Firstly, I'd like to show my appreciation once more for providing yet another thread full of constructive discussion and debate about this cool franchise.

This was the first KR finale that aired after I joined TN and I was excited to talk about it, but the corresponding episode thread had derailed in to such toxicity that I noped out without ever sharing my opinion. So thanks for giving me a second chance.

Now on to the episode:

I liked how Aruto and Horobi took a break from the fight to just have an honest conversation where they both connect over their mutual despair and finally acknowledge that their true enemy was the hatred inside their hearts. The final battle was a formality, a way to vent those feelings they were denying themselves, to find peace in the conclusion and hardest of all, forgive each other. By doing that, they were able to beat Ark's influence on them for good. It's one of the most touching final battles I've seen in KR and I hold it as a standard for villain redemption arcs.

Which is especially impressive, considering that I strongly dislike RealEyezing Hopper for how superfluous it is, how Soreo's ghost conjures it like he's some kind of magician and how it basically functions just like Zero Two but with a Zero One skin. It's my least favorite form of Zero One and I honestly feel sad anytime it shows up instead of Zero Two.

But hey, the emotion behind that fight scene was worth it.

Sadly, I'm going to have to agree with the opinion that Aruto creating an Izu clone and calling her Izu feels wrong.

While you make a fair point about the parenting symbolism, I just feel uncomfortable with the concept of Aruto becoming a father to a clone of his aunt and treating her exactly the same way like she's the same character. Izu was unique, that's why her life mattered. New Izu deserves to be more than a replacement, she has the same potential as any other HumaGear to reach singularity, but how can she do that if she's trapped within Aruto's biased expectations of her? Aruto's just doing the same thing that Seiji did with Seine and I think it's a complete contradiction of his philosophy on the value of life. He's in denial and not moving on.

How do we tell the difference between them though? OG Thouzer has the golden collar, but the others look the same to me.

They sure are cute though!

Pretty ironic as well, considering Horobi's namesake.

I'm virtually never online when Die posts a review. Oh well.

[QUOTE=Sh Ranger;836412While you make a fair point about the parenting symbolism, I just feel uncomfortable with the concept of Aruto becoming a father to a clone of his aunt and treating her exactly the same way like she's the same character. Izu was unique, that's why her life mattered. New Izu deserves to be more than a replacement, she has the same potential as any other HumaGear to reach singularity, but how can she do that if she's trapped within Aruto's biased expectations of her? Aruto's just doing the same thing that Seiji did with Seine and I think it's a complete contradiction of his philosophy on the value of life. He's in denial and not moving on.[/QUOTE]
I don't really see it as Aruto becoming a parent to his aunt, just because the dynamic between Aruto and Is is more complicated and harder to define than that, and I don't think he's going to try and force her to be the same even if it feels like he wants her to react the same way the old version would. But I feel like he would still be fine with her becoming her own person.

One little nitpick that I have for Zero-One was how they didn't maximize the usage of Soreo and Korenosuke in the series. I almost forgot Aruto had a Humagear Dad until last episode, lol. That heart-to-heart scene between Aruto and his dad was a warm welcome and I wish the series did this a lot more. Soreo was better utilized because he had spotlight in Reiwa First Generation. Korenosuke, on the other hand... I wish there was more scene with him, even as flashbacks with Gai and Fukuzoe. It's baffling to see after I found out Koronosuke's last appearance was in ep 13. For such a central figure, a little snippets of Aruto's grandpa would be welcome.

Other than, pretty much this was a really satisfying finale. I think the last time Final Villain was spared was with Hajime in Blade but that's a whole another beast. I think Yuya Takahashi did a good job to land the perfect way to convey the messages for the audiences. There's a certain mirror or parallel where Aruto showed Horobi that no matter how low we sink or descend to despair, we could always leap back and just move on from the past. Honestly, it was the right decision for the show to make Aruto as Ark-One. Aruto needs to sink to his lowest point as possible and relate to what Horobi experienced. It's nice to see the show made Aruto to be on the same level as Horobi specifically so Horobi could see as an example of hope.

My favorite parts in this episode was when Aruto let go of Izu's memento ribbon in the sky. That was... Beautiful was not an understatement. There's a nice symbolism here in that ribbon which signified Aruto moved on and LET go Izu. Izu WAS dead and that's the fact. Remember how I informed the Ark Signal One in Ark-One's suit that basically acted as coping mechanism for Aruto? Aruto used the Ark-One's suit solely to run from reality. Once Horobi destroyed the suit, there's a nice transition where Aruto was freed from the Ark-One and Azu's machination or dream. More or less it meant Aruto was waking up from his dream and face reality. He ACCEPTED he lost Izu and that's it. Basically the whole arc of Aruto as Ark-One was a reality check for our protagonist to REALIZE he needs to face reality as much as he dreams. He can't sought the dream that he and Izu wished for if he keeps running from reality.

I think that message goes for any of us. It's easy to hate, despise and resent others, like Horobi. It's also easier for us to run away from reality in front of our eyes, like Aruto. Only after accepting ourself and facing our problems we can become the best of us. We understand each other after facing our own problems from the inside.

I'm a bit in-between regarding reviving Izu. I understand why people dislike and feel it was so wrong to revive back Izu. It was almost a back slap to everything that had happened in the last arc. Still, I respect their decision to bring back Izu again. It's not like it was the same old Izu. The old Izu is dead. This was an act of Aruto honoring the late Izu. It was a nice metaphor where Izu was the one who helped Aruto the most before and now it was the reverse. This was the best book end I could wish for this show.

Glad you liked the finale!

Yeah, they were really something else. Half of the final episode was just two guys brawling, and it was as jaw-dropping as any movie ALL RIDERS-type climax. This show was always creative with the fight scenes.

Aw, that's a bummer. I'm glad you were willing to try again! Everyone here has been incredibly supportive of other viewpoints, and very patient with any disagreements. Fun place to talk about Kamen Rider!

There're always going to be opinions I have about a show that are steadfast, certain. This is not one of those opinions! I'll readily admit that rebuilding Izu is super weird, and arguably in bad taste. I can see where the show is maybe coming from with this resolution, but I don't blame anyone who finds it somewhere between Gross and Abhorrent. It's a weird choice for the show to make!

I find it funny how much core background for Aruto that the show just never establishes. What happened to his biological parents? Why did his Grandad build him a robot dad? What happened after the robot dad was destroyed? Why didn't Grandad Hiden take any role whatsoever in raising Aruto? There's just this blank space between Daybreak Town and the first episode, and it's insane that the show never found a single minute to try and fill that blank in.

Yeah, I think usually a show would spare Horobi and then do a final battle with the Ark. This one flipped it around, and I think ended it up okay?

