Kamen Rider Saber Episode 5- "My Friend The Swordsman Of Thunder!" Discussion
 

Touma has his first encounter with the traitorous Kamen Rider Caliber, enforcer for the dangerous Megids. Another member of the Sword of Logos has a secret about this dark Rider...

Feels like the plot is starting to take off. Nice.

So we have confirmation this ep that Calibur is indeed Kento's dad and is played by Kaido from 555. Neat.

Liked the fact it's Buster who was the comic relief this week and Rintaro was a bit on the side. The fact we could have a scene without Rintaro and/or Touma was nice.

I found Desast entrance to be quite funny even if I would have prefered him to have a fight scene again. Zooous appearance was bit random but okay

next week piranha megiddo again ? Feels a bit redundant but okay. It's just I didn't really like the "world" of piranha because of the disturbing visual effect in it (as if you needed 3D glasses).

Thing I like about Saber that Zero-One didn't do until the 4th quarter is that the main protag (and by extension the other riders) is proactive. Zero One's early episodes always had them introduce a humagear from a workplace and it's the other riders or MBJR.net that kickstart the plot and Aruto only reacts to it.

Here? All of them having something to do that is related to the plot or enemy.

Uuuuh, was it just my player, genm corp's video, or just the show being weird that resulted in that really strange visual effect where it almost looked like I should be wearing 3D glasses or something?

It's not just you.

I feel like this show is... slowly starting to find its footing? We got a hint at shorter henshins, one of the baddies has a name now and the big mystery is becoming more prevalent.

Mei is back to being useless.

I noticed it too. Kento and Saber had that chroma effect around him especially on high contrast backgrounds.

I think that's the wonder world effect?

I dunno, but since they're not on Earth at that time I'll let it slide.

And it looks like Zoous might be a wonder ride book gone rogue that will complete Blades' triple blue set.

I think that's it yeah. Just an effect for when they are in Wonder World.

@Topic: This was a very character driven episode and I really liked that. Lots of good dialogue and little moments going on, Ogami cheering up Kento by acting like a fool was great.

This show can be surprisingly entertaining when the characters are allowed to act human instead of repeating one trope after another; I hope there's more of that in the future.

This is pretty much the first perfect episode of Saber. Absolutely fantastic at both the big things any good Rider show needs, which are:

-The Story/Characters-
Basically synonymous since this episode had a plot that was entirely driven by the characters. This is only a good thing in my mind. It does a lot in that short runtime to flesh out the relationship between Touma and Kento, showing how the years apart have left them with a bit of a distance that's not just going to go away overnight.

Their downplayed, very human conversation in the bookstore is a highlight of both Kamihoriuchi's skill as a director, and one of the things I maintain Fukuda excels at as a writer. The latter is even more evident in the way Ogami gets Kento to loosen up a bit on that rooftop, which might be my favorite moment in the whole episode.

An episode that, mind you, is doing ALL that in addition to the juicy backstory reveals with Calibur, further hint dropping about other things, continuing to build the world with things like a proper introduction for Daishinji, and even a comic relief sidequest for Rintarou and Mei. And Kento and Touma still get a satisfying mini-arc by the end. The plot here was astonishingly well handled.

-The Action-
It's just really really cool? I struggle to really analyze it too much, but I can point to trends the show is doing that I like. Bike action is an easy one; I can think of few more effective ways to show two Kamen Riders bonding than by taking out some monsters on their motorcycles together.

More importantly, I'm noticing this show is proving to be better than most about giving each Rider a truly distinct fighting style, which plays off both the personalities and elemental themes of the characters. Esapda's got a fairly no-nonsense approach with powerful strikes and purposeful moves, living up to the lightning shtick and ending a battle as quick as possible (and with a sick catchphrase to boot). Buster is just a huge rock that throws himself at the enemy because Ogami has never even heard the word "subtlety". Rintarou is highly disciplined, which is reflected by his notably more graceful swordplay, where each swing seems to flow like water into the next. And then Saber himself, the protagonist, consistently gets the big showoffy yet clumsy CG special moves utilizing the unique powers of each Wonder Ride Book, which fits Touma's (presumed) lack of real training, his natural affinity for books, and the uncontrolled raw power you might associate with flames.

I don't know how intentional all of this is or if it'll keep up throughout the whole show, but it's one of the neater elements of the series right now. There's a ton of nice detail in these episodes for how fast they fly by.

I will laugh like Ogami if Saber actually ends up better than Zero One. I'm praying that Ghost was just a really bad fluke. I'm actually enjoying Saber and doesn't feel like a chore to watch like Zero One. We're getting some plot progression, a MC I don't find annoying, real bike action this time, which felt quite like the bike battle scene in HG Final, considering it's the same director.

My main issue with this episode with this episode is that I wanted more, this is where I don't want an ending song, even if it's catchy, because I would rather want that time spent with the characters.

I'm glad that you're all enjoying it, however I'm still not enjoying as much as you do. I see the potential, however I think it could be exploited more. I'm glad that the show didn't wait to say that Calibur is Kento's father, that Touma just straight asked Kento what was bothering him and the scene with Ogami was really good. Also, Desast and that 10/10 entrance.

But the problem is that the villains are not menacing at all, so I don't feel the drama. The show has managed to create the world around Sword of Logos very well, there's a feeling that this organization is older that we expect and that generations of warriors have inherited the job of protecting humanity and the books, it reminds a little bit of the Makai Knights. The problem is that we don't know what Calibur and co. are doing, we just know that the books transport people to another dimension and if the MOTW is destroyed everything goes back to normal. I would like to know what they're aiming for, instead we're being introduced to more characters.

