W 43. - Dat sexy pool playing. I can't tell which sister I have a bigger crush on. I was so ready to gush over this episode, until like the last thirty seconds, and it kinda ruined everything for me. Lemme explain.

This mysterious person who appears late in a series, and turns out to be behind everything, is a trope in tokusatsu seemingly as integral to the fabric as pretty Japanese men transforming into spandex clad suit actors but despite all this I've rarely seen it implemented well.

I'm not saying these characters have ever been so bad, but they leave the reveal so late they physically don't have the room left to truly convince us they were always there, and it normally ends up feeling like an asspull they chucked in there to give the climax a bit more meat.

As such this reveal with Shroud has come later than most of these reveals (six episodes, and one movie, left to go) and although she's played a role in key moments after Accel was introduced she hasn't really been much of a player in this show at all. Worse than this, I find W is not a show with much strength in staging their story arcs. I'm not saying the stories are bad, but the pay off is normally delivered in an ultimately unsatisfying manner, most of time.

Ultimately, what I am saying is, this has been a show I have enjoyed a lot but I really don't wanna add it to my long list of 'toku shows I ultimately like, but man did they drop the ball at the end', which I'm kinda fearing it might.

Agito 48-Honestly at this rate I could watch a show just with Shouichi, Ryou and Hikawa in their normal lives and have nothing to do with Kamen Rider. That's how much I enjoy their characters. Well still building up to the ending can't wait to see more.

Faiz 07. It's amazing they were still using the same locations all this time ago!

In many ways Faiz feels ahead of its time, if you watched Blade or Kuuga (the series after and before this respectively) the action is clunky, and profoundly cheap looking. And although Faiz still has aspects of that clunky realism stuff Heisei Rider seemed to love so much, as Faiz starts dabbling in his array of tech based attacks, weapons and powers there's this epicness, and visual quality, to it all that really makes this feel more like a Neo-Heisei Rider. Honestly, and this maybe more down to personal tastes as I love tech based stuff in tokusatsu, some of Faiz's powers are actually much more visually interesting. Also wow this weeks Orphenoch had such a cool design.

Sadly though, I'm much less impressed with this on a narrative level. Initially the opening provided an interesting dynamic, seeing Yuji run in to save the Orphenoch, shouting about 'nakamas' and all that made Faiz almost look like a bad guy. And as this is more classic Rider stuff, there is nothing to say he couldn't be.

But then as the episode progressed, I was just left with this uncomfortable lingering 'why'. Why is Yuji immediately obsessed with this guy? In a show where we don't really have a single, properly identifiable villain are we already doing the whole monster who is actually a nice person trope already? Especially from a guy who has already murdered several people, a thing the show itself hasn't forgotten, so I dunno what the game is.

The biggest blight though is that Dry Cleaning guy. Why must Rider always have a useless side character as a part of the main cast, who is goofy and only seems to exist to drain all the drama out of every scene? As this is older Rider, I hope he gets murdered soon, brutally. He is a fucking nuisance.

I think we're supposed to find Takumi antagonistic, and although yeah - he's a bit rude - all he is basically is saying 'remember last night when I was fighting FUCKING MONSTERS? Yeah, well that happened, I have a reason to be here, I contribute to the show, what do you do dry cleaning man? Waffle on about your dreams? Well that is nice. Know what is even nicer? If I edited you out of every scene, NOTHING else would need to be changed as you're entirely purposeless. So how about you stop waffling and CONTRIBUTE!'. So damn right I'm on Takumi's side.

Faiz is actually sandwiched between Ryuki and Blade. It was a good three years after Kuuga.

Blade's fighting is not clunky...

Oh my bad, so Blade came out WAY later than I realised. I don't understand why that show looks so shit then.

W 44. Last episode before slow downloads cast me out to the fate of trying to buffer the W movie on Youtube in HD. I predict a lot of swearing in my future.

I really don't like a lot of these twists. I was immensely disappointed that the show did the 'actually a Sonozaki' twist, not once, but TWICE. This show is like Kamen Rider Six Degrees of Separation. Sho's every man, strength of character, characterisation is feeling increasingly more like a token gesture as what was once a thought provoking, trope defying series, becomes increasingly more bogged down in generic, clichéd storytelling.

Similarly, I'm really not feeling Accel's developments. I really do like that Accel has raised up to become a warrior of forgiveness and understanding, but this is all too fast. First we get that stupid 'hey isn't this convenient you're immune to the big bad's attacks because PHYSIOLOGY!' but then we get all this shit this episode with Shroud.

This is what I mean, about this shows inability to allow pay off to satisfyingly...pay off. When an arc opens with a bad episode, it normally saves it with a great concluding one but whenever this show sets up a good story and gets you invested in it, it trips almost every damn time right at the yard line.

Ryu literally JUST learnt that the woman who helped him get his revenge, was the reason he was seeking it in the first place. I know it's indirectly, but what, does that make it okay? 'Hey you gave this weapon of mass destruction to this clearly damaged individual, who went on to slaughter my family, but it isn't YOUR fault you gave a clearly damaged individual the power to slaughter my family! Hey wait...' Before even the rage sets in, there would be shock and confusion but basically all of that is glossed over so they could have a dramatic scene of him saying he forgives her and just no. It has no impact.

The only real good part of the episode, was Shroud's backstory. Although the whole tragic backstory for a character I don't know business, sucks, that is probably the first time in the whole series we've seen our Big Bad do something genuinely evil.

Oh well, Shroud left as quickly as she came, and now it's movie time. The show still has a few episodes to save this awful final leg yet.

