I have some mixed feelings on Kuuga. The story ans characters are awesome but the video quality and budget of the series really hurt it. The former will hopefully be fixed if Toei ever releases some Blu-Rays but the latter won. I feel the budget really dictated the show's pacing in a bad way, the fights are few and far between. Sometimes there will only be say 2-3 minutes of action at the beginning or end of an episode and that's it.

Budget isn't always an issue, it's also pace. Remember that Grongi who actually had form changes like Kuuga's? No? Well despite having powers that should have made him a big bad, he was in like one episode.

I'm saying the budget may have dictated the pacing of the series. They may not have had enough money to do more action scenes.

And yet they still had that Rider kick that could 'destroy the planet' :lol

You mean his Amazing Mighty kick? I know he can Rider Kick the planet but I thought that was a tidbit about Ultimate Form from a magazine or something.

I dunno, I kinda lost interest as soon as a perfectly normal looking kick would awkwardly cut away to a mushroom cloud.

Yep. It's in my top five Rider shows list.

W 25. I'm at the half way point, and it's flown by! The show may stumble from time to times, mainly due to what feels like lower than average production values. But in terms of story, and characterisation, this is fast becoming my new favourite Rider show. I'm gonna be so lost without this show. Maybe I'll rewatch my first love, Wizard, when I'm done with this.

In terms of the episode, AH CREEPY LITTLE GIRL. AH CREEPY DOLL. This was a dump episode, but enjoyable mainly because I'm happy to take any Ryu focus I can get. A sad reality of Rider, at least for me, is often the secondary Rider is much more interesting than the main one but as they enter the series half way through, the time with them is especially finite.

I grow to love Accel's suit more everyone episode, and Ryu is just so damn cool. I don't like Sho or Phillip any less, last episode is proof of just how much I do love them, but step aside a bit, gimme some Accel! He doesn't need to take over the show, but he has a lot of catching up to do.

Why is Sho getting jealous, though?

Seconded.

W 26. Pretty jealous that Puppeteer got to make a marionette out of Wakana. And feminism marches on...

Anyway, for such an otherwise dumb arc, I was surprised by how real shit got this week. Metal Twister was a pretty sweet finishing move as well, although that Frog thing is awful.

The Puppeteer arc is so weird. It starts off utterly mental and by the end you're like "oh, jeez man I'm sorry."

Dangit, Locke. Now you've got me rewatching W. :lol

I kinda hated the Puppeteer arc, just because the execution was so shitty.

Like the actual story is brilliant, a man wants to eternalise his daughter in a novel, while the critics claim it to be some cheap cashin and that he doesn't love his daughter at all. So he goes out on a sorrow filled vengeance spree.

But they show this as...Akiko talking to a creepy girl and lots of gag scenes with a squeaking doll? Dafook? This would have been wonderful if they played it at the tone of the ACTUAL story.

Kuuga is good but was horribly rushed at the end. Anyway, I've become addicted to Gaim thanks to word of mouth here and other places praising it. Best story focused series we've gotten since W IMHO.

You'll be happy to know the next arc is much better.

Faiz 17-22

Damn it, filler. Why Faiz why? You were so good at keeping the story moving but now you have this brat kid wanting her mother to remember stuff and wasting my time when I could watch the adventures of Yuji and Takumi. Seriously, kid, you are annoying and I don't give two shits about your arc. Also, Mr. J got defeated in a filler arc. A FILLER ARC. And the kid gets to keep Chaco, Mr. J's dog. *Sigh*

The next two parter was good, as it consisted of some actual plans by the villains to take the belts, finally. I didn't mind the Pizza guy getting a minor arc and Takumi allowing him to live, but jeez is every major character an Orphnoch in this series?

One of the things I love about Faiz and Blade is that the shows treat the introduction of the super forms so casually. In this case, the Axel watch just happens to be in Kusaka's possession and Takumi went, "This is exactly what I needed, thanks asshole."

Episode 22 has one of the more interesting subplots that I hope blossoms into something truly beautiful. This odd love septagon (Yes I'm including Takumi and Yuji's bromance) is interesting because, at least in Rider, I've never seen already established characters fall for each other, or at least, the females wanting to make the move. And Kusaka's back.....yay.....

I feel like right now, the show is trying to stall until the appearance of Delta and get his arc out of the way. Almost halfway and while I found the filler to be annoying and Mr. J being "generic strong villain with a quirk", Faiz is still good.

W 27.

This episode was really weirdly paced, for basically the whole first half it was just "HEY LOOK HOW HOT NAO NAGASAWA IS" while she phoned it in, wearing her 'I'm gonna get my name in the credits of every toku show ever made' t-shirt.

Then suddenly BOOM Ryu, the man you've been searching for, here he is. No dramatic build up, you basically bump into him by accident and it immediately explodes into a fight. This is about as emotionally poignant as waiting for your toast to pop.

