[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandComplete

Y'know I hate this whole Heisei Phase 1 and Phase 2 nonsense. It all just the Heisei Era. It's not like the emperor died and was ressurected as a robot halfway through his run or anything.

I mean, some of it is due to shows like Decade and Zi-O specifically demarking 10 Years as an important break, and worthy of notice. (I mean, toku shows will celebrate every and any anniversary they can find, so it's not really integral to the franchise.) If you think we're not going to get a Reiwa version of Decade, you are fooling yourself.

Beyond that... I think there's a definite tonal difference between Phase 1 and Phase 2? The immediate focus on Collectibles -- pioneered by W -- is a massive alteration to the formula, and every single show that followed would need to address its assumption in some way. Add to that the ways Winter/Spring/Summer movies altered the storytelling structure, the Den-O-inflected comedy becoming more of a standard flavor, and more stuff I can't think of right now? It's not Heisei-to-Showa different, but there's enough identity to the two Phases to make it reasonable to acknowledge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandComplete

I do get what you mean by finality though sometimes a show is better off with the show ending. But you know what I realized? Almost always it dosen't matter. Let me make an example Star Wars the main thing is the movies and the book are side thing they tell expanded stories and even featuring returning characters and they maybe canon but it still the movies that people are going to remember and know. To me the tv show matters the most and anything after that should always be optional.

That's harder to do when characters from old series start popping up in newer ones. Avoiding a post-Drive Shinnosuke appearance could mean skipping an Ex-Aid movie that's kind of crucial to Ex-Aid's plot. It's not really a franchise that lets you pick and choose Legend Rider appearances, unfortunately.