[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Layton13

I think because this is more focused. This isn't darkness and grittiness for shock-factor, this is to tell a story with a character at its core.

Yeah, it doesn't feel, like, punitive. It feels like folks get a little more than they can handle in order to see if they'll rise to the occasion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Man, Die, you are seriously impressing me with quickly and accurately you're getting a grasp on what this show is about. I expected you would like Agito a lot, but I figured it would take at least a second, you know?

But yeah, Ryou is great. Hopefully Hikawa will earn being called by his name soon enough. Agito was the first real multi-Rider show, and one thing it does better than most shows after it is how it makes each of its trio of heroes an integral pillar of a whole story. Each Rider has their own supporting cast, unique plotlines, and even overall tone, and they all connect to each other even when they aren't directly connecting. It's crazy organic.

It's real easy to get what Agito's doing, for me, because there's such clarity in the storytelling. I'm not trying to figure out what's important, or why a character is behaving that way. That's a thing I'm usually only peripherally aware of, the Why Are You Telling Me This Story of it all. I tend to notice it more when it's done badly, anyway. When I don't know why this scene is happening at this point in the story, you know? And I feel like, with Agito, I get why the story is shifting to this person at this point, or why this other character needs to feel this way right now. There's no, like, random scenes at a curry restaurant to break tension and slow pace. It all adds up to something with themes that feel more baked in, suffusing scenes and characters. I don't know, it's all feeling very well-designed.

Nijou gets a name when he's more than Young Ichijou. (They shoot his driving scenes exactly how they shot Ichijou's driving scenes! They are doing it to me on purpose!)

Speaking of the connections, yeah, it was neat to see them thread the story from Agito/G3 to Ryou with Mayumi as the lynchpin, but in a way where the two hero groups are completely isolated. "Organic" is the right word for it. There's a logic to how things progress, how the characters are involved or invested in the threat. It's compelling storytelling.

I really missed having multiple Riders to carry the narrative load. Multiple Riders feels like real Kamen Rider to me, in a way that Kuuga felt like it wasn't as into being. It's... Does anyone else watch the CW superhero shows? When they started, it was very We Are Not Doing Superheroes. Green Arrow wasn't called Green Arrow, it was dark and serious and definitely not a superhero show. But, very quickly, it seemed like they wised up and went, "Why are we working so hard to make a superhero show that's ashamed to be a superhero show?" Agito feels like a Kuuga that's sick of pretending it's not a superhero show. More superpowers! More suits! More monster fights! Lean into what's special about your show!