I actually don't think I've ever watched this.

Faiz Episode 36
I would say he may not have known about it, but I don't know, maybe Takumi did know about it. He seemed to transform into his Orphenohc form pretty darn easily. For all I know, he's been aware of it since the beginning of the show. So I think I'll give Kusaka a free pass on that statement of Takumi deceiving them.

Naoya being awesome as per usual. Though maybe he shouldn't call the kid brat. Just a suggestion.

Why didn't they tell you Mari? Maybe because they only learned about it yesterday. Not to mention they (mainly Kusaka) didn't want to scare/worry you. So calm your tits down Mari, they were just trying to protect you.

Uhhh where did Saeko get that picture of Takumi from? Was she just carrying it around with her? This is a little strange...and weird...and creepy. Why do you have his picture Saeko!?

Congratulations Kusaka, you pretty much just confirmed her thoughts. Why else would you get so mad about her bringing it up, especially at the Orphenoch part? Kusaka is in the know people, and something tells me we'll find out eventually, probably the episode right before the finale.

You know, Keitaro may not have much to do in this show, in fact all he's useful for is letting Takumi and Kusaka know about Orphenoch attacks and providing some comedy. But he's a pretty nice guy. He always seems genuine with how he feels and what he says.

Awww, they're meeting where they first ran into each other. So Takumi was an Orphenoch since childhood? Okay Kusaka, I think I may actually have to agree with you on Takumi deceiving people. Though to be fair, it isn't something you just casually bring up. But I can understand why he probably should have brought it up at some point before now, especially once they learned what Orphenochs are.

That actually would be a fairly good twist to the story, or at least Takumi's. He accepted fighting as Faiz once he learned what Orphenochs are, and thus what he is. He decided to fight because he hated the idea that he could become like the ones he has seen, and thus if he can defeat any and all Orphenochs that come his way, he can repress the fact that he himself is one. That to me would have been a pretty interesting little twist/route to take. Have the rest of his story be about him coming to terms with being an Orphenoch, and what evil he's done. It would be great. But sadly, I doubt the show is going to do that.

So we're all in agreement that everybody is playing make believe about everything being okay? Keitaro seems to be the only one who doesn't really care about Takumi being an Orphenoch. He just sees him as the same old Taku-kun. Kusaka just hates him even more now, and Mari is still traumatized by it, and the realization that Takumi is pretty much the one responsible for what went down at the Ryuusei reunion. So yeah, I think we could all agree that everybody is just pretending it's alright, the only possible exception being Keitaro.

So where's Auto Vajin at? He's not parked in front of the shop. Is he just chilling in a garage some where?

Holy shit it's creepy lady. And she has a new hairdo from the looks of things. I like how it looks, better then the one she had in my opinion. She's still creepy as all hell though.

How is that suppose to really sway him into joining Lucky Clover? Mari has realized it was him who attacked the group since she saw him transform, Kusaka was probably knew of the attack, and thus figured out it was Takumi after seeing him transform. It doesn't really effect Keitaro, Yuji, Yuka, or Naoya. So how exactly is this footage suppose to force Takumi into joining? I really don't get it.

You know I would call BS on Yuji knowing how to transform into Faiz, and utilize his weapons. But I think he after the number of battles he's had against Faiz (regardless of who is in the suit), he'd actually probably know at least vaguely what does what. He would obviously know about the exceed charges and where to put the Mission Memory. The only thing I don't think he would know is the henshin code, the code to turn the phone into blaster mode, the code to summon Vajin, and probably Axel form. So he at least has a vague understanding of how to use the Faiz suit and armory, he just doesn't know all of it. Plus their is an instruction manual in the case. Maybe he read that.

Didn't the president already let him in? Or weirdly let him in with that footage?

Well that was episode 36. And I'm not going to lie, it was pretty neat. It's neatness to me once again coming in the more dramatic parts that the series has to offer. Something as I've stated multiple times, I really love.

The story this episode was really good to be honest. It revolved around all of the fallout of Mari learning about Takumi being an Orphenoch, as well as the fact that he's the one who attacked her back at the Ryuusei reunion. That's a lot to take in, and definitely a lot for a fallout episode, and this episode did it damn good. It handled the emotions of all the main characters well (except for Naoya and Yuka, but they aren't really effected by it). Keitaro being in a bit of denial/trying not to think about it, Kusaka being pissed, Mari just being depressed about it and develop a bit of Bi Polarness, Yuji being the understanding friend, and Takumi being depressed, as well as confused. Plus, it obviously tied itself into the main story of the show by continuing this plot, which is pretty damn important to the show right now. So story wise, I think 36 hit it out of the damn park.

The same could be said for character development. It developed nearly everybody that it needed to that was important to the current plot. I say nearly because well, Kusaka didn't develop that much from it, though you could argue his now bigger hatred for Takumi could count as development. Then there's Takumi who to be frank, has been acting like this ever since Mari was sent to the hospital. So really, he's had no real development for a while now outside of being revealed to be an Orphenoch. Outside of that, nothing. But for the characters they did develop (Keitaro, Mari, and Yuji), they did a really nice job at doing so. I'd say this is like hitting the ball far enough to get to third base.

Finally we come to the action. Now there was only one fight this episode, which means the action grade rests solely on it. So with that said, I thought the fight wasn't that bad. Yuji would have probably beaten the guy anyways due to being more experienced probably (we don't know when that guy became an Orphenoch). Plus he did have the Faiz Gear, which just boosted his power. So I think this was a squash that was expected, and actually understandable. I wish that (as I usually do) there was some more back and forth and that it was a bit longer, but for what it is, it's not that bad of a fight. Definitely a hit and run to second base.

