I talked about Sougo being always a cunning manipulator because he keeps his dopey nature normally, his normal demeanor would stay the same as the one on earlier episodes. There are characters who acted stupid but they're actually capable inside when needed and Sougo is like that. Other than that, I just want to know again, what do you think about this part of my reply?

It's not quite insane for But Maybe They Meant Well move, it happened a lot in various media fandoms. It'd be quite 'normal' instead of insane lol. Though for sure Sougo's too sweet to see the bad in people, as he's nice to the likes of Geiz (who wants to kill him) and Woz (who wants to turn him into Ohma Zi-O), but the ones who pull But Maybe They Meant Well isn't necessarily about can't seeing the bad in people, but relating to those characters and project themselves onto them, seeking moral approval for both those toxic chars and themselves, actually should admit both of those are morally imperfect and deserving of criticisms.

Regarding Geiz here, not talking about how, like previously, Geiz continues to be Sougo's bitch? (of course unfortunately, this'd strengthen his feud by just Sougo overwhelming him). Geiz just constantly looks for excuse to kill Sougo of which it'd be strengthened if Sougo wants to join Kuroto. Sougo doesn't just defeat Geiz, he dominates him to the point where he uses one of Geiz's kicks to spin his belt for his transformation rather than bothering to do it himself, knees Geiz in the throat, and lets Geiz pound on him a bit in Build Armor while not reacting to a single punch just to show off how futile his efforts are, staying perfectly calm all the while and if anything only sounding disappointed in Geiz for being such a fool.

And in this story, Kuroto killed Masamune, who was the actual main antagonist in Ex-Aid. By the surface there he's more threatening. Otherwise it's good that Kuroto is acknowledged as a What Not To Do character as he's technically the most contributing among the heroes group in Ex-Aid, but that's due to his genius (of which gave him god complex) and that someone's who is a toku scientist can contribute the most in any role they occupy. But Kuroto was a case of a bad guy fighting another bad guy for retribution thus had mutual goals with the heroes. Like how Woz currently occupy that role in Zi-O now albeit Woz is significantly less atrocious. For Sougo's plan, I guess the people being hurt in meantime doesn't necessarily happen, as you said Sougo learns to know what not to do. You aren't automatically being bad or harming others just because you join a less morally sound group or job. Of which this is a mistake to immediately judge a person of certain group as bad merely due to being a member there (their actions are the one that'd count).

Other than Kuroto, the OOO tribute though, it acted as if Eiji returns to his family and becoming politician, but the context is quite ignored that his parents bailed him out of Africa while leaving everyone else to die, as well as his siblings manipulating his story as a tragic figure that escaped by luck (not by money), and exploiting his pain to win sympathy from voters. Without OOO this treats as if Eiji is fine and can return back to his family or helping people using his power (as politician here), ignoring that the one that can made him more happy again, his room to heal and made him use his power to reach out and help people, are the people around him, Ankh, Hina, Date, Goto, Satonaka. Like him being worried and cared about as well as being told to let others help him. It's also not really explained that why Hina designs for Kuroto.

Sougo using Geiz's kick to rotate the Driver was a bad*ss move for sure! I thought that was an awesome moment showing how Sougo was totally in control of the situation using his talent as a manipulator and Geiz was once more playing to his tune, unable to stop him. Even with Geiz's superior fighting experience, Zi-O beat him like it was nothing. After a brief display in the Wizard arc, this is the first big dangerous omen where you can fully see his potential as the future Oma Zi-O coming to the surface in a sudden twist. I feel like how Zi-O's fights were kind of generic until now did a lot to make this genuinely shocking to watch!

It was good! I don't think the timing necessarily lines up to say its an influence, considering how early the pre-production on Zi-O might've started, but Woz comes off very Ebony Maw from Avengers: Infinity War in this episode... and a lot of earlier episodes, now that I think about it? He's a grandiose, regal hype-man, and it's a cool gimmick.

I think it's also helping Tsukuyomi understand that people can spin historical facts anyway they want when it comes to discerning motivations, so it's best to go to do your own research, if you can. It's the thing that makes her trust her own opinions about Sougo, rather than follow Geiz'z interpretation of recent events (i.e. getting his ass completely and utterly kicked).

I agree!

I definitely don't love it, but this show has pretty definitively stated that, even without the emotional healing and psychological support of their Kamen Rider story arcs, they end up becoming the people they're meant to be. Sento and Banjou find each other anyway, Gentarou becomes a teacher, Emu becomes a pediatrician, etc. In this case, Eiji still finds a way to be a hero to people who need a helping hand.

I definitely underestimated how much harder it would be to talk about this show without rewatching it. It is definitely harder to come up with a lot of insights when you're relying not on fresh observations but on "I watched this, like, three years ago from an increasingly bad faith perspective" memories.

So what I remember most about this arc was that I tended to consider this my least favorite tribute episode. Not for Kuroto; it's hard to hate on more Kuroto content. No, it was Eiji. This felt like the biggest departure for a returning character to date: laundry detective Takumi still felt like Takumi, but they changed so much about Eiji that it almost seemed like they'd just brought on Shu Watanabe to play a different character. Not sure how accurate that impression would still be on a rewatch, but it's what I walked away from these episode with back in the day and I wasn't a fan. I think this was around the point where I was starting to wonder if Decade's approach wasn't a better way of handling an anniversary show (it wasn't, for the record).

As for what I remember from the show's main cast, I'm not sure where I landed on Sougo at the time. Looking at some old posts it seems that I was getting frustrated with what felt like inconsistency on whether he was supposed to be learning anything from these experiences or if it was all bouncing off of his head like a Faiz Axel.

I am the same way, but up to and including things I watched three days ago. Folks bring up stuff from Episode 9, and I'm like, was that the Build one? Very hard to keep these details straight after only a few days, so I can't imagine how hard it would be to remember details for (honestly) a fairly unexceptional story. I mean, I enjoyed it, but it's not some huge achievement or catastrophic failure.

The answer Sougo got from this one seems to be rooted on Sougo's moral compass to decide what makes a Good Despot, as a king position is a king position regardless of their alignment. That he'd view someone being worthy of king or not based on other people's evaulation of them compared to Kuroto forcing everyone to bow after him, and at ep. 9 people were protesting against Kuroto anyway. Ergo.... actually sometimes you have to.. care about what other people think of you, contrary to popular belief of insisting someone to not care about those.

