Suffering a burnout from watching Kamen Rider

[raden238]

I just finished watching Zero-One. This was my ninth consecutive Rider series that I watched and finished as the show aired in Japan. I have now suffered a burnout from watching Rider. When I first started with Fourze, I was full of energy and excitement but the past couple of years has been rough. It started to be become a chore and not genuine interest. Once Ghost came around, I just started to lose some love for the franchise. Zi-O started off great and it helped that Decade returned. I watched all the Heisei Phase 1 series during these past 9 years and was excited but the ending for Zi-O was terrible. Finally with the Reiwa era, Zero-One sparked some interest because besides being heavily advertised as a new era for Rider, I just loved how Zero-One's default form was very simplistic and was a nice throwback to Showa Riders. The suit designs from Ex-Aid - Zi-O got really ridiculous IMO.

Zero-One's writing was just about the same as the writing from the past 5 shows. Nothing really changed. Here are some trends that are constantly being recycled every single year.
1. Villain Rider is introduced but later turns into a comedic relief goofy support character.
2. Characters die but never stay dead. Either they're brought back to life or another version of them are created.
3. Incredible amounts of form changes that are only relevant for 2-4 episodes and later never used again.
4. Main and Secondary Rider feud gets serious but later turns light-hearted.
5. Final boss is always an evil/dark counterpart to the Main Rider

I just can't see myself spending another year watching Rider, when these trends are 100% are going to happen again. Toei just recycles the same ideas over and over again. It wasn't like Heisei Phase 1, where there was CLEAR distinction between the shows in terms of writing. I will say Fourze - Drive stand out more but once we got to Ghost - present era, the writing is hardly different. I have 100% confidence that Saber will do all 5 of the trends I listed. I know Kamen Rider is used to sell toys but it doesn't mean the writing has to be cookie-cut every year. It's getting out of hand. I have learned to watch Rider without thinking about the toys and what we get is a show with lazy recycled writing. After 9 years of consecutive viewing I'm taking a break and skipping Saber.

Does anybody else feel the same about the trends and skipping Saber?

 

[Shogun_Master]

It doesn't really bother me that much, although I get what you're saying. The show has kind of gotten stuck in a rut with it's tropes, but each series around those tropes is different & unique enough for me. I wouldn't mind them trying something different now & again.

I also kind of had a burnout when I was first trying to watch the series for the first time & it took me a while to get through the last several seasons, but that was mainly because I was watching so much back to back & not every episode is that good.

 

[Kamen Rider IXA]

Zero-One's writing was just about the same as the writing from the past 5 shows.

"sarcasm" Really? I thought it was supposed to save franchise from Ex-Aid and Build. "/sarcasm".

I skipped Zero-One, because it didn't seem interesting enough to me from all the promotion (looking like Detroit: Become Kamen Rider didn't help). Plan to get around to it eventually, but not now.
I'm rooting for Saber to turn out being something refreshing, but the first episode was pretty lackluster. I plan to stick around for about 10 episodes at least.

There is nothing really wrong with skipping Rider series. I've followed Riders weekly from late Kiva to OOO, but OOO was such a trashfire disappointment and Fourze's beginning was so unremarkable that I gave up and resolved to bingewatches. Gaim, Ex-Aid and Build were the only series that brought me back to weekly following, but Drive and Zi-O quickly got me out afterwards.
Just watch shows at your own pace and convenience.

 

[Dr Kain]

I've been back and forth with Kamen Rider since I get into the franchise. Sentai is really the only Toku show I have been consistent on, though there were series I skipped on when they aired and watching them for review purposes did nothing to make me regret doing that originally.

I never finished Hibiki when it first aired as I was not a fan of its formula at all. I gave up around episode 14 initially. I then followed Kabuto through Decade as they aired but got pissed off so much at Decade that I gave up Kamen Rider for a couple of years. I binged W, OOO, and Fourze just in time to catch up the week before Fourze's final episode premiered. I watched Wizard and Gaim as they aired, but gave up on Drive after 24 episodes because it was utterly boring, especially after coming off Gaim. I gave Ghost 2 episodes and Ex-Aid 1 episode and have yet to watch those series. I watched Build in full, which I liked, but the last 2 episodes decided to take the classic Doctor Who approach and became 10 episodes. I gave up on Zi-O after four episodes while Zero-One was magnificent.

However, the only reason I have any inkling of interest in Saber is because my subscribers would like to see me do a reaction video, so I'm going to at least watch the first few episodes like I did with Zi-O. Of course, if no one subs it, that ain't happening. In fact, I find it fascinating with how many fansubbers do not want to touch Saber. This would be the perfect time for Toei to pull a Tsuburaya and stream Saber on their channel subbed.

 

[Captain Shark]

Really? I thought it was supposed to save franchise from Ex-Aid and Build.

Zi-O saved the franchise from Ex-Aid and many of the pre-Den-O mistakes that were long overdue for a clean up. Build still left a nasty mark, but Zero One did help clean it out, Saber will need to be at least as good as Fourze to completely annihilate the leftovers, but even being as good as Hibiki will suffice right now. You don't just clean up the worst thing to spawn in the genre with one or two shows even while it was airing alongside the best thing to spawn in the genre and Ultraman's continued high quality content. R/B, Taiga, Z, Zi-O, Zero One, Kyuranger, LuPat, even all those combined (I haven't seen Ryusoulger yet, a year later and I'm still burned out on sentai and I've been too suicidal to start) are not enough to silence the Yuggoth-ian terror that is Kamen Rider Build. And no, I will not stop complaining about it, not until I find a worse tokusatsu.

 

[Kamen Rider IXA]

And no, I will not stop complaining about it

Maybe you'd be less suicidal if you've learned not to hang up on things.
Get it out of your system and move on.

 

[Dr Kain]

Zi-O saved the franchise? Zi-O was an utter piece of ****. At least Decade had the dignity to recast the previous riders whereas Zi-O just spat over them by retconning their respective series finales.

 

[Captain Shark]

Maybe you'd be less suicidal if you've learned not to hang up on things.

You haven't been depressed as long as I have. It may feel entrapping at first, but when you've embraced the disparity knowing death is the only way out it becomes kind of empowering. Emotions are distractions and depression is the shield. You never want your mood to change no matter how beneficial. Guess I'm a phantom, spooky.

Get it out of your system and move on.

It's my system, I'm not abandoning it. I'm okay dying on that hill as long my soul is released from these meat shackles called flesh.

Zi-O saved the franchise? Zi-O was an utter piece of ****.

>canonized Ryuga properly
>did a Kabuto story that didn't suck
>did an Ex-Aid story without soap opera drivel
>did a Ghost story seriously
>fixed Blade's ending
>gave Hibiki and Agito proper epilogues
>kept Faiz alive
>rightfully started off whooping Build's ass
>finally gave closure on and explained multiverse canon shenanigans
>main rider is the second best Rider only after Skyrider

I've seen plenty of excrement in my days, Zi-O is nowhere near that level.

 

[Kamen Rider IXA]

Emotions are distractions and depression is the shield.

You don't live in a Joss Whedon show. As I said, you should seek psychological help. Mental health is improtant and your issues is not something to be taken lightly.

 

[Dr Kain]

>fixed Blade's ending

Blade's ending didn't need fixing, it was perfect as is. What it sounds like you mean is they ruined it.

>gave Hibiki and Agito proper epilogues

They didn't need them.

>kept Faiz alive

He was alive at the end of his own show.