Kamen Rider Gaim - Lock 01 "Transform! An Orange From The Sky!?"

[big_j_ny]

- I must say, for a reluctant hero Kota is doing a much better job than Ryotaro's first fight. This is more like what I'd like to see: putting at least some effort into it, even if you might lose.

 

[Hidden Masta]

NO! STOP CLAPPING DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW RYOUTARO!

 

[Ice Ixa]

That was pretty damn good.

It felt kind of like a Ryuki or Hibiki or Kabuto in tone. I think the lack of any ridiculous over the top comedy character (like Shunpei) really helped. The show itself felt like it shifted between lighthearted and more dramatic rather easily, and that was nicely executed.

Kota's fight made me think of Shinji, with his inability to fight very well. I liked watching him learn, and that his belt stuck around after he undid his henshin. Did Wizard do that? I don't remember, since I quit less than halfway through.

So, this whole Ryugen/Gaim/Zangetsu thing, I feel like it's going to go the way of Tommy Merlyn (Arrow).

Ryugen gets mad at Kota for his more carefree lifestyle (or whatever he's supposed to be jealous over), they end up fighting, and he goes to his brother for a job, bringing former friends to be enemies. Or something.

 

[bleachjoj]

That was pretty damn good.

It felt kind of like a Ryuki or Hibiki or Kabuto in tone. I think the lack of any ridiculous over the top comedy character (like Shunpei) really helped. The show itself felt like it shifted between lighthearted and more dramatic rather easily, and that was nicely executed.
.

I think we've forgotten some of the characters in Kabuto and Ryuki.

 

[Painted_Outlaw]

many of the heisei rider series did this before, [...] having multiple riders feud against each other and still dealing with monsters.

Except for a certain Drummer-Oni.

 

[Kamen Rider Oni]

Except for a certain Drummer-Oni.

*Insert gif of Hibiki doing the drum rimshot cue* :loltongue:

 

[Artisan]

It took me a few watches (though the DJ guy got a wee bit grating after a bit) because I wasn't sure what to make of it the first time, but overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this opening episode, even if it may not be anywhere near the strongest Rider opening.

The explicit toy-like quality of the belt sounds don't get on my nerves as they did in Wizard. Though still somewhat incongruous, it's nowhere near as bad as for instance, the Beast Driver's "L-I-O-N, LION!" when it's supposed to be an ancient artifact. I still can't get over the belt design though. The blade is protruding upwards. I almost wish that someone makes a bit of commentary in the show about how committing seppuku is made easy by just crouching.

Enjoyable first fight. Good to see him learning the ropes, and watching him pursue a jumping Invess by using the stairs was the highlight. Still wish his finisher is a kick, but I guess that's being saved for Pine Arms.

Not sure why Pine Arms is showing up in the immediate next episode though. Has it ever been advertised as a power-up, or just something like W's Trigger memory? I would have thought at the very least that Baron or Ryugen would show up, but no, Rider nowadays has to have some kind of needless CGI Eldritch abomination in the second episode.

 

[Toku Prime]

The OP song, on the other hand, isn't much of an ear-grabber.

I thought that at first, but then I found myself contantly humming the "don't say no! Just live more!" bit at work the next day :sweat: Plus I'm rather amused by the way the backing singers in the chorus start shouting "ooh-arr" like pirates :laugh:

- Can't Bandai go back to voices for toys that don't sound... blatantly toyish? The Lock Seeds are only slightly better than the annoying Wizard bets. If Yggdrasil is supposed to be a throwback to SMART BRAIN, then at least make your gears sound like the Faiz belts.

Bandai neither know nor care what the story of the show is when they're making the belts and collectables. They just decide on the sound effects that will go in the belt, and then pass it over to the show's writers to work in as best they can. Personally I think they've reduced the amount of sound slightly from the Wizard Driver, possibly because it sold well, but not quite as well as the OOO and Fourze Drivers.

Not sure why Pine Arms is showing up in the immediate next episode though. Has it ever been advertised as a power-up, or just something like W's Trigger memory? I would have thought at the very least that Baron or Ryugen would show up, but no, Rider nowadays has to have some kind of needless CGI Eldritch abomination in the second episode.

I wouldn't rule out Baron turning up in ep. 2 just yet. But Pine Arms is basically a form change isn't it? Considering that Double, OOO and Wizard all had at least one form change in their debut episodes (and Fourze ran through the functions of, what, five different switches?), I think leaving it to episode two is being a bit more restrained than they've been for a while.

I just re-watched the first episode (mainly because the theme song has somehow spent the last week growing from "meh" to an earworm I can't get out of my head) and there's a lot of fruit-related stuff I missed the first time around. Like how when he sets the monster on fire at the end, the flames form the shape of an orange (even with a green flame at the top to represent the stalk). Then when he does the 'Orange Charge' slash, it slices the monster and the fire orange in half, revealing the segments and sending little circles of orange slice flying out :sweat:

 

[The Slashing Best]

*sigh* Black Fang...

- Can't Bandai go back to voices for toys that don't sound... blatantly toyish? The Lock Seeds are only slightly better than the annoying Wizard bets. If Yggdrasil is supposed to be a throwback to SMART BRAIN, then at least make your gears sound like the Faiz belts.

Considering that the Lockseeds that are used in the Inves Game is one for kids, the real Lockseeds would take on the appearance from the ones from the Inves Game itself, the Sengoku Driver would follow suit.

- "If that's what it takes to protect you?" That sounds a bit too formal for someone who Kota doesn't even know and just thinks looks like Mai. Does he think Mai suddenly changed her appearance in a few minutes? He doesn't even know what the heck is going on.

Why would he not be formal? Being formal is better when you are speaking with someone you do not know. Koto and I both think Mai changed her appearance, before it was shown that they are different people, maybe... I never see any plot twists. But, not knowing is what makes it better!

 

[kuroihikari]

Well, if he knew it wasn't Mai, then being "formal" would have been the way to go. Remember the default nature of Nihonggo when speaking to someone you don't know would be "formal".

But I don't really think it was formal at all. He did think (at least at that moment), that it was Mai. I don't think there's any other way of saying what he wanted to say at that moment: "You seem to know something that can help me protect you, and I really really want to protect you. So, tell me how to."