What are you watching? (Kamen Rider Edition)

GoldenXtreme · 02-01-2022, 12:52 AM

I watched Ghost, the Ghost movie, and Heisei Generations Final!

I have to be honest here, I know this isn't exactly an uncommon opinion, but I think Ghost was pretty bad. I didn't have a miserable time watching it or anything and there were quite a few aspects I liked, but as a whole I found it to be a complete mess. I think I will start with what I did like though. I liked quite a lot of the characters: Akari, Onari, Alain, Igor, and Cubi (my beloved). I thought visually the show was very neat looking. Alain's whole arc from villain to hero was very satisfying, and I also thoroughly enjoyed the stretch of episodes where Makoto has to be saved from the Ganma world. Beyond that though, my opinion sours a lot. I found Takeru uninteresting as a protagonist and often felt like he was detracting from the more interesting characters by hogging the screen time. Makoto has to be the single most *bafflingly* written character I have ever seen in a Rider show. I can't even articulate how surreal I found the way the show managed to do almost nothing with him in spite of coming up with ideas like "what if this guy fought an army of clones of himself". I think this kind of gets to the core issue I had with Ghost, the show felt like it really lacked in any internal consistency. The show would forget things like which characters should be able to see Ganma, who had what items at a given time, and just generally felt like the plot was created on the fly for the most part. Even the way characters interacted was usually so stiff I just had no investment in it. I honestly found watching the show a bit fascinating just because how how strangely it all went wrong! It definitely hurt a bit because it felt like a diamond in the rough, but sometimes you just can't have the show cut into the glistening gem you know it could be deep down. I think this metaphor got away from me, much like how the story seems to have gotten away from the writers of Ghost.

I watched Heisei Generations Final after Ghost though, and found it to be a good palette cleanser. Watching it reminds me of how much I love a lot of the shows it featured. I love Build, I love Ex-Aid, I love Fourze! It was nice to see everyone again, and it reminded me of how much I enjoy the characters and writing in these shows! On the other hand, every time I see Eiji crop up in something like this I find myself wishing they would come up with something different from the incessant Reviving Ankh plot they always do. Given how Ankh always finds a way to conveniently die again every time I can't help but wonder if he is just as sick of it as I am.

EpsilonX · 02-01-2022, 02:26 AM

I really enjoyed Ghost while watching it. Looking back, I have fond memories, but it definitely had issues. The second quarter was kind of boring, and the home stretch was a mess. That being said, the opening arc (basically Ghost vs Spectre) was really cool, and the Alain arc was super satisfying.

I don't think I dislike it as much as others, but it's not great.

On the subject of not being great, I re-watched the first episode of Kamen Rider 1971...that was rough. For its time, it was great. But nowadays, it's hard to watch.

GuardianAngel87 · 02-03-2022, 07:57 PM

Currently re-watching the first two episodes of Kamen Rider W.

EDIT: I'm now up to episode 14 of the series and I'm really enjoying W so far.

Sh Ranger · 02-05-2022, 03:11 PM

Kamen Rider Blade Q3

The staff change is here. Imai's short but dramatic run as head writer has finally reached its conclusion. A typically crazy Inoue story later and now the remainder of the show is in Aikawa's hands. Surprisingly, that wasn't the only change. Blade Brave has been replaced! So how do I feel about that? I like ELEMENTS as a song, but I think it'd work better as an insert or ending, which is pretty much the same opinion I've had for Hibiki's and Gobusters' second OPs. Good songs, just not OP material.

I will complain about the visuals though. What's with the Riders acting like a group here? That's like the opposite of how they work in the show. What's with Mutsuki getting credited before Hirose and Kotarou now? Like how Beast Morphers Season 2 had the nerve to credit Zoey before Ravi! Sure, Mutsuki is a Rider, but I don't like how they screw with the credit order here. What's with all the pretentious edginess with Blade punching the camera and the anguished screaming? The Blade Brave Rave was much more appropriate and unique. I will miss it. At least now I know where that one particular Ryukiroll came from though.

The Jack Forms are here! Actually, I noticed that out of all the Primary Heisei Riders, Blade takes the longest to get a new form, debuting at Episode 25, one episode later than Hibiki Kurenai. Maybe they thought with all those cards to sell, they didn't need to rush? The reason why it took so long in story was explained that instead of using the Category Jacks normally, they had to be used in conjunction with the corresponding Queens in the Rouse Absorber. For Blade and Garren, they both involve flight. That wouldn't work for Chalice and Leangle, whose Jacks are a wolf and an elephant respectively. I like both aesthetically, but I prefer Garren's red and gold combo, even though the way he gets it is anticlimactic.

