[Androzani84]

Wow, that was a long review. Almost makes me feel like I’m making this post shorter as a response.

The actress who appears as Haruto’s mother in a flashback to her death was previously in Kamen Rider Kiva as Yuri’s mother in a similar flashback. But she isn’t entirely a typecast actor, since she was in episodes 43-44 of W as one of the stage moms whose feud is the emotional centre of the story.

And as a difference to the action figures for the four main Wizard Style figures coming with light up heads, the Dragon figures all come with parts of a dragon, with Flame also coming with an accessory resembling a hand with a handle that can be held in the figures’ hands and a tiny dragon sculpted into the palm…

[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Episode 8 -- "A New Magic Stone"

This results in a comedic sequence of everyone chasing around a camera on a stick trying to capture this unfamiliar familiar to find out what its deal is, complete with an epic duel between Garudas red and white.

Wonder if red and white is a reference to Indonesia's national flag.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

While that side of the plot is starting to simmer, there's the more immediate matter of the Gate that's being targeted this time. Since Hiroki Itou is just a kid, Rinko wisely suggests getting in touch with his parents to explain the situation, clearly recognizing how sketchy it would otherwise be for three strangers to suddenly be following this random child around. Which really adds to the irony of the scene's punchline, as Hiroki, uncomfortable with the idea of heading home, shouts that he's being abducted, sprinting away after making sure to kick both Shunpei and Haruto in a particularly sensitive area. (A little kid doing more damage to Haruto than any of those Ghouls managed, which just makes it that much funnier.) This leaves Rinko to give chase... resulting in her getting arrested by a nearby patrolman, in a brilliant inversion of Rinko slapping cuffs on Haruto back in the premiere.

While this is probably something to praise, as usual, kids are just given a less than pleasant first impression, the usual bratty kind of just attacking the people around them for no good reason. I mean yeah, he carries some issues and burdens, but still.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Not that Shunpei isn't an MVP here anyway, mind you. He seems to singlehandedly take care of Hiroki for the rest of the day, with the punchline being that he immediately conks out at night despite insisting he'll stand guard the whole time. But of course he'd be too tired to stay awake! He was playing games with and making food for and generally giving this kid his undivided attention and affection while everyone else was only ever shown standing around!

Unlike Keitaro from Faiz who, though he does genuinely care, he doesn't seem to use proper method to just spoil kids.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The model isn't that important, at the end of the day! Hiroki says so himself! What he's really upset about is how his dad buying the wrong thing suggests he's not listening to what he says all that closely, and with his mom taking his dad's side over his, he feels like his parents don't care that much about him at all. He offers the fact his mom was willing to let him stay somewhere other than home despite the danger he's in as further evidence of their apathy, which Haruto responds to by showing Hiroki the mountain of concerned text messages about Hiroki he's received from his mother, and pointing out that she trusted Haruto with Hiroki because Haruto is someone she knows, who has the power to protect him. Haruto also tells Hiroki that no parent doesn't care about their child, which might come off as a platitude, but the important thing to note is that it's a platitude out of Haruto's mouth, in this story that shows us his parents worrying only about their son even as their own lives faded away. The value of the line isn't only the text itself, but how it speaks to the strong feelings Haruto has on this subject based on his own experiences. Of course that'd be Haruto's perspective on the matter, and, of course, because saving Gates is more than just blowing up a Phantom, through this conversation, he's able to help Hiroki realize he needs to communicate the actual reasons he's mad, even offering to help him talk to his mother tomorrow.

While Haruto has his own experiences, and that this doesn't really apply on Mikiko, yeah, I don't agree with the statement that no parent doesn't care about their child. Roles like parent shouldn't be put on a pedestal where many can just deny if the parent is being outright toxic or abusive, always enabling all of their actions, that parents can never be in the wrong, and blaming the child all the time. And Kamen Rider is a franchise where often, the dad is the archnemesis.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

What has even less precedent is that, in the biggest shock of them all, Wizard is helpless against Phoenix. The fight begins with the two of them engaging in straightforward swordplay, and immediately, Phoenix is beating Haruto at his own game, with Wizard's usual finesse being no match for the raw power of Phoenix's blade. (Which is appropriately named "Catastrophe", by the way, though that's another name you won't ever hear in dialogue.) There's a quick shot that exemplifies the situation, where Wizard narrowly ducks under a swing, only to look back and see the tree behind him was cleaved clean apart. And then, right after that shot, there's another beat that further exemplifies the situation, where Phoenix hits Wizard's leg as he goes to do one of his usual cool flips, resulting in him falling on his back. Then, just in case it's not clear how bad this is going to end for Wizard, he tries busting out an early finishing move -- the classic tokusatsu warning flag for a hero about to lose. There's a sword-wielding fighter with the power of flames who's going to win this battle, and for the first time, it won't be Haruto.

It doesn't take someone hypercompetent like Haruto to dominate mooks. Even untransformed Riders commonly beat up mooks, albeit doesn't really put them down. Not as much of a surprise for me.

[Sh Ranger]

Welcome back from your sudden hiatus!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Episode 8 -- "A New Magic Stone"

Haruto also tells Hiroki that no parent doesn't care about their child, which might come off as a platitude, but the important thing to note is that it's a platitude out of Haruto's mouth, in this story that shows us his parents worrying only about their son even as their own lives faded away. The value of the line isn't only the text itself, but how it speaks to the strong feelings Haruto has on this subject based on his own experiences. Of course that'd be Haruto's perspective on the matter, and, of course, because saving Gates is more than just blowing up a Phantom, through this conversation, he's able to help Hiroki realize he needs to communicate the actual reasons he's mad, even offering to help him talk to his mother tomorrow.

