[AkibaSilver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

OF COURSE Geiz bought it! Geiz is someone who has put Saving The Future entirely on his own back! He's definitely going to think his inaction caused a major catastrophe! He probably treats the milk running out at home as something that could've been prevented by stopping Zi-O's rise to power...

Geiz, circa Episode 12 - "I did it. I brought the chicken home. This will finally stop the rise of Ohma Zi-O.

But yeah, nothing specifically from me about these episodes, other than I did get pretty invested in them. Tsukuyomi is not well treated, but I was very into the dynamic developing between Geiz and Sougo here, and have some good memories of it. Revive isn't my favourite power-up, not really a fan of either form, but I do like what it means for my boy's character.

[Fish Sandwich]

(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP25)
(Fish Sandwich also watched Kamen Rider Zi-O - EP26)

Okay, so first of all, bad past me! Complaining about Sougo using the Build Armor... see what I mean about how big I was on Zi-O II? I couldn't even appreciate how nice it was to see Zi-O still busting out a power-up from all the way back in the second episode.

One other remark I made about 25 that's fun to dig into with the greater context I have now is when I mention how seeing two guys fighting in water in Kamen Rider always reminds me of OOO. You might recall the offhand mention I made of Satoshi Morota's obsession with throwing people in water from when I was talking about the gradual process of learning to identify toku directors. And back in 2019, I still didn't know enough to go and look it up, and find out that -- you guessed it -- both episode 25 of Zi-O and 46 of OOO were directed by Morota. So the visual similarity is a lot more than just a coincidence! I really do love that whole dream sequence, by the way. Not really for any deep reason, I guess. It just looks cool (like, the color palette is literally cool), and I like it as a way to visually rub in the inevitability of a big conflict between Sougo and Geiz.

Oh, and speaking of a big conflict between Sougo and Geiz, how about episode 26?!

I've held back on a big rant about it until this point, but to lay my cards on the table once again, as I did back then, Geiz is my dude, man! He's like, neck and neck with Zeronos for my favorite secondary ever, if he hasn't pulled ahead yet. He was a character I immediately found fascinating conceptually, because, on the surface, he sounds like he's the protagonist of a show? Yeah, sure, he's a Grim Executioner or whatever, but when you look at the basics? A young man who travels back in time to bring hope to a future ruined by despair? Fighting against fate itself, clad in a shiny red costume? He's got "hero" written all over him, and the unhealthy amount of pressure he's always putting on himself to make everything right singlehandedly only adds to that.

That was always the thing about Zi-O I was most excited about, because I think that's my favorite setup for a hero and their designated rival character. When it feels like you can flip the perspective, and both of them would slot into the other role just as comfortably. Sougo is an inexperienced but optimistic person destined for greatness, but he could also be an arrogant fool rashly taking on power with little regard for the consequences. Geiz has a lot of the trappings of your usual foil Rider in his personality, but I find that from his conception, there are more layers to him and his dynamic with Sougo than just a typical selfless and empathetic hero and a surly jerk looking to accomplish a goal regardless of any mushy personal feelings. Even though that's also exactly what their dynamic is like.

Ryuki was one of my first Rider shows, and in that series, a key component of the drama was always the interplay between Shinji and Ren. Two very different protagonists who nevertheless had the common ground of fighting for other people, in a show where most Riders fought only for themselves. A single person in Ren's case, and as many people as possible in Shinji's. Those two set a gold standard for pretty much every Rider frenemy duo who came after, and with how formative Ryuki is for me, I guess going into Zi-O, it was only natural I'd be excited about the idea of this secondary Rider, who struggles to reconcile his need to defeat the main Rider for the sake of his objective with the undeniable fact that he's not cut out to be a ruthless killer, no matter how hard he pretends they aren't friends. (And uh, yeah Geiz and Knight, are maybe even more similar than usual. Tasaki must've caught on too, given that both show's openings end with the main pair fighting before the title card pops up.)

All this is to say, I was WAY invested in these two leading up to this point, and especially since it took me so long to realize how much I like Sougo, I was particularly invested in Geiz himself. I mean, there's the whole thing I've mentioned before where I sort of saw myself as Geiz, in a way, watching Zi-O to determine for myself if the future it was heading towards was for better or for worse (and taking a while to realize how much I like Sougo!), but on top of that, and all that rambling I just did about his concept, it was also the little things. They gave the Ghost Armor and the Wizard Armor to him, for one. Bottom line, I couldn't wait to see what this whole Geiz Revive thing was building to, and it was pretty much everything I could ask for.

