Agito is one of my top favorites with OOO, it's great. Personally I love Kiva and highly suggest it, it has its issued but it is a fun series.

Agito is great, definitely check it out.

Fourze is a fun show but the middle stretch really drags. It's worth watching for the characters, though. I think the first 29 episodes of Hibiki are some of the best material Rider has ever produced, although you have to go in knowing that it is very, very different from every other Rider series (and that it all goes to hell at episode 30 when the production team was replaced). I hate Kiva.

Well did Wizard 23 and I suppose that after this it's just filler? So if anyone could help me just watch the episodes without the filler in them.

Uh...

You will only have like 8 episodes left then. I want to say they are 29-30, 46-51 and then the two parter about Haruto's past.

That list doesn't really work, these are the things that happen in episodes that are skipped:

Mayuu's intro, Sora's past, finding out Koyomi is Fueki's daughter, Fueki's introduction, Yuzuru's introduction, Mayuu becoming Mage

The problem with Wizard is that...while there isn't a lot that matters, what does is spread so thinly across episodes that sometimes you would only need to watch the final few minutes. If episodes must be skipped, these are the plot relevant ones:

26~27
30~31
34~35
38~41
43 - This is technically part 2 of a story, but only the final minutes matter.
44~51

I saw this list some time ago and I mostly agree with its count, cutting down almost all filler and episodes that don't further the overall plot or drive much character development -

Kamen Rider Wizard

1. The Ringed Wizard
2. I Want to be a Wizard
3. Transform! Live Broadcast
4. The Doll and the Pianist
5. The Deciding Match of the Contest
6. A New Magic Stone - 8
7. The Dragon's Cry - 9
8. National Security Bureau Section 0 - 10
9. The Promise to Defend - 11
10. Another Wizard - 17
11. Magical Power Eating - 18
12. Today's Life, Tomorrow's Life - 19
13. The Crazed Dance of the Dragons - 21
14. The Phoenix's Rampage - 22
15. Deathmatch - 23
16. Campus Infiltration - 26
17. Big and Little Sisters - 27
18. The Day Magic Disappeared - 30
19. Tears - 31
20. The Other Side of a Popular Model - 34
21. The Other Side of Sora - 35
22. Stolen Hope - 38
23. What Was Forgotten On the Pitch - 39
24. I Want to Ride a Bike - 40
25. The Wizard Fate - 41
26. The Son's Keepsake - 44
27. The Smile in My Heart - 45
28. Cracked Feelings - 46
29. The Truth About Wiseman - 47
30. The Philosopher's Stone - 48
31. The Beginning of the Sabbath - 49
32. What Is Important? - 50
33. The Final Hope - 51

Wow, a skipable episodes list! I love it!

I've always been hesitant to watch Wizard due to all the negativity surrounding the show. Is it safe to say I'd avoid some of the frustration with the show if I just watched these 33 episodes?

It seems pretty good. I might use it myself. I'd like to rewatch Wizard at a faster pace.

There are a few episodes on that list that are actually the second part of a two part story, but the stuff that actually matters, i.e., not the guest of the week's plot, is recapped at the start of part 2. For instance, the 42~43 two parter is skipped, but a major revelation is made at the tail end of 43, almost independent of what had been going on. It's recapped at the start of 44, where the ramifications of the story beat are actually dealt with. A few power ups also seem to be skipped when literally the only thing that comes out of them is a new form and not some game changing revelation or life lesson.

I think the major problem people had with Wizard is that it's the show that really takes the whole two parter story structure too far by focusing too much on those guest characters instead of the main characters. Because of that, so much of the story can be skipped.

Are you as much a Wizard hater as the rest of the mob?

I mean, it's rare that I trust fandom's consensus. Especially with a very recent show.

Yes, but I'd also recommend fastforwarding any scene that focuses on Shunpei.

That was a big part of it for me, definitely. The show actually had a solid storyline that really did tie together nicely, it's just that the pacing was ruined by having to conform to the two-episode arc structure. I still think that the show's inability to decide if it was a broad comedy or serious emotional drama probably hurt it more, though.

