Episode 4!

-Kids can be so damn cruel, man. I can't imagine living a life where everyone reminds me that my dad was might've been behind a major tradegy, how awful..

-I really do like the robo-animals being used for combat (Falcon attacking the Magia, Grasshopper putting distance between them and the rampaging Humagears so Anna and Gou can get moving) I mean, if you're gonna have an over-the-top transformation sequence, might as well make it have useful effects, right?

-Not much to say, I also didn't particularly like this episode very much. This might be one of the first examples of Zero One's very....Interesting ways to tackling certain things. It's one thing to have an episode to have a child of the week episode where the kid and our heroes learn a moral or something about uncovering the truth, and another to showcase a bit deeper how terribly twisted Fuwa's mindset has become by his trauma, but mashing them in a story together where there's zero pushback to Fuwa's mad ramblings *to a child* to where he's "in the right" because Hiden was hiding shit all along? I don't know if I like that. It's not like Episode 2, where you can see both the kernels of potenial truth in what Fuwa says while also the show clearly establishing the guy's kinda off his rocker. Here, Fuwa's advice is played a little too straight for my taste in this ep.

I laughed pretty hard at the giant metal grasshopper from space almost landing on Fuwa. Like, he might have a point about Hiden's recklessness after all!

I don't really feel like there was some anti-moral promoted through Fuwa in this episode. Not that his outlook or personality is totally positive or healthy, but his unwavering belief and conviction is who the character is and how he approaches problems, and sometimes when applied right (like believing in the real truth no matter what anyone says) it can make the difference between giving up and succeeding.

I feel like it's in-character for Aruto to reveal himself to Fuwa like this even if it felt like they were setting up a slower burn on that, especially in episode 2. But I guess now they can just let things play out with more out in the open.

Flying Falcon! Honestly I just like the form because it flies and that's pretty atypical for a base form. But I hope you watched Zero-One's appearance in Over-Quartzer in-case you wanted to see what it's Finisher is like.

But Punching Kong really is just awesome and fits Fuwa surprisingly well (so much so they pretty much point it out). Also, Rocket Punch Finisher! Rocket Punch Finisher!

I really like the tour guide in this episode because she has such a simple role and job as a Humagear but she's so dedicated to it that she goes along with this mission because she has to know and in the end is able to fight the hacking in order to reveal the truth and fulfill her mission. Which Fuwa pretty much ignores to harp on the cover-up and the truth, but that made sense coming from him.

But the problem with this story is that Fuwa's incredibly unhealthy worldview -- which I think is moderately well established by this episode? -- is treated as helpful advice for a child who is getting bullied. There's a huge difference between Search For The Truth and Ignore Any Evidence You Dislike, or between Believe In The People You Love and Find Someone To Blame, but this episode never really digs into any of that. They just let Fuwa take some anxious child on an absolutely dreadful Big Brother outing, and then treat it all as a heroic lesson in perseverance. That seems like a weird thing to do?

Two things, before I go to bed:

1) I really love the dumb wordplay of the company that may've created sentient robots being called Hiden Intelligence. Like, hidden intelligence. It's such a dumb joke, and I like to imagine that it's a Hiden family trait.

2) Can we please talk about how the Progrise Keys are created in the exact same prop where Misora purified the FullBottles in Build? How this show reused the Making Collectibles prop from two years ago as the Making Collectibles prop for their own?

So first off with the random trivia.

The kid is this episode was previously kid!Takeru in Ghost. What is it with him and dead dads? (Though he was also in a Wizard two-parter as the son of a Gate…)

The mysterious Kamen Rider is suit-acted by Seiji Taikawa. This is because the producer wanted him to be the final boss, no matter how the plot progressed (kind of like how Gaim was always going to come down to Kouta vs Kaito and how it was always going to end with whoever won that fight still losing something important) to cement Yuya Nawata as his successor. But since Taikawa didn’t WANT a successor, he suggested someone else audition for Saber’s leading suit actor.

The Onycho Magia is based on the Onychonycteris, an ancestor of bats.

Among the companies on the map of Daybreak Town are Hiden Intelligence, ZAIA Enterprise, JEE.net, Bell A Co., Ltd, Future Co., Ltd, Aimy Corporation, Fly Second Corporation, Frontier Media, Hibiki Data Wave, Take Innovation, Hiiryu System Technology, System Engineer Co., Ltd and Nano MIRAI. One of these will be important later.

And now for the hypothetical form.

Progrise: Gouwan Gougou! (Left hand rumbling)Punching Kong! Enough power to annihilate a mountain.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...A4EAFE025.jpeg

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ypMACAVY_pc

And both the keys that were prominent this week got Legend Rider remixes.

Eyecon Kaigan! GoGoGoing Ghost! Fight with the power of heroic souls.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ah6LgfcVsZ4

Fight with sound! Drumming Hibiki! A demon warrior who is always training.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qs34N-9gOoQ

Don't explain the joke, Die-u!

Of course, I don't literally deny Kamen Rider Zero One being the protagonist of Kamen Rider Zero One, even though there are others I've seen who will. Actually, I also get annoyed hearing people casually deny guys like Shinji and Tendo, due to them not being conventional enough, so maybe I should have phrased it better. If Isamu was hogging the screen and taking focus away from Aruto, then yeah, that would suck. I appreciate how the show makes time for both of them, since their characters shine brightest in contrast to each other.

