I always viewed this as less it's the Kamen Rider fault and more well if the main protagnist isn't here there is no story to be told type of deal. And the show makes a story about why the Rider matters so I can't see them as villians. And even if they are dosen't that ties backt o idea of Kamen Rider in the first place being born from evil but trying to do good.

I really don't remember much about these episodes, to be honest. We'd gotten so much post-show content that seeing Hiiro and Emu again didn't feel as special as some of the other cameos would. Both felt like themselves, too, unlike what we got with Sento and Banjou. That left the episodes without a lot to stand out on the tribute front and the main plot was still working on developing the main characters. I don't dislike these episodes, but when I look back on the show they don't leave much of a lasting imprint on me.

And now I’ll mention something I didn’t mention in last episode’s compare and contrast. Emu respects doctors because they saved his life as a child, while Ida hates doctors, because they failed to save the life of his child. But, that’s what happens when you infect every available donor with an incurable disease. They become unusable (He clearly didn’t think this through).

Also, we see Heure’s Time Mazine. If it looks unusual compared to the ones used by our main duo, it’s because theirs are bikes that turn into Riders, while his is a pirate ship that turns into an iguana (I’m sure you can figure out the reference there).

Join us next time, when we go to high school and… something about Leonids… Oh, I’m sorry, I’m recapping too far ahead.

The Ex-Aid Armor looks cool... That's about it.

To be honest, while I don't think this arc was particularly bad, it doesn't stand out to me as much. I liked seeing Uuru's (Weure? Uolu? Whatever!) Time Majin, The Ex-Aid Armor, especially the neat little detail of the "Hit!" effects being in Katakana, as is Zi-O's motif, or that he has Gashacon Smasher fists, but nothing I have much to talk about here.

As for the Rider Erasure thing. It's as you say, I don't really like it much, nor does it make sense for Brave to be erased. Sure, you could chock it up as "Sougo inherits the powers of all the Riders, connected or otherwise," but that's still going to have problems down the road. I get they didn't want people to assume "then one of the other Riders could fill in," and yet even that doesn't work, especially for shows where the central protagonist is relevant to the plot.

Sorry I don't have much to say about this arc but given how long it's been since I saw Zi-O, and how little this arc stands out to me, there's not much I can bring up. But on another note, I love the design scheme for the Ridewatches, which are very clever and aesthetically pleasing, with some great sound effects. I also really love the Zikuu Driver and how it spins for the transformation, I don't know why, but I love it.

I mean, it doesn't really? It's the show explicitly stating that every time a Rider gains power, they're creating and sustaining evil. That's, like, the opposite of the central theme of Kamen Riders?

This was from the dude who brought us Gorider, right? So it makes sense that he'd nail the voice and tone of Ex-Aid.

Man, I really like Woz'z opening recap, and him skipping ahead a little bit into the upcoming episode. The first time he did it, I totally fell for it. I was super confused, thinking I'd completely forgotten the end of the previous episode. (It's not impossible! My memory is real bad!) It's a good gag.

It's okay! Despite this being a real important story for me -- the good introduction to Kamen Rider Zi-O -- I can see how it might not stick in the memories of most viewers. It's not a huge story, or particularly clever in its plotting. But I love Ex-Aid, and I loved how this story defined its recurring cast. Hopefully I'll remember it!

I've been a little busy balancing five different Tokusatsu shows to post much in this thread. But I definitely intend to give my thoughts on the next arc!

You've probably come to this conclusion in the recent episodes you watched, but Sougo has a lot more strong feelings on the inside that come out in certain situations. His academic failure in everything but history also makes him easy to underestimate as a moron, which in conjunction with his natural charisma, allows him to easily bring others to his side. It's a subtle sign of the potential he has as the future Oma Zi-O. He's kind of like a nicer version of Tendo. Apathetic on the outside and sweet on the inside.

Just one of many reasons why many people, myself included, cite Woz as the best character in this show! We celebrate this walking meme with the same passion that he celebrates his Overlord!

If it's any consolation, I got that reference. Mostly due to my main in Battle For The Grid paraphrasing it in her victory animation.

That's actually an unpopular opinion?! Uncle Tokiwa is the MVP of this show! He's such a nice dude who is always trying his best to help those dysfunctional weirdos living in his house.

Yeah, nothing against this arc, I just don't have any big highlights on it. And for sure, the Ex-Aid cast was great in this, even though I feel like for a good portion of Zi-O, the cameos are likely some of the best moments.

Ok, second arc.

Still not one I generally like, but it is an improvement and I do agree, these three dinguses are a joy to watch. One of the reasons why I love this cast so much. The other bits I still keep to myself until they become relevant, which I very much look forward to.

As for the erassure thing. It doesn't just erase all the bad that happened in the show, it also erasses all the good they have done. All the people they helped, changed and affected. While yes, a lot of suffering is erassed, a lot of good is also removed. Like in any history, people lose and people win. And the world is left a it less for its removal, but at the same time, that removal is preverable to its perversion through others.

