Yo, you alright with me, Fish

What's funny is that I was one of the few who was defending Wizard throughout its run and then the last 8 episodes happened. UGH!! Total waste of time.

It also didn'thelp matters that Shunpei was hands down the worst sidekick for any Kamen Rider. The actor should have been embarssed because he was like 18 playing a character that was written to act like a 10 year old.

Personally, I really like the show Wizard wanted to be. I think the villain's plot is actually very interesting and does a good job of justifying his actions throughout the show. Unfortunately, the execution was incredibly lacking. The show was deeply formulaic, poorly paced, and deeply hamstrung by Koyomi's actress being largely unavailable.

I spent a lot of time defending Wizard when it was on, but I eventually realized that it just wasn't worth it. As much as I like Haruto - and I really, really like Haruto - the rest of the show just isn't worth the effort to defend.

And I genuinely like Haruto because of how stoic he generally is and I like how he always saves the day. He reminds me a lot of a Showa era Rider and I found that fun for a change. I honestly think he's the show's one of the few redeeming factors.

Super Hero Taisen GP

Firstly, before I ramble on about the plot, I have to say, there are some shots in this movie in the later half, that for some reason looks... different. Like they've been filmed at a higher framerate, or just the camera is finally sitting still for a damn minute and getting close ups, and it looks like the way early Heisei Rider looked. You can especially see this when Drive and 3 are talking to each other partway through the race, and I have to say I think these few shots look fantastic. I feel like this should be the way Rider looks. I understand that these might not be the same cameras used to film the show, so something like that wouldn't be possible but damn.

I like the idea of the opening sequence, looking through an old 4:3 view with grainy visuals to show an altered timeline. But my problem is that they use old footage mixed with new footage. You can tell what's the new footage, excluding 3 being there, because the way it's filmed is completely different from the early segment with Great Leader. I feel like they should have committed to a more old school style of filming for the 3 fight, or remade that Great Leader scene.

The first part of the movie when the characters are trying to get to Rider town was alright. Kotaro Minami was fantastic in that opening scene trying to protect those kids. The Riders from the current series were alright, I like Gou more, personally, but maybe it's because he's got a deeper voice despite his boyish looks. And Takumi is in this movie, oh sweet! And they got Faiz to light up for that one underground fight that was way too short. Yuuto was fine as well, but I was surprised that Deneb was in all of two scenes.

The one returning character I was personally disappointed in what they did with or lackthereof was Tachibana. I mean, I like his fabulous hair and all but he was wasted in this movie. Considering the whole plot of this movie took place in the altered shocker timeline, I guess the writers couldn't give him any sort of subplot to develop his character a bit like with Takumi in Heisei v Showa. Maybe it's just because I'm a blade fanboy. Not to mention the Blade and Garren masks are aging about as well as a super nintendo.

The plot is nonsensical, Kamen Rider 3 is with shocker, then not, then with shocker, then with them but deep down inside he regrets doing what he did. Not to mention the whole Rider town/Shocker town thing. And then Great Leader absorbs Rider 3 to become a giant time destroying mech which pops out Riders 1 and 2, which I don't even know how that's possible, who promptly get defeated by some basic Sentai Mecha attacks. And then Gou dies but I know he's not dead because they still need him for the show.

It's okay. Rider 3's arc isn't too bad and the fights are cool. It's not better than Heisei vs Showa due to that movie having actual semi cohesive subplots.

I know you've barely seen Ghost but I think Onari gives him some competition. He's more helpful but more annoying, so it kind of balances out.

Koyomi being out of the spotlight so much really was a crippling issue though. I don't know why they didn't just get someone else to play her at that point.

I've always felt Wizard's snail-like pacing was a very deliberate move but I totally understand how it rubbed people the wrong way, given that it was still trying to have an overarching plot, even as it was relegated to a background element most of the time.

I actually still remember a lot of people at the time expecting something a little more old-school and/or dark after hearing the premise and I guess at that point it was hard not to be disappointed by the show we got. The initial reaction was still pretty positive as I recall and since I lost interest in posting here about 10 episodes in it was a MAJOR shock to the system when I came back as Gaim was starting and discovered it'd become Kamen Rider's own Goseiger in the meantime.

I think it suffers most from being the perfect level of average not to inspire very strong feelings one way or the other (unless you're, you know, me). Faiz may be a melodramatic mess but it had some really unique concepts and themes behind it. Wizard is mostly just a bunch of decent ideas executed decently.