So let's total everything up. Perfect handling of story, pretty good character development, and nice action. So I believe that 36 did a good job as an episode, and I found it to definitely be one of the better episodes of the series.

Faiz Episode 37
I see we're going into this episode with emotions set to the max.

Yuji is completely right and Kusaka is utterly wrong. Takumi hasn't given into to his Orphenoch self fully or lost his soul, he's just scared of what he may end up doing, as well as feeling guilty for everything he's done. He's depressed and simply feels that if he's gone, it will all be better. Yuji obviously understands this because he's spoken to Takumi and figured out why exactly he was giving him the Faiz Gear. Kusaka just wants Takumi gone. Kusaka you should just be up front with feelings instead of manipulating everything. Just come out and say that you want Takumi dead for whatever damn reason. You've wanted him dead since you two first met pretty much, why not just be honest about?

Saeko you are one strange broad.

Mari why are you sitting out in the rain? You'll catch your death...oh yeah. Well then, uh, you'll get sick. So take your ass back inside!

Oh hey look, it's the cops we haven't seen in a long freaking time. What the hell are they doing in this episode? Seriously they haven't appeared in so long that there isn't really a point in having them now. At first when you start the show, you think it'll be like Kuuga when the police are going to start looking into the occurrences, and maybe find out about everything. But nope, these two dropped out of the show and just now appeared for no reason. I think we may possibly have contenders for most pointless characters in the show.

Da fuck is this? Well Kusaka does have blood on his hands, literally with all of the crap he's pulled. But why is he imagining seeing blood on his hand? And does every damn person/house/place in Japan have fucking box cutters sitting around. I swear to Satan that every Japanese television show and movie always has somebody with a damn box cutter in it.

I think this is nervous break down central right here. Everybody seems to be going ape fucking shit.

:lol Naoya what fuck? Are you going to try and turn into Ichigo or something? Also is it just me, or is this kid a mini Naoya?

Saeko and Yuji truly are the extremes of each side of the coin as far as Orphenochs go. Yuji is one but tries to act as human as he possibly can, and thus carry on with his life like nothing has changed. Saeko has embraced that change and sank into her powers, thus acting as much of a monster as she can. Very nice extremes to me that show both sides of the coin very well. And obviously, Yuka and Naoya are the middle of the coin. They're the cream filling in an Oreo.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So that's why he constantly washes his hands.

And fuck yes! Finally I get to see Lite Bright Faiz and Kaixa! I am a happy panda now!

Well 37 is done and good lord was it the action packed episode. But we'll get to that in a little bit.

The story portion of the episode was pretty lacking to be honest. There was one sort of with Kusaka and him learning about what did go down at the reunion, but there wasn't really much to it, and nothing besides that. So I honestly can say that there was no story here, and nothing really added to our main story.

There was some character development though, but not a good chunk. I think it was mostly limited to Mari seemingly finally accepting what Takumi is and what he did, but coming to the mindset of that he's still Takumi after all. But she's the only one I felt that actually had something close to real development. Everybody else stayed the same.

Where the episode shines though is in it's action. Hot damn was this one filled with it. All of it damn good as far as I'm concerned. Takumi VS Yuji was good just for how well it showcased Takumi trying to coax somebody into fighting back with all they had. Takumi VS Takuma and the other Orphenoch was great in seeing more of Takumi's ferocious fighting side that does indeed lend itself to his Orphenoch powers. Yuji VS the Orphenoch was just great for a good old fashioned Faiz fight. And Takumi VS Kusaka was good for a showcasing in Kusaka's rage exploding against a Takumi who is pretty much suicidal. The standouts to me were Takumi VS Takuma and sidekick, and Yuji VS that sidekick. Both had a great length to them, had very nice back and forth, and show cased each main fighter's skills perfectly. The action makes this episode and I'd say the action is pretty much perfect here.

So in the end, 37 had perfect action but was lacking in the other skills. The episode is a fun ride and is great for the action. But no story and only a pinch of character development does drag it down.

That's Faiz's base state. :p

Faiz Episode 38
That was a weird transition. Why'd they have to spin the camera around and cute to him sideways? Was the shot before that not good enough?

Kusaka I do believe you just shot yourself in the foot and burnt the bridge of possibly having a romantic relationship with her. You attack one of her closest friends, and then you slap her. Not the best way to try and form a relationship my friend, not the best way at all.

Is Kitazaki playing darts with an exacto knife? Nevermind, they're just regular old darts. I guess this is a bit of training for him? See if he can hit the dart board before the dart turns into ash. Not that bad of an exercise for him.

Hey look, another place and person we haven't seen in forever.

This new Orphenoch looks like he was made of tomatoes. Or is it just me that sees the resemblance of tomatoes within his armor? And he throws explosive rocks? This is quite the interesting Orphenoch.

Nahhh. You're just wise to what's going on. You know the man is an Orphenoch and are probably aware about him starting the fires. Hell you may have even asked him to do so. So yeah, you can fool the cops, but you can't fool me. Sherlock Winston is in the house bitch!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh snap, he's going to handle this one personally.

You get a gold star for effort Mihara.

