2010-09-04, 04:06
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Link #761 | |
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its Ghost Madoka time!!!
Join Date: May 2009
Location: brunei darusalam
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 atleast they gave us a heck of an info on the Gaia Memories
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2010-09-05, 12:03
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Link #765 |
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物語は、もう、おしまい……？
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: In the Horizon
Age: 43
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My first impression of OOO is.... Kuuga (wandering lead, ancient kajin race and artifact) meets Den-O (seemingly unreliable lead, the way the belt was "forced" on him and the way the belt is activated... Den-O slide?).
Hope the mix-and-match formula that W introduced will continue to shine =3
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Last edited by Estavali; 2010-09-06 at 06:13. |
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2010-09-23, 22:26
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Link #768 |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: England
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So I finally got around to watching the first 2 episodes of OOO's today and I was a little stumped. Clearly they're going for another light hearted comedy approach. And yet even more toy product placement though I actually do like the vending machine theme. Even though I had never seen the show, just one movie it had a very Den-O feeling, but more then that it felt more Super Sentai then Kamen Rider. I mean 000's even has a little song when he transforms!
Sure enough a little digging and this show is being written by the same guy who did Den-O and even some Super Sentai show. I've always felt in the past that Kamen Rider had a clear difference between itself and Super Sentai. But that doesn't mean I didn't like the show, just that being comedy based makes it...not as involving. I see no reason not to watch it, the characters aren't that weird...yet. So I say to you guys to give it a fair go, just don't expect anything deep and moody. |
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2010-09-24, 04:38
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Link #769 | |
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Ore wa Kyasshan!
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Somewhere...
Age: 36
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Sorry to disappoint to those who watch Decade, but it's all about FANSERVICE. It has the most crappy writing in all Heisei KR. It has an interesting concept, but the execution is absolute trash. |
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2010-10-23, 17:34
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Link #774 |
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Banned
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Thessaloniki - Greece
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These are impressions of the Heisei era Kamen shows so far
I began with watching Kamen Rider Decade, for being a tribute to all Kamen Riders up till then, And it really was; every two episodes the lead would travel to a different dimension where a different Kamen was present (or someone else from the same franchise). It was a series of endless cameos and different transformations, as the lead and his main rival could take the form and powers of all Kamen, plus they could even summon their vehicles or use the Kamen as part of their attacks. Sure, it was very cool and the visuals and sound were really high budget. The actors were generally doing a great work at transmiting the general feeling of each setting and there was also a lot of comic relief in it for loosing up the otherwise global threat. At the same time it felt too much like advertisement and product placement, plus it was full of otaku culture. Not really a minus but it did felt like they were promoting themselves TOO much. I mean, the names of Kamen were heard every time a transformation took place in a cool manner, plus abilities were triggered with cards. Yes, I can see the card game right in front of my eyes. Otherwise, the action scenes were really blood boiling stuff and the feeling of mystery in a satirical manner was always there. The story wasn’t really special as it was practically an excuse to go see all worlds of previous seasons. Plus it doesn’t really end as there is a movie follow up to end the story. I didn’t find it but I’m not really thrilled to watch it either. Plus many viewers complained how the series altered a lot the feeling of each previous series in a bad way. I was curious enough to see what they meant so I went backwards and watched the first series of the newer era, titled Kuuga. But before I analyze that, this is my scoring of Decade: Animation: 10 Really cool cgi and endless explosions, transformations, and cameos. Plus there was a lot of attention given to cinematics and atmosphere building. What more to ask? Sound: 8 The music themes didn’t thrill me but the overall voice acting and sound effects were really cool. Story & Characters: 4 Although at first it appears like a really complicating and in-depth story, in reality it’s just a cameo parade. All previous Kamen are present for only 2 episodes and then never appear again outside of drone uses during later battles. The rest are just … nice. Not really fully developed or organic. They felt closer