Sell me on Kamen Rider 555

[Glamador]

Glamador agrees with pretty much all of that, Japaneseseriesfan. And just because the ending doesn't exist (which I persist in claiming is a bad thing), I did mention that I for one still very much like the series. The characters, the action, and the themes all very much ring true for me...even if the main players are completely batshit crazy.

Those are Faiz's HIGH points. The LOW points are in the meandering story and lack of definite message. It kills your connection with the characters when the whole time you're screaming at the screen for the two morons to just sit down and speak more than 2 sentences to one another. 80% of the character interaction in the show is contrived to the point of absurdity. Surely these kinds of misunderstandings *happen*...but really, that often? With the same person?

This thread is about selling a person on Faiz. And the best things I can say about the show echo JSF here. The themes of the show (love that comparison to Agito btw), niches that each character fills, overarching plot (that ISN'T about Lucky Clover, which seems to be written by an OCD guy that lost 1 of his 4-piece silverware set), and truly fantastic suit-acting and action are what you watch the show for.

You're better off telling your brain to stare off into the distance for the rest.

 

[PsychoGokaiger]

Faiz is one of the best in my book. Everybody has their own taste, so pretty much "warning" a new viewer about how it'll go downhill is entirely subjective. It might never go downhill for them, I know it doesn't for me.

It compares favorably to many other Kamen Rider shows for me, and well, I dig the characters, the style, the episodic plots were often more interesting than in some other shows, etc.

Anyways, that said, we all have different taste, so if you keep watching and aren't into it, maybe it's just not for you. We all dig different stuff, but 555 definitely has it's appeal.

 

[Japaneseseriesfan]

Personally, I think a Kamen Rider story that spins misunderstandings like Faiz should be given a round of applause. Because I feel like every time Kiba and Takumi misunderstand each other, somehow, they make up in the end. They're just these two guys that understand each other, and they feel at ease when they're close to each other. They're both loners in a sense. Kiba lived a life filled with false hope before the accident, only to wake up and have his good nature be trashed at by those around him. Inui takes any insult and blame, and doesn't defend himself. They progress, from being losers to eventual saviours. People hate them, give them a hard time, but they both shared the same ideals.

I'd just like to expand a bit more, if that's okay, that communication is pretty much key in the story. Funny, isn't it? Phones, communication, Keitaro who's name sounds like a phone, 555. It's almost like they're trying to tell us communication is key, that we always have to be with the people in our lives when somethings happening because that's how people form this vision of who you are when you're not around them. It's exactly those kinds of things where you don't realised that holy ****, these characters are actually so delusional and actually so confused and lost in their own worlds that they probably can't make really good judgement calls based on what happens in their daily life situations. Which is why they need each other. And the best part is... once they're all together, each wants to be their own person. Their egos clash and they argue at who should get the best, and here comes this... prickly loner that has no goal, whatsoever. He just wants... no conflicts. But as soon as the series progress, he doesn't want that anymore... Because having no conflicts doesn't mean anything is resolved. It's running away, and that's what he does at some point.

In the end, you'll see him start to fight for peace. Because peace, is what he wants, thus, obtaining peace with his hands is his dream, making him the true ultimate saviour that will "slash through the darkness and return the light". *Cough cough*. :thumbs:

 

[KingRanger]

The henshin devices were phones because cell phones were/are huge in Japan and little kids would buy KR toys that look like phones.

 

[Japaneseseriesfan]

The henshin devices were phones because cell phones were/are huge in Japan and little kids would buy KR toys that look like phones.

Sure that too, but I don't think you could just say that to sum it up for him. Just saying that they did it alllllllllll for the toys is too farfetched. I think it's a nice thought they put into it about how it all linked. It's almost like seeing a reference in literature. It's art.

I was surprised when I found out my DecaDriver worked like a camera, and the cards felt like polaroid pictures.

 

[Glamador]

Oh snap, how did I forget to mention that the Faiz Gear has the smexiest voice of ANY belt or driver anywhere? THE SMEXIEST.

Standing By...
*woop woop woop*
Complete!
*crazy light show*

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQcG5_coTc"]kamen rider 555 [faiz] all phone sounds read disc. - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Havoc Knight]

Guys, I really appreciate this thread. I know that opinions on the show vary, and I appreciate all your feedback.

Unfortunately, I just can't get into 555, so I'll be focusing back on Garo and Kamen Rider W for now. If I ever have more questions about a show, I'll be sure to make a new thread.

You guys rock!

:castlerock:

 

[darkmage02]

I know everyone are entitled to their own opinions, likes and dislikes. For me, Faiz is the best Kamen Rider series among the 12 that I have watched (from Kuuga till OOO, watching Fourze now). No series is ever perfect, but I would like to humbly point out one thing that I noticed no one seem to: Faiz is unique in the sense that if you were to look at it closely and analyse it part by part, you will realize one thing - it is more of a story on Kiba Yuji than Inui Takumi. True, Takumi is the main Rider, and the series revolve around him. But Kiba's ideals, beliefs and struggles are what moves the plot of the story. It is about his belief that humans and Orphenochs can coexist, how he struggled and cope with being misunderstood by the people he yearn to protect, how he ultimately lose faith in humanity only to have Inui reignite his ideals, and finally die to protect his belief.

