What's with the hate of Kamen Rider Wizard?

[Bryd0]

Similar to the thread someone made about why people hate on Go-Busters for various reasons, I'm wondering what's with the hate that's been going on for Kamen Rider Wizard I've been seeing lately which is the reason why I joined here to ask this.

So far, I have watched the 40 episodes of it week by week and I have to admit that it is amongst my favourite Kamen Rider series and I don't get why some people have been complaining about it, especially those from JEFusion. Most of the time the complaints were about the high number of "filler episodes" and lack of plot and character development which I don't see, but I do agree that by the time a Kamen Rider or any other tokusatsu series only has a few episodes left, there should be some sort of build-up to the climax. From what some people are saying, they think that its last few episodes will be rushed. There's also complaints of people calling it "boring" and "bland" which again I don't understand. Okay, maybe not as hyperactive Fourze was but at least the fight scenes are nice to watch, in my opinion. And that Wizard is a nice-looking Rider and the Phantoms being one of the cruelest monsters ever in a Kamen Rider series. Everytime I go on JEFusion to watch the latest episode of it, I see nothing but bitching in the comments and I don't know if this has happened elsewhere (which probably has), which is why I'm asking you lot. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a large gamut of opinions on it from calling it "the best" to "the worst ever", much like the Go-Busters hate discussion.

In my very honest opinion, Wizard is a pretty decent series despite the slamming. So, what's your opinion on Wizard? And if you dislike it, what are your reasons? I really want this hate about it cleared up so that I can understand it more.

 

[HurricaneDragon]

Well, to be blunt, it's just... not very good. The characters are bland, there's no real plot or development, the show focuses much too much on the victims of the week, and in short, it's all style and no substance. A lot of great ideas, but very bland, just going through the motions execution. I love the designs, and the fights are great, but beyond that? It's just kind of... there. It's not even that its BAD per se - it's that it's just not really anything to speak of at all. It's had some good arcs here and there, and I myself really like Beast, but those things hardly make up for the rest of the show's issues.

 

[Bryd0]

Hmm... I see now. Yes, the fights and designs are good indeed. I just have no idea why the storylines in it are suffering, to think this is a series from the guy who last did Hibiki and Magiranger. I say that the series has a lot of potential to offer but just went down the drain.

I should also mention that one person said that this is the second-lowest Heisei Rider series so far, and I can see why.

 

[Herman the German]

I have literally no problem with it except for the end to the allegeded-pyromaniac-arc. :B

 

[Bryd0]

Yeah, same here. That really pissed me off. Should've mentioned that actually.

 

[KingRanger]

I love the concept behind Wizard, but the show itself fell flat a long time ago. The characters get no growth or development. Hell, Gremlin has more back story than any of the main characters. The so called story has gone nowhere. They have done nothing to bring it all together. IMO, this is a failed series that has such high potential. Oh and giving his best form a giant CGI axe as a finisher is just damn stupid and lazy.

 

[Twisted_Edge]

^this

I wanted to like the show. I don't hate it. We're on speaking terms. It's just not a complete sweries. The high point don't make up for the lows. Plus the pyromaniac arc. SRSLY. WTF?

I miss the drama, Haruto could be this tragic hero that overcame dispair and be other hope. A flawed hero, atoning for sins that drove him into dispair. Man, what a waste.

 

[Clocktower]

I've enjoyed it for the most part but I can agree with a lot of the criticism, mainly that the characters have been woefully underdeveloped. Haruto is incredibly generic, acting totally bland since the first episode where he did seem to have some sort of characteristics that have since been dropped, Rinko doesn't get to do enough of the cop stuff that would have justified having so many main characters and Beast was brought in with a total lack of direction to fill the standard second rider quota. I'm not sure is Koyomi even still in the show.

It's definitely not the worst Rider show and it's definitely not down there with Gobusters. There's been enough to keep me interested, but the potential feels somewhat squandered.

 

[Painted_Outlaw]

I'll say this - I have fallen behind twice during this show and came close to forever dropping it that same amount of times. I just have a total sense of apathy about this show that I can't seem to get rid of and it's a shame.

Plus the pyromaniac arc. SRSLY. WTF?

Not that it's saying much since all of Ishibashi's Wizard episodes were utter crap but, I thought the arc with Nitoh's friend was worse; I could barely even finish it. I mean, I did but, dang was it hard to.

to think this is a series from the guy who last did Hibiki and Magiranger.

Just fyi but, Kida did not work on Magiranger.

 

[Bryd0]

Again, I still don't understand of why the storylines have began failing as the series progressed. Excuse my lack of memory, but what were they like when the series was just new? Were they any better? And if so, how did they start to suffer? I'm not sure if the series would've been better if someone else had taken over it rather than Tsuyoshi Kida and Junko Komura. And in response to that large CGI axe Wizard Infinity Style uses, that should've not been used against Bahamut. For that episode, I would've expected Wizard to perform some sort of flaming soccer kick at the Phantom to destroy it when this was a story arc about soccer. But nope, they had to ruin it.

Also, what I don't get is that Wizard has some elements from the early Heisei era Rider series. I've watched the majority of these series and I don't see not one early Heisei thing in it, other than the victims of despair having purple cracks forming on their bodies while a Phantom wants to burst out from them.

That said, I think it should be okay for me and others to watch Wizard just for the fight scenes, no?

EDIT:

Not that it's saying much since all of Ishibashi's Wizard episodes were utter crap but, I thought the arc with Nitoh's friend was worse; I could barely even finish it. I mean, I did but, dang was it hard to.

I had a hard time watching that episode too. Made me cringe with their combined goofiness. Then again, I never liked Nitou in the first place. And yes, blame Daisuke Ishibashi for that. I think his involvement with the series has made it worse than it already is -_-