Really, the only reasons to watch Wizard are for the action and because it has one of the best main Riders of the Heisei era.

I'm not sure hate is the right word. I do feel this insane amount of lethargy when I think of the series though. To me, Wizard is the epitome of wasted potential.

What always sort of just makes me feel unsatisfied with Wizard is that it does have a really cool background story and idea, but it's almost nonexistent for much of the series and is hard to care about when as a viewer I didn't like the characters.

That's a good way to describe it, yeah.

I know I'm like the only person to feel this way, but for me, Wizard deciding to have a plot was the death of it. Very much like with Fourze. It isn't so much that the plot is bad, or the wrap up either, but the sheer volume of stuff it crams into those last or ten episodes with extremely little build up before hand just makes it utterly fail. Characterisation ends up muddled and no one appears to be doing what their characters would normally do, major aspects of the series are handwaved, and answered with single lines of dialogue etc etc etc

The early episodes that don't pan too far out, avoid all the Aizen references, that tell the story of a Wizard pro actively patrolling and guarding his city, like a modern aged superhero, that is where Wizard worked for me.

Hmm so just skip about 20 episodes? That's alright I mean Wizard ain't bad, but if it's going to have all this filler than why watch that? I could watch Mebuis or continue further into Hibiki.

You can never go wrong with more Hibiki in your life.

Faiz Episode 20
Oh my God can whoever is holding the damn camera stand the fuck still!? You're giving me a bloody headache! And when did Takumi get a new hairdo? Actually I kinda like it more then his old foppish like one.

Apparently Keitaro is a shitty businessman with the way Takumi and Mari were talking.

Not going to lie, that was a pretty cool transition. Good job show, good job!

Is it just me, or does Takuma sorta look like Hideo Kojima?

Poor Naoya :lol

That was a very nice moment with Yuka and Mari. Very genuine with the way they were talking and acted. I could quite honestly see a conversation going on like that in real life. Plus it came off as being the type of scene you see in your regular dramas, and that was nice to see as well. Very nice scene and probably one of my favorites in the show.

And it is followed up by another nice scene with Keitaro and Naoya. Like the Yuka/Mari one, it came off as genuine and something you would both hear in real life, and in a regular old drama. It's actually pretty nice that the writers had the scenes follow each other. Both are similar in the subject of their respected conversations, the only things different is the genders of the people talking, and how they vocalize the conversation. Very nice contrast which shows off perfectly how men and women can talk about that sort of stuff. So once again the show gets a great deal of credit from me for this aspect. Two of my favorite scenes back to back in one episode. Now if only the four went out a double date, and then throw Kusaka into it for extra lulz.

She kills people with toxic wine? That's...weird. But considering I do not like alcohol and consider it one of the worst things to put in your body, I actually do get quite a kick off of seeing somebody killed by it's touch. So it's weird but kinda cool so for it's odd hilarity.

:lolol

Oh my God this is going to be fucking priceless. And boy was it priceless. This show is plain comedic gold and I love it for that. Can we just edit out all of the tokusatsu parts and repackage this as a comedic drama?

Holy shit. Yuka has the power to make people sick? Hot damn this episode is filled with wacky powers. First toxic wine and now intense stares that cause illness. What's next? Somebody blinks and causes somebody to spontaneously combust?

That line by Takuma was bad ass. Lady...what's her face (forgot her name) line was just plain creepy. Both were cool but I like Takuma's better. Also, the bartender's Orphenoch design is very nice looking. Actually no, it isn't cool. It's epic.

Well I would say you're fucked Takumi.

Well that was episode 20 and I must say (if it wasn't plainly obvious) that I loved it. I may be weird for saying that, but I thought it was a great episode.

The episode's story didn't really add much to the overall story outside of introducing the bartender's Orphenoch form, as well as introducing a new Orphenoch as a whole. Outside of that, it didn't add much. However as it's own story it was very nice and beyond entertaining. The lack of action and overall tokusatsuness made it come off as a drama episode. If you took away the Orphenoch scenes, you'd think it was as I've said multiple times now, a regular old drama.