The show did an impressive job making this feel considerably more serious than your average Sougo/Geiz conflict, from the writing to the direction. There's a bit in there I love, when he uses the Revive Ride Watch for the first time, where the scene is pretty much totally silent, aside from the standby sound of Geiz's Ziku Driver. And then he slaps the new Watch on the belt, and the standby jingle for that layers over the existing one, which is just something the toy does, of course, but it adds so much intensity to that initial transformation, used the way it is here.

And then... man, I'm gonna be here all day if I try and actually cover everything I love about this episode, but Geiz Revive! Very cool powerup! It was nice of Geiz to add "fast and blue" to the list of things that make me love him, and yet, Gouretsu has always kinda been the one I like more. It's just so intimidating with the sheer bulk of it, and I love how barbaric the chainsaw is? It's two cool forms in one, though, so I guess there's no point in picking favorites when Shippu is, again, right up my alley.

And then the music! Last thing I'm gonna talk about right now! (I just have to remind myself I can always gush more about Geiz later too.) Geiz Revive was accompanied by an extremely memorable new piece of background music. It's extremely triumphant and heroic sounding, with the kind of grandiose brassy sound Sahashi excels at, fitting Geiz perfectly... as well as it should, because it's based on Future Guardian, an image song I straight up didn't remember when I first watched this episode, which is why I don't bring up how familiar it sounds in that old post. Because it didn't sound familiar yet.

It just goes to show how much the where and how of using background music is as important as the music itself, I suppose. That being said, I also feel like Geiz Revive's BGM really elevates the sound of Future Guardian in a way, since the lack of vocals means the instrumentation is free to be a lot more intense. (I really hope I'm using the word "instrumentation" correctly here...)

This also means the music for Geiz's powerup pairs rather well with the BGM associated with Zi-O II, which mixes bits of Toki no Ouja with the usual Zi-O motif.

I'm not sure if the show has actually used this track by the point Die is at yet, based on the quick skimming I did of a bunch of episodes around this point, so maybe it's not actually that closely tied to Zi-O II in the way it's used, but it definitely makes a nice set with Geiz Revive's track.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkibaSilver

Geiz, circa Episode 12 - "I did it. I brought the chicken home. This will finally stop the rise of Ohma Zi-O."

That's why Uncle was so insistent that someone pick up the chicken!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

That was always the thing about Zi-O I was most excited about, because I think that's my favorite setup for a hero and their designated rival character. When it feels like you can flip the perspective, and both of them would slot into the other role just as comfortably.

I mean, I came in through a series about four men who were each convinced the story was about them -- and the story was frequently like Maybe! -- so you don't have to work real hard to sell me on the beauty of that configuration.

And you're right; there's so much about Sougo and Geiz'z perspectives that resonate, as a viewer, that it's hard to say anyone's in the wrong here. There's a murkiness to the conflict, since it's about What Might Happen Tomorrow, that robs it of the kind of clarity that usually powers the morality of these characters. It ends up being two kids who are hoping that they're doing the right thing for tomorrow, even if it's the wrong thing for today. Tough to feel like a noble hero in that scenario!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

There's a bit in there I love, when he uses the Revive Ride Watch for the first time, where the scene is pretty much totally silent, aside from the standby sound of Geiz's Ziku Driver. And then he slaps the new Watch on the belt, and the standby jingle for that layers over the existing one, which is just something the toy does, of course, but it adds so much intensity to that initial transformation, used the way it is here.

He nearly went Full Accel with it, which was impressive! It was only five or six seconds between HEN and SHIN, instead of Terui's average pause of twelve days, but Geiz still managed a ton of intensity and gravitas!

[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O EPISODE 27 - “THE DAY IT ALL BEGAN 2009”




Third part of a four-parter!

I can see why a few people included stuff from this episode in the discussion for last episode. A big chunk of this episode is the other side of events from the last episode: the true cost of Geiz Revive (absolutely hilarious that Woz thought that pointing out that Revive will kill its user might dissuade Geiz), the Kamen Ride-Along with Decade, and Swartz’z random Hey Did I Ever Tell You Guys I Tried To Kill Zi-O backstory.

This is a real Cards On The Table episode, despite a solid emotional scene I’ll talk about in a little bit. It’s about getting our ducks in a row for next episode’s big conclusion, as well as spelling out some of the show’s earlier mysteries. It’s a plot-heavy episode, which is not the most fun to talk about.

It was fun to watch, though. I like Woz and dislike Hat Woz, so this episode’s triumph of The New Kamen Rider Woz is exactly the sort of story beat that forgives a lot of stalling. (This episode has a lot of stalling!) The cleverness of the Woz/Heure team is really thrilling, and I geeked out over them full-on outsmarting Hat Woz. Woz is just cool, I guess. I like how the performance has modulated a bit more into something that feels less… manic? Woz has been humbled by the strategies of Hat Woz, and he’s come out the other side a man of renewed dedication, but less certainty. He can’t just sit back and let the future play out; he’s going to have to speak up for what he wants.

