Hibiki episode 37

Continuing from the last episode. Shuki is pretty awesome. Hoping we get to see a bit more between her and Akira.

Can definitely tell they are building up to Akira making a choice to no longer pursue her oni training, but at least they seem to be giving a decent justification for it, and it isn't even really somewhere completely out of nowhere. Her parents were killed by the makamou, her reason for becoing an oni was hatred and revenge..and that is usually a bad reason to do anything, so I can actually kinda go along with this.

Rather liked the bit of backstory about Shuki and Zanki, why she was forced to give up her status as an oni. And of course how this ties into Akira and why her reasons for becoming an oni are, not necessarily wrong (Hibiki's talk about hitting walls and finding your own answers seems to support this, that there isn't necessarily a wrong answer) but can be dangerous.

Ibuki having to put down Shuki, his talk with Hibiki about it. Raising his concerns and doubts, you can see him being conflicted over it. It is a heavy burden, something that changes you.

Series is still doing a good job of having Hibiki come across as the wise mentor type. The semi-cryptic nature of it is a bit cliche, but he also gives some rather solid advice I feel.

Ah, and so it's the attack Shuki hit Zanki with all those years ago that is the reason he can longer become an oni. I see. Was wondering what the doctor meant by that last episode.

Akira turning to Shuki as a mentor. I wish I could say this didn't catch me off guard, as it is a bit of an obvious turn of events.

Shuki killing herself to take down the makamou was pretty damned awesome. Rather liked her last little talk with Zanki as well.

The ending with Zanki covering Shuki's body was also somewhat beautiful. And Akira crying in the rain, this is definitely taking an emotional toll on her, and given how much of herself she likely saw in Shuki...

This was another pretty solid arc, was nice to have some more backstory for Zanki, a bit more of a look into the oni organization with Ibuki, the head of the oni, all that stuff, and it gives some more development for Akira, who was honestly a bit underdeveloped up until now I feel.

Kamen Rider Black episode 2 was decent. The birthday thing was okay I guess, up the cricket attack was a bit weird? The way the people just casually acted as people being attacked is a bit strange and the boys surgery/escape scene was okay. The battle hopper scene was obviously done on green screen and I can't say I blame 'em. The way Black and his sister suddenly move into a store is strange and could of used more explaining time. The leopard scene was okay I like of how the explosions suddenly go into the ground instead of just staying there which was neat. I found the scene where the three old guys were like " peaked me immortal scene sorts funny.

The theme song is pretty catchy and I just can't seem to get the "Kamen Rider Black" out of my head.

Overall this looks like to be a pretty good series similarly to Dairanger. I might watch ep. 3 now so wish me luck.

Kamen rider black episode 3:
It was a decent little episode I will say, the monsters thus far being spiders and bats I hope that changes. I really don't feel anything for black all to much right now. The spider mutant shooting smoke and it turning into web is sorta cheap I wanna say, but it was an 80's show so what can ya do? Overall an okay episode, now gonna move on to the original Kamen rider.

I hate these episodes. Hate, hate, hate these episodes. The only reason they exist is to convince Akira that she can't be an Oni because she's a girl and vagina = crazy. For the first time in the Heisei era we had a female character who had the potential to be a hero in her own right and Toei and/or Inoue pulled the plug on her. :mad:

See that's the thing, I know Kiriya kinda brings it up and Shuki mentions that it is unusual for a girl to become an oni, but beyond that gender is never really given any thought or mention. Akira choosing to not become an oni seems much more to do with her reason behind becoming one in the first place being...well, dangerous.

That and I honestly have never been one for the whole "oh we have to have a girl kamen rider because..." camp. If it happens, cool, whatever. But doing it just to do it is not a good reason. Akira has very valid reasons to choose not to become an oni.

I guess equality is just too radical a concept.

Kabuto 1

Not the best first episode of Rider ever made as it was kinda uneventful, but much better than the first episode of Den-O. It does seem somewhat annoying with someone like Souji being the main character, but let's see what the show has in store in the later eps.

Took a brief break from Blade to watch the Black special that Century Kings FINALLY put out a couple of days ago. Its mostly a brief history of all the previous Riders with a little bit of Black RX at the end, but its quite fun to see all the old series'.

I hadn't realised Riderman "died" in V3.

Yep, second to last episode. He sacrificed his life to destroy a giant rocket Destron was launching. He survived, though, by... um... not dying. They never really explain it in the X movie where he resurfaces.

Same way the Master can survive being burnt to death on camera. He's indestructable, the whole universe knows that.

It'll get better. Especially when Tendou reaches his Troll-Stride.

If you say so, I'll trust you, my Gosei-Soulmate!

I promise. Tendou trolling people, especially whats his name in the furcoat who I cant remember right now, the series gets much better.

Tendou is such an awful character. "Troll" (because they're always so entertaining) or not, he's just badly written. It happens a lot in Japanese productions, where making the main character and interesting personality is evidentally not as easy as just making him boringly God-mode.

:eyebrow I don't think we were watching the same series.

