[Kamen Rider Lucha]

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Originally Posted by Dr Kain

I'm the opposite. I thought Dai had some of the best character development for the rangers. Everyone had their own subplots that developed who they were. The reason Daigo had the most development though is because his sub arc started in episode 9 while everyone else's really kicked off in the late teens and early 20s. Even Kaku (my 2nd favorite) failed at developing Saito and Seizo.

An argument could be made that the 5 main Dairangers are well-characterized up front, and I'd even agree with that. However, I find their character arcs a little lacking -- and the arc is what I'm referring to when I say "development." As in, they're pretty much the same at the beginning of the series as they are at the end.

I actually find this interesting because their steadiness as characters inspires the people around them to grow and change. As a direct result of their interaction with our steadfastly moral and consistent heroes, Kujaku, Jin, Akomaru, Gara, Master Kaku, and The Stooges all change and develop considerably over the course of the series.

Looking at the four Sugimura shows, I find this "unchanging hero" element to be a recurring pattern. None of his heroes change all that much, but their impact on the supporting characters is sizable (In Zyu, it's the Children of the Week and Burai who change, in Kaku it's the CoWs and the Yokai, and in Dai it's the recurring supporting cast). This is sort of like the character development found in a lot of different super hero stories. Batman, Superman, Doctor Who, Captain America, Thor... these guys don't change a lot in their stories, but rather, they act as catalysts for growth in their companions and the other people who enter their lives.

And that isn't a criticism, it's just an observation of Sugimura's style. I think it's a really effective approach to the material.

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Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Another thing I love about Dai is how little filler there is and I believe it has the lowest number of actual Monsters of the Week in it.

Yeah, the lack of filler is a HUGE plus for Dairanger. I can think of maybe 3 episodes that don't majorly advance one of the season-long plots. That's part of the reason the show is so propulsive -- there aren't any fillers to act as narrative roadblocks.

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Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Oh's first 8 episodes are great, but then it starts to throw in a lot of forced comedy afterwards that just does not fit. The show still has a lot of great moments, but the ranger cast is quite generic and it gets really boring. However, episode 32 is one of the best episodes in the series.

I got up through episode 9 last night, and boy-oh-boy, your observation is spot-on. That episode was soooooo broad and over-the-top compared to the awesome eight episodes that preceded it. I mean, I didn't hate it, but Juri was written so differently from previous episodes that I almost felt like I put on the wrong show. And the stupid comedic moments almost seemed like a "f-you" to the network for asking them to tone down the intensity (though that might just be my reading of things). I'm on board for the long haul, but this episode definitely validates the theory that massive changes occurred after the terrorist attacks.