#monarchsbigkrthoughts

Kabuto

He’s going the distance! He’s going for speed!

Plot/Concept: 8/10

I like this alot. I knew the suits in this show went hard, but they look so much better when they’re on screen. I also fuck with the speedster ability, and the SFX for it is really cool to. ZECT is kinda strange though. They feel like an evil organization that hired all the people who want to do genuine good without doing all the lying.

Execution: 10/10

Oh my goodness gracious this show had me going from start to finish. It gets a little repetitive and predictable at times, but it never really took away that enjoyment to me? The worm would worm out and then tendo would show up and Full Force started playing and suddenly i had to lock in and pay attention to the life changing fight scene. They also incorporated a Dark Rider into the main series in a pretty decent way, although it sucks that they just didn’t write any more Hiyori after they got her back from Worm Soji. The finale actually felt like, final. Like it wasnt just a two guys fighting in the woods or underground or something, the whole setup actually gave the fight some major stakes, and it made the whole thing actually feel like a real climax.

I also really enjoyed how they dealt with the other riders. I liked how they all had their own major arcs, and while i would’ve loved to see more of Drake (especially at the end when everything was going to shit), I’m also happy that they didn’t really force every rider to be in every episode. 

Characters: 9/10

I liked Soji Tendo alot. I was worried he was going to be Ace Ukyio before it was cool, but he wasn’t a selfish ass and actually had his companions best interests in mind, even if it seemed like he was just doing shit for fun. He reminds me of The Doctor, in the best ways.

I also really fucked with all the other riders as well. Tendo’s personality is so fucking wild so of course they had to give everyone else equally batshit and campy personalities, and despite how serious the show takes itself it honestly makes the whole thing alot better, and making Kagami the straightman of the whole Rider Cast was really funny. I liked the Hopper Brothers even though i felt like Kageyama was totally getting manipulated by Yaguruma because Yaguruma couldn’t stand to see anyone else who was in his position prosper and used the influence he knew he had over Kageyama probably would’ve been a better TheBee than he ever was Also i liked the other Zect agents they were cool. Yuzuki Misaki could tell me to kill someone and i’d do it without a moments hesitation 

Character Designs: 10/10

Oh my god every single suit in this show was gas. I love both the bulky power armor and the sleek powersuits of the Riders, especially contrasted with some of the crazier designs of the Worms. They just all look so good and aefawengaeriaegr

Music: 10/10

Oh the music in this show. It’s very solid to be honest, but (as is normal) the majority of my love goes out towards Full Force and Lord of the Speed. They’re just such powerful songs for a powerful show. Theres a reason you hear Full Force at every opportunity.

Overall: 10/10. S Tier

Den-O

Doctor who if he hit people with a train

Plot/Concept: 6/10

Honestly I didn’t know the most about this one going in. I knew it was time travel and I knew it was a train, but outside of that I didn’t really know what to expect. It took a bit for me to get into it, I didn’t really know how to feel about Ryotaro as a character, though as more Imagin’s started to join the cast I started to get more into it.

Execution: 7/10

Ough this show is great. A very solid and interesting plot for most of the run. I loved meeting all of the Taros and seeing how the Den-Liner crew grew closer as the story went on. I like that the Winter movie was like. An actual tie in as opposed to some alt-timeline shenanigans like a lot of the other Phase 1 Heisei movies, and the way it tied into the actual show was very fitting, and served to build some interest in the film before it actually aired, so that was nice.

I didnt really feel like the ending had any real weight behind it. Kai wasn’t really that good of an antagonist to me, I felt like all of the mystery surrounding him didnt do him enough justice as a villain. His goals and ambitions didn’t really feel compelling enough because we don’t know why he’s trying to accomplish them. I’m ok with him not getting a true Kaijin form, but I feel like he could’ve been more of a menace if they let him like. Actually do something on his own.

Speaking of doing stuff on his own. I kinda wish they gave us more of Ryotaros fighting without the Taros by his side. Like we got a bit of that with the Den-O Liner form stuff but I felt like they could have left Ryotaro on his own for a bit longer before giving him a tool that fixed that problem. Maybe having him learn to outsmart his enemies or use some other skills he picked up from the Imagins besides fighting? Idk. Surely some of the footwork that Ryutaros does while dancing would carry over to Ryotaro.

Also they tried to fake us out with the Taros’ erasure a little too many times. Kill them off or dont, cowards.