I can see why you might infer that subtext of encouraging a vendetta against a potentially non-existent enemy, due to Isamu obviously having a bias from his tragic backstory. However, I think it's more like he related to this kid who was being dismissed by everybody as some bitter conspiracy theorist and struggling to resist conforming to their version of reality. When I think about it that way, it makes sense why Isamu is always so ticked off, as he thinks everybody else is ignorant to the truth about Daybreak and wants to expose it to get justice for all those who were affected, like the kid's father who heroically sacrificed himself to save others.

I thought the road trip to the submerged ruins of Daybreak was a good way to provide exposition on the lore in an intriguing and thrilling way, while showing that there are different shades to the truth, with Aruto making his point by rejecting Izu's advice to keep his identity secret, since he believes he can't truly be trusted as a president if he doesn't trust others in exchange. He helps to uncover Hiden Intelligence's involvement in Daybreak so he can get Isamu on his side and prove that he can be trusted. I think that mix of being open to new ideas and asserting your own balances out and gives Isamu a pretty complex moral for him to contemplate.

Strong disagree here. Flying Falcon is my overall favorite form of Zero One and it's rare for me to say that about a basic form change! It was a curse for me back when the show was airing, due to [spoiler]. As a consolation, it got to be one of his five playable forms in Memory of Heroez and I'm pretty sure I mentioned how much I loved it in DS' thread for that game. I think the yellow and pink are a striking combination of bright colors, the design is elegant, the name is alliterative and the fighting style is enjoyable to watch!

Though actually, the truth is something extremely pleasant, for Gou. That his father was heroic and this'd also be a turning point for his life after being a bullying victim for the lies. Only the others, Gou's peers, should actually take a lesson to not jump into conclusions regarding rumors espeically when doing something outright terrible for that. The lesson here is actually about how accurate truth of history should be upholded (of which what Anna strived too). Unfortunately for Fuwa, this Gou is Gou Sakurai, not Gou Shijima, who would be like-minded with him in their prejudice towards the mechanical MOTW species in their respective series.

This'd be consistent with Fuwa's characterization. As someone who is extremely vengeful against Humagears and would go into extreme lengths into exterminating them, why stop at only that? Fuwa's vengeance can be done via something different than just fighting them as Vulcan, just like how deeper tokus can touch upon more stuff than just its fighting. Not only blowing them up, why not also spread your belief to others, in the name of "keeping them safe from Humagears" to easier getting more people on your side. And for Fuwa being right or something, more on that below, and you're also being impatient regarding Fuwa's arc here.

Yeah, as I said before, Fuwa laughing at Aruto's jokes is an indicator that they'd be soon allies, and it's done here. Though here it's by how Aruto displays clear ethics as a president, to not hide anything as he knows about how president position can be really suspicious to public due to hiding truths for protecting their company, as well as being a breath of fresh air from previous companies shown in series like Agito, Faiz, Kiva, and Drive. I also always thought about the Hiden family name being a wordplay of hidden... but it's ironic here that Aruto's the opposite that he won't hide anything. But you're jumping into conclusions that Hiden is the one accountable for Daybreak Town. As you said MetsubouJinrai.net was behind the destruction of the town. Jin was the one who psychotically transforms Humagears into rampaging Magias, of which currently it's how the Humagears can go on the rampage, which should be similar for the ones on Daybreak Town, and Horobi, the current leader, justifies everything they do due to Ark's will (not revealed yet as they said). They're Humagears, but it shouldn't be necessarily related to Hiden, because Hiden isn't the only operating faction. MetsubouJinrai.net itself is also another faction.

I guess what you said here, showed a glimpse on how Yua can be disappointing, later on. About Anna, this one actually shows some advancement regarding Humagears, like her acting outside of her job and responsibility (as tour guide, her name also comes from the word "annai" which means "to guide") like showing a display of emotion, as well as her being the one to fight off the corruption injected to her. She's the defining example of how Humagears shouldn't be dehumanized, though it's probably wasted as it's not really acknowledged (perhaps that'd be the problem). I guess about how she didn't really have an arc, she should be compared with previous MOTW Humagears (of which the problem would be how Humagears are handled after Anna here later), of which her portrayal contrasted them before.

This one I also agree, Zero-One's different colors on the form changes are out of place and making it tacky IMO. Should just go being consistent and changing all the lime greens into the new color the form is taking of, though dunno about budget.

I think it's more that just in this specific instance Fuwa's advice or worldview were relevant to what the kid needed to hear as it related to his own personal hangups and what they were personally dealing with. I don't think it's meant to justify the more negative aspects of how Fuwa sees the world, just why he and the kid were able to connect and further Fuwa plots.
So a perennial Kamen Rider kid, you could say.
I did not know that!
I know it's not the traditional Spider-Bat-Cobra combo but we've got an insect (I know Spiders aren't insects but bear with me here) Magia (Berotha), a reptile Magia (Kuehne), and now a bat.
I feel like you often see comments of the 2nd Rider feeling more like the main character (because they drive the plot, are sometimes the POV character, or are just generally pretty awesome) but I think that's just what makes them such a strong co-lead alongside the main Rider.
I love Zero-One's forms. One of my main disappointments of Memory of Heroez is we didn't get to use all the base forms other than Rising Hopper and Flying Falcon.

