[Kamen Rider Lucha]

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Originally Posted by Dr Kain

It has a guy trying to be a goofball. The useless female who is just there to look pretty and giving her undying support to the main character. The brooding rival who has to be snotty at every remark just because. The silly man who is supposed to be the boss. The other man, who has heart, but is useless. Oh yeah, and then there is the cosplayer, who is supposed to be weird and you are supposed to like her because she dresses weird and cutesy. Sorry, but I'm tired of watching the same thing over.

First off: I empathize with your desire for something new. But...

I think it's ridiculous that you're so certain who these characters are based on a 2.5 minute trailer where each member of the supporting cast has one line. The entire function of these trailers is to reduce complex stories and characters into easily digestible, bite size pieces so they can be sold to audiences who are expecting a recognizable product. Do you really expect nuanced, iconoclastic characterization from a format like that?

Is it possible that you'll end up being right, and these people will be nothing but hollow archetypes? Yes! But it's impossible to determine that from a 2.5 minute trailer, especially when that trailer is designed to appeal to very young children.

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Where is the innovation? Where is the new feel? Where are actors that don't look like they were just in the last 4 Kamen Rider series? Everyone looks the same. I want new. I want unique. I want Toei to stop hiding in the safe zone and actually go back to taking risks with innovation.

You don't think these suits and designs are innovative and new? You don't think they're taking risks by going with a wildly different aesthetic? Not liking how this show looks doesn't suddenly negate all of the new, unique things they're doing visually. It seems like you're overlooking all of the elements that are new and different just because you don't like them.

But setting aside the fact that they are very obviously doing a lot of things that are new and different -- you're acting like Kamen Rider is the most innovative franchise on Earth. I'm gonna call BS on that -- it's really not. Every season shares a lot of the same details, and they all employ the same tropes, going back 45 years. This franchise is not based on huge revolutions in content from year to year, it's about subtle variations on the same themes. Over decades things may appear to change a lot, but from show to show things are usually very similar.

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As for slapstick, did you not see the scene where he transforms and is as fat as Kingpin? Yeah, I get it that it's supposed to be like the armor mode of Kabuto, but come on. It's not funny, it's not cute, it's just stupid.

I wouldn't say LVL1 Ex-Aid is doing anything overtly slapstick-y in the footage, but I do agree that it is the element of the show I don't quite understand yet. I'm skeptical about the LVL1 form -- in fact, I'm really, really nervous about it -- but I'm going into the show with an open mind.

Kain, I don't want you to think that I'm saying your opinion is wrong, or that you absolutely have to like everything you're seeing. I'm not -- you can feel however you like. I just think you're leaping to a lot of conclusions that aren't necessarily supported (and in some cases are completely contradicted) by the information we've been presented.