Williamson was already the chief of ZAIA's Research and Development department while Gai was the President... so he gotta know ZAIA's members right? He's already a major member there since long. And of course he's not a bad guy, no one says he is, he's the good foil to Gai as the holders of ZAIA's President position. These kind of leaders are often used in good guy factions in stories actually, but are also instilling ruthlessness to people around them so they're "effective". Errors don't immediately make someone bad at their job (it'd be unfair to immediately assume them so), but still yeah leaders shouldn't be seen as completely infallible, he was making a decision on bad data, but to try shutting up Yua only because she didn't have authority (and only listening when turns out she had one)... it's still being controlling and close-minded.

Oh, actually not like that too.... audience shouldn't be put above the writers at all times too. For example, there are audiences viewing war as awesome and exciting to happen instead in a work about depicting war as horrific, or romanticizing mental illness that the work portrays as something that needs to be taken care of, etc. It's a complex situation too, while fans are entitled to their own interpretation, that does not mean they are always right. The writer's original intention might not be the only valid interpretation, but it probably shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, either.

This is a better redemption than Gai's because, there's at least some buildup for Horobi before, in his grieving heart out of Jin's death, and back then, turning out to care about Jin in ep. 36, and then actually declaring war on humanity partly due to Jin's well-being. Overall, Jin being Horobi's anchor is the build up to his redemption. I actually think, it'd be not satisfying to not have Aruto pointing out that he killed Izu in response to Horobi being mad that Aruto accidentally killed Jin, but yeah playing blame game like that is a part of the root of revenge, and Horobi does realize that he not only killed Izu, but Soreo as well, when Aruto reached out for Izu's ribbon. Though like any moral teachings, it can be risky and can be misinterpreted. Seems that Horobi (and many other people in Zero-One like Fuwa and Yua) can only realize their mistakes when they directly experience something related on that topic, positive (e.g. Humagear saving Fuwa) or negative.

This seems to reinforce that, people learn from biased data (which was Izu's argument to Horobi's prejudice), how it affects them only (or extending their loved ones only), like how there are people who only deem something as bad if it directly affects them or their circle (but find entertainment at someone being horrible to others, etc.). What should be practiced is unbiased judgment to acknowledge something as good/bad even if it doesn't affect you directly... and if that can be taught by making them experience if themselves thus now they know something is good/bad in general... then it means that killing Jin is the very event that redeemed Horobi. And that can be interpreted as, to make someone see the error of their ways, revenge is needed so they can directly feel what's wrong in their actions, or even worse, practicing revenge by proxy; targeting those who are dear to them instead (can be innocents), so they too can know how it feels to lose a loved one thus know it's wrong.

Though Horobi got upgrades too, yeah he won't be the biggest threat surpassing Ark (though closer) even with his newfond conviction or such.... and thus it'd be the easy way for Aruto if he just finish off Horobi (with the power to do so). And for the series to make it more challenging, of course it got Aruto trying to redeem him instead, which'd be the hard path. Who says the title heroes in KR have easier path on heroism? Idealism (as Aruto re-gained here) can be more difficult and costly. Like how Aruto here, despite his superior equipment, he gotta risk himself by holding back, dropping his Attache Calibur, Rider form, and risk interacting heart-to-heart directly in human form, and Horobi specifically won because Aruto let him to destroy Ark-One Driver (symbolism of shaking off Ark's influence). That certainly can got him killed just like Izu before. Though still why Zero-Two itself isn't used here, but instead another unnecessary stuff by remaking base Zero-One (with boosted stats) that is actually randomly created by said Zero-Two Driver.

Honestly, I still think that Horobi is a bit suspicious to go completely free and doing what he wants. Sure, Horobi is a lot better now than him previously and goes on the right path more, with him not holding prejudiced view now, only malice, but, Horobi's solution is always violence and he doesn't know any other method to deal with a problem, and probably still that way now. With him no longer being prejudiced, he can still, murder anyone who is bad as his solution. That'd be anti-heroic... but it still won't be something that is tolerated by the force of good (such as most lead Riders) like their conflicts with secondary Riders who are like that. Perhaps Jin can continue to be his living anchor (if he had sense of that, he no longer hated humanity but still...)? Other than that, Fuwa shows off his inhuman strength again here, if not for in-universe merchandise like Progrise Keys, then him ripping a car door's off which reaffirms that.

Bittersweet. It's no longer the same Izu Aruto (or everyone, both in and out of universe) knew before, all the quirks she picked up, the memories she shared, etc. are gone forever. The only thing she shared right now are her looks and sound. Aruto had to start over from Zero. But perhaps this is a reminder that even if Izu can be rebuilt like this, luckily unlike some other Humagears like her older brother, doesn't mean that a death of Humagear isn't tragic loss for humans just like a death of a human loved one, especially if the Humagears reach Singularity (though permanent loss of data like Soreo's also help), and this also shows why Humagears shouldn't be viewed as tools like Yua did early on.
A̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶a̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶m̶a̶n̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶d̶a̶t̶a̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶s̶,̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶,̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶a̶r̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶(̶i̶n̶a̶n̶i̶m̶a̶t̶e̶)̶ ̶t̶e̶c̶h̶n̶o̶l̶o̶g̶y̶,̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶e̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶e̶v̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶r̶u̶p̶t̶e̶d̶/̶l̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶d̶a̶t̶a̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶l̶e̶,̶ ̶d̶o̶c̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶,̶ ̶e̶t̶c̶.̶

They don't bring back Soreo not because it'd tarnish his sacrifice, it's because Soreo's data was linked into Ark (as it was the Humagear's main satellite before being hacked), thus Soreo's data was lost forever and cannot be restored.

I hope Aruto wouldn't try and force his image of Izu on New Izu, but since we don't really get any scenes of him dealing with un-Izu-like behavior, I'm not sure how he would react to that.

Yeah, that thread was all malice like Ark, but I think everybody here has been able to talk about this episode openly in a mature and respectful way, just like Aruto and Horobi after overcoming their hatred. It's a neat parallel.

Depictions don't have to be mutually exclusive though. Like, COD developer Treyarch can depict the horrors of war all they want, but their revenue is dependent on the audience seeing it as awesome and exciting, as that's the product's selling point.

And the fact that he and his grandpa are never on-screen together. Like they photoshop a picture of him with Gai but we never actually see these two together.

A part of me kind of wishes the "visitor" that gave Aruto Realize Hopper was actually Grandpa Hiden instead of Soreo.

