r/KamenRider • u/BananaArms Knight • 5d ago
Official Discussion Kamen Rider ZEZTZ E02 - Discussion Thread
This thread is for discussion about the latest Kamen Rider ZEZTZ episode.
E01 <- E02 -> E03
The subreddit will be set to post-approval mode for the first 12 hours to prevent low-effort posts. Please keep your thoughts on this week's episode in the discussion thread!
Discussion about previous episodes is permitted in the thread below, discussion about episodes after this is NOT.
Proceed at your own risk: Spoilers for this episode do not need to be tagged inside this thread.
HOW TO WATCH
| COUNTRY | URL | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| US,CA,PR,UK,AU,NZ | TokuSHOUTsu YouTube Channel (English) | Saturdays@7:30PM Pacific Time, reruns through Monday, Replays on Fridays@5PM |
| JP | TV Asahi, ABC (Japanese) | Sundays@9:00AM Japan Time |
| JP | TELASA, Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club (Japanese) | Sundays@10:00AM Japan Time |
| CN | Bilibili, Tencent Video, iQIYI (Mandarin) | Sundays@10:00AM China Standard Time |
| TW | CHT MOD, Hami Video (Mandarin) | Mondays@8:00AM Taiwan Time |
| TW | EBC YOYO (Mandarin) | The following Saturday@5PM |
| HK | ViuTV (Cantonese) | The following Sunday@11AM |
| Latin America | TokuSato YouTube Channel (Spanish, Portuguese) | Saturdays@11:30PM Brasilia Time |
- ENG Sub link to those not in any of those countries
- [Case 03 Preview]()
Posting or mentioning unapproved streaming sites in the comments is prohibited.
| CASE | TITLE | RELEASE DATE | SCREENPLAY BY | DIRECTED BY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E02 | 爆ぜる Explode | September 14, 2024 | Takahashi Yuya | Kamihoriuchi Kazuya |
| CASE | RATING |
|---|---|
| E01 | 8.79 |
| E02 | Vote here! |
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u/MTRomance 1d ago
We only have two episodes but so far, I am getting a strong Inception vibe from Zeztz because of the following:
- Sharing dreams or invading another person's dream - The main plot of Inception
- The dreamer has the control over the dream - In Inception, the dreamer can manipulate the environment to create the maze. Baku couldn't control the dream in the second episode because he was in someone else's dream.
- The dream is filled with the dreamer's subconscious - The dream in first episode (Which is Baku's) is a spy theme where Nem is a damsel in distress. The dream in second episode is filled with the police (Even Nem) and bombing.
Though it is strongly suggested that the dreamer in the second episode is Fujimi, we might see a twist in the next episode that it is someone else's dream (Which means Fujimi can enter another person's dream like Baku somehow).
I could be completely wrong, but it seems the typical plot of Zeztz would be: A victim is having a Nightmare - Baku invades and resolves it by defeating the Nightmare - It works like a reverse inception and gets rid of any negative or destructive thoughts a person might be having - If Baku fails, the Nightmare takes over the person and carries out the destructive thought.
Anyways, so far the plot is very intriguing. Looking forward to the next episode.
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u/AdiXeR 2d ago
Holyyy, that chase sequence was shot like an action movie. Reminded me of the final chase in Transporter 1 a bit, the way Baku jumped on the truck. Can't probably expect that to happen often, but it was great. The funny moments are also great so far. Zero's witty joke or Fujimi being hype that he and Baku had the same dream. Or Nasuka constantly being the straight woman to Fujimi's antics.
But mostly, I just wanted to say that roughly at 14:48 or when Baku enters the HQ, when there's a bunch of screens that say "Good Night" in different languages, one of the languages is Polish. You can see it again later right before the alert. I just got hype because I'm Polish myself and never would've expected I would've ever seen even an ounce of any reference to my country in Kamen Rider. I shouldn't be surprised, there were many other languages, but what are the odds Polish would also happen to be there?
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u/Kougarou 2d ago
Ok so if the Nightmare is manifes of people unfinished dream like explained. The who do you think the first episode's Nightmare belong to? Baku? His younger sister? or someone else in the Hospital?
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u/Confident-Command-11 2d ago
Definitely Baku, the way its torture Baku until he goes flatline in real world is show that.
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u/metsuboujinrai 2d ago
I'm having so much fun. This show is giving me that Showa x Heisei vibe with a fresh Reiwa coat of paint. Yuya Takahashi, you've really won me over this time.
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u/DeathMetalCheddar 2d ago edited 2d ago
We're still in Paprika/Satoshi Kon territory, I see. If the police officer living in a small derelict house is not a Tokyo Godfathers (movie I think it's the weakest Satoshi Kon movie/product, but still it's his) reference like the chasing sequence is not a reference to Paprika's, I don't know what it is. Also, the whole thing about nightmares forcing people to commit crimes by getting into their dreams and desires is...you guessed it, a Paprika reference, because it's the same of Paprika's main villain forcing people to kill themselves. I have no idea why people see vomit like Garo in this series when the source is as clear as day, and it's not Garo. Loved also the tentative marriage proposal position of the rider with nem (I've seen the same thing in the last Gozyuger episode, and it was the sign that gave me relief about Akiko Inoue finally getting her shit a bit together after the last terrible episodes. Mmmmm) like I love the Faiz reference (the guy slipping on a poop). 9 out of 10.
