[Kiwami]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

I did actually laugh when the Gochizou's soul flew out after the fight, that's some peak black comedy right there.

Yeah that was great.

I laughed out loud at the "save citizen from a car accident" scene, I expected the usual, not this

Quote:

Originally Posted by gashatfreak

Also also, for a candy-themed series, the fight music goes surprisingly hard.

Music was great, went along really well with the fight-scene for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by henshinzero

As much as this new rider is fun.... I think I'm gonna pass on this one until he gains friends who know his secret, as well as people to start treating him like a hero and not a monster.

So... episode 2?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaikaijuSokogeki01

Is it just me or did this pilot feel the most Kamen Rider that Kamen Rider has felt in a long time?

I wouldn't say long time myself; the first episode of Geats was pretty darn great.

But compared to last year's endeavor - this was most definitely leagues ahead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaikaijuSokogeki01

The fight choreography in this was sensational, especially the bit where they were fighting while wedged between the shipping containers. The gimmick actually seems to work, and Komura's brand of humor is on full display here. This was the best first episode of a Rider I've seen since Zero-One. Here's hoping Gavv can hold the momentum.

Agreed on the action and I do hope they can keep this going, the 20 episode block being finished has me hopeful. And a bit afraid of what might happen after.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaikaijuSokogeki01

Is it just me or did this pilot feel the most Kamen Rider that Kamen Rider has felt in a long time?

I'm with you on this, certain moments gave me Showa and early Heisei vibes, particularly BLACK, Kuuga, and Agito.

[Fish Sandwich]

When I think of Kamen Rider, I'm generally thinking of a show like this.

Gavv's premiere is wildly successful when it comes to doing what Kamen Rider has arguably done best ever since around Decade, which is taking a completely off-the-wall silly surface-level story concept and using it to portray deeper and more complex ideas, without losing sight of the simple fun of the premise.

Because, before anything else, this is a fun episode of a show, as you'd expect from the candy motif. Shouma's a charmingly excitable lead who can find wonder in something as simple as eating a gummy. Sugihara's typically kinetic direction runs through like, every kind of adrenaline-charged thing he's ever done with the action, from making stillness move, to a big CG chase scene that remembers to get the real suits in there where it can, to another showdown around shipping containers... I could probably go on just about the fight scenes for quite a while. The most important thing is less how familiar a lot of it feels, though, and more how well Gavv sets itself apart right away. The Gochizo are disposable in a way something like a Chemy isn't, which ends up making them even more adorable than they already would be (plus, Gou Sakabe kills it on the music as usual by making Gavv's main theme basically be them cheering Gavv on), and the idea of Gavv having to repeatedly transform as his armor keeps breaking off makes Shouma's power seem fragile in a way that, physically, stresses how this is a Rider made out of soft candy, but also thematically works well if the show is going to make a point out of how weak Shouma starts out versus the strength he'll presumably gain throughout a year of adventures.

That's already more than enough to make for a solid premiere, but what takes this one to the next level for me is that it's a first episode that explicitly has the Kamen Rider telling the villain "I'm a monster, and so are you", which is as Kamen Rider as Kamen Rider can be. There's so many layers to *why* there, I'm not sure how well I can explain it, actually. Part of it is that I feel like these characters are meant to be outsiders more than simple paragons, and between Shouma being a literal visitor from another world whose belt is a gross second mouth, and Gavv's frequently slouched posture, they're already nailing that aspect. The hugely important thing is that since these shows have that Ishinomori DNA of exploring humanity and free will and all that, it's critical that both good and evil come from the same place to emphasize that the bad guys aren't just obvious "others" who need to purged from society or whatever. The element of choice is where a ton of nuance comes into the story, and that's why Shouma allowing the Granute that decision before going for the finisher was a staggeringly well-done moment. It suggests Koumura understands Kamen Rider down to its bones in a way you don't see every year. (Not that the variety is a bad thing of course.) So yeah, needless to say this far in, I'm very excited to see where Gavv takes itself over the next 40-50-some episodes.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

When I think of Kamen Rider, I'm generally thinking of a show like this.

Nailed it.
Just with the first episode alone I think this would be great as an entry level Kamen Rider show for those who want in on the fandom.

[DreadBringer]

Giving this a go due to the staff ensemble hype, the preparation that they have recorded 20+ episodes before airing including better work on the effects, either due to more budget or being more polished in that aspect.

Shoma ("show my") Stomach is a non-human lead Rider, and this isn't the first time in the franchise, as there were Takumi in Faiz who was an Orphnoch or Wataru in Kiva who was a half-Fangire..... ironically, Shoma IS created by Inoue.... the surname of his mother Michiru who married a Granute. Wonder if a human-Granute marriage descendants will have a difference with pure Granutes.

Shoma's flashbacks with Michiru shape him in the present where Michiru made him promise to not eat Dark Snacks, which means humans, making him the safe monster in Hajime Hiroi's eyes, also he feels weak due to his seeming failure to protect his mom, which is what makes him another goody-two-shoes lead Rider to try his hardest in protecting Hajime against Granute Hound, and also showing concern to the truck drivers.

After Ryuki mostly changes the Riders' henshin using items that can be carried anywhere, Gavv brings back the organic 'belt' that is part of the Riders' body, and Shoma lying on the beach also uses Agito reference. Shoma's stronger than normal humans even untransformed to be tougher than a speeding van, though he fares the same to monsters, where Shoma's unable to fight Granute Hound until he becomes Gavv.

