nightjaeger

Kamen Rider Zi-O 8.5

2019-05-07T05:29:25Z

Remember, kids: if you nitpick too much, you'll be kicked by a horse.

Please stay away, Mr. Ed, because I am not satisfied.

The apparent purpose of this was to explain how Beast got the two Ride Watches, and the explanation was simple - at some point, Geiz went back to 2012 and gave them to him, in order to get them off him in 2018. (You know what I mean; blank watches in 2012, Ride Watches in 2018.)

But it then tries to distract us with great humour!

Don't get me wrong, I liked the humour, and some of it seemed unintentionally - Geiz and the crew tittering at something Nitou did seemed really genuine and unplanned. I liked it! A lot!

But it all seemed designed to distract us from wondering why he had two Ride Watches, and what the other one would be.

Of course, Geiz may simply have given him two blanks in 2012 because in 2018 he saw he had to - it may well be that no-one (except possibly Beast) knows what the other one is/was. That doesn't change the fact that it felt like they wanted us to stop wondering about that, though.

Anyway, really funny, good misdirection, I'm happy!

comments

Handa Kento & Murakami Kohei Justiphi's Cover and MV

2019-05-05T09:06:42Z

Oh, wow.

I promise, I really, really thought it was a joke, but you can actually buy it as a single.

The look on their faces near the end of the MV, when they're sitting on the wing chair... I thought that was a dead giveaway that it was a gag, but it seems it was totally legit.

Let me be clear: just because I thought it was a joke doesn't mean I thought it was bad. I really liked it, as I felt it showed the characters' odd friendship, as well as two actors who have known each other a long time, having a bit of fun and recognising their acting and character history. It was cute, nice and funny.

Also: Handa Kento did a cover of the song a few years ago! It's better and has its own weird MV that I think also makes reference to both characters.

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 8

2019-05-03T06:10:24Z

From the little I saw of Kamen Rider Beast back in 2012-2013 - which was a couple of episodes of Wizard and the Super Hero Taisen Z movie - his appearance here seemed quite in-character, including abruptly ending his fight with Geiz once he learned what he wanted to learn. What seemed off was Geiz letting him off the hook about the second Ride Watch... unless...!

Build and Ex-Aid both lost their memories again after Zi-O used their powers to defeat Another Build and Another Ex-Aid. Oddly, Cross-Z seemed to lose his memories again with the defeat of Another Build... but ignore that for now. Could it be that the Ride Watch Beast retained was the Beast Ride Watch, as part of some effort to retain his memories after the defeat of Another Wizard?

I don't know, but I have a feeling he'll be back with that Ride Watch eventually.

The ending disappointed me for two reasons, and made me happy for one. The happy one? I loved how Woz was able to look so happy and so disappointed at the same time. The disappointing ones? We'll never known what happened between Hayase and the owner of the magic stage in the end... and the phone call thing was not a good move, because now we need to wonder why they wouldn't do that again. If they defeat the Another Rider in 2018-2019, why not just have him call back and talk himself out of it?

Come to think of it, why don't they ever just go back a bit further and convince people not to make a contract with the Timejackers?

Oh well; as Build said, if you nitpick too much, you'll be kicked by a horse.

What really got me interested was wondering about whom Geiz was speaking near the end. He told Tsukuyomi he thinks they "underestimated him", and he looked concerned... but he's Geiz, he often looks concerned. Was he talking about Woz, or Sougo?

(I love Sougo so much!)

I liked how Woz appearing in the shop set off all the clocks. He's an intriguing fellow and I wish to learn more about him...

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O 7.5

2019-04-25T02:39:33Z

Hahahahahahaha haaaaaa haaaaaa!

Poor Geiz.

In the actors' defence, I don't think the Geiz appearance would have benefited the episode anyway, so I wouldn't have filmed it.

I have to wonder if the bit of Woz that was "cut" was really cut, or whether it was just a gag.

I loved Woz's impersonation of Sougo: "Sougo has concerns!"

