[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

The actor playing Woz had initially auditioned for the role of Sougo (they didn?t decide he was in high school until the guy they went with ended up being 17 years old)

Interesting! I think Woz'z actor would've been a good lead Rider, but I can't see him as Sougo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I don't need to tell anyone that Build's themes were thoughtful and interesting in their own right, but I bring it up to highlight the contrast when I say how nice I find it that Zi-O could take a story about a future despot and two soldiers from a ruined tomorrow trying to change fate, and ultimately make it about a kid trying to grow into the adult he wants to be, and how much his friendships mean to him.

I can't remember if I've talked about this before, but one of the really neat things about this anniversary series is how broad its central theme is, and how that works to encompass every post-Kuuga Heisei show's specific themes.

Like, you can have a show about how to use memories well (Den-O), or how to work with people you don't like (Ex-Aid), or how to accept yourself in the face societal indifference (Faiz), but all of those shows are really just individual flavors of Kuuga's main objective: teaching kids how to grow up into good adults. It's all just providing lessons on how to navigate adolescence, but from the perspective of each show's creative team.

So it's sort of perfect for an anniversary show that wants to touch on every Heisei Rider show to explicitly make its story about how to get Sougo to become a good adult. It's not even subtext; the goal of the show's characters is to help Sougo become a well-rounded adult who makes the best decisions for himself and others.

Anyway, yes! I also enjoy how this show is less concerned with Time Nonsense and global genocide, and more concerned with How Do We Grow Up Well.