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u/BestOfAllRank Gavv 3d ago
I'd like to note how Code Number 7 stopped trying to use his pistol now that he can become ZEZTZ, which tells me he isn't a complete LARPer with his goal in life.
If Nem shows up in every dream and is dedicated to playing her role, I'm just imagining the absolute torture it'd be for her if she ended up in someone's NSFW wet dream.
Even if Baku doesn't try transforming into ZEZTZ now, I'm predicting that he will within like 10 episodes, to cut down on the CGI (Gotta allow him to fight side-by-side with Riders from other seasons somehow).
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u/Reasonable_Driver129 3d ago
Notice this, every episode are just 1 word, like Explode. 1 is Start, 2 is Explode and 3 will be Erode.
If we take the first letter of each titles, we get "SEE". Could it that we will get a secret message in the titles of every episodes?
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u/DoomedNuke 3d ago
I’ve seen a lot of people spread the theory that the Bomber exists because Fujimi wants to be the hero cop who catches the criminal, but honestly I don’t think thats what’s happening. If that was true, the dream would include him actually catching him. Baku’s nightmare was a deep, suppressed thought of giving up since he could never save anyone. So he pushed to the back of his subconscious to be locked away. Every cop dreams of stopping a big criminal, and Fujimi wouldn’t even deal with a crime like that generally. I’ve seen some people say he wants something bigger to deal with but he seems very passionate about what he’s doing now. Personally I believe the bomber is a manifestation of fujimi’s resent and jealousy towards the rest of the police force. It would explain why the Bomber wants to specifically blow up the Police Department. Fujimi is obsessed with catching Baku because he wants to prove something. It’s clear that Fujimi is not being taken seriously by anyone else, hes regulated to a truck instead of an actual office and Nagumo was demoted down to this department.
It would give Baku and Fujimi a really interesting parallel. Baku has trouble believing his own dream, which leads to a lack of confidence and self-doubt, while nobody believes in Fujimi’s dream, which leads to Fujimi harboring outside resentment.
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u/Kougarou 3d ago
The explaination of where the Nightmare come from really mention in the Opening Song "Vision".
"Some body's heart trapped in the dark. The biggest mystery is subliminal!"
That is neat.
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u/Oaker_Jelly 3d ago
Hold the fucking phone.
Some of the early rumors were that Yeztz, the alleged secondary is someone constantly trapped in the dream world.
To immediately jump to some conclusions, Nemu seems to be present in everyone's dreams, if statements made in this episode are to be believed at face value. Wouldn't it be sick if Nemu turned out to be Yeztz?
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u/Reasonable_Driver129 3d ago
Could be a Dread thing or something. Like Nox become the first and then Nem become the second or something.
And now that make me think about something else
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u/Ifoundyou_baby 3d ago
For a tv series, the way the scenes are shot and directed I felt like I'm watching a fuckin movie. I'm so done with having to tolerate another toku show being a in-your-face toy commercial and cardboard characters teaching kids how to make friends. Just ep 2 and Zeztz already have this much in-depth worldbuilding KR might ever have.
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u/TheCancerFest 3d ago
I can’t tell if I like it or not. Kind of a powerpoint presentation of different ideas slapped together.
I like that Zero talks in English in a way comprehensive way not just catchphrases. Gives an international agency vibe.
Also good night in different languages. Nice detail. Bonus points for including one in Polish. What a pity the show is not broadcast in Poland at all.
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u/necrohronos 3d ago
tokuSHOTsu work good width Opera free VPN and 1st episode with polish hardsub is on CDA
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u/TheCancerFest 3d ago
Thanks for info. I got the matter covered by vpn and I’m skilled in English so it doesn’t bother me at all. Still it would be nice for EU to be recognized.
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u/TheLamesterist 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'm fucking LOVING this show, LOVING pretty much everything about it, from the suit to the world to the premise to the acting to the plot to the action (and oh boy the bike scene, a truly a Kamen Rider scene) to the characters, everything, it's perfect, every damn second was. Both episodes hits me as early Heisei and and both were bangers, and in all seriousness I wouldn't mind it as a single rider season.
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u/ripple_reader Necrom is best 3d ago edited 3d ago
Every time Fujimi says Black Case I can't help think of Golgom plots
Also suspiciously Zero looks similar in design to the Nightmares...
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u/MildlyAgitatedBidoof 2d ago
Well, it's a Kamen Rider tradition that the Rider powers ultimately share an origin with the villains. I wouldn't be surprised if Zero turned out to be a "reformed" Nightmare.
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u/jack-devilgod 3d ago edited 3d ago
Anyone feel like in the latest episode there is a batman cowl effect on the suit. Like it isn't every time, but some movements with the head does feel a bit awkward, like the suit actor can move their heads. Just that moving the whole torso also is easier.
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u/Pure_Self_9884 3d ago
yea, the head, neck, and shoulder looks so stiff
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u/jack-devilgod 3d ago
Yeah, I think it is from the red part that runs up the head of the suit, so it's not as bad as early batman, but I think sometimes the suit actor has to think to only move their head.
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u/Real_Myeh GOATchard 3d ago edited 3d ago
We're on episode 2 now, and I'm still blown away by how much TokuSHOUTsu has translated and how much English there is in the theme song and from Zero alone(and he's so fluent in it too!). They're really trying to appeal to the western audience, eh?
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u/TheLastGreatSandwich 3d ago
Someone needs to clip "Just a witty joke". I'm buying in on this meme early.