......Well, to be fair, take a look at the situation with Hiden's role in mind. MJBR did cause Daybreak, that's true. However, how did Hiden respond? They intentionally spun the story as an accident. Sure, they weren't technically the ones at fault here, but hiding something as important as "uhhh yeah these robots we want to insert into your homes and businesses are able to be hacked by malicious third-parties and potenially assault people, and we don't really have a solution for that other than turning said robots into scrap metal, hopefully before they kill someone!" for the obvious intention of not wanting to lose potenial profits and funding? That's twisted! It really does affirm Fuwa's mindset that Hiden doesn't have the public's best interests in mind, that they're up to no good. (At least, the Hiden before Aruto stepped up as president)

It's FRONTIER MEDIA, whose President, Frontier, has been posting to this thread! What a blatant conflict of interest, posting here while you've been partnered with Hiden Intelligence for over a decade! I'm calling the mods!

Oh, sure, I don't think anything Fuwa's doing is weird or out of character or anything. He has a very constant and vocal opposition to authority (I guess AIMS only really cares about robot body counts?), so it follows that he'd immediately reject any statement of fact from a company like Hiden. My problem is that I don't love a story like this when it's providing an example for a kid in the story to follow. Like, do all the stories you want about Fuwa being a distrustful lunatic who finds out that the world is conspiring against him! But don't have him act as an example for how a kid can overcome harsh circumstances in the same story.

Ha ha, everyone loves these form changes! Noted!

Or not? THANK YOU! I'm glad that I'm not completely out here on this limb by myself. You and me against the world, DreadBringer...

Why this episode worked for me? Well Die, I'm not sure how good a job I can do of that. But then, I suppose I do often make it my business to provide a contrasting opinion. You know, I think I'll even employ the old Kabuto routine here, just to get my love for this episode across as best I can. That'll take a bit more effort on my part, but I'm sure the results will be worth all the extra labor. はい！アルトじゃぁ～ナイけど！

All right, that opening paragraph got me suitably fired up, so I'd best get to it. There's only one person who can praise this episode... and it's me!

Okay, so, first of all, because I'm not going to have a spot to work it in later: there's a little bit of choreography in the initial fight with Vulcan and Valkyrie where Fuwa literally grabs Yua and tosses her out of the way to get at the Magia himself, and that moment is so delightfully brilliant. Perfect example of the attention to detail Zero-One's fights have. I'm going to go ahead and assume that was Jun Watanabe's idea, since he's the action director for this show, and man is the Reiwa era ever lucky to have the guy. Even a short bit of inconsequential action like that is fast, fun, and *characterful* with him at the helm. Apparently it was Sugihara's idea to put him in that spot to begin with, and man did he ever make the right choice. Between the intensity of that brief appetizer of a fight, and the usual relaxing fun of Aruto and Izu exploring the workplace of the week, I think it's safe to say we're already off to a strong start here. But of course, the place I really want to dig into the story from is much more central to why this episode works so well.

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https://i.imgur.com/JEbWY92.png

The smartest thing this episode does by far is make the conscious decision to ground all its exposition in actual human emotion. This entire plot exists first and foremost to serve as the core of Zero-One's worldbuilding. Fundamentally, it's here to be a 20-odd minute lecture about this setting, and all the relevant backstory that will be driving the narrative for the rest of the show's run. We've had a few episodes to get a handle on the characters, and now we have one to get a handle on where they live. Exposition is one of those things that can be tricky to make more than just the necessity it is. A lot of narratives would be perfectly okay parking the real drama for a bit to explain things, but what Yuuya Takahashi does with this one's scirpt is make the questions and answers just as relevant to the characters as they are to the viewers. Fuwa and Gou are on a quest for catharsis. Aruto is trying to define for himself what it means to run his company. Even Anna feels discontent with the idea she's not doing her job to the best of her ability. And what all four of these people have in common is that, to gain what they need, they need answers, and all those answers lie in Daybreak Town.

There's a focus and intent to this story that makes it such a fantastic way to dig into Zero-One's past. Just on its own, it already is a pretty cool backstory, you know? Some big city full of androids that blew up a hair over a decade back? Lots of secrets hidden therein, and a really memorable visual of a ruined town sunken in water? Definitely a pretty sick setting for Zero-One to have up its sleeve, but I really think I only like Daybreak Town as much as I do because of how much I cared about the characters in this episode caring about it.

I mean, Anna's just amazing, isn't she? It's hard not to see in Humagears what Aruto sees after watching this episode. I think Anna's pride in being a bus guide gets right down to the very core of Zero-One's career theme. That's not really an occupation most people would typically think of as worth truly investing yourself in, but for Anna, that role is a purpose. It's a service you provide to society, the same as any other, and if she can't provide people with accurate information, then she's letting them down. This is a show that I think really wanted to convey to the viewer the idea that all kinds of different jobs all have value, and the level of immense dignity Anna carries herself with says so much about that. Not only is she the one going out of her way to tell Aruto they need to discover what truly happened at Daybreak Town, but that task means so much to her she actually resists MetsubouJinrai's hacking right up to the very end, all for the sake of letting the truth be known. Even in an episode that highlights Fuwa's stubborn tenacity to the extent it does, Anna might honestly be the one who shows the most determination of anybody here.

