Wizard First Quarter Review

[Toku Prime]

Well episode 12 is out and, assuming that Wizard will run for roughly the same length as the last three Rider shows, that means that we are actually a quarter of the way through the 'new' show already. Clearly there's still a massive amount to come: new movies, new Styles, a new secondary rider, a jewellery store's worth of rings and the ongoing mysteries of Wiseman and the White Wizard. But I think we're probably far enough in that we've gotten past those first reactions and initial impressions, and have something of a grasp as to what the show is really like. So, what do you think of the show? Did it surpass your expectations? Did it disappoint you? Has it turned out to be nothing like you initially thought? Let me know your thoughts on the show as a whole so far, rather than just individual episodes.

 

[Tendou Soujiro]

It has the potential to be one of the best Kamen Rider series but there are a few things that really let me down.

-Still really kiddy. It's been a while since we've had a modern series that was dark. W is the closest thing we've got but it isn't enough IMO. Considering how ridiculously lighthearted Fourze was, I expected something darker than usual for Wizard.

-Form upgrades are not taken seriously by anyone, not even the user. They are stated to have consequences later on but they've been used about 4 times now.(3 for Flame Dragon and 1 for Hurricane Dragon) It's a major problem since the base forms are almost pointless now.

-The villains don't really foreshadow anything and they haven't left a single hint as to what their real goal is. All they've done for the past 3 months is try to create Phantoms despite the fact a random Phantom pops up out of nowhere every week anyway. Time will probably tell but the first quarter is already over, you have to at least hint what the hell these guys are up to and why they're even here.

-Regarding the villains again, Phoenix is a joke. Despite looking awesome and having a badass sword, he's all talk. He got killed by the first form upgrade...and there's still more upgrades on the way. He's supposed to be some sort of cliched evil and crazy villain but he's way too weak to even fulfill that role. The fact he's scared of Medusa does not help his case. I hope he gets another form or something in the future because there's no way Haruto will take him seriously by the time he gets his All Dragon style or whatever it'll be called.

-The cast in general is way too small and half of them are useless. The villain side only has 3 people, though there could be more but we can't be sure on that. The main cast only has 5 people and 3 of them don't do ****. There's no reason for Rinko and Shunpei to even hang out at Haruto's place anymore and we know nothing about Koyomi except for the fact she's the cutest girl on the show. I know that the cast is small enough as it is, but there's no point in having a big cast if none of them are relevant to the situation.

So far I'm not blown away or anything but this will definitely be a really good series.

 

[KingRanger]

Best KR series since Double. I love every minute of it.

 

[bleachjoj]

It has the potential to be one of the best Kamen Rider series but there are a few things that really let me down.

-Still really kiddy. It's been a while since we've had a modern series that was dark. W is the closest thing we've got but it isn't enough IMO. Considering how ridiculously lighthearted Fourze was, I expected something darker than usual for Wizard.

-Form upgrades are not taken seriously by anyone, not even the user. They are stated to have consequences later on but they've been used about 4 times now.(3 for Flame Dragon and 1 for Hurricane Dragon) It's a major problem since the base forms are almost pointless now.

-The villains don't really foreshadow anything and they haven't left a single hint as to what their real goal is. All they've done for the past 3 months is try to create Phantoms despite the fact a random Phantom pops up out of nowhere every week anyway. Time will probably tell but the first quarter is already over, you have to at least hint what the hell these guys are up to and why they're even here.

-Regarding the villains again, Phoenix is a joke. Despite looking awesome and having a badass sword, he's all talk. He got killed by the first form upgrade...and there's still more upgrades on the way. He's supposed to be some sort of cliched evil and crazy villain but he's way too weak to even fulfill that role. The fact he's scared of Medusa does not help his case. I hope he gets another form or something in the future because there's no way Haruto will take him seriously by the time he gets his All Dragon style or whatever it'll be called.

.

I have to disagree. It's pointless to complain about being to kiddy for a kids show. And the death filled ritual certainly wasn't lighthearted. And the phantoms are actively trying to kill people compared to the last few years.

The Dragons Forms were never said to have an instant back lash. Dragon said that constantly using would drive Haruto closer to despair. Then Haruto says it should be fine if he keeps using it.

Have to disagree about Phoenix. I think he's been a great villain. 8 and 9 showed how brutal he was. It was also said that he killed a gate as well. There is nothing wrong with him being scared of Medusa since she seems to run things.

And we had a whole two arcs explaining what Koyomi is.

 

[Painted_Outlaw]

Have to disagree about Phoenix. [..] It was also said that he killed a gate as well.