SERIES WRAP-UP

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zeroone/seriesa.png

One of the most amazing things about the Kamen Rider franchise is that it can be about literally anything. Not just in the sense of aesthetics or genre or anything, the surface level It’s A Medical Drama or Time Travel of it all, but on a thematic level. There’re core tenets of Kamen Rider that are always going to be there, topics like empathy and ecology and self-acceptance, but individual shows can talk about nearly anything. This one chose to talk about topics as diverse as how technology fits into our lives; how we overcome racism and intolerance; how to end cycles of hatred; how we learn from people, and how we teach people; how the only way to truly succeed is to be willing to help others succeed. It’s full of intriguing concepts that lack easy answers, and it’s astonishingly willing to follow those ideas to tricky places. It’s one of the smartest Kamen Rider shows I’ve ever watched.

At the same time… I’m not sure it was best served by being a Kamen Rider show.

When you’re telling a story that’s condemning violence as the solution to problems, or that’s digging into topics like how capitalism puts the working class at each other’s throats, it’s hard to do that within the context of a superhero show designed to sell toys to Japanese children. The elements of this show that are required by its genre – the costumes and transformations and monsters and detonations – frequently felt like impositions, especially in the first half of the show. Too many meditations on how therapeutic technology should be before it becomes a crutch ended up veering into pointless battles. So much of the MetsubouJinrai stuff in the first two-thirds of the show felt thin and unconvincing, compared to the depth and nuance of the average Humagear storyline.

My favorite run of the show was the Job War arc, easy. It’s the smartest set of episodes in an already smart show. The switch from pointless MetsubouJinrai punch-em-ups to the individually-motivated Raiders and Humagears turned each week’s storyline into a tense showcase for societal integration and economic anxiety. The fights mattered, all of a sudden. The conflicts helped explore a society that advanced as quickly as it could without figuring out where exactly it was going. They leapt towards a dream, but didn’t know how to land safely. I loved that version of this show.

It’s also the version that seemed to irritate almost everyone else, which maybe gets to my point about how effectively this show served both its themes and its genre. It’s hard to be a superhero fantasy that celebrates physical action AND a cerebral investigation into how societies codify intolerance into economic systems. Like, there’s some overlaps there, and this show was very clever about finding them, but too often it was one or the other. At worst, it was one or the other in the same episode.

I say all that like this show was a noble failure, or too grandiose for its own good. Even with the drag factor of These Unprecedented Times, this show churned out phenomenal action, terrific music, and outstanding suit designs. The cast acquitted themselves well, frequently creating moments of memorable beauty. The configuration of the cast, and the show’s use of them… that’s a little more complex.

I think this show was attentive to every character, which is a huge ask for a cast this large. Every Rider got an arc, and most supporting cast members got some growth over the course of the year. No one was a throwaway character, that I can remember. The problem is more that the show didn’t utilize everyone continuously, in regrettably obvious ways. Take Fuwa, for instance. Fuwa’s arc is a huge part of the show (give or take the Job War) right up to the point where Naki’s taken out of his brain. After that, like, what does the show do with Fuwa? He contributes to plots, but there aren’t really any stories (or even plotlines) about him. He’ll randomly say that he’s going to stop the Ark, but he never even really gets close. His biggest post-Naki moment is in 44, where he’s serving Aruto’s plotline. And this is the show’s secondary Rider. It’s even worse for Naki, and for Ikazuchi, and for Yua, and for Gai, and maybe even for Jin. Folks get their big moment of self-acceptance or enlightenment, and then the show’s like Mission Accomplished, and puts them on the shelf. Horobi is the only non-Aruto character to get some real focus in the final episodes, but he barely got any focus before those episodes, so it’s sort of a wash. There’s very little consistency to how this show uses its cast. Good stories get fired off all the time, but it almost feels like a rotation, rather than any sort of organic progress.

I liked this show, despite sounding like I don’t. I think its bravery in exploring difficult questions, and in deconstructing the emotional turmoil inherent to most tokusatsu finales, is laudable. Its high points were frequent, and its low points ended up being negligible. But the friction between its high-minded themes and its To Sell Toys mandate ended up creating too many discordant formulas (if I never have to watch MetsubouJinrai slap a Zetsumeriser on a Humagear again, I’ll’ve still seen it a hundred times too many), and the agreeable meandering of its exploration worked against the sort of character-based storytelling that keeps every main cast member feeling vital to the narrative. I loved this show trying new things, but I don’t think I’d recommend anyone else try to do it this way again.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zeroone/seriesb.png

…and that’s where we’re going to leave this series for a little bit. I’ve got some stuff coming up in the next few weeks (a vacation, probably/hopefully a move) that are going to make watching anything difficult, and writing up anything virtually impossible. The current plan is to come back sometime in October (depending on the specific timing of the aforementioned probable/hopeful move) to run through the post-show Zero-One content, but I’ll let you all know if that plan has to be adjusted. Definitely going to get this thread fully closed out by the end of the year, promise. In the meantime, please post any and all thoughts you’ve still got about the TV show portion of Zero-One, and I’ll be back for the rest of this story as soon as possible. Thanks!

No matter how many flaws I can point out from this show, I can't help but love it, I do feel like, if not for Covid that there could've been a better story, but what we have right now is still great. I don't know what it is about this show, but even after episodes like 28, I never stopped loving this show, it's not the greatest, but it's not the worst, it's a perfectly fine show, but for some reason, I'm much fonder of it, than even the more recent Reiwa shows, that I've seen people prefer. I don't have much to say on it as a whole, other than that, I personally loved the show.

Zero-One's cool, except for the job arc, you can never change my mind on that.

I'd post an MV I had but that has to wait till October because well.

Story time: So Zero-Two's debut inspired me to do an MV for Zero-One's season like I've done for Gaim, Drive, Ghost, Ex-Aid, and Zi-O in the past. There was one issue though... I assumed endgame would be Zero-Two styling over Ark-Zero and eventually Ark-One while tag teaming with everyone. And that would be the cap off of like the final minute of the MV barring any wind down shots.

That obviously did not happen! And while I don't regret what we got, 42 to 45 did not gel at all with the tone I was going for. It wasn't until RealxTime came out that I realized that I could just supplement my original idea with the stuff from RealxTime and it worked beautifully!

So of course since it has spoilers, I can't post it yet! I shall now return to my slumber.

Looking back at it now yeah this is a good finale for a good show. But when it was airing I couldn't help but be a little dissapointed as Yuya Takahashi a week before came out and said that this will be an ending unlike any other seen in Rider and that made my mind work overtime imagining what would've what we got was good don't gete wrong. I suppose you wouldn't have that issue since your far removed from the random comments made two years ago by a writer to hype his own work. But I just wanted to share this

Yeah, I'm a real easy mark for this franchise, so I had a predictably great time with Zero-One. Aruto's great, Izu's a terrific sidekick/conscience/foil, and everyone else was (at least eventually) very fun. It's a really entertaining show that sometimes gets out over its skis with its incorporation of tricky societal issues with kids show action-adventure, but it's hard to be mad at them trying to do something weird and smart with a half-century old franchise.

