[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aoi Kurenai

I'm not sure hate is the right word. I do feel this insane amount of lethargy when I think of the series though. To me, Wizard is the epitome of wasted potential.

That's a good way to describe it, yeah.

[Locke]

I know I'm like the only person to feel this way, but for me, Wizard deciding to have a plot was the death of it. Very much like with Fourze. It isn't so much that the plot is bad, or the wrap up either, but the sheer volume of stuff it crams into those last or ten episodes with extremely little build up before hand just makes it utterly fail. Characterisation ends up muddled and no one appears to be doing what their characters would normally do, major aspects of the series are handwaved, and answered with single lines of dialogue etc etc etc

The early episodes that don't pan too far out, avoid all the Aizen references, that tell the story of a Wizard pro actively patrolling and guarding his city, like a modern aged superhero, that is where Wizard worked for me.

[MrHerofan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aoi Kurenai

That list doesn't really work, these are the things that happen in episodes that are skipped:

Mayuu's intro, Sora's past, finding out Koyomi is Fueki's daughter, Fueki's introduction, Yuzuru's introduction, Mayuu becoming Mage

The problem with Wizard is that...while there isn't a lot that matters, what does is spread so thinly across episodes that sometimes you would only need to watch the final few minutes. If episodes must be skipped, these are the plot relevant ones:

26~27
30~31
34~35
38~41
43 - This is technically part 2 of a story, but only the final minutes matter.
44~51

I saw this list some time ago and I mostly agree with its count, cutting down almost all filler and episodes that don't further the overall plot or drive much character development -

Kamen Rider Wizard

1. The Ringed Wizard
2. I Want to be a Wizard
3. Transform! Live Broadcast
4. The Doll and the Pianist
5. The Deciding Match of the Contest
6. A New Magic Stone - 8
7. The Dragon's Cry - 9
8. National Security Bureau Section 0 - 10
9. The Promise to Defend - 11
10. Another Wizard - 17
11. Magical Power Eating - 18
12. Today's Life, Tomorrow's Life - 19
13. The Crazed Dance of the Dragons - 21
14. The Phoenix's Rampage - 22
15. Deathmatch - 23
16. Campus Infiltration - 26
17. Big and Little Sisters - 27
18. The Day Magic Disappeared - 30
19. Tears - 31
20. The Other Side of a Popular Model - 34
21. The Other Side of Sora - 35
22. Stolen Hope - 38
23. What Was Forgotten On the Pitch - 39
24. I Want to Ride a Bike - 40
25. The Wizard Fate - 41
26. The Son's Keepsake - 44
27. The Smile in My Heart - 45
28. Cracked Feelings - 46
29. The Truth About Wiseman - 47
30. The Philosopher's Stone - 48
31. The Beginning of the Sabbath - 49
32. What Is Important? - 50
33. The Final Hope - 51

Hmm so just skip about 20 episodes? That's alright I mean Wizard ain't bad, but if it's going to have all this filler than why watch that? I could watch Mebuis or continue further into Hibiki.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrHerofan

Hmm so just skip about 20 episodes? That's alright I mean Wizard ain't bad, but if it's going to have all this filler than why watch that? I could watch Mebuis or continue further into Hibiki.

You can never go wrong with more Hibiki in your life.

[XW1n5t0nX]

Faiz Episode 20
Oh my God can whoever is holding the damn camera stand the fuck still!? You're giving me a bloody headache! And when did Takumi get a new hairdo? Actually I kinda like it more then his old foppish like one.

Apparently Keitaro is a shitty businessman with the way Takumi and Mari were talking.

Not going to lie, that was a pretty cool transition. Good job show, good job!

Is it just me, or does Takuma sorta look like Hideo Kojima?

Poor Naoya

That was a very nice moment with Yuka and Mari. Very genuine with the way they were talking and acted. I could quite honestly see a conversation going on like that in real life. Plus it came off as being the type of scene you see in your regular dramas, and that was nice to see as well. Very nice scene and probably one of my favorites in the show.

And it is followed up by another nice scene with Keitaro and Naoya. Like the Yuka/Mari one, it came off as genuine and something you would both hear in real life, and in a regular old drama. It's actually pretty nice that the writers had the scenes follow each other. Both are similar in the subject of their respected conversations, the only things different is the genders of the people talking, and how they vocalize the conversation. Very nice contrast which shows off perfectly how men and women can talk about that sort of stuff. So once again the show gets a great deal of credit from me for this aspect. Two of my favorite scenes back to back in one episode. Now if only the four went out a double date, and then throw Kusaka into it for extra lulz.

She kills people with toxic wine? That's...weird. But considering I do not like alcohol and consider it one of the worst things to put in your body, I actually do get quite a kick off of seeing somebody killed by it's touch. So it's weird but kinda cool so for it's odd hilarity.



Oh my God this is going to be fucking priceless. And boy was it priceless. This show is plain comedic gold and I love it for that. Can we just edit out all of the tokusatsu parts and repackage this as a comedic drama?

Holy shit. Yuka has the power to make people sick? Hot damn this episode is filled with wacky powers. First toxic wine and now intense stares that cause illness. What's next? Somebody blinks and causes somebody to spontaneously combust?

That line by Takuma was bad ass. Lady...what's her face (forgot her name) line was just plain creepy. Both were cool but I like Takuma's better. Also, the bartender's Orphenoch design is very nice looking. Actually no, it isn't cool. It's epic.

Well I would say you're fucked Takumi.

Well that was episode 20 and I must say (if it wasn't plainly obvious) that I loved it. I may be weird for saying that, but I thought it was a great episode.

