Series An excellent, but not perfect, entry for the franchise
Written by Toshiki Inoue back before people would shake their fists and cry out his name should a character fall into a pool of water at the end of a fight, Kamen Rider Agito was an exciting watch for me, one that always left me wanting more. Although similar to Kamen Rider Kuuga in many ways, the story unfolded very differently and that's good because simply making a straight Kuuga rehash would dull the quality of the original.
That said though, Agito does fail in a few, specific areas which undermined the total enjoyment factor for me. One of the first and earliest grievances I had for the show was the mishandling of Agito's various forms, which were all functionally the same on screen with the exception of which weapon Shouichi had at his disposal. Whereas in Kuuga, Double, or OOO the various strengths and weaknesses of each form were evident, this is not the case in Agito. For instance, the Storm form is supposed to be the equivalent of the Dragon form from Kuuga, but we never see it function as an agility form.
Shouichi himself is also probably the least engaging of the three main Riders, simply a happy-go-lucky guy who laughed and smiled and wasn't bothered too much by his amnesia. Hikawa and Ryo were the ones that always pulled my attention in with their own struggles and drama. My favorite episodes and plots always had them at the forefront and I could get more in touch with them. The characters they interacted with, especially the Akatsuki passengers and the various police officers. It probably hurts Shouichi's case that there is no real progress in finding out his true identity until halfway through the story.
The Lords/Unknown were a case of hit-and-miss. On one hand, I appreciate the plot arcs featuring more than one monster of the week at a time. With three Riders, upping the number of enemies they fought on a weekly basis gave them all time to shine. But at the same time though, the Unknown lacked personality. They'd show up, kill people, and be done with it. They're obviously capable of speech, so why couldn't we ever see them interact on their own? One of my favorite parts of Kamen Rider Kuuga was just that: when the Grongi would talk in their own language. It reinforced their foreignness while at the same time gave them personality.
I do recommend Agito; it's a good show. Just don't expect perfection.
Series Ready to go! Count ZERO! Endlessly evolve, Kamen Rider Agito!!!
When I first started watching Agito, I had heard nothing but good things.
When I finished watching Agito, I had almost nothing to say but good things.
It's awesome.
Agito stars Tsugami Shouichi, an amnesiac whose bumming off some guy in exchange for doing all the housework. He can sense when the unknown, beings who seem to attack one human, and then kill the rest of their family, are attacking people, and turns into Kamen Rider Agito to help them. The story and the tales of the individual tales of the characters are all complex and gripping, and the execution is terrifyingly well done. Really, the first scene where Agito appears and rider kicks an Unknown is all you need to see. (Search it on youtube! DAT ATMOSPHERE) It's filled with a lot of mystery, and all of them are resolved in the end with an incredibly satisfying conclusion.
The characters, like the previous series and many afterwards, are all fantastically well developed. From the well meaning, yet occasionally oblivious Shouichi, the straight-laced, but clumsy cop Hikawa, to the tortured yet determined Ryou, I grew incredibly attached to all of the characters, and was happy with they way their arcs were handled and ended. The supporting cast are also likable, and a bit more complex than you might think from an initial glance.
The initial Agito designs are simple, yet effective, much like Kuuga. The later upgrades are also fantastically conceived, although it could be said that the penultimate form upgrade looks better than the final form upgrade. I disagree, but a lot of people do seem to think this. G3 was a rather bulky design, but that fit, considering he was a technological rider. He wasn't going to be streamlined and incredibly cool looking: he was going to have bulky armor and be built to function. Although I still think he's cool looking. Gills was just a great design, and really played off the organic aspects of the rider well.
The music is also great. The insert themes are all addictive and awesome, and the theme song is so chill.
Kamen Rider Agito, although I was skeptical of it at first, evolves past its predecessor to create what I think is an even better show.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go punch god in the face.
Series An Even Better Sequel to Kuuga
Kamen Rider Kuuga was a great series. It managed to revive Kamen Rider in the 21st century and had a fantastic lead, likable cast, and awesome rider and monster designs. It seemed like it couldn't be topped.
This is when the writers for Agito stepped in and said, "Yeah, we can do better."
And they did. Oh so much better.
First of all, right from the get-go, they upped the ante by having not one lead rider, but three, each with a unique design and motif. Not only that, but each lead also has their own unique story arcs that serve as Character Development. Shoichi is a cheerful Amnesiac Hero that is trying to find out the mystery of his past and why he can transform into Agito, Hikawa is an officer that wants to use the G3 System to save lives despite some corrupt officers trying to work against him, and Ryou, who is struggling to understand his powers as Gills while also working to uncover the truth behind his father's death.
While Kuuga suffers a bit from its slow pacing, the pacing in Agito is perfect. The sense of mystery and discovery that occurs over the course of the show easily engages you. Almost every episode, a new revelation behind the main plot is revealed, and since the majority of episodes end in cliffhangers, this encourages binge watching (Like I did).
As for the action scenes, they're also fantastic. Each main rider has their own unique fighting style, meaning that the action scenes aren't just the same punches and kicks. Agito uses not only his fists but also a staff and sword in his different forms, G3 uses a pistol and gatling gun, while Gills fights ferally, not unlike Amazon.
The villains are also great. Much like the Gurongi, what makes the Unknowns so interesting are how menacing they are. They regularly kill people in bizarre ways and, unlike the Gurongi who did it For the Evulz, the Unknowns do it for a more interesting reason that's obviously spoiler filled. This adds another depth to them that prevents them from being black and white like previous Kamen Rider villains.
So, in the end, Kamen Rider Agito, despite only being the second Heisei rider series, manages to be one of the best thanks to its storytelling, characters and action scenes. If you call yourself a Kamen Rider fan, it's your duty to watch Agito.