[BagJo]

My process is like this

Step 1: Read this thread, and see viewpoints I wholeheartedly agree with, as well as some I don't agree with but think are well thought out.

Step 2: I write out responses to things people have said and throw in a few of my own thoughts, directly into the Quick Reply box.

Step 3A: I decide not to post about halfway into what I'm writing.

Step 3B: I considerably condense my thoughts into a few sentences because of limited time.

Step 3C: I actually write what I intend.

I almost 3A'd this post a few times.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Alright, I’ve got a few minutes, it might be fun to actually talk about this for real.

(I was going to watch a movie, but I decided to do some work stuff instead. There’s about fifteen minutes between tasks, so I can probably knock this out.)

My day job is selling comics, same as it’s been since I was twelve. There’s a lot of busywork to it, but the main thing is reading comics, understanding what they’re about, recognizing what’s good and bad about them, and then being able to describe that to people in ways that’d help them decide if they’ll enjoy it. Like, that’s what all of the busywork supports, that part of the job. So, in a way, all of that work has reshaped my brain to be able to watch Kamen Rider and then enjoy talking about it.

Beyond that, a lot of my “process” is just talking about the ways the episode(s) worked for me. I’m not really into doing a big recap, or trying to write down everything that happened in the episode. I don’t want to do a Wiki post, you know? (I'd do a shit job of it, is the biggest problem.) I mostly want to talk about how I felt watching these episodes, what I think they’re doing right and wrong, and hope that’s of enough interest to other fans that they’ll feel like sharing their feelings about the show.

The actual writing, and I don’t want to minimize the difficulties other people face, it’s not something I really slave over. I like it to feel conversational, so everything’s pretty much a first draft. I might tweak a sentence here or there, but most of this is just what I type, and that’s it. I need to get this, whatever “this” is, out of my head. This isn’t performance, it’s self-care, it’s therapy. Without an outlet to process this, to talk it over with other fans, it spills over into boring my friends and losing sleep. The flipside of training my brain to process narrative and form opinions is that I can’t exactly shut it off. There’s no one in my life who’d give a shit about my thoughts on Kamen Rider, so god bless you people for giving me a space to talk about it.

Even this part, the talking it over with fans, that's still what I've been trained to do in my job. It's not just answering questions or pitching stuff, it's having a dialogue, trying to get what someone's looking for, what they enjoy. If you don't care what people like, and why they like it, you'll do a terrible job of helping them find something they'll want to buy. This whole thing, it's like orienting all of my job training toward fun, toward escapism.

I really enjoy doing these posts, and getting to talk about this franchise with you all. It's a real treat. Thanks!

[Androzani84]

I think it’s worth mentioning that the SSSS’s knockoff rider isn’t officially considered a Rider by Toei or Bandai.

[FreshToku]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

I think it’s worth mentioning that the SSSS’s knockoff rider isn’t officially considered a Rider by Toei or Bandai.

If he looks like a rider, walks like a rider, and quacks like a rider, then he's a Kamen Rider.

Though I'm being biased because I'm willing to believe guys like Chaser and Night Rogue aren't a rider because of the context of how they opposed the actual riders in their respective shows. But here, the Science Team's bug man doesn't give me that vibe at all. He's joining the fight like anyone else with his own purposes and using a facsimile of their powers. By that logic, G3 shouldn't have been considered a Rider.

While it's on my mind, I don't remember if they ever say what Beetleborg's rider name is actually is but I'll hold off in case they actually do. I only say this because I just think it's a super cool name.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

I think it’s worth mentioning that the SSSS’s knockoff rider isn’t officially considered a Rider by Toei or Bandai.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreshToku

If he looks like a rider, walks like a rider, and quacks like a rider, then he's a Kamen Rider.

Yeah, the Rider designation... super-weird to have it not apply to that one dude in a show where heroes, villains, and even lawyers could be considered Kamen Riders. I don't know that dude's deal yet, so maybe there's a good reason for him to be excluded. I don't know.

I feel like the criteria (as sort-of established in Build) for being a Rider is that you have to have a Driver that's identical/incredibly similar to the main hero's Driver. Like, Chaser wouldn't be a Rider, but once he uses a Signal Bike, he's a Kamen Rider. Same thing with Evol(t) on Build. If he uses a Transteam Gun, not a Rider. The Rider System and Bottles? Kamen Rider Evol. It's a weird criteria, but I think it's at least a way to classify different superpowered characters. If Kamen Rider Beetleborg doesn't have a Card Deck, then, no, I guess he wouldn't be a Kamen Rider. Time will tell!

[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It makes for, honestly, not a fun time for me watching this show. There’s this, like, morass everyone’s stuck in. Characters like Reiko and the Second Secret Science Society are making moves, putting together plans, and generally trying to solve their problems. (Kitaoka and Reiko! Please let me watch that show instead of this one!) With our heroes, there’s a lot of questioning, of letting people down, of not knowing how best to help, of being sort-of helpless.

It’s an interesting idea to play with, but a frustrating one for me to watch. I get the need for these characters to feel overwhelmed, for the stakes to feel insurmountable and the choices to feel invisible. If there’s going to be a triumph, there needs to be a time of being behind the eight-ball, of feeling adrift. It’s just, to have all three of the leads going through it simultaneously, it doesn’t feel so much like thematic importance, it feels like miserablism.