At least that's how I see it.

I've always interpreted the whole Kamen Rider powers thing as one where the events are erased since the most necessary rider no longer exists. Brave may have been one of the first Kamen Riders to combat the Bugsters, but it wasn't until Emu became Ex-Aid that we would eventually learned of the truth behind the Bugsters, and actually managed to defeat the main antagonists who would of perpetuate it.

If Eiji hadn't become OOOs, then there wouldn't be anyone suitable enough to fight against the Greed in part due to Maki's interference. If Ryotaro hadn't become Den-O, then the Imagin would have been able to continue wrecking time at their own pace. If Gentarou never went to Amanogawa High School and became Kamen Rider Fourze, then there would never be that high-spirited kid who would manage to gain power via friendship and defeat the Zodiarts.

The main Riders are the ones who end up setting up the events that would lead to the defeat of their main antagonist groups, in part due to their outlooks and capabilities. Without them around, chances are victory wouldn't be as high against these villains.

I figured you would! As soon as I saw Them Eyebrows in the teaser for Episode 5, I thought you might have a couple things to say. Looking forward to it! I hope you don't get kicked in the head by a horse in the meantime!

These are good interpretations! But I sort of resent that these interpretations aren't additive to the experience of watching Zi-O, but integral. We're not talking about hidden character motivations or visual motifs; this is some top-layer Plot Mechanics stuff. The fact that the text of the show is so miserable in its heroic outcomes -- that it requires mental gymnastics to not be a total bummer or retroactively cast heroes as the root of all suffering -- is not a great situation to put your audience in.

It's an unnecessary and preventable problem. The rules of time travel and causality are unprovable, so the show could've come up with any number of conclusions where Sougo and pals aren't eliminating fan favorite characters or opening a narrative can of worms and then walking away with a sense of accomplishment.

And, like, that's the weird way this show could have its cake and eat it too: just acknowledge that this is a bummer outcome. Have Sougo (or Tsukuyomi!) talk about how horrible this is for the Legend Riders, and that you'll eventually put things right. To ignore the consequences is to negate the consequences, and that super sucks.

I don't know! I got a lot of problems with this stuff!

No you didn't, you're fine here. But yeah there's difference between invincible in battle and the battle stats being proportional to their power and them being able to be returned. Even theoretically if there's an actual mass manufacturing of the Drivers, after a Driver is destroyed, they can give another Driver for them to use (or them having a spare Driver to use).

Right, co-op, that's what you meant about Ex-Aid being about teamwork. I don't think they want the same thing though, it's more about they want different thing, but they achieved it using the same method (fighting the same Bugster or such for instance). That way ganging up on a Bugster would be the most benefical for them so they can do it.... because there are a case where despising each other would just hinder each other as expected, like Tsurugi in Kabuto interfering with Tendou's fight.

Sougo does prove here though that he tried to not become Ohma Zi-O, he proved it by correctly piecing together what Emu was trying to do from clues in previous episode and tried to help him convince Another Ex-Aid to give up peacefully. Regarding positive outcome though, I won't be using much on the outcome argument honestly, because something like for example, Kamen Rider formula of the hero having same power source as the villain can be technically creating a good outcome, but doesn't mean said villain becomes innocent, like for example the Zecters being developed by ZECT which had monstrosity like Mishima in charge. Another example is evil vs evil scenario like Evolt killing Namba in Build.

I kinda like here that the one that is used as a source of example and inspiration (for guiding others toward more good) is someone like Tsukuyomi, who as you said earlier is someone with actual Kamen Rider sensibility, instead of using an example in someone more morally questionable but is done by the series only because they had more major role and had their negative traits downplayed/ignored by this. This episode also had Geiz' coldness being shaken a bit by a technically side character instead in Emu, who kinda pointed out that Geiz and Hiiro are alike as in which Geiz realized too late, while Geiz noted Hiiro is cold... Geiz himself is also similar. That's also a funny bit in this episode that had me laughing over Geiz having himself exposed.

Uhh... while Sougo can be out of touch from reality, Sougo is always a sweet kid, not only at this episode. It's already established at episode 1 before even if his portrayal is annoying, it's seen in Sougo more concerned about people stop fighting rather than him being thrown to river. Sougo won't despise Geiz or Tsukuyomi, and Tsukuyomi doesn't despise Sougo either. Geiz and Tsukuyomi are real partners so it's obvious they aren't on each other's throats. The only one that bears hatred here is Geiz towards Sougo (though he can be a tsundere), and for now, Tsukuyomi is the one that can rein in Geiz' vengeful murderous desires, so Tsukuyomi's the one that keeps the trio together for now. And I did forget that Sougo did have some development here too of becoming less delusional and more sensitive and thoughtful on the other's situation (based on Sougo's ignorance, not Sougo being uncaring), him realizing that Geiz went through a lot more than what he accused him as before (which angers Geiz as he grabs him by collar).

