[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Well, my list of anything is heavily shaped by a combination of recency bias, IRL distractions, and free-floating but comedic spite, so a ranking for the KRC from my original viewing is lost to time, and my new ranking isn't complete yet. I hope to be more engaged and appreciative of the various characters that annoyed the hell out of me last time -- I'm already liking Kengo substantially more than I remember from last time, for instance. Here's a tentative ranking, just to put this someplace I can maybe reference it later:

Miu
Tomoko (I'M SORRY!!!)
Gen
Yuuki
Shun
Kengo
Ryusei
JK
Being forced to watch the Tsurugi Goes Back To France episode of Kabuto on repeat, for eternity
Ohsugi

Wow, yeah, your opinions changed a lot in only a week. Curious to see how this ranking will look by the end of the show.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

The one positive to never quite getting onboard with certain characters on Fourze is that there are so many characters -- as long as you at least like Gen, anyone else you dislike is probably not a big enough part of the show to detract from all of the other characters that probably work better for you. On the other hand, if you're watching Gavv, and you don't like one of the main protagonists, you are kind of screwed.

(I'm just picking a recent small-cast show at random! I loved Gavv, and all of the protagonists!)

Liking the main characters isn't the only important thing though. If they're poorly balanced, then it can hurt the group dynamic. I think Kamen Rider Fourze, being a show about the magic of friendship, is excellent at making everybody feel like they matter, which Gavv struggles with after the halfway point.

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

KAMEN RIDER FOURZE EPISODE 06 - ?FULL BLOWN ELECTRIC ASSAULT?

Again, I still think this episode largely works. Gen?s viewpoint sticks the landing, especially since JK in no way deserves Gen?s grace. The Elec States stuff is fun in the final fight, even if I sort of don?t get the thematic link between the Switch and the JK plot. (I don?t feel like the two Elec Switch scenes did enough work to sell the idea of Gen needing to be okay with being electrocuted or whatever in order for the Switch to stop electrocuting him?) Making the second part more about Gen and Kengo than Gen and JK was a smart move narratively, even if it kind of exposes how irredeemable JK is here. Miu subtly pushes Kengo to do the right thing and support Fourze, even if he can?t support Gen, which shows how good she is as the leader. The principal?s moon chair is neat, and his foreboding monologues about space are great. The direction uses a few killer shots, like that hillside scene in the top screenshot. Tomoko gets an A+ weird scene. There?s good stuff here!

But, yeesh, JK. I don?t know that you gotta let a manipulative scumbag into your life! I don?t know if that?s a great choice!

This arc might be the weakest of the introductions, as it establishes JK as this problematic dude who might betray you if you give him the chance, yet all of his most deplorable traits pretty much disappear after this. On my first watch, I thought it was simply another great win for Gentarou, but like, that was a long time ago, before I could really understand Nitta's perspective.

Maybe that makes me sound a little cynical, which I don't want to be, but there are surely people similar to JK who even after learning right from wrong will continue to do wrong to their friends if it benefits them in the short term. Seeing Gentarou go so far for this guy (saving his life is a given of course) after learning how many times he's conned people is harder to accept now and it seems like the show was afraid to show the danger of bringing a wildcard like JK in to the KRC, or rather it couldn't do that without contrasting too hard with the friendship theme. Fortunately, JK is genuinely redeemed here, so I guess we can move on.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Giant Step might be my actual favorite Rider insert theme ever? I'm both naturally terrible at ranking things and also just plain don't like to, but when I try to think of other Rider inserts that mean this much to me, the ones that immediately come to mind can still be counted on one hand, all these years later? (It's like, Destiny's Play, Just the Beginning... probably some other ones but it's already hard to say definitively...)

I wouldn't call Giant Step my favorite Rider insert theme ever, but it's surely in the top 10!

Totally a fitting insert to hype up Fourze's first big form change as well. Elec States is a great suit with the shiny gold texture and the turbines and I like the plug and outlet gimmick of Billy The Rod.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Well, actually, in my specific case, I also have to thank Giant Step for introducing me to May'n, but honestly, that's like a whole separate rant at this point, and I've already gone on longer than I expected to. Suffice it to say "got me to watch Macross Frontier" is not something most Rider songs can brag about.

May'n will also be performing Love Is The Strongest, the OP for Gavan Infinity!

Question for Die, what is your opinion of the upcoming Gavan Infinity, as a non-Metal Hero fan?