I barely cry and I was bawling :lol Heck the episode before the finale had me a little teary eyed as well.

To be perfectly honest with you guys W’s endgame didn’t impress me in the slightest, because I knew it was fake drama with no consequences. I knew Philip would be back.

So I was really annoyed when it did happen in the final episode. Returning with his sisters body, WTF?

I love W but the ending was bad IMO. Or rather I didn't enjoy it at all.

I liked W's ending personally, imo of all the characters to get killed off and come back, Philip deserved it the most. I get why people prefer to see it as ending at episode 48 though. Nothing will ever convince me that Shotaro's reaction to Philip coming back isn't the best thing ever though.

I will say that in Wizard I liked that they let Koyomi die for real, it was a nice twist.

Just watched Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land.

Man, I hope someday I get to watch a Kamen Rider movie that isn't dumb, because the non-dumb-movie-count is sitting dangerously close to zero. Eh.

I did like professor Nitou...

Well, I liked the Fourze portion of Movie War Ultimatum...And...I think OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders isn't as bad as the Movie Wars...Yeah.

I haven't gotten to those yet. As far as movies go, I've really only seen those associated with Ryuki, Blade, Wizard (ultimatum excluded), Gaim and Drive. With the exception of Full Throttle, I can't honestly claim to have particularly liked any of them much.

Except Episode Final. Because I watched that one so long ago that I literally do not remember what I thought about it. I don't remember disliking it, though, and I like Ryuki, so I think I probably liked it? I don't remember.

The Hibiki movie is pretty good, but that's mostly because it's an obvious Seven Samurai pastiche.

It had Miho and Miho was awesome.

Wizard episode 45.

It's a scary day when Shunpei has to be the reasonable person in the group.

I know, right?

I just started it out of curiosity. I am actually prepared to be disappointed but then again, Gaim and W has set the bar way too high for other Riders to begin with, in my opinion.

Anyways, Kamen Rider Faiz ep2:

-Run, Yuji, Run!

-Umm, Takumi, you do realize that the girl just indirectly saved your life? Why are you chastising her for giving you dust-zombie destroying cyber-armor?

-Sorry Mari, the mug is more interesting than your exposition. Also, I wonder if Takumi is going to be less of a jerk now that his bag is found... nope, still a jerk.

-Yuji, don't do it! Aw, he did it. Oh well, I bet you'll just re-spawn later.... I was right.

-Takumi, what the hell is wrong with you? You just don't throw Rider gear away like that? And neither do you shrug off responsibility! Uncle Ben would be disappointed in you! Oh and nice job throwing away your own bag.

-"Life is frail. Life is limited. So why don't you think about true life? Be smart, true life is your start." Whoa, creepy foreshadowing! And the English spoken in the commercial is actually intelligible!

-It's not a normal belt? You don't say? But the pawnshop keeper says that it's just a belt! Seriously, you guys are making me feel as if this show should belong to Yuji, who has already been hit by a truck and put in a coma, come back from the dead, get back-stabbed by his family and dumped by his girlfriend (although her case is kind of understandable), turned into a centaur thingy, tried suicide and failed and finally got kidnapped by blue butterfly lady. And the second episode's not even over yet!

-A barbershop at an amusement park? Seriously? Well, this could be worse. They could be a pair of mimes instead.

-Oh look, Takumi is sneaking off with his bag again! Five dollars say that he made the same fucking mistake again...I WAS RIGHT!

-Whoa, way to be a bitch and ruin Yuji's already shitty life, Chie! And you were just ready to run back in his arms not even five minutes ago. I am with Yuji on this one. Kill her already.

-And here we will find a Sonada Mari in her natural habitat, being a clumsy damsel in distress, trying her best to generate drama and yet failing to do so.

-OH MY GAWD! THE CGI! THE HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE CGI!

-I am pretty sure that van won't save you, Mari.

-Now that's what I am talking about! Laser targeted Rider Kick!

