, America is historically descended from Europe, right? So, it's cool if I use European flags to depict America? Obviously it's not, it's kind of laughable that I would seek to do so, and it ignores a significant historical struggle as well as railroads the rights of a group of people to both recognition and respect.

It is, but I was misremembering a little! It originated in Ultraman itself and from Tsubaraya himself, and going on from that he made it a recurring thing in the franchise. It ended up being influential on a lot of Japanese pop culture which is why you'll see it pop up in Kamen Rider, early Sentai and the likes of Evangelion

Ah yes.

https://i.imgur.com/FRPPQEk.png

I wonder if Saber's religious themes are one of the reasons why Fukuda was chosen to write it, after he did a good job with the Buddhism in Ghost.

It is interesting that he's done this multiple times now? With Ghost it was a bit more clear why, though -- even aside from the main character and multiple side characters literally being Buddhist monks that lived in a temple; the entire philosophy of the story was very much in-line with Buddhist teachings.

With Saber though... I have just posted how extensive the imagery and symbolism is, but I'm unsure what it's in service of? It seems pretty disconnected from anything else to do with Saber and most people have been pretty surprised to find out like 38 episodes in that the thing used to create the Xross Saber was from Judaism.

I never knew this! That's amazing! I usually don't get all upset by this kind of thing because it's so pervasive that I'm just kind of whatever about it, you know. Also, as pointed out, I'm like legitimately obsessed with things like Evangelion. I think the difference is that... I just don't think Saber is very well written. I'm not trying to bash it, I just don't feel the weight of these themes in the manner it used them, and because of that, when it's throwing out a flying Tree of Life without really given the impression of a wider understanding, to me it comes across to me as being very frustrating.

I'm not even especially religious. I can legit tell you the last time I attended shul, and it was a long time ago, I just feel that if you address these themes, you should really get into it, they shouldn't be the window-dressing or footnotes to your story.

tl;dr I'm a maudy cow.

HAHAHHA! THIS IMAGE!!

While Judaism is most prominent in Saber, there's also Luna, whose name is related to Diana, Roman Goddess of the Moon. Xross Saber is star-themed, so maybe that's a parallel?

I have an alternative explanation for Saber: it's most likely a blend of various religions and spiritual practices. It certainly fits the idea of the Book of Omnicience being a blender of all of humanity's knowledge and ideas.

This conversation has pretty good timing for me, because it was only yesterday that I was reading the production notes for the latest episode, and one of the usual supplemental bits started explaining why Kyomu isn't counted in the Xross Saber, touching on exactly this topic, and it blew my mind a little how much thought actually went into the theming here that I wasn't even aware of. Especially since I am deeply uncultured, so, and I hope this doesn't devalue what dreamcastegirl is saying, I actually really appreciate when one of my goofy kids' shows ends up being an unconventional learning experience like this, if that's fair to say? I'm not sure I'd ever even seen the word "Sefirot" a week ago, so...

Also, for what it's worth (most people probably know this, but it hasn't specifically come up here yet), I will bring up that a big part of the reason the Xross Saber has the name it does is because the kanji for 10 is literally a cross, and the part of the sword's name which is read as "cross" is literally just that 十. It's directly representing that it's a combination of ten swords, and a cross is also a bit of a minor motif for Saber thanks to the design of his eyes, which is even sort of referenced by Brave Dragon's finishing move. Again, I'm very dumb, so I don't if that's the only thought behind the name and design, but I'm reasonably sure it's not meant to be *that* kind of cross at all? Unlike Ultraman's Spacium Beam, which is 100% that kind of cross!

Huh? The Spacium Beam is supposed to be a cross? I mean, the arms look like a cross but I don't see how the beam itself looks like one.

Sorry, my choice of words there might not have been very clear; I was only talking about his arms.

Not sure if it's controversial but I miss the days when Rider shows were more self-contained. Like I've never been a fan of crossover stuff being acknowledged or seeping into the main show, even if I have seen the movie it just feels distracting. I'd rather the cross-over stuff happen sometime between episodes and then never be acknowledged again unless it's in another crossover.