I mean, they want the same thing (defeating the Bugsters) for massively different reasons. The goal is the same, it's just the motivations that are different. There are a couple of storylines explicitly about whether their motivations can be met with a different goal, sure, but Curing The Bugster Virus is a pretty locked-in goal for the four main Riders for the duration of the show.

It's a good gag! I like the idea that Geiz thinks he's totally normal and outgoing, while everyone else is like Why Are You So Mean. It's so sweet and stupid, that Geiz is fine being seen as an implacable warrior from a doomed future, but he doesn't want anyone to think he's a jerk.

These kids! So fun!

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP04)

This still isn't a super standout arc of the show for me, but looking back, I definitely still remember feeling like it set a much nicer standard for the show than the first pair of episodes did. The way the guest stars are worked in is more smooth, the pacing is much nicer, and there's stronger character development for the series regulars. Really not much to complain about.

...And personally, I've also never felt the need to complain about the whole central conceit of how Another Riders and Ride Watches work? Even now, I really feel like this single line from episode 2.5 is all you need to worry about:

https://i.imgur.com/jhw8BLX.jpg

Like, basically the whole thing is just one big Shirakura-ism, in that they're taking something very meta and portraying it literally on screen. As a broad idea, I honestly kinda dig a lot about it. Die, you seem to be reading into it in the most negative way possible, but the existence of Kamen Rider is supposed to be tragic, and that goes way back before Zi-O. They only ever exist as a result of some evil system of authority or horrible event producing them, whether directly or indirectly. This is even the case for Sougo himself.

I feel like if Zi-O is saying the only way to get rid of the heroes who try to turn that around is to just outright get rid of that entire chain of events, it's more of a testament to the indomitable Rider spirit than anything? Like, if Pandora's Box is around, Sento will become Build eventually, and he will fight for Love & Peace. I think that's probably what the end of episode 2 is trying to imply as well, by pointing out the blank Ride Watch will eventually become the Build Watch, and Sougo suggesting that's because even altering history won't stop Build from being Build. And of course, that answers your other gripe, by directly offering the hope that these fan-favorite characters aren't gone. (And you know, going back to the Shirakura-ism angle, they'll need these Riders again for more crossovers, so...)

As for why these plots are written to end this way, admittedly, I'm not too sure. I know the middle is that way because having the guest Riders be de-powered keeps the focus on Zi-O and Geiz, where it belongs, but off the top of my head, all I can imagine is that they deliberately wanted to make Zi-O's victories feel like losses too, as some way to emphasize that Sougo's heroism may end up with him being the villain, but I don't know. It's a weird thing for an anniversary show to be doing, but just like its title character's personality, I feel like I wouldn't like Zi-O anywhere near as much if it wasn't doing weird things all the time.

I think my favorite aspect of the plot's pattern so far has been how the Legend Riders themselves have been both literally and symbolically trusting their lives with Sogo via handing him the Ride Watches. Can't wait to see how that ties with the little bits of foreshadowing that we've been getting from Woz.

I clearly am! Some of that is because, man, I don't really feel like the show has portrayed it as ambiguously as you claim? Maybe it's Sougo's unbridled ignorance or Geiz'z relentless disinterest, but the show really seems to be saying Hey Look New Collectible, not But At What Cost. If I felt a little more like the show had some ambivalence about the outcome of a monster-of-the-week outing for our heroes, I'd probably be less upset about it.

And it's also... like, I'm upset about it because we're talking about it. The second we stop talking about it -- or the show stops spending time explaining the ever-escalating consequences of a real routine monster detonation -- I will stop being upset about it. It's not like I've been stewing in anger for the last twenty-four hours. This isn't going to harm my enjoyment of the show or anything, and I doubt it's going to be among the first twenty things I want to talk about when the show's over. It's like Sougo's worrisome desire to be a Good Tyrant: it's very easy to forget about it, as long as they stop talking about it.

So, yeah, it's nice to hear how everyone has made their peace with -slash- grown to appreciate the show going Your Favorite Kamen Rider Series Never Existed, but it's just not a place I can get my brain to go. Rest of the show's real fun, though!

Well color me excited to catch up.

For what it’s worth, the writer did have a plan to explore how different every Rider’s world would be without there being Riders or monsters, but he lacked both space in the script and money in the budget necessary to pull it off.

You know, I haven't really seen anyone talking about it, but I just really like the katakana/hiragana aesthatic of the suits?

Just the little things, like how Sougo's Rider Shoe has the katakana for 'kick' on it, and the way his first Rider Kick is portrayed so that his visor and shoe line up to spell out "Rider Kick". The way part of said visor extends to form a second hand. And in the latest episode, how Sougo's Critical Time Break utilizes the same 'Hit' effects used in Ex-Aid, but written in katakana instead of English.

The way the weapons shift as well, with the spelling literally changing with the weapon to indicate what mode it is in, just stands out to me and looks so cool.

Geiz's weapon in particular, the Zikan Zax, just really tickles my funny bone. The sound effects that occur when Geiz changes his weapon forms are named after said weapon forms, "Yumi" for bow and 'Ono' for axe, but are intentionally separated so that we get "You! Me!" and "Oh no!" instead. And that is just hilarious to me. "Oh no! An axe!"

