I'm Kamen Rider Die, and this is a thread where I'm going to watch Kamen Rider Kiva for the first time and share my experiences and impressions. Thanks for checking it out!

Now, I've been doing these threads for a little while, in case you haven't checked one out before. Started with Ghost at the end of 2019, and then did Build, Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Hibiki, and Kabuto. Just wrapped up Den-O's TV run a few weeks ago, so it's onto Kiva.

On that topic, there's only one thing I know about Kiva (other than Vampires and Problematic, but those are both hearsay for me at this point) and it's that it's written by Toshiki Inoue, a writer I've become obsessed with. Is obsessed too strong a word? Possibly. Maybe! It's not something I'd normally admit, obsession, but we're all friends here, right? I'm pretty obsessed with his work. There's a catchphrase that I have, to show my devotion, and I'm sure you'll be hearing it a lot over the course of this thread. I'm trying to keep things relatively chill on the introductory post (I want you to feel comfortable enough before I really get weird), but maybe I'll drop it in by the end of this post. Keep your eyes open!

Uh, so, yeah, Inoue! There's a lot about his writing I've enjoyed. There's a playfulness, a tendency to approach stories from odd angles, a wealth of fascinatingly complex characters, and some exciting story turns. The biggest thing, though, is that I always feel like Inoue's stories are about something. There's something he's trying to communicate through the dialect of Toku, and it always gives me more to think about than just the plot and the dialogue. There're themes to his stories that just, like, trigger something in my brain, and I can't stop talking about them. More than maybe any other Phase 1 creator, he's my guy.

Except, I know he's not most people's guy. ...There was actually a whole paragraph here where I tried to lay out what folks don't like about Inoue, but it felt... tentative. Dishonest. I do like his stuff, so I can only imagine how my attempts to Both Sides his work would upset people. That is a thing I am trying to be aware of for the next couple months! I've definitely been far more willing to find something that resonates with me in Inoue's work than other people have, and trying that approach on this particular show feels like it could lead to some flared tempers and rancor. I really hope not! I'd love for this to be a thread where folks can disagree without it getting awkward. I don't need you to agree with me in order to post here, and I hope you'll be cool if someone disagrees with something you post. We all process art differently, and talking about it can be fun. Just, you know, always remember to be respectful of other opinions, okay? If you love Kiva and someone else doesn't, maybe try and listen to why that is. Alternatively, give folks space to enjoy the show even if it's one you dislike. I don't know. I want everyone to be friends, even if we're viewing this show in diametrically opposed ways.

For real, I want us to all get along before and after this thread. In the meantime, in the during of this thread, I've got a couple three things I'd like to ask for your help with.

(One big parenthetical note up-front: These are all just suggestions. I've always listed them as Rules or whatever, because they're things I want to stress at the outset. But, like, some folks ended up accidentally breaking a rule, and they took it bad, and I felt like my phrasing put them in a place where it meant more to them than it meant to me. In that spirit, while I'd appreciate your consideration on these few requests, it's not the end of the world if they're overlooked accidentally. I'll be fine, and I want you to be fine. Don't beat yourself up if you mistakenly do something in this thread I've asked you not to. As long as it's not on purpose, I won't get mad.)

Real big one for me is trying to keep this thread SPOILER-FREE. Like I said up top, this is my first time going through Kiva. I prefer to come to these shows as fresh as I can. If, in the course of the discussion, we can keep things to only the episodes I've covered, I'd appreciate it. Nothing from future episodes, and no teases about where a storyline will go. (And no spoiler tags, 'cause the notification emails I get from this thread strip them out.) Just the current episode and anything before. That'd be swell.

Eventually I'll be watching (and writing about) other shows, so if we can also avoid spoilers for Decade and Zi-O on up, I'd be super thankful. Again, no teases or nothing if you can avoid it. Try your best!

Very sorry about this one, but you know all that stuff I just wrote about you not spoiling things for me? Well, ha ha, funny story: I will probably spoil things from shows I've already watched. I'm sorry! But I will. It'll only be if something in Kiva feels related to another series (I'd be shocked if I don't bring up a huge twist or two from Faiz), but just so you know: if you want to stay spoiler-free on Kuuga through Den-O and Double through Build, maybe give this one a wide berth. Sorry in advance!

Everything I find valuable about these threads... it's not me getting to share my thoughts with you. It's you sharing your thoughts with me. Along those lines, I welcome any and all participation in this thread. Whatever you want to say about Kiva, good or bad, I want to hear it. Most of all, I want you to share your feelings about the show. What in an episode worked for you? Which characters are you most interested in? How do you feel about the story the show is telling? All of that stuff is super interesting to me. It's why I'm on these boards, you know? The chance to hear how these shows hit other fans, that's what I'm hoping to experience over the next couple months. If you've got something you want to discuss from these episodes, I'd be thrilled if you posted it here.

Ready for Kiva? I think that's everything I wanted to cover before we get started. New episode posts will drop daily except for Tuesdays. We'll cover the two movies, the HBV, and some Net Movies as they came up chronologically on original release. (I've got Climax Deka after Episode 11, the Net Movies and Kiva Movie after Episode 27, and the HBV after Episode 30.) It should be a fun couple months, I hope. Let's make it fun, you guys. Let's have a blast with this Allegedly Vampire tokusatsu show. Let's watch Kamen Rider Kiva!

(! I forgot the catchphrase! Sorry, everybody! Next thread, for sure.)