Did anyone like the whole hood thing from Ghost? I haven't seen the show, but I think aesthetically it looks fantastic on the suits and is very distinct, and doesn't have the same problem of looking very toyish as parts of the Gaim or Drive suit did. Unless it's something like the dumb motorcycle thing.

Deep Spectre is probably one of the coolest Rider designs in awhile.

I HIGHLY disagree on Deep Specter, but I love the hoodie idea

How did Amazons avoiding of be a Boring Kamen Rider Show?

It hard to make a dark show that is NOT Boring! Most Modern Fans would don't watch entire show like Kuuga, Agito, and Faiz because it was too boring for them to watch?

What is the one thing that make Amazons less boring?

Having like, a quarter of the episodes of a normal Rider show helps A LOT.

Because Kuuga was episodic as hell and Faiz had other glaring issues.
It's not 'one thing'. The pacing's much better due to the lower amount of episodes, meaning that a writer is pretty much forced to pace better. Amazonz appealed to people who thought that modern KR was simply too kiddy and another factor. The fact it wasn't initially televised. I hear Japan is strict on what is and isn't allowed on TV and judging from the western world, we're the same. On Comedy Central in the Netherlands, shows like Californication would be VERY late due to the 16 age rating, and Agents of Shield's timeslot has been pushed to a later time, and what happened? The show got so much more darker in visuals and was able to get away with a lot more, similarly to Justice League Unlimited iirc

Could someone explain Ex-aid to me? I love the videogame concept, the suits are meh and the gimmick doesn't look very enticing, but the multiRider concept is interesting.

But I keep hearing about these different level forms?

The levels are the gimmick. The Rider inserts a Gashat to go into the chibi-styled Level 1, then pulls the lever on the belt to go into the normal form Level 2. Then a second Gashat can be inserted and the lever pulled again to Level Up into Level 3, adding armor based on the second Gashat, kinda like Arms Change. The Level 3 armor generally seems to be able to turn into something, usually a robot, but Genm's Shakariki Sports armor can turn into a bicycle.

Apparently all the Riders share a single Gashat for the next powerup after Level 3, but I don't know how it works.

[off-topic rambling] Are "not episodic" and "good pacing" really synonymous to people? I mean I kind of know the answer already but as someone who's always appreciated a good done-in-one story (especially since I got into Ultraman) I feel both are equally valid styles. I guess it's because watching TV is all about marathons now. "If I don't feel the urge to watch 7 episodes of a show at a time it must be bad" or something like that. [/off-topic rambling]

But yeah, Amazons was basically the s***. It's short and sweet, and it's not anything like any other Kamen Rider. Sometimes it gets (favorably) compared to The First/Next but frankly I think they were going for two totally different things. Those movies were "mature" on a very skin-deep level but Amazons' darkness is a natural result of the story it's telling. It reminds me more of Faiz than anything.

Ah, but fishy! You're forgotten a few things! With an episodic show, I am referring to a show in which the episodes are very similar. "Grongi attacks! People get killed! Kuuga tries fighting Grongi but fails! Kuuga figures out a trick! Kuuga defeats Grongi the second time!" Amazons had more focus on the plot, and the pacing? Amazons DIDN'T take a whole year unlike every Heisei other than Decade, which is faster paced. True, 1 episode every 2 weeks was pretty disappointing, but it's quicker pace in the story is good for the viewers! Then there's Steel Ball Run or Jonolion, which updates once a month, meaning you'd likely forget what happened last time

See but by simplifying it like that you ignore how different the episodes are while still operating within that formula. There's more going on in Kuuga than just him fighting a monster.

I used to pretend Gaim was just "Kouta gets depressed about something->stops being depressed->hits somebody with a sword" for 47 episodes but obviously there's more to it than that.

And I won't argue that Amazons had smooth pacing. I'm in total agreement about that part. Everything moved at a good clip and its short length really does work to its benefit.

Not really...? At least, they're not nearly as strict as the US. There's all sorts of nudity on Japanese broadcast TV after like, 10pm. And I'm not talking about "oh, look, it's Jimmy Smits's butt on NYPD Blue!" style nudity. Just look at Garo -- that show is all about bare lady chests.

I think "episodic" and "filler" are synonymous to most fans. Filler definitely hampers the pace of a show, but people don't always understand that episodic shows aren't necessarily packed with filler.

My point was that the episodes were episodic due to constantly having these elements, something Amazonz didn't. Is it simplified? Admittedly, yes, but I still had you agreeing on my argument, didn't I?

I'm aware of Garo, but I meant that Japan tends to be strict on certain stuff. Like how Mara exists because you can't show a penis, but you CAN show something that looks like one

Which is what scares me. Didn't the term "filler" originate in the Anime community to refer very specifically to "stuff not in the manga only put in so it can catch up"? Because now it seems to mean "literally anything that doesn't advance the almighty Plot enough for my liking" a lot of the time.

Like I said, I wasn't thinking any differently in the first place. Amazons was a solid narrative that didn't have enough run-time to "waste" any of it. It's a very different style than the yearly shows and between that and being genuinely well-written it's really no mystery why people wouldn't find it "boring".

