Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

Well, I haven't updated on Kamen Rider Zi-O for some time again, haven't I? I have to admit that there are some passions that catch me whether it's what I missed in old school and some new school stuff I haven't checked out yet. I'd like to give my thoughts on Kamen Rider Zi-O's finale which had me mixed through and through. I would like to share my mixed feelings. Remember that if you liked the finale then fine. If you don't like it then also fine. But let's just be civil unlike a certain group of trolls who just can't stand anybody disagreeing with them. First, I'd like to share my thoughts on the finale arc... Some things are predictable and some things aren't. Some things are just random like Tsukuyomi becoming a Kamen Rider -- I thought it was just as random as GoGoV introducing the Max Victory Robo Sigma Project as a last-minute pullout to defeat Grandienne's final invasion. Schwarz being the final antagonist was not at all su...

One thing I can say that Zi-O has broken my expectations of a total disaster due to the Shirakura-Shimoyama tandem . However, Kyuranger's Nobuhiro Mouri does learn a lot from his mistakes and he's actually doing it better -- way better than whenever Shimoyama pops in. Like I said, the only reason why Ninninger is "better" than the utter failure that's Ninja Steel is that the girls are hotter, no season split, and may I add that at least Takaharu is nowhere near as stupid as Victor and Monty. Other than that, I haven't had the stomach to re-watch Ninninger even when the girls are hotter. So how are things going on? The three-parter is interesting in this way. We see the dangers of altering time and Daiki getting more used than he was in Kamen Rider Decade. Tsukasa appears yet again to be better utilized than Shoji Yonemura did. Well as I said, I may not like Decade but at least Tsukasa has the chance to redeem himself. At least, Decade's not turned into ...

Kamen Rider Zi-O reaches the finality of the Heisei era -- except where he gathered the powers of Kamen Rider Drive and Kamen Rider Kuuga in the Kamen Rider Heisei Generations FOREVER movie (which I still need to watch) and the Over Quartzer summer movie which will be on July 16, 2019. So how's the arc? Well, sorry for the delayed review because I was watching Jiban and Denziman. Anyway, let's get started, shall we? Maybe, I can be biased but I think Zi-O's Den-O tribute is better than what happened in Kamen Rider Decade  -- though I have to admit that like ToQGer and Season 2 of Kamen Rider Amazons that the said episode was written by Yasuko Kobayashi. If anything, I think Nobuhiro Mouri is the saving grace of Zi-O in one way or another while Kento Shimoyama is pretty much either he hits or he misses -- though I admit the Decade arc was still interesting. The side story is pretty much soap operatic. It's the typical "I can't let my family know that ...

Kamen Rider Kabuto is what I'd call "Patrick Star's one shot wonder" while this arc was actually written by Nobuhiro Mouri. I know I've had issues with the ToQGer vs. Gaim crossover and I would still consider Yasuko Kobayashi's involvement of the Shinkenger arc in Decade and Riku Sanjo's Ninnninger vs. Drive to be the superior crossover. Now, I just felt like Decade redeemed itself and this is way better than the Kabuto arc in Kamen Rider Decade . Yup, Tsusaka Kadoya is back once again in an important role that Dex in Saban's Mashed Rider will NEVER get. Also, a startling revelation is about to be given. What I like about this one is the appearance of several mainstay members of Kabuto. I wanted Souji Tendo but I think the actor Hiro Mizushima must be too busy with his family. You know what happens when your heroes marry, right? But we do have the characters Arata Kagami (Gatack), Sou Yaguruma (KickHopper and Another Kabuto) and "Shun Kageyama...

It's been some time since I last saw Kamen Rider Hibiki -- one was the crap dub done by TV-5 and I decided to rewatch it at my own pace. My readers know I definitely am no Hibiki fan and I have a mixed reaction. I always thought the second half was better with Toshiki Inoue becoming the new head writer though I do have an on/off dislike for Shinichiro Shirakura. Now, while the true Hibiki (Hitoshi Hidaka) didn't appear probably because the actor Shigeki Hosokawa didn't show up -- we do have some guest characters some Hibiki and NOT that stupid Alternate Reality Hibiki. We do have Tomizo Todayama (Kamen Rider Todoroki) and Kyosuke Kiriya (that irritating jerk in the second half). Thankfully, Kiriya matured in this arc and become more humble. So the show doesn't have the original hero but we have a mature Kiriya. It's also interesting that half of this arc takes place during the Heisei era (which ended on May 1, 2019) and the second half starts in the Reiwa era. T...