I wouldn't dream of trying! You had your experience with the show, and I had mine. We can explain our perspectives to each other, but I don't think we can alter our experiences.

(It's so good, though. The Smile two-parter!!!)

Oh, god, yeah, I'm so grateful that I'm able to enjoy these shows outside of the first-run weekly experience. Not only can I keep the show in the fornt of my mind by watching it daily, but I don't have to worry about all of the things that go along with a show's weekly roll-out: the magazine scans, the tweets, the leaks, the whatever of it all. I get to just engage with a show and its fans. I am aware of my good fortune!

Ok, time to write up my kinda complicated feelings for the show, which I kinda have shown already through the sporadic posts on this threat.

What did I think about Zero-One the show? Or, the four shows crudely chopped up and forced into the shape of the show Zero-One?

Because that's how the show felt as a whole. It doesn't really seem to fit together. Every arc of the show feels... detached from each other in some way. The first is fast and frantic with plots mostly wrapped up in one episode, the second is slower, more structured, and to some repetitive with two-parters, the third feels like a weird middle child that once more relies on one-offs, and the last part of the show is a continues story that hard focuses on interpersonal drama.

In short, the pacing and structure of the show are an unmitigated disaster to me. We go from fast-paced, to the slowest arc of the show, before speeding up slightly and hitting Mach 5 in the last arc.

There are just so many parts of the show that feel like they weren't approached in a "How will this feel in the greater context of the show" way. Instead, they were just important for right now, and quite frankly, it shows.

We waste a lot of time on things that really don't matter in the long run, prime example, Antsu-Chan. He's a character you could replace with Ikazuchi, and you'd probably improve the show since Raiden was severely underdeveloped in the show. And there are many points in the show like that. Another one being Vulcan getting an extension of his arc with his fake memories that really doesn't go anywhere and kinda robs him of a satisfying conclusion

Very much agree. I love the Competition arc for its solid two-parters, nice character development, and a threat that actually feels tangible.

Still, I feel it'd serve as a better arc one, with some obvious changes.

In short, the show feels like its less than the sum of its parts for me.

Aruto just doesn't leave enough of an impact for me in the long run, same with most of the cast. They feel far too passive for far too long, and it's honestly frustrating. The cast isn't terrible, but they are something arguably worse for me, forgettable.

And my biggest gripe with the show, the final arc and what it's about: A forced conflict that feels mostly detached from the themes of the show between two characters that are just dull to me.

And now it's time to unstick the things I wanted to talk about later:

This is actually one of my biggest gripes with Horrobi as an antagonist. Horobi didn't come from his own experiences, he was always just a hate puppet for the arc, which kinda made him incredibly dull as a character. His hatred wasn't his own until Jin's second death. Which quite honestly feels incredibly lazy and as if they writers cared more about the gaol than how they'd get there.

He honestly reminds me of a certain One Piece character; One Piece spoilers incoming: His entire stick was racism. He hated humans to an insane degree, and eventually, a character in the story asks him why. Why does he hate humans so much? His answer was simply "Nothing." There was nothing to his hate, it was simply learned. It wonderfully shows how hate spreads through generations and will poisen innocent people, turning them into monsters.

This shows things like this can work, Zero-One just kinda... doesn't know what to do with the fact Horobi has no personal stake in this and manufacturers a reason for his hatred.

And now the second thing:

And here is my second gripe: Horobi and Aruto, for all the parallels they pull between them, really have no business being each other's greatest nemesis. They don't really have any personal grievances that tie them together in the end. It makes this fight even more manufactured, especially when suddenly it's a fight that will decide Human and Humagear relations, which just feel... Why? Why would this have any big impact? I don't buy it.

So, yeah, I feel this is the final to a show I haven't watched. Because I don't see the proper build-up and tie-in into some of the major themes of the show.



Oh boy... This ended up more chaotic than I had hoped for, but I do feel it's kinda on brand for the show :D

In the end, Zero-One left a sour taste in my mouth and is currently 3rd least favorite Rider show, but it'll very, very likely get a bump to 4th very soon with the end of Revice.

I am however glad you found enjoyment in the show!

Since this thread is going on hiatus (just like the show did), I guess I'll give a few brief concluding thoughts on my experience with the first entry in Reiwa Rider.

Befitting its name, Zero One is a show that constantly flips between 0 and 1, lame and cool, smart and dumb. But that's what I can always count on, that even if I find a part I dislike, the part that succeeds it will succeed in turning me around. Episode 29 is an awesome end to an infuriating arc. Episode 38 is a tearful start of a redemption of a character for whom I never thought I'd shed tears.

One of the show's major themes is starting from zero and moving to one, a theme that was probably never more relevant than the apocalyptic year that was 2020. The present was full of perpetual despair, the future seemed like it would never come. And yet, the future came. I think that's the moral of Zero One, that even if the future is invisible, the power of hope and dreams will create the future.

I intend to post my Reiwa Rider Ranking next week in the thread for Revice's finale, but to compare Zero One with pre-Reiwa, I did enjoy it more than Zi-O and EX-Aid. Now I'm excited to see how Takebe will bring out the untapped potential in Takahashi's talent, as Reiwa enters its fourth season.

It's not KR exclusive. It should apply on many franchises that has each work as a standalone (instead of a constant sequel to previous ones).

The MetsubouJinrai.net stuff, yeah, they too are Humagears, who also got character exploration similar to those average Humagear storylines (YMMV though), got their turns at later part of the series. Jin at ep. 25 (his first revival), Ark at ep. 36 (the part of him starting to act on his own), and Horobi at ep. 41 (when he breaks off Ark's influence, albeit retains his genocidal view and prejudice).

For all the talk about Fish having unpopular opinion, you too can have fair share of it... including right here about the competition arc. At least in most of the fanbase it's divisive to the point that producer Omori in a producer roundtable discussion on the TTFC admits it's critically divisive. Though you do finally tolerate the final a̶r̶k̶ arc due to its good middle execution despite idiotic start, perhaps you'd like this more due to being even deeper in the themes it explored here? As here too, there are idiotic parts that kickstarted this arc, such as how Gai could've bought out Hiden and held the contest entirely on his own terms, not giving Aruto slightest chance to stop him, Aruto going along with the contest without making an effort to expose him despite Gai's cheating ways, and Fuwa gloats about the evidence about ZAIA's wrongdoings in front of Gai.

