[DreadBringer]

Haven't read the manga it's based on, but so far it seems that at least this adaptation is mostly faithful.

It seems that even for Kamen Rider, the fights in the prologue seem to be faster, more dynamic, and raw in anime form, rather than the limited tokusatsu depiction. Makes me wonder what could happen if real life shootings aren't as limited as animation.

The anime format also altered the character's expressions compared to the toku depictions, with Shotaro feeling more nonchalant than in the series (also more smirking than in the series, where he almost never smiled). Firstly it seems that Shotaro and Akiko's personalities are exaggerated compared to the anime one, seen in their spat (I thought Akiko regressed back like the beginning of W self that time), but shortly after they're still the same protective and attentive people towards the clients (outside of the payment). Highlighted here for Shotaro as the client Chuuta Tsubosaki was an ordinary man squaring off against a beautiful woman who Shotaro did flirt briefly (I do really like Tokime's outfit though... a̶l̶b̶e̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶l̶e̶n̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶s̶), Chuuta so far also planned little retribution against Tokime due to also being bewitched by her.

Tokime so far is the troublemaker and the main 'threat'. Didn't expect her to be this antagonistic to the cast in her debut. And didn't expect her to be this big of a threat, as she's not using any devices like Gaia Memories, just being her supernatural self (and also physical, in her knee attack to an expert fighter) in floating and the spell she put on Shotaro to got him into trouble with the cops (making way for Jinno and Makura), who she's also apparently responsible for murder of Tachikawa's men. She had bloody boots at that time and wonder how they got cleaned as the boots are taken off in her bathing scenes.

Oddly Shotaro here seems to try avoiding Philip's help until the end of the episode. There's the talk about Shotaro having his own agenda or such against a hot woman, but iirc in the main series he had squared off against a hot woman (as a threat or client) with Philip's help as usual, even if Tokime might be on another level compared to those.