And Fuwa is not exactly slacking off in this one, either! I love his little team-up with Gou so much. Fuwa... he's basically a Showa Rider? Putting it that way might misrepresent the era a bit to people who don't truck with that sort of thing, but I've long felt that's the best way to sum him up. The violent, vengeful tendencies and standoffish attitude are all his own, but the intensity! The tragic origin! The passionate burning desire to take action at all times! He overlaps with how a lot of older toku heroes were written in ways Aruto doesn't, even if the reverse is probably true as well. Few plots are as Showa as a bullied kid in need of some motivation, and that makes this a great fit for a hero like Fuwa. He's got a very traditional approach to encouraging Gou, in that he mostly just tells him not to give up a bunch, but all of that is so on-point for who Fuwa is. On one hand, he's a man trapped by his past, and driven by anger he can't move on from, but on the other hand, the drive that anger gives him is, somewhat ironically, a drive to move forward, no matter what. Nothing means more to Fuwa than knowing he's in control of his own destiny, and that makes things a little less black and white. There are lots of things about Fuwa no sane and rational human being should ever emulate, and then there are parts of his personality that are every bit as genuinely admirable as a classic hero. This episode gives such a complete portrayal of Fuwa's whole crusade. It comes complete with little moments that hint at him eventually learning to soften up too, but most of all, it's about refusing to stop, no matter what life throws at you. This syncs up perfectly with Punching Kong's debut, where Fuwa stubbornly walks straight into gunfire without flinching, all to smash his problems into the ground with force. Yes, Fuwa is a wolf, and he's a Showa Rider, but at the same time, he'll always be a gorilla, for better or for worse.

Aruto gets a nice role in this episode as well, even without being in the spotlight the same way. Part of Zero-One's dramatic core is the idea of this idealistic kid suddenly being thrust into a leadership role as the head of a big corporation, and we get to see here a textbook example of how Aruto's personal ideals clash with traditional business interests. He makes several decisions that go against what's asked of him, choosing instead to follow his own heart, and that really sets the show up nicely for a lot of the drama that comes down the line. It's a pretty great hero moment for the dude when he waltzes up to Fuwa with his Driver on, determined to own up to everything him and the company that's now his responsibility have been doing. Plus, I mean, you can't go wrong with Flying Falcon, right? I consistently see quite a bit of love for this suit in particular among all of Zero-One's basic form changes, and while it's not my favorite, I totally get it. It's a pretty sweet suit! The colors are super unique, and the shapes highlight the emphasis on abstraction that comes with this show's desire to keep things simple. The armor is all vaguely bird-shaped in a way that's unmistakable, and yet it's *so* vague that it's impressive that it's recognizable at all. Everything is communicated clearly with the absolute bare-minimum amount of detail. Those pointy shoulders make you think "wings", even though the suit doesn't actually have wings, for example. Masterful design work; really puts the "Intelligence" in Hiden Intelligence.

So you've got all that goodness going on, and then the episode ties a bow on everything by anchoring it back on Gou, who Fuwa helps give the closure he himself has yet to find, by clearing his family's name, and then some. And honestly, it's just a really sweet, uplifting conclusion? There's a lot of sadness in this one, too, considering we're dealing with Fuwa's trauma, Anna's tragic destruction, and the (awesome) teases of Horobi's greater role in the series, which is why I love that at the center, with the kid who set everyone off on this whole adventure, he actually gets exactly what he wants? Heck, not only is his father not some bumbler who caused a huge tragedy, it was actually thanks to his selfless actions that the incident was as contained as it was. In an episode that's all about ruin and loss and all this other negative stuff, everyone's pursuit of a grand truth ultimately results in the vindication of a single man whose brave sacrifice went unknown to the world, and that's a heck of a way to balance things out.

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https://i.imgur.com/3SwpGiS.png

So yeah, I'm a huge fan of this episode, if that isn't apparent yet. They took a designated backstory-dump plot and make it way the heck more emotional and engaging than it had any right to be. Early Zero-One just keeps rolling out the hits man, what can I say?

I loved this episode because it's all about the hunt for truth and how important that can be, which is a moral I am 100% for. Combine that with the usual top notch character drama and action that Zero-One consistently delivers on and boom, instant satisfaction from me.

See, I don't necessarily disagree with that; and Die put it pretty well when he said up front that those are a good basis for the episode -- it's just the execution of it all and what it carelessly ends up saying in other ways that has the episode lacking.

... I do have to take the side against Die though, because Flying Falcon is one of the best suits in the entire Reiwa era; and I simply can't abide to see it tarnished :p

Personally I didn't really find much wrong with it. Like, if people are cool with Gills in Agito leaving a kid in the middle of nowhere to fend for himself, then I think Fuwa's' actions here really shouldn't be that much of a bother? Plus, sure, while what Hiden Intel did in response to the situation most certainly isn't ideal, when it comes to the question of "Did they cause Daybreak?" the answer is no. If you wanna argue literals, sure, that's fine, but I felt that, thematically, it all worked out well.

Also I agree. All of the form changes for Zero-One are great. Love 'em.

You went above and beyond, and I appreciate it. It's neat to see someone get way more out of a story than I did, on almost every conceivable level. (You really liked Anna's arc?!) I like hearing this stuff! Thank you!

They were definitely some dedicated truth-seekers in this one, that's for sure. If only whatever clean-up crew was covering all this up a decade ago had been as diligent and perceptive as a small boy who was looking around for maybe twenty seconds!

Fair! I brought it on myself!

I mean, if I recall right, the SD Card was only found via some convenient tossing of debris, and I'd imagine when it came to handling Daybreak, getting the heck out and quarantining the area was top priority over like, literally anything else.

It's almost like people realized that spending literally any length of time in an irradiated disaster area was a bad idea!

And, yeah, they quarantined the town, but that quarantine seems minimally enforced if a tour guide can get there. (Also, the robot death/liberation cult that's currently residing in the rubble.) I feel like the people that decided to hide this town away so that no one could ever learn the truth could've maybe spent some time over the last twelve years turning over a couple rocks to see if there was anything potentially incriminating? Just a thought!

That's what I just said!