'filler' by definition, is padding that serves no contribution to the end product. Does it advance the main plot? The development of characters? Something new in Kuuga's arsenal or abilities? World building? If none of these are touched upon, it's filler. To refer to Jojo again, Tonio Trussardi/Trendy's episode. All it did was introduce Tonio, a character who is unimportant in every way. However, what did it do? It built upon DUWANG/Morioh, which means it's justified

Hm, I dunno. I've heard the term "filler" bandied about for decades and not just in relation to anime. Buffy and X-Files fans used it a lot back in the day, to mean exactly what Annuga said (i.e., "padding that serves no contribution to the end product").

Either way, I do share your concerns. A lot of fans are obsessed with overarching plots, and those people don't realize that a non-plot-centric episode can still contribute meaningfully to a series by developing characters and fleshing out details of the world. I find this variety of fan particularly frustrating -- they're so plot-oriented that a holistic appreciation of a series is virtually impossible for them.

Right, they're definitely more strict about censoring explicit pornography (which would never be depicted in mainstream media in any culture). But they're far less strict when it comes to depictions of non-genital nudity, violence, and salty language in their mainstream media.

I think that's a bit of a narrow definition. It's why I brought up Ultraman earlier. Most of those shows use a pseudo-anthology format where very few "purposeful" things happen in a long-term sense each episode, but they're still fun, well-made stories with their own messages and whatnot.

And what about when serialized shows have a "break" episode after a particularly dramatic arc, for example? Is that lumped in as filler too? Those are decent enough guidelines but there are a lot of exceptions to these rules.

I think the only thing that can make something truly qualify for a title as ignoble as filler is sucking. As long as whatever episode of a show is entertaining, it isn't a waste of your time.

Very few. Few isn't nothing, so it wouldn't be filler

The break is a 'After this incident' which also shows what our characters like doing after they're done and can lead into good characterization

Agreed there my fishy friend~

Well, I'd say a break after a dramatic arc definitely contributes to the end product, as those breaks are often where a lot of great character work happens. They also contribute to the rhythm of a given show -- they're the valleys that make the peaks feel important.

There are plenty of plot-based episodes that suck too -- so just sucking isn't enough to earn the filler title. You really have to look at the reasons why something sucks -- and with filler, I usually find that it sucks because there's little character development or plot progression.

Plus, I'm not convinced that all filler is automatically bad. I'm reminded of a lot of Sailor Moon filler episodes that I deeply, deeply enjoy.

I meant sucking in combination with the other things, of course.

Maybe I just don't know the true depths of how bad filler gets? I don't know how you can even write an episode of a show that doesn't contribute something interesting.

I guess, for example, the tie-in episodes of Gaim are pretty definitely filler but like...

- Kouta interacting with the ToQgers called attention to how much less of a kid he was by that point.

- You got me on the Kikaider one, admittedly. Kouta likes dogs?

- Sagara having Kaito fight AU?!Kouta once again calls attention to Kouta's growth and is kind of a wake-up call for Kaito that he isn't as tough as he thinks. Also seeing Kaito suck at soccer is hilarious and totally makes the episode worth it in of itself.

...they still have their qualities. They're not super great episodes or anything but calling them filler makes it sound like they're super horrible episodes or something. Unless I'm wrong but it's always seemed to me like the word "filler" has extremely negative connotations. Basically the worst insult you can give an episode.

Of course, I'm the guy who thinks Ghost is genuinely brilliant, so what do I know?

Which Kamen Rider Show that should get a sequel series on Amazons?

You know, A Sequel of Kamen Rider like Faiz or something. This is a What-If question!

Blade~

I would also like something like ZX from the KR Spirits manga.

Yeah, the ZX manga is probably one of the best Kamen Rider stories that isn't a show. If you like early, dark Heisei and have yet to read this (I haven't found the whole thing, myself), do - it's fantastic.

Black manga ver. live action adaptation.
All 5 books. And then some as an epilogue special.
http://i.imgur.com/AYpNEIO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QIBxAXe.jpg

I would like to see a Drive sequel where Tomari's son is not a cop, but a race car driver.

A Fourze sequel where new students are taking over the KR Club.

Kiva. The final episode even sets up a sequel with the Neo Fangire.

What was people's general opinion on Drive? I know Ghost was disliked, but what about Drive? From early impressions I heard of the show, it seemed like it was the PreGaim Neo Heisei 2 parter BS.

The first half of Drive is a bit boring and very much you run-of-the-mill post-Decade formula, but there are two key events which I won't spoil which really helped the show to finally pick up speed. And once it picked it up, it kept going and going.

The second half is really good. There's just no other way to describe it: The characters are good, the story gets much more intense and the action is amazing. Aside from the shitty CGI driven toy commercials, but hey, it’s a TV show for kids after all. So is it worth sitting through the first half to get to the good part? Absolutely. Because while the first half isn't great, it's not really terrible either. It's just a bit too plain and generic for its own good. But it's not that bad.