They should have ran over a monster with that fucking train. Like Kai is just a dude, run him the fuck over. 

Characters: 7/10

I liked most of the cast. I really wanted the two guys doting over Airi (Ozaki and Miura) to have a bigger role, though. I loved how they interacted with Ryotaro and his Imagin Possession, and I kinda wish they got clued in to everything going on with them and Airi as the show went on. 

Ryotaro will never beat the DID Diagnosis even though he doesn’t have DID at all and using him as an example of a character with DID would be super inaccurate. But if you look at it through a certain lens, that boy got hella alters. (Kamen Rider protag with DID when)

As I said earlier, Kai was just kind of a nothingburger of a villain. His introduction with Ryutaros was cold as hell but I felt like he never really had that much of a menacing presence again after that. 

Sakurai Yuuto (the one we see turning into Zeronos) was pretty cool. Love me a tragic hero sacrificing his place in the world and in the hearts of his loved ones in order to make the world a better place for them. 

Idk. I don’t really have much to say about the cast of this show, I suppose.

Actually, yes I do. They should have let Hana do more stuff. I will always be saying this about female supporting characters in Rider Shows but for someone who is so integral to the plot, she doesn’t really do much. Giving her an arc where she eventually learns to trust an Imagin enough to let them possess her, letting her transform into a Rider even for the briefest period of time would’ve been so cool and awesome… though I suppose her actor leaving the show and them having to replace her with a child would’ve made them rethink any arcs she could have had.

Character Designs: 9/10

God the Imagin suits…. Ouhghghuhg Definitely in my top 5 Monster designs in Kamen Rider. Den-O’s rider designs definitely took a while to grow on me, but after I got used to them they were pretty cool (with the exception of the Liner Form, that shit is so ugly. Sorry Ryotaro your fit is wack)

The Snail Imagin is the best one. Sorry I dont make the rules. It has a snail gun so it wins automatically.

Music / Sound Design: 8/10

God the standby noise for Sword Form aka The Den-Liner noise makes me want to buy the DX Belt just so I can hear it whenever I want. Also I fucking ADORE how they gave each of Den-O’s forms its own version of the theme. While I don’t really like all of them, I do still appreciate the effort they put in to make each form feel unique and special to the Imagin it represented.

Overall: 8/10 A Tier

Kiva

Twilight if they locked tf in

Plot/Concept: 9/10

Vampires…. Vampire Kamen Rider…. Hell Yeahg…..

In all seriousness, the idea of a horror-monster themed rider is very cool, and I felt like Kiva did a really good job with it. The split perspectives between the past and present was confusing at first, but I feel like once they actually got the plot moving they were able to use it as a pretty effective storytelling tool.

Execution: 8/10

I think this is the first show to actually make me audibly pop off while watching it. I genuinely can’t think of another instance where I jumped out of my seat with excitement while watching a Rider show. Like I said, once they got the ball rolling the flashback sequences were a lot less confusing, and actually served to better the understanding of events in the current day, and helped express the show’s themes of familial connections through time. I’m a sucker for paralell storylines across multiple points in time.

I also really liked the points where we got to see Wataru and Otoya interact. The whole possession mini-arc was kinda silly in concept, but it was the first instance where we got to see deeper into Otoya as a character, I do kinda wish they rolled with it for longer. 

I loved seeing Wataru grow as a person and become more mature and sure of himself, he’s definitely up there as one of my favorite protagonists of Kamen Rider to date (might do a tier list of that later, tbh).

The whole “Castle Duran can send you back in time” bit was kinda wild to just drop out of nowhere? Especially since it was only really untilized twice throughout the whole series, though I felt like they used them very well. I do kinda question the decision to have Wataru play a part in defeating the Fangire King in the past, as I feel like that kinda diminishes the emotional impact of his fight against it alongside Taiga in the present, but you know what. It was wonderful seeing Otoya and Wataru fight alongside each other.

Characters: 8/10

Man I love every single character in this show. I love Wataru, I love how he grows and matures through his interactions with his friends and through his experiences with the supernatural forces in his life. I love Megumi, who high key should have been able to turn into Ixa alot more than they let her. Like even if she didn’t permanently gain a Rider form. At least let her be able to serve as a back up for when Nago goes down. Speaking of, I love Nago, who doesn’t let his ideals cloud his judgement, even when he finds out that Wataru is part Fangire / Kiva (ITS NOT THAT HARD TO NOT BE RACIST, MASATO). I liked Otoya alot, despite his many, many flaws. I hate to break it to you but I probably would also fall for his charms, he could totally rizz me up. That aside I would love for him to teach me some profound shit about music and the soul. Also the fucking “Hey, bat guy. Lend me your power.” He’s so fucking cool guys.