I guess. Obviously my personal feelings are a lot different but that's my objective(ish) assessment.

I would...personally rather dispute that Shunpei is less helpful. I mean...maybe? Onari never really had the real moments of true heroism that Shunpei did--like when he risked his life to save Nitou's grandma, or when he did the same to save a Gate's hope when Haruto was kind of losing sight of his goal. They're not many, but they are unarguably great things he does that one can latch on to (as I do, sometimes) to say, well, he's not too bad. He also has a goal, to be even more useful to Haruto, at the end of the show, and he does end up doing so in the Sengoku Movie War. Shunpei isn't amazing but I really don't think he's all that useless.

On the other hand, Onari...gives Javert onigiri a couple of times? Really, he just doesn't accomplish much. He does kind of throw himself into danger's way a few times because he wants to be useful, but it literally never once proves useful. It never gets any actual results, it's just jokes. (Well, never up until episode 48, but even Kanon was beating up Ganma at that point so the writers just sort of stopped caring for that bit just so they could have the team all together so eh, doesn't count). In the end, the best he ever did was deal with Javert, and at the very, very end, he was just what he was throughout the entire show: a fucking joke. Which I mean, is ok, but...it's not ok.

He also is indeed far more annoying.

I dunno, maybe it's just because I watched Wizard after I'd already watched so much of Ghost, after hearing so much about how Shunpei was Literally The Worst, and seeing Onari compared favorably to him, but I never saw anything wrong with him.* Even now can not figure out why the guy is so hated. And perhaps for the same reason, I'm kinda prejudiced in this respect. Because man, screw Onari.

*myna bird episodes aside. the myna bird episodes are...they're not good for anybody, is all im gonna say

Part of the problem was that Wizard was the fourth series in a row to focus mostly on two-episode arcs with a monster- and victim-of-the-fortnight. Rider had really started to stagnate and Wizard definitely suffered from it. One of the best parts of Gaim was that it broke that pattern and did something truly different for the first time in years.

I was just about to ask this.

As I understand it, the actress was also an idol at the time. Maybe she had been cast long before they knew how her schedule was going to be, and/ or the writers couldn’t think of a way to explain Koyomi’s change in appearance had the part been re-cast later on.

Wajima creating a ring that changes the wearer’s appearance and Haruto using Koyomi as a test subject, would’ve been a solution, I guess.

I don't think it's ever been confirmed, but this is the standard assumption most people have about it. They weren't going to recast her, though - she was way too big of a name to replace.

That always did seem to be the single most common complaint I saw.

I guess that's probably a big reason I like it so much. Not only did I really like that formula to begin with, I try to look at each series as its own thing as much as possible. I get why that would be hard to do though.

Gaim definitely hit at the right time. Rider has kind of gone right back to post-Decade basics since then but Drive and especially Ghost have both put a bit more of a spin on that structure.

Honestly I'd prefer barely being around to pulling a Den-O. They ended up working it into the plot decently enough but Hana never felt quite the same afterwards despite still being written the same way.

Let's not even mention Shibuy- uh, Ryoutarou. :p

I was thinking of bringing him up, but I couldn't remember his name. From the two episodes I watched he was definitely worse than Shunpei.

See, I have to call bullshit on this one. I don't know who made up that excuse, but she signed on to do the show and therefore should have been focusing on that and not doing anything else if she couldn't handle walking and chewing gum at the same time. Are contracts in Japan as meaningless to them as Fair Use?

I always interpreted it to mean she signed on with the explicit deal she wouldn't have to show up too often, not that she was just being flaky.

Like Toei basically said "sure you're playing a main character but whatever, we'll just have them write around you!", thus shooting Wizard in the foot before it even started. The contract is probably exactly the problem, if I had to guess.

I think you underestimate the celebrity bonus Koyomi's actress has. She is and already was HUGE in Japan before Wizard, because she's a member of a super-popular girlband (PASSPO☆). She probably signed up thinking it was a minor role or her agency felt it was a good thing to boost her acting career (which she certainly should not follow because that's not quite her talent) or whatever and ended up having more "important" stuff to do, such as model work or band-related stuff.
Since it's mostly her agency that has a word in her schedule, I'm pretty sure they set her priorities and considering that those agencies have pretty strict policies, I don't think Toei could do a lot against that.