Granted I couldn't finish it, because I just hated every single character. Nobody was likable, or three-dimensional, except Kagami, who was just kind of boring and hardly enough to hold the show himself. I suffered through fifteen episodes, and couldn't bear anymore.

It's easily the worst Kamen Rider series I've ever watched.

There is a big difference in equality and wanting a girl kamen rider just to check it off the list.

Ah well, from what I know, I'm pretty sure I'll like Sasword (or however you may spell him) because I loved the actor in Ouran HSHC and he plays basically the same character in a different context here.

I had no idea he was Tamaki in that. I definitely need to go back rewatch more of that now :lol

Double episode 9 and 10.

It was nice to see Akiko be useful. I had a hunch that the old lady was the Dopant. It was nice to see Shotarou and Akiko get some character development, since the past few episodes have been focusing more on Phillip and minor characters it seemed.

Kamen Rider Kuuga - Episodes 1 and 2

Well with Mighty Form's figuart under my possession, and hearing the show being discussed quite a bit lately, I decided it was time I watched Kuuga. Or at least the first two episodes, and see where it goes from there.

I have to say, I liked Kuuga. It doesn't have me entranced like Ryuki did, or how W does, and it didn't have me as entertained as Den-O did, but I did like it. It simply has me interested.

I kinda like Godai. He's a little odd, and definitely silly in a way. But I don't hate him like I've seen some people do. After 2 episodes, he doesn't have me into him as Shinji or Shotarou/Philip got me interested in them. But he doesn't have me wanting him to buzz off or die. I simply for now can't get all that into him. I'm into Sakurako and the main detective more then the Godai, which probably does say something about him. Still, I at least like him somewhat, which is better then not liking him at all.

As a member told me, it is moving slow. But...I like that actually. I've heard since I got into toku that Kuuga is very horror movie like, and the slow pacing helps that IMO. The first episode played out like The Mummy (the Karloff one) quite a bit with it's slow build to when we finally see the creature fully, as well as have the first fight. I like horror movies a shit ton, and I like how Kuuga does appear to (for now at least) take things slow. It reminds of old monster movies, which is always a good thing.

I legit laughed at the part with the spiderweb being in between the buildings. When I first saw it, I immediately though of Spider-Man 2....and even said Spider-Man out upon seeing it.

The priest turning into the vampire was damn creepy.

I thought the fight with the spider monster was a very nice first fight. It showed that even though Godai has gotten a great power, he doesn't know how to use it yet. He has his moments of offense, but the majority is him getting beaten around. Which I like in the first fight as a rider. It makes sense that the person wouldn't fully be able to fight right away, and only use some of the powers, in this case, the strength to push a car and deliver some good punches. Also is it just me, or did Kamen Rider pull off a better helicopter fight then Batman Forever? I found the fight to be nicely balanced as a whole, showing off both Godai and the monster's strengths. So good job Kuuga!

I do find it odd though that he transforms when he feels like fighting. I mean really, what if there's a problem and he has to transform, but doesn't feel like fighting? Is it like "Oh well, sorry little girl. I'd love to help you but I don't have the right feeling to transform and help you. Sorry!" May just be me, but I found that pretty stupid.

As a whole, I'm enjoying Kuuga. The first two episodes aren't anything that spectacular (better then Den-O, not better then Ryuki, no where near as good as W), but they at least have my interest rising. I think I'll keep watching the show and see what happens. For now, Kuuga is simply alright.

Oh, that ending theme, the feels!

It's great when it comes to Toku actors. The main cast has Sasword, KyoryuRed, GekiBlue (and his evil reflection from episode 38) and GoseiRed, after all.

Episode 38 of Hibiki

I guess this is kinda the Empire Strikes Back of Hibiki. That low point for the heroes.

The makamou is immune to the ongeki, meaning that, at least right now, the oni have no means of really dealing with it. Hibiki gets his ass handed to him pretty bad at the end of the episode.

Todoroki is still dealing with his reliance on Zanki, who is now dealing with the consequences of his transformation at the end of the episode prior.

Ibuki is dealing with potentially losing his disciple as well as coming to terms with his heritage and doubting himself because of it, as he basically was guaranteed to become an oni rather than making the choice to become one and working for it.

Adachi, in addition to being kidnapped alongside Midori (was nice to see her at least try and step in and fight back), has his own worries with Kiriya's revelation that he aims to be Hibiki's disciple in addition to basically being told he wasn't needed in the brass band..right as he was putting some effort forth into it.

I also enjoyed the talk Hibiki had with Adachi about finding your own rhythm, then again I usually enjoy their conversations, as this show, at least to me, is ostensibly about their relationship, it just happens to also have oni fighting with giant monsters too.

Sasword is absolutely one of my favorite Riders of Kabuto, he has a great story arc. I have to watch the Ouran HSHC myself for him.

Also thanks for the Sasword mention he got lost in my sig and had to fix that lol.

Gaim 6:

I still don't get the love for Bravo. He's still a pretentious jerk. What is he even doing bothering all the other Riders/dance teams? Go back to your Easy Bake Oven, jerk.

Spikey Fruit Guy aside, I liked this episode. Watermelon Arms was cool.

