[NGW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

It was the trophies. The bit where a desperate Kiriya, fully realizing how useless he is, tries to impress Hibiki with math awards.

Literally the only Kiriya scene I legitimately enjoyed. Because schadenfreude.

Hahaha, thought so. Yeah it was definitely a funny scene, and as you said really about the best scene featuring him (though I'd say there were at least a couple other decent ones, but with so much kinda making him an unlikable character they are few).

Episode 44 of Hibiki

Well, that battle with all 3 oni was freaking badass.

Things don't look so good for Zanki though. I dunno if even a battle as badass as that opening is worth losing him over. Don't push yourself Zanki-san.

Don't really have a play by play for this episode, outside of the above^, I kinda got sucked into it. Some pretty major stuff happened. From Todoroki's physical therapy to Hibiki giving that..thing to Asumu, which was stolen by Kiriya, who seems to be going down a very dark path, to...Zanki-san T_T

Solid episode overall, not a ton really stood out about it, though there were some solid emotional scenes and some pretty big moments.

Episode 45 of Kamen Rider Hibiki

So Zanki used an incantation to come back as a spirit, a forbidden incantation with dark consequences. Quite foreboding.

This two episode arc brings things to a close with Todoroki and Zanki. It deals with Todoroki's recovery from the brutal attack he suffered a couple episodes prior, the death of his mentor, and ultimately him coming to finally stand on his own two feet (both literally and metaphorically). The arc was incredibly well done and was a great sendoff to one of the show's absolute best characters. The final battle with both Todoroki and Zanki was fantastic, and their little jam session together at the end brought their story to a close in an all too fitting way, with the master fully accepting the apprentice's way and them having that last moment together. That and it has to be one of the most awesome moments in Kamen Rider history.

The subplot with Asumu's..thing that Hibiki gave him and Kiriya having stolen it was alright, it kinda tried to redeem Kiriya as a character, and it did to an extent. He did something dumb, and wrong, but there were actually good intentions behind it, and he finally opens up a bit to Asumu as to why he wants to be an oni so badly, and also kinda questions Asumu's rather vague reasoning as well.

Not the best arc the show has had, but it was an overall good sendoff to Zanki. He will certainly be missed.

[SideswipePrime]

Gaim 8:

Mango Arms looks cooler in the show. I still like banana a bit more though. It was nice to get some more backstory on Kaito, and dang Micchy has a dark side. So, yeah I liked it. it was a good episode.

EDIT: Gaim 9:

It was good. I wonder what Micchy will do now that he know for sure that his brother is Zangetsu.

[NGW]

On to Episode 46 of Hibiki, we're getting into the final stretch here.

The episode opens with our mystery couple (someone do please tell me if I've missed something on them, I can't recall getting much of any backstory for them yet, though something tells me that Mochida's play about the old man and woman in the house, the one that Asumu was distracted during, could be referencing them in some way, just a hunch) finding...something. Looks like an altar to me, maybe a sacrifice is needed to stop orochi?

And a quick visit to the shrine with our heroes allows us a bit of incite into their truest desires...except for Asumu who can only think to look at Hibiki. Still unsure of what you want Asumu?

Todoroki has officially gone full badass. Dual wielding his and Zanki's guitars and kicking some makamou tail. Good on him.

Glad to see Hibiki discuss the ever looming possibility of death with his disciples. He seems to be coming around well to having them under his wing. Imparting upon them some wisdom and really seeing if they understand the kind of sacrifices they may have to make and if they really are ready for that risk.

And Kiriya drops out of school to focus on his oni training. Can't say that is a move Hibiki is likely to appreciate.

And of course Kiriya thinks the exact opposite, that it shows how series he is and that Asumu is wasting his time and efforts by doing anything resembling having a life outside of his oni training.

What with all this talk about life and death without any regrets, I honestly feel that Asumu would regret much less were he to die now than Kiriya would. Asumu is getting as much life as he can, whereas Kiriya is becoming single-minded, giving up so much just for his goal, he'd regret all he gave up were he to die.

