[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyoryuGreen

Well not to spark any Kuuga/Agito debates, however I watched the first episode of Agito and loved it a whole lot more than Kuuga. I didn't find Agito slow at all and I liked a lot of the characters, the mystery, the villains and the story. I'm more intrigued with it.

Yeah, the mystery was what always drew me to Agito. There's a lot of questions that the series throws at you right away and you just want to keep watching until you find the answers.

[SPLIT LIP]

Unfortunately the questions keep coming with more frequency than answers.

And the early episodes are the best, because everything's still being revealed and showcased. Stuff actually happens at a reasonable pace. It's only when the episodes just become a routine of asking questions, unknowns murdering people and Agito running off to fight them with that same old fight music does the series slow down.

EDIT: Also this has nothing to do with the plot of the show, but the new intro for episodes 36+ suuuucks Agito's theme song is one of the best KR theme songs IMO, and they replaced it with this weird nonsense. The show deffinately lost it's grandios feel with that move.

EDIT 2: Okay now the show is actually frustrating me. G3/Hikawa/I forget his name I think is acting like a complete idiot thinking Kino is the Agito who saved him. He knows there's more than one Agito, he's told people there's more than one. His theory, the theory that is true, is that the Unknowns are killing people who may become Agito. So WHY does he not consider there to be more than one Agito? It's idiot plot syndrome and it pisses me off.

[SPLIT LIP]

Ugh, I'm so close to finishing Agito. Just five eps away, I'm rolling through 45 as we speak, but this show is SO SLOW. Every scene feels drawn out and a chore to sit through. This show is 50% silence, but that silence exists soley in the gaps in dialogue. And there's things that are just not syncing up. Like how Homo said "every person shows supernatural powers before becoming Agito." Actually, no, nobody has. Yes there have been supernatural people, and the idea is they will someday become Agito, but none of the Agito we've seen have had supernatral powers, so you can't say that. You can't say something that's not actually proven. And he keeps saying Agito is more of a threat than the unknowns. Why nobody has tossed this guy into the squirrel farm is anybody's guess, because he's gone from "jerk who's at least multi sided with a sympathetic past" to "idiot" in no time. The "Overlord" is annoying. In fact I dare say most of this show is annoying. If it's not the same three pieces of music played again and again it's the high-pitched screeching of any supernatural moment, someone screaming for no fucking reason whatsoGoddamnever, eye-killing filters or dizzying visuals during flashbacks or moments where we're supposed to, I dunno what it's trying to do.

I really gave this show my best, I wante dto like it so bad, but it's just not the "masterpiece" people said it was. It's mood-swings, bizzare comedy (alright I get it, wide-angle lenses are funny ahahaha), non-characters, bad-acting (Really just a problem with Mana) annoying cinematic decisions and pretentious plot make me say it may be one of the weakest of the shows I've watched. Again, people have called it a "masterpiece" and it obviously thinks it is one. But it's not, and all it's little filters and pauses mid-sentence and pretentious storylines about God and humanity is just proof of it's lack of focus. It's throwing shit at a canvas and calling it art.

I think the reason people call this the best Rider series is simply because it's subject matter is more mature. I.e. it's not toy-selly or focuses on clearcut villains and heroes, and I'm sure some would call it a study on religion. It is far from, in fact I'd even go so far as to say it's not even that mature. Just because it shows more death and has more sitting and talking and a God-allegory doesn't make it mature. It makes it a very boring and snobbish show.

[guncannon109]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

Ugh, I'm so close to finishing Agito. Just five eps away, I'm rolling through 45 as we speak, but this show is SO SLOW. Every scene feels drawn out and a chore to sit through. This show is 50% silence, but that silence exists soley in the gaps in dialogue. And there's things that are just not syncing up. Like how Homo said "every person shows supernatural powers before becoming Agito." Actually, no, nobody has. Yes there have been supernatural people, and the idea is they will someday become Agito, but none of the Agito we've seen have had supernatral powers, so you can't say that. You can't say something that's not actually proven. And he keeps saying Agito is more of a threat than the unknowns. Why nobody has tossed this guy into the squirrel farm is anybody's guess, because he's gone from "jerk who's at least multi sided with a sympathetic past" to "idiot" in no time. The "Overlord" is annoying. In fact I dare say most of this show is annoying. If it's not the same three pieces of music played again and again it's the high-pitched screeching of any supernatural moment, someone screaming for no fucking reason whatsoGoddamnever, eye-killing filters or dizzying visuals during flashbacks or moments where we're supposed to, I dunno what it's trying to do.