I hope the actors who play Woz and Sougo are friends in real life, they're so cute together.

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 7

2019-04-25T02:16:44Z

Even though the Timejackers have been going on and on about their attempts to find an alternative future king, I didn't realise the Another Riders were their candidates. I'm disappointed, then, by the calibre of their selections.

I would like to know what the new venture is that the magic show boss lady and the previous magician are planning. They seem to have a massive cash cow on their hands with Hayase, so why would they stop now?

I wonder if the lack of "please" when Another Wizard uses his powers means anything. The distinction between, say, "Flame, please!" and "Flame, now!" in the original series was very important, but here it is simply "Flame". Could mean nothing, could be the key to victory!

I also wonder how Kamen Rider Beast can exist in 2018 if the Wizard timeline was altered in 2012, but I suppose episode eight will answer that.

Schwartz actually seemed menacing in this episode - his appearance here would have been a better introduction that the one he got in the Faiz/Fourze arc!

And... of course... Woz and Sougo are so pretty. :)

I'm looking forward to how it turns out!

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O 6.5

2019-04-16T03:02:38Z

I don't know what to believe!

Was Fourze an homage to 555?!

I loved the humorous references to the live-action Bleach movie. I still want to watch that at some point, but only because Fourze and Meteor are in it.

I think they handled Fourze and Meteor's absences quite well. Given that part of Fourze was about friendship and really everyone supporting one another, having the teacher as the main reappearing character fit perfectly with that. You don't need Fourze - any of his friends can speak for him!

(These "point-fives" are all utterly insane.)

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 6

2019-04-16T02:47:07Z

That was hard to get through - it wasn't bad, I really liked it; but it was so complicated.

First, though: Schwartz!

I like Schwartz, but I didn't really like how he was introduced. This was only the third arc. I would have preferred the story still focusing on Uhr and Ora, with just some awareness Schwartz was in the background. Schwartz would work well as a villain with so many things going on at once that he isn't even bothered with the Zi-O issue. It would have been really good if, after a few arcs of Uhr and Ora's Another Riders not succeeding, he just got irritated, stepped in and made an Another Rider to show them how it's done.

As it was in this arc, he didn't seem like a villain worth worrying about - he was just rude.

I also think it was a missed opportunity that the stereo being repaired at the shop wasn't a Smart Brain one. I would have screamed with joy at such an easter egg... but didn't the guy on the phone say the stereo had a clock in it? I didn't see one!

The arc did a great job of making me want to finally watch Fourze and Faiz... although I'm confused about a few things, now, like how they got their blank RideWatches. (Maybe 6.5 will explain it!)

I dunno. Everything the show does that's great is matched by one or two frustrating head scratchers.

I'm also confused by how Kusaka and Inui even knew each other, after the timeline change, but I was also happy to see Kusaka alive. He's not a nice guy, at all, but I was really upset when he died in a flashback in Kamen Rider Taisen.

The overall moral of the episodes, and the emphasis of the friendship between Takumi and Kusaka despite their hatred for one another, was very good.

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O 5.5

2019-04-15T04:13:14Z

For those who don't know, the only Kamen Rider series I've completely watched are Ryuki and DCD. Despite this, Ryuki and V3 are my equal favourites so far.

But... Zi-O, only five episodes in, is already on the verge of taking top spot.

The revelations about the FaizPhone X were just plain amazing. I have never watched an episode of 555, so the little easter eggs referring to that series were going to be lost on me, but still... it was genius, and the way they revealed it here was glorious.

Also: have I mentioned how much I love Sougo?

I need to put Tokiwa-sou on my list of places to visit! It's weird, as I always thought "Tokiwa Sougo" would be a time ("toki") reference, but maybe not?

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 5

2019-04-15T03:42:11Z

If you're wondering, an "U.M.A." (ooh-mah) is an "unidentified mysterious animal". The sort of thing you might hear an urban legend about.

I thought the two Kamen Rider Club members looked really familiar, so I went back to Movie Taisen Ultimatum, and there they were! As that was set five years after Fourze, it is plausible that those two were still in high school in 2018.

