Kamen Rider Gaim - Lock 07 "Wrecking Ball Watermelon, Big Bang!"

[Kamen Rider Oni]

The Inves were never meant to be the main villains. Which was established in the first episode. So far episodes 3-7 has set the stage for the series. To where the Riders will still fight each other for supremacy, without knowing that they are just being used to test out the Sengoku Drivers.

^THIS people.

Use your eyes and brain guys, it's pretty obvious from the get go who the main villains are. I'll give you three guesses, it's not the Inves.

 

[kuroihikari]

Someone is spreading around something that either attacks people or gives people reasons to be violent. That's the KR villain over the past several years. That's still the KR villain now.

Remember when the villains in W actually started doing something?

 

[Hell Kaiser Andy]

But we don't actually have a villain what so ever.

The supposed villains have done dick all in 7 episodes, and the stand ins, the Invess, are utterly worthless. The Rider conflict has no real stakes because there's no tension-at most some jerk is going to break the belt of some one who lost.

We just have a bunch of kids running around playing with toys with little to no tension. The best tension so far was Bravo, and that turned into a complete farce.

One major reason I love Toku are the monsters/villains/antagonists. I really, really love them a lot. It's why Garo Season 3 failed so hard for me to start with, and this show isn't doing much better. Who am I supposed to take as the villain? The rich jackoff who only ever operates in a forest and didn't even bother to follow through with his threats? The idiot other rich banana who is more a rival than anything? The comic relief nut duo? Bravo?

We're 7 episodes in. I think I'm allowed to ask where the threat is. That isn't immediately taken care of by the brand new fucking toy.

Well Gaim is meant to look back to the early Heisei era. We know Yggdrasil is after the secret of the Forest. We know they're testing out the belts by using Beat Riders as guinea pigs.

And just for some comparison to the early era at around seven episodes, we didn't know what the Grongi wanted at the start, we didn't know what the Overlord wanted and why the Unknown attacked their targets, we wasn't sure what Kanzaki Shiro wanted outside having the Rider Battle running, we didn't know what the Orphenocs wanted outside having interest in the Faiz belt.

 

[Painted_Outlaw]

we didn't know what the Orphenocs wanted outside having interest in the Faiz belt.

Well, around episode 3(?), we did find out that Smart Brain had a "king" and that most of the Orphenoch were part of Smart Brain so, it's at least easy to tell that them wanting the belt is somehow linked to said king. (I'd comment on Kuuga but, I haven't seen everything with a Grongi track ^^'').

 

[Xtreme RX]

I'm still bemused by the people who are praising the lack of two parters when we just got a two parter.

Um seriously? The whole Bravo story was wrapped up in two episodes (not like its over though) but the start of episode 6 was the end of the last arc.

Which arguable started back in episode 3: Baron vs Gaim, leading into the forest
-> Episode 4 finishing the battle in the forest, Kaito alliance with Jounouchi and Hase, Gaim scared off by Zangetsu and Ryugen's first henshin as a cliffhanger
->Episode 5, starting with Ryugen's fight and Kota regaining his motivation, cliffhanger with Gridon and Kurokage first henshin
->Episode 6, finishing that first major Rider battle that has been building up since episode 3.

And then ep 6 ends in a cliff hanger too, so that makes ep 7 the first one since 2 where the episode actually ends with some closure. Considering all of the stuff that happens will be relevant really soon, this seems pretty damn serialized to me.

And this wasn't a complaint when shows like Ryuki and Faiz did some obvious two-parters as well? This style is more Ryuki than it is Wizard.

We are seven episodes in, and it doesn't really feel like the plot has started. Clearly the villains can't be the Invess,

Invess were never the focus. The Invess are like the Mirror Monsters in that they aren't the focal point of the show.

Also I can't recall a Kamen Rider show that had a lot of plot in the first 5th of its run.

 

[Hell Kaiser Andy]

Well, around episode 3(?), we did find out that Smart Brain had a "king" and that most of the Orphenoch were part of Smart Brain so, it's at least easy to tell that them wanting the belt is somehow linked to said king. (I'd comment on Kuuga but, I haven't seen everything with a Grongi track ^^'').

Well given the Grongi track wasn't on during the initial airing it's safe to say we weren't meant to know.

 

[Burkion]

The Grongi, however, brought a different side to being a villain. Sure, we didn't know exactly what was up with them-but we knew they were a threat. From episode one they were a major danger to everyone and everything, slaughtering people left and right.

We don't need to know the motivations of the villains right off the bat, I never said that. I said, they need to have a PRESENCE, there has to be stakes set. I love interesting, dangerous (or characterful or whatever) monsters/bad villains, and we have none to show in 7 episodes.

From episode 1 we knew the Grongi were bad news in Kuuga.

From episode 1 we know..............

Who are the villains of Gaim again? Some dude who pointedly won't kill them, a Radio DJ and a salesman? And what have they done in 7 episodes?

I also never once said the Invess were supposed to be the focus, I said that they were WORTHLESS. They're what's filling in for the Monsters of the Week, which is a big thing for me in Toku, and they're just abysmal.

 

[Hell Kaiser Andy]

The Grongi, however, brought a different side to being a villain. Sure, we didn't know exactly what was up with them-but we knew they were a threat. From episode one they were a major danger to everyone and everything, slaughtering people left and right.

We don't need to know the motivations of the villains right off the bat, I never said that. I said, they need to have a PRESENCE, there has to be stakes set. I love interesting, dangerous (or characterful or whatever) monsters/bad villains, and we have none to show in 7 episodes.

From episode 1 we knew the Grongi were bad news in Kuuga.

From episode 1 we know..............

Who are the villains of Gaim again? Some dude who pointedly won't kill them, a Radio DJ and a salesman? And what have they done in 7 episodes?

I also never once said the Invess were supposed to be the focus, I said that they were WORTHLESS. They're what's filling in for the Monsters of the Week, which is a big thing for me in Toku, and they're just abysmal.

I wouldn't really say the Inves fill that role, that's the other Riders. After episode two their roles in the show was never really perceived as being a threat on their own.

 

[Burkion]

Alright so for the other Riders to be the monsters of the week, we have...

Baron, the only interesting one of the bunch, though he still seems to think his fucking lance is a sword and can't fight worth a crap. Also more of a rival character.

Grapes, who isn't even a threat yet and barely shows signs of being one later and even if he does become a threat HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO USE HIS GUN AT ALL.

The NutterButterBrothers are comic relief at best so far and are just worthless.

Kiwi dude who is all mysterious but doesn't do crap and proved that he won't actually kill them meaning the stakes, even around him, are super, SUPER low.

And Bravo. Who could be interesting, if it wasn't for the fact that they decided he has to be the campiest, silliest thing in the entire universe, and then he got run over by a brand new toy.


Fantastic list there. Really grade A.

 

[Shynilyte]

There is no Kiwi dude. Yet. (Kiwi is Ryugen's next Arms)

And honestly, I never found most MOTWs to be very threatening considering that main characters have to survive. (There are exceptions, but still)