I have to wonder how much of this shows' aesthetic is trying to steer away from usual suit design to something they think will appeal to the West more.

His Driver reminds me of a Bop It toy.

Is that guy our main character? ...Is that a realistic gun in a holster he has on? Kamen Rider with a gun memes are back?

Been back since Geats where we had someone shot with a real gun.

Edit: I also forgot, we had Russian Roulette towards the end of Gotchard lmao

I can dig the simple forms. But I hope that this is only for this season. It would suck if each Kamen Rider from this point on follows the same incredibly simple aesthetic.

I dont know why, but I wasn't expecting the capsule to be spun manually. I really thought it would spin when the lever on the belt was pressed down; i guess it could still do that as well. That said, having that extra physical interaction makes the belt a little more exciting and dynamic for kids; similar to Gavv's crank/large button combo.
I feel like this aesthetic was chosen specifically to appeal to global markets (especially the west), where the more odd designs might be a turn off for new viewers. I recall this being a point that Shirakura had made as to why Toei had not tried marketing rider in the west. I dont think this is the end of complex themes and designs, I think they just want to tone things down long enough to get people on board with the show.

Not to mention that we've only seen a few Q1 forms. There is still potential for other forms/riders to shift the aesthetics.

I am of two minds with Zeztz aesthetics so far. On one hand, it is interesting and kinda neat how simplistic and minimalist the designs for this season are, to the point that the form changes are mostly just a colour and pattern change. On the other hand, it does also feel a little jarring given how maximalist the past decade or so of Rider designs have been. I guess what I'm curious of is whether this will be a one off thing or will it be a trend for future Rider shows.

I guess, in a sense, this is Toei's attempt at the ULTRA N Project but with Kamen Rider.

Huh, so it just latches on to the wearer?

"You thought the belt was going to be around the waist? Well, think AGAIN!"

Also the MC is giving me Ace vibes.