Maybe they should have checked to see if she could actually act first. :lol

Yup, but then again, idols seem to HAVE to do acting these days. She was probably forced, seeing how she never looks like she actually has fun acting x,D

Kamen Rider 4 special

Wow, this was good. SHT GP was fine, but not great. This was an unexpected surprise going in, and I wish more crossovers were like this, focusing on a band of a few characters from different shows and one thing that is trying to be accomplished.

First of all, I love the basic premise of the repeating time loop, makes for a very simple yet effective story I don't think has been done in Rider before. (I haven't seen Den-O so correct me on that if they have done it.) Takumi and Yuuto's prescene here was defintley worth it for their actors coming back (especially Takumi). I wish the staff could have gotten Tachibana's actor in this since I would have loved to see him interact with everyone else, but I feel like he might have distracted from the plot of this very tight knit story or just had no role.

Kamen Rider 4 was an awesome design for a Rider, being based on pilots, even having a little radio earpiece, alongside the Zyuranger eske mouth going on.

I felt like this special was fantastic closure for Takumi regarding Faiz. We get to see Kaidou again, a huge surprise for me, we get to see Takumi chilling on the same hill that he was at the end of the show (they even show that clip). And all Takumi wants is the sweet release of death. I guess going based off Igadevil's headcanon about Kamen Rider Taisen, that Mari, Keitaro and others have moved on, yeah Takumi is kind of lonely and has no purpose. His ending was a nice resolution for his character, and his actor did a good job of setting this end up the past 2 movies. Since Kiba can't come back, Kusaka's dead and so is Takumi, I guess the only way they can wrap up the plot thread of the Orphenoch king is by bring Mihara back to become Delta. Ex-Aid Taisen movie maybe?

I was sort of getting confused when Takumi was talking about getting revived whether they meant when he became an Orphenoch or he somehow died and got revived from the end of the show until now. I think it was the former.

It wasn't super clear if Kaido was working with Shocker or not and if it was just a means of keeping Takumi around for longer since he too is without friends (considering Kiba died and Yuuka too). I like to think he was trying to just keep Takumi around.

The reveal at the end though the great leader was Takumi or took on his form or something really came out of left field and was the only really bad decision regarding the show. Why? Oh, and he uses a Faiz Signal Bike to transform. Okay.

I also have a hard time understanding how the time loop works. I understand that machines seem to be unaffected (Given how Belt-san had data from Shinnouske dying) and that at least the Drive crew got their memories more filled in with each loop. But then how does Shocker getting stronger work? I could understand maybe Rider 4 getting completed faster after each reset as they learn how to make him, but those Shocker grunts going through the streets and the planes and more enemies popping up in general? I don't get it.

Black episode 11.

What a prescient series. Just a couple of episodes ago the plot of the week involved teens in street dancing groups in a turf war, now people are turning into plants with evil fruit. The more things change I guess.

Loved that episode! Their dancing was so corny awesome and, c'mon, you know those girls dated after.

If the dancing episode is the one I think it is, it's also pretty much the exact same plot as Kabuto's last major story arc.

Amazon Episode 12: A look inside how the Beastmen are created. Well it's good to know they were human before, I guess that explains why Mole Beastman is the way he is, probably wasn't the worst criminal before hand. My favorite part had to be that Amazon knows strategy and did a lot of great work sneaking into Gedon's base. I mean you have to have a high level of intellect and wisdom to survive in the jungle so just because he can't speak doesn't mean he wasn't intelligent. I just loved his courage and wisdom this episode from stopping the criminal to infiltrating Gedon's base. The fight was kick ass and brutal, I just love watching Amazon rip apart these beastmen with his awesome moves. I can't wait to see him fight the 10-Faced Demon next episode should be awesome.

No, it's that talent agencies in Japan have a HUGE amount of power. If they think they can make more money off of one of their major stars taking another gig, they'll make sure she takes the gig, prior commitments be damned.

You can't blame the talent because they have virtually no control over their own careers.

Black episode 13.

This show has some damn good titles. The Last Day of Tuna? Mama is a Monster Nanny?

Good shit.

Kamen Rider 1 movie

Wow. This was a good movie. It's what I want out of a crossover, a small cast of characters interacting with a straight forward plot that develops each of them.