Uh, King Form is also here! I wasn't expecting that so soon. The Caucasus Undead either doesn't have a name or doesn't want to reveal it, only calling himself and other Undead by rank. King Form seems to be the inspiration for Grand Zi-O. I prefer Jack Form, but what's curious about King Form is that according to Yoshito, Blade's is unique in that Kenzaki has the innate ability to fuse with all 13 cards of his suit simultaneously.

That's nothing compared to Hajime's potential though, as he's revealed to be the Joker, the 53rd card in the Undead deck. If he fused with all the cards, he would win the Battle Royale and all life on the planet would end, including Amane and Haruka. Hajime definitely doesn't want that, so he's been trying very hard not to become the Joker ever again. Unfortunately, Blade's new power and the multiple Undead released by Mutsuki triggers the Joker impulse, meaning he has to run away again. Maybe that's why Yoshito considers capturing Kenzaki a higher priority, he's an easier target and it would mean Hajime could keep the Joker suppressed. The Joker's green and black combo reminds me of Kamen Rider 1.

The show is lacking Imai's lovable weirdness, but something I think Aikawa is doing right is putting Hirose in the foreground more. I can finally start to talk about her again. Kenzaki was being hunted by Trial D and he believed that made him a liability to people around him. But Hirose called him out for being an idiot and gave him a really honest speech to remind him that his strength comes from his love of humanity, like how Kenzaki told Hajime that he can't protect Amane and Haruka if he's not around (although that doesn't apply right now due to the Joker problem). Team Blade needs a Blade. Of course, Hirose's immortality-obsessed father, Hirose Yoshito, is now in the picture and I'm sure that's going to be a big turning point for Hirose's arc when she finds out, since she wants to atone for his sin. I'm so glad she gets to do other useful stuff!

Kotarou's got some development regarding his prejudice towards Undead, even though it goes in circles a lot. He hoped to meet a good Undead so he could believe Hajime was good (by Undead standards anyway), which in his heart he wanted to. But even when Shima shows up with his cute canary Natural, proof of the love between an Undead and another lifeform, his apprehension towards Hajime doesn't immediately go away. I guess it's not like Hajime is suddenly not an a**hole anymore, so maybe Kotarou just needed a little time for his emotions to adjust. At least he has come to accept him being important to his family, even encouraging Kenzaki to rescue him. I hope someday Amane will learn to respect her uncle.

Team Blade were sharing a paragraph in my previous reviews so it's cool that I can actually find more to talk about them now. I haven't even mentioned Tachibana yet, since he's just Yoshito's lackey now. Sigh.... This show always needs more Tachibana!

I could talk a little about Mutsuki though, who's apparently merged with Spider Undead to become Bully Mutsuki (not sure if anybody else came up with that clever nickname). But I don't buy it. He claims not to care about Nozomi anymore after Caucasus Undead abducted her, but he just seems so tsundere about it. My prediction is that Shima actually did win and this is just Mutsuki being Mutsuki, like he has something to prove that he can be the strongest Rider without relying on others. Like I compared before, Masumi from Boukenger sometimes acts this way, due to his jealousy towards Akashi. Furthermore, Masumi and Mutsuki are the youngest of their respective groups and they don't want to be perceived as just the token teen.

DreamSword · 02-05-2022, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

My prediction is that Shima actually did win and this is just Mutsuki being Mutsuki, like he has something to prove that he can be the strongest Rider without relying on others.

This is how I felt about it as well, which, in a bit of twist for shows that typically do this sort of plotline, actually resulted in me not liking Mutsuki very much once the show reached its final act.

Matrixbeast · 02-05-2022, 07:34 PM

Rewatched the first two episodes of Saber, and I'm quickly reminded why I dropped this show so early again.

GrandComplete · 02-06-2022, 09:08 AM

So I just saw the recently subbed Saber Hyper Battle and it was just weird on fact it might be one of the kost insane one yet. It's not quite like Faiz which was surreal but like remember ZI-O 12.5 episode with Swartz that had the actor hammed it up with his facial expressions.

This Hyper Battle is exactly like that but for every Saber character on screen ESPECIALLY Storious. So what does this means is that this is 100/10 reccomend to everyone to watch just for the actors performence alone.

TheRaizin · 02-07-2022, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandComplete

This Hyper Battle is exactly like that but for every Saber character on screen ESPECIALLY Storious. So what does this means is that this is 100/10 reccomend to everyone to watch just for the actors performence alone.