See I only love how he reacts, I don't like him much as a Rider. When he's a chef he's fun. He's a very weird character.

Gaim picks up a lot after episode 6.

Episode 39 of Hibiki

I rather liked the brief bit in the opening with Ibuki and Akira, well her hiding from him and his lamenting it, plus her little emotional reaction there. I actually am liking this arc with them, yeah it sucks that Akira is going to give up her training, but the way it is being handled is emotional and rather well done I feel.

Todoroki still dealing with his Zanki issues, though this time around it's taken a bit more of a humorous approach.

Adachi biting through the web was kinda..odd, but whatever. Nice bit of backstory for Hibiki though, touching back on what we heard previously and expanding it a bit.

Kiriya, scared of the dark. Starting to get more into his secrets and flaws he tries so hard to cover up and sweep under the rug. And he tries to henshin without the proper training, ouch.

The boss talking some sense into Todoroki, explaining just why Zanki is treating him as he is. Not because he doesn't like him, but because it is for his own good, he needs to become independent and grow and mature as an oni. Todoroki, of course, hears it the way he wants to. "I am a lion." Oh dear...Ah well, at least he seems motivated again.

And Sabaki is getting his ass kicked. Again.

And despite getting his ass handed to him as well, Todoroki at least put forth a good effort.

The dual confrontation (well not exactly a confrontation, but you know what I mean) between Zanki and Todoroki and Ibuki and Akira was pretty awesome. Seeing the mentors and their disciples in some emotionally trying times, it was just a bit of a nice parallel I feel. Was shot nice, and the rain added some nice dramatic impact, even if the use of rain to convey sadness is a bit cliche.

Also, something I forgot to mention previously, while I do really miss Shonen Yo! at the end of each episode, I do like that the instrumental of it is still used regularly throughout the episodes. Just a fantastic song that really fits the series.

Kiriya having his face to face with Hibiki and telling him he wants to be his disciple, and his reasons for wanting to become an oni. I'm pretty sure he had mentioned them before, wanting to surpass his dead father, but I can't say that we really have the complete picture on that yet. At least not that I can recall. IIRC his dad died saving someone from a fire, so perhaps he means in that regard, as a hero. Not too sure. That said, I really do hope Hibiki doesn't take him on as his disciple. I doubt that is the direction things will go, but stranger things have happened, as this series is, as I've said, ostensibly about the relationship between Hibiki and Adachi, and while Hibiki taking on someone else as a disciple would add an interesting dynamic, there has just been too much build up towards Adachi finally taking on the role to not.

And Kiriya already showing that he lacks the understanding of what it means to be an oni. Telling Hibiki that he knows he is fighting a losing battle, that there is no meaning in doing so. Despite the fight being one with little hope, as Hibiki says, there is meaning to it, he's fighting for more than just himself.

Another nice little moment between Ibuki and Akira.

Man the new douji and hime are a lot more..serious. I kinda miss the sinisterly playful ones of yore. That said, these two do seem more dangerous I suppose. I am a bit perplexed by the lack of puppets, unless the new douji and hime basically took the place of them as well as the other douji and hime.

And Adachi putting to use what Hibiki has taught him. Well done boy.

Wha?!?!? Hibiki finally calls Asumu by name, well hot damn.

Overall a solid episode, this arc was pretty good. As I said, kinda like this season's ESB.

Episode 40 of Hibiki and shit is getting serious. Starting to move into the endgame scenario I think.

The introduction of the makamou was pretty cool, with the tree coming to life and attacking the lost hikers.

We get a lot more of both Kiriya and now Asumu wanting to become Hibiki's disciple, with Kiriya getting...really desperate and pathetic about it. This is followed with him asking to take Akira's place as Ibuki's disciple, a request which is swiftly denied with Ibuki telling him just how ignorant he is being.

I also liked the dialogue between the oni about Hibiki's unwillingness to take on a disciple, touching on his own personal issues and worries, not wanting to have to worry about another being his reason behind it. Glad we're getting a little more light shone on the subject.

And finally the reappearance of our mystery couple behind the makamou. Talking about the forest the makamou appeared in disappearing, and that it is a sign of Orochi's coming, and if it has the bad guys worrying..something big is about to happen.

Wow, Kiriya turning towards Todoroki as a mentor. He really is desperate. It's honestly getting pathetic at this point. I struggle to say almost tragic, but Kiriya doesn't quite deserve such sympathy.

I take that back, asking Akira to be her apprentice is somehow even more desperate and pathetic.

Asumu, not you too...

And Akira transforms! Oh snap!

Finally entering the home stretch. And I gotta say, unless it isn't until the last handful of episodes (I am aware that the final episode did have a lot of issues with rewrites, even during its actual filming) that things get really bad, I can't say that the show has suffered that much from the production changes. While I agree that it was a bit of a dick move to do, and that it is a shame that the show didn't proceed as it was originally envisioned, the actual quality itself hasn't really declined all that much, and some of the story arcs have been really rather good IMO.

Episode 41 of Hibiki

And Akira promptly has her ass handed to her. Can't say I'm surprised.