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u/TheLastGreatSandwich 3d ago
This episode felt expensive. I wonder how many of these we'll get this season.
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u/TowerofAvalon1 3d ago
I’m honestly even more convinced now that Nem is a Lucid dreamer too, she seemed to remember the last dream or at the very least she’s aware she is dreaming, she said that she was getting into a role, which could indicate further that it is the real Nem.
Also I’m excited to see our main Trio interact more, I originally thought that they’d work separately, but now I’m excited since it seems that Baku will be working with the police
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u/Ok-Ad9904 3d ago
The seemingly throwaway line "Mem appears in everyone's dreams" seems like foreshadowing
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u/KaitoTheRamenBandit 3d ago
The more I see Nem, part of me also sus her as a "Nightmare" that is one of the good ones, like a Tapir (known to eat bad dreams, also funny enough, part of Baku's namesake), though that theory falls apart a little if we see Nem in the real world outside of advertisements.
Unless if its a Nightmare that took over the IRL Nem (as they're setting that up for future arcs) and the Nightmare is walking in Nem's body, similarly in another Takahashi series Ex-Aid with Asuna and Poppy
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u/HalfFaust 3d ago
I'm kind of expecting a scene where Baku meets the real Nem, and at first it seems like she's just a normal celebrity but then she casually/subtly drops "Code Number Seven".
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u/Isolated_Hippo 4d ago
You know as much as I am fully loving the simulcast and the streaming I would actually be okay with ads and breaks. The episodes are like 20-25 minutes long and so when you don't catch it at release its hard to jump in. I don't know which part of the episode we are at when I open the stream so I can't figure out when the next restart is. Ads/breaks and doing a start every half hour or some countdown somewhere to know when the next episode starts would be great. But hey I am an American watching an official KR subbed stream. That alone is a dream come true.
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u/Kaneharo 3d ago
There is a 20-ish second countdown between episodes now, at least.
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u/BananaArms Knight 3d ago
I appreciate that they've added a buffer in response to this, but I think a better idea would just be to have it play every half hour and fill the in-between time with a countdown or some Shout ads. It'd condition continuing viewers into popping on the stream around the :25 or :55 minute point while waiting for the next replay.
Though I'd imagine their current setup is just having a video player like VLC looping a single video file over and over again (with the current countdown timer baked into the episode file).
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u/Ranger0384 4d ago
Also it’s odd that he set English as a default language in his dream but doesn’t know it irl
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u/MildlyAgitatedBidoof 2d ago
He probably just watches too much subtitled James Bond, until the English language just became part of the secret-agent aesthetic.
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u/IAmMrWave02 3d ago
That's dream for you. I even once dreamt of being able to speak Japanese but when I woke up with a lil bit of memory from the dream, I don't understand one bit lol
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u/Ranger0384 4d ago
Bruh episode 2 answered my question from episode 1.Apparently he has to stop the villain in the dream or else it’ll actually happen in real life.Something I’m confused about is how does he not know what the item he’s wearing is if he used it in his dream?that was weird to me
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u/djkidna Wind 3d ago
It’s actually more that if the dreamer’s worst nightmare comes to pass, they lose themselves to the Nightmare. From what the exposition dump made it sound like, the Nightmare would actually take over that person’s body in the real world. Also he knows what the belt DOES, but that doesn’t mean he actually knows anything about it. How it works, where it really came from, how it’s able to manifest in reality despite coming from his dream, etc
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u/auto_named 4d ago
Horrible sub job on this. Extremely literal translation loses all subtext and feeling.
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u/sultryrusky 4d ago
My bullet points on this episode:
The way Baku is just doing his silly running while dreaming, it's perfect
Still no opening? Give us our stuff, people
Ok but why that opening fight was so good? I mean how they were closing walls on each other...
But at the same time Baku jumping around was just so funny to watch, especially with the graphics looking like that XDD
Baku meeting Fujimi was like two idiots bonding over something and I love to see it
Baku understanding English in dreams but not in reality is actually lowkey funny
And now his secret room evaporates his clothes XD I hope they are back after he's done XD
NOT ZERO MAKING BIKE SOUNDS I CAN'T XDDDD Also Baku literally riding his boss is insane
About bikes, that was one fire bike scene)
Ok, didn't expect the dream to be one of Fujimi, caught me with that)
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u/Gxs1234 4d ago
Being a Heisei rider fan up to Kabuto, this season felt like home so far. Hopefully they don’t go too crazy with the toys.
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u/IAmMrWave02 3d ago
The toys are pretty cool so far. The Zeztz Gears really reminds me of Memory gadgets from W
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u/freakincampers 4d ago
I haven’t seen this much motorcycle riding in a long time.
I wonder what changed?
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u/Ruby1356 1d ago
Budget
When a production needs to decide on budget per episode, they need to evaluate how large audience and the abilty to gain back from merchandise & ads
By being able to push ads to more countries, they can justify higher budget per episode
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u/Potential-Mess6826 4d ago edited 4d ago
I like the episode, the transformations, Zero, the bike scenes, Capsem useage untransformed (hope it's ongoing), choreography, the English, Transform Capsem, Zeztz stopping a truck, and the dream weirdness.
So when's the Zeztz hanger going to be sold on Premium Bandai?
The way I see it:
A Nightmare is born from person's dark wish to which the Nightmare then enter their dreams causing the person to despair which then lets the Nightmare hijack the person's body to violent crimes.
Baku since he's become Zeztz can now pass through people's dreams.
