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Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

About what?

So far all I've done is given sound points supported by in-show events.

Okay, long-ass post about why Agito is one of the best Rider shows ever. Go... now!

Okay, to preface, I think that the early part of the Heisei era, Kuuga-Hibiki 1.0, is probably my favorite era of the franchise, Faiz notwithstanding (and even Faiz was really engaging at first). I like the greater emphasis on serialized storytelling and character development over the victim-of-the-fortnight format the show was stuck with in the late 00s/early 10s. I liked that the shows tried to be more adult and serious, too, often getting kind of dark and twisted along the way.

What initially drew me into Agito was the story. The show doesn't explain what the monsters want or why they're targeting people; instead we get to watch along with Hikawa as he and the other cops try to figure out what's going on. It starts off as something that could be a direct sequel to Kuuga, but the story gets deeper and deeper as we start understanding that the victims all had something in common, although it's not until near the end of the show that the characters and the viewers piece together exactly what's happening. And by that point the show has evolved beyond a supernatural mystery show and into one of the most aggressive creation vs. evolution stories I've ever seen, where god himself is sending angels to kill any person who tries to evolve beyond his preferred form for humanity. I didn't find this a cop-out. Rather, I found it to be an interesting answer to the mysteries that the show had set up and a pretty remarkable way to up the story's stakes by the end.

I liked all three of the main protagonists, but I always view Hikawa as the real main character of the show. Shouchi's happy-go-lucky nature can get grating after awhile, but he remains a sympathetic character throughout. Gills works well as a supporting character, even if his constant bad luck with female guest stars got a little ridiculous by the end. Hikawa, though, is easily the most engaging of the three. He's a guy who wants to get to the truth of what's going on, even when everyone else is trying to get him to give up or just shut up and follow orders. It always impressed me how he never gave up on trying to stop the monsters, no matter how obviously outclassed he was. He was a great character and Shouichi always worked well as his more relaxed counterpart.

The show wasn't perfect - no show is - but I felt that the story was interesting, the mysteries were engaging and largely had satisfying payoffs, and the characters were likable and well realized. I liked watching the characters interact, I liked the action scenes, and I liked feeling like I was piecing things together at the same time as the characters themselves.