[Magnugiga]

I'm about two-thirds through Blade and Hibiki, liking them both (especially Hibiki) so far.

Blade

This is actually my second viewing of Blade; I watched some episodes a few years back, but dropped it because I just couldn't get into it. I dunno, I'm not inherently against main rider already being one from the beginning (i.e. we don't get to see their origin story), but that may contributed to how difficult it was for me to connect to the characters and the situation. Lots of action and plot happened in the first few episodes, and lots of characters were introduced, but it all kinda felt bland to me.

I still don't like the beginning this time around, but things started to pick up episode teen-ish, when they surprisingly get rid of a certain character that I thought would hang around much longer. From there, the nature of conflict shifts from a fight against external recurring antagonist into something that's much more of an internal struggle among the Core Four of main characters; and I dig that approach. That's something I wished Faiz would've done (speaking of, I like the implementation of GPS to track the Undeads, so it no longer feels the Riders has inexplicably supernatural awareness of where the monsters are).

Things I don't like: several side characters (Amane-chan, Tachibana's gf, Mutsuki's gf) clearly only exist for the development of the Core Four. Overall, the 'filler' parts and side characters in this are really weak, I feel. Also, this might just be me being slow, but the concept of this show felt so vague and confusing at first I had to look up external source to learn about the whole categorization & card mechanic thing.

But yeah, it eventually become a pretty solid character-driven ride. I heard it ends with a bang too, so really looking forward to the rest of this.

Hibiki

It sure is different, and at first, not necessarily in a good way! The first episode was super jarring to me, what's with the wacky musical number to open and all the visual effects, as well as the apparent fact that they seem to turn one of those obligatory child/pre-teen sub-plot (usually one of my least favorite part in a given KR show) into a major plotline that this show revolves around.

I soon get used to it, and once I did, I love it. It's such a refreshing change of pace from your usual KR vibe with its complete lack of angsty characters/backstories (not that I always hate this), and a more naturalistic setting that enables more exciting and expansive battle scenes instead of the same ol' boring fights in empty urban streets and tunnels. There's a chill atmosphere and chemistry among the cast, too; they're just so relaxed and matter-of-fact about the whole Makamou-slaying thing, it almost feels like they're just doing a daily routine job, but the show still manages to convey the stakes effectively and highlight the teamwork aspect between Riders and non-transforming characters in a way that I haven't seen since Kuuga. Little things like bits and pieces of the lore, every scene when the 'mechanical origami hunters' (I forgot what they're actually called ) is deployed, the ending song, and the signature flashing kanji thing (it's so much more effective when it's started to be used more sparingly) also really grew on me.

Asumu can be hit-and-miss, and it does feel odd at times when they juxtapose scenes like the Onis having a life-or-death battle against makamou with Asumu's having problems with something like ... stomachache. But, I think I get what they're trying to do, and it's a genuinely poignant thing. By grounding the main character as a sort of Audience's Avatar and putting his very relatable conflicts side-by-side with the superhero action (which are still framed in a way that's not much different with normal adult job/responsibility), it shows his character growth in a way that's completely organic and less trope-y than what I'm accustomed to. You won't ever become a Kamen Rider/Oni, but I like to believe there's some kid watching this who would be inspired to ... give a seat to the granny on the train, for instance.

That said, I do believe the show could've benefited from a bit more tension (Akira warmed up a bit too fast toward Asumu, for instance). Not something too outrageous that would ruin the show's vibe, but just occasional thing that could prevent this from feeling stagnant at times. Even then, what I watched of Hibiki so far would easily rank among the upper tier of KR shows I've seen, that's how good (and refreshingly unique) it is.

But now, I've actually passed episode 29, supposedly where the show jumped the shark Ah well, I'll keep on watching, and maybe the dramatically reduced expectation could be a god thing.