I just watched it, too. I had a laugh way too many times! Storious is the definite highlight of this too. I will never forget Kamen Rider Sword-X-Man and his sidekick Kamen Rider Blade-Y

GuardianAngel87 · 02-14-2022, 06:22 PM

I'm now up to the final 13 episodes of Kamen Rider W and it looks like this series might be another favorite of mine. If nothing else, the show definitely earned a lot of its hype.

TheRaizin · 02-14-2022, 07:04 PM

Starting Agito and I really did miss this kind of filming and tone of Kamen Rider. The J-drama feel of it! The lack of music and everything that feels real.

Anyway, I just have one question. Do I go into this with the idea in mind that it's a pseudo sequel to Kuuga or do I discard that and just think this as its own show in mind?

02-01-2022, 12:52 AM	#17001
GoldenXtreme Henshin Heaven Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Inside a Hyper Battle Video, help. Posts: 1,282	I watched Ghost, the Ghost movie, and Heisei Generations Final! I have to be honest here, I know this isn't exactly an uncommon opinion, but I think Ghost was pretty bad. I didn't have a miserable time watching it or anything and there were quite a few aspects I liked, but as a whole I found it to be a complete mess. I think I will start with what I did like though. I liked quite a lot of the characters: Akari, Onari, Alain, Igor, and Cubi (my beloved). I thought visually the show was very neat looking. Alain's whole arc from villain to hero was very satisfying, and I also thoroughly enjoyed the stretch of episodes where Makoto has to be saved from the Ganma world. Beyond that though, my opinion sours a lot. I found Takeru uninteresting as a protagonist and often felt like he was detracting from the more interesting characters by hogging the screen time. Makoto has to be the single most bafflingly written character I have ever seen in a Rider show. I can't even articulate how surreal I found the way the show managed to do almost nothing with him in spite of coming up with ideas like "what if this guy fought an army of clones of himself". I think this kind of gets to the core issue I had with Ghost, the show felt like it really lacked in any internal consistency. The show would forget things like which characters should be able to see Ganma, who had what items at a given time, and just generally felt like the plot was created on the fly for the most part. Even the way characters interacted was usually so stiff I just had no investment in it. I honestly found watching the show a bit fascinating just because how how strangely it all went wrong! It definitely hurt a bit because it felt like a diamond in the rough, but sometimes you just can't have the show cut into the glistening gem you know it could be deep down. I think this metaphor got away from me, much like how the story seems to have gotten away from the writers of Ghost. I watched Heisei Generations Final after Ghost though, and found it to be a good palette cleanser. Watching it reminds me of how much I love a lot of the shows it featured. I love Build, I love Ex-Aid, I love Fourze! It was nice to see everyone again, and it reminded me of how much I enjoy the characters and writing in these shows! On the other hand, every time I see Eiji crop up in something like this I find myself wishing they would come up with something different from the incessant Reviving Ankh plot they always do. Given how Ankh always finds a way to conveniently die again every time I can't help but wonder if he is just as sick of it as I am. __________________ Tier Lists: Kamen Rider \| Sentai \| Ultra

02-01-2022, 02:26 AM	#17002
EpsilonX Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: CA Posts: 2,510	I really enjoyed Ghost while watching it. Looking back, I have fond memories, but it definitely had issues. The second quarter was kind of boring, and the home stretch was a mess. That being said, the opening arc (basically Ghost vs Spectre) was really cool, and the Alain arc was super satisfying. I don't think I dislike it as much as others, but it's not great. On the subject of not being great, I re-watched the first episode of Kamen Rider 1971...that was rough. For its time, it was great. But nowadays, it's hard to watch. __________________

02-03-2022, 07:57 PM	#17003
GuardianAngel87 Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 967	Currently re-watching the first two episodes of Kamen Rider W. EDIT: I'm now up to episode 14 of the series and I'm really enjoying W so far. Last edited by GuardianAngel87; 02-04-2022 at 11:03 PM..