Which leads us into Uncle’s speech to Sougo. I really loved it! It’s nothing we didn’t already know about Sougo (he’s hiding how much it hurts him to lose his friends, even briefly), but it reinforces how difficult it’s been for Uncle to be the best guardian for a lonely boy with strange aspirations. Uncle’s constant need to be a positive force has maybe given Sougo the wrong template of adulthood, creating a sad boy who doesn’t want to burden people with his unhappiness. That’s not great for a kid, and it’s probably extra not great for a budding time overlord. Sougo can’t live his life in isolation, smiling through his pain. He needs to be honest and vulnerable in his need for connection, like everyone does. As a corollary to Tsukuyomi’s lesson about putting Sougo on a pedestal, Sougo can’t put himself on a pedestal, either. He needs to treat his emotional concerns with the same validity he treats the emotional concerns of others. He can’t save people unless he can save himself.

Otherwise, he’d be Geiz, who is single-minded in his urge to reach emotional catharsis by fighting someone who is Definitely Not Anyone He Cares About to the death. Most of Geiz’z stuff this episode is, like Sougo’s, not really new information, but it’s handled as deftly as a Cards On The Table episode can manage. He feels guilty over Tsukuyomi’s trip to 2009 and her presumed murder/suicide bus tour. He’s practically re-energized by Woz’z pep talk about the Revive watch’s list of side effects. (Side effects include: dry mouth, minor headache, minor diarrhea, heart stoppage, and chapped lips.) He’s mostly just wandering around this episode, waiting for his chance to kill Definitely Not His Best Friend.

It’s that sort of episode? Beyond a new, better Kamen Rider Woz, and Uncle’s impressively delivered chastisement of Sougo’s bullshit sunny demeanor, this is mostly just an episode that fills in backstory and begins to connect series arc dots. We get to see some of Sougo’s “dream”, revealed here to be some weirdo test by Swartz to reveal Zi-O’s identity, but it’s not a pressing detail for Zi-O or Geiz’z present. It’s stuff that matters to the series, but not to the characters.

Not a bad episode, for sure, but definitely one that feels like half of 26 and half of 28.

[Enchilada645]

This is a fun arc purely because I like how it puts Tsukasa in the backseat for once? It's very clear he's not here to play some active role in the fight. But yeah it's very much the second half of episode 26.

But man am I so happy that normal Woz got to become Kamen Rider Woz. It's such a good step in like slowly dethroning hat Woz from his pompous pedestal, especially after his big victory of getting Geiz Revive to form. Also the second highlight you mentioned, Junichiro's speech. Yeah this was when I realized I absolutely adore the scenes at 9-5-DO. And just Uncle as a character as well, he's such a good like supporting cast member and this episode is one of his finest moments.

BGM this time is the same as it was the last three episodes, except we've got all the themes from this arc. So Toki no Ouja, Future Guardian, Deep Pitched Over Quartzer, and Decade's Preview Theme. Obviously I pick the Decade Preview theme.

Zero's Legend Episode Previews Corner - EP 28 Preview:

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

This is a fun arc purely because I like how it puts Tsukasa in the backseat for once?

Incorrect! Tsukasa is, quite literally, in the driver's seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enchilada645

And just Uncle as a character as well, he's such a good like supporting cast member and this episode is one of his finest moments.

Yeah, the best part about his speech is that it's really illuminative for his comedy relief character. Starting the speech off with I Didn't Know How To Be A Dad To You is such a well-observed character detail, you know? It's like, yeah, he knew how to be a wacky uncle, and a goofy old man, but he didn't really know how to be tough with Sougo when he needed it. He thought he was doing the right thing by not pressuring Sougo, but maybe it was the worst thing for him?

[FreshToku]

Agreed that this is very much an episode to lay down all everything that's going on to build one more week of hype before the big conclusion. That really doesn't have happen often at all in these kinds of shows, which I feel really goes to hammer the point how special this occasion is!

I feel like this is as good an opportunity to get into some gripes I have though, not necessarily with just this episode but with the show as a whole at this point, and that is that I really didn't care much for Woz becoming a Kamen Rider?

For one, this is ostensibly treated as a big moment for the character, but... I honestly don't feel like Woz has ever been much of a character to begin with. He's fun to watch and his performance is charismatic, for sure, but the show has been going on for over half a year now and it still had yet to really offer any insight or elaboration into his motivations, like why is he loyal to Oma Zi-O, how does he feel about Sougo, Geiz and Tsukiyomi, and how much stakes does he really have in Sougo's dream coming true. He honestly feels more like a mascot, not helped by how both the show and the cast didn't even hesitate to stop calling him by his actual name when his lookalike started running around. (He doesn't even wear black!)

and why is he some sort of wizard? who bleeds paper apparently?