-We now return to Kiba Yuji, the real reason we watch this show. While the rest of the cast is giving kids haircuts in amusement parks and getting their bags switched like some hoary joke with an over used punchline, he is contemplating the meaning of existence over the corpse of his former girlfriend known as Chie. We now witness him finally give in to the darkness in his heart and stride purposefully towards blue butterfly lady who smiles at her student. Truly a heartwarming moment for the forces of EVIIIIILLLLLL!

Watched the first three episodes of Kamen Rider Black and I enjoyed it. It’s absolutely not a story-driven experience, after the first two episodes which explained how Kotaro became Black and that Golgom is evil and stuff we’re already hard on the MOTU-formula with episode three.

But I kinda like it. For one the effect work is simply stunning. Yes you have your crappy computer effects when the Golgom sages (I just call them that, you know who I mean) float around or when something completely crazy happens. But I’m still surprised how well they can pull some stuff off with just clever camera angles and of course really well made special effects. The monsters look really creepy and sometimes it’s more like watching a horror movie than a superhero show and I dig that.

Second, the fights are well done. It’s not high-end martial arts but it looks good. And they incorporate the monsters abilities into it rather well.

But what I probably like most is the dark and sometimes scary mood this show has. I always enjoyed the Cyborg-angle of the Kamen Riders, that they are tragic figures altered against their will, but keep pushing forward. I would like a modern show to really get into this, because with Black it’s just the first two episodes, Kotaro being unable to control his strength and breaking a glass and after that he’s completely in control and I doubt they ever revisits that setup aside from the speech at the end of every episode.

So like I was told, it’s not something where the story grabs you or you want to see the characters unfold, Kamen Rider Black is more your weekly “Meet a scary new monster and see Black beat the shit out of it”-kinda deal. I won’t be bale to watch more than one episode or two before I get bored and watch something else, but I do enjoy watching those episodes. I think watching an episode of Kamen Rider Black every other evening could be really fun. And hey: There is something to look forward to, Shadow Moon. And the other evil guy on a motorcycle, I heard he’s kinda cool as wlel.

So I definitely keep watching this time, I do want to see the whole show now.

Wizard episode 49.

Nitou is a cool dude.

The dark atmosphere in the first third of Black is awesome, oudated but creepy visual effects, with nightmare fuel everywhere. Too bad the tone get lighter after that (check the color of Minami Kotaro jacket, it's kind of symbolic).

Just wait until you get to the ep with the eagle monster. Golgom's plan in that one is beautifully insnae.

Kuuga episode 46:
As if getting magical transformation powerups from a defibrillator once wasn't already ridiculous, it happened AGAIN. That is just silly. Black Kuuga looks pretty awesome, it looks so sleek! I have to admit though, I loved the way they wrapped up the subplot with Enokida and her son.

Yes. Yes he is

I think the monster suits still hold up really well, 20-something years later. They look better than some of the things the more recent shows have been putting out.

Kamen Rider Wizard episode 51.

Man, shut your piehole, Rinko.

And that's...a wrap. There's still two episodes left, but they're those weird crossover ones so for all intents and purposes I have finished Wizard. So I may as well share my thoughts on it now. I've said a lot of this before and elsewhere, but all the same.

In short, I really enjoyed it, I liked it, and I think it's a good show. Great suits, great fights, good music and general production values...9 times out of 10 the humor worked for me, and I like a lot of the characters a lot. The Riders are great. I think it was Switchblade that compared Haruto to the Showa Riders, and I think it's an apt comparison. I also think the Showa comparison works not only for the main Rider, but really, the show as a whole. Largely episodic stories, relatively static characters, and a supporting cast of limited usefulness...while all are common complaints towards Wizard, they're also not particularly uncommon features of the Showa shows I've watched. So I really see Wizard as a fairly traditional Rider show (just with flashier fights and designs), and this I am fine with. I never expected it to be any different, and I didn't need it to be. It gets a bad rap, but I really enjoyed watching it. It was fun.