Aruto's a character that some audiences can feel overshadowed by other casts (often happened too for main character vs side characters - more like major characters that aren't main protagonists), especially by Fuwa here. But ironically this is a talk about how Fuwa's one of the characters that only got their spare of character focus in the series. I guess, keeping continuous focus to characters aren't necessary to be done, and what matters is the consistent quality of the characters. Quality over quantity, and Fuwa fulfills that for some people? Characters that have continuous focus are sometimes criticized as taking up too much screen time instead, and main characters aren't free from that (it can be actually the reason to prefer "side" characters over them).

I think Zero-One was a strong way to kick off the Reiwa era of Kamen Rider.

Yeah, Zero-One, if nothing else, felt like it always wanted to make a stamenent on something big. It sometimes wasn't quite sure what that statement was, or how best to convey it through the medium of "Man in suit beats up other man in suit", but it tried. And I think, on the whole, it did a pretty good job. The action side was stylish, the plot side mostly holds up, and for our big first-food forwards after the look back that was Zi-O, it holds its own.

Yeah, the first half of this show... it sort of has that Ghost thing, where it does a very quick run of a dozen episodes that land okay, but frequently punt on an ending in lieu of Now There's A Fight, and then follow that up with a slower batch of two-parters that do a much better job of excavating the deeper emotions of the world that's been built.

I don't know, I think Assassin-chan works as an early exploration of both the life-cycle of Humagear Singularity, and also a deeper dive on MetsubouJinrai's lack of concern for Humagears. You can really only do that with a character you're not going to see again.

THis definitely doesn't touch Ex-Aid for me - I can't imagine anything ever will - but this versus Zi-O? Man, I don't know. Probably Zi-O for me, I think. The plot of Zero-One makes a ton more sense, the villains are equally lame, but the cast of Zi-O is just so much more fun to think about. There's a warmth to that show, and all of the Sougo/Geiz stuff, that this show never comes close to matching, nor does it try to. This show's cast is more Wartime Allies, instead of Zi-O's thing of Brothers Forged In Battle. Not an absolute blowout, but I think I like Zi-O a little better.

The Fuwa thing's incredibly stupid, but I honestly think the impetus for the Job War arc is perfectly acceptable. Gai's all about publicly embarrassing Aruto. He doesn't just want to buy Hiden and fire Aruto, he wants to beat Aruto so badly that Aruto surrenders rather than continue fighting for Hiden Intelligence. Which he does! It's a good plan.

Agreed!

Yeah, it was a show that rarely missed the opportunity to derail a deep philosophical point about technology/intolerance/capitalism with a fight scene, and vice versa.

I don't even disagree. I actually really like Antsu-Chan, in a vacuum. His arc is solid, he is fun to watch grow, and he probably was the most well-developed cast member of the first arc. My gripes only show up when you look at him from the perspective of the whole show. I can't but feel like the time spent with him could have been used on characters who were struggling for screen time and the like.

Less than the sum of its parts, like I said.

Was gonna wait until after REALxTIME to give my full thoughts, but screw it, here they are.

I ended up digging Zero-One a whole lot.

Before going in, I knew the chances were high that I would, as it had alot of elements that I'm very much a sucker for: Robot characters especially.

And needless to say, I know my own tastes because right from the outset, Zero-One managed to emotionally resonate with me in so many ways. From the action, to the comedy, to the drama, to most of the characters, I was all in.

Was it perfect? No, there were certainly many things I could say didn't work out for me(and I think I even voiced all of them throughout this thread), but really, I consider all of those things relatively minor in the grand scheme of it all. This show managed to give me the same sort of feelings I had with other seasons I love.

It all just came together so well! The characters were engaging, the plot talked about surprisingly real subject matter, and to me it always felt like everyone involved in the project were giving it their all at every moment to make something special, and I'd say they succeeded. The proof, I feel, is actually in what might be the worst thing to happen during the run: COVID.

I say "might" because, well, despite the obviously awful setback of, ya know, a global pandemic, it was clear to me that staff were doing all they could to still try and deliver something strong. The recap specials had some strong comedy and half of them still tied into the overall story, and the final few episodes, despite apparently being made up on the spot, still totally worked for me in terms of not only delivering on the major themes of the story, but some of the best character moments as well.

From what I understand, Zero-One is a show that is very polarizing among the western fandom for alot of reasons, but for me? I loved almost every second of it; Even certain episodes and/or character arcs that alot of people take contention with. If there's one thing that every era of Kamen Rider has managed to do, it's start off on some extremely strong footing. Here's to hoping the upcoming tie-in comic can capture even a fraction of what made this show so good.

Yeah, I think it's a show with some flaws, both external (COVID) and internal (it frequently felt like the cast was split up over three parallel shows), but overall it's a strong year of Kamen Rider. It's in the upper portion of the middle tier of shows for me. (I don't have a list! This is a gut statement!)

But it's fun to see how diverse the reactions to this show have been, more than anything. Two people can like this show, but end up liking it for diametrically opposed reasons, or even end up liking completely different episodes. It's the rare show that can get multiple people to agree on its quality, but disagree on its attributes. Super fun to talk about those types of shows!

Looks like Dreamsword and I were on the same page about holding off on our Final Thoughts. But I guess no time like the present!

It's clear Zero-One wanted to go all out with its dynamic action and themes, which all shined in the first quarter of the series as some of my favorites. It took it a little easier with the second quarter for the ZAIA arc, which I didn't dislike, it's only standard Rider procedure to have an episodic slow period, but they had some great moments for our characters. The third arc, where real events started to creep in, is a blur for me in a way, mostly it was the "everybody gets to beat Thouser" arc, but even that managed to have moments that really shine, moreso given the situation the show found itself in. Then there's the ARK arc, which while some things could have worked a little better, it was still a very good way to end the show.

I do apologize for my lack of contribution to this thread and trying to recount the show as we went along, but it was a... difficult time in my life at the time the show aired. I was out trying to get a job, start a life, and everything went awry, and it's not just the pandemic but a variety of other problems that are better left unsaid. I was still watching Zero-One, but through numerous occurrences in my life at the time made remembering everything I could about this series difficult. It's not anything against the show nor any shortcomings I have, I really did enjoy this show for what it was.

That said, I know it's a little difficult to gauge where Zero-One ranks among Rider Seasons, and to that I'd say, it was the best way to (Rider) Kick off a new era of the franchise. It experimented, from the style of the suits, the dynamic action sequences (the absolute highlight of this season), and just about everything they could compromise. I'd say it was worth the effort. But how does it stand right now, when we have soon to be three Seasons in Reiwa?

And that's the thing. It's still difficult for me to find where it stands to me. Partly because I think back on how this show wanted to really start things off with a bang and let Reiwa continue to flourish afterwards, had it not been struck by unfortunate events, that it feels like we never got the true Kamen Rider Zero-One, the first of a new era.

