I really don't think the show is anymore "out there" than something like Den-O is, and people seem to love that series. Like Shougo said, if you're the type that was brought into Kamen Rider by something like Ryuki, or Faiz, or Kabuto even, then you probably won't like Hibiki if you expect it to be like those series, simply put, it's not.
I'll be the first to admit it, the early episodes of Hibiki were a little rocky. I think Bolt puts it nicely, once they stopped throwing around the film student stuff, and if you continue watching Hibiki, not expecting it to be like anything else, you probably will like it. But if you need it explained, it's not like I haven't done this ten times before. XD
First and foremost, Hibiki has an incredibly good and likable cast. They are the best of any series I've ever seen. Hibiki himself is portrayed by such a strong individual who actually has some years of training in acting under his belt and he's just a really fun guy to watch on screen. He generates such a fun and light hearted atmosphere but at the same time is someone who really feels like a hero. He trains to get where he is, always trying to improve himself and never losing sight of why he became an oni.
I don't want to spoil it, but some of the other riders have great actors as well. Actors who have been on past toku shows, but weren't given the chance to show their chops or weren't skilled enough yet that were great in Hibiki, that would be Ibuki in my mind. Then you have guys like Todoroki and Zanki (who I think is the second best actor in the entire franchise, but that's just me) who really pull off the teacher-student vibe so much better than any other I've seen, even Asumu and Hibiki. Todoroki and Zanki's entire story is by far the best and one of the most full circle teacher-student stories in Kamen Rider.
The riders powers don't just come to them, they train for them. You get to see the affects that a lack of training has on them, being lazy and not focused. I think it's something missing in way too many series.
Aside from the riders themselves, you've got the other members of the cast, Asumu, Kasumi, Douji, Hime, all great people. Asumu I think was able to play the role of the young kid without being annoying, at least not when he wasn't supposed to. Kasumi, Hinaka, and their dad all had some great people behind them, even though Hinaka was a little odd at times. Hime and Douji, while not my favorite villains, are some of the best I've seen, they really feel like demonic beasts and give you the sense of danger that you're supposed to get from a monster.
Some people didn't like the series because they thought it was too slow, but I think it went at a good pace for most of the series, it did start to drag a little bit towards the early-20s, but I'd say it picked up towards the end of them. The early-30s when the writer change happened really did throw the show out of whack for a good four episodes, but they at least gave the power up a good reason for happening, better than any other power up I've seen in reason, save for Kuuga and Agito's stuff.
The musical instruments? Yeah, I thought that was such a crap idea at first too. Once you see how and why it's done though, it really draws you into it. It really says a lot when you can take a look at this fandom and wonder how we can watch bug heroes fight monsters, and take it seriously yet even musical instruments seems odd, but somehow, they pulled it off, and really well. Hibiki was closer to its theme than any other of the gimmicky new gen series.
If you keep watching Keith, I think you'll probably like Todoroki and Zanki. Their relationship does sort of feel like Tendou and Kagami's, only done much better.
All that stuff that people say about Hibiki being such a better series if you don't think of it as a Kamen Rider I think is total BS. The reason they made Hibiki a Kamen Rider is because it represents the spirit of the old series probably better than any of the current series.
And hey, I'm probably the biggest fan of the series you will ever meet and it took me 17 episodes to pick it back up after the first two, I was way too quick to judge back then and I really regret it. It could have done so much more with a bigger budget, higher episode count, and not have the original writers fired, but for all it went through, I think the ending was pretty good. Was it what I personally wanted? No, but I understand and respect what they did with the ending.
Hibiki isn't a perfect series, I think it's close, yet so far from it. The first half just needed some slight adjustments to be perfect, but we didn't get them, the second half took some getting used to because it sort of forced us back into the mold of traditional new gen stuff, but after those first four episodes of that half, I think it really picked up and they found a good balance. There are some weird ass changes in character personalities every now and then, but it's understandable considering what was going on, and I think most of those can be reasonably explained. I agree with Shougo, in the long run, when you think of Hibiki, you think of untapped potential. But that's all if you can get beyond what preconceived notions you have of what a Kamen Rider should or shouldn't be.
And yeah, if you're having trouble getting into Hibiki, watch the movie first. It's Hibiki at its best and serves as a pretty good prequel for the series.
Uh oh... I can hear Blu--er-- Ryotaro coming from miles away to school you on why Hibiki is a fantastic show
It's what I'm here for.