Hanto Karakida is more upbeat than I expected, not as much as Shoma, but he's interacting with open curiousity to his subjects. Thought he'd be the super calm and collected type as the secondary Rider. Him investigating missing people incidents reminds me of Ryuki about Mirror Monsters eating people. If Shoma's an outsider, wonder if he'd be a human Rider that can highlight the contrast.

Seems that Hajime is a one-off, and next week the story repeats this one of someone finding Shoma, but this time, it's a recurring character, the female lead Sachika Amane. What'd make Shoma separate himself from Hajime, but not Sachika?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

I wouldn't say long time myself; the first episode of Geats was pretty darn great.

But compared to last year's endeavor - this was most definitely leagues ahead.

Well, the talk was about the "most Kamen Rider" episode... Geats definitely won't fit that, it'd be total opposite; Riders out for personal gain, main Rider with vague motive and agenda, boy scout that is rather jaded and cynical....

Geats is the most hated series for those expecting Kamen Rider values to be celebrated.

[Kiwami]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Well, the talk was about the "most Kamen Rider" episode...

The pilot specifically.

As in, having actually threatening villains, creative fighting choreography and a bike action scene* being featured. Aka three things both Geats and Gavv have, but Gotchard lacks.

*Kinda debatable if Gavv's ride counts, but it is a vehicle action sequence

[Enchilada645]

Probably won't comment all the time, episode by episode threads can grow tiring after a while for numerous reasons.

But I will say this is a solid first episode from a character and mystery standpoint!

Action Wise, it's fun to sort of get a Kamen Rider that has an armor mechanic (unsure if it's just for Poppin Gummy form or if the rest will follow suit) in which it needs to be regenerated. And I'm curious to see if the sword mini-bike attack will come back more effective later on. It was a cute bit of comedy.

Also I've been sold on the Gochizos, they are basically the Pikmin mixed with the Little Green Men from Toy Story and that's just great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwami

The pilot specifically.

As in, having actually threatening villains, creative fighting choreography and a bike action scene* being featured. Aka three things both Geats and Gavv have, but Gotchard lacks.

*Kinda debatable if Gavv's ride counts, but it is a vehicle action sequence

Ngl though, feel like those are kind of superficial requirements. Especially when compared to the very good Kamen Rider core example of Shoma going "I may be a monster, but so are you!" to the Granute. Alongside him choosing to distance himself from the kid who helped him out and wandering off to his next adventure.

That exchange and those scenes alone were what hooked me into this episode and it honestly makes me wonder how exactly we'll be seeing Shoma obtain the title and name: Kamen Rider Gavv.

[Switchblade]

Good first episode. It's a bit early for me to feel like I have a full sense of the show's vibe, but I'll agree that it's probably the best first episode since at least Zero-One.

I'm still a little iffy on the whole snack gimmick, but the idea that the suit gets damaged and can be repaired mid-battle is pretty cool. I also liked the cinematography in the big fight scene. It's not quite Ultraman levels of swag, but still very dynamic and fun. Hopefully they'll keep this up once they burn through the traditional early episode bonus budget.

I liked the stuff with the kid, which is not a sentiment I usually have for tokusatsu. I don't want him to stick around, but I really liked the idea of Shouma coming into his life, fighting off a monster, then moving on. I'd love to see the show stick with that as a recurring trend, have more of a "wandering hero" theme where each episode has a new supporting cast and no permanent home base. I know it's not going to, but I didn't realize how much I'd want that until I watched this episode.

I cannot believe that, eleven years after Gaim, we actually have a show where "Juicy!" is part of the henshin jingle. I know that Sentai's been gone from the site for years now, but I hope that wherever they are they're still watching this and feel a sense of vindication.

[Kiwami]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

Ngl though, feel like those are kind of superficial requirements.

Requirements is not the right term, "tropes" is more fitting.

It was never said a Rider show specifically needs to have these things; it's just that they can tend to given their ancestry, so DaikaijuSokogeki01 named them as possible reasons why they enjoyed this episode as a Kamen Rider pilot episode more than past ones following Zero-One.

They didn't even mention bike action sequences, I was the one to throw that in there, they enjoyed that we were given a bit of focus on a bike for Shoma to ride at the end.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

I'd love to see the show stick with that as a recurring trend, have more of a "wandering hero" theme where each episode has a new supporting cast and no permanent home base. I know it's not going to, but I didn't realize how much I'd want that until I watched this episode.

Yeah same, that would work so well with this kind of protagonist.

[FairyKing]

Maybe it's just a quirk of the fan-translation that I watched, but I found it interesting that Shoma referred to the Gochizo as his "minions" rather than friends or partners. It makes sense with how many he can make (though I bet not having any of the flavor he needs will be used to put him in a pinch at some point), and more importantly with how he treats them as expendable! I was worried he would repeat the "befriend the collectable monsters" gimmick Houtaro did, but it's actually very different. He also said "I can use these too," and I wonder if that implies other Granutes can also create and use minions?

And IDK how reliable it is, but I read on the wiki that the Gochizos are voiced by the same actors as the masked agents of the Stomach family (although heavily edited). So until we learn otherwise, my theory is that those agents are the Stomachs' equivalent to Gochizos, created when a full-blooded Granute eats humans in the same way Gochizos are created when a hybrid like Shoma eats snacks.