I also don't like the recent trend of the next Rider showing up in the final episodes of the current Rider's show (technically started at the end of Wizard but became pretty much cemented at the end of Drive). I know it's supposed to build hype for the next show but when I see it I can't help but go, "Get the hell out of here! You have nothing to do with what's going on! I'll watch your show in a few weeks now shoooo, GO AWAY!!!!!"

If they're gonna tease the new Rider in the main show I rather they do it in the more subtle way W, OOO, and Fourze did it rather than the new guy just shows up, beats up some bad guys, and has a small interaction which basically amounts to "we'll see eachother again in the crossover movie".

I don't mind some of the crossovers, but I miss the days when shows didn't include multiple online miniseries that overlap with the main show, especially ones that have actual bearing on the show's plot or characters.

You want self contained, you will really like Shin Kamen Rider and Black Sun.

While Black is a very good series, it's sadly not all that great and I find RX to be more enjoyable.

Faiz is just okay. The show pretty much lost me during most of its second half.

Den-O is an alright series though its comedy can be very hit or miss for me.

I find Dragon Knight to be a better series than Ryuki.

I've noticed some interesting patterns as of late. And this is the only thing that makes sense to me.

Kamen Rider fans (other Toku fans too but I noticed this mostly with Rider fans) are burning themselves out the more they watch Kamen Rider and not admitting that they're burning themselves out and need a break, thus placing blame on the shows instead of wanting to think it might be something else. It's an unknowing destructive path, that's for sure.

It's hard for me to choose the best of them, but I think that Black and RX should have been different shows, not connected by a common hero Kotaro Minami. Perhaps then the riders would have managed to last a couple more years.

I agree that it's a good show, more kid-friendly and with better action than Ryuki. But at the same time, it is quite primitive. That is, even the unpretentious Fourze, in comparison with him, demonstrates complex characters and conflicting situations.

I agree that this happens, but due to the nature of the storytelling, they may simply not like a particular show. They can also get tired of repeating specific paths, as in the case of the Wizard. I'm sure if it had started after Decade and not Fourze, the reviews for the magician rider would have been much nicer. So there can be many reasons for criticizing the show, and not always the reason is burnout. Although personally, I'm always in favor of skipping a year if the aesthetics of the plot do not appeal. However, I must admit, I am annoyed by the fans (or already "fans") who stop watching the show, but regularly come into discussions to remind them of this.

It's definitely a thing, I noticed it happening to myself and have been taking a break from modern Rider, instead going to Sentai or Showa Ultra when I'm in a toku mood. Keeps things refreshing

I don't think that's really... Appropriate, for lack of a better word. Those two have a lot of reasons why one could like or dislike them, but being standalone doesn't really change the quality at all, I believe one of the people who criticized the big canon crossover aspects here did not enjoy Black Sun much too

Kamen Rider Revice is a perfectly fine show. People are just mad that it wasn't the show they built up in their minds in the early days.

I think I'm borderline doing this to this to myself, so I have been watching Geats in multi-episode batches instead of weekly and plan to take a break once it is over. Still totally going to see Shin Kamen Rider next week though, can't pass that chance up! Watching weekly can be fun, but it is such a toss-up. I don't think I'm going to do it again any time soon.

For my controversial opinion I will say that I think Rider is cutting too many corners lately. I know these shows cost a lot of money but there have been a whole lotta reused props and lack of new monster suits in the Reiwa era especially. C'mon guys, this series makes a bajillion dollars, I feel like we deserve to be treated at least a little better.

sometimes when I watch Kamen Rider...i feel like i'm watching Sentai minus the mechas and cheesy intro explosion scenes.

we have a whole team of kamen riders against a SINGLE villain. Yet, you cannot just beat up the guy??? Saber literally was 9 against 1!

sorry not Sentai...but is this freaking Power Rangers? Using your powers only for defense???