I think the truth behind that platitude is that being a parent doesn't mean you care for your child, but rather, caring for your child means you're a parent. Just that sometimes, parents, people in general actually, can suck at expressing in words that they care, as Mikiko feels like she can tell Haruto but not Hiroki directly. Same goes for Hiroki, who like a typical pouty child (which he is, so fair enough) gets upset about the unfairness of not being heard without honestly calling out his parents so they can know where they went wrong. Their relationship is broken right now, but Haruto knows it can be fixed and they just have to respect each other's feelings.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I appreciate the theatricality, naturally. Again, up to this point, Phantom talking scenes have all been set in various urban locations, basically any room or corner where people won't notice, so there's a strong contrast even just from that. Makes it more of an occasion that we're finally seeing the big boss for him to have this more elaborate dedicated space all to himself.

Komura sure is known for her main villains chilling out while their minions do all the work. I agree that the spooky cave lair makes Wiseman look like a big deal though, kind of like the authoritative image of a Shogun with the distance he puts between himself and Phoenix and Medusa, conveying the impersonal dynamic they have in a quick and effective way.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

All the chatter was no doubt a bit much for some people, especially back when there was less precedent for it, but, if I was ever opposed to the idea to begin with, I can say for sure the end of this episode made me love those sounds. The beat I always remembered most from this fight is Wizard fruitlessly using the Defend Ring with Land Style, in yet another tactic that worked better against an earlier opponent. (Phoenix is going on more of a rampage than the show's literal bull monster.) There are three uses of the Ring right in a row, and I honestly think the repetition of the sound is critical to the sheer sense of dread it evokes for Phoenix to smash down the walls like they're nothing. Because with sounds that call *that* much attention to themselves, how could they be nothing? It feels viscerally wrong for Wizard to be busting out this many noisy powers this quickly and somehow not accomplishing a thing.

I love WizarDriver's sounds as well! I can hear that little techno whistle effect even now. Adding to your comment on the dramatic effect of Wizard desperately spamming Defend against Phoenix, each of those "Luppachi Magic" sounds also signal a loss of mana, reminding us that Wizard cannot fight indefinitely. So even in the miraculous event that he somehow managed to get the upper hand on Phoenix in this fight, he'd still be screwed once he runs out! Phoenix on the other hand, like his namesake, is perpetual. He can just keep going as far as his will to fight and that stamina gap really shows the one-sided nature of this fight. Wizard is no longer fighting to win at this point, he has no plan, no confidence, he's literally just trying to survive.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Episode 9 -- "The Dragon's Cry"

Wait, did I say this scene was "like" a nightmare? I meant it actually *is* one, as Haruto is shown waking up at this point. It's obvious something is strange by the time all the guest characters are, you know, dying, but the strength of this misdirection is that it takes that long for it to become obvious to begin with. The specific progression of scenes is especially masterful. The last we see of Haruto before this is him falling asleep, but because there's that scene in reality sandwiched in the middle where Phoenix promises to go do exactly what Haruto dreams of, it sneakily creates the impression that the Phoenix/Medusa scene is the one being followed up on.

For sure, it's one of the cruelest nightmare sequences I can recall. Even on a rewatch, I think it caught me off guard for how suddenly it escalated. Despite being a nightmare, I'm sure we can all agree that the merciless Phoenix conjured by Haruto's mind is portrayed realistically here, being willing, eager even, to attack people at their most defenseless, all in front of a kid who's helpless to do anything else but despair. Phantoms are some of the most depraved villains in Rider and among them, Phoenix is one of the most severe examples of how irredeemably terrible they can be.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The gravity of the situation has Hiroki reflecting on his earlier behavior, now believing this whole mess is his fault for saying he'd be better off without them around. In a nice touch, you can actually see Shunpei reacting to this before anyone, taking a few steps towards Hiroki, only to quickly stop when Haruto suddenly and aggressively snaps that Hiroki is wrong to blame himself. He tries to reassure Hiroki that his parents aren't gone yet and that he can't give up now, but Haruto is making this argument with such raw intensity that it becomes very clear he's mostly talking directly to himself, as he tries desperately to hold it all together. It's an added layer of subtext that can only come across so strongly because the lines between Haruto's past and present have become so blurred in this moment. There's the immediate situation with Phoenix he's talking about, but it's so much deeper than that. When Haruto tells a young boy he can't give up hope because his parents placed their hopes in him, I have to wonder how many other times throughout his life Haruto has told himself those exact words to find the motivation to push on when it seemed impossible. They may well have been what got him through that eclipse, even.