Sougo and Junichiro didn't directly discuss about this but, I guess Junichiro's explanations of Nobunaga explains where Sougo had that view come from, as well as Junichiro teaching Tsukuyomi that as well. The direction below aside, despite that he only knew the main trio as normal teenagers, Junichiro can act as an unintended guide/key against the main trio's problems here. Though personally I don't believe in the perspective evaluation of someone, like, that can be easily abused to elevate people as horrible as Kuroto here (not used for Kuroto here, but another villains as bad as him or worse).... and that is quite dodged by how there's always some exceptions from perspective view here (for justified reasons, but it questions the validity of that view) like how Kuroto isn't subjected to that, like how Kuroto may be good in someone's eyes or such, other than Sougo thinking others evaluate him as bad king without knowing he's actually one.

For injuring Geiz... that seems to be just the standard rivalry between primary and secondary Riders, like Ryuki fighting Knight. And I don't hear often that either the primary or secondary Riders are seen as bad for said feud, though frequently the secondary Riders can harm the primary ones due to their anti-heroic traits clashing. And for the "assisting a man who is turning innocents into monsters", this is quite a common generalization against someone who is a member of a bad group/organization/etc., association fallacy, of which the opposite examples are assuming anyone who had a job that is seen as noble (like being cop, soldier, doctor, teacher, etc.) as inherently heroic and noble, when there can be wolf in sheep's clothing. By this I think someone shouldn't be judged by occupation alone of them being good or bad, merely joining them doesn't mean they'd assist the group overall, I mean just by existing and standing around him? Existing around him won't turn people into monsters. For the imprisoning dissenters part, I guess that's done to keep the masquerade going, it's something like what Kiriya did in Ex-Aid after his revival (he whispered to Emu albeit before returning, while Sougo did apologize later).

Actually I'd assure that Tsukuyomi's faith in Sougo isn't limitless. But regarding Geiz, where did you get the fact that he gave Sougo a second chance? Well Geiz unawaringly becoming softer with Sougo, but that caused him to take a step to distance himself from others that he's leaving Junichiro's house as well as vowing to hate Sougo and deny his softer feelings inside.

Still not enough utilized, Hina's super-strength. Like the attacks from actual monsters (the time when Sougo bind Eiji) or Kuroto's abuse towards her before.

Still this explains about how a different writer would screw up things, and personally if there's a guest writer that got a characterization wrong, I'd blame those writers more instead of bashing the characters due to acting that way. And for this explanations, I don't know if they deliberately made the show worse for comedy material here or that this outtake is made independently from the show? B̶u̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶r̶i̶o̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶l̶u̶n̶a̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶t̶e̶e̶n̶a̶g̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶'̶d̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶d̶e̶c̶i̶s̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶f̶o̶r̶e̶,̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶l̶o̶r̶d̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶s̶u̶g̶g̶e̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶o̶m̶b̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶T̶o̶e̶i̶ ̶H̶Q̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶d̶e̶c̶i̶s̶i̶o̶n̶s̶.̶

It may be going against the flow, but I never considered "matters of perspective" a reliable source to judge someone's morality. It can be heavily skewed for varying reasons; There are many villainous beings that got glorified using "matters of perspective" argument to treat them as completely innocent and shifting the blame to anyone else. The thing is, the concept of (and a serious one) self-righteousness is outright forgotten here, those rule out the possibility that they are what has gone wrong, yet those words coming from the likes of those are treated as gospel.

There's also how the villains (or the relatively worse ones) can be easily those who judge others instead of said "hero of one story/villain of another", when they are so biased; either them being helped by them (even inadvertently, or worse being influenced into thinking they're good) and deliberately ignoring the bad things they do to others, or just being petty af and demonize others just for being more successful or more happy or such, or doing that out of a slander. Otherwise KR likely glorifies Nobunaga too much, as he had been treated like this on Ghost too before.

Sure, but it's also... I mean, just like with Sougo taking an awful long time to realize that Kuroto is a maniacal supervillain (maybe if Hina'd finished that zombie gear, Sougo'd've picked up on it), it kind of doesn't occur to Sougo that people might not want to be ruled. It's one of his blindspots, this belief that he's a good person, and he wants to be king, therefore good people usually become kings, and everyone likes good people. There's a logical leap there that is super-specific to Sougo's worldview.

But, by that comparison, Geiz would be Ryuki and Sougo would be Ren. The problem is, Ren is a gigantic asshole. If this show wanted to move Sougo into being a gigantic asshole... I mean, I'd dislike it, but it would make parts of this story easier to follow. They didn't, though. They made him a sweet boy who beat the crap out of what he considers a good friend.

And not even for, like, a ruse or anything. Sougo wasn't undercover, or planning on taking Kuroto down from within. It's not until midway through Episode 10 where he decides to stand against Kuroto. When Sougo's fighting Geiz, the argument is You Are Helping A Villain versus Okay. That doesn't exactly paint Sougo in the best light?

So, Wizard arc - yes, I know I'm late, I was busy living in the outside world for the weekend.

Wizard was my first ever Rider show, so I have a lot of love for it. While the specifics are a little wonky in my memory, the themes of the show, about holding onto hope, and if you can't maybe someone else can help you out of the Darkness, they mean a lot. So what is Another Wizard? A guy who held out hope that eventually, he'd be noticed. His hard work would pay off, and he'd get his reward, and all would be well. And that hope backfires, drives him to become a monster. Too much hope leads to crushing disappointment. Plus, even without all that thematic parallel I can draw, it's a good hook anyway? Nice guy becomes a monster when rejected, what a thing that never happens in real life.

Nitoh's cameo is minor, sure, and doesn't add much, but I'm glad to see him for the first time since the Wizard/Gaim movie I think? Secondary Riders often feel lost in the shuffle once their show ends, and while him and Geiz probably wouldn't have much to bond over (his soultion to the Zi-O crisis would be 'Don't think about it too hard', then mayo covered chicken at Junchiro's), I appreciate how he doesn't just roll over and give the new protag the watch.

And yeah, it's just all round a solid episode! Direction is good, plot is solid, the old bed fakeout is brilliant, and the twist it puts on Sougo's character - how yes, he's kind and empathic but also scarily good at playing people without even properly realising it - I'm a sucker for it all. Plus plus, Another Wizard is A tier design. The "Add shouldrpads" Rider armors aren't my favourites, but the bulkier madcap ones go hard, and Wizard Armour is Geiz's finest. Plus, Geiz's method of wandering round till he finds the problem is the most Wizard thing you can do. I'm so glad a series that means so much to me ended up as it did, ya know?

