SO a while ago I had a poll on my twitter asking what I should Review next because I had no idea what to do this week. My poll was which Rider Movie should I review next? The choices were Project G4, Episode Final, and finally Missing Ace. Out of the 3, Ryuki Episode final was the victor. Now Fun Fact originally for my very first ever Review on this Blog was going to be Kamen Rider Ryuki Episode Final. The reason why I didn't go through with was because I just changed my mind at the last minute. I also wrote the review in a notebook.
Now Kamen Rider Ryuki Episode Final was intended to be the as the title of the film implied the Final Episode of Ryuki. Now Kamen Rider Ryuki ratings were pretty poor especially with the prior season Agito being the highest and still the highest of the Heisei era of Kamen Rider (sources). So because of the poor ratings, it was decided that the movie of Ryuki would end the show. But because the show ratings picked slowly the show had a proper season worth of episodes.
The movie begins with a bunch of Mirror Monsters attacking people while Ryuki, Knight, Zolda, and Ouja are fighting the Mirror Monsters with a new Rider coming in through the window. After the title of the movie we then go to a few days prior before with Shinji, Ren, Yui, and Yui's Grandmother talking about scary stories (although if you want to talk about scary stories talk about how Digimon is really Pokemon. NOT that it's scary or anything but for how scarily awful it is). Shinji tells a story about him playing with a little girl as a child and they would play again tomorrow, except the next day it was raining. But miraculously somehow the little girl still came over to play with Shinji but vanished soon after. This will be explained later on, TRUST ME!
In the morning Shinji is taking a case involving this Marriage Swindler with a woman named Miho Kirishima. When they expose the Marriage Swindler guy in a clever twist it’s really Miho who’s the swindler. Miho escaped but Shinji and the not Marriage Swindler guy catches up with Miho. Only for that guy to be captured (and eaten) by a Mirror monster.
It's here Miho reveals that she is a Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Femme. Kamen Rider Femme is notable for being the very first time ever we had a Female Kamen Rider in the franchise. Her design is a swan with a fencing sword as her card reader, while YES this is astonishing to finally have a female Kamen Rider in the franchise... HOWEVER, the execution is horrifically and I'll explain much later in the review why that is. Femme, Ryuki, and the just arrive Zola fight off the Mirror Monsters but are no match and even with the Riders Final Vent and retreat for being outnumbered.
At the restaurant, Yui works at all of a sudden decided to go in this one place and dig up an old box which has drawings of the advent monsters inside it. Ok now try and pay attention to what I am about to say because this will get hectic and I think your brain will explode because of the logic here.
When Yui was a little girl and her brother was forced to be taken away she would be in front of the mirror drawing these monsters in front of a mirror to protect her with her brother not longer being with her. and for whatever reason a mirror Yui came out and told her she would play with her. HOWEVER, so much time has passed and the normal Yui is unable to go back to the normal world and if she does she will die. So mirror Yui allows this because she gives her own life but when she is 20 the normal Yui will die. In return normal Yui gives mirror Yui the monsters she drew for her and that somehow made the monsters alive and want to kill humans so that can live because they have no life at all. Did you get all that? GREAT let's move on now.
After that noise, the movie now catches up to the beginning with the Riders fighting one another. Femme and Ouja have a 1 on 1 battle but Miho is not a challenge for Ouja, and when Miho is about to die BUT here comes Kamen Rider Ryuga. Ryuga is the movie exclusive Dark Rider which would begin a tradition of having Dark Rider Repaints like Dark Kabuto, Nega Den-O and so on and so forth. He may just look like Ryuki but in all black, but it looks cool. He also knows how to be affected with his Final Vent has him with his him floating above the ground from pure force alone with his Dragon in caging the opposing opponent and Ryuga killing him with his Rider Kick. Now that's pretty badass. Ryuga destroys Ouja Contract beast leaving him defenseless so Miho goes in for the finishing blow killing off Ouja thrust finally having vengeance for her sister.
Zolda in the battle took some nasty damage also and as such he ask Reiko out and disqualified in the Rider Battle and Realize to live life to it's fullest.
