And this is the thing that bugs me about it the most: this is a series that had previously been great about New Actor = Different Take, Classic Actor = Classic Take, which is a very smart way to do it! You want to take a different run at Shouichi from Agito? Cast a different actor! Now you can do whatever you want, like make him three guys. But when you bring back a classic actor in a classic role, it's incredibly difficult to then ask the audience to not bring their knowledge of that classic role to bear on the story. It's kind of stupid to do that, as a writer? It's baffling that a series that was (under many writers!) pretty great about not casting previous Rider actors as off-model versions of themselves, to suddenly at the finish line bring in Kenzaki's actor to play a massively out-of-character version of Kenzaki.

Like, I think your take is right (it's pretty much what I saw Wataru as in the premiere), but it's enormously distracting.

Definitely won't deny that! It's pretty much where my entire first paragraph is coming from :lol

Now that you mention it... I guess that's just how I felt upon my first viewing? I get the Fangire Wedding, which works with the Kiva theme (I haven't actually watched Kiva yet, so I actually only know there's a wedding and no actual context), but it still feels very... petty I guess? When you mention how it feels very Showa Villain, and Apollo Geist is a Showa Villain, it actually fits perfectly. I do get that he's using Natsumi, as mentioned earlier, a lure for Tsukasa, and you certainly hit that one right on the nail.

Overall, I'd say even if I've been going off memory, I think I remembered a good deal of the show. Sure, I might have missed a lot of good points or a chink of the context by not re-watching it along with everyone. But having followed along with this thread, I really learned quite a lot I didn't know, and have even gotten more appreciation for this series, regardless of the bumpy road this journey has been. (Though I feel like I should be saying this after the "True Ending")

It's about halfway Showa Villain plot-y, but if it was really that way then he'd also bring along the new kaijin Mecha CaterpillarBee who's kidnapping kids to hynotise them into robbing banks to destabilise the Japanese economy

I actually have a few theories on that front, given what little context the show itself gives.

1) It's "Great Leader's'" favorite food, given how a kid is threatened to be turned into a Sea Cucumber Monster in the Amazon Arc.

2) It's Daiki just trying to get under Tsukasa's' skin, considering the HBV reveals sea cucumber to be a food Tsukasa hates.

And 3), which I believe to be the most probable one...

It's a euphemism for Daiki's' D.

I'm just glad someone who isn't me said it

This should have occurred to me ages ago, and I am deeply ashamed that it didn't.

Apparantly Kaito himself hates sea cucumber. And at one point tried stealing General Shadow treasure only to ended up stealing some sea cucumbers and that Tsukasa in fact dosen't mind eating them and used to tease Kaito about it before losing his memories. And for some reason Kaito decides to tell the now anmesiac Tsukasa that he dosen't like sea cucumber? And all of this was revealed in the Decade Final Stage and before you decry as non-canon has also been officially reconized by Kamen Rider Zukan

Been focusing on important personal matter lately, and the next one you review are the movies... (haven't found the place for Net Movie yet), which is harder to find time to watch e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶2̶x̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶e̶d̶.̶

I actually wonder what'd be your reaction against Sayo if she didn't go off the deep end from the abandonment, if it's probably going to be more negative or such due to "not as realistic" or such. For the equal blame between them, it's a good reminder (not that everyone would get it though, so it's also from what you said) that, one party being blameless doesn't mean the others have no blame. Sayo like I said, did go off the deep end of helping Tsukikage's schemes a bit, before relenting at the end. Some would just pin the blame as a whole to the one treating the people badly, while treating the one getting mistreated as innocent no matter what, as if they can do any bad things with an excuse of bad past. A̶l̶b̶e̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶T̶s̶u̶k̶a̶s̶a̶,̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶p̶e̶o̶p̶l̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶p̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶l̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶d̶d̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶o̶v̶i̶e̶ ̶e̶x̶c̶l̶u̶s̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶l̶e̶s̶s̶.̶ So I guess Tsukasa is less of a good big brother compared to Tendou... albeit I still wonder what does Tsukasa think of Sayo while he's going on the other worlds. You admit that Tsukasa is an asshole for neglecting his sister, not excusing that he's neglecting her for her own sake or such like protecting the world like what Natsumi and Onodera suggested to Sayo (or you'd use 'asshole' here to describe him? Don't you think asshole means malicious)? Otherwise, Sayo has Natsumi's fashion choice of wearing high socks with less-covering footwear.

Tsukasa's journey and its effects on him also can be inconsistent in the past like him learning a lesson at the end, and then forgetting it at the start of the episode and then learn again, repeat. But I guess even if Tsukasa had amnesia, doesn't mean that he had his personality changing though? Dai-Shocker Tsukasa is in line with his personality of wanting to prevent the world of being destroyed, something he has been doing all over the series. Though I'd say it's unknown what has been Tsukasa doing in his tenure before being overthrown, but despite you saying that Tsukasa overcome his darker impulse throughout the series, the movie had Tsukasa going on his most dark impulse just yet, he's seemingly content of being a well-intentioned extremist if it's meant to keep the world from destruction, by instead dominating it of course (one of stock villain goals, and some would also prevent the world of being destroyed... even by working with heroes or not committing certain crimes, as there are no world to rule if it's destroyed). Again I don't know what actions he had done as the leader, but it reaffirms my view of Tsukasa that he'd save the world, but wouldn't care about its problems or such other than 'people live'.... even if it means world domination, which'd only cover one out of a wide range of good morals out there (this one though, it's just extremist), though this can be a real OOC as well to Tsukasa depending on the person, as jerk =/= villainous. I won't think that being a head of an interdimensional crime syndicate is that bad if the head would restructure the organization into something that is doing good though.

Otherwise, I'd probably want to see Tsukasa as Dai-Shocker head more compared to the fights before, which probably may also discuss the Rider Fight more. What I feel here is similar to the Ryuki tribute, I wonder who becomes the Riders who participated in the Rider Fight, and I think Tsukasa "massacring Riders" is similar to the died Riders in the Ryuki tribute. I think you're used to how W appears here, it's similar to for example, Genm's appearence at the end of Ghost or Build's appearence at the end of Ex-Aid. For Natsumi finally temporarily ditching Tsukasa for good reason (she can be agitated with Tsukasa's antics.. but wasn't outright hate just reprimanding)... I wonder if Kaitou partnering with her and calling her Natsumelon is the root of fans doing the same, or that it's what fanbase does but integrated in canon. There's also shown what'd Natsumi do in an impending apocalypse, but with people running around instead of her alone like at the beginning of series, where she'd help a stranger who fell... before Narutaki finally gets her to listen.

I don't know if those Riders they ask for help are real version of their original selves (in Decade many Riders have alternate selves like Onodera most prominently), albeit they have the original character's catchphrases. But dunno why Ouja would refuse, he's a blood knight and he should like the opportunity for more battles, and I think it'd be a clever, albeit pragmatic way for the cast to use that to help the cause. The fights though, there are dope parts I admit like the solution against Kingdark being using Kamen Rider J but also Decade being the one turned into Final Form Ride as giant Decade Complete, but as usual, the series really IMO spat on Kuuga with having Onodera going Rising Ultimate, but was only a punching bag against Shadow Moon. A little nitpick but I'd wish that the all Rider kicks actually feature the actual aesthetics such as Ryuki's Dragreder, just like, y'know, the very beginning of Decade, with multiple Rider assistants joining the fight like Contract Monsters.

I would probably like her just the same if she wasn't teaming up with Dai-Shocker to destroy the multiverse out of a sense of abandonment. I think she's an okay character?