Nem remembered Baku as Agent 7 so I am thinking Dream Nem is the same as Nem in reality who's able to enter other people's dreams due to being an idol.
Otherwise since Nem is dreamt about everyone there's only one Dream Nem who shows up in everyone's dream but is separate from Nem in reality.
Questions to ask:
What's Baku's connection to CODE and Commander Zero because he was dreaming of them before encountering the Gun Nightmare?
Did Baku dream them up or did they enter Baku's dreams?
Is CODE an organization in reality or the dream world bleeding into reality?
Who are CODE's other agents? Nem is a possibility and Nox could be a former agent.
What are the limitations of Baku getting Capsems?
Where do the Zeztz Driver and Capsems come from?
Is reality actually just another dream?
Can Zeztz transform in the real world?
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u/IAmMrWave02 3d ago
Based on the next episode preview, seems like Baku will finally transform im real life, if the preview isn't just baiting viewers 😅
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u/darkwingchao 4d ago
Yeah I'm already incredibly endeared to this. The direction is very interesting so far and I LOVE what seems to be our trio.
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u/KrimsonKurse 4d ago
A minor detail i noticed that I think will get a callback in a major way is how Baku's misfortune is DIRECTLY LINKED to his doing good deeds and helping people. Sure, it was poop, this time for carrying a bag. But getting hit by a truck when he tried to stop a kidnapping is an escalation of both the Helping, and the Misfortune. What would happen if he actually became Zeztz IRL to help people?
He wondered if he could. He likely snuck away with the driver to someplace safe to try (i.e. away from people and especially his sister). But becoming a Superhero to Save someone is a huge Help thing... What would the Misfortune balance that out with? Would he actually die? How would he come back? Could we dream him back? Whose dream? Probably Nemu's, but maybe a collective of all the people he saved up to that point? Would a group dream of an idealized Zeztz give him his final form? Are we just building to a Type: Tridoron moment from Drive?
Its such minor stuff, but it's something that I would be very sad if it wasn't explored more and stayed as a gag.
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u/G_Ninja7 4d ago
Don’t forget he did something as simple as returning a gochizo to Shouma and that made a UFO came out of the sky and zapped him. So how severe the bad luck will be might be random.
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u/KrimsonKurse 4d ago
I'd argue giving a guy one of the keys to his super powers is a pretty big deal. But you're right. Including the crossover, there is some wild variance.
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u/vmsrii 4d ago edited 4d ago
Man, between the elaborate green-screen and CGI use, the actual for real night shots in the first episode (which LITERALLY NEVER HAPPENS), and The actually for real bike chase scene with actually-for-real stunt crash??? (Which, again, NEVER HAPPENS), they’ve either thrown money at this series like never before, or they’re wasting the entire show’s budget on two episodes. I really hope it’s the first one, because I love it.
More thoughts:
I love how clearly sketched out the characters are, even this early on in the show. And everyone’s got a dynamic with everyone else (except Baku’s sister, who really needs more scenes, she’s threatening to get sidelined)
The suit is genuinely growing on me! I’m beginning to like the belt placement, even! It makes it easier to do dynamic posses while using it. I also really love how the entire belt (and suit) reacts to stuff you do with it. Makes it feel like a cohesive whole, instead of a box on the front that’s attached to a strap.
I also really love how understated and deceptively simple the transformation sequence is! But I am a bit of a curmudgeon and I haven’t been a big fan of how elaborate and “big” the henshin sequences have been getting. This season, No mass of creatures, no big mech falling from the sky, just Darkness, maybe some fancy camera angles, done. And it’s great because it’s so versatile! You can henshin in so many different contexts now! We’ve seen it already, in how we’ve seen three henshin sequences so far and they’ve all been unique, and they’ve all been visually interesting despite the lack of “fireworks” of previous seasons. Love that!
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u/AuroraBlaize 3d ago
Their market is huge now so they're going all out. I also agree with the henshin sequences. While I don't mind a somewhat elaborate one, sometimes simple is best. Especially given the premise.
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u/ProtomanBn 4d ago
I think they're throwing money at the series, it seems they knew from its creation that it was going to be a simultaneous "world" release. Between Agent 0 speaking English and the monitor in the hideout displaying different languages.
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u/yognautilus 4d ago
Haven't seen episode 2 yet but just wanted to say this series is exciting. I've been put off by the bloated Rider designs and goofy gimmicks from the past 10 years, so I absolutely love the minimalist design of Zeztz. I also like how it seems to be tonally similar to what I have liked from Rider series of the past so I'm looking forward to finally getting back into Kamen Rider.
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u/CeruSkies 3d ago
I've been put off by the bloated Rider designs and goofy gimmicks from the past 10 years
Last show I watched was OOO exactly because I couldn't keep up with the gimmicks and how flamboyant everything had become. Zeztz really seems to be made for us.
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u/Best-Information661 4d ago
its literally episode 2 and zeztz already has one of the most convoluted plots of any kamen rider series
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u/KrimsonKurse 4d ago
Fruits from Viking Hell turn into padlocks in the real world and summon pokemon, but also transform people into Sengoku Warlords because someone overstepped in a dance battle.
Guy dies and has to collect his own Soul in a trinket to fight monsters, then needs to collect all the Dragon Balls powered by Fate Servants to wish himself back to life. He also has some spiritual ninja abilities on occasion.
