Funny you guys should mention Kiva since that is the Kamen Rider series I'm currently going through and I often find myself keeping putting it off over the last several months and even still doing so now despite finally being at its last quarter. I want to like Kiva as a show, I truly do, but it's sadly coming off as a bit of a chore to get through half the time.

Yeah, I feel you there. It's the sort of melodrama that you kinda have to really be into in order to get through it at a solid pace, as otherwise things tend to feel rather circular and/or stagnant. Act 2 is the worst about this.

I have my gripes with Geats as well for personal reason, where the final arc is cramped due to screentime. Though I find closure in how it's caused by Takebe's decision to keep Sara for a while that halts the middle and Keiwa's dark arc which perhaps can give less room for anything else. I also won't defend all reasons of why Geats resonated with people - I won't agree with the reason like it's dark (perhaps leading "realistic" or "complex cast"), cuz being light-toned or dark doesn't determine quality, and I won't like the view of characters having to be terrible to be "complex", same for Gaim's reason.

I'd say it'd be ok for me as long as you won't dismiss any explanations given to you as them only being a sheep who just goes with the flow, or being overthinking in defending things due to personal bias (e.g. my explanation of Ace's past lives or finite happiness explanation - I hate double standards), or even going as far to spite them for explaining it or liking the series.

Continuing for above, I guess I just wanna make sure that, even if the audience knows it from the start, for the cast, the DGP just plays like other Rider organizations outside of "game" terms thrown around, and that yeah, growth being lacking would be something subjective and personal taste. I guess I do want for the irl audience to be called out sometimes, particularly as they deflect any criticisms thrown to them (in general anyone anonymous on internet), though I'd like to hear another way from you to do that while not doing it in what you think as bashing on Rider fans. The DGP being different is something onscreen as well not only past, where the DGP goes from a world saving competition to a sadist show designed to only maximize suffering, courtesy of Suel and the VIPs. The JGP was a polar opposite to DGP too in every way.

I guess I can see you thinking this if you're one of those who like Sakura's focus that can be even considered spotlight-stealing. I do think that she feels weaker in DR arc, though it may can be attributed to her sacrificial moves against Sara to shield her with her body that can rather backfire, other than Keiwa and her being stuck in base forms. But I can feel that perhaps there's too high of a standard for female characters due to being disappointed with how they're handled as well, like judging with the standard of impossible image of "strong", and doing anything to maintain that impossible image like those "empowered" moves like culling any "weaknesses" including personality wise. I didn't know when you dropped, but since getting Fantasy she's competent again.

I know you're the type to hate jokes like Wataru or Onari, but I'd still perhaps want for the human or vulnerable side in toku to not be dismissed or outright mocked which just comes across as bully-ish. Keiwa does get made to be the antithesis of people like Kagami (or Hiromi), the ones who are impossible to break against any kind of mind-breaking obstacles. Keiwa gets the human and ordinary person part emphasized more - he eventually gets stressed out and breaks by being put through this, not meant to shoulder the weight of the world. Kekera's actions on putting an ordinary person (including actual cruelty) through usual expectations of Kamen Rider going through so much more than an average individual could handle doesn't go as typically planned where he instead creates a grief and vengeance driven villain instead of a just true hero (with Keiwa later rejecting Kekera's teachings when he returns to good), succumbing to his latent cynicism until he grows out of it in ep. 45.

Also, "changing anyone else's perspective on the DGP"? What Keiwa learns is to tolerate other people's wishes more. Anyone has a right to achieve their dreams, and wanting personal dreams and being a good person isn't mutually exclusive. Personally don't want for the DGP to be treated similarly as Rider War, the DGP chooses all kind of humanity, not specifically bad ones like Rider War does, and thus they can vary and wouldn't like for Keiwa to be treated as all bad which'd be just negative bias and cynicism in view of humanity (albeit ofc the DGP has nasty ones like Kanato or Kirito). Another twist is that Keiwa's more altruistic sounding wish did get to his head to turn him self-righteously dismissing others' problems, and he didn't get away with it with hero license or such, he shouldn't impose his ideals on others. Particularly that the DGP (the one the cast was in until ep. 22) doesn't have you being forced to murder each other like Rider War was (with those moves being punished), just perform better.

To be honest, it's a little strange that Takahashi already has problems with the producer on the second show. Especially since no other writers have them, or at least keep them behind closed doors. I mean, let's say the dinosaur Inoue is allowed to write whatever he wants, but I doubt the ideas of someone like Fukuda are met with applause.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FnfgpDEa...g&name=900x900
COME HERE SO I CAN EXPLAIN WHY BLACK RX IS MY FAVORITE SHOWA ERA KAMEN RIDER SHOW. I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS SHOW THE WAY A MORE REASONABLE PERSON WOULD TALK ABOUT KUUGA.

