Fun fact while the Greek alphabet Phi is the main motif, Faiz's hidden motif is a shark as evident on his mouthguard and antennas.

See, the reason I did notice is because I had to have this whole conversation with myself about that thread. I figured going with Masked Rider would match your Kuuga thread better, and to be frank I prefer having it translated, but I realized it wouldn't match up with me inevitably calling the franchise as a whole Kamen Rider a million times, so I gave up on that real quick. For what it's worth, the way you were doing it is how Bandai and Toei still handle the names to this day.

Making fun of TV-N's Faiz subs for saying nekojita when you've been saying "Henshin" for like five threads of this? Should I link Takumi's image song? Because it sounds an awful lot like a Double Standard going on here. :p

No, but seriously, I've been dreading you getting to this show for exactly this reason. This episode has one of the first errors I remember really getting under my skin. It's when Mari is trying to find out why Takumi is traveling, so she goes "can I ask you something?" Takumi's response to that, if you believe TV-Nihon, was "It'll need an answer, right?" I'm still trying to figure out what that even means. The actual line is a blunt, avoidant "Depends on the question", which is a way more Takumi thing to say, and also makes sense.

I don't know, that might seem pretty minor? Like, it's not an entire plot point being completely mangled or anything, but it's also more than just a clunky sentence. Faiz is a character-driven show with lots of snappy dialogue, and that error to me represents how pretty much all that nuance just gets sucked right out by the subs and replaced with a lot of nothing. You get the broad beats of the story without the little things that really make it click together. I think the reason the premiere came out okay is because a lot of that stuff is non-verbal there, like Takumi being introduced tapping on a menu instead of saying what he wants, or Mari scarfing down a meal in like five seconds.

Oh boy. Maybe I WILL find something to talk about here if this keeps up!

Because, hot take... I LIKE this. I genuinely really like this line as it's translated. To me it gets across the same meaning as "depends on the question", but way more sarcastic; way more snarky. Like Takumi wants as little to do with a conversation as possible that he's making giving an answer sound like a huge burden. And, heck, it's a lot more original and sticks in my mind more.

This sub sure is something, but this is one of those times I didn't mind.

Oh! Very cool! I can sort-of see it now, in how the antenna are windswept a bit, giving the impression of fins. Neat! I wonder why they went with a shark, though?

Yeah, I've got the Rider Kicks SHF reissues, and the side of the Faiz box is a big ol' MASKED RIDER FAIZ, while Ex-Aid's was KAMEN RIDER EX-AID. I think in the end, there isn't really an English-speaking fan who'd naturally call any part of the franchise Masked Rider. (Well, the Japanese-language parts, anyway.) We'd all say Kamen Rider. So, yeah, these are all called Kamen Rider now.

Oh, man, no way. Henshin is a word like Kamen, where it means something in Japanese but is also a specific word for Riders. Kamen Riders don't just transform, they Henshin.

Also, I wasn't really making fun of the Nekojita thing. (I really like that there's a Japanese word for that kind of behavior?) It's mostly that someone else used it as a warning sign for The Bad Subs, so I wanted to call it out. I appreciated that they left a complex word untranslated, because I've got no idea how you'd translate such a specific insult.

Yeah, I also didn't mind that line. I like the idea of Takumi being okay with her asking a question, but resenting her expecting an answer. Like, talk all you want, just don't make this a conversation.

The two lines of clunky dialogue in this one where I could not figure out what they were trying to say were:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/subs02a.png

This is from Live Action Hatsune Miku's Orphnoch Orientation. I think she's trying to say that Yuuji needs to do more than just kill humans, like maybe fight a Kamen Rider, but it's phrased like he needs to form a Contract with a Monster. "You haven't made an enemy with your strength." God, what a garbled mess.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/faiz/subs02b.png

This is after the I Hate Responsibility exchange. I think he's saying something like "I don't want to be tied down," but maybe not?

The rest of it was stuff that was just a little clunkier than I'd like. Those two were like speed bumps, where I had to the pause the episode after reading them.