I also just really like the base form suits (but I also have trash taste in fashion, so you know, take what I say with a grain of salt). They're basically walking wristwatches, with the helmets being the literal faces of the watch while the straps form the divider in the middle of the suits. It's a very simple design, and yet I just really like it. I just really like how they combined these two different themes, of clocks and Japanese lettering, and somehow make it work. And I am in love with it.

That is nice! These guys are real heroes, entrusting their power and legacy to a kid who immediately screws up their finishers. (A bit that I adore.) Luckily, I guess they won't remember him enough to maybe have second thoughts?

I hope you enjoy it! Takes a minute to get good, but that second story is a real good time.

Which, again, I would maybe not create weirdly ambiguous consequences that you can't really explore in a satisfying way? Bit of an unforced error, from my vantage point.

I think we discussed them a little bit, but I don't recall anyone praising them with such specificity. Thank you for that! I definitely didn't catch the sound effects for Geiz'z axe, but I also dug the RIDER face and KICK foot. The effects and design teams are clearly having a real fun time with this series!

I still don't like Sogo

That's a shame. I'm rather fond of him myself. Atleast so far.

Either James Cain or Raymond Chandler (both have been credited) was reportedly once asked what he thought about Hollywood ruining his books in the film adaptations. He allegedly said something to the effect of "Nothing's happened to the books. They're right here on the shelf."

I bring that up mostly because I love Chandler and will take any excuse to bring him up in conversation, even if there's a decent chance that the anecdote is misattributed to him. It's also probably not a bad thing to keep in mind with how Zi-O approached it time travel gimmick.

That said, I was never a huge fan of the show's being erased either. Sometimes it makes for an interesting story, but sometimes - like we've seen with Sento and Banjou already - it can make it feel like the returning actors aren't even playing the same characters. I have a lot that I want to say about this and how the show handles it as it goes on, but I fear that anything I even vaguely allude to will give away too much.

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 5 - “SWITCH ON! 2011”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio5a.png

Uh, Faiz is my business, and business is about to pick up!

The Fourze stuff in here was… whatever. It’s one of those thematic tie-ins where it’s mostly just someone saying a keyword again and again, and hoping that makes it seem like the story’s about more than plot. Because it’s a Fourze tribute, expect to hear Sougo say Friendship like it’s a replacement for Henshin.

It’s a sensible story to do after Ex-Aid’s Teamwork story, since you can absolutely be on a team with people you’re not friends with. (Just ask literally anyone from Ex-Aid!) To devote some time to Sougo’s emotional needs within this year-long intervention is smart, and necessary. He’s a sweet little puppy dog, and he doesn’t see why a grim soldier who barely tolerates him and a girl who hopes he won’t commit one or more genocides can’t also, like, hang out with him and have a laugh. Exploring those tensions – between what Sougo needs and how the Time Orphans see him – could be a good way to honor Fourze’s superpower-inflected teen drama.

Sort of doesn’t go that way, though? There’s some minor hijinks, and an eye-rolling agreement from Geiz to team-up in a normally-climactic fight, but there’s not really a lot of space (wink) to really dig into the team’s emotional accessibility. Like, it’s all little flashes: Geiz grumpily handing the Build RideWatch back to Sougo; Tsukuyomi’s little smile at Sougo getting changed to go on a case; Geiz only briefly trying to abandon Sougo before giving in. It’s not a million miles away from last episode, which pretty explicitly was about how you can work alongside people you don’t socialize with.

It doesn’t help that this episode really leaned into some unnecessary tribute stuff. It highlights the compromises this show’s going to have to make, as we move away from the actors that basically were just on their shows. We’re looking at Fourze now, which means coming to terms with the fact that you are 100% not going to be seeing Gentarou’s face in this story. I mean, you technically do, on the Good Ol’ Days corkboard, alongside every other actor you will not be seeing return to Kamen Rider for this story. We get two of the mutant kids from the Fourze/Wizard movie, as well as Ohsugi, who will be in these things until the end of time. It makes sense in the continuity, since everyone’s long since graduated, but it's still a bit of letdown, compared to the Ex-Aid and Build stories. We’ve got whoever would return Toei’s calls, and that is going to make for some weird stories. Not sure I’d’ve devoted so much of this episode to movie-only and supporting characters?

But who cares, because TAKUMI AND KUSAKA ARE BACK.

The last episode teaser sort of spoiled it (you see Them Eyebrows, it’s time to Open Your Eyes), but we are also in a Faiz tribute!

It’s minor (definitely going to be more of the next episode), but I loved every second of it. Like, the first thing Kusaka does in this episode is try to murder a teenage girl, so that’s some A++ Faizing. And then Takumi showing up, happy to rumble with Kusaka and just generally irritate him. Perfect. Perfect!