So, I finished rewatching Black RX and honestly going into it I was convinced I wouldn't like it as much the second time and that all the stars had aligned the first time I saw it, deluding me into thinking it was great. But no! This show is a delight and one of the most unusual entries in the KR series, even if imperfect.

I think a lot of people struggle with this show because it is a sequel to Black, but personally I think Black is a lot sillier and rough around the edges than most people give it credit for, while RX has more serious moments and polish that most people seem to think. Anyways, let's dive in!

The Good

• I think most people can agree that the show looks great. The choreography is clean and there are lots of good stunts. I'm always really impressed at how good the Revolcane effect looks even now. The suit design is also peak stuff, many of the monsters have unusual designs that move far from the typical beastman stuff you see in most Showa Riders. I also love how each of the 4 commanders have monsters with a distinct aesthetic! The Black RX suit is actually a favorite of mine, the epitome of the classic grasshopper man design. I really like how the thick neck plating and large eyes give it an inhuman vibe.
• I think incorporating Sentai and Metal Hero characteristics is actually very nice, making the show feel surprisingly modern with is extended cast of non-transforming allies and large ensemble of villains. Classical Kamen Riders are lonely heroes of course, but this often results in Showa Kamen Rider shows being astonishingly bland to watch because our protagonists don't have many recurring cast members to bounce off of. Even the shows with recurring characters like Tachibana don't quite give me enough to really dig into the character interactions. Due to this, I actually consider KR shows to hold up very poorly among pre-90s tokusatsu, so I really like Black RX breaking away from that without abandoning the core of the series.
• Kotaro is a much more cheerful person in RX. I wont deny that the heartrending highs of Black are fantastic (even if they take up a pretty small amount of the show), but I think there is a lot to appreciate about how RX follows up on that. Broken after the events of Black, he rediscovers human warmth with the Sahara family and is able to regain a sense of normalcy in his life. Yet at the same time, you can frequently see that just beneath the surface he has a deep fear of loss and is terrorized by how he constantly gets those around him involved. Ultimately he comes to accept letting the people around him fight by his side, even they might get hurt, because they have something they want to protect too. Even if you aren't a superpowered grasshopper man, we can still use what little strength we have to fight for what we believe in.
• This show has modern style form changes and guess what? They're great! I love how all three forms stay relevant and have their own strengths and weaknesses. From the powerful armored Robo Rider who lacks speed and dexterity to the balanced base form to the weak yet tricky Bio Rider form. They always get incorporated really well into the fights and story.
• I think the setting is generally good. The Kaima Realm feels like a real place with its own politics and cultures, even though it is only seen occasionally. I also like how there's regularly people from the Kaima Realm who are seen fighting against Crisis' corrupt regime. The antagonists have a fascinating dynamic too. At times allies and at times just undermining each other, they're always fun to watch. To be honest, you even start to feel bad for them after a certain point because Kotaro is constantly owning them.

The Bad

• The ending is cool, but also doesn't mesh too well with the rest of the show or make much sense. A bunch of Riders show up, Dasmadder is suddenly revealed to be Emperor Crisis and we blow up the Kaima Realm?! It's hard not to think about how many sympathetic people from the Kaima Realm seen throughout the show when this happens...
• I think the show at times struggles to find the right balance of silly vs serious, especially early on.

The Other

• Kotaro is famous for overreacting to Gorgom, but I actually think RX has more funny moments of "Kotaro immediately assumes a mundane thing is the work of an evil organization".
• Shadow Moon's reappearance is probably one of the most contentious aspects of this show. I think there is good and bad to how it is handled. Ultimately he has to bitterly die again, although it is a slightly more hopeful ending this time. I do like the ambiguity of whether Shadow Moon regained some of his humanity or not before the end. Yet at the same time it can definitely come across as disrespectful to his original end.

So yeah, honestly? I'm not going to say this show will work for everyone, but I think there is a lot to love here and I'd encourage anyone who avoided it after seeing Black to at least give it a try with an open mind.

Speaking of special effects, I'm always amazed that Black and RX did it better than Kuuga and Agito.

In all honesty, I really liked Black RX and it’s even among my top favorite seasons of Kamen Rider along with Black albeit not as high as some of the other entries from said list.

I think Black RX started a bit rough, especially coming right on Black's heels, but by the end it's easily on par with the original.

I had alot of fun with Black RX, but man did I not like that ending at all.

Still, Joe the Haze is the man, and the show still has my favorite MOTW in Rider(the Banana Shaman).

Fun fact: The date of that particular episode of Black RX first aired is the same date where Kamen Rider Banana, I mean, Baron's actor was born. Anyway, I'm still currently trying to power through Kiva. As of now, I am up to episode 42. Also, why do people like Otoya as a character again? I really don't get the show's fanbase sometimes.