[Magnugiga]

Oh, the Mika episodes. Yeah, I don't know if it's the writing, the acting, or both, but this part of the story just didn't resonate with me. There's a lot of unique things I like from Kuuga (the atmosphere, the eventual theme, the teamwork with non-Rider human characters, piecing out just what the Grongi are up to), but some of the sub-plots and supporting characters just flat out didn't work.

Anyway, while I personally prefer my Rider shows to be mostly serious and heavy, it doesn't necessarily have to be so dark, violent, and brooding all the time. That's why my current Top 3 are Ryuki, Gaim, and W, which I feel have a healthy mix of tension, humour, tragedy, and fun factor.