KR Ex-Aid 01 released

[kikaida]

Initial thoughts on the FIRST episode for me show a lot of promise. This series is clearly meant to connect with the gamer (did I just hear everyone say "duh"?). I think we need to remember that and then everything falls into place. Emu was a kid when hurt, saved by a doctor and given a handheld game. Emu loves games and wants to save people: job fulfilled as EX-AID. Notice his smirk when he decides to grab the driver and become EX-AID. THIS is what he's been living for in playing games and now it's a reality - of course he's going to be a pro.
Sota's illness would freak me out as a kid. It's like: "wait, I can get a virus from playing video games???" - I admit that on first watch I was not happy with the monster-meatball/turdball thing. Being glossy kind of ruin it - but then I remembered it is supposed to be a game created monster realizing in the world. Sure, I'd like the emerging form to be more goopy and "realistic" (maybe like Nickelodeon green slime?) - and those mooks (I first thought had clown fish on their heads) - but they are supposed to be realized viruses (note the early animation) . . . so they fit . . . maybe if they would spread out and "latch on to others" and infect them - that would be a "bonus effect" to the mooks and add more drama - who knows.
Clearly the series is really trying to lure in the gamer . . . whether a cellphone game or handheld or console - and I think they did a good job. I just hope we don't lose the story line in all of this.
So, first episode gets a 4.5 star out of 5 from me. Could it be better? Yeah, they could all be better.

[takenoko]

Wait, what?! Explain.

He's referring to this show.

http://www.crunchyroll.com/heybot

It's really dumb.

In Japanese, "Hei" is the onomatopoeia for a fart noise. Get it? Hei bot? Fart bot.

/me wonders if it's rude to greet Japanese by saying "Hey."

[nanamarfo]

I don't know, I love this first episode. It caught my attention unlike the previous three years (Ghost, Drive, Gaim). Those show totally lost me in their first episode.

I think comparing it to Agito is unfair. Agito is a dark series, no joke-in-your-face comedy, and had hardy any new forms/gadgets. Kamen Rider has taken a different approach ever since, I don't know, maybe Den-O? They focus more on a younger audience and have ten million forms and gadgets for toys selling. It's a Kamen Rider show, but not the same Kamen Rider show, if that makes any sense. It is the art of balancing between the story drama and toys advertising that will separate a professional writer to an armature writer.

And I am very interested to see how this go.

My thoughts exactly. But Asuna telling us she is Mai already makes me feel kinda mooked.

[nanamarfo]

I also love the effects so far. Makes me feel I am in a video game.

[Cyborg-Lucario]

After watching it so was I unsure what I thought of it, so I did ponder a bit. It may have been a bit too much on the comedy side, but the fight scenes and the game concept is something I could get behind.
Whatever the case may be, so will this be an interesting ride.

Also, a bit off-topic but I'm one of those people who unironically liked Mighty No. 9 (I even did a let's play on it). Well me and European review sites. Makes me wonder how well received it was in Japan.

[nanamarfo]

Also, a bit off-topic but I'm one of those people who unironically liked Mighty No. 9 (I even did a let's play on it). Well me and European review sites. Makes me wonder how well received it was in Japan.

God Damn they refence Megaman a lot in this one.

[dancercotillion]

Yeah, Ex-Aid is the most obvious Megaman reference, what with his arm cannon and absorbing the special moves of his fallen foes to fight other foes weak to those same attacks.

Oh, wait.

[takenoko]

I don't remember it I remembered to complain about it or not, but why Ex-Aid? Why not X-Aid, since it's named after Mighty Action X. X and Ex mean different things!

[OOOKaiser]

I really wasn't pulled in by the first episode I thought it was alright. At the ending they just shoved in all these characters expecting us to be excited for the next episode. @Take was right about Ex-Aid's fight being slow. I just didn't feel like getting into it. Kamen Rider Genm's appearance in ghost's final two episodes was more exciting than this.

[mholden020]

I'm extremely comfortable with the way this series has started. I still feel that Ghost came out of the gate swinging and it hurt the show over a longer run, a trap which a few of the other neo-Heisei shows (and some Super Sentai shows) fell into as well.

Being able to explain an entire world-setting in a single episode is not a good way to start a 50-week-long series at all, and I feel like this episode was able to show enough of the world to build the foundation for the setting. We know what the baddies are, but it's not explained where they came from. We know the Driver that Asuna was hauling around in a box came from that CEO dude, but the presentation in the office made it seem like it was the only one. However, there's one in the final montage of (what we can assume to be) riders. There's a human talking with a bad-dude on a building and a random guy with a gray hair streak and combat boots who are already involved. All of this was teased, but never visited a second time in the episode. If I think back at all of the Heisei series, the best ones were the series that started off with a very narrow focus in the first few episodes and expounded upon everything else during the early arc. Think of Gaim, for instance: Everyone liked that show, and how much of the actual universe was explained in the first episode? The first five? We didn't actually know what was going on until about halfway through the series! Ghost and Drive basically dumped everything out in the first couple of episodes, and then they had 48 episodes to work from almost nothing. There's a lot of stuff here in this show and it's possible it could become Gaim-like in scale.