Rider 1 was fantastic in this movie. I love the new beefcake Rider 1 form in this movie, despite there being no explanation as to why only now he looks different. It's awesome to see the suit in action though, and for some simple Rider punches and kicks to be executed by this powerhouse. I also love the sort of responsibility vs heroism dilemma Rider 1 has to deal with. He's been out saving the world and beating up Heisei Riders, in the mean time leaving this girl he promised to be a father figure to alone. And then him spending time with her cuts into his ability to save the world from Nova shocker. He wants to be her hero by spending time with her and developing a relationship while at the same time, needing to be a hero for everyone else by stopping the bad guys.

I haven't seen Ghost, but the Takeru and the other guy were good in this movie too. Representing a new, younger generation that is different (Takeru being a ghost, both of the Riders using transformation gimmicks) yet the same, that needs help from the older generation to help guide them. He didn't really feel out of place in this movie, not just slotted in because he's the current Rider.

I also appreciate that in this movie that they didn't decide to shove toys down our throats. Sure, there's the Alexander the Great Eyecon, but they didn't show Ghost getting it, showing it off, and the hood that Ghost gets from it. Asides from the Legend Riders towards the end, there hardly any form changes in this movie, which is surprising.

I felt like Nova shocker was kind of lame. Their introduction and the scene of them proclaiming they'll control the world's economy were great but after that, just eh. They're not different from all the different prefixed shockers I've seen before.

The one thing that made me question why was how Hongo recovered from his heart having problems once he absorbed all that fire from the funeral pyre. I guess the belt/is new form does that? He can keep on going, huh?


I hope that all the spring Rider movies are stuff more like this and the Rider 4 special rather than the tangled messes the Taisen movies are. I feel like the Taisen movies get too lost in overall scope by feeling obligated to include ALL the riders and the current Sentai. I hope the Ex-aid spring Taisen movie does something smaller like Rider 1.

I'd love to see a movie focused on just Rider 2, since I'd like to see him get some focus. It seems like a lot of the myth behind the original Kamen Rider show always seems to revolve around just Rider 1 or both Rider 1 and Rider 2, but never specifically Rider 2. I would be fascinated to see what Rider 2 standing on his own would be like, and maybe with his own beefcake suit. And now I want to see the new Rider 1 and a theoretical new Rider 2 go up against Rider 3 for at least one fight.

I doubt that's going to happen. Takeshi Sasaki isn't in nearly as good of shape as Fujioka; he was pretty badly injured in a house fire several years ago and I'm not sure if he even acts anymore. He did some voice work as Rider 2 in the 40th anniversary movie, but I'm not sure he'd be willing/capable of fully reprising the role.

Oh...

Damn that sucks.

Amazon Episode 13: That was an intriguing episode and a very good one. Also another two-parter in the Showa Era. Though Amazon as a whole has felt like the story telling they did in the early Heisei Era of just one giant continuous plot. Great that we are getting the final showdown with the Ten-Faced Demon, I am excited to see Amazon battle him more. Also, I enjoyed that Amazon has learned more Japanese so he can talk better now. I had a feeling Miri wasn't someone to trust and I just loved that Amazon saw right through her, he's really intelligent and it's really awesome. Masahiko and Mole were both great trying to fight against the Dobsonfly Beastman. I can't wait for the second half of this episode and show.

Kamen Rider Gaim Gaiden: Zangetsu and Baron

I guess the theme of this V-cinema was essentially trying to kill rich people lol.

Zangetsu's portion I found to be okay. We learn a little more about how messed up Yggdrasil is and we get to see his dad (hey, it's also the dad of the Sonozaki family from W!). The prototype Suika lockseed looks sort of cool, I guess? Kinda makes him look more like Blood Zangetsu. I kinda wish though that it was just the machine gun shield and not have the musou saber since it would kind of make vanilla Zangetsu pointless.

The villain in this special was very eh. I like the idea of getting revenge for her being in that awful institute, and having a personal connection to Takatora, but it Idunn doesn't look that good IMO. I do like the idea of the Ringo arms in canon Gaim being made as sort of a shadow of the Golden Fruit, and they do a cool little thing with it in the Baron portion. Ryoma figuring out the Golden Fruit exists from Idunn is an interesting idea but I feel this reveal gets kind of ruined by the next Gaiden.

Baron's portion felt like a mix of something that would have been better off as a net movie, unnecessary conflict and some genuine deepening of his character.

