My Thoughts On Kamen Rider Wizard So Far

It's time for this again since Wizard is hitting the same point that recent rider series do. Beast is coming very soon as you all know what I think of this series, but I could surprise you. First like last time is the main rider and unlike Fourze people aren't complaining about his designs. There is so much love for how Wizard looks as I can't blame them, his color scheme is very controlled as each form shows the same amount of varied colors, but also giving off a unique feel. I did have one complaint, but after I actually saw Wizard in action the belt didn't become an issue. It's a single belt that doesn't have many ports or buttons, it's a simple belt with a hand design on it. It's a nice change as they use rings for "power in the pocket." The rings are very nice even though they are big I will let that slide since it's a toy and they probably also want the stuntman to get those rings are easier without a struggle. The series is showing great amount of ring use which was a problem in Fourze since many switches were just forgotten. What makes the ring powers great is that they can do many different things as most of them work with each form and the sword when Wizard is in Dragon form. Now for the man who is Wizard. Haruto is another amazing main character for the franchise. First his story is a nice callback to the original Kamen Rider since him being Wizard is a burden. He was mostly forced to become Wizard to fight Phantoms and he does so. He doesn't let that get to him though as he really wants to protect people as we see later on he's afraid of death of others and himself. The beginning arc of the series shows the struggle Haruto faces to save people from despair. We see him simply saving and protecting people, carrying a dream, keeping one's cherished items from being destroyed, seeing that others can bring hope, and just helping someone spread some Christmas joy. So not only does Haruto progress he also learns a lot about what he can do. Haruto even gets into his own underworld which was just an amazing moment for him to confront his inner Phantom as I hope for more scenes like this. Overall Haruto is an excellent character as you want to like this guy in the very first episode and we see him struggle along with helping others.

An A+ for the main rider

Now for the supporting cast and this was a bit of a downgrade compared to Fourze. With Fourze he had a club with his classmates that helped people from the Zodiarts. I will still say this now the whole Fourze cast was a lot of fun, they had good characters that made the story a lot more enjoyable. Wizard still does that, but in a way that is very much like older rider series. Some of the characters like Koyomi, Rinko, and Shunpei actually don't do a whole lot in every episode. For me I like it, but again it's sort of a disappointment. I am happy with how they are using them when they become important to an episode or two since they do more than you would think. I want to talk about Shunpei first since he needs defending. Shunpei is not useless. Remember on how I talked about being Wizard is actually a burden for Haruto well Shunpei is a character that gives Haruto some more hope for his work. His dream is being carried by Haruto as magic is now impossible for Shunpei. So seeing Shunpei still be his playful self and being helpful shows Haruto that being Wizard is not much of a burden as he thought. Next is Rinko and she is well alright. First I have no problem with her actress as I love how she shows many different faces with ease. She can show emotions with speed which is good for when something quick happens. It's nice to have police involvement again as I was hoping Rinko would be more connected to other officers which sort of happened with Kizaki. Still I am hoping for more police involvement as the first episode really gave the feel Kuuga and Agito had. Koyomi is the last big supporting character to talk about as she is good. First I am liking the romance that is with her and Haruto since it's something rider series don't play on that much. Fourze slightly did it for mostly jokes, but moments were still nice. This time it feels more like a relationship which adds more nice factors for both characters making me care for them. So far nothing big happened so far with the two, but so far I am liking it. Koyomi herself is easily going to be a big character later on since she is probably going to be a big part of the plot. Overall the supporting cast is nice with some great moments sprinkled in, but I have a feeling as things progress they could change some more.

A B+ for supporting cast, huh a complete switch around compared to Fourze.

Now for the villains as we have the Phantoms who want to kill Gates so they can get more of them. I always love when villains need more of them like in Faiz. With the Phantoms they are more like the Worm from Kabuto though since they completely become the person they replaced. This angle was played at with Lizardman as he used the memories of Satoshi to make sure he wouldn't be caught. Some of the other Phantoms stick to their job though as there are really good ones to like right now. Cat Sithe was a very comedic monster who didn't want to do his job that much and then we had Valkyrie who was just a genius. The best so far is one of the main villains, Phoenix. Holy crap this guy is awesome as he does a good rival character and some more. First it's been a while since we had a character that had fun with making people suffer. Last one I can really remember is Kai from Den-o. Phoenix is an immortal so that alone makes him a threat and he becomes stronger every time he gets revived. So I am expecting more Wizard and Phoenix fights as I wonder how things will end between the two. Medusa is another nice villain who sticks to following orders, but even she starts to stick her nose in. Wiseman is mostly in the background right now, but there have been villains like that before and he's doing a whole lot while he's in hiding I can tell that for sure. Overall I am liking the Phantoms slightly more than the Zodiarts cause they got the same level of great designs and this time some villains feel more completed. We get the full package from them and some of Fourze's villains didn't do that so much.

An A- for the Phantoms so far

Finally is how the show feels so far. First I am loving how the series is playing out. People complain that the series is panning out and I have to say.... it's not panning! It's the beginning arc and each rider series does this. Fourze didn't have much happen until Meteor shown up I mean that's Cancer appeared after Meteor's reveal. People also want new Phantoms and I can sort of see why, but the more I think about it I think the series is saving that for later. I feel like putting a warning here because this maybe just be speculation, but I could be right (skip this line and the next two if you want to). Remember when Haruto said that he's afraid of people dying and in his underworld, Dragon told him that using his powers could lead him into despair. So this could mean Mages can still fall into despair and with using too much power could leave him more open to it. Another thing is that the series is giving us a lot to think about. It reminds me of Kuuga in a way since we don't know anything. In Kuuga the monsters come, Godai gets the belt, and he fights. That's basically how the series starts. We don't know much as when things progress it makes us think of what is happening. Wizard is doing just that since we have no clear explanation on what happened at the ritual where Haruto became a Mage, the White Mage is still a mysterious character and Wiseman is the same as both are doing things in the background. Who knows the White Mage could be responsible for Beast. So right now the show is doing fine with it's plot since it's being vague to keep us interested and thinking what could happen. Now for the action and it's a big improvement compared to Fourze. I said before that rings are being used more often and not being forgotten. That was a big issue I had with Fourze as the series just used the same switches again and again. The action gets more variety with new forms and rings and as I said before the rings have much varieties thanks to each form having something special to it. Then comes the dramatic parts and I like it a whole lot. There are some very great moments and the actors can do it very well. Haruto is the best so far since he can really be a funny actor showing some different styles of acting. I don't know why, but whenever he does something comedic he does it really well. Even him just laughing can get me laughing. The show is a better example of a blend of drama, action, and humor. With this Wizard can bring something different a good amount of times and that helps the show's variety.

It's an amazing series right now as I give it an A. A much better watch than Fairy Tail.