Yuri was also very cool, I feel like she was a little too forgiving to Jiro and she should have stabbed him to death in those woods. Like genuinely he kiddnaps and assaults her in the woods and she just kinda lets that go? Maybe im misremembering things.

Character Designs: 10/10

Fangires in the Top 3 Monster designs for SURE. HOLY FUCK I LOOOOVE the stained glass aesthetic they all have, and the way its worked into Saga’s design is so fucking awesome. Ixa being essentially a suit of power armor is so fucking cool, it really plays into the “Vampire Hunter” theme of the human side of the story. The crossplate on the mask opening up to reveal the red eyes underneath…. So fucking cool….

Kiva is pretty cool too I guess. I dunno I just kinda feel like its outclassed by all the other designs of the show, plus he is just kinda the Kuuga Colors but like, again. Kiva Emperor is a very solid final form though, I’m a real big fan.

Music / Sound Design: 10/10

Guys the main character plays the violin. If the soundtrack in this show didn’t go fucking hard as hell then I’d have to start killing people. I fucking love how Destiny’s Play is a song that exists in universe, and I love how Wataru sings it, and any scene where he’s humming it to himself made me so happy. The sound design of the various belts are also fucking awesome, and while Castle Doran’s standby jingle was kinda repetitive, it grew on me. 

Double

Basically? Yes. This series had me from the second the opening rolled. I fucking love Double and pretty much everything about it.

Plot/Concept: 9/10

oh yeah baby. fusion is always such a cool concept in media and the idea of a Kamen Rider made up of two guys is so fun. also it's gay as hell. gay people are really strong

Execution: 10/10

all the little cases they had to solve were super neat, not too complicated and they got a little bit predictable after a bit but still nice. the two episode arc structure was perfect, allowing the show to fully develop the ideas in an arc and set the groundwork for what comes next. I looooved it. only one instance of "should've watched the movie" at the very end, but it went over smooth anyway.

Characters: 10/10

I don't think there was a single character I really disliked. all the antagonists were really cool, I loved the Museum and later Foundation X. I love Shotaro and Philip's dynamic, and I really don't think there's anything more gay than what those two got going on. I liked Ryu alot as well. Not really a lot to say about this other than I do love them so much.

Suit/Character Design: 8/10

I think the monster designs are where this show thrives. Double's design was a bit bland at first, but after a while I heavily vibed with it especially in contrast to the monsters. each monster is so varied and different and all the suits seem so unique, it's so cool. outside of the suits, the character design is on POINT. Ryu falls into the same category as Makoto from Ghost where he looks like a car seat but he still makes it work.

Music: 10/10

Same as ghost. I love this soundtrack with all my heart. it had me hooked from the opening, which I did not expect. I love each of the vocal tracks with my entire soul, especially Nobody's Perfect and Leave All Behind. Accel had a very good musical theme all together.

Overall: 10/10, S Tier

Fourze

the power of autism strikes again

Plot/Concept: 7/10

I'll admit, I didn't know how to feel about the highschool setting at first, but I vibed with the space themes. the astral switches were cool but I don't think there needed to be that many oh my god.

Execution: 9/10

ITS SPACE TIME!!!

this show went so hard. I don't think there was a single time I was disinterested in what was going on. they managed to keep things going throughout the whole show, it never really felt like everything happened for a reason and there wasn't any filler. it also helped that I watched alot of the movie content as I went, so I understood all the smaller references to the movies as I went. also all the movies were so fucking cool. I should review the movies at some point.

it was also neat how they kept the upper classmen as real characters after they graduated school, it made the whole show a lot more real to me.

Characters: 8/10

I love the Autism Brigade. there is not a single person in the Kamen Rider Club who doesn't have the slightest touch of the 'tism. I loved meeting each member of the KRC and following Gentaro's quest to make friends with everyone in school. Miu's little "oops!" has made it into my vocal stims. Not much more I can say.

Character Designs: 9/10

me likey :)

that's all I really have. Fourze's design was so full of whimsy and meteor was full of really cool. also, I don't usually talk about the movies in these, but the Movie where they go to space and fight evil robots had the sauciest designs of all time.