In general, pretty much every Humagear in this show manages to stick in my memory for one reason or another? Maybe the silly names help or something, but these guys make for a pretty charming set of guest characters for Zero-One.

Was it actually stated that it was irradiated? I don't recall that.

When it comes to Anna getting in, I assume she was only able to do so via her being a Humagear. That or thanks to Fuwa and/or Aruto. Thus, why would the people who covered things up even bother? Even if they wanted to, they'd have to deal with the potentially crazed Humagears inside. People have put less effort towards big things for lesser reasons.

Hiden isn't something that observes every move, not omniscient. MetsubouJinrai.net operates in completely separate manner from Hiden, and probably in shadowy way. Don't know why it's considered certain assumption that it's Hiden's response to that move instead of just unknown evil/exploitation like how it's not known how a tool from a shop would be used when sold to a non-suspicious customer. Of course the real reason can't be talked about here yet, but though I do find Aruto to have blind faith for Humagears at times too, and obviously Hiden had shortcomings and should improve things, but to demonize something due to outcomes.... that's similar to blaming Emu for unwittingly giving Parado human DNA for Gamer Driver IMO.

Sorry if this is probably out of place, but actually, it's a hot take from me but, though Fuwa is a hero, in anti-hero category at this point, I won't necessarily view traits like determination (refusing to stop) as (classic) heroic traits. If giving an example other than Fuwa, there's also someone like Masamune, who is a depraved bastard, but is also someone who won't stop no matter how much he gets his ass kicked by the invincible Rider. Being determined varies a lot, what are they determined at? Determined at accomplishing selfish goal no matter how much people would dislike that and try to stop you, would be one too.

It's not just Isamu's determination that's admirable about him though. His worst flaws are probably his impulsiveness and prejudice, but even at this point, he only targets the rogue HumaGears who turn in to Magias and he does treat them as people in a way by getting mad at them, unlike Yua who mostly shows them cold contempt. I guess he could still qualify as a mild antihero, but he totally has a fair amount of genuinely heroic traits.

EDIT: 1200th post, yay!

Yeah, I can see it. I love it when these shows sort of insinuate themselves into people's lives, a holistic form of heroism, and this show's working in that mode.

Anna was definitely let in by Fuwa, I was just goofing around about that.

To the "irradiated" comment, though, they specifically said that multiple reactors went up in the disaster. I gotta figure twelve years isn't sufficient to make that space safe for humans?

Congrats!

Did they say whether it was a nuclear reactor or indeed a power generating reactor at all? The term can actually mean any number of things, the vast majority of them not being radioactive at all.

While I don't disagree with Die's view on the premise, I actually love this episode.

The premise being a search for the truth, where Fuwa tries to help a kid being bullied for his dad's involvement in the Daybreak incident (I could not stop thinking about Kingdom Hearts whenever Daybreak Town is mentioned), typical Kamen Rider plotline, but I was not expecting them to get to this point so early, as they usually wait until maybe halfway at least to make a reveal like this, but I didn't mind this change of pace at all.

I just enjoyed how well this episode worked when the big reveal happened and Fuwa telling the kid his dad was a hero in trying to prevent the accident from being so much worse, was really nice, but made better in how Aruto took this. He didn't immediately go against Fuwa claiming he's wrong about his view of Humagears, he does understand his grudge and he does want to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again. I don't know, it just felt like it worked perfectly, without one side being "right" or "wrong" since MetsubouJinrai is their common enemy.

And of course, Zero-One's forms being some great forms all around, as Flying Falcon is one of my favorites of his arsenal. But then again, Zero-One has some great suits all around.

That's possible! Maybe it was a bunch of clean-energy reactors. Sure! I'll allow it... mostly because they idea of Fuwa giving everyone cancer is way less of an immediate concern of mine than Fuwa taking a kid to a half-submerged disaster area in search of Deadly Secrets. I am maybe a little more worried about that aspect of the narrative?

Aruto does come out pretty good in this episode. No complaints there!

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE - HENSHIN LESSON

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...nehenshin1.png

I just paid the Mandarake invoice for the DX Hiden Zero-One Driver and AIMS Shotriser two-pack.

I don’t know how it happened, me becoming that guy? A belt collector? Some folks joked that it was "Androzani germs", a couple years of exposure to DX toy videos and collectibles trivia that warped my mind until I bought role-play toys that cost as much to ship as they do to own. Possible! There’s also me getting a Decadriver for Christmas last year, and then purchasing the extra cards, leading to a couple afternoons of playing with all the cards and noises in a cacophony of childlike glee. After you own one belt, maybe you eventually buy more? That’s how the collection-based parts of my psychology work, so I can see it as a cause.

But there’s also just how fun the Zero-One Drivers look, you know? The Zi-O belts never ever clicked with me (I don’t think the Ridewatches are that neat?), but these couple belts are exactly my flavor of toku. I like the whole production aspect of the Progrise Key: the Authorizing, the Key opening, the CHUNK of it getting slammed into the Driver, the little bit of poetry at the end that Aruto doesn’t fully understand… they’re a hell of a commercial for toy-ownership, these Henshin sequences.

This video lays it all out in a way that would’ve been the nail in the coffin, if I’d had any self-control prior. The step-by-step of it all is incredibly cool, and Aruto plays off of Izu’s instructions with the same impeccable comedic timing as on the series. This whole thing was just a commercial to go buy the toys, but it played like a validation of my gut instincts. I appreciate this show making cool toys and selling them to me!