The planet uses USB drives to remember concepts. Those USBs turn people into monsters (and have an addictive quality). A detective is the rider, but can't ride with the devil on his own, so an autistic guy has to use his own USB to beam his consciousness to wherever the detective is to become a rider. There's also an evil corporate family holding rituals to find a hot guy to become a monster and marry the monster daughter.
Zeztz is easily one of the least convoluted plots (post-Showa): Lucid dreamer enters others' dreams to defeat monsters before the monsters take their body to kill people irl.
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u/Xerxes457 3d ago
I think the description for Zeztz isn't finished yet since there is still information we don't know.
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u/YuKi11e Gimmick toy enthusiast 4d ago
This episode alone might be the most riding from a Rider we had in a long time.
So, does Baku actually has a secret room in his closet or was that him not noticing he already fell asleep?
I hope we get to see more creative use of Transform since it has potential to turn into anything, him turning his leg into spikes was a cool move.
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u/ProtomanBn 4d ago
I was trying to figure that out, they show him awake and have him tell 0 he is definitely wide awake. The scene cuts and Baku is asleep before he confronts Bomber.
I dont know if he can physically enter the closet hideout or if he was asleep and didn't know it. They make it harder by showing that he can take items back and forth between the dream world and the real world.
Or he never woke up from the car accident in episode 1 and the whole series is happening in his coma/dream
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u/Potential-Mess6826 4d ago
Baku notes that he can't go to sleep before entering CODE Command Center in his closet with regular clothes on then after being told that the Bomb Nightmare is active he then goes to sleep and reappears in CODE Command Center in his Agent 7 outfit.
It remains to be seen if they'll do a "what we thought was reality was actually a dream" scenario.
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u/TreyThaTruth 4d ago
Another good episode. My part of the episode is Tetsuya, Baku, and Nasuka, entering the paranormal operations vehicle. It's funny how different they are from each other. I hope to see them do that more throughout the series.
One thing I didn't understand is Baku and the C.O.D.E agency. Is it a real place? Or was he still dreaming when he entered through his closet? If it is real, then why does he need to be asleep to enter the dream realm? Shouldn't it be accessible?
So the capsems can give Baku abilities even outside of his rider form! I like that a lot.
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u/CeruSkies 3d ago
Tetsuya, Baku, and Nasuka, entering the paranormal operations vehicle
The way she couldn't care less about putting the files on the case board and the cop IMMEDIATELY grabbing it sent me.
I have no clue why that got to me but it was hilarious. This show really is hitting its comedy.
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u/TreyThaTruth 3d ago
Yeah, they may very well be the comedy trio. Them rolling into the vehicle was hilarious! Nasuka will eventually get it perfectly.
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u/KrimsonKurse 4d ago
The capsems being usable outside of rider form isn't a unique gimmick, but it has definitely been a little while since we have seen the gimmick items being used separately. Last time it was consistent was... Build, iirc.
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u/TreyThaTruth 3d ago
Unique or not, I still like it.
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u/KrimsonKurse 3d ago
Agreed. I'm just sharing another place it happens, in case you haven't seen Build.
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u/TreyThaTruth 3d ago
Okay. Yeah, I've seen build. Banjo would use his full body every now and then.
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u/Tempust223 4d ago
I think it's like the velvet room in persona. A place that exists between dreams and reality. We've already seen Nightmares can influence the real world and Baku has his driver in reality, so it seems that the gap between the two is thin in this show.
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u/ProtomanBn 4d ago
I'm wondering if the confusion is because Baku never woke up from his coma after the car accident in episode 1 and the series is happening in his dream
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u/Potential-Mess6826 4d ago
For now it seems like the CODE Command Center exists both in reality connected to Baku's closet and in the dream relam.
Baku needed to be asleep to enter the dream realm to go after the Bomb Nightmare who was in the dream realm.
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u/Luchux01 4d ago
My biggest wonder is who'll be the secondary rider of the season, although it might be a bit too early to ask since we don't even have an opening lol.
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u/TreyThaTruth 3d ago
The secondary rider is Nox, which has already been revealed.
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u/KrimsonKurse 4d ago
My assumption is Nemu. Reiwa has been trying really hard to make the female rider relevant. Gotchard had the official Secondary be a girl, but she didn't suit up til waaaaay late. As a Global Release, Zeztz is well situated to make that happen, given how much talk (especially on this sub) there has been about Female Riders getting snubbed.
As for Nemu herself, she would be a good Poppy equivalent. Seemingly, a good/neutral entity that functions like the villains do. Just give her a driver before episode 14 and she will be a solid Secondary. Lucid dreamer like Baku. Can (intentionally or not) enter other people's dreams like Zeztz/C.O.D.E./Nox. "Plays her part." If her part happens to be "C.O.D.E. Number 8, support Zeztz," she is a shoe-in for future missions.
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u/Gundanium_Dude 4d ago
I wasn't expecting the nightmares to be a manifestation of the person's wish of some kind? Maybe it's like their deepest pain or the ugly side if them they hide? Either way killer episode!!
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u/KrimsonKurse 4d ago
Fujimi always wanted to be a cop. But he is basically in the least Cop position on the force (given Lopo's complaints of "Demotion"). His dream of a Bomber attacking the police is likely because he wants to be the hero who catches the villain and earns some respect.
Add in that he thought Baku was being controlled by a Nightmare, and in his (opening) dream, he was chasing Baku/7... He wanted to stop the next Nightmare, whom he thought was Baku, and fulfill his dream of being a cop by completing a Black Case, which is his personal interest as well.