Also, I dunno how to feel about the whole shebang. A HUGE amount of W is dedicated to the complexities of life. A lot of tokusatsu functions in the black and white, its truths are unwavering and never questioned but W is the complete opposite. It functions entirely in the grey, and every action comes with a question to tis validity. But amongst all this, is the story or Terui Ryu.

I dunno, in all the complexity and depth of the show, making the killer of Ryu's family this irredeemable, creepy, scumbag of a monster seems so narrow minded and simplistic, lacking W's usual maturity and complexity. Like 'look, it's okay to kill this guy, as he's totally worthless!'. But this just feels cheap, and this story could have benefited the most by W's usual more and ethical complexity.

The Weather Dopant looks pretty cool though and the with the quality of the fights improving as the show has gone along, it feels like it was all leading to this.

You say that like it's a bad thing. I'd totally watch that show.

Hell, I'd import the blu-rays. :p

Hey I'm not saying it was a bad thing, it just started very differently than it ended...

Ah, but indeed that's the point of Weather. He is, ultimately, the most evil, worst human being ever, and it would be very, very easy for Ryu to put aside everything to put him down. His want for revenge is not only justified, he'd be doing the world a favour. He is Ryu's temptation by being so utterly easy to despise.

But as I assume you're either just about to or maybe even currently watching the next episode, you'll see how the arc handles that. How the subplot fo Ryu and Weather plays out over this show is probably the reason Accel is one of my favourites, if not my favourite of the secondary riders.

You could really say that about W overall.

It's a show that loves to juggle it's tones, and yet I seriously can't remember a time where it ever badly dropped a ball. It'll lead with the bright and happy, knowing the seriousness and drama is comign. But it never feels like either is out of place.

W 28.

GOD THIS EPISODE WAS GOOD. From Sho losing his shit because he saw Ryu cry, to Phillip losing his shit because Sho lost his shit to punching Ryu on the ground, to Ryu being a total dick because he realised that for the first time in his life he isn't just filled with angst and hate. JUST EURGH I LOVE IT.

About the only thing I hated was Weather wearing Kirihiko's gown, don't be hating on my beloved sexy bottomed Dopant!

Finally watched Super Hero Taisen Z.

That was a really enjoyable movie. Made me miss characters like Gai and Nitou too. It was just generally much better than the first one.

So when's Wizard In Magic Land supposed to come out on DVD?

Kuuga Episode 3
Gee I wonder who the villain of the episode is going to be *sarcasm*? I'm also guessing his special power is enhanced hearing. Gee, I wonder how he'll be defeated?

Eh you're close, but not quite cigar there my chubby dog attacked friend.

Oh, two villains. And like the first he has super hearing. Also like the first, he looks pretty odd. I guess monster zombies in human forms just come out that way, must be part of the contract to be returning from the dead and what not.

What's with Kamen Rider and day cares? Seems like there's always at least one of them in all of the series I have seen. Also, what exactly does Godai do? Does he just work there as an entertainer for the kids? Nothing wrong with him doing so, just not quite sure since they just now showed him doing this.

I think the police are handling the situation pretty well. They're sitting down, going over all of the facts they know, their scientific research, as well as the past experiences. They're actually treating the situation with up most care instead of how most shows like this have the police do nothing. Kuuga's forces aren't messing around. They are there to protect the citizens and are handling the situation both logically and effectively.

Ichijo also handled this pretty well IMO. He's obviously concerned for Godai, and knows that he's human, thus not wanting to see him get killed. Not to mention that Godai saved his life.

:lol Godai gave him the number to a restaurant. Funny.

That was a nice little moment with his sister. Funny though how her big concern is that he changes his underwear every day. I would complain about the shaking of the camera, but it doesn't really bother me.

Uhhhh Ichijo, I think you forgot to lock your car!

:lol At Godai having to monkey his way into the house.

Oh shit, another one? Ooooo, and she controls roses, and is pretty darn good looking. Though how she ran in heels is beyond me. And just how many freaking zombies are there in this episode? Oh well, the one in the black dress is hot sooooo yeah, her presence is fun.

Ichijo you silly man.

This henshin sequence is still pretty odd to me. Like he has to hit the opponent to transform? It's just weird in my opinion. It isn't a bad henshin sequence, it's just so odd considering how many others push a button, pull down on something, or just insert something into the belt.

God the music in this show is great.

That's a pretty interesting way to the end episode.

Ending theme is still epic.

So this was a pretty nice episode. It was pretty dramatic in terms of all that happened with the discussions and what not. It was a little confusing because of all the bloody villains floating about, but taking away those parts, it was a nice episode.

Ichijou is the like one good thing about Kuuga.

So far he's my favorite character. As for the good thing part, I'll have to watch the rest to see if I agree with your opinion on that.

I love all the cast of Kuuga it is a very enjoyable show, it didn't hook me till episode 5 or 6 though. It's one of my absolute favorites though.

28 was definitely one of the best episodes in the series. My favorite part was Shotaro and Terui teaming up and beating up on Isaka. With the opening theme playing as background music. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE that kind of teamwork.