I really gave this show my best, I wante dto like it so bad, but it's just not the "masterpiece" people said it was. It's mood-swings, bizzare comedy (alright I get it, wide-angle lenses are funny ahahaha), non-characters, bad-acting (Really just a problem with Mana) annoying cinematic decisions and pretentious plot make me say it may be one of the weakest of the shows I've watched. Again, people have called it a "masterpiece" and it obviously thinks it is one. But it's not, and all it's little filters and pauses mid-sentence and pretentious storylines about God and humanity is just proof of it's lack of focus. It's throwing shit at a canvas and calling it art.

I think the reason people call this the best Rider series is simply because it's subject matter is more mature. I.e. it's not toy-selly or focuses on clearcut villains and heroes, and I'm sure some would call it a study on religion. It is far from, in fact I'd even go so far as to say it's not even that mature. Just because it shows more death and has more sitting and talking and a God-allegory doesn't make it mature. It makes it a very boring and snobbish show.

At least Agito has cool designs?

[SPLIT LIP]

Eh, I like Agito Ground, Gills and G3-X. Another Agito is kind of cool as well, but Agito's other forms are either less-appealing spins of Ground or in the case of Burning and Shining, kind of muddled and inconhesive. Also Exceed Gills may be one of the dumbest looking riders ever. Hey, let's put flapping rubber shit all over the most active character and pretend they're spikes as they wave around with every little motion! I guess because this is older they hadn't mastered the method of moving in a way thet doesn't out your costume as being a unitard covered in rubber and foam.

[guncannon109]

Eh, fair is fair. and yeah Exceed Gills (while on paper looks cool) does look ridiculous in motion.

[Matrixbeast]

Sounds like Agito suffers from the exact same problem Evangelion did.
"Let's go from a monster of the week series to a constant existential discussion as we throw religious symbolism all over the place in a case of one writer/director getting way too much freedom to do what he wants while he believes he's being 'deep' and 'complex'."

[Dr Kain]

Finished Black. I still want to know why the Japanese have this obsession with making their enemy rulers some giant immobile object. Anyway, a great ending to a great series, but there are definitely things I do think the series really could have fixed. Kotaro, as bad ass as he is, is just a one dimensional character in the long run. He does not grow at all throughout the show as once he accepts who he is in like episode 3, he is the exact same person in episode 51. The Gorgom priests are pretty much useless until Shadow Moon comes into play. They could have used a back story or something to develop them so they had a purpose. At least they weren't as pointless as the likes of Kara, Mara, and Road Sector though. The series did not need either of them in it and nothing would have changed, especially Kara and Mara. I also would have had Shadow Moon appear much sooner in the series, and had him spend time as Nobuhiko for more than just a few seconds towards the very end of the show. Also, the constant clips need to go. While I know the show did come out long before, it has what I call these days as Gundam SEED Destiny syndrome, where they feel the need to show us the same flashback clips 30 times every other episode.

Despite those issues, the show is a fun ride with some really great fights, amazing Kaijin designs, and good characters. As I said, nitpicks aside, Kotaro is pretty badass when it comes down to being a rider, I just wished he had as much development as future riders such as Wataru, Shinichi, and Kenzaki. The music is well done, usually fits the mood, and the story, as drawn out as it is, is enjoyable.

Black is one of my favorite series, albeit not my absolute favorite for the reasons mentioned above, and it is definitely one that is not for everyone. Overall, I give it a 4/5.

Split, while I disagree on some of your things towards Agito, I definitely agree it is not a masterpiece. The "final battle" is what slightly ruins the show for me.

[SPLIT LIP]

Again let me reiterate before anyone takes it the wrong way, but while I think Agito is a weak series, I'm not trying to say you shouldn't like it or have no reason to. I, personally, find it underwhelming and kind of hard to watch. I'm 45 episodes in and can't think of a single, memorable moment or character.

[Sentai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

Sounds like Agito suffers from the exact same problem Evangelion did.
"Let's go from a monster of the week series to a constant existential discussion as we throw religious symbolism all over the place in a case of one writer/director getting way too much freedom to do what he wants while he believes he's being 'deep' and 'complex'."

You... you aren't nice.

*loves Evangelion*