Also, on a bit of a tangent, also spoilers for Ryuki, reminds me of Kitaoka, and how he came to accept his own approaching death, rather than fight to live forever, he knew that he lived a full life, one far better than many others could ever hope, he got the most he could have out of it and so was able to die without any regrets.

Oh hey, the douji and hime are still around, been a lil' while since we last saw them. Still kinda miss the old ones though.

The hime continues her existential crisis, much to the chagrin of the douji.

At least it seems Hibiki is able to talk a bit of sense into Kiriya's thick skull.

Ah, so the altar is in fact a stone taiko drum. Kinda thought it looked like one, especially after they started clearing the dirt from it.

Ibuki has to be the one to perform the ritual though. I mean, Hibiki doing it makes far too much sense afterall, being a taiko specialist. Good thing it was made a point to train the others in the use of the taiko eh?

Oh and one more thing, you'll probably be attacked by innumerable monsters both giant and small. Best of luck there Ibuki.

New instructions for the douji and hime. I can see the douji probably having no problems following orders, but this hime in all her existential awareness seems far more dubious about it.

Funny little scene with Asumu and his mother. He's asking some pretty deep and kinda dark questions, and she..well is a mom about it.

That cake looked delicious btw.

Kinda neat seeing Hibiki fight using a different instrument. Ibuki seemed less experienced with the taiko than he was during the summer episodes though. Odd.

And this is how the douji and hime decide to protect the oni. Riiiiight.

Ooh boy, they've decided to be their own independent pair. The mystery couple's really losing control now. Guess they should have been more careful with their experiments.

First time in a long time we really get a scene like this with Ibuki and Kasumi. Quite touching. Definitely wish their relationship had been built up more over the season like Todoroki and Hinaka's was.

Some serious shit going down in the city. That purple cloud looks ominous.

And now we move into our final arc of the season. Just two episodes remain.

[KyoryuGreen]

So I watched Agito episode 6 and absolutely loved it, I still remember most of what's going on with the characters from before. Gills is totally badass and I loved how he entered with the white light behind him and Gills next to him that was amazing. Interesting to learn about G3's past, and Shouichi is fun so far. I think this will be my next series because I want answers lol.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NGW

On to Episode 46 of Hibiki, we're getting into the final stretch here.

Fair warning: this is where the writing really starts falling apart. They were literally writing the last episode while it was being filmed.

Quote:

First time in a long time we really get a scene like this with Ibuki and Kasumi. Quite touching. Definitely wish their relationship had been built up more over the season like Todoroki and Hinaka's was.

More Mayu Gamou would always be welcome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KyoryuGreen

So I watched Agito episode 6 and absolutely loved it, I still remember most of what's going on with the characters from before. Gills is totally badass and I loved how he entered with the white light behind him and Gills next to him that was amazing. Interesting to learn about G3's past, and Shouichi is fun so far. I think this will be my next series because I want answers lol.

That's one of the cool parts of Agito; it really does feel like a mystery and there's always something that you have to keep watching to find out the answer to. One of the many reasons why I love that show.

[NGW]

Episodes 47 and 48 of Hibiki

The final arc of the season.

So quick wrap up of Episode 47. The oni are preparing for the ceremony. Asumu visits the little terminal girl and decides to focus on granting her last wish rather than his oni training, which of course pisses Kiriya off. Hibiki fighting the makamou without transforming was pretty badass. Few more nice moments between Todoroki and Hinaka. The last moment between the new douji and hime were kinda sad I guess. And Hibiki taking Ibuki's place was pretty awesome. Hibiki's conversation with Midori was quite nice as well, as was his talk with Asumu when he told him he wanted to put a hold on his oni training.

So now we move onto the main event, the final volume of Kamen Rider Hibiki.

We open up with a brief showing of the battle at the big stone taiko drum.

And then cut to a year later. What?

Back at Tachibana's the gang laments Asumu's absence as they clean up a mess. Apparently it has been some time since he's been around.