Real life writes plot, doesn't it? Today is May 1, 2019 and it's the dawn of the Reiwa Era in Japan. So we've had the long history of the Heisei era Riders and I'm happy to announce I've seen everything from Kamen Rider Kuuga up to Kamen Rider Build at my own pace for most of them. Then we have Zi-O which was celebrating the 20th season of the Heisei era Riders -- but now it must migrate to the Reiwa era. May 5, 2019 will begin the official migration and the title having the word Reiwa on it. So I just want to consider that it'll be the "second half" of show -- though it's not yet determined when Zi-O will air its final episode. I was really feeling so terrible with the Shirakura-Shimoyama tandem -- I just felt that Zi-O may become the Megafail of Kamen Rider. Fortunately, it's FAR from it. Kento Shimoyama though is pretty much hit or miss -- he wrote some Go-Busters episodes but Ninninger is really one of the low-tier seasons for me. Heck...

So I'm bit back on track after catching up with Kamen Rider Zi-O. I actually wanted to resume my Kamen Rider break because I want to check out other new school stuff but this one is again another nostalgia. Yes, it's Kamen Rider Agito -- perhaps one of those puzzling, mysterious Kamen Riders that inserts several plots and layers of revelations that would get me to sit down wanting more. Then I think about how I wish it were still a direct sequel to Kamen Rider Kuuga -- the whole reason why Toei decided not to do is just stupid IMHO. Come on, did Destron's appearance make the work of the first Kamen Rider for naught? I thought it'd be nice if Yuusuke saw danger coming again but seeing Agito makes him smile once more -- confident that someone else will do his job even when he's no longer around. Now back on topic on the Kamen Rider Agito arc of Kamen Rider Zi-O! Is it me or do I tend to have an extreme favoritism towards the episodes written by Nobohiro Mouri? Gr...

"If you're bored with something you like then why not do something else?" is what I was trying to do with Kamen Rider Zi-O. So I took a bit of a break to focus on Ryusoulger and Ashes of Love. But I started saying, "Well what have I missed?" with Kamen Rider Zi-O. So I decided to do some marathon after weeks of slowing down (and I may slow down again depending on the circumstances BECAUSE well there's new school stuff out there) but it's not safe to say I'm not taking a bit of a break in between AGAIN. I mean, I just feel a break from Kamen Rider Zi-O every now and then has helped ease my mind. I thought that a four-partner that featured Hiryu Kakogawa as Another Zi-O was a nice spin. This has me criticize something I truly like. I felt that the Time Jacker trio is actually a little more competent than the Gorgom Priest Trio in trying to find another king. They wouldn't be too focused on half-brained plans for world domination like Shock...

I just thought about it that maybe I need a slowdown or even a short break from Kamen Rider. Sure, I may resume watching it but I just feel like a short break is probably all I need right now. I might be focusing on trying to finish Ashes of Love or focus more on the upcoming K-Drama series Vagabond. I can still watch this at my own pace later but I will only update when I feel like it or wrap my thoughts up. I've been having problems with the Shimoyama-Shirakura tandem  -- episodes by Nobohiro Mouri are good while Kento Shimoyama is hit or miss. Shinichiro Shirakura doesn't look like he's pleased with some changes Toei made -- the guy has been known to like brutal stuff as evidenced by the bloodshed in Agito, Faiz, Ryuki and Amazons! Right now, I just feel like my head is overloaded. Sure, I've had some enjoyment but also some "ONORE SHIMOYAMA!" moments here too. I guess you know how Shimoyama wrecked Ninninger! Just because Ninja Steel is oh so terrib...

I just want to address this fact -- is it me or is Kamen Rider Zi-O not going at the right direction with adding extra Kamen Riders that will just be forever guest stars?! We've had Kamen Rider Shinobi, Kamen Rider Quiz and now we've got Kamen Rider Kikai. I haven't really seen much old school Tokusatsu except those that particularly interest me (like most old school Super Sentai) but Kamen Rider or the late Shotaro Ishinomori's old school stuff don't interest me too much. Maybe if I were still a child -- I'd probably still watch them but not now. Now, it's time to give tribute to an android Kamen Rider known as Kamen Rider Kikai. Let's think about the hsitory of Kikaider in both old school a new school. Ishinomori himself also came up with other heroes such as Kikaider -- his first android superhero which probably had a lot of inspiration from some older Western media or what. Isaac Asimov? Well, this half blue and half red symmetrical division wo...