to anime archetypes. And the villains; jeez, complete cardboards. Value & Enjoyment: 7 It sure has a lot of value as a cameo series. The action is very good and most short arcs have interesting scenario ideas. But it also feels way too simplistic on the long run and product placements is overdone. Average: 6.6 /10 ///////////////////////////////// And now my Kuuga impressions. HOLLY MOTHER OF CHRIST!!! This is so … dark and depressing. And violent too. I mean … too violent for a kid’s show. There are dozens of really gorish scenes of mass death and destruction in it. This is nothing like the Power Rangers. Seriously, I expected to see a lone Ranger doing the usual routine and I got an almost psychological thriller. The use of camera angles and lighting is superb! And the action scenes have so much variety in locations. How many areas did they book to make all that? Cgi is also used scarcely and that leaves room for a lot of focus on the mentality of the characters and not on fancy explosions. Great work there. And then it’s the Kamen powers. Kuuga has to learn them one step at the time and are not given to him for free. He needs to decipher a long line of ancient text in an unfamiliar language. Plus he needs to be informed when the villains attack. That alone means that he needs the aid of researchers and police officers, thus cooperation is vital. He also has a personal life, where he and his friends spend a lot of time dealing with their daily problems in work, home, and romantic issues. Great stuff! Sadly, the feeling goes away as the episodes keep going. In the second half I felt like the story had reached at a dead end and the characters were repeating themselves. Also, Kuuga became too depended on sudden power ups than actual strategy and the mystery behind the monsters grew tiresome. It should have lasted half as many episodes. It’s an overall very good … um … teen action series (not for kids; way too much gore and death) that is ruined by the dull second half. And now for the scores: Animation: 9 The cgi are dated and many stunt scenes feel amateurish but the great use of cinematics and the great variety of locations and different ways to brutally kill someone make it a worthwhile watch. Sound: 10 Great music themes and marvelous dialogues. The villains actually talk in a fictional language and you need to look for key words that repeat too much and you slowly get to understand what they are talking about. Marvelous! Story: 5 Up to the first half it is excellent at its pacing and gradual revelation of motives and basic Kamen powers. After that, it grows stale and repetitive. But the whole atmosphere in the important scenes is just captivating. Characters: 8 Very realistic to the most part. The talk and act in non-action scenes as if it’s a good slice of life series. In the action part though, many act idiotically and that ruins it. Why the policemen keep shooting at the monsters if they know from episode 1 that it’s useless? Where is the army? Why are people so cool when thousands are brutally killed every day all around them? And the villains may talk all mysterious and have cool looks but they are otherwise cannon fodder. So sad… Value & Enjoyment: 6 It’s a good series for its kind, as long as you can get through the repetitive formula and dull moments. Average: 7.3 /10 /////////////////////////// Agito. Impressions? Inferior! A lot! It was not that dark or depressing but that is not really a minus. A damaging thing is the violence. So much less in it. I mean, there were some really horrible scenes in it too but not nearly as close as many or as grand in mass murders. I may sound like a sadist but it really did make Kuuga better. The directing and cinematics were equally good. But the variety in locations or tactics in battle were far lower. Where are the helicopters and the speedboats and the burning churches? Then are the characters who are less interesting. Although Kuuga needed to learn his moves one at a time and even use the area to his advantage, here Agito was just popping weapons and power ups out of nowhere. While Kuuga needed to team with translators and cops, here he has a magic sense which makes him hear and see from afar so screw the rest. Plus he has amnesia. God, I hate that trope. Also, there were more than him around, so every time he was in trouble, some secondary Kamen was coming to the resque or vice versa. So big deal, every time the bad guys were winning, a Kamen would shoot out of nowhere and stop them. Then the villains … they were not there. The Kuuga ones were shallow but you could see them talking and acting all disgusted or angry while in human form. Here? They are just mute drones. Only their leader had some character and even he was a typical incarnation of darkness. And then it’s the pacing. Damn was it slow. In Kuuga, many episodes were dedicated in him learning about his powers. Agito knows all his basic powers right away and all super forms are given out of the blue to the most part. So all you are left is the mystery of why he has amnesia. Which was effectively two episodes to explain and another two to fight the last battle. Said last battle was poor. Very poor. And not as emotionaly powerful as in Kuuga. In practise, only 1/4th of the episodes were actual story. The rest were basically filler. In all it is a good series that is ruined by too many convinient evenets and lack of actual plot. And now for the scores: Animation: 8 Same quality but less variety of locations and different ways to brutally kill someone. Sound: 8 Not so great