[Sunred]

Ah, Kamen Rider Zi-O. Or as I like to call it Kamen Rider Rolex.

[DreamSword]

These two episodes made for a very average two-parter of Decade. Take that however you wish.

And hey, I don't even have to write a new bit because I kinda already did it a year ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

And hey, the entire experience did atleast give me one thing.



As much as I hated the characters in this, Daiki was always an absolute treasure to watch. Even if his writing is incredibly inconsistent like everyone else in the show(seriously Kobayashi can't write Daiki worth anything), his actor has a ton of charisma, he has some legit good moments focused on him, Diend is way cooler than Decade in every way, and by the end, I was actually rooting for him specifically when it came to the story. Fantastic gay representation, this guy.

[Enchilada645]

I really enjoyed this set of episodes tbh. Tsukasa as an antagonistic force works so well, and it's a good roadblock for our heroes to try and get around. Plus just his flaunting around demeanor and the additional perks to the Aurora Curtains he has now are absolutely great and opened up a ton of story potential when it came to writing a fanfic based on Zi-O!

But yeah, loved the Ghost stuff, especially with the finding the way to save the guard. And also just all the interactions with Takeru and Ghost Sougo. Real good stuff!

That being said, Decade Armor! I think it's really cool and despite it's bulk and people disliking it... I love it! I just like the idea of the face being based off of Ganbarider in how it's a screen. The bulky armor is neat and really shows it as a more hefty and powerful form. Also the Heisaber (great name) is a cool weapon to boot. Heisaber Forever! Also just the idea that Decade's powers end up translating as a boost to other Ridewatches to bring out Upgrade/Super Forms works better than if it was just an ordinary Ridewatch that gave normal armor.

Of all the Riders to get a different looking Ridewatch, Decade makes the most sense since he is the 10th Anniversary Rider who could turn into prior Riders. Anyway, given the nature of who we have where, the BGM Swaps continue. Only this time the user has started to add the character songs into them as well. While not too bad... I much prefer the second BGM choice in this video.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 15 Preview:

[GrandComplete]

This arc very fun. Tsukasa as an antagonist brings level of direct threat the show needed at this point and I gotta say the Triple Ghost fight might be one of my favorite fights in Rider it such fun little thing.

Also this arc hasthat the returning actors only showing up in one episode. Last episode Shibuya was here but this episode completely gone vice versa Makoto was completely absent from last episode but was present here. It seem very strange espeically for an actual Rider they would get them back for at least two episodes. But still I can't resit these suits man. So I'm glad both of them got to return. Also when Takeru gets his powers back we have the belt activate by saying "Ghost Driver" which never happened in the show and was only in the toy until this moment.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

These two episodes made for a very average two-parter of Decade. Take that however you wish.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

That being said, Decade Armor! I think it's really cool and despite it's bulk and people disliking it... I love it! I just like the idea of the face being based off of Ganbarider in how it's a screen. The bulky armor is neat and really shows it as a more hefty and powerful form.

I don't love it? I'm honestly not a fan of any of the Form Changes on this show, and Decade Armor is no exception. Too bulky, too busy, and the chest armor seems to inhibit the suit actor. The Heiseiber is the best name, but the rest of it gets filed under an aesthetic that'll never be to my taste. (Bonus: gonna save some money on Figuarts!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandComplete

This arc very fun. Tsukasa as an antagonist brings level of direct threat the show needed at this point and I gotta say the Triple Ghost fight might be one of my favorite fights in Rider it such fun little thing.

Tsukasa brings characterization to the Time Jackers, which helps a lot! Him and Woz on the villain side of things made this a more fulfilling plot-heavy story than I'd've expected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandComplete

Also this arc hasthat the returning actors only showing up in one episode. Last episode Shibuya was here but this episode completely gone vice versa Makoto was completely absent from last episode but was present here. It seem very strange espeically for an actual Rider they would get them back for at least two episodes.

These shows got budgets! It would not surprise me if they could afford Takeru + 2 for this story, so they had Makoto in the second part instead of Shibuya. I ... I don't know why Narita got to be in two episodes?

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mmicb0b

I feel like Makoto could have been ok if the writers actually had ANYTHING Resembling a clue with what to do with him and Takeru there's potential but he spends the first 15 episodes whinning and here's an issue I have with Ghost from the time between the first 15 episodes until the last arc of the show there's no urgency for ANYTHING, I will say the first arc of Ghost wasn't AWFUL it wasn't a great start but at least there was potential for something decent enough it's once we get to the point where Adel takes over as the villain where things go south hard

Yeah, I mostly agree with you here. Heck, I agree with both sides of the fence when it comes to Ghost, which is why I came out of the show just kinda being dead neutral on it.

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oh yeah and who can forget Tengan sentai Necromger

I didn't really like that movie, but man, that really was a fun aspect of it.

[Androzani84]

So fun fact, the writers intended for Decade to be a consistent presence, but they only made him an antagonist because otherwise, he would just solve everything in 5 minutes. The decision to do this was made one day before Inoue showed up to film his scenes.

This time, there are 5 Ghosts in action throughout the two-parter, Zi-O GhostArmour, Geiz GhostArmour, Another Ghost, Decade as Ghost and Zi-O DecadeArmour Final Form Time: Ghost. Of the 5, I’d have to say the first one is my favourite.