Your sig or Mari just being completely over it is perfect.


Faiz is a great for how it manages to be as dark and serious as Kuuga at times, but can get nearly as light and hopeful as Agito.

I'm really glad you're enjoying it so far.

I only started rewatching Faiz a few weeks ago, which means I can talk about this with a fresh perspective. First time was 2015 which lined up pretty nicely for Kamen Rider 4. You might find it surprising to hear, it's actually my favorite KR show! :p

You totally get what makes the suit so unique and high tech. I loved it from the moment I first saw it in action, which was actually in Kamen Rider Decade. It's a simple design and yet feels more powerful than any Rider that came before. There's so many options for customization with the Faiz Pointer, Shot and Phone all with their unique configurations for any situation. I think the suit looks best when the Photon Blood lights up in darkness, such as the last shot in the OP.

It's not just the suit though, but the way Takumi fights. Every punch and kick feels forceful and that kick in Episode 1 wasn't even his finisher. Most Riders escalate their attacks depending on how much effort the fight requires. Faiz doesn't hold back. From the moment he flicks his right wrist, you know he's about to do some serious damage to an Orphenoch! I speculate that this is why Takaiwa Seiji enjoyed being Faiz. They have a lot of the same energy and movement. Smartphones may have surpassed cellphones in popularity and functionality but cellphones are still dynamic and cool and Faiz takes that concept to the next level.

I totally didn't recognize Smart Lady as Shimada from Kamen Rider Ryuki. It's the glasses. It's like Clark Kent all over again. There's a serious contrast with their characters as well which may have contributed to the dissociation. Speaking of Smart Lady, I like how cheerful and upbeat she is about advocating genocide of humanity. I think this is the first time the villains had their own mascot and it's definitely a good publicity move for Smart Brain.

I've always considered Faiz the Jetman of Kamen Rider. Inoue's a talented writer who really understands how to strike the perfect balance between drama and comedy and this show is his masterpiece, being written entirely by him as head writer which was a first for the franchise.

A good example of this tonal balance is the juxtaposition between the comedic scenes with Takumi and Mari as they begrudgingly work together to find their constantly missing identical bags and the dramatic scenes with Kiba like when he was chasing the scarf representing his longing to return to a past that no longer exists.

Thanks for making this thread and attracting so much active discussion. A show as groundbreaking as this warrants it. Even though it's been 17 years, it doesn't feel like it's aged at all!

I always figured nekojita was an original Japanese phrase so I thought it made sense to leave it untranslated. It's also a fitting quirk for Takumi who tries his best to avoid heated confrontation but ends up causing trouble due to his personality and being the guy who instigates it.

"It'll need an answer, right?" sounds like Takumi is reluctant to answer but knows it's pointless to refuse since Mari will just keep pushing him. "Depends on the question." sounds more evasive and I figure he already knows he's not going to want to answer any of her questions considering how long it takes him to even tell her name, indirectly! I think it's humorous that Mari switches roles between 2 episodes from trying to get away from some guys to Takumi trying to get away from her. So in this case, while TV-Nihon surely has some controversial decisions, I thought this one was okay.

A heads-up.... there probably will be a Kamen Rider that I won't watch while you're watching, like Decade or Zi-O. Besides, well, one of my favorite opening songs of Kamen Rider "Justifaiz" comes here (and has memorized the lyrics too)

W̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶s̶o̶n̶ ̶K̶i̶r̶i̶k̶o̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶h̶e̶n̶s̶h̶i̶n̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶O̶P̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶D̶r̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶o̶l̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶i̶e̶s̶ ̶e̶a̶s̶i̶l̶y̶?̶ Assuming that the Riders' enhanced strength adds up to your physical strength of course.

Yeah, they even get Mari's full name wrong! It's Mari Sonoda, not Somada.