And everyone is disappointed in our trio of youngin's. Certainly don't blame them. Scene was pretty well acted, especially Hibiki's reaction to Asumu saying he is the same as Kiriya, you could just see the disappointment in him at hearing that.

And now more about the looming threat.

Good to see Asumu genuinely regretting his actions. Kiriya on the other hand...continues to be Kiriya.

Oh Hibiki, that jacket looks terrible on you.....

Rather nice scene between Ibuki and Akira. There's this sad tension between them. They were such a good pair starting off, and they're growing apart as they both deal with their doubts and worries.

And Hibiki trying to teach the boys to do the salute. Maybe this'll be my chance to learn it too haha.

Nice bit of contrast between the two scenes here. With Ibuki seeming to be losing his disciple as Hibiki decides to take one on.

And the boys aren't quite happy with Hibiki's method/leading them on. Little bit of emotion to the scene, with Asumu handing Hibiki back his glasses. It's just a nice little touch that makes things seem more real, more human. Little things like that add a lot to the emotion and mood of things, and I like that this show seems to do this so well.

And the boss meets face to face with our mystery couple. They're telling him to gather the oni to deal with orochi. Seems this is a threat even to them.

And again shedding some light on Hibiki's reasoning behind refusing to take on a disciple. Though him saying that he feels Asumu just wants power is a bit off putting, other than him saying he too is like Kiriya (then again, that may be why he thinks this), you'd think he would know Asumu better than that.

Ya know, Akira isn't doing a half bad job of teaching Kiriya and Asumu. She makes a great point as to how managing the kindergarteners at the crosswalk teaches some very important lessons they will need as oni.

And Kiriya does a completely selfless thing! Diving to save a child from an oncoming car. Why does this remind me of Tiger?

Well, his attitude afterwards is still a bit off putting.

The Kodama forest is proving to be a pretty nasty customer. I can't imagine what is to follow it.

Seeing Asumu and Kiriya work together to save Kasumi with Hibiki watching on was kinda nice. Giving him a chance to see their willingness to help people.

And Akira finally comes to her decision to resign her apprenticeship. Was nice seeing her work so well with Ibuki one last time. And her explanation for taking the boys on as pseudo-disciples was a rather pleasant one, wanting to pass on what she learned to two that she believes in, and so as to not feel her time with Ibuki is wasted by her not finishing her training.

And finally, after so many episodes of build up, Hibiki finally takes Asumu on as a disciple...alongside Kiriya.

These last couple episodes were definitely the game changers. Akira comes to her ultimate decision to leave her apprenticeship under Ibuki behind. And I actually feel it was handled rather well. It didn't really come out of nowhere, there was a good bit of build up for it, and I feel her reasons were quite understandable. We learn of a much greater threat looming, one that even brings the enemy to a point of seeming to ask the oni for help in dealing with it. And of course we get something the series has been beating around the bush and building towards, Hibiki taking on a disciple.

There's not too many episodes left, cannot wait to see what happens next.

There's a pretty funny moment coming up with Kiriya and training. It was one of the few moments I really liked in this part of the show.

Episode 42 of Hibiki

Was a good episode overall. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. Hibiki finally begins training his disciples proper, but not before Kiriya overhears him talking with the boss and saying that he plans to eventually drop one of the two.

Curious as to why the douji and hime were attacking the oni, I thought that with the coming of orochi that the mysterious couple would have called off their dogs. Then again, with them having "forgotten" to feed the douji, mayhaps they're trying to. Quite interesting to have the hime start having some individual thoughts, wondering their existence and purpose.

And I must have been misunderstanding orochi, as when I hear the term I think big, multiheaded, hydra-esque dragon..whereas it seems to be more an event that drives the makamou out of control and in great numbers. So maybe this is an orochi an a metaphorical sense, with the makamou all being the heads of it, I dunno.

Ah yeah, the actual training with Asumu and Kiriya. Watching him struggle to even jump in the pool, let alone swim was quite humorous. He's being shown more and more to have absolutely nothing going for him when it comes to the physical side of things. And of course he falls flat on his ass trying to do a pullup. Then again, I can't do a pullup either >_>. Really proving he just isn't physically able to do this.

I also liked the little scene between Todoroki and Hinaka, they're a cute enough couple.

Speaking of Todoroki. That battle at the end with all the makamou was pretty awesome, but damn Todoroki got fucked up. Looks like he may be out of commission, though probably not dead.

Episode 43 of Hibiki opens with our heroes licking their wounds. Asumu with the assistance of his mother, Todoroki with the aid of the hospital, and Kiriya...all by himself.

Good to see that, while in rough shape, Todoroki seems to have pulled through. Poor Hinaka, definitely feeling for her.

Bit more training with Hibiki and the boys. Kiriya questions if it is all about physical betterment, with Hibiki providing his always sage-like advice. If Kiriya's goal is to surpass his father he must first surpass himself.

And Todoroki is awake. Good good, but damn did he get messed up.