Oh, I absolutely believe Haruto's first traumatic backstory helped him survive his second traumatic backstory! It's grim to think that if he hadn't vowed to become the Final Hope for the parents he lost that night, he wouldn't have had gained the strength of will to overcome the Sabbat. In other words, his parents kind of became the Final Hope for him as well, his memory of their courage and hope in the face of certain death being the power driving him to hold on until the very end. Him snapping at Hiroki is just like how he did to Manami in the previous arc, it's a clear sign that somebody's dispondant words has hit Haruto in a vulnerable place in his heart. He can't stand seeing people give up on themselves when he's still around, fighting to keep them going even in a situation where he's also losing, but fighting nevertheless.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The hero falling in a body of water and 2 broken benches in the same episode. I suspect that Inoue Toshiki edited Komura's script when she wasn't looking.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Twice in a row, so you can't miss it, Haruto calls despair hope, which is essentially the whole point of this episode. Wizard isn't a hero who simply creates hope, but rather, as the opening narration always says, one who changes despair *into* hope. As such, I can't imagine a more fitting backstory for Haruto than suffering such a tragic loss and choosing to remember the love more than the pain. It's finding light by looking *inside* the darkness, and right back to the eclipse, that's also the raw essence of Wizard -- taking a situation that could crush him and making it an ally. That's why he isn't scared by Dragon. There are a few layers to Dragon's warning, but the most important thematically is the simple fact that directly using his power means relying on a Phantom, and a Phantom's power *is* despair itself. But that doesn't matter to Haruto, because as his Underworld exemplifies, the closer he is to despair, the closer he is to hope. He'll just make Dragon an ally too, and use that power to continue showing other Gates on the precipice of despair the same thing he learned when he too was at a point in his life where he couldn't imagine going on any longer -- if you only hold on to hope, what seems like the ending is just the beginning.

Hope isn't something you can just create after all. I mentioned before that despair is what gives meaning to hope. It's the power to believe in an uncertain outcome and the will to fight for it against overwhelming odds. Haruto's hope shines brightest when he's pushed to the cusp of despair. His parents' deaths gave him the hope to become strong for the sake of others. The Sabbat gave him the hope to become Wizard. The Dragon within him is merely another stepping stone towards Haruto's hope and Haruto's dialogue shows that he's totally aware of that nuanced symbiosis between hope and despair in a way that Dragon, despair incarnate, can't even refute. It's a clever spin on the recurring Rider theme of using the power of evil for the sake of good.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Not like I can focus on that stuff when I can be focusing on Flame Dragon, though. Putting aside the surrounding drama for a moment, the design is doing basically everything right to look like an evolved Flame Style. The robe now being a bright red makes it more ostentatious (which means more heroic). The shoulders are bigger (which means more powerful). Their size makes room for big red gemstones, which balances out the loss of the the previous design for the chest, which now has the stones more subtly incorporated into the new defining feature of a dragon face worked into the outfit. The dragon theme is also present in the new helmet, with very dynamically shaped "eyebrows" that go nicely with the added sharp angles of the robe. I'm pretty sure the awesomeness of Flame Dragon is thus objectively observable, but I must admit how biased my own opinion is when the strong narrative context it debuts in makes the suit next to impossible to dislike.

Reminds me of Faiz Blaster with how the Photon Blood spills out on the suit. Wizard Flame Style was already red, but Flame Dragon is redder, a simple and effective change to show that his magic has just upgraded from Fire to Firaga, if you get that reference. I think the Dragon forms are a cool improvement on the concept of Kuuga's Rising forms, with Wizard being able to manifest parts of Dragon's physical body outside of the Underworld, which is awesome as hell! There something else I enjoy about these forms, but I can't bring that up yet, since Flame Dragon is an outlier. It's Special, if you get what I mean.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

But then, if I keep worrying about every last thing I haven't said, or could've said better, I'm never going to get around to the most important thing I've neglected to mention until now -- this is my favorite Wizard two-parter, and 9 in particular is an eternal god-tier favorite among the hundreds of Rider episodes I've seen. Might explain the extra enthusiasm!

Episode 9's climax even made it in to Battride War as Wizard's iconic boss fight. Totally a good pick for your favorite! I guess that's why you took so long to get to this one, like you wanted to phrase everything just right to express why you appreciate it so much and yeah, I think you made a lot of excellent points that many Wizard critics overlook. It's the first arc to seriously delve in to Haruto as a character and build a strong emotional connection to the viewer. I liked him before this arc of course, but even more after understanding his experience and motivation for protecting hope.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Like polishing a gemstone, they help bring out the beauty of the whole series.

Fitting that you would use this simile, as I recently started my rewatch of Kiramager, another show about magic and stones. I'll have thoughts to share about that later in the Sentai watch thread.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Wonder if red and white is a reference to Indonesia's national flag.

Good observation!

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

And Kamen Rider is a franchise where often, the dad is the archnemesis.

And sometimes, a villainous father in Rider can be an example of someone who commits evil deeds out of unhealthy love for his kid. It's not just about caring for your child, but the way you care is also important.

[Fish Sandwich]

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Originally Posted by Androzani84

Wow, that was a long review. Almost makes me feel like I?m making this post shorter as a response.

I, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, almost feel like I made that post so long as a response to my original attempt at conveying my strong opinions on the episode being so tiny.

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

It doesn't take someone hypercompetent like Haruto to dominate mooks. Even untransformed Riders commonly beat up mooks, albeit doesn't really put them down. Not as much of a surprise for me.

I think that's sort of the beauty of that first fight in 8, actually. It's one of the easiest fights we've seen Wizard have, which makes the contrast with his hardest fight yet that much more drastic. As I tried to highlight in that post, too, though, while the previous episodes create drama in other ways, none of the previous monsters of the week were much of a direct threat to Wizard in a head-on fight either, which is the real distinction of Phoenix. He immediately changes the question from "can Wizard save the Gate this week?" to "can Wizard save himself this week?"

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Welcome back from your sudden hiatus!

Thank you! Hopefully this was worth the wait!

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I think the truth behind that platitude is that being a parent doesn't mean you care for your child, but rather, caring for your child means you're a parent.

That's a really nice way of looking at it, for sure.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I agree that the spooky cave lair makes Wiseman look like a big deal though, kind of like the authoritative image of a Shogun with the distance he puts between himself and Phoenix and Medusa, conveying the impersonal dynamic they have in a quick and effective way.