Oh yeah the episode everyone else is talking about... Uhh, yeah, Sougo decided to go become Kuroto's understudy is on the less believable end of things, but on the other hand, Kuroto. I have a vague meta-reading that Sougo is just acting like the Kuroto fans from Ex-Aid time, not caring about his evil deeds because he seems cool, but I also admit that's contrived as heck. Away from Sougo making very questionable choices, I appreciate them again mixing together Heisei stuff as Kuroto is a perfect return, Eiji is pleasant to see back, and OOO Armour also looks sick. Don't remember many of the details on this one.

You know, the craziest thing about this episode is that I could understand what they were going for with Sougo, but their explanations and justifications just didn't work.

Now Sougo, joining King Kuroto to see how he rules does feel like something he'd do, but the episode's way of doing it just doesn't work, nor does it feel like something Sougo would do, knowing geiz is breathing down his neck. The .5 Episode really does fit the main issue with this episode.

But other than that, the OOO tribute was actually something I only grew to appreciate after watching OOO. At first, I thought "wait, I thought Eiji was a hobo," so I was confused on what exactly this tribute was going for. But some time after Zi-O, I watched OOO (which is definitely one of my favorite Rider Seasons), and when I got to Eiji's backstory, I thought "so all that stuff in Zi-O was accurate? That's neat!" and I ended up looking back on this arc, loving it way more than when I first saw it. That, and I can't say no to our favorite God.

Once more, I am absolutely digging the Rider Armors, and OOO is another one I found myself enjoying. It resembles Super TaToBa moreso than Another OOO, and instead of adding the Core Medals onto the design, it carries features of the three animals used for TaToBa, and finally, the big circle on his chest is, of all things, the Katakana "Taka, Tora, Batta," which I just find hilarious.

Also, as you've witnessed, this is where the Woz Happy Birthday image comes from. Woz is this series best character for me, no question, every moment he's on screen is a joy to behold, and his speeches are the best part about the Armor Times.

Man... Everyone's got a whole lot of words for this episode. I'll roll with this: Eiji chilling in jail with a smile is very Eiji.

Geiz wandering around Tokyo until he stumbled upon either the monster or a different Rider was my favorite tribute in the Wizard story. If only Sougo had leapt in from out of frame to save a bystander, I'd've been in heaven.

Sougo's weirdly okay with people being restrained and abused in this episode. I guess Sougo has learned leniency from how Tsukuyomi and Geiz continue to indulge his troublingly undefinable morality? This was a real Paying It Forward episode.

i hope you're ready for a whole bunch of pictures next

episode eleven is so pretty

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 11 - “ZI-O ON PARADE 2018”

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All I want to do is talk about this episode’s cinematography. There’s plot stuff, and it’s very fun, but we’ll save that discussion for Episode 12. For now, let’s just talk about how well this episode tells its story visually.

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Right off the bat, we’re going with this overhead shot of Woz delivering the foreword. Beyond just looking dynamic (which nearly all of these shots for the episode will), it’s a fun image of machinery, gears, clockwork. There’s an emphasis on interlocking elements and cooperative movement that feels like a nice clue to this story’s approach.

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And then a great big clock! Some of what I like about this shot is the framing, the stillness. There’s also the dissolve out from Woz’z platform of gears onto a working clock, which is a fun transition. But it also elevates a background motif into something Important To The Story, you know? We’re in a loopy time travel story, and we will be seeing a ton of clocks!

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There’s a great use of background details in this shot, like how the camera pans through columns decked out in TEAM BARON 2013 posters. With an In Media Res opening, it’s crucial to present relevant info in an almost diegetic way; it can’t come across as exposition, or it’ll kill the exact momentum an In Media Res opening is deployed to create. A lovely shot, and great at building out the players for this story.

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Same thing with this shot of the Gaim RideWatch. Just a super kinetic shot that shows off the new merch.

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And then, man, this shot of the Gaim Ride Armor! I love that after collecting a half-dozen Rider Armors, Sougo’s all set for the new one to show up in front of him. Instead, it’s Gaim, so it just drops down on him from above. It’s a really good gag!

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Pretty fantastic tableau here! Really evocative, quickly creating a sense of scale (this is way beyond what Sougo’s used to) and a sense of stakes (it all looks pretty bad!). This episode is great with disorienting views of time and space, and this is a great toss into the deep end.

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Everything about Kouta The Space God feels all-powerful and mysterious here, before we even get into the In Media Res parts of the scene. It takes a while to see his face. He moves four-dimensionally, echoing ahead of and behind his movements. He comes off as someone who’s operating on a literal different plane than Sougo.

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THIS SHOT! Kouta’s telling Sougo that if he can’t trust in his friends to take care of themselves – if he has to do everything for them, like he’s above them – then he doesn’t deserve to have them. He deserves to be alone in his power. And then Kouta drops out the floor, leaving the two all-powerful characters literally standing all alone.

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It’s been a minute, but I remember these blue butterflies being a Gaim thing? With Mai? Either way, I love how it looks here, with Kouta glitching out before dissolving this whole limbo space.

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Jesus, everything in this shot. None of it makes any literal sense – why are there multiple women dancing around in blinding clock masks? – but I could not care less. It takes a story that’s already massively unsettled, with a bonkers opening and an appearance from a Space God, and then makes it even more bizarre and symbolic. The idea of time being an Actual Person who can be frozen, manipulated, avoided… such a fun visual.

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There’s some great reaction shots in this episode. I mostly love the tendency to stay on the reacting character, not the speaker. Here, we’ve got Swartz speaking to Geiz, but by staying on Geiz, it makes Swartz’z words feel like they come from the cosmos. It’s all the stuff Geiz thinks he’s hiding away, but it’s being broadcast through the universe. (Also, man, so glad this show decided to land on Geiz Is Pouting Because His Friend Was Mean To Him as the reason Geiz ran away from home! Everyone sees it!)

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The Time Jackers are trying to recruit Geiz, and this shot really encapsulates the dilemma Geiz is in. The composition is super symmetrical, with Geiz as the central, slightly-out-of-place component. It really sells their strategy towards him, while letting him not quite fit in. The Time Jacker scheme is smart, in that Geiz could be a valuable asset. Geiz wants the same thing they do: the death of Zi-O. But Geiz sees his manipulation of time as more altruistic than the Time Jackers, even if they’re all screwing around with history. Having Geiz be the central piece of this shot, while being visibly uncomfortable? So smart!

