Fair, but also this one felt like made even less sense than normal? Anotherer Agito is running around when the story begins, but we don't even get the Agito Ridewatch until way later, plus I just-- I don't understand what the Time Jackers want here. Their whole Make A New King schtick was riddled with flaws and full of Time Nonsense, but at least it created a vaguely coherent strategy. This was just messy; less convoluted, but in a more unappealing way.

None of them went hysterically blind or kicked one another in the nuts, so it's a big step up over the camaraderie of Team G3.

Super big bummer that Anotherer Agito didn't turn out to be Hikawa or Ozawa or Houjou. (Or Kino or Ryou, but less of a bummer there.) While it was great to be reminded that G3's best operator/equipper was -- hilariously -- Shouichi, it sucks to not get to see Shouichi reconnect with the members of Team G3. It seems greedy to ask for more than Shouichi and Mana (and Omuro...?), but I was a little crestfallen to leave this episode without more G3 folks.

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP32)

I feel like that big action climax Die mostly doesn't care about was a huge moment for this series, in a lot of ways, so allow me to try and unpack the significance of that a bit.

Like, the whole feeling of this two-parter, I'd describe it like watching a Rider summer movie, but it was two episodes of the show in the spring instead. There's some very commendable work the show does to make Tsukuyomi a more rounded character in there, sure. I honestly really love everything they do with her here. Especially after I had complained that the show was writing her like a prop, it was wonderful to have a story where she was a developed character with genuine emotions that I could sympathize with as a viewer, and be invested in for how they affect her, and not her friends.

That all feels secondary to what a big party this arc is in my mind, though.

The overwhelming feeling I get from these episodes, and what that climax in particular symbolizes for me, is how dang fun they are, and I feel like they sort of speak to Zi-O as a whole in a way. It was a show that was always doing whatever it thought would be entertaining in the moment, even if it came at the expense of precise plot logic or whatever other finer details. But when that goes right -- and I feel it went right more often than not -- you get something that feels exactly like these two particular episodes about Agito feel -- a celebration of Heisei Kamen Rider.

It's the simplest thing, but it seems this particular arc resonated with basically everyone who watched the show, from people who were sour about certain elements, to people like me who were pretty much on the same wavelength from day one, and I don't think that's just some coincidence. There's an extremely approachable warmth to these ones, and a focus more on simple joys than trying to craft some huge daring narrative. Hence the movie comparison, since a lot of those are ultimately most concerned with getting us to a huge exciting fight scene in the end, just like these two episodes.

There's no huge twist to Shouichi, for example. His emotional baggage was all resolved nearly two decades prior, so he's here to be a friendly mentor character who helps out the current heroes, which is super uncomplicated, and also something a lot of people are going to want to see out of Zi-O. It's fundamentally happy, and that sense of constant wish fulfillment carries directly into the climax. As soon as everyone heard there was a Zi-O Trinity, what was the Rider everyone thought of? Well now you get to see that exact team-up, and everyone's favorite hype man Woz even comments on it! Have you been disappointed that Zi-O hasn't used any old music for the Legend Riders? Well here's one of the most iconic insert songs of the era playing in all its glory.

And I mean, speaking personally, I will never forget the first time I watched that scene. That exact moment where I heard the first .5 seconds of that guitar and was just like "no WAY dude!" Here I was, a Kamen Rider fan for years who had a strong attachment to that exact song, and now it was playing in Zi-O! Totally unprecedented! Totally surprising! Totally amazing! And then Sugihara's kinetic direction, already a huge highlight of the entire two-parter, just hits this insane peak, culminating in a perfectly executed double Rider Kick that ends on a shot so good, he'll go on to use it in at least two more movies after this. Because, again, this was a movie as two episodes. The visual flair was so far above was you usually get week after week. It felt like such an *event*, and I was so happy to be there for it.

