Aw come on Igadevil...you gotta give us more than that. You always give the most insight on all things Rider--making me (and others, I'm sure) look at things in a different light.
That's the hard part! I sat here for about 10 minutes trying to think of how to put it to words. I don't want to give the impression that I don't like it, because I do. But at the same time...
Basically, it's very very good, and yet that's all there is. Decade, even at its worst, always kept my interest. There was always something to talk about, and it was
fun to watch (for me.) I personally think that the fact that it splits opinions so much is sort of a credit to the show- it did some things that people didn't like, and it took some risks. For some they paid off, for others it fell flat on its face. Some people hate the show. I can see why, but I can't say I'm one of them.
Double, by contrast, seems to be pleasing most everyone. At least, I've yet to see really harsh criticism of it. But it's hard for me to sit down and write about an episode though because it feels like there's almost nothing going on. Stuff happens, the story's progressing, yeah, but I don't really feel drawn into it the way I have with pretty much every other series so far. Outside of the Begins Night movie, which worked because it went back to the most interesting thing in the show so far- the opening scene. There was also some real personal weight there, which we've only occasionally gotten in the series (I will say this: I really like the more recent episodes, and that's probably largely due to Hasegawa, or at least in Sanjo's last two he had some interesting stuff to tackle.)
With past shows, the flaws were somehow more obvious. There's a bit of clumsy writing, or a daft performance. I can tell you what I didn't like about them. It's harder with Double, and that might be because it's still ongoing. So far it's a well-constructed show, but there's still something not clicking with me like it is with others.
I like the two leads. Philip is weird, but that's the character, and his actor's great (though I'd have loved for them to go even further.) Akiko I don't mind- I think they're trying for a retread of Natsumi with the slipper thing, which doesn't really work, because that character trait (Character A hits Character B for being stupid) can grow old
really fast. Notice how they phased it out over time in Decade, only bringing it back near the end. But when Akiko's in the serious stuff, she's great. I liked her in #9 & 10 especially.
Most of the non-villain supporting characters I didn't really care for at the beginning. I still think the Futo Irregulars could all be one character, or I'd have at least dropped Santa and made Shôtarô just already carrying random trinkets on him as a character quirk. I mean with all the Wind Scale clothing, the dude's got a lot of pockets. However, as I said in my Double & Decade review, I do like them a little more now because I can see that they provide the 3 regulars with a sort of extended family. I do wonder how much we're going to see of them now that Accel's coming in though, and he's sure to bring his own side character(s) (speaking of him, I am looking forward to his debut.)
As for the Sonozaki family, they're great, though only recently does it feel like they're getting any attention. In the first few episodes, I barely remember them doing much more than eating or talking on cell phones. I like the dad of course (having a veteran actor always helps raise everyone's game) and Mick rocks. He's one of the things about the show that feels really fresh and new. That's what I love, when I can watch Kamen Rider and say "I haven't seen that before" or "They haven't done that in a while."
And everything else is pretty good. It looks great- I have the feeling that Decade was either a cheaper series to make or they cut the budget and are using it here. The CGI bikes and critters get plenty of screen time. The music's fine. The theme song, it has caught on. Double himself looks cool, and I like all the tech (this show does have some great toys.) They handled the form thing a lot better than I expected. Although I still think of the main 3 (Cyclone-Joker, Heat-Metal, Luna-Trigger) the most, the others all feel memorable in their own way.
The Dopants are a nice change after the grunting, groaning monsters that want to eat us all in some other series, but ironically my favorite one (Virus) is the most primitive so far. And they're following off of Decade and Daishocker, which was just about the most fun Rider villains have been recently (he says, wearing a Daishocker T-shirt.)
Anyone could turn up. It's more back-to-business now, though I do like the general idea and I appreciated that they've even addressed the "Gaia Memories = Drugs" thing. That's one element of the show I was hoping they'd touch on, and they have, in as kid-friendly a way as they can.
So I dunno. It's Kamen Rider, so of course I'll keep watching it. But it doesn't quite feel like must-see-TV, just a good show that I'll watch if I happen to be up then or download a couple days later. Which is good, but Kamen Rider has been, and can be, so much more. Maybe I just need to give it a rewatch later, and I'll find something new. It's certainly helped... just about every other series.