This is also a really interesting point to make about the immediate impression it gives having the boss being physically separated from his subordinates by the curtain and everything.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Wizard Flame Style was already red, but Flame Dragon is redder, a simple and effective change to show that his magic has just upgraded from Fire to Firaga, if you get that reference.

I have most certainly played an RPG or two in my life! That's actually another one of those little personal things that made this show appealing to me right away. I generally find in those sorts of games that magic-focused characters are the most fun to play, so it sounds about right I'd end up thinking the magic-focused Rider was one of the most fun to watch too.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Totally a good pick for your favorite! I guess that's why you took so long to get to this one, like you wanted to phrase everything just right to express why you appreciate it so much and yeah, I think you made a lot of excellent points that many Wizard critics overlook.

I appreciate the praise, because, yes, that is absolutely a lot of the reason it took like a quarter of a year(!) just for these two episodes. I didn't intend the gap to be that long, obviously. It was a few different things all piling up in a way I didn't expect.

One -- I maybe started the thread too early? My goal was to have 1-9 already written by the time the first post went up. I wanted to guarantee I could at least have that nice chunk of episodes ready to go, but I was also enamored with the idea of starting a thread where I talk about why I love Wizard on Christmas, for reasons I originally thought I might even be explaining by Christmas, long before I actually started writing and realized how detailed I wanted to make/couldn't help making these things.

Two -- Stuff going on outside the thread that demanded my attention. Maybe the endpoint of my journey with Kamen Rider will one day turn out to be life as a sagely hermit in some remote temple where I spend all my time meditating on the meaning of tokusatsu shows and passing down my wisdom to those devout few pupils who seek my teachings, but until such a time, I unfortunately can't actually crank these things out 24/7.

Three -- Stuff outside the thread I just wanted to avoid putting on the back-burner, because despite the arrogant fantasy I just described, I'm hardly out here trying to purge myself of worldly desires or anything. Sure, one of the things I've been putting above writing about Wizard right now is writing about Gavv each week, but because I don't want to burn myself out on this, I've been making it a point not to totally put all my other hobbies on hold while I'm doing this.

Four -- Turns out it really isn't easy for me to put how I feel about Wizard into words! Heck, even the reasons I can't put it into words are hard to put into words! Maybe it would help to describe it in context of something else I have strong feelings about. Like, maybe another character I like way too much? Maybe some other magic-themed tokusatsu hero out there besides Wizard who also has a dragon motif and in-character experience as a gravure model? You might think there wouldn't be two favorites of mine who both meet that weirdly specific criteria, but you'd be seriously wrong if you did!



So, I spent an entire year in all the Zenkaiger episode threads trying and failing to describe why I love Magine, and every time, it just made me feel like a poser or something? Whatever I'd write would end up coming off to me as way too surface-level, gesturing at the what without explaining the why, as if those reasons aren't the whole motivation of writing it to begin with. I can even shoehorn Magine into an unrelated topic years later just for the sake of it, and only I'll understand what good it actually does mentioning her here!

And after managing to make my way this far into talking about Wizard, I think I finally understand the issue -- it's not that I don't actually have those deep feelings, it's that they're *so* deep they literally don't exist within me in the form of language.

It always seemed paradoxical to me that I could have opinions so strong they become harder to get written down, but now I see the logic of it. My thoughts on a show I like as much as Wizard are just like, a soup of ideas swirling together without clear boundaries, and the process of writing about it, it's like trying to reach into that soup to pull out something solid. To give those ideas form and order where they previously had none, because none was needed.

One of the things that most motivates me to do big projects like this is that they always end up being a huge learning experience for me, and just in these nine episodes, I've already learned a lot. When I wrote about the first episode, I learned I can in fact still do this if I put my mind to it. When I wrote about the second episode, I learned "oh... they're all going to be at least this long, aren't they?" Writing about the eighth and ninth episodes, I learned to identify with Haruto's first great challenge in a new way, as the process itself became a challenge for me. Writing about the tenth and eleventh episodes, it's my hope to learn how to not repeatedly spend entire half hours on single sentences.

That being said, I'm not sweating it as much this time if I do, because I've also learned that it'll come together eventually, and that the way I'm writing these posts is the only way I want to write them. So the pacing of this thread may continue to be quite spotty, but like, where else are you going to read discussion on Wizard so in-depth it'll even inadvertently teach you where the Gozyugers are dancing in their opening every week? (Because if there is somewhere else, please tell me! That sounds like a cool place I wanna know about!)

[Kamen Rider Die]

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Hopefully this was worth the wait!

Friend, you are very good at what you do, and I think we could all stand to tell that you with both greater frequency and greater clarity.

[DreadBringer]

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Episode 9 -- "The Dragon's Cry"

To give Phoenix the credit he's due, however, it's not at all an unreasonable assumption in this case that Haruto is a goner. Wizard exploded like any common monster of the week after going under, for one thing, and the first we see of Haruto here, he's still completely submerged, and unconscious at that. He probably *would've* been done for... if he hadn't been woken up by the Dragon's cry, giving him the strength to get moving again. (The episode title being no less literal than last time, while also working great in that more broad and cool poetic way.) It's the kind of cold open I'm a big fan of, clocking in at a relatively brisk minute and a half, and (re)establishing most of the major story elements in a way that carries forward the momentum built by the previous cliffhanger to keep mounting the tension. A quick scene of Hiroki uses typically strong visual storytelling to emphasize the stakes, with a closing door at the hospital symbolically separating him from his mother, as Mikiko is rushed into the operating room. Meanwhile, as Rinko helps Haruto back onto dry land, that moment with Dragon hints towards how Wizard may be able to turn things around before that separation becomes permanent.