Character development wise, I'd say there wasn't any to be honest. I guess there was some with Mari, Keitaro, Yuka, and Naoya, but it was more or less a development of their relationships with each other, and not their individual selves. So I guess you could stretch the definition of CD and say that the episode did have some, but that will probably vary on who you're asking.

Action wise, there wasn't really much. Out of the two fight scenes present in the episode, they were alright. They did a good job of showing how strong Takuma and bartender are when compared to Takumi and Yuji. So in that aspect, they were great. But outside of that, they just weren't all that great. Their main purpose it seems was that of a squash match, get the villains over as big powerhouses and nothing more. I think it did well in that aspect, but they were too short and I would have loved a bit of back and forth.

Overall, slightly good and bad action and not really character development aside, I loved the episode. The episode's story and character interactions made it for me and is entertaining alone for the scenes with Yuka, Mari, Keitaor, and Naoya. So yeah, I liked it.

Really? And is the trumpet rider awesome? If not the plot better be good.

I have issues with the show after the production change, but I will always stand up for the first 29 episodes as some of the best tokusatsu ever made. The story is good and the characters are great. Ibuki, the trumpet guy, is admittedly not my favorite of the Oni, but he is by no means not awesome.

Okay, since I play trumpet, it's good to know Hibiki is good.

Faiz Episode 21
Karoaking the Faiz theme is fun.

This beeping sound is annoying the hell out of me. Has since the last episode. What's the point of it exactly? I think the tone of the music, as well as seeing them sick is enough. We don't need a goddamn beep to drive it home!

Uh oh. I'd say you guys are probably about to die. Like now.

Telling Takumi to be courteous is like telling a Black Mamba to not be venomous. And really guy? He dropped the pizza, it didn't leave the box, it didn't get damaged or dirty, and yet you're going to remake it? Is this guy anal or what?

Huh, I guess there are more rooms in the apartment. How come I never noticed those doors before? Okay I noticed them but just thought they were closets or something. Never thought they were actual rooms.

Oh, the pizza guy is an Orphenoch? I smell a scene cooking!

Holy crap Takumi was nice..ish.

And Takumi just charged in like a total bad ass. If he had done it with a gun or with his bike, he would've been going full on Carter Grayson on those suckas.

It's my man Kusaka!

Holy shit the dude has a mace! That is just plain fucking awesome!

:lol Takumi is going to use the pizza as a weapon!

Is it just me, or does the pizza guy's Orphenoch face look like Kintaros'?

Man these guys can't catch a freaking break. Three Orphenochs, all wanting to kill them. I know Yuji probably doesn't want to reveal to Takumi he's an Orphenoch, but I think this is a special occasion.

"'Sup bitch?"

So the Accel henshin device is the Go-Busters changer? Cool. Well going off of that scene, I guess it's sort of like Accel's Trial mode. Except it's a bit more bulkier and actually has a time limit for it's use. And I'm shocked Takumi took out the one wielding the mace. I thought he would have stuck around a a bit longer. But nope, killed in his second episode.

Needless to say, they have a complicated relationship.

Episode 21 has gone by and I must say, it was pretty good. Like the episode that came before it, it didn't feature much in terms of overall story. But as I've come to learn and show through this episodic reviews, it doesn't have to have that big of a story, and if it has one, it doesn't always have to contribute to the overall plot.

Character development wise this one was pretty darn good. Like 20, it mostly focused on the development between two characters, but in how they interact. And that's the highlight of the episode IMO. The beginning of it shows just how different Takumi and Yuji are, but when they begin to have scenes together, you see that they share some stuff in common outside of transforming into super powered beings. Their relationship in this episode was quite lovely, their interactions top notch as far as my opinion goes. It showed off both their differences and similarities, and their conversations fit perfectly to the situation they were in. Once again, this episode nailed it with character interactions.

Unfortunately like episode 20, 21 didn't feature much action. However with the way the action was mostly portrayed, it comes off as being good. The cat and mouse aspect of the Orphenochs versus Takumi and Yuji was very entertaining, and even thrilling. The action isn't that great however once the two transform, their fights then turning out to be pretty short. Yuji gets raped quickly, and Faiz gets his ass kicked until he gets the Accel device. So those action scenes were bad. However the un-henshined stuff was fantastic.