I like it. I don't go into these series expecting Game of Thrones' style of storytelling where they have 10 episodes per season. This is around 50 episodes, and if the first episode hadn't been vague, a little odd, or had a few "What in the hell...?" moments (I also thought "poop monster", btw), I would be extremely concerned for this series going forward.

[Draccy]

He's referring to this show.

http://www.crunchyroll.com/heybot

It's really dumb.

In Japanese, "Hei" is the onomatopoeia for a fart noise. Get it? Hei bot? Fart bot.

/me wonders if it's rude to greet Japanese by saying "Hey."

I don't think I can ever get back my time from skimming the first episode. Screw this, screw that, screw screw screw.
And this comes on an hour before Ex-Aid? Yeesh.

Anyway, back to the episode, still got that Drive/Gaim feeling. Drive coming from the eventual team base and mostly Asuna like a second Kiriko; Gaim due to the multiple riders and the dramatic story it could become.
Graphite is kind of neat, and interesting to see we get the heavy CG out of the way in the first episode.

[TokuCasual]

Just saw the first episode of Ryuki last night for the first time, I'm hooked. How things have change. (I'm terribly behind)

Now for Ex-Aid, honestly this is the most fun debut I had since Fourze. I love Gaim, but we're talking first episode here. I enjoyed the humor and light feeling of this. Sure it could use more seriousness, but the pacing between plot and action I thought was done well enough. Emu seems clumsy but I feel has more personality than Takeru. His suit I initially hated, but after seeing it in action, I'm not bothered anymore. Asuna is pretty, so that helps too. Despite her Pop game form coming off as annoying. Still, her role might be interesting.

Also I like that Ex-Aid didn't throw out too many toy gimmicks off the bat. Sure he has two level form, but from its gaming motif it works, as he needed to defeat enemies and gather enough points to level up. He only uses 2 weapons, and both work with his base form, so it's not too distracting.

Regarding Emu destroying the monster without worries, I was under the impression he understood Asuna. Beat the monster, save the kid.

With our glimpse of Riders-to-be at the end, I like that theme song. Overall good start. I give it a 4.

Looking forward to the next ep, and of course the opening. Hopefully this will be a Rider I can stick with to the end. (Opposite of Drive/Ghost)

Until then, I shall catch up on Ryuki.

[ViRGE]

had a few "What in the hell...?" moments (I also thought "poop monster", btw)

For what it's worth, I figured it was a Yellow Devil homage.

[HenshinForPie]

On my first watch, the humor really annoyed me, but rewatching it now, it kind of fits with everything else. The main problem is the bad CG, which I really hope gets toned down a bit in later episodes. The suits may not be the best looking, but I'd really like them to get more practical effects with their fights. Emu seems like an OK protagonist. Right now he's naive and clumsy, but also caring and earnest, so he has the chance to grow. I also want to know what the hell Asuna/Poppy is. Is she part video game part human? Why does she have to work for the ministry of help and take a false alias? Could there be different factions of Bugsters?

Overall, I'll give it a few more episodes to see if it gets better, but this is a pretty good start. 3.5/5

[Zenuku5]

I am already super stoked and enjoy this episode. I understand how some could, and do, find the humor more annoying but it was entertaining for me. As someone else noted, it was like Ryotaro level bad luck and was fun for me.

I loved the little touches throughout. I admit the sudden expression whiplash could get old fast and hope they get a little better about that.

I know I am probably in the lesser camp here, but I liked the huge monster AND the grunts who i feel work well with the video game themes of grunt enemies and the 'mid-boss'. I know people are comparing Ex-Aid to megaman X, but I have to wonder if me and ViRGE are the only ones who saw the huge monster as being an homage to the yellow devil from the original Megaman.

I loved the effects and the fight scene, especially the kind of cute old school cartridge blow before the finisher. My only complaint is the rider kick itself felt like it dragged maybe a couple strikes too long or else could have just flowed more smoothly like that perfect combo finish move.

Also I wanna play Mighty Action X so bad! He is so cute! He is like a more punch-happy Kirby!!

I gave it a 5. I love this and hope it only continues to get better, cause I am EXCITEd...I feel no shame in the pun on the op.