[Sh Ranger]

Oh hey, you've started Hibiki! How was Blade BTW?

This second episode really shows how unique Hibiki's fighting style is compared to other Riders. His finisher is the most spectacular part. Usually a finisher is like the climax but with the Oni, it's the main course, preceded by a starter. Exterminating giant monsters with a taiko drum is cool and not something you will see anywhere else. Hibiki is also my favorite color, and the only Primary Rider with that color in the Heisei Era.

Thematically, the show is very different. It's still Kamen Rider since there are Riders but the role of the protagonist kind of shifts between Hibiki and Shounen. Hibiki is the oldest Primary Rider in the Heisei Era and a lot more experienced than the typical Rider protagonist. Instead, the inexperienced guy is Shounen, who gives us a unique perspective as a guy following Kamen Rider as a spectator, like us. However, each arc has its own moral where Shounen's problem is reflected in the Oni's problem and the difference is in how the problem is resolved, which allows Shounen to learn and develop. In that way, I agree with the connections people make to Kuuga, although personally I think Hibiki does it just a little better due to how cleverly subtle the A and B plots relate to each other.

The other atypical thing about the show, which has already been mentioned, is the setting. This arc on the island is a good example of what you can expect from the first half, a lot of atmospheric action scenes in mountains, woods, caves, etc which is very much part of the show's identity about fighting the forces of nature and how nature can be both good and evil, linking to the whole theme of Kamen Rider about evil powers used for good.

For reasons that people have already informed you about, this show is ultimately not high on my ranking, but nevertheless, I appreciate it for its cool unique style and the potential it showed.