[Fish Sandwich]

I don't think I've mentioned this yet in these threads, but Ryuki was the show I burned through start to finish in a couple weeks while catching up on OOO (which was around halfway through airing at the time), so I consider it my "first" Rider series just as much, if not more. I'll tell you upfront, I adore Ryuki. There's no way I could watch this show and not become immediately hooked on the franchise. Those first episodes in particular are definitely real strong, especially in how they establish Shinji's character.

Going back to Kuuga, Rider shows tend to do this thing where the hero gets to define their mission statement in the second episode, and the way Ryuki does it is wonderful. I love just how active Shinji is in making the choice to become a Rider. He's made more than aware of the danger he's getting into, but he ultimately refuses to walk away from the chance to save people from the Mirror Monsters. It's such a great way to build the audience's respect for his character, who initially seems like nothing but a goofball.

One other thing about it I've been telling myself I have to bring up to you if you didn't catch was the specific way Shinji realizes why he can't walk away: Reiko's dialogue about how many people are affected when just one person disappears. That line hangs over the series in ways you won't be able to realize yet, and is something that sticks out a lot more on a rewatch. Something to keep in mind going forward. Or backward, really. Simply framing the stakes of losing a life on such a personal level is just plain neat in its own right, and may or may not make an interesting contrast with the way Kuuga and Agito handled monster casualties?

Also, some other thoughts I can't think of a way to connect to each other:

- Yes, the designs are great! One particularly cool touch is that elements of the traditional Rider head were spread out among the main Riders, such as Ryuki getting the big bug eyes. The cool thing about that, in turn, is that it visually informs you about the characters' personalities. Riders in Ryuki by and large only have visors, so Ryuki's huge eyes, which are straight up bulging, fit the image of a naive, wide-eyed idealist. He looks a bit friendlier and more heroic. Meanwhile, Knight actually has eyes on his helmet design too, but they're small, and hide so deep within the visor, I straight up didn't notice them for like a dozen episodes back when I watched the show. Which is simultaneously a great contrast, the mystery man with a lot of layers, but also something that implies there's maybe more similarities between the two than there might appear at a glance.

Oh, and the suits look cool or whatever, I guess. Yeah, that too.

- That CG spider is rough, but I believe it's literally the very first ever instance of Kamen Rider doing an all-CG, big ol' monster like that, so it represents an important step forward for what they could pull off with the special effects, and as such it makes sense they'd want to show that off right in the premiere. I mean, Ryuki and Knight's personal monsters ain't exactly done practically.

- One quick thing about the Mirror World scenes. Don't underestimate the importance of that ambient sound! It lends an eerie, otherworldy emptiness to the location, while practically serving to always let the viewer know where they are. It's especially neat whenever the show is cutting back and forth between it and the normal world.