Kiriya, not wanting to lose this chance to Asumu, calls for a taxi to beat him to the end of their run. Of course Hibiki catches him, time for you to scrub toilets. He again just completely misses the point. It isn't about being better than Asumu, it is about bettering yourself, pushing yourself. It doesn't matter if you get to the end first or not. Taking a taxi to the end just so completely defeats the purpose of the training. Dude just does not get it.

And Todoroki can no longer push his body to become an oni. With how much this meant to him...probably worse than if he had gone out in battle.

And our mystery couple confirms that orochi has begun, and that it will take more than the oni to deal with this problem. They seem to be losing control.

Kiriya's pride really is going to be his undoing. Dude almost drowned just because he doesn't want to look weaker than Asumu.

Good ol' Hibiki at least finding a way to try and spin it into a positive for Kiriya.

Zanki had the exact reaction I did when the boss said "too bad" in regards to Todoroki no longer being able to continue on as an oni. Way to be kinda heartless about it. I can't imagine how Zanki must feel about this, seeing his student who worked so hard and had so much heart put into this have it all taken away from him in the line of duty.

Mochi's panel theater was kinda cute. Curious if the story she herself was telling has any relevance to the plot or if it was just there. Stuff like that usually has some further meaning.

Absolutely loved the scene between Todoroki, Hikana, and Zanki in the hospital. This season really has managed some incredibly emotional moments. I think I felt a tear well up a bit.

And just as I was about to give Kiriya props for sticking it out and making the climb up...he goes and starts showing off his academic trophies. Hahaha, oh Kiriya you are too much kid. And then you try and throw Asumu under the bus. Hibiki didn't even really seem to mind the showing off, even giving him some due credit, but man his reaction to that last bit.

And off Kiriya goes.

Battles are getting pretty intense, with a mix of larger makamou and hordes of the summer variety. Things are not looking good.

Poor Todoroki. Hibiki is such an awesome guy though. I just freaking love the interaction between the characters, you get this sense of camaraderie that just feels so natural.

Just as the battle seemed won, here's these giant enemy crabs.

Zanki-san, don't do it!

Man, things are getting intense. Freaking love this season.

Curious which scene that was, there were a few that got a chuckle out of me. Wondering if it was the same.

It was the trophies. The bit where a desperate Kiriya, fully realizing how useless he is, tries to impress Hibiki with math awards. :lol

Literally the only Kiriya scene I legitimately enjoyed. Because schadenfreude.

Hahaha, thought so. Yeah it was definitely a funny scene, and as you said really about the best scene featuring him (though I'd say there were at least a couple other decent ones, but with so much kinda making him an unlikable character they are few).

Episode 44 of Hibiki

Well, that battle with all 3 oni was freaking badass.

Things don't look so good for Zanki though. I dunno if even a battle as badass as that opening is worth losing him over. Don't push yourself Zanki-san.

Don't really have a play by play for this episode, outside of the above^, I kinda got sucked into it. Some pretty major stuff happened. From Todoroki's physical therapy to Hibiki giving that..thing to Asumu, which was stolen by Kiriya, who seems to be going down a very dark path, to...Zanki-san T_T

Solid episode overall, not a ton really stood out about it, though there were some solid emotional scenes and some pretty big moments.

Episode 45 of Kamen Rider Hibiki

So Zanki used an incantation to come back as a spirit, a forbidden incantation with dark consequences. Quite foreboding.

This two episode arc brings things to a close with Todoroki and Zanki. It deals with Todoroki's recovery from the brutal attack he suffered a couple episodes prior, the death of his mentor, and ultimately him coming to finally stand on his own two feet (both literally and metaphorically). The arc was incredibly well done and was a great sendoff to one of the show's absolute best characters. The final battle with both Todoroki and Zanki was fantastic, and their little jam session together at the end brought their story to a close in an all too fitting way, with the master fully accepting the apprentice's way and them having that last moment together. That and it has to be one of the most awesome moments in Kamen Rider history.

The subplot with Asumu's..thing that Hibiki gave him and Kiriya having stolen it was alright, it kinda tried to redeem Kiriya as a character, and it did to an extent. He did something dumb, and wrong, but there were actually good intentions behind it, and he finally opens up a bit to Asumu as to why he wants to be an oni so badly, and also kinda questions Asumu's rather vague reasoning as well.

Not the best arc the show has had, but it was an overall good sendoff to Zanki. He will certainly be missed.

Gaim 8:

Mango Arms looks cooler in the show. I still like banana a bit more though. It was nice to get some more backstory on Kaito, and dang Micchy has a dark side. So, yeah I liked it. it was a good episode.

EDIT: Gaim 9:

It was good. I wonder what Micchy will do now that he know for sure that his brother is Zangetsu.

On to Episode 46 of Hibiki, we're getting into the final stretch here.

The episode opens with our mystery couple (someone do please tell me if I've missed something on them, I can't recall getting much of any backstory for them yet, though something tells me that Mochida's play about the old man and woman in the house, the one that Asumu was distracted during, could be referencing them in some way, just a hunch) finding...something. Looks like an altar to me, maybe a sacrifice is needed to stop orochi?

And a quick visit to the shrine with our heroes allows us a bit of incite into their truest desires...except for Asumu who can only think to look at Hibiki. Still unsure of what you want Asumu?