Wait, so Kitazaki is the one who attacked the Ryuusei school, and Takumi was trying to protect everybody? Okayyyyyyyyy then. But now I'm curious about something. Since Takumi was there, he probably saw Mari, and it's being said he had direct contact with her. Which begs the question, how did he not remember her from when they met at the beginning of the series? Did he just forget about her? Or did he know and just didn't want to bring it up.

What the hell? Kitazaki can take off his armor and move faster ala Senpujin? That's...pretty cool actually.

Well 38 was...decent I suppose. It was actually a pretty boring episode to me. The story was pretty much not even there, nor was any character development. The action present in the episode was alright. The stand out fight was pretty much Yuji VS Kitazaki, the others were just pretty meh. In the end, this was one of the worst episodes IMO of the series. I really don't have much else to say other than that.

Decided to go ahead and watch the first episode of Decade for myself. I'm not much of a 'make up your own mind when you have 1000000000000000000000 other things to watch that you actually enjoy' sort of guy, but discussion of Decade seems to have been shooting up all over the place in this forum and as I'm 'the Kamen Rider fan who actually really liked Wizard, and thinks Kuuga was a pile of shit' I realised that I'm probably more likely to fall in line with Decade's surprisingly loud supporters, even in their minority, than the masses who all completely write Decade off.

And, honestly, I kinda liked it. The story and characters were played fast and loose admittedly, and due to the similarities between this and Gokaiger it was hard to keep Gokaiger out of my mind because that has been so far such a great show but minus the ugly pink suit for Decade, this opening episode featured a gorgeous production, full of incredible set pieces. I actually had a lot more fun with the opening episode of this, than I did with Gokaiger's first episode.

I have to ask though, anyone know anything about the creative decisions behind this series? As much as I hated Kuuga, I was shocked that within a matter of moments I realised this Kuuga World was nothing to do with the real one. It just seems a really odd creative decision to make a Kamen Rider series ABOUT Kamen Rider but only bring back the suits and monsters.

Obviously this is only the first episode, and in the day and age where the first episode of a toku is more 'look what shit you can buy!' than anything attempting to introduce what the actual story will be about it's hard to judge anything on one episode alone. But I will say that the episode designed to grab me by the balls certainly did just that and that has to count for something.

Yeah none of the worlds have much to do with the Original worlds. Some are really intriguing though. Some past actors come back though in it. The themes of the shows are intact though.

Welcome to the horrors of Kamen Rider Decade. A show that starts out promising, but ends in a horrible mess, ruining all your favorite Heisei Riders (except for maybe Den-O) on it's way. Oh and don't forget the constant crazy feel of sexual tension between the main and secondary rider (which is actually continued through Super Hero Taisen). I don't usually call a character gay but DiEnd sure acts like he was madly in love with Decade.

The sexual tension alone sounds like this is worth watching.

Yeah it is entertaining. Also the AR worlds are basically Earth-2 for all the Kamen Riders. You'll love Decade himself too. I love him and the series lol.

It just seems odd to set it in Earth-2, for all of my complaints about Gokaiger's lack of continuity and lack of purpose for the cameos at least they are all there. Decade is meant to be a show about Kamen Rider but it's only surface deep.

The thing with Kamen Rider that makes it different is that it's about one character. Sentai is about teams, which makes it a hell of a lot easier to find guest stars. All you need is one person out of five or six willing to come back. With Rider you need the main actor and that wasn't really doable for Decade. Some have moved on and will never come back and others might not be available. Instead of trying to do an anniversary show where half the guys don't even show up Toei decided to just cast brand-new actors and make up new stories with old costumes. It didn't really work all that well

I guess it's a noble idea, all or nothing, it certainly speaks volumes of Neo Saban's failure but it also sounds like an oddly counter productive plan. Let's celebrate the entire franchise with... fan fiction?

I guess the only thing I can hold out for is seeing series I didn't like, done differently. Everyone knows I hate Kuuga, so to see the Kuuga world only resemble Kuuga visually actually filled me with more hope than it took away.

Kuuga did have some great designs, and some decent ideas, and I'm almost excited to see if Decade can implement them better than Kuuga itself did. I'm guessing you guys are going to say a resounding 'no' but that only gives me further motivation as I know you guys all love Kuuga.

Some of the new worlds are interesting twists or alternate takes on the originals, some aren't (and one is just fucking insane). It's kind of a mixed bag.

Decade in a nutshell. There is some cool stuff, but there are moments where you just go "huh?".

I definitely feel it's worthwhile giving Decade a few more episodes. Maybe until the MegaAnon scrubs run out at episode 17 :p

That's not a bad idea. It really isn't until the show gets done with Hibiki's world, which I think is 18-19, that things really start falling apart.

Pahfekt!!

There really isn't much reason for me to try to deter you at this point.
Just don't try to chew off your own fingers.

Decade is a mess. It has no real origin and no ending. I personally don't feel it ruins the other Heisei Riders, though, since it's very clearly AR worlds. It'd be like an Elseworlds tale ruining Batman. Still, despite it's very prominent flaws, I cannot help but love the series. The CMYK designs of Decade and ol' cheese grater head (Diend) really grew on me. It rightly gets a lot of criticism, but I don't find it as completely disdain-worthy as others. For me, at least, it'll always be better than Kuuga.

For the record, I totally respect other people hating on Decade. Not everyone likes the same stuff and I've got no problem accepting that. The world would be boring if we didn't enjoy different things.

The only thing worse than Kuuga for me is Faiz, because at least at the end of the day I finished Kuuga. Faiz is the only Rider series I full on abandoned with no intention of ever coming back to it.

