Hibiki: Second Half

[NeonZ]

1) Not enough toy gimmicks.

I wouldn't say that the problem was not enough gimmicks, just not enough toy sales in general (Hibiki had the lowest toy sales for a Rider tv show). Add to that the supposed budget issues, and you can see why they'd want to replace the production at least to cheapen the show.

2) Not adapting to the budget. I may have to go back a bit, but the balance between CGI Makamou and suit Makamou is pretty much the same, and I'm not even touching the final episodes.

It really isn't though. The last 20 episodes give much bigger emphasis to human sized Makamous which didn't even exist early on in the show. They also make up an excuse to reuse the same design constantly, rather than having 2 in each story. Even the CG ones generally get a much more plastic look in addition to their reduced screentime.

Also, the costs aren't only CG, they also start using the more usual urban areas for shooting, or just less exotic wilderness areas, making it cheaper too.