So? Gamel turned a car full of people into Cell Medals, is he a great villain? :laugh:

Seriously though, something like that doesn't automatically mean the person's... to be frank, it's pretty much liking him for dumb reasons.

 

[Tendou Soujiro]

I have to disagree. It's pointless to complain about being to kiddy for a kids show. And the death filled ritual certainly wasn't lighthearted. And the phantoms are actively trying to kill people compared to the last few years.

The Dragons Forms were never said to have an instant back lash. Dragon said that constantly using would drive Haruto closer to despair. Then Haruto says it should be fine if he keeps using it.

Have to disagree about Phoenix. I think he's been a great villain. 8 and 9 showed how brutal he was. It was also said that he killed a gate as well. There is nothing wrong with him being scared of Medusa since she seems to run things.

And we had a whole two arcs explaining what Koyomi is.

Kamen Rider has demonstrated its ability to be dark multiple times. Most of them were during the Showa era but there are good examples in the Heisei era as well. The ceremony isn't exactly dark even though it is literally. There's nothing that implies they're really trying to kill people, all we've been seeing is the birth of new Phantoms. Killing people is an awful motive for the big bad, it's obvious that there's something else we don't know.

That's the point. After 4 uses we have no idea what Dragon is talking about. Haruto's words don't mean anything compared to the Dragon that's giving him the power in the first place.

How is that a feat? That just proved my point. Beating the crap out of someone who is over 10 times weaker than you is nothing. It's great that he is sadistic but he'd have to demonstrate that sadism on Wizard in order for that to have any significance. Same applies to Phoenix killing a Gate before. He's just all talk and hasn't done crap. He has potential but his power level and accomplishments are nothing. Letting Medusa take control is incredibly cliched and kinda dumb if you think about it. That basically means Phoenix will be her ***** for a while, downplaying him even more.

Proving my point again, those arcs didn't explain anything useful about her. We know what she is but that's irrelevant if we don't know why she's there. Even Haruto only knows that he has to protect her, but why is the important question.

 

[KingRanger]

It has the potential to be one of the best Kamen Rider series but there are a few things that really let me down.

-Still really kiddy. It's been a while since we've had a modern series that was dark. W is the closest thing we've got but it isn't enough IMO. Considering how ridiculously lighthearted Fourze was, I expected something darker than usual for Wizard.

-Form upgrades are not taken seriously by anyone, not even the user. They are stated to have consequences later on but they've been used about 4 times now.(3 for Flame Dragon and 1 for Hurricane Dragon) It's a major problem since the base forms are almost pointless now.

-The villains don't really foreshadow anything and they haven't left a single hint as to what their real goal is. All they've done for the past 3 months is try to create Phantoms despite the fact a random Phantom pops up out of nowhere every week anyway. Time will probably tell but the first quarter is already over, you have to at least hint what the hell these guys are up to and why they're even here.

-Regarding the villains again, Phoenix is a joke. Despite looking awesome and having a badass sword, he's all talk. He got killed by the first form upgrade...and there's still more upgrades on the way. He's supposed to be some sort of cliched evil and crazy villain but he's way too weak to even fulfill that role. The fact he's scared of Medusa does not help his case. I hope he gets another form or something in the future because there's no way Haruto will take him seriously by the time he gets his All Dragon style or whatever it'll be called.

-The cast in general is way too small and half of them are useless. The villain side only has 3 people, though there could be more but we can't be sure on that. The main cast only has 5 people and 3 of them don't do ****. There's no reason for Rinko and Shunpei to even hang out at Haruto's place anymore and we know nothing about Koyomi except for the fact she's the cutest girl on the show. I know that the cast is small enough as it is, but there's no point in having a big cast if none of them are relevant to the situation.

So far I'm not blown away or anything but this will definitely be a really good series.

It's a kid series. There hasn't been any "dark" Kamen Rider series. I also fail to see how anyone can use "it's not dark enough" as a negative when describing a show in the Kamen Rider franchise.

We are only 12 episodes in. There is nothing pointless about any of the forms. You just have to watch the episodes to know this. And who are you talking about when you say, "No one takes them seriously".. I hope you are not talking about the fans of the show because you can not speak for them.

They are there to make more phantoms. That is all we know right now. Of course there will be a reason why. It might be the generic to take over the world, but who cares. There is a reason. Your logic here makes little to no sense.

It sounds to me like you are one of those people that is like "I need everything told to me now. I can not wait to see what happens. I want no surprises. I want all characters to have a set point to their existence at all times no questions"

 

[Tendou Soujiro]

It's a kid series. There hasn't been any "dark" Kamen Rider series. I also fail to see how anyone can use "it's not dark enough" as a negative when describing a show in the Kamen Rider franchise.

