[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

You've got a point about the Another Endings getting a bit of a pass for bringing back Kuroto. He's so fun, he's so much better than his dad to me. It's just, this is another scheme built off of the back of all of his other schemes. There's an unfortunate sense of Here We Go Again, and I don't think that's where a production team wants its characters to be.

Surely Kuroto might be the most memorable character (not Rider btw) in the entire franchise. But probably his dad looks worse than him because he has to going against Muteki where he looks like a complete chump in doing so? Personally I think it's one of the overlooked part of Ex-Aid, the villain not just straight overpowering the hero, but they need to use tactics to bring the heroes down.

While Kuroto had Genm Level Billion who can pull entire moon. I think that looks stronger than even his own kick attack.

Besides I'm glad that Kuroto stays as a villain. To me he never feels as someone who can turn into new leaf, like what evil deeds he's done before rivals Masamune's (like being apeshit over someone else creating Gashat??), and that he only sided with the heroes because they have mutual benefits and goals.

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Originally Posted by Switchblade

With all respect to Die, he's still a series away from meeting Kusaka.

Well, but still there are characters who are on higher level on evil than Kusaka in franchise like Dr. Maki, Banno, Kuroto, Masamune, Evoltooooo, etc. And he'll see soon in Ryuki (Scissors may also qualify).

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Originally Posted by Kurona

I can see why you'd think of it that way, but for me it never really feels that way for one particular reason: like I said, the main story is over. But in-universe, that story is not all there is to the lives of our heroes and the machinations of our villains; and many Rider series leave it open that way.

Nothing's ever completely resolved and there's always remnants hiding in the shadows. I can totally believe that there would be some threat out there after the end of any given Rider series that our heroes would have to fight against, and that doesn't invalidate their stories or the value of an ending; it's something we could easily have assumed without the need of a Returns movie fleshing out the idea or a teamup movie giving us new antagonists. Our heroes still saved lives, still developed as people, still formed bonds and had their journey together -- it's just that there's other things remaining.

Probably it's made that way so people would continue to talk over about a series, to make a series remembered indefinitely, like how it goes during or after the ending. Other than that, after this, the only threat would be the regular Dopants/Bugsters/etc. so if the series continued it'll be purely MOTW format against regular monster type of the series? Because while the Dopants/Phantoms/etc. continue to exist, there are no major players behind them anymore.

I also want to know how will Parado act now tbh, he now isn't human's enemy anymore, but he cares about Bugsters like go apeshit on how Kuroto killed Burgmon, concerned over Salty being deleted by Cronus, etc.

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Originally Posted by Kurona

... this is all in principle and theory, anyway. Another Ending: Brave & Snipe was a very dire movie that at best just retold the development of Hiiro and Taiga by regressing them and making pretty rubbish and dissatisfying choices, to the extent that I could barely tell you a thing about the movie other than remembering that one scene where Taiga became Chronus again. i don't even remember why he did.
But you know! It could have been good! It could have been a new story about these characters that put them in the spotlight and hence wouldn't feel like they were retconning or retelling their journeys! It could have been...

Taiga has the most levels of Bugster virus in himself other than the Patient Zero (Emu/Masamune), which is one of the reasons he considers himself the only Kamen Rider needed. He's already shown to be able to become Cronus in main series, but using a Gamer Driver where he can't use it's full potential such as Pause. There his level of virus has risen where he can even use Bugvisor, turning the Pause time stop spamming into a good guy's hand.

Which makes me wonder, do Kamen Rider Chronicle play out like this; the player, other than completing the game, continually rise up their Bugster virus to the point that they can use Bugvisor without problem and bring out the best potential in Cronus, other than that, what's the purpose of Pause if Gamedeus is immune to it?

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The entire thing that defines melodrama is a reliance on exaggerated, sensationalized stortytelling, so I'd say that falls under what I'm talking about. For me, though, I guess I just don't think he's necessarily that bad at it? Those absurdly overdone bits of drama and comedy definitely don't always land, but when they do, they can be genuinely impactful.

I will say he's at his best when he decides to balance all that out with a lighter touch here and there though.

Good to see you getting an early start on not being let down by Ex-Aid on a rewatch!

It's a strong premiere, to be sure. I wouldn't call it the best, thanks to stiff competition from, like, Fourze and Build and maybe Drive or Wizard or Black or-

Well, there are plenty of good first episodes of Kamen Rider is the point. But Ex-Aid, I maintain, has ridiculously great structure, and its premiere benefits from the show's usual lack of wasted space. Like you said, it fits pretty much everything you need, and little you don't.

I think I also want to know when the "melodrama" is portrayed as an actual character's flaw, or just it being the writers not knowing to write well, especially with the differing opinions of the fandom.

Late about this but surely Ex-Aid captures the video game theme very well here, and even combining them with virus that doctors have to deal. It's suit design may not be for everyone but even that captures the retro gaming feels. I probably will reply on Die's review of Episode 1 Ex-Aid in the next few posts.