[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Getting back to Very Serious Opinions about Kamen Rider, though...

You're basically expected to feel this way about Blade's premiere. Everyone does. I vividly remember thinking I double clicked the wrong file or something when I first watched it. I think there are actually a lot of very smart things about it, and benefits to the decisions it makes that pay off later, but all of that, it's only really easy to appreciate on a rewatch. This is part of the reason it became a bit of a laughing stock in Japan at first. I don't think Ondul started anywhere near as playful as it became later on.

Thinking about it more, I feel like a lot of my frustration is that I do find the actors engaging, and the brief scenes with them compelling, but the show won't let me spend any time with them. (Well, that Kotaro scene with his family, which goes on forever. In a good way?) Tachibana and Kenzaki's connection should be firmly established in order to make the final betrayal hit, but they barely have a couple minutes together in the entire episode.

It's all just how much stuff there is, when a pared-down concept would've let me feel something for the characters.

I don't know. I'm not sure what you should cut? I feel like letting the first episode be the BOARD stuff, and letting Kotaro (and that whole side of the plot) wait until the second episode, that might've been smart. But the Kotaro stuff is great? And it's probably going to be harder to get funny Kenzaki to move in with some nosey reporter after Tachibana betrayed him? Tough to say.