So if Decade can be better than both of those shows, winner winner chicken dinner.

Considering Decade is considerably shorter, it's not very difficult to sit through it in it's entirety :lol

Isn't it also true that a lot of Kamen Rider actors were spring-boarded to legitimate stardom by being on the show, so they were either unable or unwilling to participate in the tribute series?

To put it in an American perspective, it would be like trying to get Fergie and Mario Lopez to participate in a Kids, Incorporated tribute series. Or like trying to get Leonardo Dicaprio to reprise his role in a Growing Pains reunion show. :lol

Faiz Episode 39
Maybe Kitazaki should start wearing gloves. Maybe, perhaps maybe then everything he touches won't turn into ash. It's worked with other people who have similar powers, it just may for him.

Yuji typed in the henshin code pretty damn fast there from the sound of things.

Okay I know that Murakami didn't get hit by the attack, but can I just say that a double rider kick in the Faiz style is pretty freaking cool looking. Now if only Delta was in it, then it would be freaking sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Huh, so that's what the lunch room looks like in a Japanese police station. Learn something new everyday. Anywho are we really going to bring these two in and have the whole series be one big conspiracy with Smart Brain? Because if we are I'm going to be honest, this is probably about to get a little lame. The evil company being behind everything bad is overplayed. Plus you know, we're bringing these two back almost at the last minute for no real reason. So yeah, if this is the direction the show is going, can't say I'm all too thrilled for the ride.

His legs aren't functioning anymore? Is that an effect of using the Delta Gear? Is it something else entirely? Who knows and to be honest I'm not really expecting the show to explain this either at all, or all to well.

I'm with Naoya. I think four people living there is a little too much. You only have three rooms. Takumi would have to sleep on the couch or on the floor unless it was decided he'd be bunking with Yuji or Naoya. So yeah, maybe Takumi shouldn't be living there.

I smell a power up.

Wait what? So everybody at the Ryuusei reunion is dead? And it was all a trap by Smart Brain? But yet they are all still alive? How...what the...just...I...the fucking hell? Just what the hell? Why did Smart Brain do that? Why are they all alive if they're already dead? Just...just what the fuck is going on!?

Mari you are definitely not the only one who does not understand what is what anymore. Or at least, just what the gotdamn hell is going on. Seriously though, da fuck is this shit?

He can walk again! It's a miracle!

You know to be fair, he isn't the only one who can fight as Faiz. I mean I know Takumi is the main user, but it's not like Yuji did that bad of a job. I actually kind of like the idea of Yuji being Faiz. There's nothing wrong with Takumi, but Yuji just seems to fit into Faiz more. Perhaps I'll explain this more when I finish up the show and do my final thoughts.

How come Kitazaki always wears shirts with a low cut neckline or with one of the shoulders cut very low? Did he decide that it would be his own personal fashion statement?

Mari did you not remember what happened when you tried to use the belt at the beginning of the show? And more importantly, why did you try it again after it failed this time? Why not just throw it to Takumi? Also why is Mihara there? Did he decide to tag along as well? Which begs the question, why not throw him the belt?

That satellite looks really bad. I guess it's a model judging by how it looks. Now I have nothing against using a model for a special effect (talking to a guy here who prefers the unaltered version of Star Wars), but this just looks pretty bad and easily noticeable. They obviously can do pretty good CGI in the show as we've seen. Why not just whip up a CGI satellite? Though I will be fair, it is kinda cool that it has to send do a signal to let Takumi transform into Blaster Mode.

Well that was 39 and it wasn't all that fine. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't that good. It suffered from quite a few issues that the episodes tend to have.

The first being that there wasn't really a story here. It was mostly just random stuff happening until Sawada revealed what happened, and then when the fight at the end started up. Outside of those two scenes, nothing really happened. This also makes them the only parts of the episode that actually contribute to the main story. Swada revealing exactly what happened at the Ryuusei reunion, and Faiz Blaster Form being introduced. Outside of that, there wasn't a story, and nothing was added onto the main plot.

Character development also suffered this fate as well. Except there isn't even a redeeming thing for it. There simply wasn't any character development that I saw. It was just the same old same old for these players.

The action also suffered. There were only two fight scenes, and they weren't all that great. Kusaka VS Sawada was short and was the same thing we've seen already; both get in some hits, blah blah blah. The brawl at the end wasn't that great either. Kusaka pretty much walked through the one Orphenoch until Kitazaki got involved, then it just became an utter squash. After that, it just turned into knocking out Rina in one hit, and Mari hurting herself until being smart and giving the gear to Takumi. All around, the fights just stunk here.

The episode as a whole just stunk in all fairness. There was no story, no character development, no action, not even anything that entertaining to keep you well entertained. The episode can blow in all the areas, but if it's still entertaining then it did something right. But this episode just had nothing. Episode 39 is basically episode 1 in how boring it is, which shouldn't be something we're seeing at the 39th episode.

Well I just finished episode 40 of Faiz. Usually I have a nice long post, but when hitting my backspace to correct a mispelling, the stupid computer decided to take me back a few pages, meaning all of what I had written was gone. So you all will get a cliffnotes version this time.

The episode had a very nice but short story which was good as the episode's own individual story, but also as a story which contributes to the main plot of the show.

There was also some nice character development for Sawada, Takumi, and Mihara. Mihara accepting and deciding to fight for real, Sawada developing to be more human like, and Takumi developing out of his depressive/no confidence mood. All three were handled well, so good job show.