We are only 12 episodes in. There is nothing pointless about any of the forms. You just have to watch the episodes to know this. And who are you talking about when you say, "No one takes them seriously".. I hope you are not talking about the fans of the show because you can not speak for them.

They are there to make more phantoms. That is all we know right now. Of course there will be a reason why. It might be the generic to take over the world, but who cares. There is a reason. Your logic here makes little to no sense.

It sounds to me like you are one of those people that is like "I need everything told to me now. I can not wait to see what happens. I want no surprises. I want all characters to have a set point to their existence at all times no questions"

There were numerous dark elements in a bunch of Kamen Rider series. The more of those, the darker the series. This series does not have many dark elements, simple as that. Considering that most of us here are men, we want something that can appeal to us as well, even if it's toku.

Only? Considering how fast the first quarter went by and that we have 3 more to go, it's quite a big deal. The problem with the upgrades having no downsides is the fact that the base forms will be pointless. For example, why use Flame Style when Flame Dragon is significantly stronger and has no downside? When I say no one takes them seriously, I am talking about the cast. Why the hell would I speak for the fans in that context?

They are obviously there to make new Phantoms but we don't know why. Any 12 year old would think they'll probably just kill people once they reach their goal but considering the concept of Phantoms and how they are made, there's obviously a secret agenda somewhere.

I understand that I type fairly long posts but do understand what the hell the context I'm speaking in is.

 

[KingRanger]

There were numerous dark elements in a bunch of Kamen Rider series. The more of those, the darker the series. This series does not have many dark elements, simple as that. Considering that most of us here are men, we want something that can appeal to us as well, even if it's toku.

Only? Considering how fast the first quarter went by and that we have 3 more to go, it's quite a big deal. The problem with the upgrades having no downsides is the fact that the base forms will be pointless. For example, why use Flame Style when Flame Dragon is significantly stronger and has no downside? When I say no one takes them seriously, I am talking about the cast. Why the hell would I speak for the fans in that context?

They are obviously there to make new Phantoms but we don't know why. Any 12 year old would think they'll probably just kill people once they reach their goal but considering the concept of Phantoms and how they are made, there's obviously a secret agenda somewhere.

I understand that I type fairly long posts but do understand what the hell the context I'm speaking in is.

We are not all men no. That is a HUGE misconception on your part. That said, as an adult, you should know that the vast majority of the toku we all watch is for children. We enjoy it, we discuss it, some people debate the merits of each show and it's writing/directing.. But in the end we are enjoying shows about dudes in spandex and leather fighting rubber suited monsters. As long as I am having fun with the show I don't care if it's "dark" or comedy.

Maybe and maybe no. I don't think less of a show because the use a power up more often than the un-powered up forms. I only wanted clarity on that part. Some people speak for the fans. It makes even less sense now that you made what you meant clear. What do you mean the cast doesn't care about the form changes. The characters in show care a great deal about those form changes. That is clear in each episode that he gets one.

Yes there is a secret agenda. You just seem to not want to wait for them to tell us what that agenda is. You were not clear in your context.

 

[NateRiver]

It has the potential to be one of the best Kamen Rider series but there are a few things that really let me down.

-Still really kiddy. It's been a while since we've had a modern series that was dark. W is the closest thing we've got but it isn't enough IMO. Considering how ridiculously lighthearted Fourze was, I expected something darker than usual for Wizard.

-Form upgrades are not taken seriously by anyone, not even the user. They are stated to have consequences later on but they've been used about 4 times now.(3 for Flame Dragon and 1 for Hurricane Dragon) It's a major problem since the base forms are almost pointless now.

-Regarding the villains again, Phoenix is a joke. Despite looking awesome and having a badass sword, he's all talk. He got killed by the first form upgrade...and there's still more upgrades on the way. He's supposed to be some sort of cliched evil and crazy villain but he's way too weak to even fulfill that role. The fact he's scared of Medusa does not help his case. I hope he gets another form or something in the future because there's no way Haruto will take him seriously by the time he gets his All Dragon style or whatever it'll be called.

-Like you said, Haruto said a line basically stating that he doesn't really care about the consequences.The thing is that this was intentional, and is probably actually come up again.They're saving this whole thing for an arc later in the series.The Dragon forms most likely drain Haruto's mana faster, as after Flame Dragon's debut, it's been reduced to a simple finisher.

-Phoenix was playing around with Haruto. He assumed that Haruto was just as weak as last time and didn't try because he thought he would win.Phoenix just got caught off guard.Also, I think don't think he's that scared of Medusa.

-There is no Kamen Rider show that is dark and gritty.The closest thing you'll get to that is Shin and that was a movie.If you're looking for something full of angst, there's always Faiz.