[Kagezuno]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Episode 48 was hell of a lot better. If there is something Kuuga does well, that is heart string tugging. Sure Godai himself may have the subtly and nuance of a firework and be a terrible protagonist but luckily the rest of the cast are there to emote the episode. And these episodes are always so well written and directed, it even makes the terrible actors in this series feel like they need an Oscar.
. . .
Also Kuuga got a new form which badass looked pretty badass but sadly, even despite all the set up, the final battle just involved the two wailing on each other in the snow. With SYMBOLISM Godai in black the other monster in white.

I found watching through Kuuga that you can really tell they're working out just what in the hell Kamen Rider in the 21st century is going to be right on screen. It's interesting for that reason, but there are a lot of a choices made and roads taken that really seem a little daft in retrospect.

There's some real effort made to make sure you feel like every part of the supporting cast is important and not just an appendage to the hero, but it happens at the expense of getting much inside the hero's POV. There's still some of the dark, ghoulish, gory stuff from the Amemiya movies and some effort to sell them as terrifying, some "adventurous" (ahem) filming choices . . .but yeah. The formula's not in place yet, and it's kinda fascinating to see.

I'm watching Agito right now and you can definitely tell some of the excesses of Kuuga have been set aside and the common Heisei Rider stuff is coming to the form.