On top of that, the actual scene of him 'working together' to steal White Woz's powers is just kinda dumb? I can't find it in me to be impressed or think 'wow he really outsmarted that guy', it's more that the nonsensical mechanics of this show just happened to favour him this time.

But you know, I realise my problem with Woz may also comes from the fact that the show has basically never, ever shown what Team Zi-O's life living in Sougo's house is like, outside of discussing plot during breakfast. What's their living spaces like? Do they interact at all while at home? Do they do anything when they're not off fighting Another Riders? It's arguably something that can be said for previous shows too (like what do any of the Build cast do to pass the time at that cafe?), but I always thought it felt especially egregious in this show, or maybe because I was just that curious and the show wouldn't feed my curiosity!

So that all leads to Uncle feeling especially disconnected to the not just the story, but to the other characters too since it's like he only exists in this isolated bubble we never get to see the inside of. ...But! That doesn't stop his scene this episode for really hitting for me...

It's a really, really good moment. With just a few lines of dialogue, it gives a wide breath of complexity and emotion to Uncle and Sougo's living situation, explicitly laying out Sougo's problems here once and for all, and even offering some intriguing insight into how this kid could have turned into that evil overlord we all saw. I guess my only nitpick was that I wish Sougo himself had a more involved or emotional response to it before just taking off, but I'm fine with that brief, happy acknowledgement, like he knows exactly what he has to do now thanks to Uncle's kind words. I loved it and think back to this scene all the time!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I'm not sure if the show has actually used this track by the point Die is at yet, based on the quick skimming I did of a bunch of episodes around this point, so maybe it's not actually that closely tied to Zi-O II in the way it's used, but it definitely makes a nice set with Geiz Revive's track.

That track might have been played in brief snippets in part, but it has yet to be played in any significant capacity. I can confidently say that because I distinctly remember the first time the show really puts it to good use, and I have a good feeling you know what exactly that first time is too ^_^

[TheRaizin]

It becomes clear at this point on how Sougo's rise to power came to be. Without the likes of Tsukuyomi or Geiz, Sougo definitely would have become Ohma ZI-O much sooner as without friends he's really isolated.

But with the changes, Sougo definitely has more people to lean to and inadvertently developing Woz as a person beyond being the yes man to Sougo. Altho, he still is lol.

I came to drop this page I found browsing around out of an unrelated manga, but had some stuff to say about Sougo.

Going back to Woz, I remember many were photoshopping Woz (The rider suit) into black since many were expecting Black Woz to transform. Kinda glad he remained relatively the same. This was also the time where I was absolutely sold on getting his SHF too.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreshToku

For one, this is ostensibly treated as a big moment for the character, but... I honestly don't feel like Woz has ever been much of a character to begin with.

He's less developed as an individual character, but I'd argue the introduction of Hat Woz does an effective job of sketching in more of his non-IWAE attributes. Specifically, we've gotten to see him as someone who's emotionally invested in this story's outcome, but not entirely sure how active he should be as a participant. It's part of an overall theme this show has been hitting on, that the future only happens if you work to make it happen. It's not some distant choice you're going to have to make (like on Oma Day), it's a constant effort. Choosing not to put that effort forward just leaves room for someone else to decide your future for you.

That's pretty much where Woz is in this episode? He's stood on the sidelines, or subtly manipulated (or not subtly: I think one time he just gave a Ridewatch to Uncle for Sougo?), but he hasn't directly participated. This was a leap for him, to directly confront a future he didn't want to see come to pass.

So, I don't know, there's enough there for me to feel like he's got a character? I'd love to know more (we get another hint of the Geiz/Woz rivalry here), but I feel like he's got some fun details for a tertiary Rider.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreshToku

On top of that, the actual scene of him 'working together' to steal White Woz's powers is just kinda dumb? I can't find it in me to be impressed or think 'wow he really outsmarted that guy', it's more that the nonsensical mechanics of this show just happened to favour him this time.

Aw, I thought this plan was fun. It's Woz knowing himself well enough to know how he'd do things with Hat Woz'z power, and then turning it to his advantage.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRaizin

It becomes clear at this point on how Sougo's rise to power came to be. Without the likes of Tsukuyomi or Geiz, Sougo definitely would have become Ohma ZI-O much sooner as without friends he's really isolated.

That's a thing that's been building in the background for a while, that the appearance of the Time Orphans as Sougo's friends have helped avert Oma Zi-O's rise, and I like how it's gaining in importance just as Tsukuyomi is determined to kill Sougo. That's a fun development, Sougo's happiness and empathy being a result that Tsukuyomi wanted all along, but she's too terrified to see it.