For me, the writers are smart in the sense that they used Inui Takumi's character to tell Kiba's story. An unorthodox move but hey, I dig it. I really like the series and its themes. Great character development, dark storyline and having some of the best suit designs and fight scenes. I am okay with open interpretation ending. It's like the film Inception. Not every story has to have its ending spoonfed. Sometimes the writers want the audiences to interpret for themselves how the story would end. Perhaps the Orphenoch King resurrects and a new battle between him and Faiz takes place? Or the Orphenochs eventually take over the world like in Paradise Lost? Takumi somehow survived? Takumi died? It's up to us to imagine. And like I said, this is really Kiba Yuji's story, and his story has concluded. What happens to the others are up for interpretation.

If one wants to talk about unresolved ending, well, I wanna point out one - Hibiki. What the HECK is Hibiki's ending? The script got re-written so many times and the end result? A crappy final episode with literally everything left unresolved. The true main villains just have less than 2 minutes screentime and appear just very briefly and then what? Their real identity, motives, agendas and so on was never even shown. And Asumu was originally envisioned as the one succeeding Hibiki, but with the change of director, we have a freaking annoying new character that became an Oni and Asumu just wants to be a doctor instead. I love Hibiki for its unique and bold 30 episodes, but it is by far the most incomplete Rider show.

Again, personal preference. For me, Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz and Blade are the KR series I find to be the best of the 12 I have watched (still too early in Fourze to decide on it and I have never watched any of the Showa Riders ). Kabuto starts of strong, but have too much going on in the middle and everything just became clustered and falls off. Den-O is enjoyable, but that's it. More of a comedy and doesn't leave much of an impact. Kiva is pretty well done, excellent storyline and characters with balanced comedy. But Kurenai Wataru's story is kind of uncompelling, foreshadowed by his father's story (KURENAI OTOYA FTW!). Decade is... utter garbage. It's like an attempt to reuse Ryuki's theme and failed horribly. W is pretty decent, with many interesting stories but Akiko's presence ruined the show for me. Never has a series' heroine so annoying and gets on my nerve so much. OOO is again pretty decent too, quite a steady character development and Eiji reminds me of Godai Yuusuke. But Kougami president's gimmick is just overly done. However, Eiji and Hina is my favourite couple after Takumi and Mari :buttrock:

 

[Xtreme RX]

I personally liked 555 a lot for the drama. The suits are amazing (both Rider and Orphenoch) and the story is intriguing and has a lot of mystery surrounding it.

I don't like the last few episodes leading up to and the finale, and it probably has one of the weakest Rider endings ever BUT most of the events that lead up to it are great. Well-developed characters, interesting plot, and some twists and turns keep things interesting.

One thing I hated about 555 was the lack of well... communication. A lot of **** in that series could have been avoided if the characters just talked to each other.

This show definitely highlighted writer Inoue's strengths in introducing great characters and ideas but also his weaknesses in writing and I think from 555 on many people started to dislike his work.

Also the action does get better, and I love 555's fighting style, as well as the Rider battles. The film is also one of the better ones in my opinion, definitely stands on its own.

I'd give it a go, since 555 is definitely one of the most unique Rider shows.

If one wants to talk about unresolved ending, well, I wanna point out one - Hibiki. What the HECK is Hibiki's ending? The script got re-written so many times and the end result? A crappy final episode with literally everything left unresolved.

That's excusable though. There were multiple rewrites. I believe they even said the script wasn't finished when they were filming the finale. 555's finale had no such issues. It's just the result of bad writing. (honestly, most rushed finale in Hesei Rider history)

 

[DaikaijuSokogeki!]

I love 555. It was the first Rider show that had me completely hooked from beginning to end and I do believe that probably affects why my opinion on it differs from so many other people on this board.

I will admit the ending is full of problems. It gets rushed, some plot points are left unresolved (although Kabuto's ending was waaaay worse in this regard) and some character motivations get...shaky. The ending isn't the worst in the world. [HIDE]For example, I distinctly remember that Takumi does find a purpose in life, a dream and a place to belong even if he's doomed to die. It's the show's very last line of dialogue.[/HIDE] But the ride is what makes the series worthwhile.

I also don't mind Kusaka's absolute horrible behavior, in fact I feel it's absolutely necessary for his character. He's like that one white supremacist leader who recently found out that he's 17% black. He's a bigoted asshole who is used to having things his way, cannot fathom the thought of anyone else having Mari. He's always been deranged, he's manipulative, he's the absolute worst side of humanity. The only reason he can carry the belt is a technicality and he abuses this power because, well, he can. We're supposed to root against him, he's a bad guy through and through, arguably far worse than anyone at Smart Brain save for Murakami.

The lack of communication got frustrating, but it was oddly addictive. I found myself marathoning several episodes of this show at a time, even when I only planned to watch one to two episodes in a night. That, and I think the lack of communication was another one of Inoue's themes and also serves as a bit of irony. When communication fails, things fall apart and this is made ironic by the fact that the Riders transform using cell phones. So no, Kamen Rider 555 is definitely not for everyone. It's got its problems, but for me it is Rider when it wants to do melodrama at its absolute best. Its themes and ideas are full of far more thought than what is usually expected from a tokusatsu series, and yet it still had some exciting action and beautiful suit designs. We'll never see another Rider series quite like it (no matter how hard Inoue tried in Kiva) and I think that's for the best. Kamen Rider 555 should be one of a kind, it's a Rider show unlike any other and it's better off for it.

Oh, and definitely watch Kamen Rider 555 The Movie: Paradise Lost. It's one of the few Heisei Rider movies that actually feels like, well, a movie. It's outstanding.