[NGW]

I really liked Hibiki. Just finished watching it recently and, despite some production woes, it's honestly one of my favorite seasons I've watched so far (not quite as good as Ryuki, maybe on par with W, definitely better than Wizard).

It has some incredibly beautiful cinematography and, at least earlier on, is filmed in a lot of locations that you just don't see in most Rider seasons (namely mountainous and foresty areas). Prior to the shift in production staff it also had just..this really unique feel, things like the use of kanji appearing on the screen to emphasize or define things, and just set the mood a bit. Plus the use of sound and music is incredible. The core cast of riders are also pretty damned solid, and their relationship and interactions are really believable and you just get this sense of comradery between them. It has it's share of incredibly well acted, emotionally charged moments. I also really liked that the story was, ostensibly, about the relationship between the titular rider, Hibiki, and a young boy facing a crossroads in his life and this bond they share and how the boy learns and grows from the oni. Plus there's just something awesome about the musical instrument weapons and how they finish off the season's monsters (most of which are, while not quite Godzilla size, are significantly larger than you normally get in Kamen Rider). The latter portion of the season does tend to be a bit of a dividing point, a lot of fans, from what I understand, really don't like the changes and feel that the series took a turn for the worse when production shifted, and while I agree in the sense that the look and feel and sound of the show was at its best earlier on, there were some very very solid story and character arcs in the last run of episodes, we got some fantastic development and growth for a lot of the core cast, some good drama. The last episode is the only one I feel really suffers too much, and that's because it was rewritting over and over and wasn't finalized until they were already filming it. Oh and I hated them changing the opening theme and dropping the closing one. There are also some fantastic battles, with the riders/oni having to face off against larger monsters than the norm and later on larger amounts of the smaller variety. One of the oni uses a guitar as a giant sword of sorts and jams out after he kills the makamou, it's freaking awesome.

I'd also give W a very strong recommendation. It was the second season I watched in full after Fourze, and I felt it managed a fantastic balance between more fun and lighthearted, humorous moments and a darker more serious tone. When W wanted to be emotional, dramatic, serious, and even somewhat dark, it did so wonderfully. But it also has some really funny moments, some really likable characters, a great mood and tone, I love the hard-boiled, almost film noir inspired feel it has. I think W has one of my favorite groups of main villains in the Sonozaki family. Shotaro and Phillip play off of eachother very well, and are amongst my favorite riders of all time. There's a reason this season gets as much hype as it does and is usually seen as a good entry point for those looking to get into the franchise. My only real complaint with W is the very last episode, it should have ended the episode before it and left it at that.