music themes. The dialogues are still ok. And no funky fictional language this time. Story: 3 The story is good. The episodes it actually takes part in are few. And the final boss is lame. So bad score. Characters: 7 The good guys are still very interesting. But the bad guys… DON’T EXIST! Not as characters at least. Value & Enjoyment: 5 Well, it’s one of the same, only less. Not terrible but not special either. Average: 6 /10 /////////////////////////// Finished Ryuki too. Impressions? Who are you and what did you do with Kamen Rider? There was hardly any resemblance other than the name. The atmosphere was closer to a mediocre shounen anime with superpowers than a corny seinen dark adventure, like in the previous seasons. The atmosphere was way off and to be honest much harder to emerge in with the light manner it was presented. Cgi is all over the place. That made the action part a lot funkier. At the same time it made it too much eye candy, to the point of undermining the characters. And then it’s the card thing; such a blunt marketing trick to sell card games and plamos. And the violence is now almost not scary at all; almost cartoony and silly. Even less appealing than Agito. But I do found the idea of the mirror world fascinating and a great generator of cinematics. They also played around it a lot, making interesting angles and filters. Then we get to the characters. Kuuga had one Kamen, Agito had four, Ryuki actually has 13! So we are talking here about a big team of characters that had to be focused a lot and for many episodes in each. Which is not true, as more than half of them are two-dimensional shounen archetypes that hardly feel as interesting as the constant focus given in previous seasons. Even the actors are taking their roles too light to the point of thinking that half the time they don’t even try to act and just fool around. And then it’s the powers again. Kuuga’s learning curve and empowerment made some sense, Agito still had to do some generic poses to get his weapons, but here? They use cards! For anything! It looks cool alright but doesn’t make much sense of how they got this pack of attacks or how they choose which one to use in each situation. It was all too silly, like watching YuGiOh! Not to mention the almost weak plot twists that the series was full of. From convenient memory losses to time travel, everything felt random and unsupporting. As for teamwork that was important before, screw it; all Kamen eventually need to kill each other; thus it’s a solo work with ephemeral truces. There are no villains here; the monsters were drones again used solely for energy needed for their pet monsters to grow stronger. Meaning, to level up by farming exp like it’s a corny videogame. But it’s also like each Kamen is an enemy for all the rest and at least that was supposed to make things far more interesting. It was a death tournament around 12 Kamens, with the 13th being the final boss. But heck, it was dreadful. A new Kamen would appear only when another would be killed, thus giving the assumption he did not exist before or even that he was fighting the other Kamens in the meantime. That alone made the series to feel formulaic and fake after the first half. It could have worked if the feeling of all Kamen being present from the start was there but no; it was more like they were waiting in line for their time to appear. Finally it’s the ending. What a piss of shit! If you know what happens in the finale of Mai Hime or Eden of the East, you can be prepared to be disappointed here as well. Boy, how I hate reset buttons. In all it is a series with a great concept around the Mirror World and the Death Tournament. But it was all made so superficial and toy-promoting that you could hardly emerge to the actual story or characters. It was a good idea turned bad. And now for the scores: Animation: 9 Yeah, cgi dragons and filter explosions were awesome and the variety in attacks and finishing moves is eye catchy. Sound: 7 Oh there goes the sad intro ballad perfomed by a guy. Now it’s a trashy pop song done by a chick. And the dialogues were rather artificial too. Story: 3 The concept is very good. The presentation starts to fall apart because of the random way everything unfolds and loses appeal in the second half, only to be ruined entirely by the dreadful reset button in the finale. Bad score. Characters: 6 Too many and more than half feel like caricatures or two-dimensional archetypes. Also, the actors were not taking their roles too seriously. Value & Enjoyment: 4 It is very appealing as brainless entertainment but not close as interesting as story or cast as before. Average: 5.5 /10 ///////////////////////////////// Finished Faiz now. Impressions? YES! BANZAI! RESPECT! MASTERPIECE! After the disappointing follow ups to the first series, Faiz manages to shine above even Kuuga himself! The reason is simple. The series returned back to the basics and took the best of each of the three seasons had to offer, plus added some more to the formula. The result was close to perfect! The atmosphere is both grim and humorous at the same time, having a balance that works wonderfully. Cgi was used less than in Ryuki but was still present enough to make the action blood-boiling in right doses. I have no complains about needing more or less. Instead of cards, we now have cell phones. But I didn’t mind; they where just used as panels for transformation sequences. Violence is around Agito levels, so Kuuga still holds the record for the most gruesome deaths. But it’s ok, I wasn’t watching just for