I thought the idea of music weapons was stupid at first. I couldn't picture how anyone would be able to write it so that it didn't seem so weird, but I was proved wrong. The way they set up the Takeshi history and how you need pure sound to defeat a Makamou was pretty cool. Plus, it seemed less gimmicky than the previous three riders series.
Like it's been tons of times before, the main aspect of Hibiki wasn't about fighting monsters, it was about watching the personal growth of the people who interacted with the Oni and saw their every day life. Asumu went from being a meek and meager little kid, to someone who ended up having enough confidence in himself to try and be an Oni and to eventually give it up and not feel ashamed. I even saw some of Asumu in Todoroki, he was basically a grown rider that people could realistically identify with, casting aside the mannerisms first, and you'll have the core of a lot of people. Stepping out into the world on your own for the first time, not knowing if you'll be able to live up the expectations placed on your shoulders, giving others confidence when you yourself are unsure if you're the right person to do so. Todoroki was probably the best written character next to Hibiki by the end of it all.
And like people have said tons of times, if you can enjoy a show like Kabuto, then there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy Hibiki. The main reason people don't like Hibiki is because it "has no story", it does people just aren't seeing it for what it really is, because it's too weird and because all nuances of Kamen Rider history are basically dropped. Which I think are three really crappy reasons for not liking a show, but that's what half the toku world thinks now.
In the end, Hibiki's more about the characters than anything else...like three people have said already. I liked it as much as Agito, but in a different way that I liked Agito. The story arcs in the latter half were great, everything blended together perfectly and it literally never felt contrived or anything. All the final arcs naturally felt like they opened the door for each other. The main reason I loved Hibiki though was because it had the best cast in ages. Everyone blended together great and enjoyed being where they were. Plus, Hibiki did end up having a kickass bike.
The story came together really well at the end of the series. Even if they didn't end the fight with the Makamou, it felt like a better ending than having the enemy of the series die. It shows that it's going to be an ongoing fight and really gives a nice balance of good and evil feeling to the entire show.
The reviewer on JH said that some poeple have referred to Hibiki as "Kamen Rider in name only." I find this statement to be true, but for me, that's not a bad thing.
Thank ya.