LOL, the cast was one of the things the ruined it for me. I was interested in Kuuga and the Grongi and the police technology but the show kept shoving characters' I didn't care about isssues. No lady I don't care about you or your shitty kid, she's gotta save Japan from Monsters performing a murderous game.

I love the little touches as well, like how Sho names the attacks, rather than automatically shouting out names for no reason. And then when he asks Ryu to join in! Haha.

I actually think those were the best episodes, as it felt like pretty much all the budget was blown here.

W 29.

I thought this episode was dumb, and not even in the fun way. I get the whole 'dream logic' thing, but it was still pretty dumb even with that in mind. And that doesn't even explain away things outside of the dream, like why Sho and Phillip would just sleep randomly outside in the open, or why Weather would wake them up THEN start killing them, rather than just immediately killing them.

There were some fun scenes, Ryu's nightmare was great and the dream logic fights were fun, even if I now wish for a period W on a horse. But overall it was kinda blah.

I actually like the second half of the Nightmare arc, because it actually makes Akiko's crippling mental instability useful.

W 30.

This has way more fun with the concept, and is immediately much more interesting. The scene of Akiko as W was brilliant, but even more brilliant were the implications of why Sho appeared in her dream as everything Sho imagines HIMSELF to be. Clearly there are some feelings I'm not sure Akiko realises herself.

And although that ugly Prince obsessed girl was super annoying with her desu business, her dream was really fun as well with Sho appearing as that ridiculous prince.

Plus the editing and cinematography of the non dream bits was really funky. Metal Illusion is really awesome as well.

I started back in on Agito the other day and just finished episode 22 (the one where Ozawa -who is awesome by the way- drinks about a dozen glasses of beer and then cranks out the design for G3-X). While I loathed Kuuga, I'm enjoying the heck out of Agito. Unfortunately, some the corresponding SHF products are a bit pricey and liking the show means I want to grab them.

Edit: I hope Hojo gets his comeuppance. That guy is totally scummy.

W 31. Shouldn't that be Belle and The Beast? :p

This is one of those shows, where everyone is so great, I can never work out my favourite character. From one episode, to another, I just can't make up my mind. I just love everyone. It reminds me a lot of OOO in the regard, where I love every Rider equally.

Any way, in terms of the actual episode, it was a bit weird. Aren't we going to question the wider implications of this? Like...Dopants were around ten years ago? Well how does that fit with everything we know so far? Gaia Memories existed before USB sticks?

The post-series OOO crossover movie actually deals with this very subject.

But of course, don't watch it until the show is done. It is a marvelous little half-movie, though.

Is that the one with Skull in the title? Can't wait!

Yup. "Message from Skull."

W typically has really good movies, and it's no exception. But the OOO half is terrible, sadly.

I was starting to think OOO could do no wrong in the movies!

W 32.

While watching this episode, it made me think about a lot of stuff. Is toku meant to be watched weekly? I'm sure that question is baffling in both its inherent simplicity of the complex ramifications of what I'm really asking. Allow me, to divulge.

The core dynamic between Sho and Phillip is one of the best on screen duos I have ever seen. They are a much better Batman and Robin than well...Batman and Robin. BUT there are a lot of moments, especially since Ryu was introduced, that have fallen flat enough to get the creases out of my clothes. But I can't help but wonder if that isn't in the fault of the show but because I have to wait thirty seconds between episodes, not a whole week.

When you have a whole week to sit and chew on things, it makes the inherent reveals that much more powerful, and makes those epic moments linger all that longer. Remember when Sho almost died saving Ryu? That was probably EPIC when you were watching this weekly, but honestly it was a moment that was over in a flash and never mentioned again, for me and I watched it yesterday.

Same with basically Ryu's entire arc, going from angst filled avenging angel to brimming with human compassion, this played out in a single day for me, not over a quarter of a year. And it lost a lot of its meaning because of that.

Similarly then, is the repetitious plot of Sho and Phillip falling out and finding themselves once again. I'm pretty sure this is like the fifth time the show has done this character arc, and I'm sure when you watched these episodes over a month, and not a single day, it probably felt really epic.

All I kept thinking to myself is that in the space on one episode, Phillip went from ONE HUNDRED PERCENT about Sho, to completely dishoning him, to making back up with him. It was just kinda underwhelming.

HOLY BALLS WAS XTREME EPIC THOUGH! From the Ultra Futuristic look, to the subtle changes that don't distract from the great design that W already is to the sword and shield combo like some of sort of epic future knight. I love it.

The Prism finishers are gorgeous as well even if I'm not sure that I like how they basically skipped from TWO MAXIMUM DRIVES WILL KILL YOU. And then they do eight on their first trip out in this new form, I mean Jesus that is a fucking power leap.

I always try forget about it actually. Because it breaks my heart what Toshiki Inoue has done to my favorite Rider series.
I hope he NEVER EVER gets to write some of Kobayashi's stuff again.