What confuses me is that Fourze gave up his powers in Ultimatum, and actually needed to borrow them from his past self at one point. So is there even a Fourze in 2018 to begin with? It's a moot point since Schwartz has changed the timeline, but still...

I'm curious to know what powers the Another Fourze guy had before he even met a Timejacker, and how he got them. One thing that's often confused me about Toei's toku shows, especially ones which crossover with others, is why the villains always go to normal humans as pawns. If you want a strong villain, why not give an existing villain extra power? Why not, I dunno, approach Kamen Rider Fifteen and give him the Another Kuuga powers? I wonder if Schwartz targeted this guy because he was desperate, or because he already had powers? The former seems unlikely, since he wasn't trying to persuade him as Uhr and Ora needed to.

I'm very curious about what change was made to the 555 era that enables Kusaka to still be alive.

The whole episode felt very nice. The characters were nice, the story was nice.

Fun fact: I've kinda started dressing like Sougo. I already did a bit, but I'm making a point of it now. I hope he and Woz become friends at some point, they're both so lovely.

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O 4.5

2019-04-12T00:51:52Z

During the final battle with Another Ex-Aid in episode four, I actually wondered how the legend Riders keep track of what they do and don't "know" at each point.

So of course the "point-five" conveniently discusses it.

Having seen some Super Sentai and Kamen Rider scripts before (extras and minor staff actually sell them online!) I'm pretty confident what Emu handed Sougo was a real script. Good gosh, that would be tricky to follow.

I thought it may be easier if they filmed it in chronological order - the 2016 scenes, then 2018 - but that would just pass off the problem to the Zi-O characters.

Hiiro raised a really good point about how just because the timeline changed it doesn't mean his character's personality would, especially his character, for whom Rider powers were really just a tool. It would be slightly different for Emu, but not too much.

I didn't quite get the joke with "A Emu" and "B Emu", and Geiz's response rap was just absurdly silly, but I'm sure it was profoundly funny to those in the know.

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 4

2019-04-12T00:38:17Z

I clearly don't understand the rules of the show. And you know what occured to me? The Timejackers should be called TimeJAKQ. :P

I thought I understood the rules in episodes 1 and 2.

TimeJAKQ goes back in time and makes Another Rider. The Rider ceases to have ever existed.
When the Another Rider is temporarily defeated, the Rider exists again, briefly.
When the Rider exists again, it can help Zi-O.
With the Rider’s help, Zi-O can go back to when the Another Rider appeared and kill it.
Zi-O takes the Rider’s power. The Rider ceases to have ever existed. Zi-O gives the Rider a black RideWatch to give him in the future.

…

But that isn’t what happened with Ex-Aid.

Ex-Aid simultaneously never existed and helped Zi-O physically fight Another Ex-Aid… and the timeline with the sick kid didn’t add up to me… if the "genius surgeon" was telling Zi-O and Tsukuyomi that the boy needed to come to him a year earlier for help with his cardiomyopathy, then whether that happened in 2018 or 2016 was irrelevant – unless the dad became Another Ex-Aid before the kid got sick… which he didn’t… because the TimeJAKQ gave him the Another Ex-Aid powers after the kid got sick and was being taken to hospital.

Can someone not just explain the rules to me, but explain how they worked for both the Build and Ex-Aid arcs?

I really like the special effects; I especially liked the nice touch where the "2016" from the back of Another Ex-Aid became the time caption. I'm also digging how Zi-O just... kinda... sucks at doing the Riders' hissatsu attacks. Oh well - he wins in the end.

Where did Zi-O get the thing he attaches the RideWatches to at home?

I adore Sougo. He's... like... the loveliest Rider ever.

I really like the show, but I'm struggling with the rules. Where's Kobayashi Yasuko when you need her? She'd make it all make sense.

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O 3.5

2019-04-03T03:58:56Z

LOL, poor Emu - the only one to realise the spoilers didn't (haven't?) happen, at least not yet.