that anyway. There is no Mirror World or alternative reality either; everything happens in our world again. Ryuki still wins in the catchy setting in this one. Cinematics are superb, used in ways to really enjoy the story. I mean, the shadows of the monsters were used to show their human hosts. Very artsy. And the filters used for mentality issues were great too. This series has 3 different Kamens who by the way don’t have fixed transformations. Their belts are in fact removable and in many cases were stolen and wore by enemies or secondary allies. That actually helped the characters to not being defined by their signature moves. I must say, the character immersion and development in this series is SUPERB! Each Kamen has his own backdrop story, evolution and catharsis. And not all live by the end of the series and time does not reset like in that piece of shit that was Ryuki. Not only that, but the villains that in previous seasons were mooks, here they are equally focused as the main characters! Because they are not monsters by birth but humans that mutated and gained powers. The moral dilemmas the characters face are exceptional as they question what it makes you to be human and not monster. And the heroes are also questioning if it’s ok to kill the mutants or turn to monsters themselves. Even the megalomaniacs villains are given reasonable reactions and motivations. Amazing! The ending feels a bit rushed and vague but it is otherwise solid. I consider it good but it could have been done better. And now for the scores: Animation: 9 No cgi dragons but there are still funky mecka motorcycles. Otherwise, as good as before Sound: 9 The intro song is not bad and thank God it is sung by a man this time. The dialogues are mighty mature most of the times Story & Characters: 9 I was getting bored at some point with previous seasons but this one was fully enjoyable, with the only minus being the rather rushed ending. The characters are otherwise multi-layered, don’t stop progressing and some even die… permanently. Value & Enjoyment: 10 In all it is the greatest Kamen season so far and also the best of anything similar I have ever watched so far. Average: 9.3 / 10 ////////////////////////////////// Blade. Impressions? It’s a slightly better version of Ryuki. The basic story is exactly the same, the Kamen Riders need to fight each other until there is one left. The catch here is that they originally DON’T know that and the story appears to be just about trapping evil monsters in cards. Yes baby, card power is back! Now more Yugioh rip-off that ever. People and monsters are literally trapped in them and their powers are used by the heroes by sliding them in their belts. Product placement got a human touch there, lol. The atmosphere is again grim but no, it lacks the depth of Kuuga or Faiz. The actors are also not as imposing as in the aforementioned titles. There is no Mirror World but a vague prison dimension for monsters or showdowns seen scarcely, so it’s not that cool as in Ryuki. Also, the CGI was not used in any way we didn’t already see in previous seasons in better way, so not even that feels that good. Violence is again around Agito levels. Cinematics are ok but lack any sort of special uses like in previous seasons. Character immersion and development in this series is good. The villains are again monster mooks, while their leaders are not very special. The real villains are in fact human secret corporations but are too generic to mean anything. The moral dilemmas the main characters face are ok and again revolve around what it makes you to be human and not monster. But it’s not really as good as in Faiz, since the monsters have a very weak presence. The ending is actually quite original. Most will find it uneventful but I actually liked how the characters found a peaceful way to end everything. Then again, did it really need to come to all that in the last episode? Couldn’t they get to that earlier? Anyway, I liked it. It’s just that the pacing felt simple and dull to the most part. And now for the scores: Animation: 8 No new ways to use the CGI and the atmosphere was less imposing. Sound: 7 The intro song is dull. The dialogues felt corny to some parts. But overall ok. Story: 5 Well, the main scenario is quite simple and the pacing is slow. The ending is good but the overall feeling is not strong in it. Characters: 7 Ok, they get their focus. But the lack of interesting antagonists and the rather late epiphany to a solution to their troubles felt rather bad. Value & Enjoyment: 6 A bit over average in all. It sure is a better version of Ryuki but the overall feeling is just dull. Average: 6.5 / 10 ///////////////////////////////////// Hibiki. This was by far the most unique of all Kamen Rider shows so far. Not so in terms of quality as in terms of aesthetics. This season had a very weird blend of a coming of age story, next to monster hunters protecting the world. It may sound typical but the presentation was unlike anything I have seen so far in such type of shows. The most striking feature is the blend of a light romantic school comedy, with that of monster slaying in a feudal Japan formula. I really liked how they mixed contemporary Japan with folklore rhythms and weaponry. The cities are high tech but the rural areas are almost stuck in the middle ages, creating a nostalgic feeling. Most fights take place in forests, river banks, and mountain tops and revolve mythological Shinto monsters as well as classic musical instruments such as drums, trumpets and even guitars. It looks really