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I like this far shot of two Baron guys. A lot of stuff in this part of the show uses really interesting angles on pretty basic plot points (the villain reveal, the hero’s arrival), which is nice. Blocking the shot this way, with the van and the alley wall squeezing these two characters together, does a good job of increasing the tension as the scene begins. Plus, that body language! Backs to us, one guy hunched over a bit… good directing there.

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These two shots, again, some great editing in the way the reaction shots play out. (It was these two shots that made me realize all I wanted to talk about tonight were visuals.) The important part of this scene isn’t Swartz’z… isn’t anything to do with Swartz. It’s about Geiz deciding whether he hates Sougo enough to be a party to murder. (Uh, non-Sougo murder.) The dialogue here is like the devil on Geiz’z shoulder, which is why the second shot just drops Swartz entirely. We’re in Geiz’z very turbulent headspace, and figuring out how much of his sullen demeanor is really just hiding a bad breakup.

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There’s almost no reason to shoot this very tiny bit of business from a rooftop. It’s arguably too showy to work. It calls attention to itself, for sure. But it’s also really fun to look at? There’s a read on this shot that I could reach for – that this episode’s all about moving pieces around on a four-dimensional chessboard, so it’s important to see the characters as tiny objects – but I don’t even care. I just like looking at it.

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Probably hard to see here, but I liked how Geiz’z disorientation in Helheim was shown through the screen splitting into horizontal thirds and rotating. Static shots are boring! Spice it up!

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The action in this episode was terrific. It gets weird angles, and pushes in at climactic moments. There’s this great hold on Geiz’z ax that I enjoyed, where it practically consumes the frame. It gives Geiz – who has been getting his ass kicked a bunch – a heroic beat, something that makes him imposing again.

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Tsukuyomi is AWESOMELY weird in this episode, which I appreciate. She’d been in Time Mom mode a bit too much over the last few stories, so her getting increasingly stressed-out by Sougo’s perplexing behavior was what I loved about her in Episode 1. These two shots, it’s a nice callback joke within the episode, but I like how each one conveys a slightly different emotion? The first one is suspicious, as she’s starting to realize something’s up, and the second one is her just defeated by how insane things are. I like when the Time Orphans get to be weird, emotional teenagers!

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Not so much the shot, here, but the set dressing. There’s some fruits on the table to the left of Tsukuyomi: bananas, lemons, and an orange. Very cute!

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I like when Geiz gets to meet other taciturn anti-hero secondaries, because they can instantly see through his bullshit. Geiz is trying to do his grim executioner thing around Kaito, and Kaito’s immediately like Naw You’re Just Mad ‘Cause Your Friend Was Mean To You. Kaito thinks it’s sort of adorable, how this kid is trying to be all pro ice around him. The shots are composited so that Kaito literally doesn’t even have to look at Geiz to read him like a book. And Geiz isn’t even looking at Kaito when he declares his intention to kill Sougo, because he’s trying to convince himself. Great blocking and editing here.

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So, one, I like how all of the red outfits make the two lead actors in the shot pop. Two, I love that these two kids have to shout into each other’s ears, getting more aggravated as the conversation goes on. Third, I adore that Tsukuyomi does her Episode 1 thing of getting Sougo into a fight to see what else might happen. (And it works! Her whole Get Sougo Beaten Up plan works!) Of all the things this episode did non-visually that I liked, giving Tsukuyomi and Sougo a screwball team-up was my favorite. (Second favorite was – and I didn’t double-check this – having 2018 Team Baron do the same Team Baron dance routine from Gaim. The little details on this show!)

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This reveal! How great is this reveal?! Just a static shot on the stage, and all of the extras leave the frame. Look at those two shots, the beginning and the end. SO GOOD!

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Finally getting to see Kouta in his non-Space God role, and he’s cleaning the glass… including the camera lens?! It’s another possibly-too-showy move, having Kouta interact with the screen, but I think it worked. It’s an episode that exists in an almost wordless space, where the energy and emotion of the visuals renders the dialogue and logic unnecessary. What better, final way to communicate that than having Kouta start fogging up the lens and wiping it down?

What an amazing episode of tokusatsu. Even if you’ve been skipping a rewatch, fire up Episode 11 over the next day or so. You won’t be disappointed!

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KAMEN RIDER ZI-O COMPLEMENTATION PROJECT EPISODE 11.5 - “MYSTERIES OF 9 TO 5!”

Ha ha, it never even occurred to me that the various clocks in the background of 9 To 5 were from other shows, but… yeah, duh. Of course they are! It’s an anniversary season! The background’s going to be full of little easter eggs. I anxiously await Androzani84 pointing them all out to me.

Other than that, boy, did not like any of those unused Zi-O helmet designs! All pretty bad!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/ziocp11a.png

Okay good, you see, you have entered the directorial realm of Kazuya Kamihoriuchi. He's done some real good work prior to, and after this! Really cool shots are his forte, and he's definitely become a fan favorite director in recent years.

Major things that I enjoyed of his were the Specter V-Cinema, Build and Ex-Aid's Generation's Final. He's done a fair small chunk of the Ex-Aid and Build episodes. The one iconic Build shot I'll always point to is, "Remember that one time Rogue transformed between a picture frame?" yeah that was him.

And he does so much good work after this too! I won't spoil it, but I will say he's directed possibly my favorite Rider Movie in recent memory? So good!!!!

Anyway we're still in Gaim town with the BGM Swaps so let's get rolling!

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 12 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCYo21LbYgI

For me, it'll always be this scene:

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/...isorasento.gif

This was a really nice episode to watch. I've enjoyed the series as a whole, visually, but this was some next-level stuff. It was so good, unfortunately, that I used up the time I'd usually watch DonBros for the week. Kinda... kinda don't know when I'm gonna get to that? Maybe Thursday? Maybe?

I am so so glad you pretty much exclusively talked about the visuals of this episode as Kamihouruchi directing is an absloute delight that elevates an already cool arc into next level awesomeness. Sadly though the Gaim Arc is the only time he direct this season making ZI-O his least involved series to date; which is a shame he plays the theme of time so well visually in this two-parter.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q82uz...ature=youtu.be
Also are first ever instance of returning music from past series the Team Baron Dance theme

It's nice to see that, in the intervening half-decade, Team Baron's new leadership has created absolutely no new art. Is this story also a Kiva homage? Is that why we just get the one Team Baron dance, forever?