Music: 8/10

once again, I was locked in from the Opening. I fucking love Switch On. additionally, both belt's little jingles went so hard, I found myself hitting the 3...2...1.... pretty much every time Fourze transformed. I also adored Meteor's theme. idk this sound design in general fucks

Overall: 9/10, S tier

Wizard

John Sweetflips himself

Plot/Concept: 8/10

it seemed pretty cool to start out, very Persona 5 vibes which I liked.

Execution: 6/10

tbh I wasn't really digging the wizard vibes at first.

It just wasn't for me until Beast got introduced, after that things just got better and better. I've talked about it before but the ending arc was just so incredible, and honestly was probably my favorite finale to any of the Kamen Rider series this far.

Characters: 5/10

could've been better tbh. the main cast was relatively fine, outside of haruto being kinda boring to me as a character. Its the same reason I didn’t like Ace/Geats all that much, he’s kinda “the guy who shows up and fixes things” for the first like half of the show. I did like all the supporting characters, although i think they could’ve made Rinko a bit more of a threat. they set up in the first episode that silver bullets (from Haruto's gun) hurt phantoms, and haruto never thinks to like, make sure Rinko (who stays strapped 24/7 from what I could tell) had silver bullets on her, even to just deal with the ghouls? like come on

I also felt like they kinda gave up on the phantoms partway through the show. they went from being all cunning and stalking their prey in order to tell how to make them despair, which was thrilling and interesting to watch.... and then they just like, stop? they're all like "raah despair cause I'm going to kill you" like man no wonder Wizard keeps stopping you. Phoenix and Gremlin had the best development out of any of the phantoms, and their arcs were genuinely my favorite parts of the show and it made me like the characters alot more. then they tried to do the same thing with Medusa but then decide that this arc is not about Medusa and is just her being an asshole for two episodes

The Bugsters do what the Phantoms do but like better IMO

Character Designs: 8/10

Most of the monsters and Rider forms were sick. I wish they made unique Mage outfits for the three who came later though, that drip is kinda not the best imo. Thats all i have to say other than Koyomi and Sora/Gremlin have the best fits in the entire show and no one can compare

Music: 7/10

kinda banger, but repetitive. the themes are good, but some parts of them just drag on for too long and that's always the worst. Beast’s theme is amazing though i never got sick of that one

Overall: 8.5/10, A Tier

Ryuki 

This happens every time i look in a mirror

Plot/Concept: 8/10

Mirror world stuff is always cool, i‘ve said this before but i wrote a Persona TTRPG Campaign based around the same idea. I’m always down for Kamen Riders fighting each other, though to be honest I wasnt sure how much i’d like the cards. 

Execution: 10/10

Oh my god this series was peak. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, i adored how continuous the story felt despite also being a standard monster of the week (or rather, two weeks) story structure. Around episode 35 or so the plot came to a screeching halt so that we could watch Kitaoka could fumble a bad bitch in real time which was kinda odd, but it picked back up right away so i forgive it. And that ending was fucking crazy, there was no world where I predicted what was going to happen. I loved the hell out of it.

Characters: 9/10

This show had a pretty good roster of characters, and even the ones who didnt stick around as long felt fleshed out and interesting. I would’ve liked to have seen more of Kamen Rider Sicssors, but even his short arc was incredibly interesting to me. I’m happy they didn’t go with the “Fight Every Kamen Rider One After Another” plot that i thought they were going to at first, so we got to see all the other characters complete their arcs.

Character Designs: 10/10

GRAAAAH i fucking LOVE the suits in this series. I love the masks in particular, the knight styled grill for the faceplate is such a vibe. Each character had their own style outside of suit as well, which made them even more enjoyable. 

Music: 11/10

Listen to Revolution and you’ll understand.

Seriously though, this show’s soundtrack is something else. I’ll echo this sentiment in the Kuuga and Agito sections but the music for this series was alot darker and more “grounded” in a sense, which fit the vibes of the show perfectly.

Overall:10/10, top of S tier

Kuuga

I’ve been hitting the👍alot more after watching this show.

Plot/Concept: 5/10

TBH I wasn’t the most impressed at first, I kinda knew the formula would be alot simpler this early on, but it was just the standard Monster Of The Week show for a bit. Still interesting, but not the most unique right away.

