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!