[Switchblade]

Okay, first of all, why are we calling it "pulling a Kengo" when all Kengo did was pull a Phillip? And nowhere near as well, at that.

Second, I just realized that Yamamoto was the Green Wizard and he used the power of lightning. Hell yeah!

Third, this was a good ending. Wizard as a show has a lot of problems. It couldn't decide if it was a screwball comedy or a serious drama. It wasted damn near every character's potential. And it got so stuck on the two-episode arc format that it almost makes Fourze look well-paced (almost). That said, I do like how everything wrapped up. Fueki's plan really did tie together everything that had been going on - it was kind of like Ryuki, only it made sense. What's more, the show didn't cop out on anything at the end the way Fourze did. In fact, I'd say this is easily the strongest ending we've had since W. What can I say, the Showa fan in me is a sucker for a Rider show that ends with the hero riding off alone for further adventures.

Ultimately, Wizard is going down as a middle-tier series for me. It has some real strengths, but like Fourze before it, the weaknesses can't help but weigh it down. I'm glad that this looks to be the end of the Den-O format and Gaim is trying something new. We've gotten some good shows out of this style, but it's beginning to wear out and it's time for something new again.

Looking forward to the coda next week, even if it is probably going to be kind of silly and stupid.