Finally in the action department we had some utter bad assery here. Takumi's first fight in Faiz Blaster Form was just great. It established how utterly powerful the suit is as well as show off his new toys (noticeable green screen and all!). Of course we also had the brawl at the end which just oozed coolness. It had some nice back and forth action, it even continuing on when Kusaka and Mihara got involved. So the action here was kick ass.

Final score, episode 40 did a great job and is leaps and bounds better then episode 39.

If you post a reply in the "Advanced" mode, the board will save your reply if you return to the page.

I wondered that every time he was on screen. :lol

Watched episodes 9 & 10 of Hibiki a few days ago, probably about a week & a day ago, now onto the next batch of episodes :D.

Faiz Episode 41
Let's get ready to rumbbbbbbbbbbbbbleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Well at least they seem to be utilizing a sound strategy; take out Kitazaki first. Takuma and Saeko are strong, but they don't come close to the power level of Kitazaki. They just need to gang up on him and take him out of the equation and then deal with the other two.

D'awwww is Lassie coming home?

Now you just know that probably brought Takuma to utter near orgasmic joy. Kitazaki has pretty much been bullying Takuma since he's appeared in the show, all because he knows how much stronger he is. But now Kitazaki is weakened, and not as strong. Takuma's going to enjoy every minute of this I bet, even though it cost him some of his face.

Awww happy days! Happy days! Ain't no mountain higher and you all are family! The band is back together and everybody is happy again. Except for Kusaka. He's still Kusaka.

Not going to lie, I do what Naoya just did there with the whole jumping down stairs thing. It's probably why my knees and ankles pop/crack, but it's fun as all hell. Oh and look, a microwave, don't think I've seen that in a Kamen Rider show before.

"Get the fuck off of me Keitaro!"

Did it really take them this long to notice that Yuka is in the picture? Shouldn't they have figured out way back when the massacre happened that she wasn't one of the people dead? Shouldn't they have tried to track Yuka down for questioning? Apparently not. Stupid ass cops. I miss Ichijo and Ryu.

Well it was only a matter of time before Murakami started considering Yuka to possibly join Lucky Clover.

Uhhh Yuka, was that umm, really necessary? You sure you couldn't think of another way to calm him down? No? Oh...alright. Speaking of Yuka, are we never going to get more little romance scenes between her and Keitaro again? I really liked those.

I wonder how much the producers had to pay to get the theme park to let them attach a camera to the roller coaster. Sure it isn't something cheap to do. On the plus side though, people got to be on TV...sort of.

:lol Rejected!

Oh my God Kusaka! You look very nice with that hat on your face. Much hard boiled.

And holy crap Keitaro, first you get beaten up by a kid, then you get rejected, and now you just got crushed. Man today is not your day :lol

Has she not figured out that the Keitaro she's hanging out with is the same Keitaro she's been talking to? And I can see this advice backfiring. I can just see it happening. Keitaro will take her advice, but yet she'll reject it. These two were so lovey dovey, now they've become like the typical old teenage couple...oh yeah, they are teenagers. I always forget about that.

Me dying of laughter in 3...2...1...:lolol Also CALLED IT!

Oh dear God that is a lot of force just to capture one girl. Sure she's a girl with super human powers, but still isn't this a little too much? And how the hell did they know that she's an Orphenoch? Unless these aren't the real police, but just Smart Brain's own little police unit.

C-C-C-COMBO!

Good God is Yuka letting them have it. But why doesn't she just fly away? She is the crane Orphenoch after all. You'd think she'd just summon her wings and fly off.

Well that was 41. Let me tell you something brother, this episode was quite yummy. And by yummy, I obviously mean good.

The story element of the episode was your typical deal with Faiz in that there wasn't really much of one. I'd say that the story was mostly just about Yuka and the fun day everybody was having at the amusement park. Now that isn't a bad thing considering the current story we seem to be getting for the next few episodes is about Yuka. But to be frank, they didn't do much with it here until the very end. Plus, nothing in the episode really added anything that important to the overarching story. So really, even though the episode had a story, it didn't really do that much or add anything too important.

In the department of character development, there wasn't really any, I guess. I suppose you could say there was development within Takumi with him continuing to leave behind his depressed and lack of confidence mood, and I guess there was some development in the Naoya/Yuka/Keitaro love triangle. But to be honest, it wasn't really that much of a big deal on any of those two options, Takumi maybe having a little more. So personally, I'd say the episode was lacking in the CD area.

Finally we come to action, and it was there and not half bad. The continuing fight at the beginning of the episode was very nice, it carrying on 40's back and forth of the fight at the end. That is until the three gang up on Kitazaki and kick his ass. Taku and Kusaka VS the throw away Orphenoch at the end was alright, just your typical stuff though. As for Yuka VS pretty much all of the police, it was, decent. I think she should have gone through a lot more of them though considering how much stronger she is. The only reason she got so worn down is because they had guns, which doesn't make sense because they're regular guns and not like what the riders use. But I digress. Overall, I'd say the action wasn't all that bad, and like many an episode, the best part of the show in the triangle of areas to hit (let's be fair though, everything with Naoya, Keitaro, and Yuka was the best part).

In the end, episode 41 was just another average episode in the Faiz lineup. Very little story, very little character development, some nice action, and some really funny/entertaining scenes. The same old same old. Hopefully things pick up since we're so close to the end.

Faiz Episode 42
DAYUMN girl!