At the time I was a bit pissed about how long it took this show to finally get into gear, but looking back at it even the early episodes had some great stuff going on too.

I recommend Drive and I like it. I think it's a fun show with some flaws, but it gets rid of most of them halfway through the show and then it gets really good. I'd say people who haven’t watched it yet should give it a chance.

The general consensus is that the first half is bad, and the second half is good.

I disagree-ish? I mostly dislike Drive, but I do admit, there's a string of ten-ish episodes during the third quarter of the show that's outstanding. But I don't feel like that level of quality extends all the way to the series' end.

I do really love Gou's story arc, though. If the show were called Kamen Rider Mach, and Gou was the star, I'd probably have very different feelings about it. One of my main problems is that Tomari's story isn't very interesting, and he doesn't have many personal connections to the plot. Gou, on the other hand, has nothing but personal connections to the plot, and he's put through the emotional wringer. He's a great character, and he should be the lead.

And yes, it absolutely does feature the return of the Neo-Heisei 2-Parter structure.

That Ryouma is insane enough to put his own brain in a killer robot :D

As much as I love it, the Kikaider episode is a bit of a weird one. If anything it provides more to Kikaider REBOOT than it does Gaim story/development-wise.

I didn't like Drive. I got up when Mach show up and stop. It should not take a show over 20 episodes to get good. It feels like bad writing to me. It's not as awful as Ghost, but I put it on the same level as Kiva. Good idea for a show, badly done in my opinion.

Ghost is my least favorite Rider show next to Decade. I don't think I will ever give Ghost a second chance.

While I haven't hit that magic sweet spot yet, I've enjoyed Drive, for pretty much the same reasons you gave. It's tough to go back to as I'm entrenched in Agito, but I will - I know there's a pay-off coming.

Well everybody else has summed up the general opinion quite nicely but here's my take on it, which is a bit different:

Episodes 1-11: Genuinely great stuff, and the "generic" style works to its advantage given it came after f***ing Gaim. It's a sort of "return to form" after the more avant-garde stylings of its predecessor.

Episodes 12-24(ish). Genuinely pretty rough. Mach kind of shook the status quo up in a bad way at first and overall the writing just seemed to take a bit of a dive. It was aiming a bit higher than the first quarter and while it hits the mark occasionally it falls flat a lot of the time.

Episodes 25-47: Genuinely great stuff, but in a different way. If the Neo-Heisei formula is really "BS" to you you'll be happy to know the show starts to get a lot more serialized while still acting within the same basic structure. The writing is pretty sharp by this point too.

Episode 48: It's got some great moments but *meh*.

So yeah, Drive is pretty good. I'm really fond of it myself but I don't think I would call it great or anything. Absolutely worth a watch.

What would you change entirely in Wizard? Since Magiranger, there are varieties of anime that used magic themes like Fairy Tail & Fullmetal Alchemist.

I’ve actually just finished re-watching Wizard. I like it despite its simple and predictable story.

I do wish the supporting cast―Koyomi, Rinko, Shunpei, et cetera―had a more contributing role. Especially Koyomi. I suppose giving her more―for lack of a better word―development would have lessened that air of mystery about her, though.

Even though I like Beast, I wish Mayu had been the second rider. I remember a rumour about a Kamen Rider Witch, too.

Do any of you view the main cast similar to Gokaiger?

Haruto - Captain Marvelous
Rinko - Luka
Shunpei - Don Dongoier
Koyomi - Amy

It was fun to watch. Seeing Wizard reminds me of Dante from Devil May Cry. They could've added more riders/mages and the general Phantoms were a disappointment. There would've been a "Vergil" called Warlock to appear and be an anti-hero.

Like this...
http://joinedzero.deviantart.com/art...tyle-635798880
http://joinedzero.deviantart.com/art...tyle-636522761

Here's how I would picture it. And if it were to connect with OOO.

800 years ago during OOO's times, after the king and the Greeed were sealed, one of the alchemists who helped forge the medals became a mage, and later an archmage. The Phantoms were born from the despair of mankind and need special forms, which the creatures, demons, angels & gods of mythology come in. He created magical belts, which Chimaera was sealed in one of them, due to his immense power.

I tried to think of something like the Legend of Sparda.

You know, I was going to do my usual "NOTHING!" bit since I always try to focus on what a show's got rather than would could have been, and I love Wizard more than any sane person should, but that post reminded me of one thing I always have kind of felt.

Wizard was always at its strongest when it was focusing on Haruto and Koyomi's relationship and part of me wishes that had been more actively the focus of the show. Being "the one with the romantic subplot" would do a lot to alleviate Wizard's alleged genericness and give it a very unique flavor.

The stuff we did get could be genuinely touching (Gaim X Wizard still has my favorite Movie War epilogue hands down) and it seems like they could've easily done more with it given the chance.

[bias]What am I saying, it's totally perfect already.[/bias]

I love Wizard as well. But then again, I'm not all that sane anyways. :lolol

Well you've got "psycho" right in your name and I willingly named myself after seafood. We might have insanity in common. :D

That may be very true. XD