Todoroki has officially gone full badass. Dual wielding his and Zanki's guitars and kicking some makamou tail. Good on him.

Glad to see Hibiki discuss the ever looming possibility of death with his disciples. He seems to be coming around well to having them under his wing. Imparting upon them some wisdom and really seeing if they understand the kind of sacrifices they may have to make and if they really are ready for that risk.

And Kiriya drops out of school to focus on his oni training. Can't say that is a move Hibiki is likely to appreciate.

And of course Kiriya thinks the exact opposite, that it shows how series he is and that Asumu is wasting his time and efforts by doing anything resembling having a life outside of his oni training.

What with all this talk about life and death without any regrets, I honestly feel that Asumu would regret much less were he to die now than Kiriya would. Asumu is getting as much life as he can, whereas Kiriya is becoming single-minded, giving up so much just for his goal, he'd regret all he gave up were he to die.

Also, on a bit of a tangent, also spoilers for Ryuki, reminds me of Kitaoka, and how he came to accept his own approaching death, rather than fight to live forever, he knew that he lived a full life, one far better than many others could ever hope, he got the most he could have out of it and so was able to die without any regrets.

Oh hey, the douji and hime are still around, been a lil' while since we last saw them. Still kinda miss the old ones though.

The hime continues her existential crisis, much to the chagrin of the douji.

At least it seems Hibiki is able to talk a bit of sense into Kiriya's thick skull.

Ah, so the altar is in fact a stone taiko drum. Kinda thought it looked like one, especially after they started clearing the dirt from it.

Ibuki has to be the one to perform the ritual though. I mean, Hibiki doing it makes far too much sense afterall, being a taiko specialist. Good thing it was made a point to train the others in the use of the taiko eh?

Oh and one more thing, you'll probably be attacked by innumerable monsters both giant and small. Best of luck there Ibuki.

New instructions for the douji and hime. I can see the douji probably having no problems following orders, but this hime in all her existential awareness seems far more dubious about it.

Funny little scene with Asumu and his mother. He's asking some pretty deep and kinda dark questions, and she..well is a mom about it.

That cake looked delicious btw.

Kinda neat seeing Hibiki fight using a different instrument. Ibuki seemed less experienced with the taiko than he was during the summer episodes though. Odd.

And this is how the douji and hime decide to protect the oni. Riiiiight.

Ooh boy, they've decided to be their own independent pair. The mystery couple's really losing control now. Guess they should have been more careful with their experiments.

First time in a long time we really get a scene like this with Ibuki and Kasumi. Quite touching. Definitely wish their relationship had been built up more over the season like Todoroki and Hinaka's was.

Some serious shit going down in the city. That purple cloud looks ominous.

And now we move into our final arc of the season. Just two episodes remain.

So I watched Agito episode 6 and absolutely loved it, I still remember most of what's going on with the characters from before. Gills is totally badass and I loved how he entered with the white light behind him and Gills next to him that was amazing. Interesting to learn about G3's past, and Shouichi is fun so far. I think this will be my next series because I want answers lol.

Fair warning: this is where the writing really starts falling apart. They were literally writing the last episode while it was being filmed.

More Mayu Gamou would always be welcome. :thumb:

That's one of the cool parts of Agito; it really does feel like a mystery and there's always something that you have to keep watching to find out the answer to. One of the many reasons why I love that show.

Episodes 47 and 48 of Hibiki

The final arc of the season.

So quick wrap up of Episode 47. The oni are preparing for the ceremony. Asumu visits the little terminal girl and decides to focus on granting her last wish rather than his oni training, which of course pisses Kiriya off. Hibiki fighting the makamou without transforming was pretty badass. Few more nice moments between Todoroki and Hinaka. The last moment between the new douji and hime were kinda sad I guess. And Hibiki taking Ibuki's place was pretty awesome. Hibiki's conversation with Midori was quite nice as well, as was his talk with Asumu when he told him he wanted to put a hold on his oni training.

So now we move onto the main event, the final volume of Kamen Rider Hibiki.

We open up with a brief showing of the battle at the big stone taiko drum.

And then cut to a year later. What?

Back at Tachibana's the gang laments Asumu's absence as they clean up a mess. Apparently it has been some time since he's been around.

We do learn that they were successful in sealing the orochi a year ago, which is also the time that Asumu quit his part time job there. To be fair though, when was the last time we actually saw him working there?

We see that Asumu has indeed moved on to the next grade in his school. Good for him. And he is doing incredibly well there, again good for him.

It also seems that Asumu has finally decided on a path in life. He wants to be a doctor. And that actually makes some sense. He wants to help people. That was part of why he wanted to take the oni training in the first place. Couple that with the time he had with little Naomi, it seems an obvious choice for him.

Kiriya did eventually leave school, guess he has put all of his focus back into his oni training again.

Hibiki's last words to him still haunt Asumu. It's been a year since they've seen eachother, and despite the impact he had on him, Hibiki seems to be going the way of a memory.

Kiriya's training with Hibiki...seems to be going well. At least Hibiki says as such.

