Kamen Rider Gaim Ep 28 - "The Betrayal of Zangetsu"

[Artisan]

Where do ratings stand?

Are any kids even watching this show anymore? :sweat:

 

[Guardian07]

I pity the parent that has to explain this show to his/her kid.

Not to start a whole different discussion, but thinking about that reminds me of Zyuranger. I enjoyed watching bits of it as a kid, but after watching the GUIS subs last year, I was kinda freaked out by how dark and insane that show can be at times, and how almost all of it went over my tiny kid head and I blindly loved it.

One of the trials for a show like Gaim is to how keep the younger audiences interested and "in the loop". They don't really have to understand and catch everything, they just have to be invested and have their attention focused on the show, but not get bored by the drama and the dialogue bits(which there is a lot in Gaim).

Not to bring up an old topic, but one of the failings of Go-Busters is that the kids are just not watching. Go-Busters failed to hold their interest, and its major audience are people aged 20 and above.

Now, after that absurd tangent, I got to ask; how well is Gaim doing with the kids, by the way?

 

[Actar]

Now, after that absurd tangent, I got to ask; how well is Gaim doing with the kids, by the way?

This is definitely something that I would love to know as well. Though, I have to say that kids can definitely enjoy complex stories with deep/dark themes as well, even if most of it does fly over their heads. Having to always pander to the lowest common denominator is not a good way to go about producing media all the time.

 

[Kamen Rider ShinkenRed]

I think the show will probably have confused a few kids world views, especially with Micchi going from protagonist to villain.

 

[rvcunanan]

Wait, aren't kids only care about the action sequences? So as long as they put at least one rider battle, it will be okay.

Is TOEI aware that this show mostly have positive reviews by adult viewers?

 

[kuroihikari]

Not to start a whole different discussion, but thinking about that reminds me of Zyuranger. I enjoyed watching bits of it as a kid, but after watching the GUIS subs last year, I was kinda freaked out by how dark and insane that show can be at times, and how almost all of it went over my tiny kid head and I blindly loved it.

One of the trials for a show like Gaim is to how keep the younger audiences interested and "in the loop". They don't really have to understand and catch everything, they just have to be invested and have their attention focused on the show, but not get bored by the drama and the dialogue bits(which there is a lot in Gaim).

Not to bring up an old topic, but one of the failings of Go-Busters is that the kids are just not watching. Go-Busters failed to hold their interest, and its major audience are people aged 20 and above.

I've found that definitely the biggest draw is the visuals: The action, the beauty of the suit and props, etc.

Beyond that is a little complex. Recently I watched Shinkenger with the nephew.
Spoilers:
[HIDE]It was really easy until I had to explain Juuzo's random interruptions, Takeru's almost-temptation into Gedou, and the team's slight conflict between Kaoru and Takeru[/HIDE]

Basically, once they get invested, they're gonna be curious about everything, and once they are, you'll have to be able to explain to them the differences between good/bad actions and good/bad people.

Here in Gaim, I can see how it can be done, but since the situation changes almost every episode, I think it's imperative to let the idea of who's doing good and bad, who's actually good and bad, and what side each person is on sink in throughout the week.

Problem is, I don't think a lot of parents will bother going through that. Also, Micchi. I don't think a 7 or 8 year old is ready for the idea that some of their friends may be duplicitous lowlifes. Or the idea that you can get away with backstabbing a friend. Yes, he probably won't get away in the end, but we're not there, yet.

 

[Guardian07]

True, definitely shows like this needs some measure of parental guidance.

In the same time, I don't think you need to explain everything that happens in the show, all the complexities. It's enough for a kid to keep in mind that "for some reason, Mitchi is mad at Kouta and is doing bad stuff", "Kaito is a bit stuck up and fight with other people a lot but he's not that bad", "Ryouma and his gang are bad people for doing bad things", "Takatora has been doing bad stuff but he's good now". Sure, you lose a lot of the theme, details and story but those things are not meant for the kids in the first place.

If a kid starts asking "Why?" a lot, though, it's a good thing since it means the show has stimulated their brains, but it can be bad if there's no one there to explain stuff. And Gaim really needs some explaining to do(or hope all that sinister camera work is doing its job).

 

[Kamen Rider Disco]

That said, Kaito coming to his rescue is a bit of a hopeful spark. That, despite all of their squabbles, the two of them can trust and rely on each other.

I think Kaito shares honestly very similar morals and ideas to Kota, but because of his pride and everything, he puts on his tough guy front.

 

[NeonZ]

Regarding the ratings, I noticed last episode seemed to have a couple of commercials that weren't just toys and kid promotions, reminding me of the ones from a few years back, around the time of W and beginning of OOO. So, maybe they've managed to recover part of the older audience?

Though, I have a question. What is Micchi's main motivation/plan now? Wasn't his goal in the beginning to keep Mai smiling? If that was the case, wouldn't joining up with Kouta and Takatora be the best way to go about doing things as Ryouma's way will lead to the inevitable death of billions and the eventual invasion of the Helheim forest? Preventing the invasion to begin with would be a great way to keep Mai uninvolved.

Micchy doesn't seem to have any kind of forward thinking purpose right now. He wanted to stop Kouta from ruining his plan of keeping the Beat Riders away from Yggdrazil's activities, that eventually became kill him after he kept getting in his way, and that seems to be the only thing he thinks about right now. He even instantly turned against his brother and was fine with his death just because Takatora showed admiration for Kouta.

I really hope this ends next episode, and he starts focusing on something else again, because right now he seems to be completely one dimensional. Maybe if they actually meet face to face next week his character will go somewhere again.

 

[Tendou Soujiro]

He even instantly turned against his brother and was fine with his death

That was so fucked up. He literally sat there, watched him presumably die and was completely fine with it.