Kamen Rider Wizard - ep 3

OK, I'll have to admit it, I watched the Over-Time softsubs first before getting the TV-Nihon hardsubs so I can have good screencaps.  Also, IMO, the TV-Nihon subs are just better.  Start the nerdrage now.

Anyways, the hand-to-hand combat in this series is so top shelf, I don't mind watching the episode twice!  Speaking of....

Shunpei thinks he's a wizard and pops off his finger of fire for a bunch of kids, then this guy shows up to interview him.

Flattery will get you everywhere.

Poor sap Shunpei.

Haruto has it figured out already.

and here's the conflict for the episode

And now, for a double shot of Medusa Phantom Scaroused!

OK, back to the episode...

sneaky guy!

After Hellhound clues everyone in on his plans to turn a Gate into a Phantom, he flash over to Haruto and Eyebrows and a touch more of Wizard's backstory is revealed.

Then some stuff was shown.  Haruto and Koyomi, raining, stuff and junk.

foreshadow much?

Rinko moment of hotness!!!

well, now we know who the Phantom was....it was the TV Host!

TAKE A DRINK!

and now he outs himself as a Phantom

SPIT TAKE!

TAKE A DRINK!

TAKE A DRINK!

The TV gets cut by the National Defense nefarious government agency.  Koyomi, however, has some kind of magical doo-dad to stay abreast of the situation.

TAKE A DRINK!

This also just so happens to be the ring that eyebrows made.  Hellhound can't hide in the shadows if everything is lit up!

TAKE A DRINK!

On a side note, Water State isn't too bad.  It's all D so far, but there's potential for it to have offensive strengths as well.

TAKE A DRINK!

TAKE A DRINK!

TAKE A DRINK!  (Underworld Style!)

 OK, I capped this because "Very Nice Kick Strike" is a cheesy name for a Rider Kick.

Shit resolves, Haruto saves Shunpei and now we have a new member to the cast of regulars.

Another Rinko Moment of Hotness

Koyomi isn't keen on the new additions to the group.

Koyomi wa cho kawaii!

Well, it seems that the core group is now established and now comes the fight with the Phantoms!  As long as we keep getting combat like what we've gotten thus far, I'll be a happy Sakebito!

Kamen Rider Wizard - ep 2

Not only do we get some origins in this episode, but a new drinking game is born!

The rules for the Kamen Rider Wizard Drinking Game are simple.  Any time the driver says, "Please", you take a drink.  For the record, I'm kinda sorta really hammered right now.

So it seems that not only does using magic wipe out Haruto, the rings as well can suffer from exhaustion from magical overuse.  After a serious session of sleep, Haruto finally wakes up, but one of the rings fades out.  He then does something and revives the Fire ring.

TAKE A DRINK!

The old man, who also makes rings that do certain spells, creates a new ring which Haruto promptly tries out.

TAKE A DRINK!

But the spell puts Haruto back to sleep...and he'd just woken up, too!  Dammit.

Meanwhile, back at police headquarters, Rinko gets called in for something.

Kizaki is all curious about "the mage" and shit.  Rinko, however, is a detective and knows that something just ain't quite right here.

 Smart girl, not telling this jerk anything.  At best, he'll probably muck it up with the usual bureaucratic bullshit...at worst, he's a Phantom in disguise, looking to get over on Wizard.  Speaking of Phantoms...

Medusa:  she makes me scaroused!
  

So not only are they trying to make more Phantoms by putting Gates into despair, they're also trying to let the Wiseman (who?) open another Sabbath (which I can only assume is one of those things that Haruto had a flashback about last episode)   Only 2 episodes in and there is already a couple of layers of evil plotting going on...well played, Wizard.  Well played.

So Medusa's Hellhound is creating despair and Wizard shows up to stop that shit. 

Sha ba do bi Touch Henshin?  Dafuq?

TAKE A DRINK!

TAKE A DRINK!

TAKE A DRINK!

Yeah, in just one lead-in fight scene, three drinks.  This game might end up as dangerous as the Joshi Puroresu Drinking Game and that's saying something!