After this "episode" reinforcing my views about how lovely Sougo is, I felt the need to investigate the actor. He seems very much like Sougo in real life! It'll be weird if I see him in anything else, now!

Some things don't quite align, though:

- The actor quit school in his final year after being cast as Sougo. Sougo still goes to school.
- Sougo is bad at/doesn't play video games - his actor is a big fan.

The producers spoke about difficulties in casting an actor for Sougo - they wanted a "young man" with a "kingly aura", and I think they've cast him exceptionally well. It's been hard to put my finger on what makes him so perfect for the show, but once I read that, it really clicked.

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 3

2019-04-03T03:36:53Z

It's only just now occurred to me to wonder where Geiz got all his Ride Watches from!

I haven't seen Ex-Aid, except for part of the crossover with Kyuuranger, so I'm really not sure who these people are or what their significance is. I'm assuming that Kagami-sensei is an adversary or secondary Rider to Emu/Ex-Aid, and his personality is pretty clear, which helps explain why he wants to help Geiz.

When they kept hiding Emu's face, I had a feeling he wouldn't really appear, so the final scenes were quite a surprise.

I really loved the creative use of special effects in this episode, in particular Another Ex-Aid getting caught in the "curve" of the Voltec Finish. Toei has gone above and beyond with that kind of thing lately - applying stock effects creatively.

Sougo's Uncle (Grandpa?) is really growing on me. He's just so on top of everything.

That said, Sougo, who is on top of nothing, is one of the most endearing characters ever on TV. I adore him, but he does often leave me feeling the desire to step into the screen and beat the Another Riders for him, as I just don't have great confidence in his capacity to do it!

Where the Build arc left me really wanting to watch that show, this arc (and, yes, we are only halfway through) hasn't had the same effect, but it has made me want to look up Kagami-sensei and his relationship to Emu. That, at least, looks interesting!

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O 2.5

2019-04-02T07:30:28Z

Most of my confusion about episode two was resolved after seeing Sougo go ask for answers from Genius Physicist Takumi!

Rule #1 (of 3)
A Rider's power cannot exist twice in the same timeline, hence why the show Build never happened once Zi-O got Build's powers. Similarly, Build and Cross-Z's flickering powers were presumably the result of Geiz repeatedly "defeating" Another Build in 2018.

Rule #2 (of 3)
An Another Rider can only be defeated by the powers of the Rider it is Another of. Why? We don't know, but Takumi seems to think we might find out if we keep watching.

Rule #3 (of 3)
... is not that if you nitpick too much you'll be kicked by a horse. That's nonsense, apparently.

So what is Rule #3?!

This series really is remarkable, but I wish more of this stuff was revealed in the show proper, rather than the online "supplementary" content.

I feel Takumi/Sento and Banjou should have some sort of side series. If they MST3K'ed old Rider shows in-character I'd be all over that!

comments

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 2

2019-04-02T07:08:04Z

I'm already confused by what is going on in this show - but I think that's meant to be the case; the characters don't even know what's going on yet.

When Zi-O intervened to save Geiz and Tsukuyomi from Another Build, I couldn't help but think of Shurikenger and what he'd do with all those baseballs.

I liked the references to Kamen Rider Build throughout the episode, especially the brief reference to the really cringy element from the end of episode one, with Banjou's fly. It makes me wonder, though, if I'm going to miss all the cool references to other series, since I've seen so few Heisei Rider series - I've only seen Ryuki, Decade and a few episodes each of W and Build. Maybe I'll need to rewatch this a few times.

That said, I already feel like watching the first two episodes - they've just been so good. I loved all the cute stuff with Build, like him whispering his henshin catchphrase to Zi-O while Woz was doing his big momentous speech thing. Everything about this series is just so well done.

... except the special effects at some points in this episode. After the phenomenally smooth episode one, some of the effects were a bit rough around the edges on this one.

Woz, however, was not rough around the edges. He is glorious.

I'm increasingly thinking that Oma Zi-O is someone else entirely; it would be a strange twist if it was someone we've met, like Woz, or even more shockingly, Geiz.

