[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by FreshToku

Minor suggestion but maybe for the next ten shows you do, you might consider just doing it all in one thread? Might be easier for you or others to sort through for future reference or just for fun

Anyhow, I'm happy you liked Cross-Z New World, especially since I very much did not, for basically all the reasons you mentioned. I love this cast, and I think that just made how much the story faltered even worse for me. And there had to been a bunch of ways to bring Evolt back without just literally reviving him wholesale and worst still, just letting him go off to no doubt destroy other planets.

Anyway, it's enjoyable to read your review/thoughts/essays. It's probably redundant of me to say that so often, but it's really all I can think to type when I don't have questions in mind. The only other input I feel there is to add is what my own opinion on these shows were, and I try not to go too far because this is your thread and I'm not looking to either parrot at you or to debate differing stances.

Thanks! I don't know, I think I like having each show be its own discrete thread, for a few reasons. First, it's a little easier to police franchise spoilers. Second, I kind-of like the feeling of being done with a show, and that's tough to do if there's another string of posts afterwards about a different show. I like starting with that blank slate, you know? Finally, I can't imagine how unwieldy things would get after a dozen of these shows in one thread. Daunting. Too much for this fan.

I don't disagree that some of the New World movie shortcuts things, and, yeah, they just let Evol(t) leave like it's nothing, huh? I mean, they just left Sawa in a crashed car with a concussion while they celebrated, so they were not making the best decisions that day. In fairness, Banjou was in charge then, not Sento, the smart one, so this is more or less what you're going to get.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Hey, have I mentioned yet that Wizard used to be my favorite Rider show before Ghost came along? Because I really love Wizard.

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Originally Posted by Layton13

Ok, why I love Wizard, huh. Ok, I take every chance to talk about my fifth favorite Rider show.

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Originally Posted by Kurona

Can I just say I'm so mad people never mention this and thank you so much? Mayu is my favourite Wizard character and her arc sticks out as so memorable to me; it's such a wonderful, refreshing take on what you think is going to be a standard revenge plot. Like, she actually learns and grows out of it fairly quickly when she learns there's more at stake? Usually it'd be all "oh I don't care about that, this is important to me that I kill her", but Mayu hears what's up and she starts re-evaluating stuff despite her goals. Feels very genuine to me.

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Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

Is it time, six years on, for Wizard to get some love? I've been waiting for this day.

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Originally Posted by Kurona

Wizard is a series I've definitely appreciated more as time's gone on, but one that's still not amazing for me so it's like, mid-tier. Down there with Decade and Ryuki. Still pretty good and fun, just not quite on the level of stuff like W and Ex-Aid.

I am happy to have opened this can of worms! I honestly don't love Wizard as a show. I remember finding it sort-of repetitive, with its emphasis on monster-of-the-week stories and the constant defeat-and-retreat of the lieutenants. It wasn't until the end, where the reason behind the shitty villain plan was revealed, that I appreciated what they were doing, but the process to get there just wasn't that enjoyable. Especially Shunpei. Jesus Christ, especially Shunpei.

There were still things I dug, though. My absolute favorite (non-Net Movie) Wizard thing was the Phoenix origin two-parter. All three of the lieutenant origin episodes were highlights, but the Phoenix two-parter was maybe my favorite story Wizard did. It's built on the back of a classic hero story, where Rinko sees the frustration Phoenix is experiencing and, thinking it's his humanity being trampled on by Wiseman and Medusa, encourages him to leave them behind, leave their schemes behind, and be true to himself. Do what makes him happy, instead of following their orders. And then its got the best ever twist, when Rinko finds out that what makes Phoenix happy is slaughtering innocents, and Wiseman and Medusa were ordering him to not indiscriminately kill people. And Rinko just pep-talked him into ignoring them. It's a super-solid story with an all-time great twist.