After the fight that Shunpei guy (the one hiding behind the pillar) starts following Haruto around wanting him to teach magic to the guy because of some book he read as a kid.  Haruto tries to ditch him and hides at this donut truck.

If this isn't a drag queen, I'll punch myself in the taint.

So now we get to the origins story, because Rinko was telling that other bird (who's name I am completely blanking on) that she wished she was a mage.  Bird is all, don't say that around Haruto because dot-dot-dot.  Seems that her and him were the only two to survive what I'm assuming was the last Sabbath that Wiseman made happen.

And who the hell is this guy?

Whoever he is, he's got a belt like Wizard's (in fact he's the one who gave Haruto the belt) and told him that he "earned the right to become a mage"  Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice.

And Shunpei is the Gate...he can also actually do magic!

TAKE A DRINK!

Wizard's robe has it's own powers?  Like being able to expand and be bulletproof?  Cool!

COOL GUYS DON'T LOOK AT EXPLOSIONS!

They were just a bunch of low level minions anyways...still had to make sure to get that in because it's a trope beyond just being true in tokusatsu.

TAKE A DRINK!

I will have to say that it is refreshing that there's a mechanic displayed for how things like weapons and vehicles show up...most times, it's all, "and suddenly, there's a weapon in his hand!"  or, "and suddenly, his motorcycle is there!" or, "and suddenly, they're fighting outside!"  This one was to gain a weapon.

TAKE A DRINK!

This one was to gain a motorcycle.

The fight scenes in Wizard are top shelf so far, I didn't even grab any caps because still images don't do the action justice.  It seems like Shunpei might be sticking around for more than a 2 episode arc, but I could be wrong.  Actually, I'm kinda hoping I'm wrong because he annoys me.  I still would like for Rinko to earn the right to be a mage and end up the second Rider.  There has been a severe lack of female Riders, Nandeshiko notwithstanding.  She's space goo, and doesn't really count.  I think Rinko could pull it off, I really do.

Sakebito's series rule:  every toku series gets 10 episodes to make me give a shit.  Goseiger failed, Go-Busters failed, Den-O failed, Wizard has a strong chance of succeeding!

Kamen Rider Wizard - ep 1

Yeah, holy shit, I am updating this whammy.  Figured with a new Kamen Rider starting up, it's a logical place to start up again.  So here it is:

Sakebito's Saucy Stuff:  Kamen Rider Wizard!

OK, first the outfit.  I'm kinda iffy about it, and the ring is large and rather gaudy.  The belt...not a big fan.

But for all that, I can't help but like Wizard.  Haruto is a smooth dude and when he gets all heroic, it's kinda cheesy yet you believe in what's he's saying.  When he tells Rinko that he will be her hero, you know he's gonna.  When he does save the day but entering some dimensional shift called Underworld, that was also inside Rinko's head, or something like that.  I'm sure we'll be getting educated on it as things develop.

Wouldn't be Saucy if I didn't talk about the quality of birds in this one.

Pretty good!

Rinko is adorable in this tough chick-ish kind of way.  She's truly devoted to protecting the people, it's a mantra with her.  I'm hoping that she'll be able to learn magic and get in the fight somehow.

And she's not an idiot, which is a bonus!

Koyomi.  This bird is an adorable little enigma.  She was able to spot the Phantom when he was all human form and gives Haruto some static when talking magically!  Should be interesting to see what role she's going to play down the road.

Medusa Phantom.  I haz a scaroused.

The driver is too polite, It's "whatever....PLEASE"  I have a feeling that is going to get old quickly...or become a thing.  One way or the other.  The effects are cool, it's not like the trope of "and suddenly, he has a weapon" Haruto actually calls up a gate and reaches through it to pull out a gun or a motorcycle or donuts!  Haruto seems to be trying to channel his inner Vash the Stampede or some shit.

Also....

COOL GUYS DON'T LOOK AT EXPLOSIONS!

Overall, it was a solid opening episode and it teases enough things and hints at other things and the characters are cool, so I'll be watching for that if for no other reason.