Even if above was about Takumi not becoming an awful person, Mari is also no slouch herself as portrayed here. (Oh, I also forget to mention this before, her "Don't touch the bag" part, that's.... the traits of girls I've met irl, the reason why I and them are like water and oil. Good number of them are spoiled bratty teenagers who are moody and entitled, and from there they usually prohibit to touch like even their objects out of disgust, it doesn't help that they're easily disgusted by those they consider uncool) "Responsibility"? Eh, it's just her being entitled to have a stranger she just met to be her bodyguard just because he can. Takumi didn't do anything to owe Mari one (or she thinks her belongings like her belt is the one saved Takumi there). Selfish people will do anything to gain upper hand, and with both parties are like that, it would create a long-term arguments like this. And like Ryuki episode 34, a trick to win yourself in object keeping argument.... throw it far away! Even better here that Takumi has the bike to get away. Though that sends them to this following problem. I do like the idea that they ran into problem to get their belt back and has to solve it, but was it too quick for them to solve it the way they do in this episode? (a wacky business plan to open a barber in an uncomfortable place, a middle of park, with a beggar-like promotion)

Were you pointing the part where he jumps off building in Faiz this time (as a kid-inappropriate trait) because it's actually done and the shocking impact of hitting the floor is directly seen on screen? Other series also has trigger impacts like Ryuki with abuse and same suicide, OOO with child death and gambling addict, or Build with horrors of war like on-screen torture, death, Sento's PTSD, politics, propaganda, and dehumanization of people. Besides, oh obviously Yuji won't die.... from what I've seen on Kuuga, Yusuke and Grongis constantly gets thrown off the top of skyscrapers. Also talking about previous topic, I forget that Chie actually shows her true nature here, and yeah that's what I meant too for the people around you being awful in an Inoue's series, the point is the awful one is them, not the likes of Yuji. And as already mentioned above, yeah Smart Lady is Shimada (it's already mentioned when talking about ep. 16 in Ryuki watch).

Oh right, the finisher appears here. The Crimson Smash, is my favorite base Rider kick, along with Drive's SpeeDrop. As I've said here, my favorite finishers are those that aren't simple finishers, but spectacular ones with significant difference that makes a finisher attack different from ordinary attack, either in attack or effect (and no, styles won't do like Wizard's or something, and sorry Die, your answer there of Specter's kick doesn't apply to me there). For Faiz here, instead of regular kick, the Rider creates a gigantic drill to do the job! Other than that... the name's really Elephant Orphnoch lol!

And about the Ryuki comparison, yeah not because (oh well sorry for bringing this up... also I won't move on from any other Rider series) Ren's guide isn't about the big picture or level-head, but about moral. Both Yui and Ren got as much of the big picture (and Ren is far from "poorly-motivated"), but there has to be a moral balance for Ren, to prevent him being unnecessarily violent or outright evil before he softens later. The one who doesn't get the big picture at the beginning (and poorly-motivated, as Ren attested) was actually Shinji.

When I was new to the boards, doing Ghost, I switched up the signature picture all the time. Every few episodes there'd be a moment I liked, so I switched it out. I did it less as time went on, and I started covering different series. By the time I hit Ryuki, I'd grab an early screencap and just leave it.

I thought I'd find something super representative about my Faiz feelings in the first half-dozen episodes, but I wanted something right off the bat, so I grabbed that Mari shot in the first episode. (My favorite shot in the premiere, incidentally.) It was supposed to be temporary, but I'll be goddamned if I don't laugh at it every time I see it. It doesn't really say anything about my feelings for Faiz, but her sour expression sandwiched been two smiling, pushy dudes, I love it.

And, yeah, I find the tone to be... pretty unique? Like, the second episode is both one where two of the main characters have a charming Dude Where's My Driver comedy plot, and one where the other main character feels a deep, irrevocable existential despair and throws himself off of a building. And yet it all works!

That's neat! I'm excited to get your thoughts!

Light-up elements on Rider suits are a constant delight. I get that they're difficult to accomplish practically, and it can sometimes not turn out great if they add it in post, but it's so fun to see.

Like, everything about her character in Ryuki is different from her character in Faiz. The lack of glasses, the shorter hair, the theatrical delivery, the upbeat energy, the costuming, the makeup... they couldn't have made her more obscured than if she was inside the Faiz suit.