And speaking of Decade, beyond his new belt having become more like a Korean pop band (BLACKPINK), there’s also been some changes to the transformation sounds compared to the old model. I’ll let TV Tropes fill in the details.

Quote:

Previously, changing into other Riders often omitted the voiced segments of their transformation jingles, such as with Faiz, Blade, Kabuto, and Den-O. Now, though, the transfomations include the voices. Justified, since most post-Decade Riders have henshin jingles that had become wholly increasingly reliant on the voiced parts, to the point the melodic aspects are disappointly lacking without them. The Complete Selection Modification release of the original Decadriver had hidden sounds for Double to Drive, the latest Rider at the time of the toy's release. The jingles of OOO, Wizard, and Gaim are rather sparse without their famous ditties, which probably would not have worked for any transformation into them in Zi-O.

[Fish Sandwich]

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP14)

I once again find myself lacking anything in particular to say about these episodes, which is hilarious, because as The Ghost Ones, they were one of the sets I explicitly put on my list back when Die was planning to do this thread the same way he did Decade. I mean, I'm sure it'd be different if I had just rewatched them, of course; there's definitely a lot going on here. Between Ghosts galore, Zi-O's greatest weapon, and Tsukasa being himself, I recall this being an extremely satisfying outing for this show.

Using Decade as a straight up antagonist really was the best, dare I say only, possible choice for his role in Zi-O. One of the things about Tsukasa that makes him so special is that, of the 20 main protagonists of Heisei Kamen Rider, he's literally the only one who you can treat as a villain and have it make complete sense with little extra effort required. There's a part of a me that sort of misses the genuine emotional vulnerability Tsukasa got to display on occasion when he was a younger hero on a quest to find his identity (he literally cries in his show's opening every episode), but at the same time, there's just no denying how much this sort of role works for the guy. I mean, he's not the protagonist here, right? We're seeing things from the perspective of the Zi-O crew, and this is probably just how Tsukasa always comes off to all the other Riders he meets.

Although, despite the usual attitude problems, Tsukasa is already giving off those major stealth mentor vibes handing out powerups to the heroes. The Decade Armor is another one I'm legitimately pretty fond of, by the way. It's sheer clunk factor is something I can't help but find endearing, and it has a really inspired gimmick to it. Again, it's sort of the obvious thing to do, but I'm really glad they didn't pass up the chance to make Decade just a tiny bit more special to Zi-O than the other Riders are.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

So fun fact, the writers intended for Decade to be a consistent presence, but they only made him an antagonist because otherwise, he would just solve everything in 5 minutes. The decision to do this was made one day before Inoue showed up to film his scenes.

That makes sense!

And it also fits in with this whole two-parter's feel of being a recalibration after Act 1. The introduction of Tsukasa as an antagonist with a more fleshed-out character, the usage of Legend Rider Henshins, back-burnering the Time Jackers in favor of Woz and Decade, giving Sougo a bit more fire at the end... this is one of those stories where you can see the production team reacting to some of the complaints/deficiencies of the first Act. Not so much a shift as a slight tweak, but it's there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

This time, there are 5 Ghosts in action throughout the two-parter, Zi-O GhostArmour, Geiz GhostArmour, Another Ghost, Decade as Ghost and Zi-O DecadeArmour Final Form Time: Ghost. Of the 5, I?d have to say the first one is my favourite.

There are six: Takeru! Takeru as Ghost! You forgot Actual Ghost!

(Also, boy, I gotta get those extra cards for the original CSM Decadriver...)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

There's a part of a me that sort of misses the genuine emotional vulnerability Tsukasa got to display on occasion when he was a younger hero on a quest to find his identity (he literally cries in his show's opening every episode), but at the same time, there's just no denying how much this sort of role works for the guy.

I think there's a lot to read into Tsukasa's role on this show, in a way that makes up for his lack of demonstrativeness. Like, it's that theme of generational change, how we risk losing the hopeful parts of ourselves by disconnecting with our past, and finding ways to reactivate them again is kind of crucial to being a happy adult. (The basic Legend Rider Holding Onto A RideWatch For Sougo plot of every story.) Tsukasa sort of inevitably became a jaded, sullen adult, and it's his interaction with a Kamen Rider narrative -- for good or ill -- that is maybe going to open him up again. In the meantime, it's just sort of sad to see Tsukasa as another judgmental and obstructive adult, incurious and dismissive. He's not protecting journeys, he's standing in people's way. As a Tsukasa fan, as much as I'm excited to see him back, there's a sadness to him being so hollowed out.

I... have thoughts about Tsukasa!

[cosmicrescend0]

The world of Episode 14, huh...

-I actually enjoyed this two-parter quite a bit, on both the inital and the rewatch! It's really just a fun time.

-Utterly delighted that Makoto made a appearance, even if was just the briefest of cameos. Love that guy, even if the show he comes from seems to hate him.

-Takeru's little "I know, right??" at Sougo's newfound ghosthood, it's so good. The plan to revive our MOTW is a fun idea, but I think it's probably one of the bigger alterations they've done to time?

-Tsukasa kicking Geiz a bit after dropping the Decade Ridewatch in front of him, and eat Sougo's dinner before leaving.....Never change, Tsukasa. (I'd like to think Tsukasa doesn't lose his Rider memories n all once the Ridewatch is used because he's too much of an exception for Time Nonsense to work at all, lol!)

-14.5 is my one of my all-time .5 episodes? I love how everyone slowly adds pink to their ensemble as it goes on.