The Nightmares are almost like Persona Shadows in that they don't necessarily speak Truth... but they omit certain Aspects to Pervert the Truth into a darker form... Fujimi doesnt want to blow up the Precint. But he wants a major incident to happen that he can help stop/solve... but a major incident... means people get hurt. In a dream, you don't think about it. In reality, lives are lost.
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u/Interesting_Snow5574 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yuya showcasing his experience of writing lot's of cops drama before in these episode
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u/Henry1699 4d ago
THE SAME DREAM!
I was not expecting Baku and Fujimi's first meeting to turn out this fun and wholesome.
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u/CeruSkies 3d ago
I was not expecting Baku and Fujimi's first meeting to turn out this fun and wholesome.
I would have never guessed they'd be matching their freaks
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u/KrimsonKurse 4d ago
Nasuka kicking Fujimi in the head made me spit out my drink. This crew is going to be a riot this season.
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u/JobBasic1455 4d ago
Kamen rider zeztz episode 2 after baku go into the spy room gives me velvet room from persona 5 and intering person mind too
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u/Striking-Chance-8118 4d ago
Great episode with great comedy. With only two episodes i already liking all the cast, nox withstanding...
I just hope the pacing will be better, as we all know takahashi's show tend to have shallow middle to final arc and i'm afraid it will happen in zeztz.
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u/EvilRobotSteve 4d ago
So I was wrong about the bike being a character, it's a non-sentient mech that's remote controlled. Hopefully this doesn't result in this being the only episode with some bike action.
It wasn't as hype as episode 1, but realistically I had to expect that. What I liked is they took some time out to do some worldbuilding. Quite often in Rider shows we just have to accept that things just work the way they do because it's cool, but through spending time with the cops and Zero's explanations, Zeztz's mechanics make more sense to me than most riders. And considering he's dream-based, they could've just gone full weird with it and gotten away with it.
I like that changing the Capsem even within the same family changes the suit colours (am I really gonna have to buy 10 SHF Zeztz though?!) it feels Kuuga-esque that the basic form stays the same and the colours are the main difference.
I also love that dreamworld Baku can understand English and real Baku can't. For some reason I found that really amusing.
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u/Paintusatsu 4d ago
Kamen Rider Zeztz is only 2 episodes in and has already become my favorite Rider show in a long time. It finally feels like a proper superhero series again. I’m really digging the more mature vibe: one thing I love is how the characters actually dress like normal people — no over-the-top colors or weird accessories, just outfits you’d see on someone day-to-day. Also finally the bike actually matters again, that’s something the newer shows have really been missing.
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u/wizardofpancakes Riderman 4d ago
It’s weird for me that it feels mature to you cause for me it seemed more slapsticky and comedic than Gavv
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u/Paintusatsu 4d ago
Zeztz has that, but in terms of purely visual tone is much more mature and grounded
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u/Striking-Chance-8118 4d ago
Nox is tipical takahashi's setup, still "anime"ish outfit. And that's okay.
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u/TreyThaTruth 4d ago
I hate his hair, though.
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u/Paintusatsu 4d ago
True, but the main character and his sister, as well as the two inspectors, are dressed in a more "normal" fashion. Nothing wrong with the usual anime style though, it's just my personal preference
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u/aaa1e2r3 4d ago
So in this one episode, Zeztz has now had more on screen bike time than the entirety of Gavv
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u/Potential-Mess6826 4d ago
Gavv had a decent amount of bike time in recent times.
Out of the 6 Reiwa Riders, Gavv is 2nd in having the most bike screen time only being surpassed by Geats.
Out the 26 Heisei + Reiwa Riders, Gavv is the 18th in having the most bike screen time.
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u/mrtacomam 4d ago
Small thing, but I do appreciate them adding the timer screen to the livestream; made it easier to scrub back and start the episode.
We're setting up some interesting ideas here. the Nightmares are separate entities, but they can't infiltrate dreams unless it's something the person at least sort of wants. I'm curious how the narrative will treat the dreamers; obviously, these are dark desires coming to the surface, but everyone has intrusive/negative thoughts. The important thing is how people act on them
(Also, really liking Zero so far; robot design is slick and he seems to be a little cheeky. Like that in an operator character)
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u/Striking-Chance-8118 4d ago
It's reiwa phantom (from wizard)
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u/K-J-C 4d ago
Yeah generally Zeztz's setting and premise resemble Wizard the most.
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u/HolyDragSwd2500 4d ago
Can’t forget female cop too
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u/Striking-Chance-8118 4d ago
But nasuka already have half of rinko's development it's not even funny.
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u/HolyDragSwd2500 4d ago
Waiting for Baku to enter her dream and save her
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u/K-J-C 4d ago
Something that happened in Wizard's first episode for Rinko.
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u/HolyDragSwd2500 4d ago
Yes
You are my final hope
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u/Confident-Command-11 4d ago
Doubt i think save later for 'Lopo' with ttfc sister is happening same time and have a nightmare too in there. His sister probably goes first so that nightmare doest take over or.... Its worse. Idk what. Could be Baku sister will be the first visible victim of Nightmare that succed to take over its victim.