Execution: 9/10

OOOOH BABY this show got hella good really fast. I loved how many moving parts there were to the story, how active each Gegeru felt. Probably one of the better ways the MoTW formula is used, and seeing the logic behind each game and what was going on was so cool. I loved how Kuuga developed and evolved throughout the plot, and the concept of him using objects found around the world to use as his weapons was awesome. Also the final encounter was raw as hell.

Characters: 8/10

Godai X Ichijo 100 years baby. I loved the dynamic between these two, and in general I loved how active the supporting cast felt through every episode. It’s never really felt like characters didn’t have anything to do - the way they had to decipher the clues behind each string of killings, decipher the text about Kuuga, or discover what a specific artifact did made them feel like a constant and important part in the show, unlike later series where the supporting cast will just stand there and look dumbstruck (looking at you Rinko)

Character Designs: 6/10

I didn’t fuck with alot of the monster designs tbh, but the designs for the human characters was pretty good. Ichijo could’ve mogged every Gruongi out of the room if the plot was about him. Speaking of, the Gruongi’s human forms really felt like they were the “Enemy Stand User In A Crowd.” 

Music: 6/10

Honestly the music didn’t start getting good until later in the show. It was pretty solid for most of it, but I never started catjamming until around the latter half.

Overall: 7/10, A Tier

Agito

Wet cat simulator 2001

Plot/Concept: 7/10

Big fan of how it continued after Kuuga. Even though it wasn’t a sequel in the way you’d expect, the references to events in Kuuga were pretty cool to see. Besides that though, I vibed with the mysterious artifact, i vibed with the strange signal hitting Shoichi and Ryo - i vibed with the whole thing.

Execution: 8/10

Truly, what does it mean to be human? This show rocked from start to finish, even MORE moving parts and loose threads than Kuuga, and although I was a little disappointed/confused by alot of the reveals and revelations, I still enjoyed the series as a whole. It was very Shin Megami Tensei which I of course fucked with so so so heavily. Love it when two godlike beings play with humanity like they’re action figures. I don’t really know what else to say about the story as a whole, it was just like, really fucking good. The ending was a little dry, but yknow i’ll excuse it. (also now that I think about it they just didn’t finish the plot point where Kana was becoming an Agito, like what the hell happened there)

Characters: 8/10

Pretty good. I loved all the main riders, I enjoyed their dynamic. The whole “secret identities” thing was kinda dragged out at times but honestly I get the idea behind it. The Lords were pretty cool, I loved how they were just kinda angels, and while I understood what their motivations were pretty quick, it never felt boring. It was kinda funny that Tetsuya and Shoichi just swapped names at the end, although kinda strange that Tetsuya took the name of his dead girlfriends brother???? Before he even knew what had happened to him? Like what was the thought process there. I mightve misunderstood tho idk

Character Designs: 8/10

Monster designs were pretty cool this time around. Dont ask about the BDSM Raven Monster. 

I liked the different kinds of Agitos we saw, how Shoichi was the “purest” form of Agito and the others were more proto/distorted versions of the original. The G3 and G3-X were super cool as well, I love the concept of people making a whole suit modeled after a Rider (in this case, Kuuga) in order to fight the monsters.

Music: 9/10

Fucking Bangersauce. I loved every aspect of the music in this show, and like Kuuga and Ryuki i felt it really fit the series well. Not much else to really say tbh

Overall: 8/10, S Teir

Geats

Geats was the first series I watched, and it's been a bit so I might not fully remember everything right away.

Plot/Concept: 9/10

I like the Squid Game/Fortnite/Battle Royale idea behind it, it gave the show a much more serious tone than I was expecting (it's still KR so it's not like, super dark but it changed my view of the series entirely).

Execution: 6/10

I would've liked it more if they fully leaned into the Hunger Games aspect, and kept the full roster of the DPG for the whole series/longer, cause there's like 20 or so initial competitors each time and then they just get shafted in favor of our main crew. like I get why they did it but still I was a bit disappointed.

Characters: 7/10

I don't like Ace as much as I like every other supporting character. I love his arc and the direction his character went but I didn't mesh with his personality. I know he was supposed to be cunning and witty but like he was just kind of a dick most of the time, and we just didn't know why. Keiwa, Neon, and Michinaga all had pretty clear goals from the get go and that made me enjoy them a lot more, Ace keeping his true goals hidden just made his schemes come across as him being an asshole for no reason and getting away with it.

I liked all the antagonists as well. the Jamato were a very cool concept and Archimedial was a freak. Beroba was very cool as well, I liked her and Michinaga's dynamic

Suit/Character Design: 7/10

I liked how all the suits looked, I loved the dpg uniforms, Michinaga is hot. That's it really.