Don't get me wrong I like seeing a silly Kaito look alike doing all of the Kaito stuff. I was surprised they didn't have him use Kaito's driver to transform into a wacky Baron. And him getting attacked by the Invess and he's so wacky!

I felt like the butler guy trying to kill Shupa was unnesscessary and really dragged down the plot, if there was any. I mean, the bike action between them was great, and it's cool to see Dragon Energy arms again, and Baron using the Ringo arms, but the plot just sucked. The only two good things we got out of this was Kaito's backstory for why he's power obsessed and his desire for the golden fruit from using Ringo.

I've been slowly dragging myself through Hibiki's second half. I've decided to pretend the second half is a completely different show, which atually makes it decently enjoyable for the most part.

I like to treat it as Inoue's Todoroki fan-fiction, myself. :p

Ex-aid episode 1

This episode felt rushed but it does introduce some really interesting plot set ups. The virus, the Driver itself, the mystery of the incident, Emu himself. I'm starting to actually like the design of the Ex-aid suit itself (except the colors), I didn't even know there was a life bar on his chest plate until watching this episode. Although I am not a fan of the wacky sound effects they threw into this episode for some reason.

But by far I think the best thing in this episode was the super cute nurse girl who was carrying the driver. Seriously, she did a decent job of helping convey some of the dialogue and it also helps she.. is appealing to my senses.

..Until she went into the game and became her digital version. Good lord, she feels as dressed up and forced as Marina Joyce.

Dig on Episode 2! So good!

Giving Kamen Rider 1 a watch.

-We're Nova Shocker! We don't like Shocker! We're gonna attack them arbitrarily for no apparent reason and with no clear purpose!

-Nova Shocker's plan seems poorly thought out, or at least poorly elaborated on. Unwarranted levels of applause.

-The scene of the combatmen in the bar was fantastic.

-Takeru should have asked Edison for help.

-I am pretty confused about what the purpose of Takeru pretending to be a teacher is. Almost as much as I am about how they managed to do it. If he just needed to keep an eye on her couldn't he just...go invisible? Like...a Ghost?

-Are student teachers supposed to randomly hang around during the girls' PE period? Takeru, you're not being very inconspicuous.

-Ok usually I find Onari absolutely humorless but I love that he wasn't even able to keep a straight face while teasing Akari. L...O.....l.

-oh no shes a chuuni

-Surprise Makoto. Has he just...been hanging out there, waiting for a good moment to jump in? Cause otherwise he just...barged into some random conversation with some random guy he doesn't know.

-Seriously though does this high school just let anyone say they're a teacher and let them loose on a class? Takeru hasn't even graduated from high school...

-It's weird to hear Takeru say the word "inochi" without following up with "MOYASUZE."

-Makoto is a rude.

-Wow what the heck is this. Makoto and Takeru have bikes??? ...since when?

-So why does Lady Nova Shocker not get to turn into a monster.

-This movie needs better scene transitions.

-This stuff about "immature Eyecons" doesn't make any....sigh, whatever.

-This Movie Needs Better Scene Transitions: The Sequel: Holy Crap, Come On: They Were Just In The Middle Of A Battle, Then He Dies And Now It's The Funeral?!

-Ichigou...MOYASUZE!

(sns)

-"Let's just fight Nova Shocker in our weakest forms, it'll go great!" -Takeru and Makoto, apparently.

-What the fuck was the point of Nova Shocker's "we no conquer world we conquer eekonomix" if they were just going to end up like this? Friggin nothing is what.

-And seriously does Bufall not care at all that Urga totally lost his brains and killed Igura???

-This doesn't have anything to do with anything, but god damn do I hate TV-N's comically overdone little transformation effects. I don't care about their translation accuracy or style or whatever, it's this, and pretty much this alone, that's the reason I try to stay as far away from their subs as possible. They are truly terrible. It's a good thing there's been so little of that in this...90 minute movie.

-"Oh shit, yeah! We have other Eyecons!" -Takeru and Makoto, apparently.

-I've mostly been complaining for a while so here's a good thing: The Rider Damashii are cool. Shame they each only got like two seconds to show off. It's ok though. They were obviously hard pressed for time, and there had been no previous occasions in which the Riders could have used them. Not in this...90 minute movie.

-Is Buffal made of fucking adamantium????

-Why are the lines on Ghost's abdomen a different color from the rest of his suit? Was it like that in the show too...? Hm.