Overall, the episode had amazing character interactions, great action with the two episode's protagonists in their civilian forms, with the iffy bits being the transformed fights and the lack of a full on story. But those cons aside, it was another nice episode.

Super 1 Episode 10: Dogma's plan is attack dreams this time, and man this just reminded me of the Badan syndrome that happened in the Spirits Manga making people wanting to commit suicide by messing with their heads. The dream power even affected Kazuya. I enjoy how Kazuya trained to get past the affects of this dream ball plot. I love how Super-1 has lots of special attacks with his Double Kick and Whirlwind Rider Kick. His different hand powers are so awesome too. I love this series so far.

Finally started watching Gaim and man I am loving this series, I've seen episodes one and two so far and looking forward to catching up to the current episode. I'm enjoying the tone so far and got a good laugh out of the attempts to find a use for the Gaim powers before realizing its best for protecting other people.

Faiz Episode 22
Well that storm came out of nowhere. Though it seems pretty fitting considering the scene that was going on. Speaking of said scene, very nice continuation of where 21 ended and a very nice way to start off the episode. Going off of it, it's safe to say Yuji does indeed still have a dark side to him.

What's wrong with curry?

Kusaka you are a dick and I love you because of it.

Yuka be lying I do believe.

That was quite the nice little moment between Kusaka and Mari. Mostly it was Kusaka but it was still nice. He came off as being really genuine with his words, as well as how he spoke them. So yeah, another nice touching moment brought to you by a show about monsters and superheroes.

The new Orphenoch looks pretty nice. Though I'm not the biggest fan of his horn. Also with him being a teenager, somebody should re-write Teenage Anarchist to be Teenage Orphenoch.

Oh hey, creepy Smart Brain lady is back. Orphenoch-chan does sound funny though.

And look, it's another one! I like this one's head design more. Curious to see what the rest of him looks like.

I love how Yuji and Yuka are trying to hook Mari and Naoya up like he's their son or something. Good for Mari though. She wants to focus on her dream (which is her work) and doesn't want a relationship to get in the way of that. I do quite congratulate her on that. Reminds me of one of my friends. Also, I love how this restaurant looks, as well as the flowers/garden surrounding it.

Jesus Christ this show is introducing more love angles then a bloody teenage soap opera.

Kusaka mad! Kusaka smash! What's with the static imagery though? Is that suppose to show off how angry he is or something?

Another classic Naoya outburst :lol

Now her wine is explosive? Remind me never to drink at a bar where she is serving drinks.

The new guy looks pretty cool all around with his whole spikey ball motif.

So when Takumi transforms, is the Accel Brace now automatically part of his suit? I don't quite get how since it's a separate piece of equipment that he was given, and had to strap on. So I'm a little confused as to how it now just appears on his wrist whenever he turns into Faiz now.

Holy shit the Accel theme is awesome. And I just love the quick rapid strike rider kicks.

Well episode 22 was as nice as the last two. Like the last two though, there still wasn't that much of a story. This was more or less an episode devoted to confession feelings, and getting people to fight each other. The same can be said for character development, as there wasn't really any for individual characters, or even for character interactions.

The action though was quite improved over the last two in my opinion. Takumi VS Yuji was very nice even for a squash fight. Yes it was mostly Yuji in control, but here it worked since upon seeing Faiz, he became filled with anger. So you could say their fight was Yuji releasing all of said anger, and this gave him a bit of an edge. Of the two later fights, I'd say Takumi VS Takuma and the new guy was the better one since it did feature more back and forth action (well until Takumi turned into Faiz Accel). Yuji and Kusaka VS Saeko (hey I finally looked her name up!) and the other new guy was nice, but it came off as more of a squash like match, and it was also pretty boring to be honest. But regardless, all of the fights delivered in at least one aspect, and as a package gave the episode very good action.

So all in all, 22 was a good episode. It wasn't better or worst then 20 and 21. I'd say all three of them are equally good.

Faiz Episode 23
Well that's what I call an explosive opening.

"I can tell you're different from Faiz." The suit didn't give that way to you Yuji?

