[DreamSword]

33 episodes in on Super-1 now, and my current thoughts on the second half are be summed up thusly:



I mean... wow man. If you though Hibiki was the only KR show that took a total 180 at the halfway point, Super-1 has it beat.

It really did turn into a totally different show. Now instead of the show being about, you know, the title character, it's all about a group of kids who, frankly, contribute nothing to the overall plot. And poor Kazuya is reduced to nothing more than a tool for the kids to summon in order to beat up the bad guys.

Speaking of the bad guys... I kinda have mixed feelings on them. Doctor Ghost always gives me a good giggle(seriously, that's an amazing name), but Jin Dogma, like the show itself, is now alot sillier than the original Dogma were. Sure, the original villains were ineffective too, but the show atleast attempted to have a menacing air about them. Jin Dogma meanwhile are, well, total jokes.

And here's the thing actually, and this is kinda weird to say, but I was actually totally on board with most of this. Atleast for the first few episodes of the second half. Because you see, well... how to best put this...

Okay, the very first monster Super-1 fights in part 2? Straight up a Knife Monster, who is legit a much more dangerous threat than what's ever been faced before, to the point that he actually stabs someone to death on screen. The fight sequences with it are intense, Kazuya remains an active force throughout the entire episode, and while yes, the kids are present, and the Junior Kamen Rider Squad are established, they are by no means the lead characters nor the focus of the episode itself.

And this something that actually remains for the next few episodes afterwards... and then someone on staff decided that it should be all about the kids, and any further backstory or action on Super-1's' part is mainly incidental.

The one thing that I will give the second half though, which Super-1 has actually been great about all throughout its run so far, is that the action scenes remain not only incredibly intense, but creative and fun to watch. Seriously, at this point they're what's keeping me watching.

I wouldn't go so far as to say the second half is out and out horrible(I've seen way worse, even in terms of sheer betrayals), but man, quite the step down in terms of narrative. Like yeah, part 1 wasn't "deep" by any stretch, but there was atleast an attempt at an overall story. Here? Not even remotely an attempt. Just kids who call in a superhero who now has barely any agency in the plot. It's a real shame.