—

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 5 - “HIS PASSIONATE MANGA WAY”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../zeroone5a.png

Not the deepest story this time out, but I think it succeeded on style, charm, and a couple smart ideas.

Exploring how people stay motivated in a society where AI can handle whatever job is required, that’s a solid one to tell this early in the show. It’s well-established by now that Aruto (and, by extension, his grandfather) saw the role of Humagears to be additive to the human experience, not substitutional. Humagear were meant to work in unison with people to create happiness, not swap out human effort for machine diligence. An episode where Aruto has to force a hero to regain his creativity is fine, but nothing that feels particularly inspired.

So it’s nice to see this episode build out the Humagear view of these things, too. Izu gets a lot more screentime to try and explain how Humagears see their role in society, and it’s the most interesting part of the story for me. There’s a disappointment in her interactions with Ishizumi, the manga artist, that form a nice accompaniment to Aruto’s frustration with him. Aruto wants him to stop delegating the entirety of his workload, just because he can, since that diminishes humanity’s potential; Izu speaks for the Humagears when she points out that they don’t exactly relish the idea of replacing a lazy humanity, and would rather collaborate with driven people to create something better.

It’s a really neat idea, Humagears being bummed out by people phoning it in. Instead of the weird genocidal angle of MetsobouJinrai (Jin’s fun in a very This Guy Wrote Paradox On Ex-Aid way), Izu comes from a place of almost parental chagrin, that Humagear assistance has become so commonplace and obligatory that humans can barely sit up in their chairs anymore. (Ishizumi’s portrayal was… not subtle!) It’s like, Humanity, come on. You’re better than this. Please remember that.

The message was clever this time out, and so was the action. I liked how the show leaned into the manga aesthetics in ways small (the Magear/Magia has a cartoony weak-point) and large (the finale done as panels on a page; glorious), making sure that a relatively slow episode had a rollickingly funny closer. They really managed to throw together an exciting bunch of fights in this episode, enough to restart the creative fires of even the most jaded of creators.

I liked this one a whole bunch. The story concept is kind of nothing special, but the smart direction and unique viewpoint elevate it early and often. Great example of how smart this show can be at pretty simple premises.

—

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE SO-DO AI 02: KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE - FLAMING TIGER

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/.../zeroone5b.jpg

I like this form change a lot better? It helps that the Rising Hopper mask is moved down to the wrists, leaving the helmet to just red and black. The COLOR of the Rising Hopper suit feels less obtrusive here, filling out the ribs and moving around to the back. (Onscreen, it’s even better, since it’s lit mostly by flames. It just looks epic?)

Very few stickers on this one, if memory serves. The COLOR parts of the wrists, feet, and back of the legs, plus some silver on the clavicle and the thin red lines at the top of the helmet. The rest is painted at the factory. Real basic build. It’s effective, though. And I appreciate Bandai throwing in the Shooting Flames hands. Why would you use anything else on this figure?

So first off, I always do love the Henshin Demo Sequences the characters do. It's some fun little stuff most of the time.

As for the episode, I do like this episode a lot for it's story, it's a fun idea to tackle and it's nice to see all the different ways Humagears impact life, in both good and negative ways when it comes to how people use them.

That being said... having seen other Manga based episodes of Toku, this is probably in terms of flare at the end, my 3rd favorite? I feel like GARO does this particularly well in terms of blending action and Manga together with a clever finale to the fight, while Zenkaiger just goes full ham with the insaneness of this. Now idk what other Manga episodes there are but that's just my two cents.

Flaming Tiger though! I love it, though I especially love the gloved hands. There's something about adding the extra armor all over the hand that I love a lot. I also like how we bring in a new briefcase weapon, and it has the obvious drawback of insane recoil. Thankfully Fuwa just needs to think like a gorilla to use it since it packs quite a PUNCH!

Yeah, I realize that I was maybe a little of Ishizumi as a character, and how hard the show hits the HE'S SO LAZY ALL THE TIME WITH HIS EATING AND LOUNGING button, so let me talk about a little detail that worked for me and this character.

When the Magear bursts in for the final battle, Ishizumi grabs his pen off his desk to save it. Like, dude thinks he's either going to get murdered by the robot with a drill head, or the laser-light animals that are shooting through his walls, and he grabs the pen that he stopped using years ago.

It's a really nice character detail, that he's still the same creator deep inside, but it's also a key to him understanding how the Humagears should best be utilized. They're a tool, just like his pen. The pen can't work without him, and he's not himself if he doesn't use the pen. The symbiosis of that -- tool and craftsman -- is the point of the Humagears. One AI doing backgrounds and assists? Sure. An entire crew doing every detail while he eats all day? Wrong.

So, yeah, I also liked how this episode talked about humans coexisting with technology!

Ah yes, Flaming Tiger. My overall favourite form change for the series, enough that I bought the Progrisekey without getting the 01 Driver (was never really fond of it). In addition to Secondaries’ belts, I also make sure to get episode 5 items in Reiwa.

Anyway, on with the meaningless trivia.

This weeks monster is based on the Vicarya, an ancestor of our snails.
This episode was supposed to have a scene from the Perfuman Tsurugi anime that gets alluded to, but the producer learned that the time needed to animate the scene was three times the length of the time it takes to make and edit a single episode of the show, so he nixed the idea.

The VA Humagear seen being ordered online and greeted briefly by the Mangaka is played by an actual VA by the name of Karen Miyama, better known as Ichika Usami/Cure Whip in Kirakira Pretty Cure a la Mode.