Get to see Asumu working at the hospital.

And Hibiki and Asumu meet once again. After a year and with Hibiki's parting words hanging in the air, things are a bit awkward between the two. Kinda sad to see what's become of them.

Ah mom, do you have to put more doubts into Asumu's mind...again.

Glad to see the other's agree that it is a sad state the way things are between Asumu and Hibiki.

We find ourselves with a situation similar to the one that began the series, but this time Asumu makes his move to help the boy in need. He does seem to have at least grown over the course of the season.

That oni training paid off afterall eh Asumu? Or uh..not.

And..Kiriya saves the day.

Panel Theater seems to be doing well too. Though I still struggle to see the difficulty in it, at least on the reader's part (as that is always the part they seem to be saying is difficult).

A makamou? Guess sealing orochi didn't put a stop to all of the shenanigans eh?

Oh Kiriya, still a dick as always.

And our mystery couple plans to do experiments on Mochi. Oh my. Talk about clones (I forget, was it mentioned before that the douji and hime were clones? I seem to recall that). Are they planning to use Mochida as a base?

Asumu gets to put his doctoring skills to use at least.

Oh shit, Kiriya can become an oni! Pretty cool suit design too, like a silver Hibiki.

Well at least he lasted a bit longer than Akira did when she transformed.

Let's leave this one to the pros kid.

Hammerhead centipede makamou, that's kinda badass. Also, something is up with the male of our mystery couple.

Just making a note, Hibiki held his hand on Asumu's shoulder longer than he did Kiriya's. Also, transforming straight into armed form, Hibiki's gotten strong.

Mochida's ok, I was almost worried for half a second there. Was kinda hoping that Asumu'd have to do something to revive her, build up a bit more drama and I dunno, have him give her mouth to mouth, push their relationship along a bit.

Asumu and Kiriya complimenting eachother. Uh huh. You're still a dick Kiriya.

O_o yet another mystery couple, dressed in some fancy outfits. Having to feed this couple. So is the couple we've been following this whole time just another set of clones/douji and hime or something? Dafuq. Not a twist I saw coming.

Well, the ending conversation between Hibiki and Asumu was somewhat touching. And so glad to hear Shonen Yo played again.

The last episode definitely showed some flaws though, you can tell it was kinda just going as it went ya know?

I dunno, overall I was really happy with the series. It didn't have much of an actual conclusion, but I don't think everything really needs one. We got to see a year of the life of the oni and Asumu and how Hibiki had an impact on him and helped him learn and grow, him having basically always been Hibiki's disciple, not necessarily to become an oni, but in a more meaningful way, which was kinda obvious with him basically being a father figure, a mentor, and a friend, but it was still a nice way to close things out. I wish we had a bit more explanation on certain things, but mayhaps the mystery is better than what we may have learned otherwise.

So should probably do some sort of thoughts on the series as a whole then right?

I really enjoyed it. Probably one of my favorite seasons I've watched so far. Not as good as Ryuki, no, maybe not even quite as good as Gaim, but within that top 2-3 I think, edging out W just a tad.

The earlier portions of the show, prior to the production changes, were definitely the best. It had a better opening and a much better closing to each episode and the settings were overall better, as was the filmography and just overall look and feel of the show. It definitely felt more like a modern season of Kamen Rider after the switch, losing a lot of what was unique about it. However, there were some fantastic arcs and genuinely emotional scenes throughout, both before and after the shake up, and the interactions and relationships between the characters were all really well done and believable, and a big part of what I liked about the season.

Kiriya was a bit of an unnecessary addition, he was a dick, and I honestly don't feel that he deserved the progress he made. There were times you could see the writers trying to make us feel for him or redeem him, but honestly it just felt like he suddenly accepted certain things and now he's ready to become an oni.

I actually felt that Akira's decision to give up her training was well done. It made sense with her character and her arc, and it made for some great emotional moments as well as a nice parallel to the storyline with Hibiki taking on his own disciples.

Todoroki and Zanki's arc was also quite good. Zanki was definitely one of my favorite characters this season, and the way his death was played out and his final moments with his successor were fantastic. Todoroki really grew over the course of the season and came to his own with the death of his mentor, allowing him to finally stand on his own two feet. His relationship with Hinaka was nice as well, and again provided some good moments and drama as well as making them feel more human and realistic.

Ibuki, I don't honestly have that much to say about him. He was at his best with Akira, both when he was training her and when he was losing her. He had some nice interactions with the other oni, but his relationship with Kasumi was really underdeveloped, despite their time together towards the end of the season.

Now, as I have said at least a couple times prior, this series is ostensibly about the relationship between Hibiki and Asumu, and as such this is what the show put its primary focus on, though towards the latter part of the season that seemed to wane a bit. I really really liked their relationship though, and the build up to those big moments, such as Hibiki calling Asumu by name or when he finally takes him (and Kiriya) on as a disciple was fantastic. Asumu's decision to go down a different path was definitely disappointing and seemed to go against what the series was building towards, but I at least liked Asumu's reasoning behind it. I'm not sure what the original intention was but I'm sure it would have been better.

