[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamcastegirl

I get it, I can see the appeal, I can even see what could be the excitement of working on a project and being able to react in the moment, being able to look at this things and be like, "oh, wouldn't this be cool if..." &c. but also, as an audience member... yeah.

For the longest time, I've felt like there have have been moments in shows where I just don't follow how A has led to B, where it feels like the show has jumped several episodes ahead without laying the groundwork, and it's been driving me crazy making me think that it's either a language thing or just me being a dullard. This especially has been a problem for me with Saber, and I know that the general census is that the show's story is "good" now, but, forgive me for being a curmudgeon, but I often feel that what people are saying is that actually the fight sequences are good.

I get this is probably just a me thing, and I'm not silly enough to know that kid's TV doesn't live and die by its panache, the excitement and merits of such as Sakamoto's fight choreography, and the last thing I want to do is insult the staff... but reading this interview definitely made me feel as if I finally had an answer as for why Saber felt so jumbled and contradictory and repetitive in the unfolding of its narrative.

/end grumpy old lady rant.

That's all fair! I can't speak to Saber (will revisit this post in late-2022/early-2023), but there have been any number of Kamen Rider series where I feel like the pacing is inadequate, or the plot doesn't have enough material to justify itself, or any number of other problems that were the result of Episode 26 only being concerned with resolving Episode 25 and setting up Episode 27. Sure. Absolutely, no argument.

But, like, Wizard is a series that I think has the tightest series arc (the reveals and resolution of the last few episodes made me adore that season) and some of the most repetitive individual episodes of any Kamen Rider I can think of. It felt like a show that was committed to a story that the actors couldn't quite connect with, or that the theory was losing out to the reality. I'd've traded a cohesive and brilliant conclusion for a few less episodes that were purposefully hitting the same notes.

I mean, I don't know how all of these shows are produced. The ones I might deride as overly schematic might've been written the night before shooting, and the ones that feel fresh and responsive might've been locked before the actors waved on stage at the first press junket. I don't know. But my feeling is that I'd prefer the spontaneity of We Are Building The Bridge As We Go Off The Cliff to having everything set before the rest of the team gets to contribute.