And as the requisite Legend Rider keys, Flaming Tiger is one that produced TWO rather than one. But since the other one is in a video with one remixed from next episode’s key, I’m saving that for later. Just know that the series it represents has the same premiere date as the series this key represents

Shabadoobie touch to henshin! MagicShowing Wizard! A great magic called the Final Hope.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bC6dR73-Vzg

For this particular episode, though, this guy *didn't* write Parad, or anything related to Ex-Aid, for that matter. These next couple episodes were written by Masaya Kakehi, and the thing about his writing on Zero-One is that... you'd really never notice the difference? Especially coming off of Zi-O, where there could be such a contrast in how different writers approached the scripts, Takahashi and Kakehi really seemed to be on the same page for what they wanted Zero-One to be like.

I utterly adore this episode too, by the way. It is the one that introduced me to my beloved Tora-chan, after all!

https://i.imgur.com/UNKsVq3.png

Definitely my favorite of Zero-One's basic form changes, and possibly my favorite suit in the entire series? The design is great; love the blue eyes; cat motifs are apparently an easy sell for me; fire gloves are cool; I like how the Rising Hopper armor moves. Beyond that though, how much of an impression a form leaves on me is often down to the story its attached to, and how cool they make it look, and it's kind of no contest among these early episodes for me. This episode has a really fun and effective plot, and it ends with a fight sequence that is intensely creative and fun. Biting Shark was just like, in water, and that was it. Here we've got a really unique visual trick to make it look like everything is on fire (it's just colored lighting and vapor, apparently), and the whole comic book panel shtick was just completely brilliant. (This episode was directed by Shibasaki, for the record.) Plus, Aruto immediately scorching his own face with his new fire hands is probably one of my favorite Aruto moments.

That and his impassioned speech about the value of Ishizumi's work. I guess it's maybe to be expected when we're literally watching a children's action series, but I really love how much more personal this topic is to Aruto than usual. He's appreciating the job of the week not just as an outsider this time, but as a fan, and that's a great way to further drill into the episode's theme of passion. Have I mentioned how much I like this episode's script yet?

https://i.imgur.com/gUBGFVp.png
https://i.imgur.com/WKuFgyU.png
https://i.imgur.com/R3WYNPf.png
https://i.imgur.com/uuL02J8.png

(Oh, and even without the time required to do any animation, it's insanely impressive how much Perfuman Tsurugi stuff they created just for this episode, when you really stop and take it all in. You'd almost believe it was a real thing if you didn't know, and that makes it one of the finest examples of how thorough Zero-One's worldbuilding is in my book.)

Episode 5!

-Hey! You can't just casually mention that Humagear customization can get wild like that! If I don't see background Humagears that looks like a randomized Sims later, the show's an instant 0/10 (joking, of course)

-A fun little Izu sideplot, I enjoyed it! C'mon Aruto, you gotta recongize how brilliant her timing on the "Aruto ja naito" was, even if the joke's on you this time....

-The idea that the guy was experiencing burnout and growing dillusioned with his art, while probably not being afforded the luxury of a break to sort himself out (even as a super casual fan of manga who doesn't know alot, the things I've heard super popular mangaka have been through in order to keep up with both publisher and fan demand is downright horrendous), it's clear to see how Ishizumi turned out like this. I know the episode punches up how comically lazy he's become, but anyone who knows that feeling of burnout on a project close to your heart (not just art, but any creative endeavor) knows just how awful something like that can be to you mentally.

-The AIMS duo's contributions to this episode sure were small, but real fun. Fuwa going flying after using the new attache, and cracking himself up over Aruto lighting himself on fire, real good stuff.

-I didn't realize the next episode was so early in 01's lineup. Looking forward to talking about it.

I was more talking about determination part in general there, instead of specifically Fuwa, because that was the one talked about before. Of course he gotta have heroic traits if he'd be an anti-hero, it IS a subcategory of hero, just probably won't count determination though personally, determination is admirable yeah, but not necessarily heroic trait (as you said, only targeting who's actually bad in his destructive tendencies that is detrimental to AIMS at times too). Yua treating them with cold contempt is highly regarded on the posts here though.

Working in unison with people to create happiness is what Aruto, and the previous President, wants and intends, but, the outcome isn't always what you wanted. The main problem the Riders face now, being a Rider show, is of course Humagears turning into Magia, but Aruto still can't control how customers would use Humagears. If there'd be a party who uses them as substitutional for humans and swap them for machine diligence, then yeah it'd be a bad consequence of Humagears even if Aruto probably won't want that, and inherent consequence of technology advancement. Or better, firing workers to hire a Humagear that they don't need to pay.

The development of Humagears would be them gaining more and more human traits and sentience, and Izu wouldn't be an exception, as shown here in her seeking for humanity, passion in this case, becoming more humane by getting to know one of human's traits, and coincidentally leads into the current plot resolution of her using Humagears to help those with passion. Regarding Ishizumi, there's something potentially worse than just him being lazy and handing all his work on Humagears, he'd rather replace Humagears if his current Humagears only ran out of batteries and can be recharged, of which actually would save a lot rather than paying for new ones. This implies that his dismissiveness has turned into subconscious malevolence, potentially giving himself some sociopathic or sadistic traits, to ignore the outright more efficient and less costly solution even revolving his laziness, like a consequence in his fame and apathy destroying his concept of decency. Until the end of course to treat Humagears as his partners.

Ishizumi had some opposite to Uozumi (Sushi Chef) in their view of Humagears as tools, Uozumi refuses to use Humagears because of their perceived lack of souls in cooking, while Ishizumi makes extensive use of Humagears, more than necessary (like replacing the dead ones) because having no souls would mean they won't get tired.