My favorite part, though, is how smart it is to layer a Faiz story over a Fourze story. First of all, to go from Fourze to 555… man, that’s a funny gag. But to then look at a Fourze story, tease Ryusei, and then remind people that Kamen Rider Meteor was actually the second Ryusei in Heisei? After the Ryusei School (“Go Meteors!), home of so many mutant dinks on Kamen Rider Faiz? I LOVE IT. It’s the best, smartest connection. It’s a total deep cut that’s been sitting there for seven years, waiting for a writer brave enough to tie together the Friendship Show and the Definitely Not Friendship Show.

Which, boy, that’s a nice thing to do, for those of us who love both Fourze and Faiz. To do the Friendship tribute, and then immediately pivot it to the show that viewed friendship as both blessing and curse, with a Rider who fought for years to be worthy of both external and internal acceptance?

Very excited to see what happens next.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio5b.png

—

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O COMPLEMENTATION PROJECT EPISODE 5.5 - “TOKIWA-SOU(GO) AND THE MYSTERIOUS PHONE”

I mean, I pretty much don’t care if the FaizPhone comes down on the side of Super Important Clue or Total Coincidence. I’m just happy to spend three minutes having Team Zi-O play around with a RideWatch-themed Faiz device, up to and including having the Time Orphans try and pitch it on an infomercial.

That, and the details about where Sougo’s name is derived from made this a nicely goofy digestif for an overstuffed episode of Zi-O. I appreciate it!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/ziocp5a.png

Open your eyes for Episode 5!

-We get a tiny peek into Sougo. You can kinda infer it from the previous episodes and all, but the kid seems to have no, (or at least very few) friends. He's got same dopey, eager-to-help attitude as usual, but now with this lens, it feels like he's just really eager to spend time with Tsukuyomi and Geiz, because they're probably the only kids his age that hang around him? It's something that slid my opinion of him into something a bit more positive on my first watch. (I'm so glad that Sougo hurling himself down a flight of stairs in order to pitch in was one of the things I forgot about this arc, good gag)

-Like. I know it's a excuse for not having his actor because he's busy with other projects, but Gentaro being Conveniently Not Here because he's putting his all into trying to find missing students....it's such a Gentaro thing to do, yknow? I can't be disappointed at that! (The stand in actor/archival audio is a pretty good compromise as well!)

-In the meantime, those kids from Movie War Ultimatum are back????? I didn't even recognize it as them until I checked the wiki lol. Alongside with Mr. Ohsugi! Their appearance isnt anything to write home about, just a way to get the Fourze Ridewatch into our heroes' hands, but it's nice they got some Fourze actors back when they could've easily just gotten new actors to play the KRC members!

-The Faiz guys?!? I dont really keep up with Legend Rider movies and the hijinks that go in there, but like. Didn't Kusaka get his shit rocked by a horse and-yknow what? Who cares, it's nice to see Kusaka being The Worst again. Takkun revealing his face with a 555/10 hair flip was so good. This is usually the part where I talk about how I think the Legend Riders were used, but it seems we'll have to save it for next time......

-Aw man, Swartz is here. Personally my least favorite Time Jacker, but maybe that'll change with this rewatch? Solid enough debut for placing him as the strongest(?) out of their little group.

Overall, Not much here, it's a two-parter that seems to have most of its meat in the second half, that's all.

(Fun fact! The guy who transforms into Another Fourze/Faiz is played by Atom Mizuishi, who would go on to play Kiramai Blue in Mashin Sentai Kiramager in 2020! (Why is he too good at looking disraught?))

And now we've moved onto the territory of unable to get back the main rider to return. Many people were wondering how ZI-O would handle this and I gotta say with what were given I think the show made the most out of it.

Using a stand in actor and archival audio would definitly do the trick and at least in this one they actually bother explaning why Gentaro isn't in this tribute he's busy being a caring teacher trying to investiagte the missing girls via handing our missing poster!(that such a Gentaro thing to do.)

Quick note if anyone can answer but how does archival audio work? Like realistically speaking there was no way there getting every main Rider actor back for ZI-O was this planned in advance or do they pay the talent agency or whoever on case by case basis to use soundbites from past shows and whatnot.

Anyways back on track this episode has also the first instance of Armor swapping. All of the Rider Armor were all actually designed for ZI-O first before divying them up to Geiz and vice-versa. And I actually liked that Geiz just uses the Main Rider powers and not like secondary as you would probably expect him to. It makes him feel like he's also the main protagnist alongside Sougo.

Crap, I had something typed out but this was the wrong episode. I was talking about the episode after which had some things I loved.

But, yes, nice to see Takumi and, especially, Kusaka back! Another neat thing that hasn't occurred to me till after the show was that Another Faiz and Another Fourze share the same undersuit, gauntlets, and boots!

It's a nice detail and it wasn't completely apparent to me!

So I know that I was just saying that I wasn't always a big fan of how the show rewrote the returning characters. This is one of the cases where I really like the altered versions. I would absolutely watch an entire series that's just Takumi and Kusaka: Laundry Detectives.