(I'm only kidding. I was psyched to see them trot out the same Team Baron dance on the same Beat Riders stage. It was neat!)

Episode 11, on stage!

-......Oh god, there's two of them now! A good chunk of this episode is just Sougo-swapping shenagians as Future Sougo attempts to save Geiz from Fruit Hell...but in the right way this time? It's simple and fun, so it definitely works for me! (Also the bit where the two Zi-Os come face-to-face with each other, and Current Sougo just goes "Oh, well! Shouldn't worry about that! :-)" is something that stuck in my mind on my first watch. It's such a Sougo thing to do, yknow?)


- I didn't particularly like Gaim, or the way handled its themes, but hey! Considering what our Legend Rider duo has been (or hasn't been? Time Nonsense...) through in the pursuit of power to save/rule over all, I think they might the best ones to guide Sougo/Geiz at their current stage?

-That bit with Uncle and Woz meeting, enjoyed that a lot. Especially the bit where Uncle grabs the clock Woz was about to throw away.

-Geiz....I think "Warrior from a apocalyptic future trying to stop a terrible future" and "teenage boy who doesn't do well with Emotions" is such a fun mix, y'know? Yeah I'm sure Sougo's actions in the last arc alarmed Geiz the Future Warrior as a sign of Oma-Zi-O, but Geiz the Teenager? Definitely not happy that the kid that he was slooooowly believing wasn't all that bad betrayed that trust. Maybe one day Geiz will learn to talk things out properly instead of immediately attempting to shift himself into Future Warrior mode?


-The small detail that Kaito's been trapped in Helheim for 5 years, without a Sengoku Driver to turn the lockseeds into human-safe nutrients, and is still relatively fine? I'm not sure if the writer forgot about that detail or Kaito's just that badass/resourceful. (Most likely a bit of both?)

-Truly the best representation of Gaim is that both the dancing and Kouta's God Wig still kinda sucks!

-Current Zi-O sure is lovely, but I think the eyeless helmet is kinda cool? Something about Rider masks without the traditional bug-like eyeshape are so fun,,

According to Shirakura "Especially we wondered what he had eaten in Helheim forest, but the truth that Kaito and others had survived proves that there is something to eat there."

I'm definitely looking forward to what Baron -- a grim red-and-black-clad young man who wouldn't trust anyone else with power -- and Gaim -- a legit Good Overlord? -- have to say to Geiz and Sougo. This episode was fairly light on their interactions (the bit with Kouta and Sougo in the beginning was real This Will All Make Sense Later), but I'm sure Episode 12 will have some meaty scenes.

The BEST PART of this story, narratively, is that it's just about Geiz getting mopey because Sougo was mean to him and let him down. That's it! It's just about Geiz'z Hurt Feelings, the end, and I love that. He's such a transparently sweet boy, dressed up in the elaborate neckwear of a Serious Man. It's great, and I'm glad the show is acknowledging its greatness.

Kaito has for sure been killing and eating all of the Team Baron guys Another Gaim tosses into Helheim.

“What is this D*r**m*n clone sh*t?”

Sadly I don’t know the clocks off the top of my head, nor is the wiki much aid. But I can move onto my regular feature.

Ridewatch Plalylist: Repaint the Movie Suits Mix.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ryMXBSOev1I

(Can I start by saying how much I love the shamisen-music these Watches have for their music? I think it’s probably the best Ridewatch jingle music out of them all, to the point this is the one time I’ve put effort into guessing what the jingles for the unreleased Watches would sound like)

“Fighting with the power of Lockseeds, the fruits Armoured Rider is… Gaim”

And we start off with what one of my lecturers called “Death Metal” (though I insisted it was alternative rock. Thoughts?) Just Live More, by Gaim no Kaze. https://youtube.com/watch?v=beK-q0xTenM

“Jimber Lemon: Orange and Lemon mix into a jinbaori. Jimber Lemon Arms”

For this form, we’re going for it’s associated theme, Toki no Hana. The original was performed by all the Kamen Rider Girls at the time, but I went with this cover performed only by the one who represented Gaim (who you may recognise as the assistant from Gridon vs Bravo) https://youtube.com/watch?v=HGF3pzzE_U4

“Ei ei oh! Now, go forth! Gaim Kachidoki Arms”

And now we come to the personal highlight of this list, Rise Up Your Flag https://youtube.com/watch?v=lGt4cGGpQqM

“ADVENT! The heavenly thundering great general. Gaim Kiwami Arms”

And for this, I went with the theme that’s half about it (half about Overlord Baron) Ranbu Escalation https://youtube.com/watch?v=tTbRYKtfbNw

“The banana armour-wearing, spear-wielding Rider is Baron”

This time, I came up with two good choices, so I decided to use them: Never Surrender by Team Baron (Kaito, Zack and Peko’s actors) and Unperfected World by Kaito’s alone. So I went with both. https://youtube.com/watch?v=hxZyZHlLnC8

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lxhjeNqVgX0

“The grape armour-wearing, gun-wielding Rider is Ryugen”

And he has a pretty distinctive song, so this was an easy choice. Point of No Return https://youtube.com/watch?v=OMC0rcS4TSE

“The melon armour-wearing, sword-wielding Rider is Zangetsu”

And since he doesn’t have an insert song, I went for his V-Cinema theme, Lights of My Wish, performed by Mai’s actress https://youtube.com/watch?v=xqIc_18SEDw

And talking of Gridon vs Bravo, we conclude with this promotional watch that came with a DVD of the stage show it debuted in.