So yeah, loads and loads of sentimental value wrapped up in these ones. Actually, I mentioned how Trinity was my pick for best suit design of 2019, but what I neglected to bring up was how the whole joke I did in that thread was to borrow a gag I was still thinking about from these episodes even like 8 months later:

And apparently I really did like that gag, too, because it was also my favorite comedic scene of the year:

Not to mention how, even among the wealth of choices offered by Zi-O alone, Shouichi was my choice for favorite returning character:

And of course I picked Sugihara for favorite director:

...Which is no surprise, when my explanation for my favorite fight scene was literally just the lyrics to BELIEVE YOURSELF:

...And I want to stress here, ALL of this was written when Zero-One was already a quarter in, and I was still *this* hyped about these episodes. I said episode 28 is probably my overall favorite, but I also said in that post linked up top that this one is, and really, in either case, I think I'm right.

I'm glad this one meant so much to you! The end of this episode honestly won't stick in my head more than Shouichi making Tsukuyomi lunch and telling her not to stress about her past when her present is so supportive, but you did an amazing job describing your feelings. Thanks for sharing!

So does Switchblade, Tokunation's resident rabid Hibiki stan, have strong thoughts about the guest cast for this arc? Yes. Yes, he does.

Story time!

So nine years ago it was the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, one of my all-time favorite TV shows. As part of the celebration, the BBC released a short mini-episode online that included the return of Paul McGann, the 8th Doctor, who had only appeared in one made-for-TV movie until that point (he's like the ZX of Doctor Who, as a relevant comparison). The fact that he was in this mini-episode was a big surprise as there had been no advanced teases of it at all. The only reason I knew that it was coming was because I'd read a spoiler on a message board right before I clicked on the video.

I am generally someone who doesn't care about spoilers; I very much believe the enjoyment is in the journey more than the destination. The above example is one of the few times when learning something about a story in advance... well, it didn't ruin the experience, per say, but I've always wished that I'd gone into it blind because as much as I loved it, I feel like it would have been even better to go in without knowing that Paul McGann was going to be in it. Zi-O's use of Believe Yourself is another one of those situations.

I had read, either here or somewhere else, that the song showed up during this episode. The moment when it does is my aforementioned favorite moment in all of Zi-O. I still wish I could have felt what it was like to experience that without knowing it was coming, though.

Aw, that's a shame. I'm glad you had such a positive experience with this song showing up, though!

I could never not love this moment. As we discussed with the Decade watch thread, Agito has a very special place in my heart and these episodes did such a great job of paying homage to it.

That's awesome. I thought I was an Agito fan, but, boy, that song did not sound familiar to me at all. (I just thought it was some new Zi-O fight song?)

I love a lot of things about Kamen Rider, but the fight songs and insert music... it's like I'm missing that band of data entirely; zero receptors for that. I like the theme songs generally, some more than others, but I literally could not tell you a single piece of Heisei music I remembered from Kamen Rider outside the opening credits or, like, Shonen Yo. (Which is basically Hibiki's theme song, so I feel like it counts?) Can't spin up an interest in it.

Long story short, I am genuinely happy to hear that this fight scene meant so much to everyone, despite not having any emotional connection to it.

That's pretty easy! It's another reference to the whole seeds of Agito plotline. The Agito change is this spectrum, going from people like Mana(only exhibit supernatural abilites) to people like Ryou(partially evolved, an imperfect variant with drawbacks) to people like Shouichi(considered to be complete and perfect form)! So, if the Ridewatch obtains Agito's full power, the Another Agito will naturally evolve in a complete Agito when using it! (Kino has never really been confirmed where he laid on the spectrum, but considering Gills is also pretty-monster like, I guess that's proper confirmation on where he lies, in a bizzare sort of way?)

As for where the original Ridewatch came from.....*shrugs* Probably the same place Swartz pulled the Another Zi-O Ridewatch. Ridewatches work in mysterious ways, so don't think about it too hard.

(Anyway I was actually geeking out super hard at that detail when I first watched this arc, seeing them go out of their way to reference Agito's (often bizzare) lore in every step for this MOTW made me so happy as a Agito fan!)

I surprisingly don't much to say other than "holy shit that rocked!" or it's already something someone else already mentioned, but yeah, this is my favorite arc (in terms of Legend Rider content) in Zi-O by a mile. It really feels like they finally found a good balance between slathering the viewer with fanservice and making sure said tribute content adds to whatever Team Zi-O's up to in a meaningful way, after how long the tributes wildly ricocheted in quality. Glad they found their footing in the end!