02-05-2022, 03:11 PM	#17004
Sh Ranger Standing By Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: USA Posts: 2,257	Kamen Rider Blade Q3 The staff change is here. Imai's short but dramatic run as head writer has finally reached its conclusion. A typically crazy Inoue story later and now the remainder of the show is in Aikawa's hands. Surprisingly, that wasn't the only change. Blade Brave has been replaced! So how do I feel about that? I like ELEMENTS as a song, but I think it'd work better as an insert or ending, which is pretty much the same opinion I've had for Hibiki's and Gobusters' second OPs. Good songs, just not OP material. I will complain about the visuals though. What's with the Riders acting like a group here? That's like the opposite of how they work in the show. What's with Mutsuki getting credited before Hirose and Kotarou now? Like how Beast Morphers Season 2 had the nerve to credit Zoey before Ravi! Sure, Mutsuki is a Rider, but I don't like how they screw with the credit order here. What's with all the pretentious edginess with Blade punching the camera and the anguished screaming? The Blade Brave Rave was much more appropriate and unique. I will miss it. At least now I know where that one particular Ryukiroll came from though. The Jack Forms are here! Actually, I noticed that out of all the Primary Heisei Riders, Blade takes the longest to get a new form, debuting at Episode 25, one episode later than Hibiki Kurenai. Maybe they thought with all those cards to sell, they didn't need to rush? The reason why it took so long in story was explained that instead of using the Category Jacks normally, they had to be used in conjunction with the corresponding Queens in the Rouse Absorber. For Blade and Garren, they both involve flight. That wouldn't work for Chalice and Leangle, whose Jacks are a wolf and an elephant respectively. I like both aesthetically, but I prefer Garren's red and gold combo, even though the way he gets it is anticlimactic. Uh, King Form is also here! I wasn't expecting that so soon. The Caucasus Undead either doesn't have a name or doesn't want to reveal it, only calling himself and other Undead by rank. King Form seems to be the inspiration for Grand Zi-O. I prefer Jack Form, but what's curious about King Form is that according to Yoshito, Blade's is unique in that Kenzaki has the innate ability to fuse with all 13 cards of his suit simultaneously. That's nothing compared to Hajime's potential though, as he's revealed to be the Joker, the 53rd card in the Undead deck. If he fused with all the cards, he would win the Battle Royale and all life on the planet would end, including Amane and Haruka. Hajime definitely doesn't want that, so he's been trying very hard not to become the Joker ever again. Unfortunately, Blade's new power and the multiple Undead released by Mutsuki triggers the Joker impulse, meaning he has to run away again. Maybe that's why Yoshito considers capturing Kenzaki a higher priority, he's an easier target and it would mean Hajime could keep the Joker suppressed. The Joker's green and black combo reminds me of Kamen Rider 1. The show is lacking Imai's lovable weirdness, but something I think Aikawa is doing right is putting Hirose in the foreground more. I can finally start to talk about her again. Kenzaki was being hunted by Trial D and he believed that made him a liability to people around him. But Hirose called him out for being an idiot and gave him a really honest speech to remind him that his strength comes from his love of humanity, like how Kenzaki told Hajime that he can't protect Amane and Haruka if he's not around (although that doesn't apply right now due to the Joker problem). Team Blade needs a Blade. Of course, Hirose's immortality-obsessed father, Hirose Yoshito, is now in the picture and I'm sure that's going to be a big turning point for Hirose's arc when she finds out, since she wants to atone for his sin. I'm so glad she gets to do other useful stuff! Kotarou's got some development regarding his prejudice towards Undead, even though it goes in circles a lot. He hoped to meet a good Undead so he could believe Hajime was good (by Undead standards anyway), which in his heart he wanted to. But even when Shima shows up with his cute canary Natural, proof of the love between an Undead and another lifeform, his apprehension towards Hajime doesn't immediately go away. I guess it's not like Hajime is suddenly not an a**hole anymore, so maybe Kotarou just needed a little time for his emotions to adjust. At least he has come to accept him being important to his family, even encouraging Kenzaki to rescue him. I hope someday Amane will learn to respect her uncle. Team Blade were sharing a paragraph in my previous reviews so it's cool that I can actually find more to talk about them now. I haven't even mentioned Tachibana yet, since he's just Yoshito's lackey now. Sigh.... This show always needs more Tachibana! I could talk a little about Mutsuki though, who's apparently merged with Spider Undead to become Bully Mutsuki (not sure if anybody else came up with that clever nickname). But I don't buy it. He claims not to care about Nozomi anymore after Caucasus Undead abducted her, but he just seems so tsundere about it. My prediction is that Shima actually did win and this is just Mutsuki being Mutsuki, like he has something to prove that he can be the strongest Rider without relying on others. Like I compared before, Masumi from Boukenger sometimes acts this way, due to his jealousy towards Akashi. Furthermore, Masumi and Mutsuki are the youngest of their respective groups and they don't want to be perceived as just the token teen. __________________ 心と刃

02-05-2022, 06:50 PM	#17005
DreamSword Some guy. I'm alright. Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,707	Quote: Originally Posted by Sh Ranger My prediction is that Shima actually did win and this is just Mutsuki being Mutsuki, like he has something to prove that he can be the strongest Rider without relying on others. This is how I felt about it as well, which, in a bit of twist for shows that typically do this sort of plotline, actually resulted in me not liking Mutsuki very much once the show reached its final act. __________________ Watch Ryukendo With Me! \| Tokucasts w/ Friends!