“Zangetsu’s battles never end. Noblesse Oblige. Zangetsu Kachidoki Arms”

And now for a list of the unreleased watches. There were no winners, but I personally think there weren’t any real losses this time. (Except maybe Duke Lemon Energy Arms)

Kamen Rider Gaim (Pine Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Ichigo Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Suika Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Jimber Cherry Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Jimber Peach Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Banana Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Donguri Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Durian Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim Yami (Black Jimber Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (1go Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Wizard Arms)
Kamen Rider Gaim (Drive Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (Mango Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (Lemon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (Ringo Arms)
Kamen Rider Baron (OOO Arms)
Kamen Rider Ryugen (Kiwi Arms)
Kamen Rider Ryugen (W Arms)
Kamen Rider Ryugen Yomi (Yomotsuheguri Arms)
Kamen Rider Zangetsu (Fourze Arms)
Kamen Rider Zangetsu (Watermelon Arms)
Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin (Melon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Gridon (Donguri Arms)
Kamen Rider Bravo (Durian Arms)
Kamen Rider Kurokage (Matsubokkuri Arms)
Kamen Rider Kurokage Shin (Matsubokkuri Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Knuckle (Kurumi Arms)
Kamen Rider Knuckle (Jimber Marron Arms)
Kamen Rider Duke (Lemon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Duke (Lemon Arms)
Kamen Rider Duke (Dragon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Sigurd (Cherry Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Marika (Peach Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Mars (Golden Arms)
Kamen Rider Kamuro (Silver Arms)
Kamen Rider Jam (Darkness Arms)
Kamen Rider Bujin Gaim (Blood Orange Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Fifteen Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Decade Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Fourze Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Wizard Arms)
Kamen Rider Fifteen (Gaim Arms)
Kamen Rider Idunn (Ringo Arms)
Kamen Rider Tyrant (Dragon Energy Arms)
Kamen Rider Black Baron (Banana Arms)
Kamen Rider Saver (Blood Zakuro Arms)

As for the compare and contrast, this time our villain contrasts with not just the primary Rider, but the SECONDARY too. Kouta is a strong believer in using the Sengoku Driver for personal responsibility over profit or games (even if it took him being beaten up by Taketora to develop this philosophy), while Kaito believes in survival of the fittest, and wouldn’t put anyone down unless they prove unable to do anything for themselves, and he attracts a lot of followers through charisma, with many leaving due to his personality. Asura on the other hand (for an etymology lesson, Asura is a godlike being in Hindu mythology who was exiled from heaven because he abused his strength to hurt others) uses the power of Another Gaim to get rid of anyone who disagrees with him, or tries to leave, essentially being an asshole for the sake of being an asshole (he’s worse than KurotOh. At least HE had parental abuse as an excuse). Design wise, Another Gaim is basically a Gaim themed version of Lord Baron (to the point that while the latter’s weapon was recycled from Demushu’s, the former’s is reused from Rosyuo)

In terms of the plot, I pretty much loved it. The “begin on a form debut” that’s so rare (this is the one time it’s applied to a form change, rather than a final form), complete with it unfolding Gaim style. And pairing Geiz off with Kaito pretty much comments on the similarity between the two, in that they’re both Knight Templar characters who are unwavering in their beliefs, though for different reasons (Kaito is unwavering because he’s held onto them for so long that he simply isn’t going to get over them, while Geiz is unwavering because none of his negative traits have any consequences, so he sees no reason to learn a lesson). If anything though, Geiz at least has the potential to change things around, with Kaito being the Jacob Marley in his Christmas Carol.

After a few years of Kouta's space-godness basically being "Yeah he can just fly around space and also dig up Mr Belt from the Drive Pit", having him be represnted with such abstract, overwhelming weirdness is great. Not to mention how he's the first one to resist getting wiped from time just long enough to fix Geiz and Sougo's relationship with a helpful bit of time trickery. Thank you Fruit Jesus.

Oh, and also in "Minor plot details that no-one should worry about", I remember people theorising/claiming that the Hellheim here is a fake created by Another Gaim, which is why Baron didn't turn into an Invess after five minutes.

Yeah, I've liked how the show has had the few Geiz plots be ones with secondaries. It's fun to see grim executioner Geiz run up against dudes who've already had his character arc (Hiiro, Kaito) or dudes who could not be less impressed with his character arc (Kousuke).

Judgmentally-Weird Space God is my favorite post-show version of Kouta. I do sorta miss that orange puffy vest, though.

I didn't like how Kaito ended up as a villain, but I thought it was smart to use that as a warning to Geiz about what he could became if he doesn't change his ways. Reminds me of Kaito's advice to Shapool about fighting for your right to live in Gaim Saga Balon, which was also written by Mouri, along with Gaim Saga Knuckle and some of the Gaim episodes I actually enjoyed. I thought it was a good decision to let him write this arc for sure.

Since you brought up God Kouta's fashion sense, I want to mention that I like his new casual white outfit. It looks a lot more practical than the Kiwami armor he was wearing before.

Oh right... how can I forget. Undercover was the word I'm looking for. I do thought Sougo went undercover against Kuroto somewhat. But then again you thought Sougo became cunning instead of always cunning, and I thought Sougo puts a dimwitted act normally unless when it's necessary (ep. 8). I guess it can also be a case of how Sougo's scatter-brained act is too convincing that it can be a criticism for some that he seems inconsistent or the series being tryhard to make him not seem a fool, including him extending his stay to further investigate Kuroto's rule by fighting Geiz, also capturing Eiji and Hina. At least it's not portrayed as if Sougo realized Kuroto is wrong or something, he just stated his true motivation later when taking him down. And to be specific I was refering to scenarios like Ryuki Survive debut or especially when Shinji's the one almost finishing him. Also Geiz constantly looked for excuse to kill Sougo (I refer to the fight where Geiz fought him with Sougo using Geiz's kick to henshin for example, that's started by Geiz), if he can go through that is not known but likely not... i̶t̶'̶d̶ ̶f̶u̶r̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶R̶e̶n̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶p̶p̶e̶a̶r̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶.

And even Sougo's last name is Tokiwa. Toki means time. His uncle also owns a clock shop and repair service. The intro also had Sougo inspecting clocks on his uncle's shop. Other than that Woz here gave a clock for Junichiro to fix.... finally being a customer that abides to Junichiro's needs. Woz seems to be trying to get along with Sougo's relatives too here, albeit probably he can do that to gain favor for Sougo. Woz further shows to be villainous here though (albeit he's affably evil) to act upon elimitating Geiz and prevent Sougo helping him, to ensure that the tyrant comes. But Sougo states Woz as a nice guy against Junichiro. You're right he can'r see the bad in people and that one is blind, or him acting stupid.

"All-powerful"... so both Sougo too? How did you guess that Sougo is also all-powerful? I know that Ohma Zi-O did rule the world but for him to be deemed all-powerful by that first.... For Kouta's advice to Sougo there, it's true that, they're your friends, not your tools. They're individuals who are allowed to act on their own and not be controlled to your own wishes even if it's well-meaning (doesn't mean they're allowed to be given free pass when they're wrong). That'd be potentially using those as pawns in worst case scenario. Ironically, Kouta's advice here would be an anti-Micchy approach, of which Kouta constantly being lenient to him due to their childhood relation thus he won't view Micchy this way, as someone who doesn't view his "friends" as people, but rather an emotional satisfaction and extension of himself, ignoring his friends' thoughts and feelings and forcing his views and methods on them, and would discard those who aren't going along.