I think it's fantastic that half of this story's Time Jacker plot can have an ultra-detailed explanation that directly homages Agito's frequently baffling mythology, and the other half can be filed under IDK Who Even Cares.

Kamen Rider! And the Kamen Rider fandom! I love them both so much!

Thanks for the insight!

It's really good. (Although, I definitely feel like everyone else enjoyed it about 12% more than I did?) I always liked when this show could treat the Legend Riders as mentors (the Ex-Aid arc was an early highlight), so a bigger focus on these middle-aged heroes as Heisei Dads is exactly where I want this show to go. I love how Shouichi gives Sougo the Agito power, instead of losing it and never remembering why. It's a choice this guy makes to literally pass his power on to the next generation, content in his victories and ready to move to the sidelines. It's less Sougo as a brash usurper, and more as the beneficiary of twenty years worth of power and wisdom.

It's nice to end these stories happy for everyone involved, you know?

So yeah, I’m one of the few people who this string of episodes (Blade-Hibiki) did nothing for. Mostly because of how they feel like they came from a different show altogether when it comes to handling the Legend Rider elements. And unlike Fish or Switchblade, Believe Yourself playing didn’t evoke anything in me (I’ve never really liked the song, even after rewatching this after watching Agito. Give me Dead or Alive, rebirth or Full Force any day).

And talking of Agito songs, it’s time for this.

Ridewatch Playlist: Fantastic Religious Lore that Never Comes Up Mix

This time, we’re doing the one series where they never released the Secondary’s Ridewatch (though it does exist canonically as of the V-Cinema, and they did release his super form).

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

“Awakening the soul, power of the land. The evolving Rider is… Agito”

And like with Kuuga, I’m here to explain where the prefixes for these watches come from, given that Agito’s gear was the last before it became commonplace in Japan for henshin heroes to have their equipment announce the transformations and attacks. In this case, Ground = from “Ground Form”

And despite my mini-disdain above, I still went with Believe Yourself for this watch. https://youtube.com/watch?v=SJnbPjIsRuU

“Beyond evolution! The warrior shining like the sun, Agito Shining Form”

Shining = from “Shining Rider Kick”

And here is where we go with the second version of the theme (which was not easy to find) Kamen Rider Agito 24.7 https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q9XGL7nKNPI

“Weapons and armour now empower G3, G3-X”

Launcher = Refers to G3-X’s main weapon, the GG-02 Salamander, a launcher.

And here is where I learned Agito apparently had a song for the movie, namely Jiken Da (It’s a Case) https://youtube.com/watch?v=iBwzKafCYyU

“Fighting with pure instinct, the evolution Rider is Gills”

Heel Claw = from “Gills Heel Claw”

And we close off with this, Stranger in the Dark https://youtube.com/watch?v=nkAFvmWmcII

And now for the list of unreleased watches. This time, there were no winners.

Kamen Rider Agito (Storm Form)
Kamen Rider Agito (Flame Form)
Kamen Rider Agito (Trinity Form)
Kamen Rider Agito (Burning Form)
Kamen Rider Exceed Gills
Another Agito
Kamen Rider G3
Kamen Rider G4

And now for the compare and contrast, this time Another Agito contrasts Shouichi, Kaoru and the concept of Agito as a whole. Whereas Shouichi lost his memories and Kaoru lost himself in delusions of grandeur, both were able to hold onto reality in the end. Another Agito on the other hand lost their whole identity and became a mindless beast, obsessed with nothing but following orders. Meanwhile, while the Seed of Agito was meant to allow humanity to survive against the evil god and his minions, and only one person can actually become Agito, with anyone else close enough transforming into offshoots, Another Agito is a virus that infects anyone it finds, effectively assuring that humanity would eventually go extinct once everyone is infected.

Also, due to lack of time to show a few bodies flying out, Sougo and Shouichi basically murdered a few guys during their “six-nity”, as Tv-Nihon put it.

Next time, the Heisei Era ends by bringing back the most successful actor to come out of Hibiki.