[Xtreme RX]

Not a perfect episode, but sure was fun! The pace was a little off the walls and the transitions were kind of jarring but overall it was a good tribute to OOO and added a little more to the main cast of characters.

Hino Eiji is still the same character we know and love, but he does look quite good in a suit. I wonder why the time change somehow made him become a politician instead of ending up a free-living traveler. He still went through the same experiences, as shown by the flashback, and his mentality is the same. I know that him being a son from a political family is something from the show proper, but it still is a bit weird to see. That being said, they nailed his character otherwise. And Hina's super-strength is still a thing, so that was nice to see too. It's just too bad we didn't get any kind of flashback or reference to Ankh despite the Tajador RideWatch.

Also it was cool to see Masamune Dan referenced and it is confirmed that the person Another OOO killed last episode was indeed him. Seeing Kuroto in his original outfit was nice. Along with the 2010 OOO flashback, it's really nice to see the production crew trying their best to match the clothes the legends wore in the original timeline proper. These aren't great callbacks and they are very brief, but I appreciate the attention to detail to have the characters wearing the clothes they wore in that respective episode.

I guess I'm okay with the lack of communication last episode. This time Sougo tried to explain how he wasn't trying to work with Dan but Geiz still attacked so it makes it clear that the outcome was going to be the same either way. The episode ends with Geiz leaving so it does shake up the plot slightly.

The Castle Doran Time Majin is interesting and I wonder if they will ever explain why the Time Jacker's are in the possession of different Rider machines. The actual CG fight was pretty cool this time, from OOO Majin to Tajador Combo's Giga Scan Time Break resembling the original Rider kick. And OOO Armor is awesome and I loved how Sougo used it properly. It says to me visually that he is finally starting to take things seriously.

One thing I missed was the OOO soundtrack. It's a bummer we didn't get to hear each show's respective leitmotifs in previous episodes but it was the most obvious here. OOO without ska is like cereal without milk.

Next up, Gaim! The stinger at the end was a little odd due to the lack of narration but it was cool to see the original locations and Kouta himself back. And Kaito and the Helheim Forest are returning in the next episode as well. So far the ratio of original main and secondary actors reprising their roles in their tributes is 5/7, which is actually very good.

Finally, 10.5 is once again genius. They basically straight-up acknowledge the fact that the characters were acting a bit differently because the script writer was different for this arc. It's so self-aware. Absolutely brilliant.