Is it me or do I see this one coming? Shinichiro Shirakura and Kento Shimoyama are pretty much hit or miss. I'd like to address my desire to first feel positive about Kamen Rider Zi-O (because I usually prefer new school Kamen Rider over new school Super Sentai) but it seems I'm getting the Decade Meltdown effect all over again! So what's up with Shirakura? I admit that he was responsible for some good ideas such as when he was the co-producer of Jetman, Zyuranger, Dairanger and well if I'm not wrong Kyuranger. He was also responsible for Kamen Rider Agito, Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Faiz, became the new producer for the second half of Kamen Rider Hibiki, Kamen Rider Kabuto, Kamen Rider Decade and the current one Kamen Rider Zi-0. I admit, I do like a good portion of these entries and I blame the higher executives of Toei for why Ryuki had that really stupid reset button hit! Then I thought about how I think Faiz gets too much unfair hate. Agito well it's s...

I could have been a fan of Kamen Rider Ryuki if it wasn't for that rather IDIOTIC reset button ending done by executives. It's really clear that Yasuko Kobayashi planned on killing everyone yet that was stopped with a reset button. So really, what happened? It's also probable that Megumi was brought in by Toshiki Inoue only because executives forced him to write. No, I don't think that there was a Rider War as some fans suggest. Now, it's time to think about how Kamen Rider Ryuki may have been rebooted unless one wants to treat it as an alternate universe like Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. I remembered watching Kamen Rider Ryuki's alternate ending written by Inoue -- something that may have been requested by Toei after so many fans hit them due to how WTF the ending was. At least Spielban and Kamen Rider Build kept character development for the main characters! Ryuki made it look like it never happened all because of executives. Parental complaints? Maybe. Then I ...

Is it me or do episodes in Kamen Rider Zi-O written by Kento Shimoyama tend to be hit or miss? I admit, I prefer the episodes written by Nobuhiro Mouri than Shimoyama as of late. Then I thought about the W reference (and even using the W power here). But in this case -- I thought the father/son misunderstanding does add some drama though I wouldn't call it as good as the way Hirohisa Soda, Toshiki Inoue, Junki Takegami and Yasuko Kobayashi would pull it off. Now what's the situation? You've got the father/son situation in the Year 2040 A.D. as a result of a diverging timeline . Aura shows she may be a pretty face but beware of how people look like -- she turns both father and son against each other even more. There was already a conflict before that which has Mondo Douan (Quiz) and Tamotsu Douan (Another Quiz) because of family issues. The conflict is pretty much typical in TV drama. Tamotsu was so obsessed with work that it seemed like he abandoned his wife and child....

Time travel is either an interesting innovation in writing or it can get pretty confusing. As much as I did enjoy time travel plots but not all of them are interesting to read or watch. In this case, I'm already having second thoughts about how time travel is dealt here by writer Kento Shimoyama (and yup, he's done a reference from four years ago here). Here's the reference. It's 2019 in one side yet it's 2022 in another side. Souta dreams of a ninja-based Kamen Rider (something I want to happen as a new series post-Heisei era) named Rentaro Kagura. Okay, I may not be a fan of Ninninger, I still find it wonky (but nowhere near as terrible as the dreaded Ninja Steel) - it's nice to have Hideya Tawada who was Starninger play this part as a Ninninger reference! This also results to a new method by the Time Jackers to literally jack off time as they go into 2022 and prematurely triggers something. So we have Rentaro (2019) and Rentaro (2022). Rentaro (2019...

Well I guess this should be my final post for the year. Yup, I'm already bracing myself for Vagabond either. This is a pretty interesting arc when Kamen Rider Zi-O's present and future self are idealistically different. In the future, we see an elderly man who rules the future with an iron fist but how did he become like that from a sweet and innocent teenager that he is? This also brings forth more of Tsukasa Kadoya's appearance with a total of four episodes! I like how the future and present are colliding in a smoother way than previous episodes. The forces of Demon King Zi-O start to attack the present. A new villain under the authority of Demon King Zi-O called Kashin arrives. Kashin is an agent of Demon King Zi-O and looks like they want to accelerate the time itself to allow the ascension faster than expected. This is where things get intense. Sougo in the present wants to become a good overlord but only sees his evil self. Tsukasa does the unthinkable or not --...