Music: 4/10

man there was not a single song (in the show) that really stuck out to me afterwards. I didn't even remember what Geat's battle theme was until I found it later on YouTube. the four character themes on the Character Song Album are bangers tho but I don't think they get played in the main series so they dont really count

Overall: 8/10, A-Tier

Ghost

Ghost came second cause I thought the suits looked cool. I was right and it was totally worth it.

Plot/Concept: 9/10

I like the overall story, and the idea of using the spirits of dead heros as transformations is really cool. I fucking love Yu Yu Hakusho and Persona, and Ghost is just shoving those two together

Execution: 7/10

Close to the end it starts to drag, and it never explains the whole "15 other Makoto clones" thing in series and I think we're just supposed to assume it was Adel using the Granmeisers power? it was kinda wild, although I did love that whole arc. I feel like ghost, more than any other series I watched, really wanted the audience to watch the movies as part of the series, cause it just kinda brought up aspects of the movies without ever explaining them in series.

biggest offender being when Edith was like "a shame Daigo had to die" as a way to set up his appearance in the 100 Eyecons movie, but since this line is never explained again (other than I think when it's revealed Adel killed Daigo) it's just kinda awkward. idk.

Characters: 9/10

I like all the characters and how they all interact with each other. the only exception is onari who I just kinda hated. admittedly the character archetypes are kinda basic, you've got main character who believes in the good of everyone's soul, rival character who has a more selfish goal, science girl who's the brains behind the whole thing, old man who's more involved than he wants the characters to know, and annoying.

despite this, I wound up really enjoying all the characters and the way they interacted with each other. while Takeru didn't really change that much throughout the series, he is the one who sparks change in the other characters. Makoto goes from someone who only cares for himself and his sister, shutting out anyone who tries to help him and blocking out the world, to fighting for the ideals of both Takeru and Alain. of course he still winds up taking on more than he can handle during the whole clone thing (which is still so wild how they never explained that in series) but even still he did that so the group would focus more on reviving Takeru and not waste time on him, which was wild. Alain has such a good character arc from start to finish, but he doesn't kiss Makoto at any point which makes me sad.

Suit/Character Design: 9/10

Yes. Yes yes yes I loved all the suits (minus the Ghost Boost form, way too much red) and transformations and monsters and just. yes. I wish they let Makoto wear a different outfit cause he does wind up looking like a SMT protagonist, esp combined with how he's stanced up the whole time. but Deep Specter makes me feel a certain way so its excused.

Music: 10/10

oh my god I love the ghost soundtrack so much. I love it so much I'm not sure I can fully explain it with words and it would be better if I just like made noises of general excitement

Overall: 9/10, S-Tier

Ex-Aid

I started this one so I could watch the movie where Ghost and Ex-Aid fight Pac-Man. Was it worth it? only a little.

Plot/Concept: 8/10

Doctors curing a video game virus? are you kidding me? that sounds so ridiculous and campy and I'm so here for it. it sounds so fucking funny

Execution: 4/10

It was just kinda... boring? Like it was kinda interesting to start but then they revealed where the Bugsters came from and I'm just... really? He sent a deadly pathogen to an 8 year old because he got so upset that he didn't think of Big Mario sooner? that's some Elon Musk levels of stupid and I mean that so very negatively. I liked the Chronus reveal, that had to be the best villain entrance I've seen in a while, not the mention the time stop effect was so fucking powerful. idk I was riding the "it's so over" to "we're so back" pipeline the whole time. it ended pretty strongly but like wow I wish I didn't sit through all of it.

Also it was weird to call the "True Ending" movie the "True Ending" instead of just "The Ending." but idk that's a bit nitpicky

Characters: 3/10

One point for each character I liked. Emu, Poppy, and Parado were the only characters I really liked in the whole show. Everyone was just so mean to Emu for no fucking reason. Like he just wanted to help people and all of his coworkers were one TV rating away from telling him to kill himself during every interaction. and now that I think about it, technically he did! and it was during the one point when they were telling him to NOT do it! Parado's "redemption" seemed very short for a redemption arc but the way that he learns what he was doing was wrong was by Literally Dying For Real which is so fucking raw. Steven Universe could never. Oh, I guess the girl that hung out with Snipe was cool, she made his character a lot more bearable and was a very welcome addition to the crew.

