[Tokumonkey]

I just watched the final episode of Kamen Rider Ryuki for the first time.

What the HELL?! (Obviously, SPOILERS follow.)

Okay, I appreciated that this Rider series killed the titular Rider in the next-to-last episode, and that's actually the end of him (as a Rider.) I appreciated that the creators were trying to put some art into the series finale.

But the whole world getting kinda-sorta-reset-but-not? Spectacularly unsatisfying. I might've bought it if they hadn't shown Megumi working at the Ore Journal. She only joined the staff late in the war. The episode posits that we've returned to a time when the Riders are all alive, and in which Shinji and Ren have never met. Megumi being on the Journal staff craps all over that notion.

Asakura got blown up several episodes before the finale... and then was totally fine two episodes later (with no explanation... oh, look, there's a smudge on his cheek) so he could commit suicide-by-police.

Is it Ren who wished everything back to the way it was? Or are we just supposed to assume that some combination of Shirou and his sorta-dead sister are incredibly powerful, insane psychics who can do this sort of thing on a whim? And who the hell is going to wish Asakura back to life?

UGH. I want to love Ryuki as a series, but it kept failing to commit itself to its initially-brave choices. It was full of elements that I liked, which make the elements I didn't that much more frustrating. I don't even know what to blame. I'm guessing that the creators wrestling with the network over content might have been a factor.

I think I'd've liked the series as a whole better if it hadn't used the Cosmic Reset Button at the end. As it is, it appears none of the growth Ren, Shinji, and Kitaoka experienced ever happened, but oh, wait! Yui is also dead, and nobody cares.

*facepalm*

[Kiwami]

It's basically Shiro & Yui who purge Mirror World from existence by going back in time to help their younger self’s overcome the depression. Which results in the disappearance of Mirror World form the time line, so yes: Nothing Rider-related ever happened.

Ren basically just fulfilled his wish to be reunited with Eri.

And the Megumi thing.. well I just take it that some things are destined to happen. Like Megumi will still be fired by Kitaoka and end up at Ore Journal.

I wouldn’t say all the development for the characters vanished... they just learned it another way.

It wasn’t my ending of choice either. I thought the best way to handle this was that Ryuki won the war and his wish would've been to go back in time so he can rescue Shiro & Yui before their parents go completely crazy. He could also make subtle changes to the time line, like bring Kitaoka to a doctor so his sickness can be cured before it gets serious.

But that's just me, I can live with the ending as is.

There's an alternative ending also, maybe you should check that out.

[Starscreamer]

well...I wouldn't call the alternative an "ending" per say...

Ryuki had some amazing concepts and seemed to follow through with about 85% of it...some things just never went through (the third Survive card for example). I think it could have been stretched to two seasons with all the potential...

[narshkajke]

the ending is satisfying for me. Ordin do have the power to do some sort of cosmic reset. the multiple ending of Ryuki by 13 riders special did shows that. By using that logic, probably Kanzaki did reset the world for so many times because in the end Yui is never got saved.

And in Ryuki series ending, it shows how Shiro Kanzaki finally accept the inevitability of his sister death and reset it once more to fix things up.

[MaskedRiderAsakura]

I like the idea of Shiro Kanzaki constantly resetting time to get his ideal result and save Yui, hence the alternate timelines as depicted in 13 Riders and the movie, and then always being thwarted by Ryuki in each timeline.

[WhiteRanger]

i might be the only out of use saw knight more the main rider then the title ide for this show

[barnstenchfartface]

I think the ending was appropriate and satisfying enough. Ryuki is without a doubt one of the most tragic Rider series there are, with one of the highest body counts in the series. In the end I think it was pretty much showing just how terrible everything was as a result of the Rider War (ie, every single Rider died, not to mention all those countless civilians). It was very much a "the only winning move is not to play" kind of thing. Neither of the alternate tellings we see in the special or the movie are any better.

(i think i mainly came to understand this more after Homestuck did the lets-kill-everyone-and-then-retcon-it-because-damn thing too. though i have more negative feelings of how that was done. i think ryuki did it well)

So when the cosmic reset button is employed, it does feel a little like a cop-out, as far as making the series "irrelevant" (not necessarily in terms of mechanics because it was established that Odin can do the time travel thing pretty early on) but I think making it irrelevant was sort of the point. However much growth a few individuals experienced was not worth all the loss of life. (which even affected all who experienced growth because they died anyway) For Yui, who never wanted people to be sacrificed for her sake, and Shinji, who always wanted to stop the fighting, this was the ending they deserved. Shirou finally acknowledging Yui's wish makes for a pretty good ending, imo.