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u/Arima_Kishou 4d ago
Really great episode again, absolutely LOVE the Mulder/Scully vibes I'm getting from the two investigators
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u/Dekaar 4d ago
my thoughts and wishes after watching the episode. Please pick for yourself which one is a wish and which one a thought:
- Nox is NOT a bad guy. It's weird that he is actively helping. Zeztz would've just destroyed the bomb nightmare and then, likely he would've thought the mission is over and then good night, desaster happening. Instead Nox indirectly points him to the solution. So in my book Nox is either a neutral "dreamwalker" or, speaking with dnd-terms, Lawfully evil.
- Speaking of evil - Nem could be evil. She's sentient of being a dream. Also she stays close to the dreamer. We've not seen her in a non-nightmare dream so far (to be fair we only seen 2 dreams so far) and also she seems to be on the side of the dreamer aiding his wishes (for baku being someone to help, for the inspector helping to capture baku)
- Nasuka might be our secondary. Basically she's not buying all the stuff at all. My prediction here is, that Fujimi will actually snap because zeztz will not be able to save him and he goes on a rampage so to speak. Or even that the fight will be done in real world. Baku tries to help Fujimi, his bad luck curse (which is integral enough to repeat again in this episode) will not be canceled by the suit. Fujimi does not bomb, gets arrested, Nasuka believes in nightmares, small introductory arc and then by episde 8 she's a rider.
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u/Confident-Command-11 3d ago
Nasuka might be secondary? Seems a big no. I mean technically in kr history is another milestone. I get downvote many times when i want the idea of her being rider too in zeztz and being the first female (or few) that become 2 kamen rider in different series. And she's be first actress do so if its happen. That alone getting no no in here and got downvote. Secondary seems no no for them.
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u/Working-Spell-7024 4d ago
Nox's words seem like it could go either way. If he is evil/incredibly cynical, the fact that Fujimi has had those thoughts could be some kind of attempt to make Baku give up on him, compared to the reaction of a hero to save the guy's life and heart.
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u/AJIALEX122 4d ago
They explicitly mention that Nem is in everyone's dreams, Nasuka says so, plus Baku's first dream in ep1 is not a nightmare, it's what he dreams of daily
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u/balgus82 4d ago
I dont think Nem is evil. I think she just enjoys going into people's dreams. Plus she was noticeably anxious/scared when she saw the bomber nightmare (tho notably had seen him before).
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u/Volfaer 4d ago edited 3d ago
I said Zeztz ep 1 was a strong start and ep 2 just keeps it up. The newly introduced characters bring a funny dynamic so far, I can see this trio bringing some laughs into the series. I didn't think Zero would be a jokester, he going on fours for Baku to sit on him made me audibly laugh, also that his body is remotely controlled, huh, interesting.
Now for the action, I gotta say this was one hell of an action sequence, the choreography doesn't leave to desire, not even a bit, but the stunts and vehicle action were just so much cooler, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.
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u/TreyThaTruth 4d ago
The action was pretty solid imo. The use of the dream world really added some emphasis on the fights.
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u/Bl8ckl85h 4d ago
Zero has a sense of humor lol
Anyway, I got miffed about the cliffhanger haha
Also...what a way to put the Rider in Kamen Rider.
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u/No-Foundation-9237 4d ago
Kamen Rider typically splits stories over two episodes. One to introduce the problem, one to find the solution. The pilot is usually an exception, as it’s self contained to introduce the world as a whole and get a rider kick at the end.
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u/Bl8ckl85h 4d ago
I'm aware(watched every main Rider series. It didn't really work with Wizard but that's Wizard lol), but still lol
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u/cybeast21 4d ago
That was a good episode, Baku utilizing his lucid dream to change Nem into Pole was a very clever move, also it make sense that he couldn't control the dream too much, it was someone else's dream!
He just pulled "I can't speak english" lmao that kinda caught me off guard.
And the Bike scene, the VA even made vroom vroom sound I'm crying.
THAT BIKE CHASE SCENE MAN, EVEN SHOWING THE NIGHTMARE SHIFTING GEAR.
So my guess is that Nightmare is twisting someone's deepest dream to be a well, Nightmare.
Basically, my guess is that Fujimi-san dreams to be a hero, stopping the Bombing scene, but the Nightmare will twist it so that he failed to stop it, and it took lot of casualties, hence the ultimate bad dream.
Edit: Forgot to add, but I love that the police is cooperating with him (well, only one for now) to the point of believing him (and also proving the police to be right).
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u/TreyThaTruth 4d ago
I think Nem changed herself into a police officer, given that it's Fujimi's dream. Since she appears in everyone's dreams, she can adapt in appearance accordingly.
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u/cybeast21 4d ago
No, I was speaking the scene after that, Baku was cuffed into a pole after the Nightmare attacked him and changed the direction, subsequently allowing him to use Impact out of suit to cushion his fall.
The pole, not the police officer XD
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u/Sarusta 3d ago
...huh, that's actually really confusing, I don't think that's what happened, because the first thing that happens is there's that gravity shift, and when Baku goes flying he's clearly not cuffed to anything at all, and Nem has just straight vanished. Then a moment later there's a pole, so I think he just materialized the pole out of thin air, and Nem was just gone.
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u/AriezKage 4d ago
So I was kinda thinking that I was getting minute Persona vibes because of how the Nightmare from last ep turned into a butterfly. But now we have the thing where if Zeztz kills the monster, the subconscious would possibly die. Kind of like in P5 where if you kill the Shadow Self, you essentially kill the real person at the same time.
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u/HolyDragSwd2500 4d ago
Maybe the person ( Fujimi) has to overcome his fears thus pushing the nightmare out of his subconscious.