That's not to say that it was without flaws...the supporting characters generally didn't do the show a lot of favors. While they never really bothered me too much until that point, that stupid Myna Bird storyline really soured me on both Shunpei and Rinko, and by extension a fair part of the show considering they're part of the main cast. That being said, I ultimately can't find it in me to dislike Shunpei. He fulfilled an important role as a sort of PR guy to the Gates, and he occasionally did things that were truly and admirably heroic, like saving Nitou's grandma or tackling Siren to protect a Gate's hope when Haruto got his priorities fucked up. He was a goof and a sometimes annoying one, but he tried and he did good. And he's not Onari, so you know, points.

Rinko, on the other hand...got kidnapped by Phoenix that one time? Seriously, when I think about it Rinko is just about the worst. I struggle to think of a single thing she really contributed. She was basically a second Shunpei that wasn't around as much because she had a real job but when she did hang around it was a waste of her time because she couldn't really do much and maybe would have spent her time better being a cop? She was practically useless. The fact that in episode 51 she decided to shout some really unnecessary and obvious things to Haruto (truly, her greatest contribution in the entire second half) earns her no points. So yeah. Shunpei gets a lot of crap, but Rinko is like three times worse at least.

Wajima was fine. Koyomi's actress could have been a little better. I wish they'd done a little more with Mayu and the other two Mages, but eh.

I really like Haruto, I love Nitou. The Riders really carried the show for me...so yeah, I dunno. Wizard: Better than Advertised, is my tl;dr. I don't really like to rank the Rider shows I've watched, since quantifying my opinions isn't my forte, but it's...up there.

Anyway, now I gotta watch those crossover eps...also gonna have to give the Sengoku Movie War a rewatch since when I watched it for Gaim I, well, hadn't seen Wizard. Though even back then I remember thinking it a crock that the Mages show up for like three seconds and then get knocked out. Mages deserve some love, damn it.

I'm even tempted to give Kamen Rider Taisen a watch since Haruto is in it, but that movie is the worst and I do not like Wizard enough to subject myself to it again.

After that, it's Skyrider time! I don't hear a lot about Skyrider in general. It's like, only second to Super-1 as far as me-not-hearing-about-it goes. About all I know is he can fly and at one point the seven legendary Riders kick him. Wikipedia (which is probably full of shit) says it was meant to go back to the basics after the more "complex" and "unique" series like Amazon and Stronger. I liked both of those but not the original series, so you know, not super hyped, but whatevs! The difference between them all really isn't that huge. I'm hoping it's good. Though for better or for worse, only the first 34 episodes have been subbed. So whether I like it or not I'm gonna run out relatively quickly.

I really don't have expanded thoughts on Wizard beyond Nitou probably being what kept me interested enough to watch it as it aired. He had a nice charm to him while his quirks weren't his defining characteristics. I liked his bond with Chimera and he played off Haruto well enough.

Concerning Haruto, I 'get' him, I just don't like it. Though, considering the only Showa show I've seen is Amazon, I don't have the proper Showa knowledge to make comparisons...

Skyrider's pretty good. It's never been one of my favorites, but it's fun as a quasi-reboot of the original series. It definitely feels more modern and polished than the early 70s shows, but not as well done as Black. It gets more enjoyable once the older Riders start showing up, but I actually like the original suit and theme song a lot more.

I don't dislike Haruto, but I always got a nagging feeling with him. It felt like he had really cool character development, but it all happened BEFORE the series started. It always seemed like his whole backstory with his dead parents leading up to how he became the person he was by the time the season started is would have made a better plot than the season itself.

I to started Skyrider recently and while I've only seen episode one (really have to pace myself here since it isn't finished being subbed), I'm enjoying it. Though I'm not going to lie, the action looks really awkward. Like I mean almost bad awkward. Kinda sad to me since an older show in Zubat had much better action.

Wizard episode 52.

I think I like pissy delinquent Rinko more than crappy detective Rinko. Hmm...yeah, I think I do.

Also, like...Ryuki's powers don't really work that way but whatevs. Just happy to see the suit again even if he didn't do a lot. Which really gets me thinking, yet again, that all these fancy team-ups between Riders would probably be a lot more meaningful to me if I'd watched all these guys' shows. When all I got under my belt is Kuuga, Ryuki, Blade, and everything from Wizard onward, it kinda renders most of these teamups to like two suits I actually care about (but that, without returning characters, always get shafted) and like ten other fuckers I don't know. Though at least the suits are pretty cool and stuff.

