KR Zi-O 04 released

[takenoko]

Now you make me wonder why couldn't Toei get the guy who wrote Gokaiger to write Zi-O.

Arakawa Naruhisa looks like he's only done a smattering of episodes since AkibaRanger. Seems like he's focused on his anime career.

Ironically, the next runner ups are Komura Junko (15 episodes of Gokai) and Shomyama Kento (6 episodes of Gokai). At least Komura is turning things around with LVSP, which is at least a fun show to watch from week to week.

Hopefully they'll kind of find a groove or some kind of hook with Zi-O before reaching the 10 episode mark.

[ryujin]

Nice to see the original Faiz back, hoping the original Blade is gonna appear as well since he was in Decade.

Still like to know how Geiz obtained the Ghost & Drive watches (or whatever watches he may already have), this part really throws me off the most, does this mean there's no episode for Ghost & Drive now?

[takenoko]

Feel like they wouldn't be able to bring back Drive. But I see no reason why they can't get Ghost?

[kangchan]

The sub-writer of KR Zi-O is Mouri Nobuhiro, sub-writer of KR Gaim, Ghost, Ninninger and main writer of Kyuranger, stating from episode 9 next month. Look like Kento and Nobuhiro are only 2 writers of Zi-O, look like Ninninger.

[Kurokage X]

This sounds like it'll be worse before it gets better

[Catastrophe]

If it gets better.

I feel like part of the problem is the first quarter toy push as well. Gokaiger worked well because they didn't have cameo episodes every episode. But now they need to have all those ride watches out before Christmas.

[ViRGE]

And not to give up on the series so soon, but if it does want to turn things around in a dramatic fashion then that's its only real hope. Either this is a terrible consequence of having to front-load the toys, or it's inherently this scatterbrained.

[LiLAsN]

Feel like they wouldn't be able to bring back Drive. But I see no reason why they can't get Ghost?

Don't post stuff that hasn't occurred in the show yet

Even if they were in spoiler tags?

[dancercotillion]

Obviously, Geiz savagely murdered both Ghost and Drive. That'll be the 0.5 episode, just a very uncomfortable ten minutes of footage in which Geiz uses a sharp rock to cave in the skulls of two heroes of justice and trap their souls in watches. It's why his costume is red; blood.

Also, it's kinda funny to hit up this thread after the episode because I felt like it might have been the strongest one since the premiere. Definitely enjoying the now-running gag of Sougo having absolutely no idea what is happening when he does the hissatsu for the arc's Rider. "MIGHTY ACTION CRITICAL FINISH!!!" "...oh! Goddamn! Okay, let's uh, let's do this!"

And that preview. Toei. Stop. I can only get so erect.

[dancercotillion]

Someone up-thread mentioned the Faiz-love in the show, where Faiz is like front-and-centre in the credits and such. Is that bad? Do people think Faiz is not one of the very best Kamen Riders ever, Showa and Heisei inclusive?

Because I will fight you. Faiz might very well contain the most human, relatable themes in the entire series. Faiz was my first Rider, sure, but having seen every Heisei Rider since, and chunks of the Showa Riders, I think Takumi is absolutely the real hero of his era and should absolutely stand equally with the very best Riders of all time.

[takenoko]

/me gets in a fist fight with dancer

Inoue Toshiki has become the worseeeeeee

[Catastrophe]

I never said Faiz was bad. I enjoy it.

My main point was that it was odd that Faiz was present in the opening credits, despite no other Pre-Decade Heisei Rider being there.

[dancercotillion]

/me gets in a fist fight with dancer

*helmet is smashed open over just one eye*
*there's a beach in the background*

Takenoko-san... please reconsider. My dream is to protect everyone's smiles!

[LiLAsN]

I mean, seeing Faiz in the next episode is kind of a relieve. Means they are not going to stick to the same formula of 2 episodes per Kamen Rider series which, if we've seen how the pattern of power ups go for every series, expect to see it around episode 12. And if I remember correctly, I believe someone in the first episode thread once said that Decade might be the first power up since we do not see his watch device out of all the Kamen Riders.

If we had to wait till episode 19-20 for the first power up, that is going to be disappointing. So I am glad they are mixing things up and jumping all over since it will not alienate those who prefer pre-Decade series of shows who will have to wait till episode 21 to see Kiva and the rest appear if Zi-O was following in order.

Looking forward to the show picking up speed and momentum in the next episode. Sick and tired of getting only tid bits of Zi-O's lore while they are busy fighting off the FAKE riders. Another riders... ya right.

[KRMonkey]

Just finished this. It's really bothering me that the only part I'm genuinely enjoying is the .5 episode.

I guess the writers aren't aware that the plot elements they've constructed are stupid? Or they're relying heavily on the assumption that no one watching will be older than six? They're trying to have it both ways, handing us a plot in which our past heroes never became Riders, but then still have them appear in their Rider form fighting the monster whose existence should prevent them from doing exactly that?

There is absolutely nothing believable about Sougo. "I want to be a king" is not a believable motivation. He's not quite Takaharu-wooden, but *oh god*, I just set the bar for bad acting to Ninninger's Takaharu. "These people are going to kill me if they think I'm going to become an evil king. I think I'll keep telling them about my delusional desire to be a king."

I guess the plot makes *slightly* more sense if you assume Sougo is insane in a deeply generic sense? So he's delusional and his affect is rarely situation-appropriate? The actor's blank, vague smile is representative of a broken cuckoo clock where Sougo's rational mind is supposed to be?

Here's the thing: I watched all of Ghost. Zi-O is making me nostalgic for talking magic outerwear. That's just wrong.