weird at first, having the heroes fighting with music, but as the episodes go by you really start to like the original take on the battles. There is not Kamen Kick finishing move this time but synchronization of sound waves. Plus the heroes use disks that transform into animals (think of Soundwave in Transformers) as means to track monsters. It is very interesting, considering even they are based on music. Anyways, music is the key in this season. Transformations and weapons are about music, and even the main boy’s goal is entering a music band. If you can enjoy the concept, you will love the series. Even the dialogues are a very good mix of school stuff (exams, future goals, romance) and traditional values (tea ceremony, talking about the weather, the way of the real man). Effectively, teenagers talk modern and immature, while adults talk old-fashioned and serious. You can almost feel the clash of old and new, the contrast of the old generation with the new. Such emotions are quite rare in such shows. For that reason I consider the aesthetics of this season superb and reflect them with a perfect mark on animation and sound. The story is as I said a mix of coming of age with that of monster hunting. The first part is about a boy entering school and starting to look forward to his future, what he wants to be, what makes a man, what love feels. And the funny part is, he is NOT a Kamen Rider (called Oni in this installment). You would expect such a character to be given a special power in order to surpass his insecurity and protecting his friends like in the norm of any shounen series. But no, he never gets anything supernatural. He is constantly told that it takes a huge amount of strength, stamina, willpower and other stuff to become one … and he is just a wimp. You would also expect him to eventually grow some balls and start kicking monster butt … and yet he doesn’t. This may sound as a negative aspect but in fact it is very positive. I won’t spoil it further but his development throughout the series is very good and it is not about getting imba superpowers and saving girls. It is good stuff. But what about the Kamen Riders then? Well, they are practically divided into full-fledged ones and apprentices. Their task is to destroy douji and makamou, monsters of Japanese mythology, before maturing and invading highly populated areas. As simple as it may sound, they are all having their own share of personality and development. The great thing is that most adults are already completed their development and now use their experience to guide the younger generation and teach them important life lessons. Yes, sounds like crap but it is quite mature actually. I mean, they have the power to blast to pieces huge monsters and yet are not cocky sons of bitches, high on power. They still feel obligated to show to the younger generation what it means to be a MAN and how they can help out when they reach their age in a similar way. This is indeed a very good way to portrait even fully developed characters. Now for the villains. Although mooks once again, they have their quirks and so they are at least funny or scary when showing emotions. Even they are about music and it is even interesting how they have their voices reversed. That is, males talk with woman voice and males with man voice. Plus, although they have different forms, they all have the same faces. And no, that does not mean the series lacked actors and couldn’t afford a different person to play as a villain each time. Even that is explained towards the end in-series, so it is not a minus. Anyways, although the villains are not unique personalities like in Faiz, they are still likable. And most of them kill in gruesome ways too. Well, not Kuuga level gruesome but close. And by the way, I liked Kuuga so far for the gradual evolution of the hero’s powers. Well, this series has a much better way of showing that and it doesn’t involve only power ups. So, I now officially don’t consider Kuuga worthy of anything else other that the killing methods of the monsters. So I lower its scoring as well. Back to the story. Although it appears formulaic, each time something changes in terms of way of fighting and the teenagers have some sort of progress in their school lives. That is enough to have the feeling of progress and to the most part nothing feels like a filler. This does not mean it’s a great story all the way though. Towards the end the story is loosing its consistency and it becomes a messy pile of sudden power ups, rushed development and unexplained character motives. It ends quite openly and leaves you rather disappointed with its half-done ending. Scores: Animation and Sound: 10 A great blend of modern with traditional, plus nice dialogues. Characters: 8 Very likable guys but the villains lack a backdrop story. Story: 7 Very good pacing but the last episodes are chaotic and end the series openly. Value and Enjoyment: 8 Very good and somewhat original in the way it blends the settings. Only minus is the final episodes. Average: 8.5 / 10 ///////////////////////////////////// Finished Kabuto. Ah, this could have been the best season yet if they didn’t have to stick to a 48 episode format. I mean the story was very interesting and the action was superb but the plot was way too slow and half the time I felt things were repeating for no reason. This season had by miles the best action scenes I have ever seen in such shows. The warriors were freezing time while fighting and that allowed amazing pieces of fighting choreography to be made. Everyone