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Saturday, January 5, 2013

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.

13 comments:

  1. i'll give it an A+. Me and my friends who hated Fourze liked Wizard alot... Loving Haruto and the supporting cast plus the Phantoms so far are great. Cat Sidhe, Phoenix and Medusa are just full of character and its so fun to see to carry out their evil plans (and win but usually they lose xD). Hope to see the Wiseman, Beast and more of White Wizard.

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  2. The reason why I don't give it an A+ right now is because nothing big really happened yet. That's a usual thing that happens in rider series recently and another thing that gives it an A are the one parters as they gave a different vibe. Also a good use of the original concept of a hero with a burden is my favorite part along with Haruto himself.

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  3. The thing that's really getting me down about this series is the rapidly decreasing dramatic weight being given to the powerups. The first Dragon form was executed SPLENDIDLY but since then he's been dropping them like candy. They don't FEEL like upgrades at this point.

    He started off with 4 forms, a good mix of powers, and gained about 1 new attack per episode. His tendency to quickly switch between forms to suit the situation was one of his greatest strengths and perhaps the biggest contribution to keeping the action feeling fresh.

    But these Dragon forms are BORING. He just grows CGI dragon bits and nukes Phantoms to death. Where is the clever ring usage? Where's the combos? The Xmas episode was a real return to form for the action, since it was Water Dragon's second appearance and he was able to use far more rings in battle. If the rest of the upcoming fights are like that one I'll just call the last couple of arcs a slump and all is forgiven.

    But I think what really bothers me isn't that the powers aren't being given appropriate weight...because each new ring was hardly mentioned. It happened and he used it and that's that. But Fire Dragon was given such a HUGE buildup, dramatically, and the other Dragon forms have been given NONE. They're treated like any other ring but they're NOT any other ring. They're showy and CGI heavy and slowly killing Haruto from the inside. Every time he uses one should feel like a STRUGGLE, like he HAS to use it or die. Ya know...like the Fire Dragon.

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  4. Well they're reveal fights and they are just to show the overall potential of the Dragon forms. Also we already know he is risking his life and after the first time he used a Dragon form there weren't any signs he was hurt so it could be an effect that will come later. It sort of goes when Kiva used Emperor form most of the time cause it makes sense to use your strongest powers. I'm fine with the Dragon forms as they look nice and there are clever uses of rings thanks to the Sword being able to do things like Copy and Big. Each of the Dragon forms keep a presence that make them feel different just like the other four forms. Finally, I think the Dragon forms are going to be some sort of trap since they are coming out very quickly as Wiseman could be doing this. Actually one more thing, not every fight needs to be a huge struggle I actually like it at times when the hero wins in combat, but the villains can actually put others at risk since it can distract the hero. Cause for some shows a constant struggle with combat only can be boring, which most Sentai series do at times (well the bad ones).

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  5. I have to agree. Wizard to me has been on point. We've gotten some really great character episodes for Haruto some of the best I've seen 8,9,15. He's definitely getting up there as one of my favorites. He's able to plenty of personality without being over the top like Gentaro or Shinji. And is still a great hero with flaws and a cool back-story.

    We don't need dramatic weight to the Dragon Forms because Flame Dragon got the big reveal. 9 showed us that he could do it so we didn't need dramatic reveals for the others. We know his life is in danger and Wiseman is spreading the stones around for some reason. So there is a story reason connected to them.

    I'm really loving the writing as well. They always managed to drop some story element in an episode and it's progress nicely. All Rider series start off slow. I mean Kuuga was super slow at times, that it actually bored me. But people don't complain because it was different. Even though I think Agito was a much better show.

    Shunpei can be done without though. He doesn't annoy me like some other people but Beast fills his role better than he does.

    And nice jab at Fairy Tail

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  6. For me Kuuga kept me thinking it was a series that made you think on what was going on. The Grongi scenes are a perfect example of that method. Wizard is doing this as well with scenes with the Phantoms at times mostly Wiseman and the use of the White Mage. We don't know what's going on exactly, but it makes us think and concerned on what's going to happen. With Kuuga though there was something in every arc if it was Kuuga's powers, the Grongi getting used to the modern society, or the police learning how to attack the Grongi. Wizard is doing a similar method, but not as well for me. Still the writing is great, I love the characters as each minor character really made some episodes enjoyable, and Haruto is easily being one of the best main riders. Also thanks for the compliment, I can't stand Fairy Tail at all!

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    1. Yeah I'm not saying Kuuga was boring all the way through. Just certain parts where I felt it was too slow. Like some of the characters Godai would have to help I felt took away from the more interesting parts.

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    2. I would agree in my review for the series I do mention that. There weren't too many slow scenes IMO as some deserved a slower paced compared to other scenes. Then I liked seeing Godai being a helpful person as it;s his way of life. Overall Kuuga is probably one of the best examples of modernizing a franchise as it completely changed everything for the future of Kamen Rider.

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  7. Come to mention...where ARE the police when what is essentially a fire demon starts wrecking up a hospital? Or security guards at least...or anybody wandering around other than the main actors. Shows after Agito haven't had cops much, but Blade, Hibiki, Faiz, and Den-O at least have had bystanders. Something to make the world seem less empty.

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    1. Well that can be explained because the police are not allowed to be involved with Phantoms cases, Rinko is like the only one allowed right now. Sector Z hides in the background and the only time they did was because they didn't trust Haruto and Kizaki was protecting someone important to him. Finally even if a police officer say stuff like this I bet they have to report to the higher ups like Sector Z. Also I personally think people wouldn't want to mess with monsters by themselves mostly since in Wizard the last times the police tried they got slaughtered.

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  9. Well, For the Phantoms, turn that into a A+ because Sora's reveal not only shocked me, but made him more interesting as a Phantom.

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  10. now its over i give it a D- and say it is the 2nd worst series......after decade

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