Again, I did enjoy Zero-One, despite some bumps in the road, or how I'm not that big of a fan of some of the themes this show wanted to explore, but even so, I feel like it's done better than most I've seen that do go that route. And this is just a dumb Japanese kids show about men in funny costumes fight each other and sell toys! Which honestly, it's because of that, is why I love Kamen Rider and Tokusatsu in general, no matter what it decides to do, it's done in a fun way, and more often than not, in a better way than I've seen most other things try to do.

I remember when everyone was dreading Aruto as the protagonist, and yet I enjoyed watching his journey unfold in this story. Not only did he have a great story, but he grew from a failed comedian to a responsible, ideal president, and a Hero. Fuwa is still my favorite character. Yaiba, while had some complications, I never disliked her. Gai, a jerk starting out, then had a stupid redemption arc that I loved. Metsuboujinrai, an evil cult of robots, that subverted the common trope they were introduced as (for the most part). I don't really have any grievances from this show. And that's enough for me.

And yet, I still wonder... Zero-One? Or the season that followed? Which is the best Reiwa Season for me? As weird as it sounds, I'd say the latter. But that's a discussion for another time. As I've still got to see the V-Cinemas for Zero-One, which I've heard are actually not well loved (and I have been slightly spoiled on some things...). So that'll be interesting.

(Also, I still have to watch the Zi-O vs. Decade stuff)

But to commemorate this Thread's completion of Reiwa's Debut Season, I present my Zero-One art (which some of you may remember from Dreamsword's Memory of Heroez Thread)!
Attachment 62255

Okay, I will save my full thoughts of Zero-One after Die watches RealXTime which is a MUST watch movie to your list. After some bitter taste from your experience with Over Quartzer last time, I think RealXTime will be much better for your taste.

Rather than giving my thoughts, I just want to say:

"お疲れ様です"

Thanks for the your hardwork, consistency and your passion for Toku, Die! I think it's a worth celebration and milestone for Die after several of your passionate threads. I didn't have the guts to say it back when you watched Zi-O so I will say it now, especially because finishing Zero-One is also great reward. I must thank you for giving such a great room for us to discuss the series that we have watched.

I must also thank you for everyone in this forum that I obviously can't mention one-by-one. You guys really did reciprocate Die's passionate feelings back and it was honestly a blast to see everyone's discussion here. It was such an enjoyable experience for every one of us in this forum.

To be frank, up until several weeks back, I was more of a passive reader because I'm not that confident if my input will be strong and influential enough for everyone, especially since English was my second language. I don't know if it's fate or not...

But with the combination of Die talking about Zero-One (a series about leaping to your future), everyone's ever growing passion in this forum, and a certain episode in a Rider series that Die WILL touch later, somehow that regained my strength and passion back to be active in this forum. I can't stress how much everyone in this forum and the Rider franchise and the community itself gave me what I had missed and lost in these past few years.

"ありがとうございます"

That's all I could say as a closing for Die's thought on Zero-One as a whole. Please don't be discouraged to keep your amazing work, Die. Your words and writing HAVE the power to not only change world but also give strength to some people like me. Keep up the good work and see you and everyone else later!

Oh yeah... Speaking of writing...

https://youtu.be/HsKl3MOFS74

I found a nice peace of media in regarding the baton pass between Zero-One and its successors, Kamen Rider Saber. I think this will serves as nice preview for Saber in the future, especially on our protagonist. I don't think it will hurt to watch it even if you want to watch RealXTime first before tackling Saber. It's also nice to see the actors be a little more open and relaxed in this instance. It's just a joy to watch Noa Tsurushima to express herself more open after acting as Izu for the whole year. It's also conversation between Aruto and his junior.

Can't wait to see you tackling Kamen Rider Saber. Until that, best of luck to you and everyone else in this forum.

Yeah, for sure. It's easy to read this thread like I'm leaning forward in my chair, tenting my fingers as I squint and say Hmm Yes What An Incisive Observation About The Dehumanizing Effects Of Capitalism. I mean, sometimes! But I'm mostly just laughing at funny gags and marvelling at explosive action. Always fun to think about these stories in the aftermath, but it's equally fun to watch them in the moment.

Thanks for your contributions! And your English is great! Probably, uh, better than mine!

That's incredibly sweet of you to say. I have a hard time accepting praise gracefully, but I'll try and refrain from deflecting with self-deprecation.

And I'm not going anywhere, really. Some life stuff is going to make things hectic for a bit, but my current plan is to be back in the beginning of November to do the dozen or so post-show pieces of Zero-One content (movie, stage show, V-Cins, Fan Club specials, etc.). Then the holidays are going to hit, and things are going to get hectic again, but I plan to start Saber right after the New Year. I'm not nearly done talking about Kamen Rider with you folks!

PROJECT THOUSER - PART 1

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...ctthouser1.png

And we’re back! Busy couple months for me (vacation that only briefly stranded me in another state; cross-town move that didn’t completely destroy my body or bank account), but things have finally stabilized enough for me to get back to these last few Zero-One things. I hope anyone’s still around to talk about them with me?

We’re starting off easy with Project Thouser, which I’m pretty sure is one of those Blu-ray bonus feature pieces. It’s partially a clip show of big moments from the first third of the series, and partially a chance to fill in the blanks for a mastermind villain. This is all the What He Did In The Shadows stuff for Gai, where the dots of his convoluted scheme are all connected for an audience who presumably cares about that sort of irrelevant minutiae.

Which, as the phrasing of that sentence might indicate, I definitely do not! The idea of spending half an hour trying to cross t’s for the Gathering Data phase of a villain’s scheme - by far the most perfunctory and generic version of any Kamen Rider show’s first Act - would probably make me feel like returning to Zero-One was a Giga-scale mistake. Thankfully, this episode is just as uninterested in that backstory exposition as I am. I mean, they still do it, if you need every link explicated, but it’s definitely not the story they want to tell.

They want to tell a story about Naki, and their initial rebellion against Gai and ZAIA. None of it’s revelatory (most of it gets a more nuanced look in the series itself), but seeing Naki start to understand the difference between service and subjugation is really compelling. Naki’s quest for individuality and self-determination is one of the best arcs in the middle part of Zero-One, so favoring that story over Gai Collects Data is smart.

I did like the stuff with Gai, though. It’s weird watching this after the end of the show, where so much work was done to humanize him, to add pathos to his motivations. Here, he’s fully in the Ruthless Tyrant phase of his character development, with nothing to excuse or explain his smug malevolence. But that’s okay! Gai was a very fun villain before he was a punchline before he was adorable. He makes an excellent foil for Naki’s confusion, as his egotistical certainty just invites more resistance from the frustrated Humagear. We didn’t (to my memory) get a lot of Gai Vs Naki stuff in Zero-One, due to where character arcs landed, so it’s nice to see Naki get some one-on-one time with Gai.