and everything around them were frozen while they were kicking around. Think of Matrix with a lot more interaction with the surrounds, as the Kamen Riders had for example to grab frozen in time people while falling inside a burning car. Or fight during a rain, where all raindrops where frozen mid-air. And as soon as time reverted back to normal, all kinds of side effects took place. Simply superb! Although the animation is great, the music on the other hand is not. The opening theme is average, and the dialogues are way too corny around big talk of crazed in power males. The story is a blend of Agito and Faiz, where aliens try to infiltrate human society and replace humans, as they have the power to mimic the form and even the memories of the one they kill. The heroes on their part fight back with a secret organization that created the Kamen system. Things are not so simple as many aliens have now forgotten that they are not humans and some others want coexistence with humanity. It is quite interesting as a concept. The problem is the pacing, which as I said feels like it lasts twice as needed to tell all this mess. The great action scenes may help but that still does not prevent the plot from feeling boring at the non-action parts. The characters are interesting to the most part as they are all fighting for high ideals from protecting the world, to avenge the aliens, to conquer everything with their power. I found the lead in this season too irritating for my taste as he plays it like he is God in a way that makes him feel like an ass. Plus he is performed by yet another bishonen who is more looks than good acting. The problem is again the pacing and the aliens who to the most part are mooks while the rest appear quite late in the series and their personalities are rather simplistic. Scores: Animation: 10 Time freeze was never so cool. Sound: 7 Meh, too much macho cheesiness and average songs. Characters: 6 Interesting bunch but lose points because of loose plot and lack of good acting. Plus, the lead acts like an ass. Story: 5 Good main theme but lasts twice as needed. Value and Enjoyment: 7 Awesome action but slow in plot and good acting. Average: 7/10 /////////////////////////////////// Den-O. Boy, was that ridiculous! They made a complete slapstick comedy out of something that was originally grim and violent. And I did enjoy it in the first third but then it became a lame circle of repetitive jokes and senseless time-travelling. Yes, time travel again. Boy, it never works no matter how much they try to show it. Effectively, nobody in this series died because each time the monster was defeated all the damage it caused was cancelled out in the present like magic. How lame! And amnesia too. How I hate that trope! This season’s story was total BS all the way. And product placement returned stronger than even. Cards, and trains and other gizmo telling kids to go buy them. Pf! They even made a Shin-chan cross over! How lame is that! Where on Earth does that stick with Kamen Rider??? Not only that, the preview of each episode was the cast literally breaking the fourth wall and telling us to go watch the upcoming movie or take part in competitions. What a blunt method of advertisement. As for the characters, they are all funny for the first 3 episodes they appear in but then they keep repeating the same one-liners again and again and they spend most of the time doing slapstick comedy that is hardly amusing most of the time. Plus, they are very two-dimensional and don’t develop in any way. Furthermore, there was way too much otaku culture in here that was making my eyes bleed. Indecisive leads, tsunderes, lolis, plushies, you name it. They could easily make a lukewarm slice of life comedy with all that. And yes, the villains are mooks again. As for the acting part, none was doing a great work. You could see them faking it or reacting so terribly amateurish to everything that it was just stupid. Even the action grows tiresome early on as it is painfully obvious from the start how each battle will play out, even when more Kamen Riders or weapons were introduced. Also, they all looked too much like silly toys to care further about them. The sound part was silly tunes in music and characters mostly fooling around with each other. Funny for a few episodes, then turned boring and uninspired. Scores: Animation: 8 Cool visuals but everything looks too much like a fake toy you are supposed to buy. Sound: 6 Average songs and repetitive dialogues around lukewarm humour. Characters: 5 Funny for awhile but then turn to stale comedy archetypes using repetitive jokes. Story: 1 Complete trash from episode 1. They were just going back and forth in time correcting stuff in totally childish ways. Value and Enjoyment: 3 The first third is good because the jokes haven’t repeated that many times yet. Afterwards it’s a plain average comedy with random gags and aimless plot. Average: 4.3 / 10 ///////////////////////////////// Finished Kiva. Not bad but it could have been much better. This season had a horror motif around vampires, werewolves, and the like. But the truth is, it wasn’t scary at all. Kuuga was way scarier and it had just the basics in the backdrop of the monsters. Kiva is more style than horror but it does its job well. This season was a blend of many good ideas from previous seasons. It had the the cgi monsters of Ryuki, the monster coexisting with humans of Faiz, the music theme of Hibiki, the time travel of Den-O. Yet it still didn’t manage to make something overall as great as them for being less