[EpsilonX]

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Originally Posted by ShiShiLeo

I would argue that the use of monsters and/or their pacing is largely superficial to a show's uniqueness. It's no more meaningful than saying the hero doing a rider kick is formulaic.

I think I see where you're coming from, but I think the structure of how the story is told is actually a substantial part of fiction. A serialized story with one large, overarching conflict told over the course of multiple episodes will be enjoyed very differently from a series where each episode presents a monster battle that is resolved by the end of the episode. I'm not saying that one is necessarily better than the other, but they're different.

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Especially when viewed in retrospect, it is a show's overarching themes and ideals and sometimes morals that define it. The granular analyzation of individual episodes, endless comparison and ranking, or meta context, etc, unravels the simple entertainment of storytelling at the core of fiction. If you've walked away from a show entertained and perhaps gleaned whatever message the writer had for you, then you're good to go, novel or not.

Interesting. It sounds like you're saying that what I described above is more of a by-product of the larger goal of the story? Because I could agree with that. The only time the format of something like Kamen Rider will change is when the overall goal of Kamen Rider changes, or perhaps the theme of one particular season demands the story to be told in a different way. Changing the format for the sake of changing the format is...surface-level, for lack of coming up with a better term at the moment.

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Innovation is predicated on the idea that something is established. And things are often established because they are good and consistent.

But unfortunately, people eventually get bored of "good and consistent" and want "new and exciting." That's why, much to my dismay, emo will never be the dominant subculture in the US again