That laugh o.o

That scene needed the jaws theme so much :lol

What the hell is Naoya doing with that pillow? Steady? I wouldn't call Naoya steady. He's more unstable/unpredictable then anything. At least I get to see more of Yuka playing matchmaker for Naoya, which means more awesome comedic moments with Naoya. And that is always a good thing.

So should I add stalker to Kusaka's list of jobs/skills?

I just now noticed that this kid Orphenoch has barbed wire wrapped around him. I find that utterly cool and I love that design choice. Way to go suit designers!

Dual wielding like a bad ass!

Wait, Kusaka wants to join Lucky Clover? Normally I would assume he's doing this so that he can destroy them from the inside. But this is Kusaka we're talking about. So why exactly would he want to join them?

So you told her to meet you outside in the rain? Why not go to her place, or a cafe, or a restaurant, you know somewhere indoors. Maybe this is outside of his place (I don't recall if he's living with Mari, Keitaro, and Takumi). But if it is outside of his place, why not just take her inside? I don't get it one single bit.

See now you're soaking wet. This is why you should have talked indoors.

Mari is the woman who could save you, and be your mom. Whaaaaaaaaa?

"You don't know what love is!" Yeah Yuji, you're blind to what love is. Love is staying on the heels of that special gal and trying to make her love you! That is what love is! That's the power of love!

Yuji you are royally fucked. Three Orphenochs and a Kamen Rider? Yeah you may want to run or cal in Yuka for some backup.

It was a trap!

Well that was 23 and it was pretty nice. Like the last few episodes, there hasn't been too much of an actual story in place. However, I would be able to say that 23 does offer a bit more store then the past few episodes. It did add to the main story by presenting the option of Kusaka possibly joining Lucky Clover, which if he does join could indeed affect the overall plot. It also added to the on going romance plot that revolves around Mari, and while that doesn't move forward the main story a whole lot (if at all), it is seemingly a good part of the show as to it's importance (by what the show is saying), and so it getting some development is nice.

There was actually individual character development here, so that's a plus! Like the story of the episode, the CD is mostly reserved for Kusaka. His development comes in the form of him admitting what he wants Mari for, as well as developing into a possible antagonist. Going off of that flashback, it appears that Kusaka became separated from his mother as a child, and thus did not have a mother influence from that point onwards. He loves Mari but also wants her to be like a mother to him, I assuming so that he has guidance within in his life.

Outside of Kusaka, there wasn't really much other character development, except maybe Yuji seemingly to now grow a great distrust for all riders.

The action in the episode was pretty good as well. The fight at the beginning of the episode was a lovely continuation of where 22 ended, the tides now turning to where Kusaka and Yuji are the ones in control of the fight instead of Saeko and that kid. Took an episode to do so, but it gives the overall fight some nice balance, even if it is in that classic Kamen Rider comeback fashion. The end fight was pretty nice as well. It does kind of stink we couldn't see Yuji fight off the four more before they turned on Kusaka, but that's my only really gripe with the fight, and it's more of a personal nitpick then anything.

Overall, 23 was another good episode.

Well first of all I watched the Ryuki 13 riders battle and well it was okay, hopefully Gaim has something like this.

I wish in the main stream series there was Verde, the lady person and Ryuga. Sigh a movie I feel like watching this after the main stream series and then watching this, since it was again okay.

Checked out Shin Kamen Rider today. Not much to say other than it was rather 90s movie.

Doing some research for a pilot I'm writing, so I decided to watch Kuuga's first episode to see how they set things up.

Um. Budget issues aside... That was one compelling ass opening. Now I've got it in my head to watch all the Heisei rider series chronologically. We'll see how that pans out.

Anyway. I have a question. If I were to keep going -- the Grongi-speak. Should I watch with the translations -- or is it cool without? Like, do they ever say anything important -- or is it kinda cooler and moodier if you don't know what they're saying?

I know both options are available. I'm after the most enjoyable experience. If it means less text to read on screen, all the better.