We do learn that they were successful in sealing the orochi a year ago, which is also the time that Asumu quit his part time job there. To be fair though, when was the last time we actually saw him working there?

We see that Asumu has indeed moved on to the next grade in his school. Good for him. And he is doing incredibly well there, again good for him.

It also seems that Asumu has finally decided on a path in life. He wants to be a doctor. And that actually makes some sense. He wants to help people. That was part of why he wanted to take the oni training in the first place. Couple that with the time he had with little Naomi, it seems an obvious choice for him.

Kiriya did eventually leave school, guess he has put all of his focus back into his oni training again.

Hibiki's last words to him still haunt Asumu. It's been a year since they've seen eachother, and despite the impact he had on him, Hibiki seems to be going the way of a memory.

Kiriya's training with Hibiki...seems to be going well. At least Hibiki says as such.

Get to see Asumu working at the hospital.

And Hibiki and Asumu meet once again. After a year and with Hibiki's parting words hanging in the air, things are a bit awkward between the two. Kinda sad to see what's become of them.

Ah mom, do you have to put more doubts into Asumu's mind...again.

Glad to see the other's agree that it is a sad state the way things are between Asumu and Hibiki.

We find ourselves with a situation similar to the one that began the series, but this time Asumu makes his move to help the boy in need. He does seem to have at least grown over the course of the season.

That oni training paid off afterall eh Asumu? Or uh..not.

And..Kiriya saves the day.

Panel Theater seems to be doing well too. Though I still struggle to see the difficulty in it, at least on the reader's part (as that is always the part they seem to be saying is difficult).

A makamou? Guess sealing orochi didn't put a stop to all of the shenanigans eh?

Oh Kiriya, still a dick as always.

And our mystery couple plans to do experiments on Mochi. Oh my. Talk about clones (I forget, was it mentioned before that the douji and hime were clones? I seem to recall that). Are they planning to use Mochida as a base?

Asumu gets to put his doctoring skills to use at least.

Oh shit, Kiriya can become an oni! Pretty cool suit design too, like a silver Hibiki.

Well at least he lasted a bit longer than Akira did when she transformed.

Let's leave this one to the pros kid.

Hammerhead centipede makamou, that's kinda badass. Also, something is up with the male of our mystery couple.

Just making a note, Hibiki held his hand on Asumu's shoulder longer than he did Kiriya's. Also, transforming straight into armed form, Hibiki's gotten strong.

Mochida's ok, I was almost worried for half a second there. Was kinda hoping that Asumu'd have to do something to revive her, build up a bit more drama and I dunno, have him give her mouth to mouth, push their relationship along a bit.

Asumu and Kiriya complimenting eachother. Uh huh. You're still a dick Kiriya.

O_o yet another mystery couple, dressed in some fancy outfits. Having to feed this couple. So is the couple we've been following this whole time just another set of clones/douji and hime or something? Dafuq. Not a twist I saw coming.

Well, the ending conversation between Hibiki and Asumu was somewhat touching. And so glad to hear Shonen Yo played again.

The last episode definitely showed some flaws though, you can tell it was kinda just going as it went ya know?

I dunno, overall I was really happy with the series. It didn't have much of an actual conclusion, but I don't think everything really needs one. We got to see a year of the life of the oni and Asumu and how Hibiki had an impact on him and helped him learn and grow, him having basically always been Hibiki's disciple, not necessarily to become an oni, but in a more meaningful way, which was kinda obvious with him basically being a father figure, a mentor, and a friend, but it was still a nice way to close things out. I wish we had a bit more explanation on certain things, but mayhaps the mystery is better than what we may have learned otherwise.

So should probably do some sort of thoughts on the series as a whole then right?

I really enjoyed it. Probably one of my favorite seasons I've watched so far. Not as good as Ryuki, no, maybe not even quite as good as Gaim, but within that top 2-3 I think, edging out W just a tad.