Well somebody was bound to slip up and take notice about Orphenochs. So Yuji is correct, it was only a matter of time. However the big question is, how exactly did they know Yuka was an Orphenoch?

So they're going to try and extract the Orphenoch DNA out of humans? That's...pretty damn bold and interesting. I'm actually really curious about this and hope to see more of it explained or shown.

I think it is safe to say that Mari is definitely NOT okay. Though curious to know why her friend didn't run over to her when she went down into a crouched position. Maybe she walked off a bit and didn't see?

Is this just their regular meeting place? Like even when discussing serious business such as this their like "We have something really serious to talk about, so I'll meet you at the batting cages and we'll talk there." It's pretty amusing in all honesty :lol

So Kusaka has know about everything this whole time. Mari, why exactly are you not flipping out even a little bit? If someone constantly lied to me about not remembering an event and then told me they remembered everything about it, I'd be pissed off. So why aren't you, especially when you've asked him numerous times about it?

Ahhh Yuka, you have it so rough. I'm not even being sarcastic by saying that, she really does. She was bullied, unloved be her family, gained the Orphenoch abilities and is constantly torn between it, and the person she likes is rejecting her advances. I honestly really do feel for her, and she in my opinion has one of the best stories for a character within the show. She's also one of my favorite characters for that very reason. I always enjoy these dramatic scenes with her, they also feel genuine and very emotional. It's that aspect of her scenes, and of Faiz as a whole that I really enjoy.

So they wanted her to try and remove the Orphenoch DNA eh? Okie dokie then. This does pretty much confirm though that the police knew because they're working for Smart Brain (or another company if these aren't Smart Brain guys), and thus probably knew about Orphenochs that way. That makes more sense then the police just randomly finding out about all of this. Though it does also confirm that Faiz is getting REALLY far into the science fiction genre, though who cares about that? Just one of my observations.

This new Orphenoch...I like him. He looks utterly kick ass. I really love that head design, just looks so bloody cool.

Why are regular old guns hurting the Orphenoch? They are super humanoid beings. Bullets should not be able to hurt them. Only the weapons of the rider's or other Orphenoch's should be able to harm them.

Yuji...is...fucking...livid.

Well there goes episode 42. And boy oh boy, was it filled with the crazy.

The story elements of the episode were really nice. Once again, the episode is centered around Yuka, however I think they actually did a really good job with it this time. 41 while about her, didn't really come off that way. The only way you knew it was a Yuka episode was by the number of scenes she was in. But the story didn't really focus on her until the end. Here however, everything in the story is about her. Yuka turning herself in after trying to finally go out with Naoya, Takumi and Yuji trying to get her free, the whole freaky DNA extraction plot, everything pretty much that could be considered major in this episode was in relation to her. The story was as I said handled very nicely, and it even contributed to the main plot some with the whole DNA thing. So all in all, good work on the story episode.

As for character development, welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll yeah...there wasn't any...again. NEXT!

This leaves us with the action portion of the episodes. Once again there really isn't all too much to it. But like usual, the action shown isn't half bad. All of it is short though, and the only fight scene worth mentioning/that stands out is Yuji just going berserk on the cops. So over all, not bad action, just very little of it.

In the end, we get another nice little episode. Nothing bad, but nothing all that great. Just the same old mixed bag of a series.

Haha! After an absurdly long download period, I can finally start in on those HK subs of Kamen Rider X. I'm looking forward to this. :D

Faiz Episode 43
I would say that Kusaka is pretty pissed.

Way to go Mihara!

Kusaka, you're making this sound like apocalypse is about to happen. Now who knows, some people may consider it like that. But he's acting as if society will fall apart. Pretty sure he's overreacting.

Speaking of overreacting :lol

Well you, Mari, and Takumi don't have a problem with it. Kusaka on the other hand does have a problem with it. Though I will give prop towards him for going upstairs like a good boy instead of saying something bad. So good job Kusaka, you get a pizza roll.

Oh my fucking God Keitaro you idiot! :lolol Why did you even speak up after Mari's suggestion? You knew what was bound to happen. You are such a dork :lol

Please more scenes of Yuka and Mari just acting like typical teenagers. The humor possibilities are endless! Especially if they use Keitaro as their lackey.

That was a pretty nice scene there with Murakami. He does bring up a pretty valid point. Humans are always attacking other human beings regardless if they're monsters or not. Life is indeed a big circle of discrimination. So I can see his reasoning behind his opinions towards not liking Orphenochs that attack human beings. I don't really agree with it, but I can see where he is coming from. It also seems like he may have a bit of a backstory which made him this way, so that would be interesting to hear about as well.

Did it finally take you this long to figure it out Yuka? I'm surprised she didn't figure it out when they were texting back at the amusement park. Their phones were pretty much going off right after the other one sent a text out. So did it really take you this long Yuka? Ehhh why do I bother. If it gets these two in romantic scenes I'll let it slide...a little.

This whole science human Orphenoch plot is getting confusion.

Good God everybody is going on the hunt for Yuka. And why does it seem like they all seem to hang out at the gas station? I mean don't get me wrong, me and a friend go to our Speedway to get drinks quite often, but it's not like we stay there, drink, shoot the breeze, and maybe eat a bit. We get our shit and leave. Maybe this isn't a self serve gas station and attendants do everything for you. But who knows.

Oh God dammit Saeko! You ruined what might have been a very nice and touching scene!

It be a tank! Guess they really needed some extra firepower to try and neutralize Yuji.