That's not really the point of Ryu forgiving Shroud, it's that he has grown past he revenge. He got his revenge once, and he doesn't need to again. He knows she didn't mean to, she was just trying to save her child. that doesn't leave her exempt from blame, but why would he focus hatred to what is, essentially, another victim in this whole game?

I get the point, but it came too immediately. Everything that he's built his life on, after his families death, has just changed. The one truth in his life, has also become a lie, and that will shatter his entire belief system. Not only that, but the lie that has projected his life, has quite literally sent him down this path. This is an epic, character changing twist..that lasted for about five minutes.

This should have felt like a HUGE moment but what should have been a whole character arc, hell it could have filled its own show, was something that was raised and concluded, in less than a single episode. It's unnatural, and unsatisfying. The twist is so condensed, it becomes purposeless, Accel has already found himself through his arc with Weather, only to come to same conclusion all over again, but in a much weaker fashion. Honestly Shroud is one late game character this show could have done without. For me any way, you seem to dig it.

I like him as a character, a lot, but it's been a constant frustration for me that he's never really become a part of the central fabric of the cast. You can say that's the point of him, and that's your opinion, but my opinion is having a character constantly walking in and out of the narrative makes for a very unsatisfying story flow. Especially for a character who is so important. We got no sense of any kind of growth because most of what happens with Accel happens off screen, the immediate is important sure, but the long term is very important as well.

Both Phillip and Sho, get quiet moments to sit and reflect on things which allow their arcs to gain depth. Very little of Accel's character is told outside of action, and what little of it is told, only the most crucial moments happen on screen and feel flat.

Faiz Episode 5
These are some nice gas stations Japan has. Attendants to fill the vehicle up for you, a nice cafe for you to wait in. Clearly they want to make your life easier with all of this. Very nice Japan, very nice.

XD Well, I guess Takumi is still kind of dickish, but he seems somewhat friendlier about it. I also find it funny that Keitaro has to make them ask him about his troubles. Not to mention it's hilarious how Takumi and Mari just leave him there to ramble on.

I smell a confrontation!

No we are not saying a monster ran amok in there. We know a monster ran amok in there. Bit of a difference there sparky.

Takumi turned into quite the eager beaver there. It seems he's only active when it's doing something that another person doesn't want him to do. You know I'm starting to think Takumi has ODD. And awww, Keitaro and Yuka almost met. Well they kinda met but not really...you know what I mean!

Okay, so that explains why most of the people attacked turn into sand. So the Orphenochs are in a war against humans? How come we haven't seen that though. I mean we've seen them fighting Faiz, but outside of that they just sorta attack people at random. Not quite sure how that is a war. I hope they get into more detail about this later.

Yes Keitaro. That is indeed quite the weird dream. But hey can't blame a guy for living out his dream, especially if it makes him happy. Ahaha, Keitaro is so chipper and eager. And lulz at Mari getting weirded out about having to live with him and him alone.

Damn Takumi is a brat. I mean he's changed a bit but still, he's acting like child. He'll demand help but when people offer to help him he doesn't want it. I think my case of him being ODD just got stronger with this whole money borrowing scene. Dude just wants to do things his way or the highway.

:lol Oh my God! They have to teach him to be friendlier! That is just too much XD

Wow uh this boss guy doesn't seem to give a fuck about if he's caught or not. He just wants to build an army and rule the world. It is good though to see Yuji have some morals with him not wanting to attack people they don't know and don't think deserve it. It's pretty good to know that he has his limits even with him being a villain.

Since I can't remember his name, I'm going to call him Chess Piece. Chess Piece seems to be pretty darn quick. He's just flash stepping straight to Takumi and Mari like it was nothing.

Huh? Wait so you act like a dickish brat because you're afraid of betraying others. And the reason you fear that is because you have no confidence in yourself? Wah wha wait WHAT!? That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard a main rider say! That is a bullshit excuse to act like an asshole and not want to help others unless forced into doing so. Takumi I'm sure you're a nice guy but come on! You just sold yourself as being a pussy because you don't have self confidence and use that as a fear that you'll betray people and thus use it as an excuse to not help anyone. You sir I do deem for now the most stupid and pussy like Kamen Rider I have seen! May you redeem yourself by the end of the series!

That aside, the fight against Chess Piece was pretty darn nice. It felt like a brawl more then the other fights did, and I kinda like that. I really love how right when he started the rider kick, the camera flew right up to Chess Piece as if it was a POV shot. That was very nicely done.

You know I thought he fully survived but nope! He was strong enough to make it to Yuji and Yuka to show them his death. I guess he wanted to cement into their minds what happens if they don't fight back and do indeed get defeated. Though why he would sacrifice himself to do so I don't quite understand. I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and say that Yuji will become the new big baddy, with Yuka as his second in command.

This was actually a pretty good episode. There wasn't a really a story to the episode in my opinion, just a bunch of occurrences. However the episode did shine in character development. It developed Takumi quite a bit, it finally giving us a reason to why he acts the way he does. I feel his reason for doing so is complete and utter bull shit, but at least they gave him one and helped develop the character. Yuji got some development as well, with him coming to the mindset of him not wanting to kill another person he doesn't know and doesn't think deserves to die. Keitaro got a bit of development to, but not a whole lot. The developments were strictly for Takumi and Yuji.

So episode 5 has come and gone and I have to say it's probably the best episode since episode 2 in my opinion, with episode 3 right behind it. It had some nice action, nice camera work, some nice drama, and some very nice character development. The only thing it was really missing was a story, but sometimes you can't get the total package with an episode.

Episode 5 was a good episode and I'll carry on watching it, with me now giving it till episode 10 to fully lock me into the series.