[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

As much as I am open about liking Kiva… I do agree that there really isn’t a reason to see these characters again. Pretty much all of their threads are resolved and there’s little in the way of loose ends to justify their reappearances. Still, that’s not a bad thing, considering how a lot of modern shows have a tendency for characters to reappear long past their ability to tell a decent story, rather than being sent out with a high, leaving the fans wanting more.

Yeah, I think all of the Riders leaping into the air to stop a brand-new enemy is, if anything, a more definitive ending than a lot of previous shows? It's a statement about how healthy all of the weirdos became, where they're able to see each other as friends and family. It's a happy ending, without any of the bittersweet notes of previous shows. That makes it an ending that it would... it would feel crass to do more with. Let them have their hard-earned happiness!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurona

That's... honestly kinda surprising to read! Aside from a couple bad episodes near the end, I saw you constantly singing the show's praises and breaking your INOUE FOREVER quota to the point I thought this might end up being a big favourite of yours. And maybe it is, but... gosh that's a little scathing!

It almost reminds me of how I felt about Gaim? I generally had a good time following along with it at the time, but it left me with nothing and I'm not really sad to never see more of it. It's gotten a little more negative than that over time, and Kiva absolutely cares about its character development more than Gaim; but even so... how much would you say you like this show, then? Unless that post is as best as you can put the feelings it's left you with, because I wouldn't blame you!

It... hmm.

A lot of it is just in how I write? I tend not to go into the posts with firm statements and hypotheses. It's very stream-of-consciousness, where I just let myself start typing and let whatever comes out becomes the point I wanted to make. It's sloppy, but at least it's honest.

Writing about a Kiva as a finished piece of art was... weird. There's plenty I enjoyed about watching this series (I hope I've made that clear!), but in retrospect, I found that it was a lot of random elements. Episodes about sympathetic monsters, comedic diversions, smaller moments. The sweep and scope of the series didn't feel like anything I adored. The journey of the characters was pleasant, without really being something I could rave about. I don't know.

It's less of a firm commitment to judging it and more that I had this feeling, and I hoped by talking about it I could figure out why I felt that way. There really isn't one huge problem I had (well: the last two episodes), but more a bunch of questions I had about the overall effectiveness of the series. Did the dual timelines work for the duration of the series? Did the show use its cast as well as it could've? Would I want more stories about any of them? And when they the answers I could come up with were so ambivalent, it was like... yeah, maybe this was a series that was fun to watch but still not that great.

(Also, I tried to write this response when I was in the middle of a couple things at work, and that was a huge mistake. I have to stop every other sentence to do something, and that is terrible for my train of thought. Sorry! I might have a better answer later.)

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Originally Posted by Sunred

As much as I am not a huge fan of Inoue, I will say that Kiva's final battle is one of my favorite moments. Probably because of Supernova playing in the background while Wataru and Taiga have their double rider moment. Two Kivas finally breaking the chain and forging a new path that divided humans and fangires.

And they celebrated their new brotherly love by punching each other in the face to make their mom happy!

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I've gained a new appreciation for Kiva after rewatching it, so I've promoted it from 10/19 to 7/19 in my currently Blade-less Heisei Rider ranking!

Glad to hear! That's some strong praise and stiff competition!