The earlier portions of the show, prior to the production changes, were definitely the best. It had a better opening and a much better closing to each episode and the settings were overall better, as was the filmography and just overall look and feel of the show. It definitely felt more like a modern season of Kamen Rider after the switch, losing a lot of what was unique about it. However, there were some fantastic arcs and genuinely emotional scenes throughout, both before and after the shake up, and the interactions and relationships between the characters were all really well done and believable, and a big part of what I liked about the season.

Kiriya was a bit of an unnecessary addition, he was a dick, and I honestly don't feel that he deserved the progress he made. There were times you could see the writers trying to make us feel for him or redeem him, but honestly it just felt like he suddenly accepted certain things and now he's ready to become an oni.

I actually felt that Akira's decision to give up her training was well done. It made sense with her character and her arc, and it made for some great emotional moments as well as a nice parallel to the storyline with Hibiki taking on his own disciples.

Todoroki and Zanki's arc was also quite good. Zanki was definitely one of my favorite characters this season, and the way his death was played out and his final moments with his successor were fantastic. Todoroki really grew over the course of the season and came to his own with the death of his mentor, allowing him to finally stand on his own two feet. His relationship with Hinaka was nice as well, and again provided some good moments and drama as well as making them feel more human and realistic.

Ibuki, I don't honestly have that much to say about him. He was at his best with Akira, both when he was training her and when he was losing her. He had some nice interactions with the other oni, but his relationship with Kasumi was really underdeveloped, despite their time together towards the end of the season.

Now, as I have said at least a couple times prior, this series is ostensibly about the relationship between Hibiki and Asumu, and as such this is what the show put its primary focus on, though towards the latter part of the season that seemed to wane a bit. I really really liked their relationship though, and the build up to those big moments, such as Hibiki calling Asumu by name or when he finally takes him (and Kiriya) on as a disciple was fantastic. Asumu's decision to go down a different path was definitely disappointing and seemed to go against what the series was building towards, but I at least liked Asumu's reasoning behind it. I'm not sure what the original intention was but I'm sure it would have been better.

Overall though I really enjoyed the season.

Now to figure out what to watch next.

[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NGW

Oh shit, Kiriya can become an oni! Pretty cool suit design too, like a silver Hibiki.

Kiriya's suit is actually a kitbash. The original ending was going to have both him and Asumu becoming Oni. The decision was made at the last minute to change that and bits of what would have been Asumu's were combined with Kiriya's to make the final costume that showed up in this episode.

Quote:

Overall though I really enjoyed the season.

Now to figure out what to watch next.

If you want something else that really captures the feel of Hibki, especially the early episodes, I'd recommend Daimajin Kanon, which was made by most of the same people. Just keep in mind that it's not a show to watch if you're feeling down, as a lot of the early episodes deal pretty heavily with depression.

[NGW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

Kiriya's suit is actually a kitbash. The original ending was going to have both him and Asumu becoming Oni. The decision was made at the last minute to change that and bits of what would have been Asumu's were combined with Kiriya's to make the final costume that showed up in this episode.

Ah, that's a shame. So Asumu was going to go through with his oni training afterall, that's a big change from what we got. Ah well, the costume is still pretty cool.

Quote:

If you want something else that really captures the feel of Hibki, especially the early episodes, I'd recommend Daimajin Kanon, which was made by most of the same people. Just keep in mind that it's not a show to watch if you're feeling down, as a lot of the early episodes deal pretty heavily with depression.

Hmm, will definitely check it out. Gotta branch out at some point, and if it has the same feel of early Hibiki then I'm sure I'll love it.

I'd probably rank the seasons I've watched as such:

1. Ryuki
2. Hibiki
3. W
4. Fourze
5. Wizard

I'm omitting Gaim simply because it is still ongoing and as such my opinion on it can change drastically. Just not fair to rank it yet. But it'd probably be up there with Ryuki and Hibiki. Also, the gap between Hibiki and W is really really small, it could honestly go either way with them.

So I decided to check out both Kabuto and Faiz. Not sure that I'll keep watching them both simultaneously, will likely watch an episode or two of both, decide which one to stick with, and then go back and watch the other afterwards.

