[MarsHottentot]

Well, I liked episode 2 a LOT.


I'm thinking there must be more money going into this one, or they're using a DFX house that cut them a deal because, as witnessed with Brave, the CGI isn't just arbitrary, it's integral to their powers. As in, they're not just going to be able to dump them later. This may be why the Bugster LV1 forms are so rudimentary - they're cheaper to render, perhaps?

Anyway, despite being built on a Gaim foundation (pretty hard to deny at this point), I'm looking forward to the craziness ahead; this episode hints that things are going to go pretty bat-shit once there's four / five Riders going at once.

In Conclusion: Bring on Dr. Taiga "Don't Call Me Black Jack" Hanaya! BANG-BA-BANG! BANG-BA-BANG! BANG-BANG SHOOTINGU!
As you know, I love Toku-Gunz.

[Castellan Zilla]

Enjoyed ep.2 more than ep.1, and I really liked the first episode. Hopefully Ex-Aid keeps this up. They are blending the gaming and medical theme together very well and I love it.

I now see both Gaim and Drive vibes intermixed into this, and since I loved both those series I have high hopes for Ex-Aid.

[Byg42]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarsHottentot

I'm thinking there must be more money going into this one, or they're using a DFX house that cut them a deal because, as witnessed with Brave, the CGI isn't just arbitrary, it's integral to their powers. As in, they're not just going to be able to dump them later. This may be why the Bugster LV1 forms are so rudimentary - they're cheaper to render, perhaps?

I very much doubt this. They'll probably find some excuse later on.

[Dormamu]

This episode was just plain fun. I'm trying to find reasons not to like it and I don't know why. Maybe because I liked Gaim so much, or that I'm afraid it would unseat it as my favorite. Or that the suits aren't what I am used to. But I can't find anything wrong with how they integrate into the concept. Considering how L1 rolls, I don't see how they can cut the CG other than carefully planned shots. It could be why they're rolling out the characters so fast. But I can't find anything to dislike. I'm totally excited for this season!

[Leo Novum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnstenchfartface

Lazer, on the other hand, doesn't resemble that many of the Rider archetypes we see in these multi Rider shows. He looks friendly and fully willing to cooperate with our main Rider. So...Mitchy if he wasn't such a bitch, I guess.

Lazer is clearly based off of Date Akira.

And man, the second is so much better than the first one.

[DecadeW Climax]

Gaim vibe was strong in this one. I think I'm opening up to the OP. The video that goes with it however, LOVE IT! The walking against a gray back ground, so Ryuki/Faiz-like. The frowning is a stark contrast from all the happy smiling from Ghost's OP and sets a early-Heisei vibe, which I love to bits. The mysterious message they're trying to give off is apparent in the scenes and lyrics, very reminiscent to Gaim and Just Live More.

I think I could talk about the OP video forever but let's move on to the episode. I like it a lot more than the last one. It ditches the silliness for story and Emu and Brave work off of each other well (and similarities to Kouta and Kaito grow strong...) and I'm excited to see how Brave grows (hopefully better than Kaito as Fish Sandwich probably agrees). I wish they could've tried a little bit better at concealing Genm's identity, but he's still really cool in the way he fights. His color scheme and design reminds me a lot of Proto-Drive, so I'm wondering if they have a similar back story or as interesting character.

Coming up next... BANG BANG SHOOTING!

[Switchblade]

Really, really liked this episode, way more than I expected to. The cast is all coming across as really engaging so far and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I don't mind any of the humor, which feels much more subtle than the last few seasons (I especially liked the pie joke at the end). It really feels like the show has a clear story that it's telling and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

And Brave? I've seen some comparisons between him and Knight, but I think that's off-base. He may have a similar aesthetic as a Rider, but personality-wise this guy is totally Kitaoka 2.0.

[Kiwami]

Watching this episode did something for me I did not expect, it really made me like Emu even more. Like, I already liked him before, but now I think he’s a great protagonist.

And I did not expect this because going into the episode I was like “Yay, Brave! I’ll love this dude, he uses a Dragon Quest-esque Gashat after all” but I quickly realized I don’t care for Hiiro all that much. I mean this early on it’s exactly the kind of reaction his character is supposed to cause; I’m sure he’ll grow a bit softer over time and learn a few things from Emu. And of course we’ll get the tragic backstory which made young Hiiro snap and decide to seal his emotions for patients forever. But for now? He’s just a rival for Emu and it makes me like Emu even more.

Brave as a Rider is kinda lame too. I mean yeah, his LV. 2 sequence is pretty great with the door, but that’s about it. I don’t like the animations of the sword, I hate that it turns to switch elements like the toy does even though there’s no need to do that in the show, and to be honest his swordplay was lame. Ex-Aid did way more cool stuff with his sword in episode 1, the fight choreography was just better. Another thing I like more about Ex-Aid is that his fighting style is so much fun to watch. Like how he sneaks up on the Mage Bugstar and swings his hammer like a golf club.

The more I think about it, this makes sense. Emu is a gamer, fighting as a Rider is fun for him so he’s more creative. For Hiiro it’s a job, so he gets things done quickly without any nonsense. It’s kinda stupid that I only realize this now but I like it.

Anyways, I like Asuna / Poppipippawhatever, I enjoy how she switches between her serious and playful character. I don’t like that she’s a computer program, I would’ve enjoyed her being human with a special ability better, but again: We don’t know anything about her, she could very well be some kind of digital backup of an actual human and we might meet the real Asuna later.

As far as the rest goes, I really like it. I hope they can keep the videogame effects up because so far they tie the battles together very nicely, I like the chest spawns form the Taddle Quest level, and I hope they don’t forget about stuff like this later. Also, I like the LV. 1 suits a lot even though I did not think I would. I think they look good in a battle on their own; the suits look to be well built since the actors can still be very expressive through them, and they do go well with the theme. Yes they look stupid, but I already forgot about that. I think they work in the show.

I could write a bit more but we’re so early in the run I feel like I shouldn’t overcomplicate things. So far it’s a fun Rider show and that’s exactly what I needed after Ghost.

What I also needed after Ghost was a kickass opening, and Ex-Aid delivered in that department as well, I love it.

[Annuga]

Did anybody else notice the magic circles are LITERALLY Wizard's magic circles?

[ElConvoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

And I did not expect this because going into the episode I was like “Yay, Brave! I’ll love this dude, he uses a Dragon Quest-esque Gashat after all” but I quickly realized I don’t care for Hiiro all that much. I mean this early on it’s exactly the kind of reaction his character is supposed to cause; I’m sure he’ll grow a bit softer over time and learn a few things from Emu. And of course we’ll get the tragic backstory which made young Hiiro snap and decide to seal his emotions for patients forever. But for now? He’s just a rival for Emu and it makes me like Emu even more.

I hope they wont get too far into a tragic backstory direction with Hiiros way of seeing his work. What I really like about him is that his way of seeing things is extremely realistic for a surgeon and something a lot of them tend to deal with. So I hope this gets explored more in a less melodramatic way.