Suit/Character Design: 7/10

While the Level One suits were kinda weird, I think the character designs are some of this series strongest points. the only suits/designs I really despise were Level 99 and Hyper Muteki. Level 99 looked so big and clunky and Hyper Muteki has so much gold it makes me want to barf whenever I look at it. Ex-Aid's Burger design goes hard though, and all the monsters looked really cool.

Music: 4/10

Forgettable. Opening was kinda cool but I wouldn't go seeking out any of its music for any reason.

Overall: 4/10, C Tier.

Faiz

Ring ring mother fuckers its the cleaners

Plot/Concept: 7/10 

I wasn’t really sold until the end of the first episode, which isnt too bad compared to other series. The phone thing was weird but then also very cool. I also liked Takumi refusing to take the belt for a while, big fan of refusing the call. Also i did NOT know what the Orphnochs were before watching this show and they are such a cool concept for a monster.

Execution: 6/10

This series went so hard. I enjoyed every moment of it, even though it had me screaming at my screen trying to get Takumi and Yuji to fucking talk to each other. I was a really big fan of the two groups of protagonists, and while they crossed over quite a bit, it was interesting seeing the duality between the Human group and the Orphnochs, and how they both dealt with the threat of Smart Brain.

I do feel like characters morals tended to flip on a dime, but to be honest if Masato wasnt a fucking bastard every time he was on screen, there’d be alot less infighting between the main cast. I also wish it leaned more into the “exploring what it means to be human through characters who have lost their humanity,” cause i feel like they wanted to at some points but just never like, completed the moral? I dunno what im tryna say here but it left me wanting more. The entire plotpoint where the cops began to experiment on the orphnochs just sort of came out of left field for me? Like it felt like they wanted to set that up much earlier in the show and then they forgot to include the two police officers who were investigating the orphnoch-related deaths for like 80% of the show. Maybe it’s becaue i had just come from Kuuga and Agito, where the police played a much more important and competent role, but they just felt underutilized and shoehorned in.

Also they kept setting up Delta to be this godlike power that had a physical affect on the wearer, but then they gave it to the most wet cat of a wearer and it lost all its aura. They had to kill Saya off because she was too much of a menace with the Delta Gear, and as a result it has this “Main Villain When They Join The Party” moment where Mihara is just such a pushover with the belt. 

Characters: 7/10

A pretty solid cast with weak supporting characters. I didn’t really care for the Ryussei school members, which is fine cause they all died within a couple episodes from being introduced. I’ve already talked about how much I hate Masato as a person, but wow they had no reason to keep being friends with him outside of him being Kaixa. I want to hit him with a car. Other than that though, the cast was pretty good.

Character Designs: 9/10

Oh my goodness gracious the suit designs were so spicy. I really enjoyed how each of the rider suits looked, and i liked the more futuristic vibes the riders had against the animalistic features of the Orphnocs. I especially liked how different and unique the Orphnoc suits looked, even though the color palette was lacking. Even then, the greyscale nature of the suits fit the vibes they were going for, and it made the “crumble to dust” effect even more believable. 

Music: 10/10

It felt like there were like three different directions the music was going, and i fucked with ALL of them :3 i especially liked the more synth heavy music, it reminded me alot of bladerunner. The insert songs were also incredibly good - big fan of Dead Or Alive and Eyes Glazing Over.

Also the voice that the belts had was hot

Overall: 8/10 A tier 

Blade

“Hey, wanna play 52 card pickup?” 

Releases an undying horde of monsters

Plot/Concept: 4/10

The playing cards aesthetic is cool, but the first three episodes hit plot beats that would take other seasons 20 episodes and im so confused. Really holding on to hope that it’ll slow down and gain a better pace.

Execution: 7/10

Oh it brought it back alright. Pretty much since episode 4, the plot regained a decent pacing and made much more sense, and they were able to actually develop the main characters in a meaningful way. There were some parts I didn’t really mesh with, like Hajime’s amnesia arc being kinda stupid and a contrived way to set up The Joker and Garren’s Jack Form. 

It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty good.

Characters: 10/10

The characters were the best part of this show for me. The parallels between them are just perfect, and while Kenzaki seemd a bit inconsistent at the start of the show, i think he wound up having my favorite motivation out of any rider, not just in the show but in the series as a whole. “I fight because I love people” is so fucking awesome as a concept and it makes Kenazki’s actions in both future and prior episodes make alot more sense. I fucking love Kenzaki he’s just like me fr fr.

