[NGW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

Kiriya's suit is actually a kitbash. The original ending was going to have both him and Asumu becoming Oni. The decision was made at the last minute to change that and bits of what would have been Asumu's were combined with Kiriya's to make the final costume that showed up in this episode.

Ah, that's a shame. So Asumu was going to go through with his oni training afterall, that's a big change from what we got. Ah well, the costume is still pretty cool.

Quote:

If you want something else that really captures the feel of Hibki, especially the early episodes, I'd recommend Daimajin Kanon, which was made by most of the same people. Just keep in mind that it's not a show to watch if you're feeling down, as a lot of the early episodes deal pretty heavily with depression.

Hmm, will definitely check it out. Gotta branch out at some point, and if it has the same feel of early Hibiki then I'm sure I'll love it.

I'd probably rank the seasons I've watched as such:

1. Ryuki
2. Hibiki
3. W
4. Fourze
5. Wizard

I'm omitting Gaim simply because it is still ongoing and as such my opinion on it can change drastically. Just not fair to rank it yet. But it'd probably be up there with Ryuki and Hibiki. Also, the gap between Hibiki and W is really really small, it could honestly go either way with them.

So I decided to check out both Kabuto and Faiz. Not sure that I'll keep watching them both simultaneously, will likely watch an episode or two of both, decide which one to stick with, and then go back and watch the other afterwards.

And to kick things off, Episode 1 of Kamen Rider Kabuto!

And I already dislike the opening song. Ouch. To be fair though, the latter portion of Hibiki had a less than ideal opening song too.

Wow, a Kamen Rider season with a bug motif. This is the 7th (counting Gaim) season of Kamen Rider I've watched, and while a few of the others had aspects of their designs being insect inspired (namely compound eyes and antenna), this is the first season in this long running series about superhero bug men that I've watched that..actually has super hero bug men in it. Huh.

So the villains this season are Worms. Designs are kinda cool I suppose. I like the molting aspect. And hey, another season where there are civilian casualties. I could've sworn that was something Kamen Rider moved towards not doing so much, is that really just a neo heisei thing?

Seems to be a fair bit of technical talk, lotsa numbers and sciencey words thrown out there, gathering data on the worms and the like. Reminds me of a (dark) fantasy book series I'm reading. You throw out all these words and I honestly can't tell if I'm really supposed to hold onto specific numbers or not at times or if just getting the general idea is alright.

Zectroopers are kinda cool, always nice to see more than just the rider(s) taking the fight to the bad guys. Guessing they're kinda the police or some special task force.

Are we going to have to be told every time someone is injured or killed?

Some cool effects though. I know bullet time/slow motion effects were kind of a fad, but eh, they can be cool too.

Yeah, we're really going to be told every time there are injuries and deaths..

Odd little scene there with the pickpocket. Tofu guy is pretty cool. A bit full of himself, but cool. Liked him using the kid's wallet to knock out the would-be thief.

So I'm guessing this Tendou Souji, AKA tofu guy, is our hero?

That breakfast did look pretty damn good. (Chef) Hat's off to tofu guy...err Tendou.

Tofu guy is preparing for something. He must be trying to become trained like Hibiki-san. Tofu guy wants to be an oni when he grows up.

Nii-san doesn't understand tofu guy. It's ok nii-san, not many people watched Hibiki either it seems :[

Also, pausing mid-episode for an aside here, my reviews tend to be a bit different when I am watching an episode and writing as I go and when I'm actually doing it after an episode and reflecting. The former being more in the style of quips, predictions, little humorous notes and bits of analysis whereas the latter is..well more like a proper review, since it's more my thoughts as they settle whereas the former kinda reflects my thoughts as I watch the episode. Not sure which I prefer, or which anyone else finds to be a better read. Lemme know what you all think, I tend to kinda go back and forth between the two at times and wouldn't mind sticking more towards one that is found to be more favorable.

12 minutes in and we're already getting a training montage. How long into Hibiki did it take to see the oni training?

And we get introduced to Zect's first anti-worm secret weapon. Apparently they don't know that Heartgard has been on the market for years.

Tadakoro...something tells me I will be mixing his name up with Todoroki's for the next twenty episodes or so.

Wait, if they just finished their anti-worm secret weapon, why does thos dude already have a zect..thingy?

She is..the bike whisperer.

So this is Kamen Rider: Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Hey, someone died without us getting a body count update.

I..have no idea what to say about the beeping electrified zecters.

Dude, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to make that face to a young girl.

I'm pretty sure that grabbing onto the person while they are shooting and causing them to shoot out of control and messing with their aim is a lot more likely to get the girl shot genius.

That was a pretty cool henshin sequence I suppose. Though probably the weakest of the seasons I've watched so far.

Gotta say, the way he took out the worm was kinda nifty.

So yeah, not a bad start to the season. Intrigued to see where things go.