The only thing that bugged me about the ending personally is that I felt it ran too long. The final sequence in the reset world would have been more poignant if they shorted it up a lot and cut some of the antics. But that's just me.

[SPLIT LIP]

That fade to black halfway through the last episode should've been where it all ended. I still maintain to all new veiwers of the show, just turn it off after that fade. That ending was perfect. Every single character's story was wrapped up flawlessly. Kitaoka got his date and succumbed to his illness, Gorou served him one last time, Asakura was finally taken down by the cops, (and I HATED Asakura. He felt like a bad fanfiction villain on God mode) Kiddo died saving people like he'd always wanted to, and Ren finally achieved the power he'd fought the entire series for. All staged and shot brilliantly. It was excellent and made all the bullshit worth it...

I have no idea why they had to ruin it so. It didn't even make any sense. They all came back after the time reset... but was Asakura not still a criminal? Kitaoka wasn't still sick? And like you said, so many character places were incompatible with a simple reset. It gave a happy, everyone lives ending when it had no business being in the show.

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnstenchfartface

I think the ending was appropriate and satisfying enough. Ryuki is without a doubt one of the most tragic Rider series there are, with one of the highest body counts in the series. In the end I think it was pretty much showing just how terrible everything was as a result of the Rider War (ie, every single Rider died, not to mention all those countless civilians). It was very much a "the only winning move is not to play" kind of thing. Neither of the alternate tellings we see in the special or the movie are any better.

(i think i mainly came to understand this more after Homestuck did the lets-kill-everyone-and-then-retcon-it-because-damn thing too. though i have more negative feelings of how that was done. i think ryuki did it well)

So when the cosmic reset button is employed, it does feel a little like a cop-out, as far as making the series "irrelevant" (not necessarily in terms of mechanics because it was established that Odin can do the time travel thing pretty early on) but I think making it irrelevant was sort of the point. However much growth a few individuals experienced was not worth all the loss of life. (which even affected all who experienced growth because they died anyway) For Yui, who never wanted people to be sacrificed for her sake, and Shinji, who always wanted to stop the fighting, this was the ending they deserved. Shirou finally acknowledging Yui's wish makes for a pretty good ending, imo.

That all sound remarkably apologetic. You've could've made all those points without hitting reset. The show did make all those points without resetting, only to obliterate any point whatsoever.

[MaskedRiderAsakura]

The thing that doesn't make sense to me is how Ryuki keeps appearing in crossovers even though Ryuki technically doesn't exist anymore, at least not with Shinji as him.


I get that Rider hasn't paid much attention to continuity from the Ryuki-Kabuto era but it still bugs me >_>

[barnstenchfartface]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

That all sound remarkably apologetic. You've could've made all those points without hitting reset. The show did make all those points without resetting, only to obliterate any point whatsoever.

Well sure, my view may seem apologetic, but then yours looks to me slightly vitriolic. Something something opinions.

I can't think of any alternate, satisfying conclusions, is the thing. An ending in which everyone is dead and nobody gained anything is not what I would consider to be satisfying...or at least not in the context of this series. From my perspective the point Ryuki was trying to make towards the end there was that there was no point, to any of the conflict. It had great character arcs and plotting, but all those arcs and plots led to everyone being dead. So what was the point? And if the point is just "there is no point, here's a mountain of bodies, good night" it's not really a very good Rider show.

To be fair, I really don't like the ending itself. The actual sequence of Shinji running into all the characters and all that was pretty much completely unnecessary. But the actual reset itself I have no real problems with. It's a logical extension of the time fuckery that had already taken place in the show, and it follows from Yui's pleading with Shirou to stop the war. (which was, well, pretty much all Yui's character arc was. without the reset the Kanzakis have no reason to be in the show as characters)

And yeah, @MaskedRiderAsakura. That bothers me too. A universe in which Kamen Rider Ryuki exists makes no sense in any way.