Ooooooo, the new Orphenoch looks bad ass. Though since when did Orphenochs use guns? Like real guns. We've seen them use weapons sort of like guns, but in their own deformed like fashion. This guy is going at it with friggen six shot revolvers. That's kinda weird to be honest.

Uhhhh Yuji? Earth to Yuji.

Hug her you idio....nevermind.

Well that was episode 43. And boy did it bring on the feels.

All of those feels coming from the story. Well, what little of a story there was. Once again we get a story mostly focusing on Yuka, it taking a break to add more to the whole experiment sub plot. That plot is just weird and utterly confusing. It coming in right now has basically put me into an utter WTF type of mood. And it's getting weirder and weirder. As for Yuka's story, it was very nice, just like the last episode. It was really cool getting to see her and Mari act like typical teenage girls, I just wish there were more scenes of it. Plus it was FINALLY great to see Keitaro and Yuka figure out who the other person really is. It was about damn time. Unfortunately, not a whole lot got added to the main plot, so that's a downer. But for it's own episodic story, it was really nice, especially the parts with Yuka.

Asa per usual, character development is barely even there. The only real development being for Yuka and Keitaro. And their development is more their relationship then anything individual. So really, it's the same old same old here.

We did get some pretty nice action though. Yuji and Takumi VS the cowboy Orphenoch (I'ma just call him that kay?) was pretty nice. It sort of had some back and forth to it, but not that much. The same sort of goes to Yuka VS Saeko, except that brawl had a bit more of it. Saeko got some good blows in, and so did Yuka. So that one even out in the end. All in all, the action on display here was pretty nice, Yuka VS Saeko being the best one.

So once again (I'm really starting to hate saying this), we get an average episode. If you've seen my other reviews, you know what this ending bit is going say, so there is no need to say it for the millionth time.

The HKs can be kind of rough, but you're in for a treat, X is one of the best of the classic Showa series. A real overlooked gem.

I think the only reason why it's overlooked is because of the absolute scarcity of the subs...

X is really awesome =) I am loving Super-1 right now and that is also HK Subs.

No, it's pretty badly ignored in Japan, too. Not as bad as the early 80s Riders, but of the Legendary Seven you can easily tell that X is one of the least popular.

At least until his actor agrees to come back for the new movie (where apparently he, Takumi, and Haruto have their own story arc which is already my favorite part of the film). ;)

btw, someone over at HJU has seen and summarized the Rider War movie if you're curious about how it turned out. Apparently it's pretty good until the main threat is defeated and the Showa Riders decide to kill the Heisei guys solely because the plot demands it. But then Gaim tries to save a flower and everybody's cool again.

Faiz Episode 44
*Sniffle* The feels.

I think Yuji is really starting to crack. That little talk with Murakami, in combination with what those people did to Yuka is really making him reconsider everything he's been upholding with his ideals. It should definitely provide some good character development for him, as well as some nice dialogue and storytelling. Well at least, I can hope it will.

When did Mari turn into Ryotaro? :lol

And utter lulz at Takumi and Keitaro's scene. Takumi really has changed from the utter brat he was at the beginning of the series hasn't he? Before, he would have just condemned Keitaro and Yuka's relationship. Now he seems to be perfectly fine with it, especially with Keitaro's entertainment. It's good to see him change from where he was at the beginning. Maybe he developed more then I talk about in my analysis.

Funny considering the scene that follows it is showing off how much Yuji has changed since this wacky show started. But to be fair I do agree with him on the part about going to the police. There is no guarantee that Yuka would come out alive, or fully alright from the experiment. So in truth, it may not be worth it. Plus Keitaro is kinda weak, it may come in handy to turn into a monster and scare people off/kick their ass.

Naoya isn't stupid. He's just, different. Something tells me he may be a fellow Aspie.

Yuka's ringtone sounds like the old AOL connecting sound.

:lol Keitaro's happy dance/reaction is priceless.

Ummm Naoya, what you're doing is sweet, but it is really friggen crrepy in execution. Do you have to watch him through binoculars? Pretty sure stuff like that can get you arrested or in trouble with the popo.

But just d'awwwww. It's like their father and son! It also looks like he may just be an Orphenoch.

http://static4.businessinsider.com/i...ing-quotas.jpg

Damn, looks like Kusaka and Mihara want to this mob style.

Where did Takumi get the Faiz Gear from? Did he just have it store up his ass or something? I don't care if these guys hop place to place in an easy peazy lemo squeazy fashion, but getting this huge belt out of nowhere is distracting and takes you out of the show. He wasn't holding the briefcase, nor did he have the belt on. He wasn't even near the damn motorcycle. Uhhhh.

Also why does Takumi drop the damn blaster when he henshins? That makes no sense either. He has to hold it to initiate the henshin, but he can just drop it only to pick it back up again for a weapon? Shit makes no sense yo.

No...no...no no no no no No NO NO NO NO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eal4fep7pK4

I hate you Faiz. I hate you so very much right. But alast, I can't let my personal feelings get in the way. So aside from...that, how was episode 44?

Well, the story was here, and it wasn't that bad. It was another Yuka episode, but it wasn't like how 42 and 43 were Yuka episodes. It was more like episode 41. It mostly was about the continuation of the whole ordeal of the Orphenoch experimentation, and how it's affecting some of our main characters. Along with this, it did continue both Yuka and Keitaro's story and...finished her's up *sniffle*. It also even worked in Kusaka and Mihara's plot in regard to wanting revenge. How well did any of this add to the main plot of the show? Well, a main character went up to the Heavyside Layer. That's about it. All around though, nice story.