The episode's story didn't really add much to the overall story outside of introducing the bartender's Orphenoch form, as well as introducing a new Orphenoch as a whole. Outside of that, it didn't add much. However as it's own story it was very nice and beyond entertaining. The lack of action and overall tokusatsuness made it come off as a drama episode. If you took away the Orphenoch scenes, you'd think it was as I've said multiple times now, a regular old drama.

Character development wise, I'd say there wasn't any to be honest. I guess there was some with Mari, Keitaro, Yuka, and Naoya, but it was more or less a development of their relationships with each other, and not their individual selves. So I guess you could stretch the definition of CD and say that the episode did have some, but that will probably vary on who you're asking.

Action wise, there wasn't really much. Out of the two fight scenes present in the episode, they were alright. They did a good job of showing how strong Takuma and bartender are when compared to Takumi and Yuji. So in that aspect, they were great. But outside of that, they just weren't all that great. Their main purpose it seems was that of a squash match, get the villains over as big powerhouses and nothing more. I think it did well in that aspect, but they were too short and I would have loved a bit of back and forth.

Overall, slightly good and bad action and not really character development aside, I loved the episode. The episode's story and character interactions made it for me and is entertaining alone for the scenes with Yuka, Mari, Keitaor, and Naoya. So yeah, I liked it.

[MrHerofan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

You can never go wrong with more Hibiki in your life.

Really? And is the trumpet rider awesome? If not the plot better be good.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrHerofan

Really? And is the trumpet rider awesome? If not the plot better be good.

I have issues with the show after the production change, but I will always stand up for the first 29 episodes as some of the best tokusatsu ever made. The story is good and the characters are great. Ibuki, the trumpet guy, is admittedly not my favorite of the Oni, but he is by no means not awesome.

[MrHerofan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

I have issues with the show after the production change, but I will always stand up for the first 29 episodes as some of the best tokusatsu ever made. The story is good and the characters are great. Ibuki, the trumpet guy, is admittedly not my favorite of the Oni, but he is by no means not awesome.

Okay, since I play trumpet, it's good to know Hibiki is good.

[XW1n5t0nX]

Faiz Episode 21
Karoaking the Faiz theme is fun.

This beeping sound is annoying the hell out of me. Has since the last episode. What's the point of it exactly? I think the tone of the music, as well as seeing them sick is enough. We don't need a goddamn beep to drive it home!

Uh oh. I'd say you guys are probably about to die. Like now.

Telling Takumi to be courteous is like telling a Black Mamba to not be venomous. And really guy? He dropped the pizza, it didn't leave the box, it didn't get damaged or dirty, and yet you're going to remake it? Is this guy anal or what?

Huh, I guess there are more rooms in the apartment. How come I never noticed those doors before? Okay I noticed them but just thought they were closets or something. Never thought they were actual rooms.

Oh, the pizza guy is an Orphenoch? I smell a scene cooking!

Holy crap Takumi was nice..ish.

And Takumi just charged in like a total bad ass. If he had done it with a gun or with his bike, he would've been going full on Carter Grayson on those suckas.

It's my man Kusaka!

Holy shit the dude has a mace! That is just plain fucking awesome!

Takumi is going to use the pizza as a weapon!

Is it just me, or does the pizza guy's Orphenoch face look like Kintaros'?

Man these guys can't catch a freaking break. Three Orphenochs, all wanting to kill them. I know Yuji probably doesn't want to reveal to Takumi he's an Orphenoch, but I think this is a special occasion.

"'Sup bitch?"

So the Accel henshin device is the Go-Busters changer? Cool. Well going off of that scene, I guess it's sort of like Accel's Trial mode. Except it's a bit more bulkier and actually has a time limit for it's use. And I'm shocked Takumi took out the one wielding the mace. I thought he would have stuck around a a bit longer. But nope, killed in his second episode.

Needless to say, they have a complicated relationship.

Episode 21 has gone by and I must say, it was pretty good. Like the episode that came before it, it didn't feature much in terms of overall story. But as I've come to learn and show through this episodic reviews, it doesn't have to have that big of a story, and if it has one, it doesn't always have to contribute to the overall plot.

Character development wise this one was pretty darn good. Like 20, it mostly focused on the development between two characters, but in how they interact. And that's the highlight of the episode IMO. The beginning of it shows just how different Takumi and Yuji are, but when they begin to have scenes together, you see that they share some stuff in common outside of transforming into super powered beings. Their relationship in this episode was quite lovely, their interactions top notch as far as my opinion goes. It showed off both their differences and similarities, and their conversations fit perfectly to the situation they were in. Once again, this episode nailed it with character interactions.

Unfortunately like episode 20, 21 didn't feature much action. However with the way the action was mostly portrayed, it comes off as being good. The cat and mouse aspect of the Orphenochs versus Takumi and Yuji was very entertaining, and even thrilling. The action isn't that great however once the two transform, their fights then turning out to be pretty short. Yuji gets raped quickly, and Faiz gets his ass kicked until he gets the Accel device. So those action scenes were bad. However the un-henshined stuff was fantastic.

Overall, the episode had amazing character interactions, great action with the two episode's protagonists in their civilian forms, with the iffy bits being the transformed fights and the lack of a full on story. But those cons aside, it was another nice episode.

[KyoryuGreen]

Super 1 Episode 10: Dogma's plan is attack dreams this time, and man this just reminded me of the Badan syndrome that happened in the Spirits Manga making people wanting to commit suicide by messing with their heads. The dream power even affected Kazuya. I enjoy how Kazuya trained to get past the affects of this dream ball plot. I love how Super-1 has lots of special attacks with his Double Kick and Whirlwind Rider Kick. His different hand powers are so awesome too. I love this series so far.