Zero-One series discussion and poll

Everything starts at 0. I mean 1.
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Ratings

Poll ended at Thu May 13, 2021 7:54 pm

☆☆☆☆☆ Reiwa number one!
15
35%
☆☆☆☆ Successor president
18
42%
☆☆☆ 0 or 1?
7
16%
☆☆ 10 is two in binary
2
5%
☆ This is a one, but it should be a zero
1
2%
 
Total votes: 43
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darkmage02
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Re: Zero-One series discussion and poll

Post by darkmage02 »

I think most people have already pretty much said all I feel about Zero One as a whole. Do I like this first Reiwa series? I do. Do I like it more than most of the latter half of Neo-Heisei? Yes I do. Do I like it enough to give it a 5/5? No. This series had so much potential from the get-go. It had an interesting premise, a darker undertone to its story & characters, relatable themes pertaining to real-world issues, great characters, really cool suits, and flashy fights. Sadly, Zero One didn't "take off" the way I thought it would, and it's a shame.

I know most people said the hiatus didn't really hurt the show much, but I digress. I definitely felt the plot were rushed after the hiatus and Ark's debut and storyline could be handled better had they got the extra 5 episodes to build up his appearance and flesh out his story. Yes, I know Horobi is the final antagonist of the show, but to me, Ark's still the big bad. Horobi was just lost in his emotions, conflicted by what he's feeling, and fell prey to Ark's manipulation in the end. He stood for a belief, and whilst that belief puts him on the opposite side of Aruto, I never did see him as evil throughout the series. Ark's the real big bad for me and the way his story was handled was so underwhelming.

I find a lot of parallel between Horobi and Heart from KR Drive. Both are the leader of a faction trying to liberate their own kind from humanity. Both had their own beliefs, and both fell prey to the manipulation of the real evil in their respective shows. Both learned what it meant to have a "heart", and changed for the better by the series' end. Except that in Drive, Gold Drive was handled way better than Ark One did. Ark One ended up feeling like a pro-longed MOTW that ended up being a throwaway villain. A shame, really.

I have to give the writers extra points when it comes to trying out some new things. Aruto having to learn how to use his KR powers in the 1st episode was such a neat touch (most Riders just "automatically" know how to use their powers..?). Zero Two was a far-cry from the usual flashy, god-like final forms of previous Riders. Having Aruto going all vengeful and murderous right up to the last episode while not being mind-controlled was a bold move, but works. A female KR as one of the main leads (albeit underwhelming but still...good progress, Toei) is nice.

My gripes with Fuwa, Yaiba, Izu, Gai, Jin, Horobi & the other MetsuboJinrai.net members have all been mentioned in other posts up there by other people so I won't be repeating. Just want to end this by saying Zero One rejuvenated my interests in KR again, it made me cared again, but sadly whimpered on its way out.

3.8/5 for me.
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Dante ShadowRoadz
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Re: Zero-One series discussion and poll

Post by Dante ShadowRoadz »

I binged the last half of the series for the most part, though I definitely did feel that hiatus. Due to the pandemic hitting the whole world though, I don't hold that against the series on the whole. Overall I thought the series did flag a bit from how it started, the inconsistencies were a bit much for me in terms of how many Humagear were actually 'lost' when defeated or not. Also the premise of the Singularity is interesting, but it was a bit too loosely defined. Horobi achieved his, but he didn't show any real change or growth until the last few episodes and only when pushed to the limit of everything that happened.

The Form Replacement Syndrome was strong with this season, and I hope its not going to set the standard for all of Reiwa going forward. The varied base forms I could get behind, but the gap between Shining, Assault Shining and Metal Cluster forms had zero room to breathe, making them all feel mostly negligible. From how it built up versus how it executed, I think they wanted to do something more with Assault Shining taking from both Thea and Ark for a power source, but then they pushed that conflict entirely onto Metal Cluster instead. Between that and how rushed they moved to redeem Mr. 1000 for the ending arc, I get the feeling that the writing/filming might have been closer to the virus than intended and they had to make do.

The ending twist with Aruto having to fight himself as much as Horobi to break away from the malice of Ark was interesting, though it made for a rather hit-or-miss build up and execution. Ark-Zero was intimidating by itself, but Ark-One added a layer of sadness and despair to the circumstance of it. Albeit it did also make Zero-Two feel rather superfluous, especially when they crammed in Realizing Hopper at the very last minute for the final showdown. That with the likes of Zi-O and Build before it, I'm hoping Toei isn't getting into a habit of making a special "final fight" form, it comes off pretty unsatisfying and overly predictable at this point. The added bit with a movie wrap-up being teased right at the end made that feel even worse.

Overall, the season was an enjoyable first outing for Reiwa, just shy of great due to a few significant fumbles. I'd pan it at around a 4 out of 5, depending on how good/bad the movie ends up being.
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Re: Zero-One series discussion and poll

Post by KarleeTDM »

If I'm being honest, I loved Kamen Rider Zero-One from beginning to end. It was absolutely perfect for me. I loved the story, the characters, and everything in between. I wonder how Kamen Rider Saber will turn out..?
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Episode 8 in retrospect

Post by takenoko »

I think it's interesting foreshadowing that Mashiro is interested in examing Fuwa's head. If she had, she might have discovered the chip that Gai had implanted earlier
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Re: Zero-One series discussion and poll

Post by takenoko »

5 Stars 15
4 Stars 18
3 Stars 7
2 Stars 2
1 Star 1

Average 4.023255814
Totals 43
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