Not that it, uh, worked out so great for Naki… what with the whole Being Shot To Death With An Actual Revolver I Keep Forgetting Kid Shows In Japan Will Show Stuff Like That thing. But that’s more of a detail for the next installment of Project Thouser! I’ll see you all back here tomorrow for that! If anyone remembers this thread still exists!

Can’t say I have much to say about this particular instalment, but it did lead to this meme.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4/IMG_7170.JPG

The thing about these recap and fill in the blank sort of Blu-Ray specials is that while neat in concept... aren't really much to chew on.

Like you mentioned Die, the special while touting itself as Project Thouser, definitely puts a lot of focus on Naki too. I believe this was our first instance of seeing Naki too as like a character before the big reveal with Fuwa.

Anyway I've noticed that I only gleam a small bit of things from like Build Onwards of the Blu-Ray specials in terms of things that stand out.

Rogue: Karaoke
Project Thouser: Naki
Saber's Blu-Ray thing: We'll get to that

I can't list Revice because I'll be completely honest, it's the first time in a while (maybe ever) that we've broken the mold of "Here's what was happening/fill in the blank" type of specials and we just... tell an actual compelling story that I enjoyed the whole of.

Anyway those were my two cents, can't wait to get back fully into talking about Zero-One for as short as that lasts.

Fitting for Gai's maximalist aesthetic, that pistol is almost comically large. I appreciate him staying on-brand?

I don't... I might be misremembering the Rogue specials through the rose-colored glasses of Gentoku's late-series brilliance, but I thought those specials helped humanize him and contextualize his motivations in the same way Naki gets here. The sort of joke of this one is that there's literally nothing else we need to know about Gai, so here's some crucial character stuff for Naki. With Rogue, it was helpful to see some of the decisions Gentoku was making before he got so broken they needed to literally slap a FRAGILE sticker on his head.

The karaoke stuff was pretty great, though.

PROJECT THOUSER - PART 2

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...ctthouser2.png

So.

After last episode’s intriguing look at Naki’s self-actualization, this concluding chapter of Project Thouser bafflingly goes all-in on Williamson, a random endgame character who never made a ton of sense, and mostly came off as a COVID-truncated storyline that was still essential enough to try and shoehorn in. The idea of ascribing him a deeper motivation and a coherent backstory is laudable - and kind of the main thing a clip-composed Blu-ray extra should aim for - but the attempt here is all convoluted retcons and weird character decisions. It’s just ladling half of the series’ The Ark Wills It stuff onto a guy who only showed up for the final three episodes, and making Naki’s story about 18% dumber than it was before.

The Naki part bothers me the most, because it retroactively diminishes the previous episode. Naki going through all of this growth, and its basis in their faith in others… to then go Oh Also Wipe My Memory And Destroy My Newly-Won Identity To Further Some Convoluted Scheme? That sucks. It sucks, and like, I get it. The show has Naki assert their independence much later in the series, and it doesn’t work if Naki’s already been fully-actualized and plotting to take down the Ark all this time. But maybe then don’t have Naki get 1000% involved with a plot to trick Gai? Or just, like… don’t spend an episode telling a story about Naki’s newly-won identity getting destroyed to further some convoluted scheme. It makes the only character worth rooting for in this special into some dumb plot mechanism. It makes Naki’s impossible quest to achieve Singularity into something sadly minor. There’s a feint toward this being some crucial sacrifice, a key ingredient in a plan that’s worth Naki’s loss, but the episode never spends enough time on Naki’s decision-making or regret (or anything) to feel like this story understands its own consequences.

Mostly because this story is way more focused on Williamson, a vaguely-principled ZAIA executive of nebulous authority, and how roughly half of the Kamen Rider Zero-One story was due to his ridiculous machinations. It’s hilariously misguided, as a concept. Nothing in the show is improved by Williamson being a puppet master, and some of the swings in his plot are… like, he planned for Horobi to sacrifice himself? Despite the Ark specifically telling Horobi to sacrifice himself? What?! (I also love the whole The Ark Is At The Bottom Of A Lake So We Can't Get To It thing. They can make Kamen Riders and androids, but you put something under a hundred feet of water and they are just stumped. God help them if Kamen Rider Poseidon shows up!) Why spend any narrative capital on Williamson as some Good Guy Manipulator, when it makes less sense than before? So many of the show’s already-established story beats are given more perplexing Williamson Wills It retcons, and it’s exhausting. Like, just say he was a guy whose conscience bothered him! And that’s why he brought back Jin! The end!

This was… boy, it was so bad. The Naki stuff from last time takes a big hit, all of the Williamson stuff is decent in its intentions but stupid in its execution, and the end result illuminates next to nothing about Zero-One as a story. It’s not good, and I 1000% suggest skipping it.

Yeah I've literally got nothing else to say on this.

Other than probably rebringing up the fact that it feels like a lot of his stuff was retrofitted to be more "good" in parts since again. It absolutely feels like once we lost Gai in the villain role when they decided to go for the redemption route, Williamson was supposed to be Ark-One but then well.

Covid happened, they only could guarantee up to Episode 41, and 42 to 45 ended up as a "Shit we have time uh... wholly original story!"

Cause seriously, you have the Zaia Spec part on the Ark Key when it's open, that could not have been anymore blatant that someone from ZAIA was supposed to be Ark-One.

Look at me repeating previous things that have likely been said. Yeah I have literally nothing to say about this half of the special sadly.

Yeah, this is one of those specials that could've gained a lot by being less ambitious. Williamson just needed a little bit of embellishing, not being retconned into the most integral part of the entire narrative. They definitely overshot here.

Yeah I didn't like these specials for all the reasons you already listed, but the retcons were the biggest deterrent for me. And the most heinous one in my eyes being robbing episode 9 of its defining moment by claiming that that was the episode where Gai had the chip implanted in Fuwa's' head.

Just gonna pretend these specials never happened, thanks.

Ha ha, it's incredibly funny to think that Gai had messed with Fuwa's brain, and then after he shot Naki and Fuwa was in the hospital was like You Know What Was Fun? Putting Things In Fuwa's Skull. With ZAIA's semi-monthly brain surgeries on Fuwa, Yua definitely should not have been knocking him out so much! Oh man!

Huh, Williamson is one of those guys who just fell straight through the cracks in my memory. Good to know he's doing such a bang-up job manipulating everyone though, pretty impressive without any force of personality!

The absolute weirdest part of Project Thouser Part 2 being dedicated to Williamson covertly undermining Gai's plan is that it makes the Thouser-branded special feature resolutely anti-Thouser. Like, it retroactively makes all of Gai's schemes completely pointless, because multiple characters were steps ahead of him the entire time. He only gets the Thousandriver because Williamson is setting him up!