Other than Izu, even the MetsubouJinrai.net members also have a development path of seeking humanity, in how Jin had identity crisis that he doesn't know who he is other than a lunatic who turns Humagears into Magia for Ark's will, but now discovered that he's Horobi's son. Still, his seeking of humanity isn't something that'd be as quick as you'd probably expect here though. Even Horobi also now had some conflicting plans with Jin to order him not looking for Progrise Keys on his own, which shows that the MetsubouJinrai.net's Humagear members can be different and not all acting the same (if not already from Horobi's previous no-nonsense devotion to Ark and Jin's psychotic nature).

Ha ha, I also ordered a Flaming Tiger Key after watching this episode! (I mean, it was alongside the other Progrise Keys that debuted so far; I'm not completely insane.) A little terrified of owning a Key with the power of a hundred exploding bombs, but I'll try and handle it more safely than Aruto.

Oh, gotcha! Thanks! And, while this episode gives us a bit more Jin than usual (to help with the overall tone of How Do Humagears View Humanity), most of his other appearances have followed the same beats of him gleefully siccing fellow lifeforms on humanity, and that... am I wrong on it feeling a little reminiscent of Parado's early schtick on Ex-Aid? The combination of the performance and his role in the villain hierarchy just totally flagged up Parado in my memory.

I laughed a bit at the whole Punching Kong Is The Only Form That Can Handle The Shotgun concept, when the giant punchers on Kong mean that they can't actually show Vulcan holding the gun. Those mitts do not let him manipulate a trigger or level a firearm!

I'm a little curious if the show's going to dig into the financial ramifications of a nation over-automating its workforce? God knows we don't need to clutter up a sci-fi premise with Taxation Of Trade Routes-level boredom, but when you've got Humagears that can handle full-on creative work... unless these things cost a billion yen, any business would be stupid not to switch to an all-Humagear workforce, which is basically as dystopian an outcome as I can imagine. You're talking about catastrophic wealth redistribution, completely wiping out all but the Top 1%, who now no longer have customers with any income. The end result of that would either create a post-capitalist utopia, or full-on societal collapse.

I will admit, I'm not big a fan of robot/A.I. stories, but this episode encapsulates a theme that I think works brilliantly.

As someone who wants to be a creator (Manga, character design, writer), this episode hits something I, in a way, am concerned with. The premise centering on a Mangaka who has basically left his work to machines to draw, edit, even write the story for him, in what way does it no longer become your work? Now it's not quite put like that, but I'm someone who wants to create something myself, to put my heart and soul into for others to enjoy, to leave something behind, and this episode explores a theme that is hardly ever touched on in this light.

It works great, not in just what it's trying to show, but how Aruto, who should be standing by his company's ideals and or business to sell Humagears to fulfill tasks to those who desire it but chooses to help his favorite Mangaka to work on something that was special to him. It doesn't say Humagears have to be the answer to everything, that human potential itself is important, where most of these kinds of stories either pick one or the other, this shows what's most important to these kinds of stories and what I believe to be the right way in telling it, balance. Humans and machines as equals, not picking a side to show who's better, which is something a lot more things could afford to do. It's beautiful, because it's not biased to one side but shows both sides.

And I can't forget Flaming Tiger and Punching Kong (I forgot he debuted last episode) are great suits, and especially love how Kong can handle the force of the shotgun, just a nice touch.

Aruto sort of vetting people, to determine who's deserving of Humagears... it's a nice little fairy tale of how we'd like our corporate overlords to treat us. The idea of Jeff Bezos (or whomever) meeting a family and helping them figure out if an Alexa is right for their situation, that's such a charmingly optimistic hope for late-stage capitalism and technology that I love it. The reality is far more inhumane and rapacious, so why not give kids a view of how technology sales should work if we actually had companies that cared about their customers? Maybe one of the kids watching this episode will be in a position someday to do things better.

This was the episode where I started thinking about the Humagears in relation to Japan's propensity for wave slaves and working people to the bone, while Humagears work to a malfunctioning state without complaint, although they don't really dive that deeply into it.

Ishizumi's manga sure is a long-runner.

We don't get a lot of drill Kaijin. I liked that.

I love how Ishizumi is about to give Aruto a toy sword to live out his fantasy and Is is like "yes, let's not."

Flaming Tiger! I mean, people have gushed enough about this form, but it really just hits all the best form debut beats. It feels suitably epic, the form looks cool, it literally spews fire, even the other characters are pointing out how awesome it is. Fuwa literally becomes Aruto's hype man, almost!

"There's only one person who can stop you...and it's me!" - I mean, Fuwa is literally right there and was doing a decent job, but still an epic moment!

Well, Fuwa at least had a pretty big fan in Ishizumi, so there's some balance there.

I like that line a lot as a catchphrase, incidentally. It could come off as grandiose or self-aggrandizing, but I like the responsibility it denotes. Like, Humagears are Aruto's responsibility, and he takes it personally. If someone from Hiden has to fix a mistake, he wants it to be him. It's that idealized version of corporate governance, where shit rolls uphill, and the CEO is there to save the consumer.

Aruto's a very Peter Parker type of hero to me, in his thrust-upon power and seemingly limitless empathy, and a line like that -- vowing to be the one who puts himself between danger and the endangered -- really clarified it for me.

I should mention that there was no actual fire during the dramatic money shot of the suit. Just some really intense orange lights.