I missed that the first time, too. Didn't realize it until I saw the movie again as part of my Fourze rewatch. It's a nice touch, but also shows just how far down the cast list they had to go to find someone who wasn't a) filming the Bleach movie, b) in a cult, or c) otherwise unavailable. It's a pity that they had to go to movie characters, especially since it's likely why Fourze and Faiz had to share a tribute two-parter.

Well, with the events of Faiz being erased from history, it only stands to reason that Kusaka would still be alive. If there's one thing I can't complain about with Zi-O, it's that the writers really did their homework on the original shows. There are places where it will be more obvious, but there's a lot of respect for the source material's continuity.

Also Crow in Garo Makai no Hana (thanks for this, by the way, I knew he was somebody but didn't remember who).

I don't think that's true? The Ghost, Build and Ex-Aid armours are mostly simple and 'sleek' so they can be interchanged between Zi-O and Geiz, whereas the ones like Drive and Fourze have more elaborate designs and gimmicks to them, so they are only designated to one of the two.

While it's on my mind, I really like the Fourze Armour and how it functions like Rocket States with how it just goes all in on the rocket thing over anything else.

.......I understand that, but if Faiz's events have been erased, would Takkun even know Kusaka in the first place? (There's no doubt they'd butt heads with or without the memory of Faiz's events, that's just the kind of guys they are ofc) It becomes another "How Far Does the Re-Write/Erasure Go?" issue, so I won't push on it any further than that.

And now that we've had a few basic episodes, it's time to mess with the formula a bit. Mostly because uh... it's hard to get Fourze actors back, especially during this particular time frame! Regardless, I remember enjoying this episode a decent bit. Don't have much to say unfortunately.

Anyway, with Fourze and Faiz continuing their tribute, we've got two BGM Swaps again. This time since we're focusing a bit more on Faiz now, the first BGM with Faiz is my pick for this particular BGM Swap. The little "Open Your Eyes for the Next Zi-O" at the beginning just makes it so good.


Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 6 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86BAypw0z3U

That is a really valid point; none of Faiz’s characters would have met if it weren’t for Mari getting that belt. Never really considered that.

This sentence alone justifies the entire thread.

Spent a minute watching the new DonBros (real real good), and it looks like I missed some discussion!

I mean, Sougo's a sweet kid -- Kamen Rider Puppy Dog -- but I feel like he'd be a terrible friend if you were a teenager? Like, we've seen him try and hang with one kid his age who wasn't a Time Orphan, and he immediately made things weird by drafting that kid into his Good Empire. Like, it took maybe seven seconds for Sougo to steer things towards his troubling/adorable obsession. That can't be fun to be around? If you couldn't order a pizza without your friend talking about which toppings would be the official ones for his realm, you'd probably stop hanging out with him.

And it's also... this episode did its homework. (Appropriate for the setting!) The new KRC members were introduced in the Five Years Later segment of Movie War Ultimatum, which puts it at 2017. In 2018, they'd still be in the school, alongside Ohsugi and Gentarou. It might seem random or insufficient, but they're actually about 50% of the established cast members for this point in time.

Yeah, I think it works out fine. Having Gentarou be off on a mission to save one of his students rings true, and sort of rushing past his role in the story is a nice way not to dwell on his absence. (Like, he only gets mentioned one time, which is smart!)

Oh, that's very cool! Thanks for pointing it out!

I think it's also that, this show just did a high school story? Sort of? Sougo's a high school student, so trying to do a two-episode Sougo Goes To A Different High School story is probably not a great use of anyone's time.

Ha ha, yeah, just ROCKETS, the end. It works, though!

If there's one thing I believe, it's that nothing in Heaven or Earth could keep Takumi and Kusaka from irritating each other. Like, death canonically did not stop Kusaka from telling Takumi that he was garbage. I don't thing a million Time Jackers could keep these two jerks from pissing each other off. They're like the Negative Build and Cross-Z. Much like life finds a way, so might hate?

I didn't really get a chance to mention it before, so I'll do it now while I'm thinking about it: I loved all of the little details in the KRC room. Hayabusa! Some of the cardboard Showa costumes, I think! The little picture of Sonoda that Ohsugi kept in his safe! I think those tiny mementos did a lot to cover for the bigger name characters' absences.

I don't know if there's anything else like talking about Faiz. One of my all-time favorite shows. And this episode only had maybe two minutes of it! AND IT WAS THE BEST PART OF MY DAY!

“It all began with a shooting star”

Here we are, at another instalment of

Ridewatch Playlist: Space on Hands edition

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

First up, is the main man himself.

“Space is HERE! The Rider fighting with the power of Switches is… Fourze”

And the song choice is obviously Switch On https://youtube.com/watch?v=t1nJ7D0ThVs

Next up is the final form Decade’s actor considers the worst suit of them all.