What a weird-ass two-parter this thing was...

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE THE MOVIE: REALxTIME

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...realxtime1.png

There’s a new Avengers comic that launched recently. It’s called “All-Out Avengers”, and here’s the (typically bombastic) pitch: “THE ALL-NEW AVENGERS SERIES THAT STARTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EXPLOSIVE ACTION AND RACES TO A SHOCKING CLIMAX!” It’s a gimmick that’s laughable on the face of it; what, were American superhero comics lacking in barely-explained action sequences? It shouldn’t work as anything other than a vehicle for cheap thrills and good art. It certainly shouldn’t be good. But it is! Across its first two issues it's been home to both cheap thrills and clever writing. It works, not because it foregrounds pointless action or generic villains, but because it puts all the emphasis on the best part of superhero team storytelling: How are the heroes going to work together to resolve a threat when all seems lost?

This movie works along the same wavelength, telling an action-first story that expands into something poignant and resonant. The thrill of it is the stunning action choreography, where a list made of epic shots could be this entire post without me feeling like I’ve missed describing anything important. (The shot that starts through the AIMS van’s window; all of Valkyrie’s Kuuga-esque bike action; the blacklight brawl between Eden and Zero-One; Horobi’s corkscrewing sting attack; etc etc etc.) The joy of it is how it’s a celebration of all the Kamen Riders that made Zero-One such a great series, providing roles big (Horobi, Yua) and small (Naki, Ikazuchi) to every single hero the show had. The beauty of it is in the subtle ways this movie leverages the Ark-One plot’s aftermath to make Aruto face off against a man whose grief has become a world-threatening rage.

It’s the rare standalone Kamen Rider film that manages to work as celebration, commentary, and continuation. The unprecedented circumstances that pushed this ostensible Summer Movie into some weird Winter Epilogue space did it a ton of favors. If nothing else, it gives the movie the kind of scope and scale that’d be tough to accomplish alongside a regular TV filming schedule. (The action sequences in this movie are nuts. I genuinely can’t think of a more impressive showcase for Kamen Rider action than this movie.) But it also gives it just enough distance from the show to feel like it can tweak some endgame stuff, while still feeling like it’s part of the same narrative thread. I don’t know that this movie feels integral to the last couple episodes of the show, but it definitely benefits from trying to tell a story about grief that feels like one coherent thought. It’s the last four episodes of Aruto’s story, but maybe a little smoother in its execution.

It helps that Eden becomes a more compelling villain (well, antagonist) as the movie goes along. We’re still dealing with the Ark as an inescapably corrosive influence - humanity’s capacity for evil reflected back at it - but the better story is in how S loses perspective in his grief, and how that loss of perspective creates a self-destructive feedback loop of shame and guilt. The way the movie rolls out his motivations allows for a greater investment in his struggles, so that his reunion with Akane feels like a victory for both them and the heroes. Aruto can break through to S in ways other than just shouting thematically-appropriate statements, because the movie lets Aruto slowly piece together Akane’s frustrations, S’s backstory, and Thinknet’s specific role. After the excitement of the first half, the second half of the movie is all heartbreak and recriminations, and the pacing is better for backloading it.

It’s a great movie, all the way through. There’s some stuff I could maybe quibble over (Izu’s story gets lost in the middle; can’t believe the Naki and Ikazuchi suits aren’t at least around for the finale), but I spent half the film pumping my fist in triumph, and most of the last few minutes misty-eyed over the resolution to a story about how partnerships can’t work without communication. One of the best Zero-One things I’ve ever seen, and maybe one of the best Kamen Rider things.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...realxtime2.png

This movie was overall a fun and satisfying ending/epilogue to Zero-One. Such a shame that there were no further sequels after this. But then, better to end on a high note, right?

While not absolutely necessary to the main story, the way its themes match with the final episodes, really helps sell this movie as a real good send-off/cap to Zero-One. Which is why it totally makes sense as to why they included it in the Blu-Ray release for us in America.

What more can I say than... it's just a fun movie through and through that allows everyone a moment to shine no matter how small it is. While it is sad that Naki and Ikazuchi didn't get much more, given that the script was already packed and they weren't sure of the status of either while writing it, them managing to just barely fit in is still good to see. There's also just a bunch of fun pairings in who works with who, the fact that we get to see a few old Humagears at least one last time, etc.

I would continue further but this post would end up just be me talking about which moments made me laugh out loud or cheer, but I think one of my favorite sequences I do have to highlight was Fuwa vs. the Fighter Jet. Just him going Punching Kong, and before the jingle finishes it just instantly fades out cause he gets rammed to all hell. Then Jin flying after him and shouting "Gorilla!" as Fuwa just comically loses his grip. Real fun stuff.

There's also lot of fun behind the scenes stuff in this due to the fact they were still deep in heavy Covid restriction filming alongside Saber. The train scene having to be done in one take, the outside of the church being entirely CG despite wanting to be filmed on location but they could only get the interior built, flower issues because of certain ones not being in bloom while filming because of the movie getting pushed back, etc.

The Zero-One Cast and Crew really put their all into this film and you can really feel it with every single part of this film. It's probably my favorite "Summer" movie for Kamen Rider as a result.

Overall a very good ending to Zero-One, it's a shame aside from Genm's the Presidents they never really continued Zero-One's story beyond RealxTime. Oddly enough Monkey Majik did two songs "SOS" and "Frontier" for Zero-One though, weird how they only released music but hey those songs are bops so, you know.

That's pretty foreboding!

I was really, really happy with how the movie made time for both weirdo team-ups (Horobi and Fuwa! Yua and Gai!) and classic combos (MetsubouJinrai, AIMS Squad). They did a great job of taking these disparate characters, who barely ever fought alongside each other in 45 episodes, and making them all seem like one group of Kamen Riders. Pretty amazing!

A million call-out moments in this movie (Yua going Rampage Cheetah on a bike is, like, a Top 5 Kamen Rider moment for me), but the one that cracked me up the most was this reaction shot from Yua, Naki and Siesta when Gai slid into Team Zero-One's DMs:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...seffinggai.png

They're so exhausted just to see him. Yua looks like she wants to crawl into a hole in the ground. Naki's visibly grinding their robot teeth. Siesta is way more interested in the van's floor. It's so great to see how much they hate Gai, even when he's being helpful and generous!

I'm still a bit divided on the resolution to Izu's story. I like having her get her memories back, but I did like the concept of Aruto having to build a new relationship with her and having to deal with the changes of having a new version of her. Granted, it's not like there was going to be a season two of Zero-One, so we were never going to get much time with New Izu anyway. Also, it allowed for a continued purpose for the Zero-Two suit, which is still my favorite costume from the show and it's so much fun seeing her and Aruto fight alongside each other.