[MarsHottentot]

Well, I carbo-loaded the rest of Kiva and my final analysis is:
Inoue had a beginning and an ending pretty well mapped out; when King appears, the show gains a focus previously vacant for twenty some odd episodes. While it's not perfect, obviously, it at least fucking goes somewhere. Inoue seems to have just filled up those middle shows with a bunch of crap and gave no shits at all that none of it made sense because... well, who knows but, damn, what lousy show.

From the late thirties until the finale, the show gets more exciting, the threats are more compelling and the action is great. True, most of the characterization still makes no sense (Nago is bat-shit insane - a better show would have had him committed, Eritate "Shakin'" Kengo loses the ability to play guitar {THANK GOD} and becomes a badass who, despite no strumming abilities, has no problem punching the shit out of Fangire {and Nago}, Yuri and Megumi are still not using IXA because...?) but, there's a PLOT to focus on.

No, it still makes no sense and, if I continue to think about it, I'll shred even the final stretch to bits (IXA 1 arm save - so cool until you take a moment to realize "Da Fuk It Cum From?") but, in a show this genuinely bad, it's something like redemption. I will say the final scene is awesome and what you'd want a Kamen Rider show to end like (Wataru's Otoya clone future son's wardrobe is so brilliantly dumb, I love it).

As I said elsewhere, what Kiva really had going for it is a high production value; the CGI is much better than most Toei product, the cinematography is beautiful and the designs are great (though, yeah, Emperor form is terrible - too bad the other forms weren't so life threatening to suit actor, Seiji Takaiwa). Sure, Kiva and his kin aren't really Riders (IXA is more traditionally Riderish) and their belt system isn't explained at all, despite how cool / stupid it is - but it was so ripe with potential. I mean, Kivat 1-3, Sagarc, those movie bats and Tatsulot are ridiculous but the idea is brilliant - robotic vampire bats that bite the belt user, "infecting" them with a Kiva thing (super vampire?) - fucking brilliant. Castle Doran - no clue what it is (a lot of it's shtick - emerging from that skyscraper, Fangire soul eating - was dropped and never mentioned again) but, again, brilliant.

There's a good show here - 1 to whenever we get Jiro and the "Arm Monsters" general back story, then jump ahead to 38-ish to finish. Everything in between is 90% time wasting and sloppy to a X-Men Origins: Wolverine degree.

DON'T WATCH THE MOVIE THINKING IT WILL HAVE ANY BEARING ON THE SHOW - IT WON'T, DESPITE WHAT KIVAT TELLS YOU!