Black RX 19: another entry in the "villains kidnap scientist's kid(s)" genre. A pretty fun one, though, with one of the more creative Crisis plans so far and a definite step up from the last episode's poisonous flying squirrel. I'm so glad this show is finally getting subbed and I can really judge it on its own merits. It really is much, much better than I'd been lead to believe.

The show is meant to be watched without knowing what the Grongi are saying. Reading the Grongi dialogue spoils a lot of the plot relatively early on. If the show really wants you to know something that they're talking about, they'll actually say it in Japanese. Otherwise it's all for atmosphere.

I definitely recommend watching the whole Heisei era in order. It's what I did back when I started (minus Kuuga, which hadn't been subbed yet) and it's a great way to see how the show developed. Plus it leads to the always fun moment when you start seeing trailers for the next season and begin getting excited.

Also, in b4 Locke tells you the show is terrible and you shouldn't watch it.

I watched half with and half without. If you want to learn about the Grongi go for it if you want to be left in mystery go for that. Nihon's subs haven't finished so I went to another.

I'm glad you're enjoying Faiz, it has so many different angles, love stories, emotions, and so much story to it. It's why I love it and I love Takumi a lot I relate to him well.

I'm rewatching OOO's and I can't believe I never noticed how much of a whiny bitch Hina is... I mean a crowd is yelling for OOO's to save them and she is saying "no Eiji don't I'm selfish"
Although ankh was a fantastic character and so were Eiji, Date, and Gotou

Ooh and kougami is SUBARASHI!

Yeah Kuuga is terrible, I'm really glad that over the years more people seem to realise. Also I preferred it with the Grongi subbed, I get the whole "atmosphere" thing but the Grongi scenes are usually LONG and without any visual prompts to try and establish what they are talking about and I just got fed up of nearly ten minutes of every episode given to a bunch of people stood around shouting gibberish at one another with no context for the audience.

Anyway, what next for Rider, rewatch Kabuto and see if I get further this time? Check out Amazon? Or give Agito a go?

And some of us still love Kuuga, for what it is. (Which is an awesome series. lol)

Kabuto gets better when you get to Gatack. It gets much better by then.

I absolutely love Agito, though judging by our mixed tastes you might like it or hate it. It's a really good, connected story though and the action is pretty awesome when Gills gets into it.

What episode is Gattack introduced? That gives me an episode to aim towards.

I'm 5 episodes into Kabuto and so far its really not grabbing me. Granted not a lot has happened yet (and no others riders have been introduced), but all I've got so far is that Tendou's a dick and Kagami a buffoon. Clock up as a concept is cool, but the battles get repetitive really quickly.

The whole thing with his brother has been the only bit able to hold my interest so far. Well, that and the badass Kabuto Zecter voice.

Yeah that happened to me the first time I watched the show, like LOADS happened but with the show underplaying EVERYTHING to try and make Kabuto look badass it just got really boring.

Rider Kick...yawn...oops I tripped. Oh the monster exploded *shrug* time to go home.

I've heard it gets better when more Riders are introduced, not just from Green but others, but I have no idea when they are introduced.

Judging by the episode 6 preview, theBee shows up then. Not sure about Gattack and the others though.

Drake is around 11 I think, Sasword is 19 and Gatack is 22. The Hoppers are in the 30's but you meet them both as the Bee first.

They all make the story better, though Drake isn't in it long because I heard his actor was doing a movie or something at the time. Which sucks because he is really unique.

So TheBee is six? Should I just watch to there then? Gattack may make the show more awesome but he also comes in half way through and that is a LOT of episodes to go through if you aren't feeling it.

Super-1 Episode 11: Kazuya has to work with Dogma?! What a twist! Lol anyways this was a really good episode having him work with the enemy to get a special serum that was stolen by a thief before it engulfed everything. Great team work between Choro, Tani, and Kazuya. I love the fight scenes in this because he pulls off a lot of Martial Arts moves and his moves help him fight as Kazuya besides just transformed. Great use of seeing some of his hands fail till he got to his cold hands. I am in a Showa Era mood and it's just nice to see the hero save the day.

Yeah watch to there, I was grabbed when Drake came into the picture. TheBee is actually two really interesting characters. At least try to get to Drake if you can push it. He is something else.