Having the villainous (?) group be more public is a nice switch-up from Ryuki's hidden battles. I like sci-fi stories where the villains have a public powerbase, where they have a more insidious way of achieving their goals than just defeating the hero or attacking with monsters. I like that they've got a diverse toolset, you know?

I didn't mention it before, but I like the semi-subtle touch of putting Mari's bike, the one her dad sent along with the Driver, in the Smart Brain commercial. It's a good way to keep tying together these plot threads.

Yeah, that scarf scene really sells that Yuuji (Yuuji? Or Yuji? First episode had it as Yuuji, second had it as Yuji.) can't get back what he lost. It's a great visual, and it landed that part of the story for me in a way that Chie's hysteria sort-of threw me on. Like, I have a hard time pinning down what she wants in the episode, but I 100% get what Yuuji wants, and how he comes to terms with the realization that he can't have it. There's a grim acceptance that that scarf shot encapsulates, and it's a thing where in a few seconds they do a better job than a couple dialogue scenes did.

Oh, man, my pleasure! I'm thrilled that people have stuff they want to talk about from Faiz. I never know if one of these threads is going to be on a show no one cares about, but I'm glad it hasn't happened yet. (I feel like if it happens, it's going to be Blade or Kabuto. I hope I'm wrong, though!)

Wow, I'm amazed you guys managed to pull any meaning at all out of those words in that sequence. Like, maybe I'm just missing something here? Is there like a specific tone I need to imagine this being said with? Like, it just does not sound like something a person would ever say to me.

Of course, that's far from the only problem in this episode, apparently, so let me see what I can do here.

「でも、あなたはその力にまだ適用できていません」

I'm doing this by ear myself (man do I wish old Rider shows had transcripts on the internet), so I'm not too confident in this one, but I believe this is more along the lines of simply (and this is going to be a little loose) "But you still haven't accepted that power yet". Yuuji still thinks of himself as some boring human, and that's what she's upset about. The "enemy" bit, I think is a result of TV-N mishearing the word I have as "accepted" here (it's technically more like "applied"? translation is tricky!), tekiyou, and thinking it was teki, which means enemy. There's nothing that specific in the line, unless, again, I have this one wrong too.

This is just one of those "technically accurate" bad lines. Takumi's telling Mari not to say s*** that makes him feel like he's got obligations. I really don't even know what else to tell you. It sounds terrible, but there's no misinformation here, and you deciphered it well enough.

So, uh, one thing I've corrected nobody else seems to consider an issue, one thing I'm only kind of sure about, and one thing you have an issue with I don't see the big deal about. Not doing great at this translation cop thing so far! Assuming you consider any of this helpful, Die, feel free to keep bringing up things you have questions about, and I'll at least try to clear things up, if I can. I'm seriously not very good at this though.

I think the Driver plot works on a couple key levels.

First, it's an excuse for the two of them to be stuck with each other, getting some chemistry shown off. Them arguing and irritating each other is, like, the secret weapon of this show for me, and it really spelled out what Faiz is going to be like as a show. It's a low-stakes-ish plot (there's no immediate danger) and it lets both characters work together while still really hating it. They're dragging their feet, but still moving forward, which is maybe the best way I can describe the Takumi/Mari energy.

Second, them constantly losing the Driver to dump mistakes and regular thieves is a nice swerve into the Orphnoch attack. If the bag was a target for Monster Reasons the entire time, it'd get tiresome. Having the bag get lost thanks to mutual dislike, happenstance, and incompetence, that makes the monster showing up feel more organic. It's one more thing, not the only thing.

I don't know, I think the pacing of it, the comedy into character building into comedy into action, it was good way to tell that story.

For me, it's that you see the last twenty feet of the fall. That's not a part you want to ever show! Certainly not on a kids show!

I really like that the Cellphone Rider has a finisher that includes a Laser-Pointer. It's so early-2000s! I hope his upgrade form incorporates a Friendster account.