I feel only Ryuki had the explosions actually being deliberately exploited. Where Kitaoka had Goro fake Zolda's death by having Magnugiga fire at Ryuki's Strike Vent attack so it causes a bigger explosion and as if Ryuki hit Zolda and destroy him like MOTWs.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

And, as if it wasn't clear enough how much Phoenix is breaking this family apart, the first scene after the opening has him entering the Itou household by gratuitously smashing a window with his bare hands, before leaping onto their coffee table, crushing that NAKKER the ONE box under his foot in the process, which is surely as heinous an act as anything else he's done in these episodes. It seems almost like a victory lap, with Phoenix and Medusa both chilling on the furniture of their latest victims (it's seriously pretty messed up if you think about it!), but this is only a short intermission, which Medusa is quick to remind Phoenix of as she hands him an unseen photo off a nearby shelf.

It is rather expected for villains not to really care if they vandalize something, like crushing something under their boot. Ofc they won't care if they won't care about taking others' lives either. But this'd be something I question about non-villains if they, for example, don't take their shoes off at a place they should (e.g. Yuusuke laying in a bad with shoes on). And in reverse, it's rather mildly surprising that even someone like Beroba agrees to take off her boots in Keiwa's house. This is my first time watching Wizard, but I wonder if Medusa can also get something similar to Phoenix here, putting her sandals on something that footwear shouldn't be in.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

This means Hiroki's father, who was on his way to the hospital, is in danger too, and with that family photo from earlier for reference, Phoenix is able to intercept his car on the way there, casually kicking it off the road in a nice little practical car stunt. It's nice *as* a stunt, anyway. There's obviously nothing nice at all about the sadistic way Phoenix delights in having another excuse to let off some steam.

It's given that Phoenixes would slap away vehicles, like Kamen Rider Odin and Phoenix Phantom.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Haruto takes the opportunity to play possum for a moment and surprise Phoenix with a quick burst of shots from his gun, which definitely highlights how desperate he is. Even saying he was playing possum is maybe a stretch when the pain and exhaustion are definitely no lie. Wizard can't touch Phoenix, and he already knows that, so he instead chooses to take the miniscule window he's created and busts out the Extend Ring to grab Hiroki's dad and fly out of there. He still makes sure to leave Phoenix with a sarcastic goodbye, but that's the most style Haruto can muster. He's saved a life with this intervention, but it's a short-term victory with Phoenix still out there.

Unfortunately, monsters aren't necessarily like KRs where KRs can have weak spots in their belts. Guess this plays into the underdog stuff usually given to heroes, even though not often that the Riders target the belts (in case of likely playing possum, the other Phoenix got killed this way in Knight stabbing Odin's Deck). I wonder what'd you expect for characters other than Haruto in this situation if they'd escape (which some people'd call cowardly; I disagree but still), or they'd keep fighting until they're killed (as Haruto seems to be the more level-headed one).

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Even more than has already been the case throughout these episodes, Phoenix gets extremely physical in this scene. Within moments, Phoenix viciously throws Hiroki to the ground, and when Haruto comes dashing in to stop him, Phoenix kicks him into the wall outside the room with enough force to put a huge hole in it. The show also leaves just enough to the imagination to make the things you *don't* explicitly see even worse? There's a shot from Haruto's perspective outside the room where Phoenix grabs the end of the bed Mikiko is laying in, which means you can't actually see Mikiko herself, but you *can* see Phoenix casually jerk the entire bed onto its side with one hand, and it's just like... the fact that the connecting tissue between that action and the next shot of Mikiko on the floor is something I end up creating in my head makes me feel almost complicit in the violence? Which makes it feel that much more viscerally gross, which is perfect for the scene. This *should* all feel disturbing, especially when Phoenix picks up both parents by their necks, says his own sarcastic goodbye, and the next two shots are of Haruto and Hiroki reacting in horror as two vague snapping sounds are heard, after which Mikiko's body is shown slumping onto the ground right before her child's eyes. It's all technically done through mere implication, but implications that clear are no less terrifying.

Outside of this being a nightmare that is relevant to the current situation, something to emphasize about how much a bastard a villain is, power imbalance, where here, they attack those in helpless position, the ones injured on a hospital (or brutalizing those that are already dead, sinking life boats, etc.). The oppression and submission to power points would be stronger by having a villain do this, but for the opposite, if a villain performs a cruelty towards someone that'd be beneficial to do so (e.g. other villains), the audience can think they're doing a good deed or being "redeemed" by doing that.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The gravity of the situation has Hiroki reflecting on his earlier behavior, now believing this whole mess is his fault for saying he'd be better off without them around. In a nice touch, you can actually see Shunpei reacting to this before anyone, taking a few steps towards Hiroki, only to quickly stop when Haruto suddenly and aggressively snaps that Hiroki is wrong to blame himself. He tries to reassure Hiroki that his parents aren't gone yet and that he can't give up now, but Haruto is making this argument with such raw intensity that it becomes very clear he's mostly talking directly to himself, as he tries desperately to hold it all together. It's an added layer of subtext that can only come across so strongly because the lines between Haruto's past and present have become so blurred in this moment. There's the immediate situation with Phoenix he's talking about, but it's so much deeper than that. When Haruto tells a young boy he can't give up hope because his parents placed their hopes in him, I have to wonder how many other times throughout his life Haruto has told himself those exact words to find the motivation to push on when it seemed impossible. They may well have been what got him through that eclipse, even.