Miho Take Shinji on a date as thanks for helping her finish off Ouija but Shinji is clueless about what she is saying and Shinji goes to the bathroom while in there Ryouga comes out. Ryuga has Miho fooled to think that he is Shinji which gives him the chance to kill Miho but Ryuga needs to go back into the Mirror World from being in the human world too long. Femme goes after Ryuga but Ryuga is just too damn powerful and doesn't come close to Crashing him at all. She’s on the verge of dying but Shinji comes in and saves the day with Shinji seeing Ryuga they don’t fight however because Ryuga just leaves. Shinji thinks Miho is alright BUT... it's too late. Miho collapse and dies with everyone just walking pass her on the walk back she lays dead.
This is just FUCKING INSULTING! I mean I really, really, really cannot stress this enough how appalling and downright disgraceful this truly is. What makes this insulting is that no one is there to help her and just leaves her there and no one is helping her at all. And she is just treated as a weakling and more proof is shown throughout the whole as a movie a weak little girl. like seriously SCREW YOU INOUE. OH MY it truly has been forever since I did something like this?
I think I am overreacting and being as harsh as I am if only because Miho is our first ever female Rider there ever was and that just put a sour taste in my mouth seeing it. But the real reason this pisses me off is because this would sadly just the first of many, many, many, many, many, MANY female Rider DEATHS to come.
Ok enough of my venting. In the morning Shinji is mad seeing one of these Japanese ghost dolls to keep the rain away (they are called a Teru Teru bōzu) and it looks just like the ones he made as a kid with that little girl all those years ago. Which makes Shinji believes that he is the one to cause the Rider War in the first place... OK, that is a weird considering that I thought that Shinji playing with Mirror Yui came right after Yui was playing with Mirror Yui, and as such how could Shinji have had caused this in the first place. WELL REGARDLESS Ryuga comes in and fuses with Shinji making Ryuga can exist in the normal World, Ren sees this so the 2 fight one another.
Speaking of Yui it's finally time for Yui and her 20th birthday and Shiro comes in and says to Yui don't worry because he will bring Yui back to life when the rider war is over. Because he will give Yui the Victor power to Make Yui live again, this has been Shiro from the start. HOWEVER, Yui denies this and doesn't want Shiro to given her someone else's life and instead, she rather die instead of doing that WHICH SHE DOES. From this realization, Shiro couldn't take it and from his sorrow and realization, both the human world and the Mirror World become 1.
The battle between Ryuga and Knight makes its way to Yuri corps when Ryuga sees the Dead Yuri allowing Shinji to breaks free from Ryuga’s control. The 2 Dragon Riders duke it out with one another until both of them use their Final Vent to end it. from the smoke Shinji is the victor the However, there is still the problem of more Mirror Monsters attacking people. The movie ends with both Shinji and Ren Her shining into there Survive forms and attacking the monsters.
Overall Episode Final is a pretty good 3/5
This was a good movie with an ending I am not afraid to admit I liked more than the show ending.
Ryuki was a show that had flaws in the show, especially the end of the show, what with it basically rebooting everything in the end and meant it was all for nothing. While the ending for the movie is a opened ended ending I enjoy this ending more and take it over the show any day.
Ryuga was a straight up baller in the movie and downright a badass mofo! OK SURE where did he come from was never answered and I don't like it that the show never answered it for myself... BUT he was cool in action even pretending to be Shinji to get close to the other Riders to take them down. To me, he really was the highlight of this movie to see.
BUT the movie still had flaws too with it's pacing. the pacing feels like it takes forever to start happening, I know this movie isn't that long in the review but believe me it took its time in the movie itself. the most obvious example I can give is where Miho ask Shinji on a date twice and in the first time that happens nothing was added and at least the 2nd time it happens Ryuga comes out. and all that first shows was to just have the Agito cast to have a quick cameo in it. Then again I did watch the Director's Cut and apparently, the theatrical cut of the movie is awful so maybe it was good to the full version anyways.
Again Femme, I'll be quick saying this but SIGH her death really was the worst thing in this movie... just UGH -__-. Don't get me wrong, I thought Miho was a fine Rider, sure she acted like a jerk to worse people and stole from people but mostly it was for her sister who was injured and frozen. she had her vengeance which did make her soften up and we saw that. but her dying, in the end, NO... just NO!
The whole thing with Mirror Yui just seemed weird and convoluted and it was a reason like that (the over convoluted nature of the story) is a reason why I never really liked Ryuki as others did. Which is again why I find Ryuki to be just OK. don’t love it or hate it, it’s a middle of the Road series for me.
In 2 weeks we are doing a duology review, why is that? Well, you'll see soon enough.
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