Overall though I really enjoyed the season.

Now to figure out what to watch next.

Kiriya's suit is actually a kitbash. The original ending was going to have both him and Asumu becoming Oni. The decision was made at the last minute to change that and bits of what would have been Asumu's were combined with Kiriya's to make the final costume that showed up in this episode.

If you want something else that really captures the feel of Hibki, especially the early episodes, I'd recommend Daimajin Kanon, which was made by most of the same people. Just keep in mind that it's not a show to watch if you're feeling down, as a lot of the early episodes deal pretty heavily with depression.

Ah, that's a shame. So Asumu was going to go through with his oni training afterall, that's a big change from what we got. Ah well, the costume is still pretty cool.

Hmm, will definitely check it out. Gotta branch out at some point, and if it has the same feel of early Hibiki then I'm sure I'll love it.

I'd probably rank the seasons I've watched as such:

1. Ryuki
2. Hibiki
3. W
4. Fourze
5. Wizard

I'm omitting Gaim simply because it is still ongoing and as such my opinion on it can change drastically. Just not fair to rank it yet. But it'd probably be up there with Ryuki and Hibiki. Also, the gap between Hibiki and W is really really small, it could honestly go either way with them.

So I decided to check out both Kabuto and Faiz. Not sure that I'll keep watching them both simultaneously, will likely watch an episode or two of both, decide which one to stick with, and then go back and watch the other afterwards.

And to kick things off, Episode 1 of Kamen Rider Kabuto!

And I already dislike the opening song. Ouch. To be fair though, the latter portion of Hibiki had a less than ideal opening song too.

Wow, a Kamen Rider season with a bug motif. This is the 7th (counting Gaim) season of Kamen Rider I've watched, and while a few of the others had aspects of their designs being insect inspired (namely compound eyes and antenna), this is the first season in this long running series about superhero bug men that I've watched that..actually has super hero bug men in it. Huh.

So the villains this season are Worms. Designs are kinda cool I suppose. I like the molting aspect. And hey, another season where there are civilian casualties. I could've sworn that was something Kamen Rider moved towards not doing so much, is that really just a neo heisei thing?

Seems to be a fair bit of technical talk, lotsa numbers and sciencey words thrown out there, gathering data on the worms and the like. Reminds me of a (dark) fantasy book series I'm reading. You throw out all these words and I honestly can't tell if I'm really supposed to hold onto specific numbers or not at times or if just getting the general idea is alright.

Zectroopers are kinda cool, always nice to see more than just the rider(s) taking the fight to the bad guys. Guessing they're kinda the police or some special task force.

Are we going to have to be told every time someone is injured or killed?

Some cool effects though. I know bullet time/slow motion effects were kind of a fad, but eh, they can be cool too.

Yeah, we're really going to be told every time there are injuries and deaths..

Odd little scene there with the pickpocket. Tofu guy is pretty cool. A bit full of himself, but cool. Liked him using the kid's wallet to knock out the would-be thief.

So I'm guessing this Tendou Souji, AKA tofu guy, is our hero?

That breakfast did look pretty damn good. (Chef) Hat's off to tofu guy...err Tendou.

Tofu guy is preparing for something. He must be trying to become trained like Hibiki-san. Tofu guy wants to be an oni when he grows up.

Nii-san doesn't understand tofu guy. It's ok nii-san, not many people watched Hibiki either it seems :[

Also, pausing mid-episode for an aside here, my reviews tend to be a bit different when I am watching an episode and writing as I go and when I'm actually doing it after an episode and reflecting. The former being more in the style of quips, predictions, little humorous notes and bits of analysis whereas the latter is..well more like a proper review, since it's more my thoughts as they settle whereas the former kinda reflects my thoughts as I watch the episode. Not sure which I prefer, or which anyone else finds to be a better read. Lemme know what you all think, I tend to kinda go back and forth between the two at times and wouldn't mind sticking more towards one that is found to be more favorable.

12 minutes in and we're already getting a training montage. How long into Hibiki did it take to see the oni training?

And we get introduced to Zect's first anti-worm secret weapon. Apparently they don't know that Heartgard has been on the market for years.

Tadakoro...something tells me I will be mixing his name up with Todoroki's for the next twenty episodes or so.

Wait, if they just finished their anti-worm secret weapon, why does thos dude already have a zect..thingy?

She is..the bike whisperer.

So this is Kamen Rider: Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Hey, someone died without us getting a body count update.

I..have no idea what to say about the beeping electrified zecters.

Dude, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to make that face to a young girl.

I'm pretty sure that grabbing onto the person while they are shooting and causing them to shoot out of control and messing with their aim is a lot more likely to get the girl shot genius.

That was a pretty cool henshin sequence I suppose. Though probably the weakest of the seasons I've watched so far.

Gotta say, the way he took out the worm was kinda nifty.

So yeah, not a bad start to the season. Intrigued to see where things go.

That's good I'm definitely going to continue with it right now.

Episode 2 of Kabuto

Not a whole lot to say on this episode. Tendou is starting to grow on me. And we finally get to see Kabuto proper. The fights at the end were pretty solid too.