Shunpei just doesn't have the capabilities of using magic, but Shunpei's moral code is similar to the main Riders, so he'd intervene to help Hiroki if he thinks he can. Unfortunately, like Keitaro, he's the one that isn't given the belt in their series. The reason why I specifically question him about his earlier behavior towards Haruto.

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Haruto admits his fear to Rinko, and he admits how much more personal that fear is than just wanting to see Hiroki's family safe. He admits that he's scared of having to watch *anyone* die right before his eyes, and he admits how overwhelming that fear is. The episode has already done a more than adequate job demonstrating all this to the audience, so the significance of this dialogue is specifically that Haruto allows himself to open up to somebody to this degree. He's plainly stating the way he feels deep down, which might give the impression of basic exposition at a glance, but I think a lot of people know all too well that actually speaking those kinds of thoughts out loud can be a struggle on par with the toughest of monsters. It's a powerful moment, partly because the lines themselves are beautifully written, and partly because the direction is so excellent, but also just because of what a contrast it is to the character Haruto has been so far. He lets go of any pretense of still knowing how to move forward, and instead turns to Rinko to ask if she has any ideas. She doesn't know either, but in the middle of that hopeless scenario, Koyomi arrives bearing the completed ring Wajima made from the new stone.

This is still an early part of the show, though I guess I'd want to see more of Haruto's allies' reaction, other than Koyomi who already know Wizard better, to find out that the Wizard who gave them hope and seemed to be all-capable is also vulnerable and won't be able to solve all problems either. The struggle is also about how Haruto is alone in dealing with Phantom stuff, his other allies won't know much about it, and they can't help. Something I can feel too, if I'm the only one who can do something, where everyone around me can't, and I need urgent tips. Though dunno if Haruto could've approached Koyomi first regarding this, albeit perhaps, Koyomi can discourage Haruto from intervening which also wouldn't help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Twice in a row, so you can't miss it, Haruto calls despair hope, which is essentially the whole point of this episode. Wizard isn't a hero who simply creates hope, but rather, as the opening narration always says, one who changes despair *into* hope. As such, I can't imagine a more fitting backstory for Haruto than suffering such a tragic loss and choosing to remember the love more than the pain. It's finding light by looking *inside* the darkness, and right back to the eclipse, that's also the raw essence of Wizard -- taking a situation that could crush him and making it an ally. That's why he isn't scared by Dragon. There are a few layers to Dragon's warning, but the most important thematically is the simple fact that directly using his power means relying on a Phantom, and a Phantom's power *is* despair itself. But that doesn't matter to Haruto, because as his Underworld exemplifies, the closer he is to despair, the closer he is to hope. He'll just make Dragon an ally too, and use that power to continue showing other Gates on the precipice of despair the same thing he learned when he too was at a point in his life where he couldn't imagine going on any longer -- if you only hold on to hope, what seems like the ending is just the beginning.

While this highlights Haruto's courage, to bravely accept the power despite the risks the WizarDragon warned him, perhaps the reason why this may not be as impactful to some people is because, guess Haruto still feels rather passive/reactive dealing with this, that the despair and risk talk feels more empty/vague at this point, rather than it being immediate, and it still feels that it's just easy to be hopeful if you clearly have better power at this point. His nightmare and fear before was a powerful scene, regardless, though. Dunno if it'd be more impactful to others, if, like Ryuki, where the mon is shown to be an actual threat to the Rider, as the risk, like Dragreder trying to eat Shinji prior, which'd be something surface level.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

So like, I'm always just foaming at the mouth with raw excitement by this point, no matter how many times I watch this scene. Wizard even does the classic Shinken Red behind-the-back block against Phoenix's sword! (The coolest way to block something!) I could point out how that's another strong reminder of the staff's roots and all, but that almost feels like missing the point? You don't need a lick of external context to understand the immense satisfaction of seeing Wizard smack Phoenix around without ever taking a single hit in return. Nor do you need it to enjoy the delicious irony of another reversal, as while in episode 8, Phoenix's flames burned too hot for Wizard, here, Haruto finds the use of the Special Ring from way back at the start of that episode, which works with the new form to give Wizard a Dragon head coming out of his torso that roasts Phoenix until he explodes, ending a spectacular action sequence in spectacular fashion.

The Dragon Styles are the Wizard's take of Kuuga's Rising styles, also with 4 main forms before. Phoenix has only tasted the mere head, the Drago Skull, of WizarDragon at this point.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I think the truth behind that platitude is that being a parent doesn't mean you care for your child, but rather, caring for your child means you're a parent. Just that sometimes, parents, people in general actually, can suck at expressing in words that they care, as Mikiko feels like she can tell Haruto but not Hiroki directly. Same goes for Hiroki, who like a typical pouty child (which he is, so fair enough) gets upset about the unfairness of not being heard without honestly calling out his parents so they can know where they went wrong. Their relationship is broken right now, but Haruto knows it can be fixed and they just have to respect each other's feelings.