Speaking of, maaaan it is nice to see Kouta again. To see the Gaim suit, all new and shiny. And to hear some of that soundtrack again! Aaaaah. Man do I miss my fruity Rider.

I'm new to the franchise relatively, so I've been through KR Decade, Blade, and Kiva, then went back and watched all of Kuuga with Agito next up.

~Man~ I love this stuff.

That's not a high bar you've set there, to be fair. :lol

Glad you're having fun - Agito is a show that is very near and dear to me, so I hope you enjoy it.

Watched the second episode of Ghost's "Legendary Souls". It was good for a five minute thing.

I've finally finished Kuuga, it was... fine I guess. I'm pretty much completely neutral on it honestly. I thought Godai was okay, not as great as some protagonist and not as horrible as others. The plot was a interesting enough but didn't really grab me. The plot did have the oh-so-common issue of horribly rushing at the end and explaining itself poorly. The real highlights for me were Ichijou (SO HARDBOILED) and the fight scenes which I thought were really well done.

I really have to just mention the "extra episode" though, that was just insane. I always enjoy watching the weird cracktastic stuff a lot after I finish a season, because no matter how I feel about the season itself those are always just fun. I had to laugh at Ichijou and Godai constantly freaking out about the letters on the screen and bad camera filters.

I'm going to take a short break and watch the Wizard in Magika Land shorts, which I only just found even though I watched Wizard about 6 months ago. Then I'll do the logical followup and start on Agito.

I agree with you on the extra episode. I love meta comedy so episode 50 was pretty hilarious.

I need to stop rewatching fourze, I have watched it far too many times at this point.

Wizard episode 53.

Silly world within the magic stone, Alternative Zero's not a kaijin!

Anyway, crossover was kinda dumb, as they mostly always are, but kind of fun too I suppose.

And now I'm done with the series for reals.

Got any plans for what to watch after Wizard?

Yup. Already got all the available episodes of Skyrider downloaded and everything.

Ah I see.

To be honest I know barely anything about Skyrider other than it was sort of a reboot, skyrider can fly and according to stats he one of the weakest rider kicks of around 500 kilograms of force.

It will be interesting seeing what you think of it given I am taking a while to get to showa.

Finished the Wizard Magica Land net movies. I think those might be my favorite of all the KR net movies I've seen so far, and I like the net movies a lot in general. I mean, Kamen Rider detectives, Medusa being incapable of telling riders apart, Shunpei somehow getting romantic with everyone. I really have to wonder how the writers come up with this stuff. It was also fun to see Haruto be less serious, it was like "PLAIN SUGARRR" but the entire time.

I'm not sure if it's better or worse than when the Joker Undead shows up as just another kaijin in big fight scenes. Both show a startling lack of knowledge about the franchise.

Wait what? Alternative Zero and Joker show up as simple old monsters? I've never seen Wizard so forgive my lack of knowledge.

Wait, seriously? I didn't pay a lot of attention to the big crowds of kaijin since I wouldn't recognize most of them anyway. Didn't notice Joker was in there. But...he never died, so that doesn't even...man. Jeez.

Yeah, something like that. The last two episodes of Wizard involve Haruto getting sucked into an alternate world inhabited by the defeated kaijin of previous series. For some reason that includes Alternative Zero and apparently even the Joker Undead...hell, the fact that any Undead would show up is kind of stupid now that I think about it.

Joker's in most of the All Riders and Superhero Taisen movies as just a random monster for ZX or someone to beat on. The Wizard finale didn't include him, but if I remember correctly it did include the King Orphnoch as a mook, which is also pretty damn ignorant.

It's stupid. If these writers knew anything, Joker would be fighting alongside the Riders. He is kind of technically a Rider as it stands.

Ah. Yeah, it definitely had the Arch Orphonoch. Arch and Alternative actually showed up at the same time and worked together. I haven't seen Faiz so I don't know what the significance of it is, but if you say it's dumb I defer to your judgement.