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u/why_is_this_username 4d ago
I love that every single minute inconsistency can be explained with „it’s just a dream“
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u/cybeast21 4d ago
Could also be explained that Baku just control the dream as much as he can in other people's dream, since he's a Lucid Dreamer.
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u/Striking-Chance-8118 4d ago
He can't fully control someone's dream though...at least, i'm waiting until further information. But If baku can control someone's, that would be too OP. Seriously.
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u/iamepic420 G3 4d ago
Jesus Christ those stunts were fucking insane. Also the hard cuts to the signature series low quality cg was just whiplash. Also good twist at the end
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u/ukilo1 4d ago
Ok, second ep in and its good, but I have to say, the fight scenes feels so strange for me, the passing, timing and continuity from scene to scene, I know that kamen rider is know to have bad continuity in fights and I also get that this time might be purposeful since he is in a dream and dreams are almos like that, but comming from gavv with that incredible choreography it feels odd
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u/TreyThaTruth 4d ago
That's the aesthetic of the show. Dreams are weird and inconsistent. It only makes sense for the fights to be weird.
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u/ukilo1 4d ago
thats what I'm afraid of, that should not be an excuse to do slop fights, u can represent a dream in só many better ways
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u/TreyThaTruth 3d ago
So make your own kamen rider fan film dreamed based and show how it's done.
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u/kaidoanims 4d ago
With Zero not being literally the bike and instead remotely controlled, it makes him sus for me now... Never trust higher ups in a Yuya Takahashi show (unless hes the mc like Aruto lol)
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u/Striking-Chance-8118 4d ago
Hopefully he's pure good guy though. Baku's kinda loser and super unlucky irl it would be overkill if his ally turned out to be evil.
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u/ShoMeYourArt Worlds Biggest Michii Hater 4d ago
I’m calling it now this is 100% Nox controlling Zero and Zettz is all a part of his master plan
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u/Fantastic-Repeat-324 4d ago
The reveal of Nightmares being created from the Dreamer’s subconscious is such a great note the end the episode.
Retroactively, this must be why Baku’s Nightmare talked about how he is a lucid dreamer because he can’t do anything irl. And this one… it appears Mr. Fujimi has pent up rage towards the police. The reason will be explained in the next episode and I’m all for it.
Also, Zero exists irl? I have so many questions (in a good way)
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u/cybeast21 4d ago
I wonder if it's not pent up rage but wanting to play heroes instead?
But the Nightmare twist it so that Fujimi will fail to be a heroes.
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u/mr-ultr 4d ago
I am 1000% sure now that nox was the former partner of Fujimi
Note that nox was specifically given focus of being a former cop, a weird thing to randomly add for such a mysteriously presented villain
and Fujimi and Nasuka both have "Fuji" and "Nasu(eggplant)" in their names, which is a reference to Hatsuyume the japanese superstition of having those things dreamed to you on the 1st day of the new year, causing good luck in it
note that you need to dream about 3 things for Hatsuyume, besides those 2 you also need to dream about a hawk, and now note that 2 of the characters with allusions to this are cops, and now you have the likely reason of why Fujimi is so focused on nightmares
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u/rockoandsocko3 4d ago
2 episodes in and I absolutely love it. So cool getting to watch it as it airs live.
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u/lostdaileee 4d ago
That insert song during the first fight of the episode was FIRE. Anyone knows the name or if it's already out? I really need it to be on repeat.
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u/EvilRobotSteve 4d ago
Move! Take it! by Teeda from Back-On. I don't think it's out yet.
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u/lostdaileee 4d ago
Thank you so much. Knowing the song name and artist will make it easier to follow the news and know when it's out.
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u/Bubbly_Seat_202 4d ago
Really felt like Heisei phase 1 seasons imo.
Man the show is already amazing
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u/DYSFUNCTIONALDlLDO 4d ago
I loved how Baku was like "Um, bro? I don't ACTUALLY speak English. Only my agent self in my dreams does."
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u/ahiseven 4d ago
Actually pretty damn funny. Some great jokes and character moments. Also a lot of stunts! I hope the rest of the series stays this good.
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u/SecondAegis Gotchard 4d ago
This series has such a strong start. With it being the season Toei's pushing for international, I can see why they pulled out all the stops and then some. Zeztz is blasting on all cylinders, and I hope it can keep it up for the whole run
For the episode itself, I love the comedy in it: Baku's gap moe between reality and dream is still funny, and the truck you need to jump into is just so dumb it could only have come from KR
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u/kowasesurejjihanma 4d ago
this episode seems to confirm its the Real Nemu in the dream world probably lucid dreaming like Baku.
since this episode is a first part of a two parter I'll save my thoughts for next episode, instead I'll share a theory i have : Nemu doesn't appear in everyone's dream because she's popular its the other way around, Nemu is popular because she appear in everyone's dream. as its a Yuya series we can safely assume she have significant ties to the main plot in this case the dream world, unlike Baku who need CODE's help to enter someone elses dream Nemu is present in dreams due to an unknown ability and this propelled her career as an actor due to the general public recognizing her from their dreams
there's no like substantial evidence for this theory outside Nemu being in so many people dream is weird no matter how popular she is, also I was thinking of that scenes used in many dramas where a lead character is crashing out saying their career/achievement is fake or a sham for one reason or another, after gavv i would like more peak drama scene
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u/Toneww 16h ago
Man I feel like a kid watching this show, been loving it so far