While I'm not into how it seems that all kids are portrayed as pouty ones in toku, I do have a similar situation in Hiroki, even until growing up, that I never felt that I was being heard or being allowed to call out my parents honestly. If I continue, I'd be dismissed as escalating things to a complicated level, and that it's a bad habit, or that my head needs to get checked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

For sure, it's one of the cruelest nightmare sequences I can recall. Even on a rewatch, I think it caught me off guard for how suddenly it escalated. Despite being a nightmare, I'm sure we can all agree that the merciless Phoenix conjured by Haruto's mind is portrayed realistically here, being willing, eager even, to attack people at their most defenseless, all in front of a kid who's helpless to do anything else but despair. Phantoms are some of the most depraved villains in Rider and among them, Phoenix is one of the most severe examples of how irredeemably terrible they can be.

Phoenix is indeed one of those that got approved as pure evil/complete monster, on a similar level of depravity as those like Asakura or Evolt. Though maybe for the fanbase, while this can be right, no villains come close to be as depraved as the Stomachs in Gavv. My point is, they'd think people like Banno are far tamer compared to them, and even spoke highly of the Sonozaki family (as genuinely loving or such) when bringing them up. I mean, yeah, the Stomachs have been successfully running their villainy for a long time, so their bodycounts are second to none, while these kinds like Phoenix are still starting their goal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Episode 9's climax even made it in to Battride War as Wizard's iconic boss fight. Totally a good pick for your favorite! I guess that's why you took so long to get to this one, like you wanted to phrase everything just right to express why you appreciate it so much and yeah, I think you made a lot of excellent points that many Wizard critics overlook. It's the first arc to seriously delve in to Haruto as a character and build a strong emotional connection to the viewer. I liked him before this arc of course, but even more after understanding his experience and motivation for protecting hope.

I don't know if I'd be a killjoy for this, though I guess I'd think the MOTW stuff in Wizard is neither better or worse than the other shows like W or OOO. As I said in Die's OOO thread, I feel any MOTW stuff (and I guess, Haruto's characterization is also related to MOTW stuff) is just overlooked by the fanbase, be it positive or negative. It can seem that, though maybe understandable but that it can be unfair, shows only need to be entertaining to be watched; you would defend those, but I see that often in shows that aren't as well-regarded, people find several characters/their acting in said show annoying, which turns them off from the show, while Den-O is an example where its fans consistently acknowledge its obvious flaws, but the character's acting makes up for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

And sometimes, a villainous father in Rider can be an example of someone who commits evil deeds out of unhealthy love for his kid. It's not just about caring for your child, but the way you care is also important.

And often people insist that by this, the child just misunderstood their parents, so they're in the wrong, and have to make amends and be grateful to their parents' expression of love, the parents can't be in the wrong for actually caring for them. About bullies being justified for "it means they like you" stuff, it can and often happens to parents too.

[DreamSword]

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Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

The episode also goes from peak Rinko to peak Shunpei right after that, as the establishing shot of the police station makes explicit that Hiroki's outfit being so similar to Shunpei's is anything but an accident.

>implying that Shunpei isn't always peak.



I love the implications that this moment has for Ryu.

Anyway, one thing I've always loved about Shunpei in this show is how great he is at dispelling tension. And goes for both in and out of universe. He really shows his stuff here with the kid, and his ability to take care of the Gates and his constant attempts at keeping everyone in high spirits really do help to make him endearing to me.

But, admittedly, the star of the show when it came to this two-parter was Phoenix. I always felt he made a great foil to Haruto, and these episodes showcase some reasons as to why. He has no style, he has no grace, and I bet bro can't even make a funny face. Whereas Haruto fights for the hope and happiness of others, Phoenix fights solely for his own, and at the cost of others too. And that's even getting into the very forceful yet cool ways he utilizes his own fire magic as opposed to how Wizard does.

While I'm sad to say I wasn't nearly as emotionally invested in these episodes as you were, seeing Phoenix and Haruto go at it was more than enough for me, so I'm overall satisfied.

[Fish Sandwich]

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Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

Friend, you are very good at what you do, and I think we could all stand to tell that you with both greater frequency and greater clarity.

I appreciate the sentiment!

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Originally Posted by DreadBringer

I feel only Ryuki had the explosions actually being deliberately exploited.

Well, Hellhound deliberately exploited an explosion to fake his death back in the second episode, so at the very least, Wizard can go on that list too.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

While I'm sad to say I wasn't nearly as emotionally invested in these episodes as you were, seeing Phoenix and Haruto go at it was more than enough for me, so I'm overall satisfied.

I certainly don't want to downplay how much these ones satisfy just on that basic pro-wrestling kinda level! The emotional investment is something that's grown over time, but the initial spark was absolutely just how insanely cool and tough Phoenix is here. I ended up writing more about the stuff going on under the surface, but the actual physical conflict between Wizard and Phoenix had me completely on the edge of my seat, and it's from there that I was able to start really connecting with Haruto. Obviously as a viewer, I'm more excited than terrified about the whole thing, but despite knowing Wizard is obviously going to win eventually, the way it's all portrayed is so effective that even *I* was doubting his chances going into episode 9.

Obviously I've put way more thought into what I like about this story over the years, but the whole turnaround factor of the fights is one of the most immediately powerful things about it, and a big reason I call it a "definitive" power-up story. It's stupidly entertaining watching Phoenix stomp all over Wizard, and that makes it that much more entertaining when it inevitably becomes Wizard's turn to stomp all over Phoenix.

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

I have most certainly played an RPG or two in my life! That's actually another one of those little personal things that made this show appealing to me right away. I generally find in those sorts of games that magic-focused characters are the most fun to play, so it sounds about right I'd end up thinking the magic-focused Rider was one of the most fun to watch too.