Well it's time for that every two weeks update on Kamen Rider Zi-O. Personally, I'm having mixed reactions right now with Nobohiro Mouri. I enjoyed Kyuranger (a lot) but this one left me going "?!" more often than not -- as if Yasuko Kobayashi's use of time travel can create such convoluted stories such as Kamen Rider Den-O or Timeranger. This arc actually manages to outdo the Kamen Rider Fourze arc. While Sota Fukushi couldn't show up due to Bleach -- but we've got Masahiro Inoue, Shun Nishime and Ryosuke Yamamoto showing up. So how is this a convoluted case? Well, the Time Jackers are still desperately looking for another king in the place of Zi-O. It has me wondering why are they desperate to do that/ Were they once bidding for world supremacy only for Demon King Zi-O to finally own them? This also creates a whole set of dilemmas especially when one of the Another Riders could die if the process were reversed. At the same time, it also has Sougo dyin...

Well pardon if I haven't been posting much here considering that I'm actually getting stuck with other stuff -- especially real life! Quality should be the measure and not so much how many posts I post, right? Anyway, here's the Kamen Rider Gaim arc and I'm feeling a weird time paradox hence the title of a complicated, fruity time paradox. The beginning starts with a convoluted case of meeting your past self -- except it's just three days apart. We see the Kota after the finale of Kamen Rider Gaim talking with Souta. He says that a good king doesn't do the work for all his subjects and that the latter need to do their part. The whole problem of the time paradox happens that there could be a major time decision when Souta (three days later) and the current Souta end up running into each other at the end of part one! The current corruption happens when Asura a member of Team Baron becomes Another Gaim. He wasn't part of the original Gaim timeline but due to ...

Well it's a convoluted case of Kamen Rider OOO getting into a crossover with Kamen Rider EX-AID because the year 2010 and year 2016 -- six years apart! This was yet another diverse plan that could seriously wreck the timeline of Kamen Rider Zi-O for sure -- that is by turning one of the many evil Kamen Riders into yet another evil Kamen Rider. In this case, Kuroto Dan returns with still the same psychotic tendencies as Another OOO. Hmmm... it's a good thing (for now) that the Time Jackers didn't decide to give the powers to Takeshi Asakura of Kamen Rider Ryuki! I admit, I'm quite a fan of Kamen Rider OOO myself and somehow I'm defensive about the show being "good" from others who think it's bad. It was nice to see both Eiji Hino and Hina Izumi appear in the flesh. So I guess actors Shu Watanabe and Riho Takada haven't hit it all big compared to what happened to Sota Fukushi and Bleach. I mean, check out the 0.5 episode after the end of the Fourz...

Kamen Rider 0.5 episodes are really ringing in some weird humor. Okay, I'll just warn people to take what you read from Toku wikis (or whatever bloggers may have to say, even myself since I'm no expert in Toku so bear in mind I could be wrong about many things) with a grain of salt if need be. I even thought about the whole entry in Kamen Rider Wiki which says, "From interviews, Shirakura is noted as having a general derision and dislike of the tokusatsu genre, viewing the entire media form and any project he is not in charge of as "Juvenile"." -- but where is the source for such information? I guess Shirakura (like him or HATE him) may be completely aware and is now backfiring with some self-deprecating humor. So what's the history of Shirakura in Tokusatsu? He's the head producer for Kamen Rider Agito, Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Faiz, Kamen Rider Blade, became producer of Kamen Rider Hibiki after episode 30, Kamen Rider Kabuto, Kamen Rider D...

Okay, I'll try updating every two weeks or every time an arc ends instead of the weekly episode review. Yup, don't expect me to keep going into too many details in these posts unless you request it! This time it's the Kamen Rider Wizard arc which unfortunately -- there's no Haruto in it! I don't know what actor Shuniya Shiraishi is up to, it's safe to assume Sota Fukushi has his whole load of projects though we've had a guest cast in Takasu Nagase resuming his role as Kosuke -- well at least we've had one guest cast! It's just like how certain Gokaiger episodes don't have the main hero showing up! I was thinking about the cruelty of the Time Jackers and how they take advantage of human suffering. This time, it's a theater that's closing down because of it's lack of audience. Hayase gets frustrated at it and he's got unspoken feelings for Kaori as well. Hour decides to manipulate a stage magician named Hayase into becoming Anot...