Anyway, I'm incredibly confused, but in the good "I want to see more and be not confused!" way, not the "Oh, I give up." way.

comments

Kamen Rider City Wars: Story Chapter 10 (Normal)

2019-03-28T05:46:39Z

Night Rogue strikes!

It seems I bit off a bit more than I could chew and, as a consequence, didn't get all three stars for the final mission! Oh, well. Now that I know what to expect, I can do it again!

comments

Super Sentai Legend Wars - VS Burajira

2019-03-28T04:13:00Z

It would be really awesome if I could advance to the next stage without the same loading problem every. danged. time.

comments

Kamen Rider City Wars: Story Chapter 9 (Normal)

2019-03-28T02:50:34Z

When Genm strikes... will it be Game Over?!

...

No. It won't.

comments

Bento Box Twenty-Two from Artifice Comics

2019-03-27T01:37:49Z

Bento Box Twenty-Two, featuring two stories from me, has been released by Artifice Comics.

If you click the cover image, you'll be taken to Amazon to purchase it for the Kindle.

Shieldsman: Prelude, Part Two continues the story of Jason Bright, as he escapes from the villainous Pantheon Corporation and realises he has superpowers.

Arrow: Don't Get Caught tells the story of a gangster whose world is turned on its head in the wake of a disaster. It also features a reprint of a Golden Age comic!

comments

Super Sentai Legend Wars - VS Biibii

2019-03-26T07:36:28Z

I guess Enter wasn't the one causing the problems with the game after all. It's mildly aggravating!

comments

Kamen Rider City Wars: War of the Glorious Riders 0, Imagin Quest Level 3 and Story Chapter 8

2019-03-26T06:31:45Z

I really should have looked at the rules for War of the Glorious Riders before I tried it!

comments

Super Sentai Legend Wars - VS Enter

2019-03-24T11:36:18Z

I have no idea why, but for some reason, since getting to the point in the main story were Enter joins in as the villain du jour, the game will only let me play one stage at a time - it just loads indefinitely. I can't even return to the main screen. A "system" message pops up, but it disappears too quickly for me to read it.

I play at around the same time every day and I wonder if that's when the game does a daily reset or maintenance or something and I'm just running into that. I'll have to experiment.

Anyway, this should have been a much longer video, but in the meantime, enjoy the defeat of Enter.

(You know what? When I wrote "du jour" above, I wasn't even thinking about Enter's quirky, random use of French!)

comments

Kamen Rider City Wars: Imagin Quest Level 2 and Story Chapter 7 (Normal)

2019-03-24T05:38:12Z

I've decided to periodically post recordings of Kamen Rider City Wars and Super Sentai Legend Wars gameplay. There will rarely be sound, so... I dunno... maybe play some toku music in the background?

In this video: Imagin Quest Level 2 and Chapter 7 of Story Mode!

Phoenix is a fun baddy.

After recording, I found that a card I thought was for Kamen Rider Decade is, in fact, a form change card for Kamen Rider Zi-O. I've given it to him now and he's become my strongest Rider, so when I try War of the Glorious Riders tonight he'll probably be the one I use the most!

comments

Super Sentai Saikyou Battle Episode 1

2019-03-20T23:50:44Z

The main team we follow in this series is the kawarimono team. I'm seeing this translated all over the web as "weird" team or "oddball" team, but that isn't what that means. (It's close, but not quite right.) Kawarimono is for things which don't fit into other categories. It doesn't imply strangeness or weirdness any more than it implies being special.

Think about the members:

GoukaiRed - a pirate. What other group might he belong to? The vehicle group? No. The swordsman group? Maybe, but he's equally proficient with a gun. The strong group? That's for the rhino/bull/bulldozer characters.

AkaNinger - he could go in a "ninja" group, but there isn't one. The Kakurangers and Hurricangers are split onto different teams, which makes sense, otherwise the theoretical ninja team would all be from those few shows.

