[Kamen Rider Die]

Hi. My name is Kamen Rider Die, and this thread is “Kamen Rider Die rewatches Kamen Rider OOO”.

I first watched Kamen Rider OOO in three days.

It was my… I want to say fourth Kamen Rider series? I did Ex-Aid, and then Double – which weirdly took me a long while, big break in the middle – and then the first season of Amazons because it was on Amazon Prime. I don’t think I ever did more than a couple episodes in a day for any of those. But OOO? Devoured it, with a passion and intensity that would make even the Greeed suggest that I throttle back some. I literally couldn’t stop myself from seeing what would happen next, spending almost every waking minute for three days burning through this show.

The result is that, for a long time, it was both my easy pick for Best Kamen Rider, and also I show I could barely recall. It doesn’t exist as a year’s worth of narrative, like a Geats or Gotchard. It doesn’t exist as several months of measured exploration, like the Phase 1 Heisei shows. It’s just this solid mass of storytelling – smooth and difficult to dig into, but consistent and flawless.

It’s a show I frequently described as being The Best not through frequent perfection or personal connection (Geats, to both) but by never doing anything wrong. If it never 5-starred any segment or element of being a Kamen Rider show in my estimation, it did absolutely everything at 4-stars for me. I enjoyed it all, and never felt betrayed by a story choice or let down by a lack of emphasis. It was the most complete Kamen Rider experience I’ve ever had.

I also, uh, don’t remember any of it! Broad strokes, big name characters, and literally nothing outside of that. I know how it ends, and where it’s all sort of going, but the minute-to-minute story of any and every episode is going to be basically brand-new for me. I’m thrilled to rewatch this show at a slower pace because I honestly regret not savoring it more the first time, to let some of these moments lodge in my brain better. (I say that, but I don’t remember basically anything from the shows I’ve spent months writing about, so.) I want to give OOO the attention it deserved the first time, since I know how special of a show it is now.

And what could make it more special than by rewatching it alongside TokuNation? I did this show way before I knew that such a haven existed for Rider fans, and I’m very excited to get to delve into OOO with the feedback and discussion that’s made this site so integral to my toku journey.

Before we get started, a couple returning ground rules!

ONLY DISCUSS THE EPISODES WE’VE COVERED SO FAR IN THIS THREAD. While I’ve watched this whole show once before, I’d prefer it if we could keep the discussion to the episodes I’ve posted up here, and nothing beyond that. It’s my hope that we can all really appreciate the individual installments of OOO, rather than just rushing to the end. I did that once before! It’s a little wasteful!

ON THE OTHER HAND, I MIGHT RUIN SOME STUFF FROM OTHER SHOWS. It’s not intentional, but I might vaguely reference other Rider shows (Den-O and Ryuki for sure) while I talk about OOO. If you’re trying to stay spoiler-free from every other toku show, consider this a warning.

OUR DYNAMIC IS WHY I’M HERE. Literally the only reason I write this stuff anymore is in the hopes that it’ll spark a discussion. My episode posts are a conversation starter, not a final judgment. I love hearing from all of you about what you’ve taken away from an episode – good or bad – so please chime in if you’ve got anything you want to talk about.

I think that’s it? (I never remember if that’s it.) Much like the 2024 threads, my plan is to post daily, except for Wednesday. (Wednesday is Gavvday!) I’ll be using the OZC-Live subs for the main series, and a smattering of other sources for the ancillary material. We’re on this ride through… I don’t know, April? I don’t foresee anything that’d cause skips or delays, but I’ll always try and give a heads-up if it’s unavoidable.

Okay! Preamble done! Let’s jump into OOO and see if I can show it the love it deserves!