I hope that by episode 10 we get a sense of what the Megidos are for, shake up the formula a little bit, and know what the big picture is. But to be fair, previous enemies were easier to understand the problem, since they just limited to destroying stuff or killing someone. I know it's too soon for an episode where the heroes lose, but maybe talk about what could happen either by exposition or a flashback.

Next week Avalon and a new rider, I'm especially intrigued by the first one since we don't know whose side he's on.

I'm really digging how this show is essentially a second coming of Hibiki, what with all the Riders and basically all of them having their own ideals and personalities and working together.

I'll be completely honest though, I'm fully expecting Calibur to turn back to the side of good, either as a full hero or an anti-hero.

Expecting exactly this. And somehow the roles being switched with Kento becoming evil.

Thinking about my boy Daishinji (I dont know why but I like him. Maybe because part of him reminds me about Woz), I liked the soft introduction.
I really hope he will become a rider somehow. His name can mean "I believe in iron very much" if im not mistaken, and maybe we would have a "metal" element/themed rider. Or maybe some kind of "artificial" rider. Like the other are chosen by the seiken but Daishinji is not, but gets his powers from "technology" because he is a mechanic.

I'm sensing an Evolto-kinda situation, as Calibur shows no reaction to Kento or Ogami. It's like they mean nothing to him, which is either a great act or the one who controls his body just doesn't care.

Hayato could be possessed by someone/something, and once that evil is driven out he might return to his former title as a Swordsman of Logos.

I'm about halfway through the episode and paused to come here and ask this question. It looks like an unfinished video effect or something. Very distracting.

You know one thing that dawned on me and I have to say, for being the guy whose monster class are just all based on standard animals, Zooous ends up having some of the more longer lasting monsters out of the trio.

Like you'd expect the guy based on stories or legends to have monsters that aren't one and done compared to the guy based on animals. Cause idk, animals feel more generally boring out of the three.

So I finished the episode and it was very much an episode of Saber. The pacing is still really rough with some scenes feeling too fast, some feeling skipped over, and some feeling like they exist only because Rintaro and Mei's actors have a contracted amount of time they have to appear in each week. The big fight at the end was a massive CGI-fest and...

Okay, I have to talk about this blue outline effect they have in the Wonder World segments. It's really, really bad. I don't know if it's my eyes or my corrective lenses, but the lines make it really hard to watch those parts of the show. Everything seems out of focus and I had a hard time getting my eyes to readjust when the lines were gone, too. I hope this isn't a recurring feature because I'm not sure I can watch another 40-43 episodes of this.

It's good that they are now into three persons close contact scene now.
This episode feels rather freed up because of that. There are more interactions between characters and the story can move forward. The characters also kinda two dimensionals, they have serious sides and goofy sides, in different ways. Except maybe the Lady and Tallus. She's a serious statue and he's a goofy narrator

I get the feeling that in a later episode, the gesture that Kento remembers from his father will be the clue to know whether is being controlled or is his own will. That, or Calibur fools Kento using that gesture in order to get a book from Touma.

Yeah, it's pretty annoying. I guess they were trying to mimic Helmheim from Gaim. However in that show the filter is on everything, except the actors, which makes it easier to focus on them. I'm not a fan of the bubbles but I would prefer those over this. I hope they can come up with a filter less distracting

I liked Desast's entry into this episode. Got a chuckle outta me.

Legit didn't notice the blue outline effects, but I was also eating dinner as I watched, so my eyes were only really trying to pay attention to the subs, but eh, I'll probably notice it eventually.

Was a really solid episode. Good action, loved seeing what must be 2/3 of Saber's next form or notable upgrade and I really like the distinct fighting styles of each of the riders. There were some great character moments too, especially between Kento and Touma. I really liked where Touma realized that Kento will open up to him when the time is right and he wasn't going to push him on it anymore. Also got a bit more building towards a general plot direction or hinting towards more of where things are going.

Show's definitely improving. Last week's episode was pretty good and this time felt properly paced. I like how the show isn't wasting any time establishing character relationships and motivations. Espada is proper cool, Blades seems to have some backstory with a Megido general and we learn about Calibur and his true identity. Even Buster's role in the series is starting to become clearer. And though we have 6 Riders with Kenzan entering the fray next week - plus a whole lot of form changes - I'm actually impressed that the show is balancing all of these things rather well. Rough start, but it's growing on me.

Fun thing to note is that when the show was first teased, they had this chromatic aberration effect going on along with the bubbles, but when the show aired its first episode they had ditched the former and kept the latter. Now it seems they pulled the Uno reverse card by ditching the bubbles and bringing back the chromatic aberration for the Wonder World scenes.

I would prefer the bubbles over the chroma effect, but I get that the latter is a lot more convenient to do than the latter. Ideally for me, they'd just not bother! If the show just tells me they are in a wonder world, I will take their word for it.

I'd rather have that chroma effect than bubbles, because If there was a serious or dramatic moment, wouldn't having bubbles in the scene ruin the mood a bit.

Gonna just say this show already feels like it has a stronger cast than Ghost. I'm liking all the Riders so far, which is a good sign.

I hate to say it but this show is taking a bit of time to really get excited about for me, not to giving up levels because I rarely do that but it just seems a bit average is all. I know people probably hate that female lead but I actually don't mind her! My only criticism is how she seems to hang on the main guy's every word, I mean she is coming after Yua Yaiba so I suppose that's understandable.

I just realized how neat it is that Ogami, the character who comforted Kento about his treacherous father, is a father himself. If Hayato/Calibur doesn't get a redemption arc, I wouldn't be surprised if Ogami becomes like a new father figure to Kento.

And I'm glad that the writers just openly told us now that Hayato is Kento's father, instead of doing that annoying thing some shows do where even though something isn't a secret to the characters they still avoid saying it to keep it secret to the audience.