Fitting that his default undersuit is black, being a black mage and all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Two -- Stuff going on outside the thread that demanded my attention. Maybe the endpoint of my journey with Kamen Rider will one day turn out to be life as a sagely hermit in some remote temple where I spend all my time meditating on the meaning of tokusatsu shows and passing down my wisdom to those devout few pupils who seek my teachings, but until such a time, I unfortunately can't actually crank these things out 24/7.

A worthy ambition!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Three -- Stuff outside the thread I just wanted to avoid putting on the back-burner, because despite the arrogant fantasy I just described, I'm hardly out here trying to purge myself of worldly desires or anything. Sure, one of the things I've been putting above writing about Wizard right now is writing about Gavv each week, but because I don't want to burn myself out on this, I've been making it a point not to totally put all my other hobbies on hold while I'm doing this.

I guess your focus on Wizard and other hobbies is also the reason why you haven't been responding much to replies in the Gavv threads like you normally would?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

One of the things that most motivates me to do big projects like this is that they always end up being a huge learning experience for me, and just in these nine episodes, I've already learned a lot. When I wrote about the first episode, I learned I can in fact still do this if I put my mind to it. When I wrote about the second episode, I learned "oh... they're all going to be at least this long, aren't they?" Writing about the eighth and ninth episodes, I learned to identify with Haruto's first great challenge in a new way, as the process itself became a challenge for me. Writing about the tenth and eleventh episodes, it's my hope to learn how to not repeatedly spend entire half hours on single sentences.

I think just trying to talk or write about anything is a good way to understand our opinions beyond the surface level. Ideas are a soup, like you say, so words are a spoon to interact with it. Seems like it's easier to criticize than commend and yet, criticism, no matter how coherent and constructive, can't really improve a show, since it's too late, it already happened. However, for an underrated show such as Wizard, this thread has potential to persuade others that it's actually a lot more awesome than they previously thought. If you're able to persuade yourself of that as well by putting those ideas in to words, then that makes the effort even more worthwhile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

Though maybe for the fanbase, while this can be right, no villains come close to be as depraved as the Stomachs in Gavv.

Personally, I'd say the most depraved is still Kureshima Mitsuzane.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadBringer

I don't know if I'd be a killjoy for this, though I guess I'd think the MOTW stuff in Wizard is neither better or worse than the other shows like W or OOO. As I said in Die's OOO thread, I feel any MOTW stuff (and I guess, Haruto's characterization is also related to MOTW stuff) is just overlooked by the fanbase, be it positive or negative. It can seem that, though maybe understandable but that it can be unfair, shows only need to be entertaining to be watched; you would defend those, but I see that often in shows that aren't as well-regarded, people find several characters/their acting in said show annoying, which turns them off from the show, while Den-O is an example where its fans consistently acknowledge its obvious flaws, but the character's acting makes up for it.

Bad acting can break suspension of disbelief, so yeah, even if the plot and characters sound good in concept, I can totally understand that some people will dislike them if the execution is too poor. Of course, what counts as bad acting is subjective. A lot of people hated on Gotchard due to Motojima and Matsumoto, but I enjoyed their performance since the start and thought they constantly improved, especially seeing Matsumoto portray various personalities in the Hyper Battle and Class 3-G special.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Fitting that his default undersuit is black, being a black mage and all.

Are we sure Haruto isn't more of a Red Mage? They usually have the best fashion sense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I guess your focus on Wizard and other hobbies is also the reason why you haven't been responding much to replies in the Gavv threads like you normally would?

Yeah. I've been consciously making it a point to generally just say my little blurb about Gavv each week and be done with it so as not to overwhelm myself too much, even before starting this thread. I've basically been treating the whole process of being back on the forum like it's physical therapy for a busted ankle or something -- you don't put all your weight back on it right away.

I think it's been a pretty successful approach so far. I was a little hesitant even to commit to writing about Gavv at first, but after month or two, it became a comfortable enough rhythm, and without that bit of regular exercise, I highly doubt I'd have been ready to make this thread at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

However, for an underrated show such as Wizard, this thread has potential to persuade others that it's actually a lot more awesome than they previously thought. If you're able to persuade yourself of that as well by putting those ideas in to words, then that makes the effort even more worthwhile.

Sometimes that part almost goes *too* well! I rewatch 8 and 9, thinking most of what I write will be entirely personal fun anecdotes. You know, about stuff like how, for example, I was shocked to much later find out such an important story wasn't even written by the "main" writer, and how that was what made me start paying attention to Koumura, so every time since she gets a main writer gig on some obviously amazing series that's also way up my alley, it always makes me think to back to these two episodes of Wizard, which is another reason they stick with me so much. Like, it's not just a coincidence that Gavv was the Rider show on the air when I decided to do this.

But then I get done rewatching the episodes, and I quickly realize what I'm *actually* going to be talking about the whole time is visual storytelling again, because not even someone who likes Wizard as much as I do really notices just how strong Nakazawa's direction throughout this two-parter is until sitting down to look over each individual shot and slowly becoming aware the entire thing would literally work just as well as a silent movie, and how that probably has a lot to do with why these ones left such a profound impression before I even knew how to (kind of) articulate (a bit of) it.

There's a level to which that kind of thing usually happens for me rewatching stuff, which is why I'm very fond of rewatching stuff, but in the case of these particular two episodes, it was like I kept ending up with two new thoughts I'd struggle to articulate for every one old thought I'd manage to untangle. Made it super rewarding as an experience! ...but it also kinda freaks me out that after everything I wrote, a lot of stuff just kinda didn't make it in there anyway?