Hajime and the rest were pretty cool, but i could go on a separate rant about them, about how Hajime and Kenzaki have parallel yet opposite journeys, about how Tachibana’s fear remains in his heart, leading him to be vulnerable to manipulation, and about how Mutsuki was echoing Tachibana’s arc but had an actual support system to help him, as opposed to Tachibana’s continuous loss of the people who cared about him throughout the series, helped him find his own strength and bravery, instead of relying on an outside source for his strength (drug allegory my beloved), and just in general how the characters explored the shows themes of Love, Bravery, and fighting against Fate.

Also the Royal Club undead were really cool and I kinda wish they came into play earlier in the show. 

Character Designs: 10/10

I LOOOOVed the suits in this one, especially Chalice. The monster design in this show was on point, especially the undead that were themed more around insects - i think those were my favorite ones. While not technically a “character,” the Master being just a fucking obelisk instead of like, a monster like the rest was super cool, and contributed to the shows themes of fighting against fate. More villains that are just Big Fucking Obelisks, please!

Music: 9/10

Erm, yeah i think so. I loved the music direction this show took. There’s one track in particular im looking for and can’t find cause i dont know it’s name, but once i find it the monarch stocks will be so up. Anyway yeah basically the music in this show bangs

Overall: 8/10. S Tier

Hibiki

As a drummer, I feel seen.

Plot/Concept: 7/10

Its so different than the other shows, in a way I kinda fuck with. Hibiki feels very similar to Godai Yusuke to me, which is a dub cause we love Godai Yusuke in this household. I also really mesh with the idea of focusing on a civilian character interacting with the main rider (a direction i thought Wizard was going to take but just didnt), and I hope they stick with it.

Execution: 5/10

It could’ve been so much more. It started off strong, but outside of more interesting monsters and meeting other Oni, it didn’t feel like there was any ramping action until Orochi happened, which was such a sudden spike in danger. I did really enjoy Asamu’s journey throughout the series, and how the things that happened to him in his day to day life paralleled the things the Oni were going through. The show was definitely gunning towards a message that no matter how different you may seem from others, we are all facing the same hardships, which is a decent message all things considered.

Now, I am aware that the show changed writers partway through, which is why everything was kinda scuffed in the second half of the show. And that’s fine, it happens, but it sucks that despite this they still managed to drop the ball on its ending. I really don’t think that Hibiki should’ve been the one to stop Orochi, it should’ve been Ibuki. The whole “only a single Oni can perform the ritual” is so arbitrary and is just a dumb and contrived way to get Hibiki into the spotlight at the very end. For a show that has a big focus on how all of the characters work together for the same goal, this was a crazy thing for Hibiki to do, especially since they established that Ibuki knew how to use the drums in an earlier battle. The other thing they could’ve done was highlight ALL the Oni by having them perform with their instruments, harmonizing their Purifying Sound to cleanse the planet together. 

Characters: 9/10

Honestly, the character arcs carried this show, which I guess was the point especially early on. I loved how Asamu mirrored Hibiki, although the way that everyone treated his obsession with Hibiki was kind of strange to me. While I did enjoy how everyone interacted with each other, it felt like no one set any fucking boundaries with each other. The only reason the characters weren’t 10/10 is because no one told Kiriya to get his head out of his ass, jesus christ everytime he opened his mouth I wanted to push him down a flight of stairs. They tried to treat him as a rival/foil to Asamu but like, he definitely didn’t come across that way. I’m surprised he didn’t pull a Masato and try to destroy Asamu’s life through lies and deceit. At least he wasn’t racist.

Also a remarkable lack of gay tension in this show - a new record for kamen rider.

Character Designs: 8/10

All the oni suits were so cool. The monsters left alot to be desired, but honestly they weren’t too bad. They were just very samey? Like Idk if it was a budget thing (which would make sense given the amount of CGI they had to use for the Makamou) but like half the Douji and Hime suits were just the same suit with a fresh coat of paint and a different scarf. 

The Oni suits do commit the cardinal sin of “removing the mask to see the actors face” 20 years before recent media, which is so funny (and doesn’t always take away from the experience). I wish they kept the Oni claws though. That was kinda sick.

Music: 10/10

Yeah the show is about music the sound design better fucking rock. And it does! It goes so unbelievably hard! Nothing that I would listen to, but everything felt like it fit inside the show’s vibe.