True, there's a tease of Ora following Geiz and it makes sense that the Time Jackers would try to recruit Geiz as both wants to kill Zi-O, though with different goals. This is a parallel to Woz, where he's a villain that worked to help Ohma Zi-O that happens to be the cheerful hero, thus he's creating good outcomes for now by giving Sougo more power to help his desire to save the day. While the Time Jacker planned for a hero, albeit anti-heroic one, to help them in fulfilling his goal, that had similar method to Time Jackers, thus he'd create bad outcome by helping Time Jacker's goals. For screwing around with history, I don't know if that alone is wrong, I'd view Time Jackers as being wrong for not creating better outcome than Ohma Zi-O but reshaping it for their own selfish desires as well as the people who got hurt in their plans like the Armored Riders' victims. Geiz is wrong due to targeting the still-noble Sougo for now, and his black and white mentality to Another Riders is unrelated to him time travelling.

I guess it's more of a weird situation than her acting weird. It'd be odd for both her and Woz that Sougo keeps going and coming back with him making statements that are different from his current occupation. And that there's a new consequence too for now that Sougo getting Gaim Arms isn't something that is recorded on Woz's book yet (he's a prophet). Though both Sougos here know Tsukuyomi well and trusts her to help them going on both of their respective mission. Her being exasperated about insane things is the opposite of being weird... she's taking the sane (wo)man role here, actually that's a voice of reason role still. And the part of her getting Sougo into a fight to test... it's not recognized as quirky part of her or such by others.

Kaito shows off his social mastery again to correctly evaluate that Geiz has hesitation on his part to do his mission. Like usual he reveals something within person that they deny or even don't realize. Other than that, Geiz is ironically dealing with someone that is a bit similar to Sougo, that while Kaito's an anti-hero for most of the series, at the end, as Lord Baron, he turned into an anti-villain who'd want to improve the world, but is done by destroying the current one. Sougo's a more extreme case on both ends, in the original timeline he was a straight hero (if he was the same in his youth as him now) that turned into straight villain, even irredeemable one.

I forgot to post this before going to work, so here we are.

I've been looking forward to this when I started it. These, especially their other Kamen Rider English cover, are kinda what got me to do this whole bit. They are fantastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTpt...K0TjZo&index=3

One thing I forgot to mention is that I love how Woz finally gives the Uncle a clock to repair… and he goes into the usual spiel about how he only repairs clocks.

It sorta matches Mai's outfit now, which I prefer. They finally both look like they're in the same Final Fantasy cosplay group!

I think some of it's also Sougo's belief in his own morality. Sougo doesn't think he'll become Oma Zi-O due to his own innate sense of right and wrong, or the influence of the Time Orphans, or whatever. So when Woz shows up to get Sougo to embrace his power and become a Despot, Sougo just adds a Good prefix onto that title automatically. Every Woz that, to us, plays as Woz Is Trying To Build A Time Tyrant, to Sougo just plays as A Fan Is Giving Me Solid Advice. It's not so much Sougo ignoring or misunderstanding Woz'z motivations or goals, it's Sougo viewing any assistance as a stepping stone to being a Gooder Despot.

It can be both! The situation is increasingly inexplicable, sure, but she's getting sort of manic and testy about it. She's not confused, at a certain point; she's angry. It's really fun!

Worth the wait! Thanks!

It's such a good gag! The delivery on that joke is so perfect, because it takes forever to finally land on the Like This punchline. Uncle's got some impeccable comedic timing.

Wow, looking at these images, I forgot how gorgeous the cinematography is.

This episode is all about visuals! And Gaim Armor is visually and aesthetically appealing. It comes in just like the Fruit Armors from Gaim, zipper and everything, it's got multiple "arms" resembling sliced fruit, and Sougo, continuing to butcher his Senpais catchphrases, goes full Kabuki. I also love how, thinking back on it, Another Gaim could probably double as an Overlord Gaim.

I also think I finished Gaim at this point? But again, I'm not too sure at the moment. But I did kind of like this episode... But then there's the time shenanigans. Nothing wrong, per se, but it's a little off? Maybe they were trying to reference Mai from Gaim, but something just bugs me about how they pull it off. Of course, maybe that's just my brain skewing my perception of it, since it ain't fresh in my mind, and the episode set it up that way, and I'm once again chasing myself into a corner.

Anyway, nice to see the Forest of Helheim again, absolutely nailing the visuals, and Kaito. I didn't forget about Kouta, our favorite Space Fruit God, and the crazy world he appears in when confronting Sougo (wow, someone's an artistic lad). And Woz brought Uncle a clock to fix! The stars have aligned!

Another note, I love the Time Jackers' Time Majins and how they're based off things from previous Rider Shows, not only that but they look pretty darn good, too.

M̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶M̶a̶i̶'̶s̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶f̶i̶t̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶a̶c̶k̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶K̶o̶u̶t̶a̶'̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶f̶i̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶K̶o̶u̶t̶a̶'̶s̶.̶

Nice explanation for what Sougo thinks regarding Woz here. True that Woz's assistance would be a help to Sougo thus he's seen as nice... and Sougo can be oblivious to the surroundings, like how people feel. Other than that what do you think regarding:

Well, an absolutely confusing opening sequence that promises an event that the show has no idea how to eventually deliver would be a very apt Gaim tribute!

I mean, we don't know if Another Gaim (for example) is going to work out better for humanity than Oma Zi-O or Sougo The Good Despot (probably not as good for dance crews, maybe), which is sort of Swartz'z point. Changing History has unintended consequences any way you try it, so why is Geiz'z version more heroic than Swartz'z? (Not my view, but it's the Time Jacker argument for moral relativism.)

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 12 - “ME X MY STAGE 2013”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio12a.png

I’m starting to come around on this smiling would-be-tyrant!

The performance is reliably great, but this time doubly so. There’s a disarming abundance of cheerfulness, no matter the stakes or circumstance. It never feels (in this story, at least) like Sougo’s unaware of the reality of the situation, just… he’s confident that he can save the day. And that’s not an overconfidence, it’s just him seeing the best outcome for everyone, and doing what it takes to make that future come true.