“The bonds of friends births a new power. Space’s ultimate Cosmic Power, Fourze Cosmic States”

And once again, the choice was easy: Cosmic Mind https://youtube.com/watch?v=VVxWl-eRn7k

“Fighting for the sake of friendship, the Kung-fu master Rider is Meteor”

I might as well just come out and say that all of the choices here were obvious Shooting Star https://youtube.com/watch?v=bs0YT3VXtAs

“The storming Meteor awakened by friendship. Meteor Storm”

Admittedly, this is tied with Kiva and OOO for how easy it was to assemble (the hardest were Kuuga, Hibiki and Drive) Evolvin’ Storm https://youtube.com/watch?v=weveUK7xUAw

And here is the list of the unreleased. This time, none of them won the competition

Kamen Rider Fourze (Elek States)
Kamen Rider Fourze (Fire States)
Kamen Rider Fourze (Magnet States)
Kamen Rider Fourze (Rocket States)
Kamen Rider Fourze (Meteor Fusion States)
Kamen Rider Fourze (Meteor Nadeshiko Fusion States)
Kamen Rider Nadeshiko

As for the Another Rider compare and contrast. Gentaro is an outgoing person with a lot of friends and one of the most talkative riders, while Another Fourze is mysterious, a loner and has no dialogue when transformed. Design-wise, the Tron lines inherited from Another Faiz resemble those on the Zodiarts, while his transformation into Another Faiz is reminiscent of Zodiarts evolving into Horoscopes.

I’ll skip over how the kids from Ultimatum are back (I read a few comments from when the episode aired, where many didn’t recognise them and thought they were just a Japanese take on Bulk and Skull) and Gentaro being reduced to stock footage and a pre-recorded line (which also confirms what happens to the monsters when the Riders lose their powers: they cease to exist) and talk about our third Time Jacker, Schwartz. As promised, his name isn’t a foreign translation of “hour”, instead being a composite of “schwarz” (German for “black”) and quartz (a material used to make watches). That should tell you everything about him.

All I remember from this episode was my amazement at how deep Takumi's voice has gotten.

While I don't have much strong attachment to Nezumi and Kong, they're both characters from my favorite Kamen Rider movie of all time, so seeing that referenced here makes me happy.

And it's only thanks to Time Nonsense that this iconic duo are able to appear in this story, since they're otherwise.... You know.

Of course, I care so much more that Takumi and Kusaka are here, than how they're here. It's awesome to see them again, together like this without one of them being a vengeful ghost. The first 4 episodes didn't sell me on Zi-O, I struggled to connect with the story that Shimoyama was trying to tell, but I think he did good with this arc. A story about friendship and loneliness is something that works great for both Faiz and Fourze. It's exactly the kind of novel stuff I'm here for!

This is also Murakami Kohei's first time returning as Kusaka after his new role in Zyuohger.

Faiz and Fourze are my favorite and third favorite Heisei Rider shows respectively (Build is second) and while the thematic connection between them isn't immediately obvious from the first part, this shared arc does do some really smart things with the Faiz cast utilizing the themes of Fourze. Like Rei, I am also waiting for you to watch the next episode so I can talk about them! It's also a reminder that friendship is still a major part of Faiz, but naturally it's depicted as way harder than the friendship expert Gentarou makes it look.

I recall I first noticed that in Kamen Rider 4. Takumi sure is deep now.

This arc is certainly a clever one.

To be honest, some of these early episodes kind of escape me at the moment, but they're not bad at all. The Armor Times are pretty great, including some of the sounds from their respective Riders, but also the armors doing their signature poses before becoming a part of our Time Riders, and it's neat how Zi-O's is Katakana, whilst Geiz is Hiragana, it's such an interesting way of defining the two.

It also really warms me to see Gentarou's students and teacher again, but strangely funny how Gentarou is just expecting Sougo and lets him have his powers, which after the Wizard X Fourze movie, kind of fits, and yet doesn't fit at all, so I don't know quite how I feel about this exactly. Funnier still, Fourze took place in a high school, and Decade's Faiz also took place in a high school.

I also find how they slightly tweak the monster-of-the-week formula pretty cool, since usually they save something like this for later, but it's a little refreshing to see Rider changing its formula to avoid becoming cut-and-paste of the same weekly conflict until the endgame. But nothing against that formula, since there are shows where it doesn't feel like it's dragged on for too long, or they're constantly entertaining that I don't mind the usual formula, but it's still something I've noticed from later Rider seasons.

And of course, while I'm not familiar with Faiz, we get our favorite laundryman and local scuzzball to make up for the lack of Fourze appearances (at least we got the handshake).

This seems to be just different definitions we catch... I use the defeating the Bugsters as their methods and motivation as their actual characterization and to explain regarding what they want... and I use 'goal' as in what those characters want in life and try to reach. Unless you refer goal here as in, completed objective in their methods (their methods is fighting off Bugster, they reach the goal when the Bugster has been defeated).