And with that, a closing thought: I thought this movie was pretty dumb. Maybe not Taisen dumb, but pretty dumb. So...hey, it's a Kamen Rider movie. Yippee. Nothing special there. Maybe I'm just too much of a goddamn nitpick. Anyway, more closing thoughts because I am a liar:

-The little behind the scenes thing during the credits is my favorite thing about this movie. It definitely looks like they had fun making it, especially Fujioka. I may not have particularly enjoyed the movie, but I will always appreciate the people making it having fun and giving it their best. It's nice to see.

-And that closing monologue from Hongo Takeshi? Truly fantastic.

I liked Kamen Rider 1 but, it's as you say: it's a Rider movie and they're, almost invariably, not very "sensical". I go into them knowing that they're going to be logical messes, fairly quickly thrown together and basically are just watching them for the henshins and the XXXXKLUSIVES! It's always great to see Fujioka as Hongo!

- But if they don't randomly pick a fight with OG Shocker how are they going to establish the conflict between them/have something cool to put in a trailer?!

- But if they don't have Takeru pretend to be a teacher how else are they going to fit in wacky comedy?! Honestly I'm amazed there wasn't a scene where Onari tries. Clearly Inoue has no idea to how to write Ghost's cast!

- I know that was just a joke but real-talk he prattles on about that stuff all the time.

- I sort of get what they were going for (you're in the middle of a fun fight scene and then HOLY S*** HONGO'S DEAD) but yeah, it's a very weird style.

- I love how they went full mid-series Ghost by having Takeru go straight to Boost for half the movie and then when Specter shows up he just stops. Maybe he didn't want to make Makoto feel inadequate?

- Wait huh what? They're orange, aren't they? Just like the rest? Are you sure it wasn't just the lighting of a certain shot or something?

Yeah, the spring movies especially are really freakin' weird in terms of plotting. I think Kamen Rider 1 had a really strong thematic core going on, but it's bogged down so much by more nonsense plans from (insert subtitle here)-Shocker, which is something I'd really love to see them move away from. I liked it quite a bit (it helps that I'm such a huge Ghost fan), but stuff like that even gets me in a nitpicky mood.

But the Rider 1 movie is a hell of a lot more focused and competent then the Super Hero Taisen movies IMO.

No, like, look at this. They're like the same color as his face, but the rest of it is a duller shade. I don't think it's the lighting, and it was consistent. Might be the materials, since the other lines are on armor parts but these are directly on the undersuit.

I was gonna say it was weird I never noticed in the show if it was the case, but considering how little we saw of Ore in the end...

I don't think anyone's gonna try to argue it's worse than the Taisens in basically any way. But, as I think has been mentioned before, that isn't exactly high praise. It's more focused, sure, but "more focused than a Taisen" is a category encompassing basically every work of fiction ever produced by human hands.

I think one of the bigger problems was the time. This movie didn't need to be as long as it was, and having to fill up the time resulted in a lot of what felt (to me) like filler/padding. I can excuse the use of Shocker yet again, since it is Ichigou and all, but the Nova Shocker conflict I think added absolutely nothing to the narrative. Well, besides that one scene of the combatmen duking it out. That is still pretty great.

It probably is just the materials. I think the reason you don't notice it in the show is because of the difference in lighting though (I mean throughout this time). The movies have slightly dingy, darker, "cinematic" lighting that I think makes stuff like that stick out more.

I think the basic idea is a "don't count the old guys out just for being old" kind of thing, what with Ambassador Hell helping the Riders out in the end. It fits with the Rider 1 shilling too. Like maybe you're supposed to think Nova Shocker are a bunch of morons? Needless to say it wasn't as well done as it could've been.

Amazon Episode 14: Ah the villain change of the Showa Era, well at least with X, this, Stronger, and Super-1. It was executed awesomely here though. Dobsonfly turning his back on Gorgos was intriguing, especially with seeing him team up with Amazon. I am intrigued with Great Emperor Zero and see what kind of evil he will bring to Amazon. The biggest moment was seeing Amazon finally use the Daisetsuzan against both Dobsonfly and Gorgos which brutally defeated both of them. The supporting cast was fantastic this episode. I continue to love Amazon's journey and can't wait for more.

I never liked Emperer Zero. He's so much less interesting than the Ten-Faced Demon, both in terms of design and personality. He's about on par with Archbishop Wing as far as mediocre Showa generals go. He has a really memorable death scene, though.