Well yeah, the heroes are truly helpless this time (I wonder if you hold off complaints until now) and that you may tolerate Reiko and Kagawa's group more because their moves are new and just established, while the heroes are already established previously. But don't expect those 2 to have a change/triumph either, especially Reiko's that she goes to Kitaoka and he now joins in another one who keeps things secret to others... just like Shinji here below. Other than Kitaoka seeing this as an opportunity for a date as many places have glasses/mirrors as Okubo pointed out. I feel like, even if it's not as significant as the heroes, everyone is actually helpless here, even those that only want to kill, eventually.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Shinji’s got his typical There’s No Such Thing As A Bad Suggestion attitude at play, going back to the Second Secret Science Society for a hint, a clue, something to help him stop the Rider Battles.

Shinji wants to join Kagawa's group in Room 401, they are seemingly another one who also wants to stop the Rider War. He's doing one of your suggested plan frrom ep. 35... "destroy the Mirror World". Nakamura, as I said in the past, is being as rude and violent as Ren himself. Probably he's a bit softer to women where he only verbally abuses, but to men he just bodily deals with them like Ren. I wonder if the other 2 Tiger Deck replicas are actually functional. And, yeah, previously you thought that in ep. 26, Shinji's turning point being putting Riders in secondary prority because the risk that they won't save innocents, and decide how to do the greater good. It's already refuted in ep. 28, and it comes full force in this episode, where there are other group who has that greater good mindset. The confused part is Shinji's main hesitation throughout the Rider War trying to keep everyone alive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Things like Yui being attacked by Kamen Rider Beetleborg, a thing that definitely happens and also definitely is not explained. Also, it doesn’t do more than generate another Shiro Sure Pissed Some People Off dialogue.

The "next scene" you talk about is the flower scene? Also there's Shiro Sure Pissed Some People Off dialogue, and Nakamura is a part of Kagawa's group in Room 401, coincidence much?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

It’s Ren’s story that disappointed me the most, though. After a huge change like Eri being awake for the first time in a year, all of the Ren stuff is just Boring Asshole Ren (not even Fun Asshole Ren!) and his eternally jeopardized girlfriend.

Ren's story is actually trying to keep his Rider fighting secret to Eri, especially that he made a Contract with the monster that put her in coma at the first place (not a good choice to tell to your gf!), and also the fact about him you said in ep. 35 here.

Quote:

And, cherry on top, it was probably all for nothing, as a tear-streaked Eri opens her eyes in the hospital. Ren became a killer to save Eri, who didn’t need saving after all. All his efforts did was make him a man she’s ashamed of. So pyrrhic. So perfect.

Ren tries to make sure Eri knows nothing of that, and leave Eri to his friends (he wants them to look over Eri who he wants to stay away from Rider stuff, which leads to also leaving his friends together with her). But Eri knows that Ren is keeping something secret for her, so she gets out from the hospital to get to know. The bizzare thing is that how did the hospital miss the fact that a patient escaped especially in her condition?! Seriously, it takes a regular civilian visitor to take care of this instead of one of the hospital members who houses the patient... wtf. It was a misleading moment that it's thought that Knight killing Odin wins him the war and gives him the wish but, ha ha no her awakening is only temporary to motivate him more info fighting by giving him a glimpse of the result after the war.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

It was a misleading moment that it's thought that Knight killing Odin wins him the war and gives him the wish but, ha ha no her awakening is only temporary to motivate him more info fighting by giving him a glimpse of the result after the war.

In a nutshell, that's what disappointed me about this episode. Things that seemed like they should at least drive an episode, if not fundamentally alter the direction of the show, are just... something that happened? And everyone moves on from it? Like, it's maybe got a slight change to it, but Ren Has To Keep Fighting To Save Eri weirdly didn't feel that different to me now that Eri's awake. He's not being forthcoming with her about the choices he made, and he wants to take on the burden of saving her all by himself, but that's pretty much just Ren's character for the last 36 episodes. He doesn't come across as more or less conflicted, more or less angry, more or less desperate, more or less anything. He's just Boring Asshole Ren, shutting out everyone in his life so he can save Eri.

The Shinji/Yui stuff was along the same lines. Yui's been dragged into the Mirror World and attacked! How does she take it? Disappointed in Shiro, moving on. How does Shinji take it? Abandons her to plead with the Second Secret Science Society for help, again.

It's just these loops it feels like the characters are trapped in, where I'd hoped that things would grow, evolve. One of the things I love about Kamen Rider series is that they make changes and have consequences that affect their world and characters. For something as pivotal as Ren Kills and Eri Wakes Up and Yui's Been Attacked to, like, only serve to reinforce the status quo... it bums me out.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

I think it’s worth mentioning that the SSSS’s knockoff rider isn’t officially considered a Rider by Toei or Bandai.

I didn't release what that acronym stood for at first and legitimately thought this was in reference to Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad for a second. Like, we're just giving this guy nicknames based on whatever forgotten 90's shows made in Power Rangers' wake we can think of?

Pretty rough deal the only guy in Ryuki with an insect motif (he's apparently a cricket) is also the only one who isn't considered a Kamen Rider, but I suppose it goes to show how much this series was tearing down all the rules.

[AkibaSilver]

Advent Master is a Kamen Rider in my heart, god damn it. Chalk it up to the same weirdness that Another Agito wasn't called a Kamen Rider till 2017 or something.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

I think it’s worth mentioning that the SSSS’s knockoff rider isn’t officially considered a Rider by Toei or Bandai.

I have always found that weird because when I first watched Ryuki I always saw the character listed as "Kamen Rider Alternative" on reference pages. Some of the decisions Toei makes about who does and doesn't count as a proper Kamen Rider can be pretty weird sometimes. *coughTacklecough*