I think I appreciate that you back up your gripe here with some solution that you think is better here (as well as the pun there, b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶d̶y̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶e̶r̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶ ̶n̶e̶x̶t̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶i̶e̶s̶), but regarding Tsukuyomi not hanging out with him and laugh.... could it be that she's just a more calm, collected, serious, and reserved type of person? There are varying types of people and their temperament (moreover can look at how she interacts with Geiz too if Sougo isn't an actual friend to you). Though still, the only one that bears any form of hatred here is Geiz towards Sougo (though he can be a tsundere), while Sougo won't despise Geiz or Tsukuyomi, and Tsukuyomi doesn't despise Sougo either (her smiling at Sougo changing isn't necessarily an indicator of lowered hate, in general growing closer isn't, smile can just happen if a situation is good). Geiz and Tsukuyomi are real partners.

Otherwise, for now though Geiz is the one that hates Sougo, the actual problem in the main team for now is Woz that both Geiz and Tsukuyomi tells Sougo to not trust him. Now by that Sougo is put in a situation where he had to become a villain's pawn but not doing that would not have any way to advance forward. Sougo can be frequently stupid but for this one... can't blame him or anyone for progressing even by trusting a manipulator's words, because the alternative would be having no more moves (of which is shown in a series that can't be talked about yet here). Woz is also a damn badass though, he's not Ohma Zi-O's prophet for nothing, that he can block Another Fourze's punch in his human form and then throw fireball at him. Speaking of badass Sougo did it again with a successful plan to distract the nurses by having him fall on stairs so those 2 can check up the student's data. Sougo isn't being merely useful to teach Geiz and Tsukyomi how to be teenagers!

This is Zi-O's problem. It sometimes can't decide that it wants to be a tribute to previous Rider shows or be its own show. This is similar to Decade previously as well (forgot to ask that for Zi-O you didn't pull watch together like you did with Decade?), and Decade also didn't always feature the main protagonists of the previous serieses, or even just had outright different incarnation of those characters. You think here the explanation is the people graduating, but for that, I don't think that the Ex-Aid and Build story before had the characters being that ahead in their timeline story too, at least for Build, ahead of for example the Heisei Generations timeline where Banjou was still selfish.

True, it's a nice gag for going from Fourze to Faiz. 4 (theme) to 5 (theme). When coincidences are taken into account it's good stuff too, like said Ryusei being not the first in the franchise (or the many Kusakas in Faiz). I also like it if the actors from older series can return. I mean like, people like Emu or Sento can be expected to quickly return as they're from more recent series, but actors from much older series like Kento Handa (Takumi) and Kohei,̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶K̶y̶o̶j̶i̶ Murakami (Kusaka) as there are no guarantees of those being available to return and that a number of actors have retired too. The Faizing also means they handle the characters not badly here, but don't want for everyone else to be turned like Kusaka here too (for the talk of prefering the main trio to be lunatic teenagers or such).

Sougo may be really weird like that as his friend (forgot the name, haven't found it yet) can attest but I think Sougo would be a good friend at least at hard times. He's a sweet kid thus he'd more likely to help you or at least try (not trying to make it worse like berating them for it) when you need it. Provided that Sougo knows enough about your problems at least (like him getting explanation of what Geiz went through). The part you talked here about ordering pizza doesn't sound like a bad situation but about settling differences and that you gotta be able to and in civil way. It'd be better rather than being with a hostile asshole sorry, but specifically when they're a popular one, of which being the life of a party (at expense of others too by that) can make them popular regardless if those can be two-faced or such and thus they can get free pass while harming others or such.

I also like the bat-wing ears on Another Fourze? It's sort of dumb (Bat = EVIL), but I think it works.

First Emu, now Takumi. The Time Jackers have officially forced every Legend Rider to go through a second puberty.

If this show uses Time Nonsense to get Tsurugi back from France, all will be forgiven.

It's the slight downside of overlapping Faiz and Fourze: it made me almost instantly forget about the Fourze parts? Like, Faiz. Way more psyched to see Takumi and Kusaka be awful to each other than I am to see Ohsugi snap his suspenders!

Also, a PROGRAMMING NOTE for anyone new to the thread or folks who just forgot, but Tuesday is a night off for me. No new episode post tonight. After a first week watching both Zi-O and DonBros, I think I'm good to do six nights a week in this thread. Episode 6 of Zi-O should post late Wednesday.

I think it works! Gentarou would 1000% hold onto some weird watch -slash- give up his powers just because some new friend asked him to. And it's... like, Kamen Rider Puppy Dog, man. Sougo probably acts as a multiplier to Gentarou's friendliness, just by being his normal adorable self. That kid could get that Legend Rider to agree to just about anything.

I mean, character portrayals are going to be slightly weird because of the Time Jackers, but overall life events are still occurring on a standard timeline. Emu's a pediatrician in 2018 instead of the intern he was in 2016, for example. And everyone from Fourze graduated back in 2012?

Sure, but, like... have you ever hung out with someone who won't stop steering things towards their own interests? No matter how little anyone else in the group cares about them? Like, if they're huge baseball fans, and no one else is, and they keep making every stray comment some way to talk about baseball? I feel like that's how Sougo would be with his interest. (Mostly because we've seen him talk about Being A King like it's his only hobby?)