And to kick things off, Episode 1 of Kamen Rider Kabuto!

And I already dislike the opening song. Ouch. To be fair though, the latter portion of Hibiki had a less than ideal opening song too.

Wow, a Kamen Rider season with a bug motif. This is the 7th (counting Gaim) season of Kamen Rider I've watched, and while a few of the others had aspects of their designs being insect inspired (namely compound eyes and antenna), this is the first season in this long running series about superhero bug men that I've watched that..actually has super hero bug men in it. Huh.

So the villains this season are Worms. Designs are kinda cool I suppose. I like the molting aspect. And hey, another season where there are civilian casualties. I could've sworn that was something Kamen Rider moved towards not doing so much, is that really just a neo heisei thing?

Seems to be a fair bit of technical talk, lotsa numbers and sciencey words thrown out there, gathering data on the worms and the like. Reminds me of a (dark) fantasy book series I'm reading. You throw out all these words and I honestly can't tell if I'm really supposed to hold onto specific numbers or not at times or if just getting the general idea is alright.

Zectroopers are kinda cool, always nice to see more than just the rider(s) taking the fight to the bad guys. Guessing they're kinda the police or some special task force.

Are we going to have to be told every time someone is injured or killed?

Some cool effects though. I know bullet time/slow motion effects were kind of a fad, but eh, they can be cool too.

Yeah, we're really going to be told every time there are injuries and deaths..

Odd little scene there with the pickpocket. Tofu guy is pretty cool. A bit full of himself, but cool. Liked him using the kid's wallet to knock out the would-be thief.

So I'm guessing this Tendou Souji, AKA tofu guy, is our hero?

That breakfast did look pretty damn good. (Chef) Hat's off to tofu guy...err Tendou.

Tofu guy is preparing for something. He must be trying to become trained like Hibiki-san. Tofu guy wants to be an oni when he grows up.

Nii-san doesn't understand tofu guy. It's ok nii-san, not many people watched Hibiki either it seems :[

Also, pausing mid-episode for an aside here, my reviews tend to be a bit different when I am watching an episode and writing as I go and when I'm actually doing it after an episode and reflecting. The former being more in the style of quips, predictions, little humorous notes and bits of analysis whereas the latter is..well more like a proper review, since it's more my thoughts as they settle whereas the former kinda reflects my thoughts as I watch the episode. Not sure which I prefer, or which anyone else finds to be a better read. Lemme know what you all think, I tend to kinda go back and forth between the two at times and wouldn't mind sticking more towards one that is found to be more favorable.

12 minutes in and we're already getting a training montage. How long into Hibiki did it take to see the oni training?

And we get introduced to Zect's first anti-worm secret weapon. Apparently they don't know that Heartgard has been on the market for years.

Tadakoro...something tells me I will be mixing his name up with Todoroki's for the next twenty episodes or so.

Wait, if they just finished their anti-worm secret weapon, why does thos dude already have a zect..thingy?

She is..the bike whisperer.

So this is Kamen Rider: Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

Hey, someone died without us getting a body count update.

I..have no idea what to say about the beeping electrified zecters.

Dude, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to make that face to a young girl.

I'm pretty sure that grabbing onto the person while they are shooting and causing them to shoot out of control and messing with their aim is a lot more likely to get the girl shot genius.

That was a pretty cool henshin sequence I suppose. Though probably the weakest of the seasons I've watched so far.

Gotta say, the way he took out the worm was kinda nifty.

So yeah, not a bad start to the season. Intrigued to see where things go.

[KyoryuGreen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

That's one of the cool parts of Agito; it really does feel like a mystery and there's always something that you have to keep watching to find out the answer to. One of the many reasons why I love that show.

That's good I'm definitely going to continue with it right now.

[NGW]

Episode 2 of Kabuto

Not a whole lot to say on this episode. Tendou is starting to grow on me. And we finally get to see Kabuto proper. The fights at the end were pretty solid too.