The central paradox of Sougo’s character really snaps into focus in this episode, as he deals with both Woz’z sudden but inevitable betrayal, and Geiz’z vow to stay by his side forever and ever just in case Geiz needs to kill him and for no other reason.

Sougo’s fine with both! He’s genuinely happy to see both of his friends doing what they think is right, even if it could hurt and/or kill him. That’s why he wants to be king: so people can be free to do what they think is right. He wants to be the sole arbiter of right and wrong, so no one can tell anyone what to do. He wants to be a Good Despot. It’s, as always, completely idiotic. But here, in this episode, it feels sweet and generous. I get why folks like Eiji and Emu would chuckle knowingly at Sougo’s effervescent enthusiasm for unquestioned command. Sougo wants people to work towards the future that makes them happy, even if it’s in opposition to his. He values friendship more than fealty.

Which is good news, because two of his most trusted friends (out of, uh, three) are pretty convinced he’s on the complete wrong path. Geiz is jilted, sure (he just comes home to try and make Sougo feel bad, pretty standard sworn enemy behavior, zero percent weird), but he’s pretty much telling Sougo that an execution is imminent. And Woz! Woz, who is past the point of advising Sougo to knock it off with the friendly shenanigans and is openly collaborating with the Time Jackers to bump off the Time Orphans. We’re definitely in for a rough patch for Team Zi-O.

This was a pretty great outing for them, though. Not much to touch on from the Legend Riders – Kouta was less useful here than in Heisei Generations Final, which is saying something – but the rest of the story was a delight. Some terrific gags (there’s a bit where the background music drops out so Tsukuyomi can yell at Double Sougos that things are too confusing right now), and a final battle that utilizes the dual timelines to the most visually-stunning level yet. Everything about the bisected screens was gorgeous.

I don’t know if this was as good as the first part (really let down by Kouta’s non-factor), but as a whole? Really excellent two-parter that used twice as many Sougos to solve his weirdest character trait. Super excited for where this show can go when its firing on this many cylinders.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/zio12b.png

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O COMPLEMENTATION PROJECT EPISODE 12.5 - “INTERVIEW WITH A TIME JACKER”

On the one hand, this was probably the most worthless .5 episode yet. Nothing in here expands your knowledge of the show or its characters. The versions of Geiz, Woz, and Swartz – Team ZZZ – shown here should be encased in quotation marks as big as a Time Mazine. It’s four minutes of mugging, breaking, and non-sequiturs.

On the other hand, BEST .5 EPISODE YET.

Everything about this killed, with Swartz’z incredibly flamboyant egotist setting the tone for the episode. Geiz and Woz matched his wackiness with self-effacing jokes and just a tiny smidge of burning chemistry. It was such a blast to watch these three actors make jokes about pre-Christmas character intros and other tokusatsu tropes.

God bless these three idiots.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/zio/ziocp12a.png

Also!

Episode 12.

Movie Time.

Episode 11 and 12 is definitely when everything started to click in place for me.

And also you've finally come to understand Sougo as I know him. I believe he's said it a few times, I forget what subs people use but he usually says something along the lines of "I think I can do this."

Basically, in the words of my favorite LP'er/Streamer, "I'm optimistic about things!" that sums up Sougo's personality really well for me and I'm glad you've gained this knowledge.

The episode was also pretty good, Kaito is Kaito, Kouta is Kouta, nothing too grand for these two but they work. Also the Kodama Suika Arms activation gag is absolutely incredible.

That being said... don't like Gaim Armor! I feel like it gets too bulky. I get what it's trying to do, but it's not for me! OOO Armor all the way!

Anyway given the content teased for next time at the end of the episode you'd think we'd only have one BGM for the swap this week. Nope, if you watched the episode preview, you'd know that we've got a second BGM swap. And I'm sorry Ghost, as much as I love you... the superior BGM swap is the second one this time.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 13 Preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL188xkLR8U

Soon! I've got Heisei Generations Forever due up after Episode 15, which should put it on this Sunday.

It's weird how the performance sort of redeems the character choices? There's an On Paper version of Sougo that I'd probably despise: too self-confident, too upbeat, too certain of his own righteousness, too condescending of anyone without Plot Armor (Time). But the actor finds a real earnest charm to a teenage boy who wants to rule over everything, but for nice reasons.

It's easy to see, after this episode, how Sougo could theoretically become the Ruler Of Time because people wanted him to be.

Kamen Rider Puppy Dog Overlord! I like him now.

May I recommend that you watch the movie after episode 14, since the two-parter format is still going strong for this duration so stepping out in the middle of an arc to watch an unrelated whole movie might feel awkward. (Plus, that's just my personal ideal order for the next few bits of Zi-O media)

I hear you, but I'm going to end up doing Heisei Generations Forever after Episode 15 for three reasons:

1) That's when it came out during the show's run, and I always like doing it that way whenever possible.

2) My understanding is that the movie doesn't really connect to the episodes around it, so it can sort of land anywhere in this chunk of the series?

3) Secret Scheduling Reasons.

But I appreciate the advice! As long as we're talking about when to schedule spin-offs, lemme get people's thoughts on where the following were/are going to be slotted:

SHINOBI - After Episode 18
RYUKI - After Episode 28
FINAL STAGE - After Episode 34
OVER QUARTZER - After Episode 43
HBV - After Over Quartzer

Thoughts? That all seem okay?

That's fair! I think how you're doing it should be fun and interesting too.

Doesn't FINAL STAGE come long after everything else, though? Came out in 2020, I think.

Okay so I was wondering when you had Over Quartzer and I'm going to be honest.

Save it for after you watch Zi-O. Like I honestly feel it would be better for you to just burn straight through the finale of Zi-O and then watch Over Quartzer.

Try and also find a way to grab the Final Stage Show, and just watch those two back to back in terms of scheduling. It will all make sense and I consider watching those two things after Zi-O, probably the best immediate complementary thing you can do for it.

People who have seen both Over Quartzer and the Final Stage Show, you know what I'm talking about given a few details.

Also I feel like you have the Final Stage and HBV mixed up in regards to watch order...

Yep! I was confusing it with Special Event (which I can't find anywhere, so it looks like that's getting skipped) which came out in the middle of the series. I've moved Final Stage to after the show, along with Geiz Majesty.

I'm just going by this bit from the Wiki:

"As the Den-O Ridewatch can be seen on the Ridewatch Daizer, this special takes place sometime after episode 43 but before episode 45."

I'd sort of rather do the HBV after the movie? As a little dessert?