Character development though seemed to be in spades here. Takumi continuing to develop into being a fairly normal guy who is nicer then he was in the beginning, Yuji seemingly heading towards the dark side, Yuka developing into being more human like, and Naoya becoming nicer towards a kid, somebody he said he doesn't like. All of the development was handled very well to me, and it is definitely the best part of the triangle of areas to hit in the episode.

So yes, action does not get that title this episode. Shocker right? But yeah, the area which usual is the standout of most episodes, is not the standout. That isn't to say the action given wasn't good, it's just that for what we were given, it didn't really come close to how great the character development aspect was. You only had two real fights, and both were pretty short. Obviously, Yuji, Takumi, and Yuka VS cowboy Orphenoch is the standout. It went on for the longer amount of time, and feature some good back and forth action within it. So yeah, action was alright but can't hold a candle to the character development.

In the end, 44 was a nice episode, it's main strength being the character development feature in it. The other aspects are nice, just not that great. This sort of makes it an average episode, but since the CD was so good, I'd say it's an above average episode.

Kabuto 22 - Okay, Gatack is AWESOME. However Kagami really needs to grow out of his naivety. The whole "trying to save the person the worm is mimicking" thing already backfired for him during the whole ordeal with his brother. I guess the fact the worm saved him from the blast does kinda show there might be more going on than the show is letting on, but I really hope I'm not going to have to watch Kagami make the same mistakes over and over.

I REALLY wish this show would drop all of its comedy too, because it really isn't funny. We've got this really good worm nest story going on and the Gatack zecter, and what's it playing against? Sasword's dumb birthday party and Kageyama having to sing some stupid birthday song. It's not funny, it's just dumb.

I love Jiiya though. I want him as a relative.

Super-1 Episode 16: Kids missing! This looks like a job for Super-1! It was good to see him use his powers to help find the kids instead of just fight. Interesting episode but the HK Subs do kind of kill it by have these over a minute long scenes without subbed dialogue. Though I can still gather what's going on it's still an annoyance and I haven't known what Dogma's been up to for the last 3 or 4 episodes because of this. So it's like Kuuga for me again lol.

Faiz Episode 45
Why must you remind me of the end of the last episode? :(

"I believe I can flyyyyy (bitches!)!"

I think it's safe to say that Yuji is most definitely livid like a mother fucker, and may have just been pushed over the edge. Then again, it was cowboy Orphenoch and Saeko that pretty much killed her, not the humans. But hey, I guess they needed something to really finalize Yuji's current situation.

Kitazaki is also going to be equally pissed off now. Twice now he's gotten his ass kicked when he's suppose to be the strongest in the universe. Obviously he isn't if he keeps getting squashed like this. So if we see him again majorly, majorly pissed, we all know why.

Sooooooooooooooo...how are they going to break it to Keitaro?

Yeah I'm really starting to think this kid is an Orphenoch. Hell maybe he's this Orphenoch King we've been hearing about, and the show is going for a child Antichrist sort of thing. That wouldn't be all that clever since it's been done a lot, but it would be pretty interesting to see if that is where they take this.

Wait did Takumi text Keitaro about what happened? Or was Keitaro tearing up over Yuka's text and Takumi was just talking to himself inside his head? A little clarity would do much good here.

Oh my God the music playing there was just perfect. Fit that scene like one tight body glove suit.


Naoya you lost Tereou? Bad Naoya! Bad!

:lol at Kitazaki. Yeah bro, they are doing this very important mission over Murakami losing money. That is totally why you three are doing this smash and hit shit mission. :lol

...What the fuck was that!?

How much you want to bet Yuji beat Lucky Clover to the punch?

And it does appear that nice guy Yuji has indeed joined the dark side.

Holy shit...that WAS a rider kick. Good God Takumi just obliterated that guy.

Well that was episode 45. We're at the home stretch now and the show is almost done! So how does the final sprint start? Well, it starts with a meh.

The story like with most episodes, was not present. Did anything get added to the main plot of the show show? Well I guess the thing at the end of Yuji walking away with Mari's dad could count (especially by the preview for 46), and I guess Tereou being...what the hell he is could go to it. But outside of those two possibilities, I don't really think anything was added. So the story here just fails.

In terms of character development, I think it's safe to say any and all of it went towards Yuji, and he wasn't even that present in the episode. He's been developing ever since Yuka's story, and thus the experimentation story began. And now it seems the product is finally starting to show. Yuji seems to be turning into Murakami if these past few episodes (especially this one) have shown/told us anything. Outside of Yuji though, everybody got jacked of character development. I wouldn't say this area failed, it just sort of had one big bang, and a lot of misfires.

As for the action we got, it came in a small amount, but it kicked ten kinds of ass. The only real action scene was Mihara and Takumi VS cowboy Orphenoch, and it kicked ass. When it was just Mihara, it had a good pace to it, and when Takumi got involved, the pace kicked into gear even more. Plus, it produced probably my favorite action moment in the show with that multiple rider kicks attack Takumi did. That is just plain epic. So even though we only had one true action scene take place here, boy oh boy was it awesome. As per usual, the action takes the prize of being the best part of the episode, it only slightly better then the character development.

All in all, another pretty average episode. Was it entertaining? Yeah, it kinda was. But on a critical analysis level, it's just another regular old episode in the Faiz library.