interesting overall. The story is about a father and his son becoming Kamen Riders to fight vampire-like monsters that attack humans. The good part is that it happens in two different time lines, that of the father and that of the son. The bad part is that there really isn’t anything much worth of 50 episodes and that becomes tiresome early on. The 5 first and the 5 last were more than enough to tell the entire tale. The aesthetics are otherwise great. The horror motif may not be scary but it otherwise offers a nice fantasy overlay visual-wise. As for the music, the violin and organ plays are great at keeping you interested in watching further. The main characters develop well with the only problem being that there are only 3 of them in a 50 episode series with 50 other unimportant members. And the villains are again mooks. Product placement is again present but this time it was not that silly like in Den-O so I excuse it. Scores: Animation & Sound: 10 A not-scary-but-very-cool horror motif with pagan music and stain-glass monsters. Great eye-feast. Characters: 5 Good development ruined by low numbers of main characters and slow pacing. Story: 2 Only 10 of the 50 episodes had a story. And it was a fairly simple one, told separately in two different timelines. Value and Enjoyment: 5 Good concept but needed far less episodes and far more interesting characters. Average: 6.2 / 10 //////////////////////////////////// Um, ok, I tried to watch Kamen Rider W but I couldn’t stand more than a few episodes. It was a comedy like Den-O… only it was way less funnier, had way less cool visuals and the main theme sucked monkeyballs. This is by far the most lame of all Kamen series so far. The themes were ecology and detectives, both of which hold very little in my mind. Ecology feels too much like educational propaganda and detective stories were never interesting to me. Plus it was almost entirely episodic which means even those themes were undermined for a lot of jokes which are around that of Gintama level. And by the way, I find the Gintama humor to be lame. It also has a sub-element of the importance of memories but even that was better shown in Blade and Den-O. So big deal. And what’s with the toned down visual effects and the film noir music? Has recession hit the franchise as well? I won’t write much more about it. This was so run down, uninspired, low-budgeted and dull I and probably most others dropped it early on. Animation & Sound: 5 Low on visual effects, simple battles, not much of choreography. Film noir and ecology suck ass. Characters: 3 Gintama level characters with even less interesting personalities. Story: 1 Episodic + lame humour + detectives + ecology + dull ending = fail Value and Enjoyment: 1 This series should never have been made. Average: 2.5 / 10 /////////////////////////////////// And since Kamen Rider OOO is still airing, this is the end of my take on the franchise. I think I will try the Tokusatsu franchise next. And now my overall impressions on the current Heisei Kamen Rider shows. /////////////////////////////////// Kuuga holds the award for the best opening theme as well as the first place for the most sadistic murderous monsters in such a type of a show. The first half of the series is also very good in pacing and shows nicely the hero’s gradual empowerment. The second half is otherwise very dull, simple and repetitive and the battles begin to feel less exciting and sadistic. I recommend watching the first half and then the last two episodes. /////////////////////////////////// Agito has absolutely nothing to bother with. All the good points in it can be found in better ways in later shows. Not recommended. /////////////////////////////////// Ryuki has good visuals and a cool-looking Mirror World dimension. It is otherwise childish and superficial. I only recommend it for the action. /////////////////////////////////// Faiz is a masterpiece on all accounts and by far the best series of this kind I have ever watched so far. Highly recommended. /////////////////////////////////// Blade has only a few interesting concepts in its backdrop story but it is otherwise very simple and repetitive. Not recommended. ////////////////////////////////// Hibiki is close to masterpiece and highly unusual as a Kamen series. It is mostly art and slice of life than good action but the atmosphere is superb. The last episodes really ruin the otherwise great concept but it is still a great show. Recommended. /////////////////////////////////// Kabuto has amazing fighting scenes thanks to its Clock Up system but all the rest in story and cast have been shown better in Faiz. Recommended only for its action. /////////////////////////////////// Den-O is a comedy that repeats itself far too many times and has a very weak story and stale characters. It looks more like an amusement park rather than a superhero adventure. Recommended only as a light time killer and only for very young boys. ////////////////////////////////// Kiva has an interesting concept in visuals and music but it is weak on imposing atmosphere and overall story. Recommended for its aesthetics only. ////////////////////////////////// Decade is just a fancy tribute to all previous Kamen Rider shows. It is otherwise weak on story and cast. Recommended only as a tribute. ////////////////////////////////// W is a big failure in my eyes as it used lame themes and comedy that ridiculed the already weak premise. Not recommended. /////////////////////////////////// And here is a nice looking chart, colour-coded for your convenience. 