SasoriOrange - an orange scorpion alien. Could go with the Dairangers and Changemen but again, they're split.

JyuohEagle - can't be on an animal team, because his whole schtick is that he's human (as opposed to his Jyuman teammates).

ToQ-5 - her whole thing is being uncategorisable!

So it isn't that they're weird or oddball, just that they don't fit into the other 31 teams. Which is of course quite arbitrary - Rita could have based the teams on other things, where they may well have fit.

During the opening battle against the Goukaigers, I immediately thought that Gaisorg was a possessed Luka, but when we see Gaisorg unmasked in the preview for the second episode, even though we only see him from behind, it clearly isn't Luka. It actually looks a lot like AkaNinger to me, but that wouldn't make a great deal of sense at this point.

I was really happy to see BoukenSilver in action. It made me wonder how actors remember their characters don't know each other, even though they've acted together before. BoukenSilver's actor, playing the character Roy, met SasoriOrange in Kyuuranger VS Space Squad. But there they are, fighting like strangers.

I noticed something that I think will be important with the music: during each battle, it plays the henshin/roll call music of the eventual winner (if there are multiple characters on the winning team, it will play all of their music at some point). I thought I may be wrong during AkaNinger's battle with Go-OnRed, as he looked set to lose, but he ultimately won...

JyuohEagle and AkaNinger have both aged really well. I wish they'd get a team-up movie.

I loved Kagura's reaction to Captain Marvelous, and Yamato smirking in the background. He knows Marvelous is a big softy, but poor Kagura...! I also really liked how Kagura and Takaharu are immediately friends. It fits their characters perfectly, and also reminds me of the smart alec PE teachers sitting up the back during every school curriculum day I've ever attended...

Planet Nemesis reminds me of the Golden Saucer from Final Fantasy VII. I was waiting for Cait Sith to come out.

Rita's name cannot be a coincidence. She's a sorceress with a staff. Or is she? SasoriOrange and ToQ-5 both described what they saw as "appearing like magic", not necessarily actual magic. I don't think she's what she seems. Also, Sakamoto Koichi is the director, and he has a strong connection to another sorceress named Rita.

This is so well directed. It's essentially flawless. I know Arakawa Naruhisa has a tendency to stick his nose in and push for things to be consistent. I vaguely remember an article during the airing of Goukaiger where he said they suggested updating the 1970s and 1980s special effects and he strongly resisted. Why would their guns sound different now? They're the same guns.

I like how they've added the voices for the non-returning actors. Some were wrong, sadly - BoukenYellow, the blue Jetman - but many seem lifted from the characters' own shows. I'm pretty confident the grunts of the Goukaigers in their battle with Gaisorg come from the episode of Goukaiger where they battled Basco in a forest after he defeated Marvelous. Which just goes to show how many times I've watched Goukaiger over the years...

The only real concern I have is why they'd all so willingly fight one another. JyuohEagle explained it in his battle with Patran-1, I guess, when he said they should pit their techniques and skill against each other, not try to hurt each other. But I still can't imagine characters who are friends fighting one another. The only time we really saw that, though, was the fight between the yellow OhRanger and the yellow Carranger, but I don't know if they were actually friends after their versus movie, since I've never seen it.

There's also no mention of teammates trying to contact one another. BoukenSilver mentions he can't contact SGS, but did he try contacting BoukenYellow?

I think the show did address those issues. I'm just inclined to think there'd be more characters who are suspicious of what's going on than there seem to be.

All in all, though, this was basically perfect. Can't wait for the next episode.

comments

Super Sentai Legend Wars Ryusouger Update

2019-03-20T05:06:27Z

The Super Sentai Legend Wars game just updated for Kishiryu Sentai Ryusouger - and it comes with a new campaign. You get RyusouRed, RyusouBlue and RyusouPink just for updating. Some awesome new stuff is available in the gasha using V-gems... and after logging in for six days you get a Legend Coin!

I'm excited.

But... uh... I'm actually more excited because I got a HebitsukaiSilver and Shaider today... :D

comments