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2010-10-23, 18:07
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Link #775 | |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Earth
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Quote:
The theme of W is not about ecology and detectives, the theme of W is about learning to become an independent and accountable man, and the bond between partners (Nobody's perfect<--if you don't know what "Nobody's perfect" means to W, then you haven't discovered the real theme of W yet) Not trying to challenge your opinion lol because I respect your perspective, but you really should give W a try imo
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Last edited by justavisitor; 2010-10-23 at 19:06. |
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2010-10-23, 18:18
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Link #776 |
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Banned
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Thessaloniki - Greece
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^ Well I also didn't mention they are fusing together in order to complete one another's disadvantages. It still is mostly episodic and comical and has film noir detectives to the point I don't care about the overall theme.
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2010-10-25, 21:29
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Link #777 | |
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Ore wa Kyasshan!
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Somewhere...
Age: 36
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And no, Faiz wasn't even a masterpiece either since it has many plotholes & too much emoness. In other words, TOO MUCH DRAMA. And it even has a lame ending. The Paradise Lost movie is just an alternate retelling, but the ending is better than the TV series itself. And Agito is the most grimdark of all the Heisei Riders but Kuuga is superior & balanced. In fact, Agito was writer Toshiki Inoue's best work. After Agito, he turned into a shit tier writer when he wrote for Ryuki. And he, along w/ Shoiji Yonemura, ruined Hibiki in the second half. Kuuga deserves to have a score of 9 or 9.5 being the best Heisei Rider show. Why? It is the most realistic Kamen Rider show & Yuusuke Godai's character makes Kuuga as arguably the best Heisei Kamen Rider. And unlike Faiz (w/c is too much drama and an asshole character, which is also a sociopath), Kuuga has Showa elements & stays true to the core concept of Kamen Rider: being a hero. And Godai acts as a real hero unlike Takumi who is an Orphenoch but an emo. Also, Kuuga is the only show that has the most brutal final fight. EVER. And the show itself brought back the franchise to mainstream television. And even kids enjoy Kuuga as well. You may disagree w/ me but your observations are full of bias and it's far away from the truth. 
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2010-11-01, 18:06
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Link #779 |
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Banned
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Thessaloniki - Greece
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Maybe I need to clarify something here...
W looks bad for ruining its drama with comedy. A little comedy is good. But a lot is actually ruining the dark side of it. Kuuga would by great if it kept the pacing of the first half. Heck, it needed half the episodes to begin with. I felt like in the second half the only thing that changed were some extra Kamen forms (useless story-wise besides the last one) and his kick now blowing up city blocks (which was awesome). Faiz had the MOST developed characters. Being too dramatic is NOT a minus. You definately can't expect the drama to be balanced with an equal amount of comedy. Plus, I really don't fancy the film noir approach of W. Agito darker than Kuuga? Seriously? The Lords were complete mooks next to the Grongi for Pete's sake and were killing one person at a time. What, the dark god in the end is supposed to make this scarier? No way! They didn't even fight the guy, geez. |
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2010-11-01, 19:52
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Link #780 | |
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Ore wa Kyasshan!
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Somewhere...
Age: 36
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Quote:
 Faiz is very drama-focused just like Ryuki. In addition, it sucks when it comes to mainstream reception, maing it one of the low-rated KR shows after its predecessor, Ryuki. But it's also a merchandising machine. That's what it works. In Agito: the Overlord of Darkness tried to destroy humanity since he's god. But god himself was Rider Kicked by Agito himself. You should know the fact that Agito is a pseudo-sequel to Kuuga because the Lords are also the protectors of the Linto. Last edited by Shinn_Kabuto; 2010-11-02 at 00:03. |
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| henshin, kamen rider, tokusatsu |
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Graphic Designer
